Recently Unearthed
The newest discoveries, excavation reports, artifacts, ancient DNA, archaeological science, heritage developments, and research from around the world.
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Researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography have developed a heating-based method that distinguishes magnetism acquired when clay was fired from a later magnetic signal. Tests found that pottery more than 1,000 years old retained the later signal until temperatures exceeded 112°C, while modern samples lost it at lower temperatures.
Researchers analyzed teeth and dental plaque from about 200 people buried in Wrocław between the late seventeenth and early nineteenth centuries. The evidence points to a diet of grains, legumes, meat, fish and imported foods, while enamel layers indicate that most children were breastfed until roughly age two to two and a half.
Archaeologists testing ground for a planned tree in Ghent uncovered four skeletons beside a church. The site may contain as many as 240 burials arranged across five levels, dating from the eleventh through the eighteenth centuries.
Fragments from a vessel found at the Roman villa of Collet in northeastern Spain include a two-headed serpent handle. Researchers date its burial to the reign of Augustus and argue that the imagery may connect the rural site to the private worship of Sabazios.
A study of rock art in Australia’s Awunbarna region documents unusually large depictions of Rainbow Serpents and other powerful beings, including a serpent more than 6 meters long. Researchers argue the post-contact images may have helped Aboriginal communities reinforce traditions and connections to country during rapid colonial change.
A proposed revision to the rules governing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act is under review after the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation voted to advance it. In a Live Science opinion article, archaeologist Joe Watkins argues the changes could exclude many Indigenous sacred places, archaeological resources and cultural landscapes from federal review.
A study of 143 Dutch children and young adults who lived between the 1600s and 1800s found spinal wear and deformities associated with demanding physical work. The damage was most pronounced among children from rural dairy farms, while factory workers showed a different pattern of strain.
Researchers analyzed 28 paint samples from 14 Egyptian artifacts dated from 1425 B.C. to A.D. 400. Cattle collagen was the most common binding material, while proteins from other animals and plants indicate a broader range of ingredients in ancient paint adhesives.
Divers surveying the seafloor near Punta della Vipera found carved limestone blocks arranged in an L-shaped double row. The structure, about 300 feet offshore, may have served as a landing place for visitors to a nearby Etruscan temple.
Archaeologists have identified a mural showing tulips and white flowers at Boburtepa in southern Uzbekistan. The decoration was painted on clay inside a building thought to have served as a temple during the fourth and fifth centuries A.D., before being covered with white lime plaster.
Researchers have recovered rare textile fragments from an eighth-century tomb at the Skonager site in western Jutland. The fabric survived on two scoop brooches, while planned textile and dental analyses may reveal details about the woman’s clothing, health, diet, and movements.
Analysis of hardened dental plaque from eight human remains at Osaka’s Umeda cemetery identified proteins from fish, mammals, and plants. The findings suggest that urban residents consumed varied foods, including imported cold-water fish and red sea bream associated in historical sources with luxury meals.
A sculpture showing a person seated on a leopard has been uncovered at the Neolithic site of Karahantepe in southeastern Turkey. The 28-inch-tall find was placed on a bench inside a circular, stone-paved structure measuring about 10 feet across.
A study of 28 microscopic samples from 14 Egyptian artworks has identified animal glues from several species along with plant proteins linked to sesame and moringa. The findings suggest painters may have used seed-processing byproducts, offering new information for both ancient craft history and conservation.
DNA recovered from three pottery fragments indicates that people at the Etowah Mounds consumed cacao during the 11th and 12th centuries. The finding provides evidence of cacao use east of the Mississippi River and points to connections with regions where the tropical plant grew.
Microscopic analysis and experimental reproduction suggest that markings on obsidian points from Tepecik-Çiftlik were deliberately made with flint. Their similar wear and archaeological contexts, however, offer no single explanation for the designs.
Two bone samples recovered from separate pits beneath the St. Victor Petroglyph Site in southern Saskatchewan have been radiocarbon dated to A.D. 900 and 120 B.C. The dates do not directly date the carvings but suggest people were using the location as far back as about 2,100 years ago.
A three-year monitoring program in Western Australia identifies historic sulfur dioxide emissions and resulting acid rain as the strongest explanation for increased porosity in rock surfaces near industrial areas of Murujuga. Researchers say current pollution has not been shown to accelerate deterioration, while further work will examine microbial and atmospheric factors.
Seventeen fragments reused in early modern administrative bindings provide the first substantial evidence of medieval books and reading on Guernsey. Six are written in French, including a rare passage from a dramatic Griselda poem that survives in only one other manuscript.
A University of Cincinnati scholar and the Penn Museum have joined 50 animal-skin fragments into a double-sided page from a late-fourth-century Roman legal text. The Latin manuscript discusses taxation and public infrastructure but does not match any previously known imperial legal code.
