Tortoise discovered in a home in Pompeii
Almost 2000 years after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and its trapping of the city of Pompeii in time, archaeologists are still making discoveries in the ash-frozen city. They have recently found chariots, pieced together ancient frescoes, and even charted the genome of one of the frozen Pompeiians. Read More...
Roman road in Wales shows farther reach of the ancient empire
We don’t get to venture into the annals of history much at The Optimist Daily. Every once in a while, though, archaeologists discover something truly newsworthy. These include treasures discovered beneath the floors of Notre Dame during its reconstruction, or new burial sites in Egypt upending Read More...
Treasures discovered beneath Notre Dame during reconstruction
The 2019 Notre Dame fire was felt by many around the world. The medieval cathedral was an iconic Parisian landmark that visitors came from many countries to see, and its loss was taken to heart by the French people. President Emmanuel Macron pledged to return Notre Dame to the world and have it Read More...
Archaeologists examine ancient Egyptian tomb by smells
If you were asked to smell inside a sarcophagus, do you think you’d be excited? After a recent discovery in Egypt, though, more archaeologists certainly are excited and turning to smell as a viable tool to learn more about the past from what survived into the present. Tomb of the architect and Read More...
This 3,700-year-old tablet is world’s oldest example of applied geometry
An Australian mathematician has recently discovered that the markings on an ancient fragment of clay tablet dating back to 3,700 years ago — during the Old Babylonian period — are the oldest known example of applied geometry. The tablet, known as Si.427, dates back to more than 1,000 years Read More...
Archeologists unearth 3000-year-old “lost golden city” in Egypt
Archaeologists have unearthed what is believed to be the largest ancient city ever found in Egypt, with experts hailing the discovery as one of the most important finds since Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered nearly a century ago. Famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, who announced the discovery, said Read More...
Experts have uncovered a unique ancient Roman chariot near Pompeii
Archaeologists have unearthed a unique Roman ceremonial carriage from a villa just outside Pompeii, the ancient Italian city buried in a volcanic eruption in over 2,000 years ago. The almost intact four-wheeled carriage made of iron, bronze and tin was discovered near the stables of an ancient Read More...
How a 12th-century Islamic bathhouse was discovered above a tapas bar
With the coronavirus pandemic bringing the hospitality industry to a grinding halt in Sevilla, the owners of a tapas bar called Cervercería Giralda decided to take advantage of the pause in order to renovate their building. There had been local legends suggesting the building, which is located Read More...
Burial site shows men were not always the hunters in prehistoric society
Traditional assumptions about prehistoric society placed males in hunting roles and women as gatherers. A new study from the University of California, Davis upends this archaeological thinking with the discovery of what looks like the remains of a 9,000 year old female hunter found in the Andean Read More...
Archaeologists in Egypt unveil 59 coffins that date back millennia
Archaeologists in Egypt recently announced the exciting discovery of 59 well-preserved and sealed wooden coffins dating back to more than 2,500 years ago. The extraordinary discovery took place in the desert necropolis of Saqqara, believed to have served as an extensive burial ground for Memphis, Read More...