Archaeology

Native American use of dice, probability predates known Old World dice by millenia - study

In total, archaeologist Robert Madden observed 659 sets of Native American dice from 57 archaeological sites across 12 different states. 

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A series of Native American dice discovered at archaeological sites in the western US, April 9, 2026.
World's oldest Neanderthal fingerprint found on 43,000-year-old pebble in Spain. Illustration.

Neanderthals who lived in Siberian cave millenia apart were distant relatives, study finds

Further analysis of the genetic similarity showed that Neanderthals in the Altai region likely lived in groups of fewer than 50 people.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
(a) Section of the mosaic showing the leopard and the woman. (b) Section of the mosaic showing the venator with the pole, the leopard, and the woman.

Lost mosaic shows first visual depiction of women fighting beasts in Roman arenas - study

The mosaic, recovered in 1860s Reims, France and dated to the third century CE, shows about 35 different gladiatorial and hunting scenes, each surrounded by diamond or square-shaped decorations.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Excavations of Raknehaugen, Norway, in 1939.

Scandinavia's largest prehistoric mound is not a tomb, but a memorial to a natural disaster - study

Archaeological excavations that have taken place at Raknehaugen, have all failed to discover evidence that would typically indicate a burial mound, such as a grave or human remains.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM

Egyptian researchers discover collection of ancient rock art spanning 10,000 years in Sinai desert

The engravings and drawings are divided into several groups, researchers learned in their initial study of the space, the oldest of which are done in red and dated to between 10,000 and 5,500 BCE.

FEBRUARY 17, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Red pigment drawings discovered by Egyptian archaeologists on the Umm Arak Plateau in the southern Sinai, February 17, 2026.

Portugal returns stolen Mayan, Zapotec artifacts to Mexico in first-ever archaeological restitution

INAH specialists were sent photographs of the finds and conducted a preliminary review of the three, confirming that they indeed “form part of Mexico’s archaeological heritage.”

FEBRUARY 17, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Portugal returns three stolen artifacts to Mexico in handover ceremony at the Mexican Embassy in Lisbon, February 17, 2026.

Second Temple workshop found on Israel's Mount Scopus during investigation into antiquities thieves

The workshop was discovered at the Ras Tamim archaeological site on the eastern slope of Mount Scopus. 

FEBRUARY 17, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Newly discovered limestone shards and vessels on display in the new "Criminal Past" exhibit at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, February 16, 2026.

On This Day: Howard Carter enters King Tut's burial chamber in Egypt's Valley of Kings

Additional treasures found within the burial chamber are housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

FEBRUARY 16, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
English archaeologist Howard Carter near the golden sarcophagus of Tutankhamun in the Valley of Kings, Egypt. Photo acquired on February 16, 2026.

Cambridge students find burial pit, 9th century ‘giant’ who underwent surgery during training dig

The pit is believed to have been from a time of conflict “between the Saxon-run kingdom of Mercia and the kingdom of East Anglia, which was conquered by the Vikings in around 870 [CE]."

FEBRUARY 15, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Cambridge University archaeologists and students discover 9th century CE mass burial pit during a training dig at Wandlebury Country Park on the outskirts of Cambridge, UK, February 4, 2026.

Zapotec tomb from 600 CE marks Mexico’s most ‘significant archaeological discovery’ in last decade

The Zapotecs were a major pre-Hispanic civilization that flourished in Oaxaca from circa 700-500 BC until the Spanish conquest.

FEBRUARY 15, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Owl carving above the entrance to a Zapotec tomb from 600 CE in the Oaxaca Valley, Mexico, February 14, 2026.

German archaeologists discover medieval tunnel system inside Neolithic burial site

Thousands of similar tunnel systems have been discovered across Europe and despite this, their purpose has been subject to decades of theory and debate. 

FEBRUARY 14, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Erdstall discovered in late 2025 by the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) during excavations near Reinstedt in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, February 14, 2026.

'Nothing quite like it': UK Treasure Act names Roman carriage ornament Essex's first 'treasure'

According to the Act, archaeological finds can be given the status of Treasure if they are deemed to be of historical, archaeological, or cultural importance.

FEBRUARY 14, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Rare Roman vehicle ornament depicting a panther with its paws atop a bearded man’s severed head discovered in Essex in 2024.

Stone seal from biblical Kingdom of Judea discovered during construction in northern Israel

The seal, which is made of a light brown gemstone, is thought by archaeologists to have been “hung like a necklace around its owner’s neck,” and decoratively divided into three. 

FEBRUARY 12, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
An 8th century stone seal believed to have belong to a high-ranking official of the biblical Kingdom of Judah. The inscription reads: “Belonging to Makhach (son of) Amihai." Picture released on February 12, 2026.

Archaeologists discover Anglo-Saxon child buried with shield, spear in medieval cemetery in Kent

Four medieval swords were also discovered during excavation.

FEBRUARY 10, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Target practice for jousting: consisting of a cross-bar turning upon a pivot with a broad part to strike against. Illustration after a manuscript in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. An engraving from The Sports and Pastimes of the people of England, by Joseph Strutt, (London, 1833).