Ancient history
A short history of games of chance in the Middle East
From ancient dice and royal game boards to modern digital platforms, the Middle East's long relationship with games of chance reveals a timeless fascination with luck, fate and uncertainty.
Frescos from famed Etruscan tomb go on display in Rome after multi-million euro purchase by Italy
A historical overview of gambling in the Middle East
Turkey places site of Alexander the Great’s first battle with Persians under historic protection
High-status seventh-century Avar warrior grave uncovered at Aba-Székesfehérvár border in Hungary
Volunteers from the Szent István Király Museum crafted a bespoke wooden crate to safely extract a fragile sabre, an exceptionally rare Avar weapon.
Lost letter of Emperor Caracalla Found — Burdur Museum Rushes to Save 1,800-Year-Old Stones
Following a demolition order, the Burdur Museum Directorate is retrieving ten slabs reused in the 1950s from the ancient city of Takina to safeguard them as cultural heritage.
Neolithic engravings may push Chinese writing back 7,000 years
Feng Shi confirmed that inscriptions on ceramic stands from Liulinxi are the earliest known Chinese characters, appearing in groups rather than alone, making them easier to interpret.
Ancient Crocodile Species Discovered in Egypt Sheds Light on Evolutionary History
“The discovery underlines the Western Desert’s importance as a natural repository of secrets from ancient geological eras,” said Mansoura university president.
Dresden Codex decoded: study unveils the Maya’s 700-year eclipse calculator
“The 405-month eclipse table had emerged from a lunar calendar in which the 260-day divinatory calendar commensurated the lunar cycle,” the authors wrote.
Ancient teeth reveal salmonella and louse-borne fever helped doom Napoleon’s 500,000-man force
Teeth from 13 Grande Armée soldiers in a Vilnius grave give first genetic proof that infections, with famine and cold, helped cause the loss of 300,000 men during Napoleon’s retreat from Russia.
Patagonia expedition uncovers 70 million year old carnivorous dinosaur egg live on camera
The research team confirmed they will conduct micro computed tomography scans to determine whether the egg contains a fossilized embryo.
Opium residue found in an Ancient Egyptian vase, rewriting the story of Tutankhamun’s tomb raids
Analysis detected morphine, thebaine, noscapine and other opiate alkaloids, providing the first scientific identification of the contents of an inscribed egyptian alabastron.
Archaeologists find intact Merian axe from tenth century near Rostov, Russia
The Merians were a Finno-Ugric people who lived in the upper Volga basin.
Tutankhamun's tomb on brink of collapse amid widening cracks and soaring humidity
Researchers report that cracks formed after the 1994 flood have widened, letting rainwater infiltrate kv62 and fostering mold that eats away its 3300-year-old frescoes.
