The Crescent Moon Lake appears like a mirage in Dunhuang's Singing Sand Dunes.The Silk Road city of Dunhuang is an oasis shaped by the sands of time that has survived and thrived in the desert for millennia. The ancient refuge in one of the planet's tough
A new study found evidence that climate change likely drove the Harappans to resettle far away from the floodplains of the Indus.
Archaeological excavation has, historically, operated in a very hierarchical structure, according to archaeologist. The history of the enterprise is deeply entangled with Western colonial and imperial pursuits, she says. Excavations have been, and often s
The Nebra Sky DiscWhen the Nebra Sky Discwas buried, it had already been in use for 200 years. While its raw materials were imported from as far away as Cornwall, the knowledge required to create the object was entirely local, drawn from observing the hea
Research destroys theory that Chinese armourers used applications not discovered in the West until millennia later. Andrew Masterson reports.Chinese craftspeople did not – that’s did not – invent a sophisticated and highly effective anti-rust treatment mo
In Aristophanes’ comedyTheFrogs, a nosy slave listens to his master’s conversations and spreads them around town, resulting in his master’s horrible misfortunes.The Aristophanes character, however, was not put there just for laughs. Gossip was a real tool
Qingbai ceramics from the Field Museum's Java Sea Shipwreck collection.Credit: Copyright The Field Museum. Photo by Kate GolembiewskiScientists just blasted pottery from an ancient shipwreck with a "ray gun." Besides being totally sci-fi, the X-
Roman historians accused Nero of deliberately setting the Great Fire of Rome so that he could rebuild the city in a more pleasing style.Credit: Photographer Helmut Wimmer/Copyright Interspot Film GmbHWas the infamously cruelNeroreally as terrible an emper
When Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79, the volcano's molten rock, scorching debris and poisonous gases killed nearly 2,000 people in the nearby ancient Italian cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.But not everyone died. So, where did the refugees, who could
Climate change trashed the Byzantine Empire, ancient garbage mounds revealed.Credit: ShutterstockAbout a century before the fall of the Byzantine Empire — the eastern portion of the vast Roman Empire — signs of its impending doom were written in garbage.A
The face of the Egyptian pharaoh Senwosret III, circa 1878–1840 B.C. Most Egyptian rulers chose to have their likenesses appear youthful and strong, but Senwosret III opted to show a more realistic countenance, showing his heavy-lidded eyes, thin lips and
Roman relief of a chariot race and spectators, from the Vatican Museum's collection.Credit: CM Dixon/Print Collector/GettyDuring the first century, people across Rome were obsessed with chariot races, which frequently produced horrific crashes.However, on
Two thousand years ago, privileged Chinese, such as aristocrats or superrich businesspeople, could expect a lot upon their deaths.
With its exquisite palaces, vast libraries and lush gardens, Nineveh was one of the most important cities of the ancient world. Project Curator for the BP exhibition I am Ashurbanipal king of the world, king of Assyria, Carine Harmand, explores the 19th-c
Qingtang Site in Yingde city, Guangdong province. The Archaeological Forum of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing announced six new archaeological discoveries in China in 2018 on Thursday, including Qingtang Site in Yingde city, Guangdong pr
