http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/ancient_civilizations/ Archaeology news. Articles on ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, ancient Greece and other civilizations. en-us Thu, 15 May 2008 01:05:01 EDT Thu, 15 May 2008 01:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/ancient_civilizations/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm Researchers at the University of Cincinnati and Florida State University have confirmed evidence of domesticated sunflower in Mexico -- 4,000 years before what had been previously believed. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423180059.htm Archaeologists have uncovered traces of a very early log road deep under an Annapolis street -- the first ever found in the city and perhaps one of the oldest such finds in the Washington, D.C. area. The discovery comes in the midst of Annapolis' 300th anniversary. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423180059.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416174634.htm The destruction and disappearance of ancient cultures mark the history of human civilization, making for fascinating stories and cautionary tales. The longevity of today's societies may depend upon separating fact from fiction, and archaeologists and seismologists are figuring out how to join forces to do just that with respect to ancient earthquakes. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416174634.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408112112.htm Archaeologists have reconstructed the history of the evolution of human population and answered questions about history, using DNA extracted from skeleton remains at the Aldaieta necropolis. It is clear that the genetic analysis of skeleton remains, despite the labor-intensive work involved and the problem of authenticity of the results, has provided an essential contribution in the reconstruction of the biological history of human populations. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408112112.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407162341.htm It is common for professional archaeologists and paleoanthropologists working in Africa to populate western museums with foreign artifacts by excavating and permanently removing them from history rich communities in Africa. The first museum of its kind has now been established in Mozambique and it will officially open in August. The Museu Local aims to be an interactive cultural heritage center. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407162341.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402120504.htm Archaeologists find ancient Jerusalem may be a model for today's corporations. As today's corporations know well, the strategy was all about location. Where did they set up their branch offices? In the "suburbs." Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402120504.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331200242.htm Gold has long been more than a fashion statement, and wearing jewelry and other adornments made of it often connotes prestige. And it did not take long for ancient people to figure that out. Scientists have unearthed what is, to date, the oldest collection gold artifacts found in the Americas. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331200242.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328104302.htm The Aztecs, Mayans and ancient Egyptians were three very different civilizations with one very large similarity: pyramids. However, of these three ancient cultures, the Egyptians set the standard for what most people recognize as classic pyramid design: massive monuments with a square base and four smooth-sided triangular sides, rising to a point. The Aztecs and Mayans built their pyramids with tiered steps and a flat top. Sat, 29 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328104302.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320120714.htm Anthropologists provide evidence that the first Americans came to this country 1,000 to 2,000 years earlier than the 13,500 years ago previously thought, which could shift historic timelines. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320120714.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080316124416.htm Archaeologists have found an amulet inscribed with a Jewish prayer in a Roman child's grave dating back to the 3rd century CE at a burial ground in the Austrian town of Halbturn. The 2.2-centimeter-long gold scroll represents the earliest sign of Jewish inhabitants in present-day Austria. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080316124416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311120621.htm Along an isolated, rocky stretch of Greek shoreline, researchers are unlocking the secrets of a partially submerged, "lost" harbor town believed to have been built by the ancient Mycenaeans nearly 3,500 years ago. Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311120621.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304191213.htm When most of us think of Ancient Egypt, visions of pyramids and mummies fill our imaginations. For a team of paleontologists interested in fossil mammals, the Fayum district of Egypt summons an even older and equally impressive history that extends much further back in time than the Sphinx. Six new bat species dating to around 35 million years ago, which sheds new light on the early evolution of bats, have just been discovered Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304191213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303113353.htm Imagine future archaeologists trying to understand Illinois, California or New York based on a few excavations in each of those states. They might excavate small areas in city centers, since those sites would probably be the first ruins they would come across. Meanwhile, the archaeologists they might fail to notice or study farms, suburbs, shopping malls, canals and airports. Although still relatively unknown to the general public, an archaeological method that is being practiced at several locations around the world helps scientists overcome such bias toward large, readily noticeable sites. Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303113353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218155534.htm New discoveries unearthed at an ancient frontier wall in Iran provide compelling evidence that the Persians matched the Romans for military might and engineering prowess. The 'Great Wall of Gorgan'in north-eastern Iran, a barrier of awesome scale and sophistication, including over 30 military forts, an aqueduct, and water channels along its route, is being explored by an international team of archaeologists. This vast Wall-also known as the 'Red Snake'-is more than 1000 years older than the Great Wall of China, and longer than Hadrian's Wall and the Antonine Wall put together. Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218155534.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214130334.htm A pioneering new study in Current Anthropology finds that branding, and our attachment to them, far predates modern capitalism, and indeed modern Western society. Labels on ancient containers, which have long been assumed to be simple identifiers, as well as practices surrounding the production and distribution of commodities, actually functioned as branding strategies. Furthermore, these strategies have deep cultural origins and cognitive foundations, beginning in the civilizations of Egypt and Iraq thousands of years ago. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214130334.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212131300.htm Archaeologists have found the earliest evidence ever discovered of an ancient Egyptian agricultural settlement, including farmed grains, remains of domesticated animals, pits for cooking and even floors for what appear to be dwellings. The archaeological team also found a bracelet made of a type of shell only found along the Red Sea, suggesting a possible trade link with the cradle of agriculture in the Near East. In addition, they unearthed clay floors of what may have been simple structures -- possibly posts with some kind of matting overhead. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212131300.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080205202327.htm Archaeologists have discovered a Roman fort in South East Cornwall. Dating back to the first century AD, this is only the third Roman fort ever to have been found in the county. The team believes its location, close to a silver mine, may be significant in shedding light on the history of the Romans in Cornwall. Situated next to St Andrew's Church, Calstock, the site is on top of a hill in an area known to have been involved with silver mining in medieval times. Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080205202327.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080201093354.htm DNA of the common black rat has shed light on the ancient spread of rats, people and diseases around the globe. Studying the mitochondrial DNA of 165 black rat specimens from 32 countries around the world, a scientists have identified six distinct lineages in the black rat's family tree, each originating from a different part of Asia. Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080201093354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129125405.htm An archaeologist discovered an intact ancient iron ore mine in South America that shows how civilizations before the Inca Empire were mining this valuable ore. The Nasca people may have used the red-pigmented mineral primarily for ceramic paints, but they also could have used it as body paint, to paint textiles and even to paint adobe walls. Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129125405.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123114601.htm The Greek traveler, Pausanias, living in the second century, CE, would probably recognize the spectacular site of the Sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion, and particularly the altar of Zeus. At 4,500 feet above sea level, atop the altar provides a breathtaking, panoramic vista of Arcadia. Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123114601.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123085308.htm Ancient Mayan temple builders used dazzling lustrous pigments. Studying tiny shards of paint from the Mayan city of Copan, a physical and chemical sciences researcher found evidence of mica that would have made the buildings glitter when hit by the sun. Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123085308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080116165058.htm The lost city of Dunwich, Britain's own underwater 'Atlantis', which has captured the imagination of people for centuries, could be revealed for the first time with high-tech underwater sonar. Marine archaeologists will explore the ancient sunken city, off the Suffolk coast, in the early summer. Dunwich, fourteen miles south of Lowestoft, was once a thriving port, and in the 14th century similar in size to London. However, storms, erosion and floods over the past six centuries have almost wiped out this once prosperous city, and the Dunwich of today is a quiet coastal village. Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080116165058.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071221232712.htm Excavations are underway in the East Jordan Land. With findings on the mountain Tall adh-Dhahab (West) in the Jabbok Valley the archaeologists could substantiate one assumption: everything points to the fact that the building remains from the Hellenistic and Roman era, found in 2006, were part of a yet unknown monumental building of Herod the Great (73-4 BC). Tue, 25 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071221232712.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071214094026.htm Archaeologist have reconstructed a 3,000-year-old glassmaking furnace, suggesting that Ancient Egyptian technology was more advanced than previously thought. It was previously thought that the Ancient Egyptians may have imported their glass from the Near East at around this time. However, the excavation team believes the evidence from Amarna shows they were making it themselves, possibly in a single stage operation. Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071214094026.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213101359.htm On the morning of Friday July 20, 1928, the crew of an RAF aircraft took photographs over the site of the Roman town of Venta Icenorum at Caistor St. Edmund in Norfolk, a site which now lies in open fields to the south of Norwich. Now, new investigations at Caistor Roman town using the latest technology have revealed the plan of the buried town at an extraordinary level of detail which has never been seen before. Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213101359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203134409.htm Coaxing answers from 1500-year-old clues hidden in soil clumps, a team of archaeologists and environmental scientists identified a marketplace in an ancient Maya city, calling into question archaeologists' widely held belief that people of the era relied on rulers to tax and re-distribute goods, rather than trading them with one another. Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203134409.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203091232.htm Scientists are reporting for the first time that sculptors from the fantastically wealthy ancient Empire of Mali -- once the source of almost half the world's gold -- used blood to form the beautiful patina, or coating, on their works of art. They describe development of a new, noninvasive test that accurately identifies traces of blood apparently left on ancient African artifacts used in ceremonies involving animal sacrifices. Sat, 08 Dec 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203091232.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071121100831.htm Remains of an ancient synagogue from the Roman-Byzantine era have been revealed in excavations carried out in the Arbel National Park in the Galilee. A unique feature of the synagogue is the design of its mosaic floor. Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071121100831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071120142829.htm Archaeologists are studying Tel Megiddo, the New Testament location of "Armageddon," and are unearthing truths about King Solomon. Researchers theorize that ancient rulers such as David and Solomon were "tribal chieftains ruling from a small hill town, with a modest palace and royal shrine." Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071120142829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071119103540.htm The earliest known use of cacao -- the source of our modern day chocolate -- has been pushed back more than 500 years thanks to new chemical analyses of pottery excavated at an archaeological site at Puerto Escondido in Honduras. Tue, 20 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071119103540.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071030133030.htm New excavations in southern Turkey have revealed the remains of a massive bastion fortification dating to the Hittite Imperial Period (ca. 1300 BC). Sirkeli Höyük, one of the largest settlement mounds in Cilicia during the Bronze- and Iron Ages, was already known to archaeologists and historians because of two Hittite rock reliefs located at the site. Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071030133030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071027172611.htm Archaeologists are rewriting history with the help of tree rings from 900-year-old trees, wood found on ancient buildings and through analysis of the isotopes (especially radiocarbon dating) and chemistry they can find in that wood. By collecting thousands of years worth of overlapping tree rings, with each ring representing a tree's annual growth, the researchers have created long-term records in the eastern Mediterranean that allow them to precisely date such seminal milestones in history as when Hammurabi, "the law-giver," reigned, when the massive Santorini volcanic eruption occurred, and the timelines of the Bronze and Iron ages, as well as many more recent events. Fri, 02 Nov 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071027172611.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071002144301.htm Move over, Archimedes. A researcher at Harvard University is finding that ancient Greek craftsmen were able to engineer sophisticated machines without necessarily understanding the mathematical theory behind their construction. Recent analysis of technical treatises and literary sources dating back to the fifth century B.C. reveals that technology flourished among practitioners with limited theoretical knowledge. Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071002144301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905145001.htm The architects of Cambodia's famed Angkor -- the world's most extensive medieval "hydraulic city" -- unwittingly engineered its environmental collapse, say scientists. This revelation supports a disputed hypothesis by French archaeologist Bernard-Philippe Groslier, who 50 years ago suggested that the vast medieval settlement of Angkor was defined, sustained, and ultimately overwhelmed by over-exploitation and the environmental impacts of a complex water-management network. Wed, 12 Sep 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905145001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070910085142.htm In excavations in the City of David aimed at exposing the main road in Jerusalem from the time of the Second Temple period, the city's main drainage channel was discovered. According to the writings of Josephus Flavius, the residents of the city fled to this channel at the time of the revolt in order to hide from the Romans. Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070910085142.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905161208.htm In a groundbreaking study, two Harvard scientists have for the first time extracted human DNA from ancient artifacts. The work potentially opens up a new universe of sources for ancient genetic material, which is used to map human migrations in prehistoric times. Before this, archaeologists could only get ancient DNA from relics of the human body itself, including prehistoric teeth, bones, fossilized feces, or -- rarely -- preserved flesh. Such sources of DNA are hard to find, poorly preserved, or unavailable because of cultural and legal barriers. Thu, 06 Sep 2007 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905161208.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070904114558.htm Archaeologists revealed that the first apiary (beehive colony) dating from the Biblical period has been found in excavations in Israel's Beth Shean Valley. This is the earliest apiary to be revealed to date in an archaeological excavation anywhere in the ancient Near East, according to the researcher. Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070904114558.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070903204822.htm The earliest domesticated pigs in Europe, which many archaeologists believed to be descended from European wild boar, were actually introduced from the Middle East by Stone Age farmers, new research suggests. While archaeologists already know that agriculture began about 12,000 years ago in the central and western parts of the Middle East, spreading rapidly across Europe between 6,800 -- 4000 BC, many outstanding questions remain about the mechanisms of just how it spread. This research sheds new and important light on the actual process of the establishment of farming in Europe. Tue, 04 Sep 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070903204822.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070830150109.htm A field survey of the ancient city of Tell Brak indicates that urbanization did not originate with a centralized political power, but as the result of individualized or small-group decisions. To understand patterns of population growth in the earliest urban areas, archaeologists surveyed the spatial distribution of artifacts at Tell Brak, located in northern Mesopotamia, in what is today northern Iraq and northeastern Syria. Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070830150109.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070824184336.htm Archaeologists have discovered a footprint made by the sandal of a Roman soldier in a wall surrounding the Hellenistic-Roman city of Hippos (Sussita), east of the Sea of Galilee. The footprint was discovered during this eighth season of excavation in the area. This rare footprint, which is complete and well preserved, hints at who built the walls, how and when, according to one of the archaeologists. The print, made by a hobnailed sandal called caliga, the sandal worn by Roman soldiers, is one of the only finds of this type. The discovery of the print in the cement led archaeologists to presume that legionnaires participated in construction of the walls. Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070824184336.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070820122541.htm Archaeologists excavating an ancient Maya village in El Salvador buried by a volcanic eruption 1,400 years ago has discovered an ancient field of manioc, the first evidence for cultivation of the calorie-rich tuber in the New World. The prehistoric manioc plantation buried by volcanic ash about 600 A.D. may help explain how Maya supported dense populations. Fri, 24 Aug 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070820122541.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070816143825.htm Scientists have determined for the first time the atomic structure of an ancient protein, revealing in unprecedented detail how genes evolved their functions. The structures allowed the scientists to identify exactly how the new function evolved. Mon, 20 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070816143825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070805133952.htm Excavations of an underwater Stone Age archaeological settlement dating back 8000 years took place at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton. The team of archaeologists will take the sections to laboratories where they will painstakingly excavate through the layers of sediment revealing materials that have lain unseen beneath the seabed for over 8000 years. Tue, 14 Aug 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070805133952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070802182042.htm A radically expanded view of the origin of civilization, extending far beyond Mesopotamia is being proposed. Mesopotamia is widely believed to be the cradle of civilization, but a growing body of evidence suggests that in addition to Mesopotamia, many civilized urban areas existed at the same time -- about 5,000 years ago -- in an arc that extended from Mesopotamia east for thousands of kilometers across to the areas of modern India and Pakistan, Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070802182042.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070727084801.htm An artificial big toe attached to the foot of an ancient Egyptian mummy could prove to be the world's earliest functional prosthetic body part, say scientists. Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070727084801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070709171645.htm One of the world's tastiest and most popular cuisines, Mexican food also may be one of the oldest. Plant remains from two caves in southern Mexico indicate that as early as 1,500 years ago, Pre-Columbian inhabitants of the region enjoyed a spicy fare similar to Mexican cuisine today. Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070709171645.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070704144900.htm The ancient gray wolves of Alaska became extinct some 12,000 years ago, and the wolves in Alaska today are not their descendents but a different subspecies, an international team of scientists reports. Thu, 05 Jul 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070704144900.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619083529.htm Archaeologists have discovered a gold processing center along the middle Nile, an installation that produced the precious metal sometime between 2000 and 1500 B.C. The center, along with a cemetery they discovered, shows that first sub-Saharan kingdom, the kingdom of Kush, controlled a larger area than previously thought. In another year, the area where they are working will be covered with water because of the damming of the Nile. Fri, 22 Jun 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619083529.htm