• 考古是什么？
坐落于埃及吉萨金字塔前的狮身人面像（图片版权：盖帝图像 基提·布恩尼特罗）从根本上来讲，考古学是研究人类及其过去的一门学科。考古学家所研究的是由人类创造、使用或改变的事物。他们通过观察人类遗留的实物资料以实现考古，例如石器、居址、有金饰的尸骨亦或是在沙漠中屹立而起的庄严金字塔。有时，考古学家通过研究现代社会来阐明那些繁荣的过 ...
坐落于埃及吉萨金字塔前的狮身人面像（图片版权：盖帝图像 基提·布恩尼特罗）从根本上来讲，考古学是研究人类及其过去的一门学科。考古学家所研究的是由人类创造、使用或改变的事物。他们通过观察人类遗留的实物资料以实现考古，例如石器、居址、有金饰的尸骨亦或是在沙漠中屹立而起的庄严金字塔。有时，考古学家通过研究现代社会来阐明那些繁荣的过 ...
From the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the Pyramids at Giza, these ancient wonders do not disappoint.
Will we ever find the Ark of the Covenant or a treasure depicted in the Dead Sea Scrolls?
Did the Trojan War really happen at Troy?
The emperor's "afterlife army" just got bigger.
Julius Caesar became the most powerful person in Rome. Money and war paved the way for him.A statue of Julius Caesar.(Image credit: EnricoAliberti ItalyPhoto via Shutterstock)Caius Julius Caesar was born around July 13, 100 B.C. and was stabbed to death i
Within six centuries, Rome transformed from an independent city to a sprawling empire that dominated the Mediterranean Sea.Here, the Roman Forum at sunrise, revealing (from left to right): the Temple of Vespasian and Titus, the church of Santi Luca e Mart
In theory, the Roman Republic was designed to represent both wealthy and poor citizens, but the reality was quite different.A modern-day artist's depiction of the Roman senate, an institution that was vital to the Roman Republic.(Image credit: Shutterstoc
A nail was found hammered into one of the heel bones of this crucified skeleton.A nail was found hammered into one of the man's heel bones, evidence that he was crucified.(Image credit: Albion Archaeology)A man in Roman England, possibly a slave, died bru
Alexander the Great's empire stretched from the Balkans to modern-day Pakistan.In 332 B.C. Persian rule in Egypt came to an end with the arrival of Alexander the Great (pictured here).After his death a dynasty of Greek kings would take control of Egypt an
The bowl was discovered in a 3,000-year-old settlement in Austria.A photo of the sun bowl is seen here. The bottom has a sun disc with 11 rays coming out. There are also circular motifs decorating the bowl.(Image credit: Andreas Rausch, courtesy Novetus)A
While many date the collapse of the Roman Empire to the fifth century, in reality it didn't fall until AD 1453.Statue of the first leader of the Roman Empire, Augustus(Image credit: Getty / Print Collector)The Roman Empire began in 27 B.C., when Octavian,
The man suffered cuts and slashes to his face during the murder.(Image credit: Photo courtesy Qian Wang)The remains of an ancient 25-year-old man who was discovered in China in a shaft leading to an ancient tomb was not trying to rob it — he was murdered,
The Bactrian treasure holds 20,000 golden artifacts.
这座位于法国境内的古墓于中世纪早期被再次开启，墓中的随葬品被取走。考古学家们试图找出人们这样做的原因。（图片来源：evha-考古研究估价及古董出版有限公司）据一项新研究显示，大约1400年前，生活在欧洲的人们有重新开启坟墓并取出随葬品的习惯，考古学家们试图弄清楚人们这样做的原因。一个研究小组在6月18日发表在古物杂志上的论文中写道：“从特兰 ...
This grave in France was reopened during the early Middle Ages. Items were removed, and archaeologists are trying to figure out why.(Image credit: éveha-études et valorisations archéologiques Antiquity Publications Ltd.)People living across Europe around
The remains of part of the West Bank building are seen here. It was likely used as a reception area for local council members before they ascended to the Temple Mount.(Image credit: Photo courtesy Israel Antiquities Authority)Inside the tunnels beneath th
This skeleton of a soldier was found on a beach at Herculaneum in 1982. Recent research suggests that the soldier may have been part of a rescue mission.(Image credit: Photo courtesy Parco Archeologico di Ercolano)The skeleton of a soldier found on a beac
The jar was found within a building used by craftsmen in the agora of Athens.(Image credit: Athenian Agora excavations)A 2,300-year-old ceramic jar filled with the bones of a dismembered chicken was likely part of an ancient curse to paralyze and kill 55
Many of the decapitated skeletons had their heads buried like the one shown here.(Image credit: Dave Webb, Cambridge Archaeological Unit)Seventeen decapitated skeletons dating back about 1,700 years have been discovered in three Roman cemeteries at Knobb'
A well-preserved ancient Greek helmet likely worn by a soldier during a war with the Persians has been found in Haifa Harbor in Israel.The 2,500-year-old helmet was found by a Dutch ship in 2007 and was turned over to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA
Archaeologists in Sweden have discovered nearly two dozengoldfoil figures that have engravings of couples embracing each other.The figures, which date back about 1,300 years, were found in the remains of a great hall on a platform mound, a human-made stru
Could they speak to the gods?
The discovery of more than 100 sealed coffins containing mummies, at the Saqqara archaeological site in Egypt, was one of the biggest archaeology stories of 2020.(Image: © Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities)With the pandemic and accompanying econom
A man wearing a protective mask passes by the Coliseum in Rome on March 7, 2020, amid fear of the COVID-19 epidemic.(Image: © Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)The COVID-19 pandemic, and the economic recession it has fostered, loom large over
The texts were written on silk and buried in a tomb.Ancient texts written on silk and found inside the tombs at Mawangdui, China, may represent the oldest surviving anatomical atlas.(Image: © The History Collection / Alamy Stock Photo)A series of
Lost for more than 2,000 years, the tomb ofCleopatra, the last queen of Egypt, has long been a source of intrigue for archaeologists and the public alike. And though media reports have suggested the discovery of a lifetime is near, the chances of finding
A clay head that dates back almost 3,000 years may be a rare depiction of Yahweh, — God — whose image the Israelites were forbidden from creating according to the Ten Commandments, an archaeologist reports.But two experts in the field have denounced the i
The sacred plaza, seen here, was at the heart of Girsu. A cultic area that had over 300 broken ceremonial objects was recently uncovered near its entrance.(Image: © S. Rey/Tello/Girsu Project)Archaeologists recently unearthed a 5,000-year-old cul
Reference article: Facts about Armageddon, the ancient city otherwise known as Megiddo.
The ancient Roman worshippers were likely in altered states of consciousness.
The bodies of ancient princes and princesses may have rested in two ancient tombs lined with gold that were recently found at the site of Pylos in Greece, archaeologists announced Dec. 17.Inside the 3,500-year-old tombs, the archaeologists found intricate
Reference Article: Facts about Mesopotamia.
The altar reveals new details about a rebellion against the Kingdom of Israel.
Pompeii was buried in ash in A.D. 79 in the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.(Image: © Eric VANDEVILLE/Getty Images)In the decades before the city ofPompeiiwas buried in ash by the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, everyday lif
The bodies of a young man and woman, possibly in their teens, have been found buried facing each other in a cemetery that dates back about 4,000 years in Kazakhstan. It's possible they were a couple in a romantic relationship.(Image: © Courtesy Karag
The passage of carts over decades could cause ruts (like the one shown here), particularly in high-traffic areas of Pompeii.Credit: Eric PoehlerAncient workers used molten iron to repair Pompeii's streets before the historic and devastating eruption of Mo
Here, one of the 2,500-year-old skeletons discovered in a kurgan in Russia.Credit: Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Astrakhan RegionA farmer in Russia has uncovered the remains of three elite members of a nomadic tribe from 2,500 years ago. A horse'
The passage of carts over decades could cause ruts (like the one shown here), particularly in high-traffic areas of Pompeii.Credit: Eric PoehlerAncient workers used molten iron to repair Pompeii's streets before the historic and devastating eruption of Mo
Justinian IResearchers working at the Hagia Sophia, the largest Christian cathedral constructed in the ancient world, have made a number of discoveries. For instance, they discovered a circle made of a type of igneous rock called porphyry where Justinian
Archaeologists exploring the site of a naval battle fought 2,200 years ago between Rome and Carthage have uncovered clues to how the battle may have unfolded — as well as several mysteries.
An intentionally damaged limestone carving found within a 3,500-year-old shrine at Tell Edfu, in southern Egypt, shows what appears to be an ancient couple who someone tried to vanquish in the afterlife.The carving depicts a man and woman standing beside
Defense wallCredit: S.E. SidebothamA 2,300-year-old fortress, and associated structures, which protected an ancient port called Berenike, have been discovered in Egypt by the Red Sea. This photo shows a fragment of the northern defense wall of Berenike un
Credit: Raffaella Bianucci, University of TurinHistoric finds in 2018Many fascinating archaeological discoveries were made in 2018. From the world'soldest cheeseto the world'soldest breweryto a massive black granite sarcophagus that ignited a mediafrenzys
This 4,400-year-old tomb at Saqqara was constructed for a "divine inspector" named "Wahtye."Credit: Photo courtesy Egyptian Ministry of AntiquitiesA 4,400-year-old tomb constructed for a "divine inspector" named "Wahtye&
The remains of residential buildings found at Tenea date between roughly 300 B.C. and A.D. 400.Credit: Photo courtesy Greek Ministry of CultureArchaeologists have uncovered portions of the ancient Greek city of Tenea, whose residents claimed they were pri
A 2,100-year-old pit containing a mini "Terracotta Army" has been discovered in China.Credit: Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural RelicsInside a 2,100-year-old pit in China, archaeologists have discovered a miniature army of sorts: carefully arrange
This graffiti, recently discovered on the wall of a Pompeii house, suggests that Mount Vesuvius blew its top in the autumn of A.D. 79, not in August as some had thought.Credit: Pompeii Parco ArcheologicoGraffiti scribbled on the wall of a Pompeii house th
The 10-year-old has a rock stuffed in the mouth, something that may have been done to prevent the child from rising from the grave and spreading malaria to other people.Credit: David Pickel/Stanford UniversityA 1,550-year-old "vampire burial" of
The "Grand Lady's" coffin was buried inside another coffin in China.Credit: Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural RelicsAn exquisitely preserved skeleton of a woman dubbed the "Grand Lady" has been discovered in a water-filled coffin within
Final resting placeCredit: Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural RelicsArchaeologists in China have uncovered the tomb of a 900 year-old "Grand Lady," as writing found in her tomb calls her, in China. The inner coffin of the Grand Lady is shown here.
This figure shows images of the step pyramid. a) part of the stone buttresses of the second and the third steps of the pyramid; b) eye symbols that decorate the pyramid c) a view of the buttresses under excavation; d) a general view of the pyramid before
The octagon-shaped tomb is filled with murals and has a pyramid-shaped roof.Credit: Chinese Cultural RelicsArchaeologists in Yangquan, China, have discovered an octagon-shaped tomb with walls covered in murals that dates back some 700 years, when the desc
Ancient cityCredit: Chinese Cultural RelicsA tomb dating back around 700 years, to a time when the descendants of Genghis Khan ruled China, has been discovered in Yangquan City, China. The octagon-shaped tomb is filled with murals and has a pyramid-shaped
EmpireCredit:Razvy|ShutterstockThere were several different types of gladiators who fought at the time of the Roman Empire. Wearing different kinds of armor, and welding a mix of weapons, these fighters were pitted against each other in the arena and ofte
A satellite image, captured on Sept. 14, 2017, shows "site 1056," which might be the ancient city of Irisagrig.Credit: DigitalGlobeHundreds of ancient stolen tablets, seized from the company Hobby Lobby and returned to Iraq, provide clues about
Archaeologists have discovered the lost city of Mardaman, the remains of which are pictured here. It is located in northern Iraq near a modern-day town called Bassetki. It was inhabited for thousands of years. The remains left by its ancient inhabitants f
Odd circumstancesAbout 1,500 years ago a fortress that is now called "Sandby borg" came under a surprise attack. Archaeologists found that the inhabitants were slaughtered, many of them didn't even have the chance to face their attackers. This p
A cuneiform tablet seized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from Hobby Lobby.Credit: U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of New YorkHundreds of 4,000 year old tablets that were looted in Iraq and bought by the U.S. company Hobby Lobby
This 1,500-year-old papyrus was found near the pyramid of the Pharaoh Senwosret I.Credit: Rogers Fund, 1934/Public DomainScientists have deciphered what they describe as a 1,500-year-old 'magical papyrus' that was discovered near thepyramidof the Pharaoh
Built between roughly A.D. 1113 and 1150, and encompassing an area of about 500 acres (200 hectares), Angkor Wat is one of the largest religious monuments ever constructed. Its name means "temple city."Originally built as a Hindu temple dedicate
Archaeologists in Rome have recently discovered a 1,900-year-old home that would have belonged to a Roman military commander. It is located beside a barracks that housed Roman soldiers. The home has 14 rooms as well as the remains of a courtyard, fountain
Inside the military commander's house, archaeologists found the remains of mosaic floors made with white marble and grey slate. Many of the mosaics were decorated with geometric patterns.Credit: Ministero Dei Beni E Delle Attività Culturali Del TurismoArc
At least 40 limestone sarcophagi that held mummified burials were discovered in the cemetery. One of them is pictured here.Credit: Egyptian Antiquities MinistryArchaeologists have discovered a 2,300-year-old underground cemetery that holds burials of the