Archeology

Ancient Tombs Unearthed in Iraq due to Drought

Archaeologists in drought-hit Iraq have discovered 40 ancient tombs after water levels in the country's largest reservoir declined, an antiquities official said Saturday. The tombs, believed to be over 2,300 years old, were unearthed at the edges of the Mosul Dam reservoir in the Khanke region of Duhok province in the country's north. "So far, ...

Smiling Viking Figurine Discovered After Centuries in Denmark

Denmark's National Museum unveiled Wednesday what it described as the first "portrait" of a Viking: a miniature 10th-century figurine depicting a man with an imperial moustache, braided beard and neatly groomed hairstyle. Carved out of ivory walrus tusk, the partially damaged representation of a head and torso measures just three centimeters (1.2 ...

Pompeii: The City That Survived Its Own End

It is hard to imagine Pompeii as anything other than silent stones locked under volcanic dust, a tragic instant frozen in time. Yet recent discoveries overturn that museum-like image: the city did not vanish in a single breath; it lived on in a clandestine and fragile existence beneath its own ashes. Behind cracked walls and half-faded mosaics, ...

Gabon Forest Cave Unlocks Secrets of Human Origins

In Gabon's sprawling forest, archaeologists dig for ancient clues that could unlock the secrets of how prehistoric humans lived and interacted within the changing landscape of Central Africa. Two billion years ago, the eastern Gabonese region of Lastourville was covered by a vast ocean. But that has long given way to dense forest and dolomite ...

A Remarkable Archaeological Discovery in Petra

"This is an exceptionally rare discovery. In two centuries of archaeological research in Petra, nothing like this has been found before," says Josh Gates, host of the show Expedition Unknown on Discovery Channel, who announced the discovery during the broadcast of the show's first season on Wednesday, according to CNN. In the heart of Petra, ...