Archaeology, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 21, 2023

2 rare Roman cavalry swords from 1,800 years ago discovered by UK metal detectorist

A metal detectorist discovered two 1,800-year-old Roman cavalry swords still protected in remnants of their wooden scabbards, or sheaths in the North Cotswolds, England. Glenn Manning found the artifacts in March while participating in a metal detectorist rally, according to BBC News. Archaeologists determined that due to their long, straight-edged...

Oct 4, 2023

'Exceptional' 1,800-year-old sarcophagus unearthed in France held woman of 'special status'

Archaeologists excavating an ancient necropolis in northeastern France have discovered an unlooted, unopened Roman-era sarcophagus dating to the second century A.D. The tomb likely holds the remains of an elite woman, archaeologists said. The rough limestone sarcophagus was sealed shut with eight iron clasps, and its contents were hidden beneath...

Oct 6, 2023

Battered Roman-era skull with signs of violent trauma and a possible brain tumor unearthed in Spain

Archaeologists in Spain have unearthed a battered Roman-era skull that bears scars of violent trauma and may harbor signs of a brain tumor. However, not everyone is convinced that this battle-scarred man had a tumor, with one expert telling Live Science the findings are ambiguous. The skull, discovered in 2019...

Oct 14, 2023

Mythical hellhound and sea-centaurs painted on 2,200-year-old tomb discovered in Italy

Archaeologists in Italy have unearthed a 2,200-year-old tomb painted with two uncommon mythical creatures: a pair of ichthyocentaurs, or sea-centaurs, which have the head and torso of a man, the lower body of a horse and the tail of a fish. During excavation for infrastructure work near Naples, archaeologists noticed...

Oct 17, 2023

AI reveals scroll's lost text after it was scorched by Mount Vesuvius eruption 2,000 years ago

For the first time, an entire word and several letters have been decoded from a scorched and carbonized scroll that barely survived the eruption of Mount Vesuvius' in A.D. 79. That word — πορφύραc in ancient Greek — means purple dye or clothes of purple, a new artificial intelligence (AI)...

Oct 25, 2023

2,000-year-old decorated Roman sandal unearthed in Spain

Thousands of years ago, a person was cleaning out a well in Roman Spain when one of their leather sandals slipped off their foot. Now, 2,000 years later, archaeologists have found the well cleaner's missing shoe. Archaeologists made the discovery this summer while excavating a Roman settlement in northern Spain...

Oct 26, 2023

Cold War satellite images reveal nearly 400 Roman forts in the Middle East

Declassified images from Cold War spy satellites have revealed hundreds of previously undiscovered Roman forts in Iraq and Syria — and their existence suggests the eastern border of the ancient empire wasn't as violent as initially thought, a new study finds. Researchers already knew about a series of forts —...

Oct 28, 2023

Rare 2,100-year-old gold coin bears name of obscure ruler from pre-Roman Britain

A gold coin minted by a little-known ruler in ancient Britain — an Iron Age man who said he was as mighty as a god — has been found by a metal detectorist and auctioned off in England. The rare coin was discovered in March 2023 in Hampshire county and...

Nov 8, 2023

Soar over ancient Rome's temples, brothels and baths in epic new 3D reconstruction

A new interactive 3D reconstruction of ancient Rome is giving viewers the opportunity to virtually transport themselves back in time and explore the capital of the Roman Empire as it was during its heyday. Called Rome Reborn: Flight over Ancient Rome, the digital model presented by Flyover Zone, an educational...

Nov 13, 2023

Scuba diver discovers 30,000 astonishingly well-preserved Roman coins off Italian coast

A diver exploring the waters off Sardinia in Italy has discovered tens of thousands of Roman-era bronze coins hidden in the seagrass. The man immediately contacted the authorities about the finding, which was near the town of Arzachena. Based on the location of the hoard, experts think the cache could...

Nov 14, 2023

'Magical' Roman wind chime with phallus, believed to ward off evil eye, unearthed in Serbia

Archaeologists have unearthed a Roman wind chime called a tintinnabulum — featuring a prominent phallus — at an archaeological site in eastern Serbia. Such objects, which were hung near the doorways of houses and shops, were believed to serve as magical protection for the premises. This one was discovered on...

Nov 16, 2023

Cult temples and sacrificial pit unearthed at ancient Roman camp in Germany

Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of two Roman temples and a sacrificial pit in Germany. The building remnants, located at the site of a former Roman camp known as Haltern in northwestern Germany, are the first known instances of temples found at a Roman military site, according to a translated...

Nov 17, 2023

More than 3,000 Roman coins and gems unearthed at 'magical place' in northern Italy

Archaeologists in Italy have unearthed more than 3,000 coins and 50 gems, many of which were emblazoned with the images of ancient Roman deities. The massive finding was made during ongoing excavations at Claterna (also spelled Claternae), a Roman town located near modern-day Bologna, according to a translated statement from...

Nov 21, 2023

2,000 ancient clay stamps used to seal official Roman documents discovered in Turkey

Archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed more than 2,000 clay seal impressions that ancient officials once used to fasten government documents. Researchers discovered the stamp collection during excavations at Doliche, an ancient Roman city located near Gaziantep in southern Turkey. The clay stamps range in size from 0.2 to 0.8 inches...

Nov 25, 2023

Why didn't Alexander the Great invade Rome?

Alexander the Great conquered a massive empire that stretched from the Balkans to modern-day Pakistan. But if the Macedonian king had turned his attention westward, it's possible he would have conquered Rome, too, feasibly smiting the Roman Empire before it had a chance to arise. So why didn't Alexander the...