http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/ancient_civilizations/ Archaeology news. Articles on ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, ancient Greece and other civilizations. en-us Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:05:01 EST Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:05:01 EST 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/2009/11/091119193640.htm Much of our planet's mineral wealth was deposited billions of years ago when Earth's chemical cycles were different from today's. Using geochemical clues from rocks nearly 3 billion years old, a group of scientists have made the surprising discovery that the creation of economically important nickel ore deposits was linked to sulfur in the ancient oxygen-poor atmosphere. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193640.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161017.htm Hardening of the arteries has been detected in Egyptian mummies, some as old as 3,500 years, suggesting that the factors causing heart attack and stroke are not only modern ones; they afflicted ancient people, too. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161017.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106110557.htm Archaeologists excavating the former Radcliffe Infirmary site in Oxford have uncovered evidence of a prehistoric monumental landscape stretching across the gravel terrace between the Thames and Cherwell rivers. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106110557.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121119.htm The remains of a Minoan-style wall painting, recognizable by a blue background, the first of its kind to be found in Israel, was discovered in the course of the recent excavation season at Tel Kabri. This fresco joins others of Aegean style that have been uncovered during earlier seasons at the Canaanite palace in Kabri. "It was, without doubt, a conscious decision made by the city's rulers who wished to associate with Mediterranean culture." Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121119.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105084838.htm Archaeologists have discovered evidence of Hernando de Soto's 1540 journey through the Southeast. No evidence of De Soto's path from Tallahassee to North Carolina has been found until now, and few sites have been located anywhere. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105084838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101537.htm Three-dimensional computer graphics is moving into museums. Works of art are being digitally archived in 3-D, simplifying research into related artifacts and providing the public with fascinating three-dimensional displays. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101537.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026105742.htm The Batavians, who lived in the Netherlands at the start of the Christian era were far more Roman than was previously thought. After just a few decades of Roman occupation, the Batavians had become so integrated that they cooked, built and bathed in a Roman manner. A Dutch researcher discovered this during recent archaeological research. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026105742.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019123105.htm Ancient choices made by Egyptians digging burial tombs may have led to today's problems with damage and curation of these precious archaeological treasures, but photography and detailed geological mapping should help curators protect the sites, according to a researcher. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019123105.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016101809.htm Archaeologists surveying the world's oldest submerged town have found ceramics dating back to the Final Neolithic. Their discovery suggests that Pavlopetri, off the southern Laconia coast of Greece, was occupied some 5,000 years ago -- at least 1,200 years earlier than originally thought. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016101809.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161122.htm Using a mathematical model to predict population trends based on ancient coin hoards, a biologist and a historian have concluded that the population of ancient Rome was smaller than sometimes suggested. Although the first century BC in Italy has been extensively studied, and much is known about the great figures of the era, including Cicero, Caesar, Virgil, and Horace, some basic facts -- such as the approximate population size of the late Roman Republic -- remain the subject of intense debate. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161122.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930194337.htm Archaeologists leading a major excavation of Portus, the ancient port of Rome, have uncovered the remains of an amphitheatre-shaped-building, solving a mystery which has puzzled experts for over 140 years. Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930194337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915101147.htm A gemstone engraved with the portrait of Alexander the Great was uncovered during excavations by an archaeological team in Israel. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915101147.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921173412.htm The archaeological excavations at the royal palace in the ancient city of Qatna, north east of the Syrian city of Homs, have once again unfolded a remarkable archaeological discovery. The summer excavations, a German-Syrian collaboration located a rock tomb-cellar underneath the palace containing hundreds of artifacts as well as human bones from the period 1600-1400 BC. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921173412.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915101355.htm Well-preserved craniodental fossil remains from two primate species have been discovered during excavations at an Algerian site. They reveal that the small primate Algeripithecus, which is 50 million years old and until now was considered as the most ancient African anthropoid, in fact belonged to another group, that of the crown strepsirhines. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915101355.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915140924.htm A skeleton, found at one of the most important, but least understood, Roman sites in Britain is puzzling experts. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915140924.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909095100.htm The largest cache of rare coins ever found in a scientific excavation from the period of the Bar-Kokhba revolt of the Jews against the Romans has been discovered in a cave by researchers in Israel. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909095100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914111003.htm An ancient treasure comprising three figurines of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, which was buried for over 1,500 years, was uncovered recent excavations in Israel. The hidden figurines were discovered when the researchers exposed a shop in the southeastern corner of the forum district of Sussita, which is the central area of the Roman city that was built in the second century BCE, existed through the Roman and Byzantine periods and destroyed in the great earthquake of 749 CE. According to the researchers, it was clear that the followers had wished to hide the figurines, as they were found complete. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914111003.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910142352.htm Scientists have discovered the oldest-known fiber materials that could have been used by humans for making clothing, shoes, and other items for domestic use. The fibers are flax, and are over 34,000 years old. The fibers were discovered in a cave in the Republic of Georgia. Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910142352.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903110816.htm The discoveries continue to surprise for a team of students digging in Ohio's Shawnee Lookout Park, with a major new mound being located and a rare kiln used to fire pottery excavated in recent weeks, along with even more evidence emerging to support the theory that the site could be the largest continuously occupied hilltop Native American site in the United States. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903110816.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831131402.htm In an expedition for submerged evidence of early Americans off Florida's Gulf Coast, archaeologists traced two ancient river systems in what they believe is the most extensive delineation of submerged prehistoric river systems ever done. They also identified chert, a stone used by prehistoric peoples in toolmaking, at three sites. Scientists believe they are on the threshold of delivering evidence of human habitation along those inundated rivers. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831131402.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820161131.htm Recent archaeological discoveries from far-flung corners of China are forcing scientists to reconsider the origins of ancient Chinese civilization -- and a new crop of young archaeologists are delving into the modern nation's roots. Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820161131.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090812104141.htm London's oldest timber structure has been unearthed by archaeologists. It was found during the excavation of a prehistoric peat bog adjacent to Belmarsh Prison in Plumstead, Greenwich, in advance of the construction of a new prison building. Radiocarbon dating has shown the structure to be nearly 6,000 years old and it predates Stonehenge by more than 500 years. Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090812104141.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727130600.htm The Cheddar Gorge in Somerset was one of the first sites to be inhabited by humans when they returned to Britain near the end of the last Ice Age. According to new radio carbon dating humans were living in Gough's Cave 14,700 years ago. Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727130600.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122133.htm Archaeological excavations at the site of a recently discovered temple in southeastern Turkey have uncovered a cache of cuneiform tablets dating back to the Iron Age period between 1200 and 600 BCE. Found in the temple's cella, or "holy of holies," the tablets are part of a possible archive that may provide insights into Assyrian imperial aspirations. Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122133.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803185836.htm A statistical analysis reveals distinct patterns in ancient Indus symbols, and creates a hypothetical model for the unknown language. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803185836.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624111021.htm New investigations have shown that rather than simply being a provincial Roman town, Caistor may represent the development of a major settlement from the Iron Age until the 9th century AD. Crucially, however, the site was ultimately superseded by medieval Norwich and reverted to green fields. This is quite unlike other Roman towns that have the same long occupation sequence which now lie buried beneath the modern towns of Britain and Europe. Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624111021.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721091822.htm Researchers have recovered significant DNA information from a lost form of ancient barley that triumphed for over 3,000 years seeing off: five changes in civilization, water shortages and a much more popular form of barley that produces more grains. This discovery offers a real insight into the couture of ancient farming and could assist the development of new varieties of crops to face today's climate change challenges. Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721091822.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090710092230.htm A British archaeologist has just returned from a period of fieldwork in Iran, working on the first archaeological project in the country to explore the very recent past. The project looks at the effects the Iranian White Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s had on the ancient ‘Landlord Villages’ of the early Islamic period of the country’s history. Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090710092230.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622103831.htm An artificial underground cave, the largest in Israel, has been exposed in the Jordan Valley in the course of a new survey. Archeologists reckon that this cave was originally a large quarry during the Roman and Byzantine era. Various engravings were uncovered in the cave, including cross markings, and it is assumed that this could have been an early monastery. Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622103831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630163529.htm People find it very easy to recognize a face, even under very different circumstances. For a computer, on the other hand, it is extremely difficult. Researchers have developed a new analytical technique which enables the computer to better interpret the content of photos and images, but also of data. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630163529.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630215938.htm Scientists have performed the first DNA-based reconstruction of the giant extinct moa bird, using prehistoric feathers recovered from caves and rock shelters in New Zealand. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630215938.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630203955.htm Microbes and bacteria were the first living organisms on Earth, and they can be preserved in Archean silica-rich rocks. One such outcrop from western Australia, dated to 3.5 billion years ago, may hold the oldest "microfossils." Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630203955.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616133940.htm Archeologists have uncovered an ancient and previously unknown Maya agricultural system -- a large manioc field intensively cultivated as a staple crop that was buried and exquisitely preserved under a blanket of ash by a volcanic eruption in present-day El Salvador 1,400 years ago. Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616133940.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608182543.htm More than 100 feet deep in Lake Huron, on a wide stony ridge that 9,000 years ago was a land bridge, researchers have found the first archeological evidence of human activity preserved beneath the Great Lakes. Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608182543.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608143835.htm A prehistoric complex including two 6,000-year-old tombs representing some of the earliest monuments built in Britain has been discovered by archaeologists. The researchers found the previously undiscovered Neolithic tombs, also known as long barrows, at a site at Damerham, Hampshire. Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608143835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090527103528.htm Research suggests people today and in future generations should look to the past in order to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. The dangers of rising sea levels, crop failures and extreme weather were all faced by our ancestors who learnt to adapt and survive in the face of climate change. Fri, 29 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090527103528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526202805.htm Anthropologists have recently reported on the analysis of a 4000-year-old skeleton from India bearing evidence of leprosy. This skeleton represents both the earliest archaeological evidence for human infection with Mycobacterium leprae in the world and the first evidence for the disease in prehistoric India. Wed, 27 May 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526202805.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090513183516.htm For the first time in nearly 500 years, a full-size balsa-wood raft just like those used in pre-Columbian Pacific trade took to the water on Sunday, May 10. Only this time, instead of the Pacific coast between Mexico and Chile where such rafts carried goods between the great civilizations of the Andes and Mesoamerica as long as a millennium ago, the replica raft was floated in the Charles River basin. Fri, 15 May 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090513183516.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090512093635.htm The oldest submerged town in the world is about to give up its secrets -- with the help of equipment that could revolutionize underwater archaeology. The ancient town of Pavlopetri lies in three to four meters of water just off the coast of southern Laconia in Greece. The ruins date from at least 2800 BC through to intact buildings, courtyards, streets, chamber tombs and some thirty-seven cist graves which are thought to belong to the Mycenaean period (c.1680-1180 BC). This Bronze Age phase of Greece provides the historical setting for much Ancient Greek literature and myth, including Homer's Age of Heroes. Wed, 13 May 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090512093635.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430092235.htm Archeologists have discovered an exquisite Roman polychrome millefiori dish in East London, U.K. The dish is made up of hundreds of indented glass petals (the term millefiori means simply "a thousand flowers") in an intricate repeated pattern. It was highly fragmented but miraculously held together by nothing more than the earth around it.  Thu, 07 May 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430092235.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429172224.htm For the past two years, a team of Egyptologists, digital modelers, web designers, staff and students has been building a three-dimensional virtual-reality model of the ancient Egyptian religious site known as Karnak, one of the largest temple complexes ever constructed. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429172224.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090423142541.htm Wild horses were domesticated in the Ponto-Caspian steppe region (today Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Romania) in the 3rd millennium B.C. Despite the pivotal role horses have played in the history of human societies, the process of their domestication is not well understood. In a new study, scientists have unraveled the mystery of the domestication of the horse. Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090423142541.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090420085049.htm The ancient Maya civilization used a rare type of clay called “palygorskite” to produce Maya blue. Combining structural, morphological and geochemical methods, researchers have defined the features of palygorskite clay on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. These findings will make it possible to ascertain the origin of the materials used to produce this pigment, which survives both time and chemical and environmental elements. Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090420085049.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090415162649.htm The discovery of a remarkably well-preserved monumental temple in Turkey -- thought to be constructed during the time of King Solomon in the 10th/9th-centuries BCE -- sheds light on the so-called Dark Age. Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090415162649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090406132604.htm The legend is that the great rulers of Canaan, the ancient land of Israel, were all men. But a recent dig by archaeologists at Tel Beth-Shemesh uncovered possible evidence of a mysterious female ruler. Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090406132604.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090331201522.htm Ancient DNA can now be retrieved from various insect remains without destruction of the specimens. Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090331201522.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090406102600.htm "Foot-shaped" structures have been revealed in the Jordan valley and are among the earliest sites that archeologists believe were built by the ancient people of Israel. The structures are thought to be symbolic of the biblical concept of ownership. Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090406102600.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090315114041.htm A church that dates to the Byzantine period which is paved with breathtakingly beautiful mosaics and a dedicatory inscription was exposed in an archaeological excavation. Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090315114041.htm