Archaeology

Prehistoric children’s remains show syphilis-like disease spread through ancient Vietnam - study

Researchers have for decades believed that of these diseases, only syphilis could be transmitted congenitally, lending to the assumption that syphilis began with Christopher Columbus’ journeys.

Dr. Melandri Vlok and Ms. Minh Tran conducting radiographic analysis on child skeletons from Man Bac, April 11, 2026.
Incense burner found in Pompeii, containing residue of local plants and imported resin, April 7, 2026.

Ashes of Pompeii: New study confirms ancient city's role within Rome’s global trade route

Ruins of mudbrick buildings on the northern mound of Buto, April 7, 2026.

How archaeologists used technology to rediscover ancient Egyptian city on the Nile Delta - study

3D scan of cylinder found in ancient city of Kish, Iraq, bearing inscriptions believed to have belonged to Nebuchadnezzar II, April 11, 2026.

Clay cylinders found in Iraq bear writings of Babylonian king who besieged Jerusalem, study reveals


A Jerusalem gem: Rediscovering the Rockefeller Museum’s treasures in Israel's capital

New tours of the Rockefeller Museum showcase artifacts ranging from First Temple-period jewelry to Egyptian pharaohs.

Front entrance to Jerusalem’s Rockefeller Museum, opened in 1938.

Suspect charged for stealing Egyptian artifacts from Australia museum, citing church ties - report

The stolen artifacts included a 26th Dynasty rare painted wooden Egyptian cat figure, a 3,300-year-old necklace, a collar, and a mummy mask.

An ancient Egyptian collar stolen from the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology in Caboolture, Australia, February 20, 2026.

Newly identified ancient Egyptian copper drill rewrites history of region’s craftsmanship

The drill’s chemical composition was also surprising, study co-author Jiří Kmošek noted, as it is made up of an unusual copper alloy containing arsenic, nickel, lead, and silver. 

Original photograph of the artifact published in 1927 (L) and the actual artifact, February 20, 2026.

Bronze scale pan found in ancient Sussiya reveals how biblical law shaped daily Jewish life

Neta, a second-grader at the regional school in Sussiya, and her father, Nachshon, discovered the pan inside a residential building near the town’s main street. 

Archaeologist Achiya Cohen-Tavor holding bronze scale pan found in the ancient Jewish settlement of Sussiya, February 19, 2026.

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.

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.”

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. 

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.

 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]."

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.

Owl carving above the entrance to a Zapotec tomb from 600 CE in the Oaxaca Valley, Mexico, February 14, 2026.