Archaeology, features and articles | Educational Science

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...

Dec 24, 2023

2,300-year-old shell mosaic discovered in luxurious home in Rome

Archaeologists in Rome have unearthed an ornate banquet hall decorated with a brightly colored wall mosaic. The stunning room was part of an aristocratic house built around 2,300 years ago on the city's Palatine Hill. The luxurious abode is located just a few hundred feet south of the city's central...

Jan 11, 2024

2,000-year-old bullet found with Julius Caesar's name on it was likely used in civil war

An almond-shaped lead bullet — inscribed with the names of Julius Caesar and an unknown city and likely fired from a slingshot — hints that Indigenous people in Spain supported the cause of the would-be dictator during his ultimately successful civil war more than 2,000 years ago, a new study...

Jan 16, 2024

Part of Hadrian's 1,800-year-old aqueduct and rare Greek coins unearthed near Corinth

Archaeologists in Greece have unearthed part of one of the largest hydraulic projects from the ancient world: an aqueduct that the Roman emperor Hadrian built to supply water to the city of Corinth. The remnants of the aqueduct were discovered in October during excavations at the archaeological site of Tenea,...

Jan 17, 2024

Ancient Roman necropolis holding more than 60 skeletons and luxury goods discovered in central Italy

A Roman-era necropolis that likely holds the remains of the upper crust has been discovered in central Italy, and it contains nearly 60 graves replete with gold jewelry and the remains of leather footwear, pottery and other precious goods. The cemetery, found ahead of construction work for a solar energy...

Jan 19, 2024

Roman dodecahedron uncovered by amateur archaeologists in the UK

Amateur archaeologists in England have unearthed a stunning Roman dodecahedron — a mysterious class of objects that has baffled experts for centuries. The dodecahedron — a 12-sided metal shell about the size of a grapefruit — was found this past summer during a dig in a farmer's field near the...

Jan 19, 2024

A slave was brutally crucified in Roman Britain 1,700 years ago. Now, his face has been brought back to life.

In 2017, archaeologists in England found the ancient skeleton of a man with a nail hammered through his heel. Further analysis revealed he was a Roman slave who had been brutally crucified during the third or fourth century A.D. Now, a new digital facial approximation presented as part of a...

Jan 23, 2024

'Incredibly rare' 2nd-century Roman armor pieced together like an 'ancient jigsaw puzzle'

Conservators at National Museums Scotland have reconstructed a 1,800-year-old segment of Roman armor that was broken into more than 100 pieces. The completed work will be part of an upcoming exhibition. For several weeks, museum conservators painstakingly pieced together what they're calling an ancient jigsaw puzzle. The second-century brass armor...

Jan 24, 2024

Roman-era wine shop, possibly destroyed in an earthquake, discovered in Greece

Archaeologists in Greece have discovered a 1,600-year-old wine shop that was destroyed and abandoned after a sudden event, possibly an earthquake or building collapse, left broken vessels and 60 coins scattered on the floor, according to new research. The shop operated at a time when the Roman Empire controlled the...

Jan 26, 2024

Devastating Roman-era plagues were ushered in by cold snaps, study finds

Cold snaps may have ushered in devastating pandemics for ancient Romans that killed countless people, new research finds. The new study links periods of climate variation with major pandemics and found that the three largest pandemics of the Roman period occurred during some of the most abrupt and deepest cold...

Jan 30, 2024

Nearly 400 ancient medical tools from Turkey hint at rare Roman doctors' offices

Hundreds of Roman-era medical instruments now being examined by scientists may come from one of the earliest known examples of a group medical practice, or at least a place where health care workers congregated to treat people. A total of 348 artifacts linked to medicine were found at the site...

Jan 31, 2024

Roman-era silver 'toilet spoon' discovered in Wales

A Roman-era silver toilet spoon discovered by a metal detectorist in the U.K. has been declared a treasure by experts. Valentinas Avdejevas made the peculiar finding in 2020 while exploring Vale of Glamorgan, a county in Wales. He surrendered the metal artifact to the Portable Antiquities Scheme for Wales, a...

Feb 1, 2024

1st-century villa discovered near Mount Vesuvius may be where Pliny the Elder watched catastrophic eruption

An excavation to build a playground near Naples, Italy, has revealed an ancient seafront villa thought to be where the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder witnessed the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. The eruption destroyed Pompeii and devastated other towns in the region, possibly killing up to 16,000...

Feb 5, 2024

1st-ever complete Roman 'bed burial' recovered from under London

Archaeologists have unearthed five 2,000-year-old Roman oak coffins, a funerary bed and skeletons at a construction site in London. The excavation site, which is located nearly 20 feet (6 meters) below street level, was the final resting place of some of Roman London's first residents, according to a statement by...

Feb 5, 2024

Bedbugs plagued Britain 1,900 years ago, Roman fort near Hadrian's Wall reveals

Bedbugs have been plaguing the British for at least 1,900 years, new research reveals. Archaeologists discovered the earliest evidence of the bloodsucking parasites in the U.K. at Vindolanda, a Roman auxiliary fort just south of Hadrian's Wall in England. Katie Wyse Jackson, a graduate student of archaeology at University College...