archaeology news stories on Newser

Israelis Unearth Ancient Bethlehem Seal

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:38:28 CDT

Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 2,700-year-old seal that bears the inscription "Bethlehem," the Israel Antiquities Authority announced yesterday, in what experts believe to be the oldest artifact with the name of Jesus' traditional birthplace. The tiny clay seal's existence and age provide vivid evidence that Bethlehem was not just...

Skulls Buried in Florida Backyard Date to 1200 AD

Rob Quinn — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:40:06 CDT

Police in Florida investigating two skulls found in a backyard say that while they definitely have a mystery on their hands, they're not looking for a killer. That's because investigators have determined that the skulls belong to a man and a 10-year-old boy who died in Peru as far back...

The 13 Most Worthless Majors

Matt Cantor — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:57:22 CDT

Hey, college students: If your life plans include getting an actual job, you may want to avoid the stars of the Daily Beast 's "most useless" majors list. Majors are ranked in terms of employment, taking into account unemployment rates among recent and experienced grads, earnings, and likely job growth...

Humans Had Fire 1M Years Ago

Kevin Spak — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:41:19 CDT

Scientists believe they've uncovered the earliest known evidence of human fire usage. Charred bones and plant ash sediment found in Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa suggest that Homo erectus was playing with fire a whopping 1 million years ago, more than twice as far back as previous evidence had indicated,...

Ancient Instrument Pushes Music History Back 1K Years

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 17:18:15 CDT

Turns out even ancient Europeans liked subtle and complex music. Archeologists have found part of a 2,300-year-old lyre—the oldest instrument ever discovered in western Europe—inside a Scottish cave, the Daily Mail reports. The broken and burnt piece of wood "pushes the history of complex music back more...

Romans' Beasts of Burden: Camels?

Matt Cantor — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:57:02 CST

The Roman Empire may have brought camels a long way from home to serve as its beasts of burden, archaeologists say. Researchers have found Roman-age camel bones at 22 sites across northern Europe, USA Today reports. What's more, "antique literature and iconographical sources inform us about the uses of camels...

Ancient Singer Found in Egypt Tomb

Rob Quinn — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:23:18 CST

The name Nehmes Bastet isn't a familiar one nowadays but she must have been the closest thing there was to a megastar 3,000 years ago. The tomb of the female temple singer has been discovered by archaeologists exploring a site in the Valley of the Kings that was found...

Team Digs Up Mexican Pyramid's First Offerings

Kevin Spak — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:22:04 CST

Archaeologists have unearthed what they believe are the original offerings that Mexico's Pyramid of the Sun was built upon. The team from the nation's National Institute of Anthropology and history found the very center of the ancient Teotihuacan structure by digging extensions off an old tunnel dug by 1930s explorers,...

Markings Puzzle Israel Archaeologists

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:03:11 CST

Peculiar, unexplained stone carvings created thousands of years ago and recently unearthed in Jerusalem are baffling archaeologists, reports AP . Israeli excavators discovered them in the floor of a newly discovered room under the oldest section of the city. The three mysterious "V" shapes are about 2 inches deep and 20...