Behind the Spectacle
Evidence shows the gladiatorial games of ancient Rome were much more than entertainment.
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Cover Stories
World’s Oldest Synagogue Found to Be Part of Ancient Jewish Quarter
Deciphering the Untold of the Ancients
A scholar speaks about his personal academic journey and some of the common elements and patterns that constitute the continuing efforts to shed light on still-undeciphered ancient scripts the world over.
USF study confirms Egyptians drank hallucinogenic cocktails in ancient rituals
New paper’s findings reveal a mix of psychedelic drugs, body fluids and alcohol likely used for fertility rituals.
Humans burned vegetation to change the landscape as they moved into Lutruwita (Tasmania) 41,000 years ago
12,000-year old stones may be very early evidence of wheel-like technology
Stones were likely used by early human cultures as spindle whorls to turn fibers into yarn.
Location of the world’s oldest ochre mine detected
Penn Cultural Heritage Center Launches First-of-Its- Kind National Study on Collecting Practices, Paving Pathways for the Future of U.S. Museums
DNA evidence rewrites histories for people buried in volcanic eruption in ancient Pompeii
The origin of writing in Mesopotamia is tied to designs engraved on ancient cylinder seals
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Other Stories
Research reveals ancient Maya lessons on surviving drought
Huge variety of plant foods made their starvation unlikely.
Nits on ancient mummies shed light on South American ancestry
New technique means head lice can provide clues about ancient people and migration.
Scientists digitally ‘unwrap’ mummy of pharaoh Amenhotep I for the first time in 3,000 years
Study shows that 21st dynasty restorers ‘lovingly restored’ mummy, dispelling theory that they were bent on reusing old royal burial equipment.
New dates for Viking trade
Solar flare throws light on ancient trade between the Islamic Middle East and the Viking Age.
Humans Reached Remote North Atlantic Islands Centuries Earlier Than Thought
Faroes Settled Well Before Vikings Arrived, Lake Sediments Show.
Mystery solved: Footprints from site A at Laetoli, Tanzania, are from early humans, not bears
Findings provide conclusive evidence that multiple species of hominins co-existed on the landscape.
Volcanic eruptions contributed to collapse of China dynasties
Eruptions create sulfuric acid clouds in the upper atmosphere and can cool the climate.
A Child of darkness
The first partial skull of a child of Homo naledi begins to give us insight into all stages of life of this remarkable species.
More than ceremonial, ancient Chaco Canyon was home, new study says
Early puebloans impacted the ecosystem around Chaco Canyon earlier than previously believed.
