Pirate Shipwreck Off the Coast of Cape Cod Sets the Historical Record Straight on West African Gold Europeans spread rumors about degraded gold from their Akan trade partners. A new analysis of artifacts from the "Whydah Gally" shipwreck tells a different story

www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/p...
New research about the ship’s bounty, corrects an old myth: the belief that West African traders “passed off adulterated materials of lesser value as high-karat gold.”

Donkeys found dead near Raigad Fort: Animal husbandry department warns contractors against animal cruelty | Mumbai News - The Times of India Navi Mumbai: Days after five donkeys used for transporting construction materials at Raigad Fort were found dead, assistant commissioner of animal hus.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/...
This needs to stop!

Shakespeare's 'missing' London house mapped with new discovery | King's College London The exact location of William Shakespeare’s only London property can now be pinpointed to a quiet Blackfriars street, thanks to the discovery of a previously unknown floorplan.

www.kcl.ac.uk/news/shakesp...
A document held in The London Archives, is a plan of part of the Blackfriars precinct, drawn up in 1668, after the Great Fire of London, which confirms the precise location and size of Shakespeare’s Blackfriars house.

'Enormous' cave under Pembroke Castle could rewrite history, researchers say Archaeologists have so far uncovered

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Small digs of the cave under Pembroke Castle, known as Wogan Cavern, have so far uncovered "extremely rare" evidence of early humans and animals - including the bones of a hippopotamus which roamed Wales 120,000 years ago.

Why Does This Newly Discovered 2,000-Year-Old Stone Slab Depict a Roman Emperor as an Egyptian Pharaoh? The sandstone monument shows Tiberius standing next to a family of local gods. Archaeologists say the scene illustrates the ruler's role as a leader who upheld cosmic order in Egyptian society

www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/w...
The joint French and Egyptian research team found the stela while restoring the gateway of an enclosure wall dated to the reign of Ramses III, who ruled in the 12th century B.C.E. during Egypt’s 20th Dynasty.

First discovery of an unexploded shell at Culloden Battlefield The shell fired by government troops at Jacobite forces is believed to have landed on boggy ground and its fuse fizzled out.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The shell, the first unexploded item to be found at Culloden, is believed to have landed in boggy ground where its fuse fizzled out.

16th-century silver coin discovered near Strait of Magellan marks the spot of a doomed Spanish colony The newfound coin dates to the 1584 founding of a doomed Spanish settlement in southern Chile.

www.livescience.com/archaeology/...
The coin is a vital clue for archaeologists investigating a colonial settlement there, as it matches a surviving 1584 account of the Christian ceremony involving the coin, a standard practice when Spanish colonial settlements were founded.

The Eagles' wreck (Switzerland, 2025 - 2026) - Octopus Foundation In November 2024, an exceptional shipwreck was discovered at the bottom of Lake Neuchâtel. It contained a miraculously preserved cachet of pottery, weapons, tools, and harness parts related to horse-d...

octopusfoundation.org/en/project/e...
In November 2024, a shipwreck was discovered at the bottom of Lake Neuchâtel. It contained a preserved cachet of pottery, weapons, tools, and harness parts, dating from the early Roman Empire.

Digital dust? Finding unexpected stories in laser scans

www.archaeologyuk.org/resource/dig...
Working with laser scan data from sites in Zanzibar and Dartmoor, Dr Laura Basell reflects on the “glitches”, fragments, and accidental captures usually edited out. Watch the video at the bottom of the article.

Extraordinary Burial: Dog Sacrifices Found Beneath Overturned Child Cradles in Yakutia - Arkeonews Ancient dog sacrifice burial with child cradles discovered in Yakutia reveals ritual practices used to protect children from death

arkeonews.net/extraordinar...
Historical sources describe ceremonies in which two dogs were sacrificed to malevolent spirits—known in Yakut belief systems as abaahy—in order to divert illness and death away from children.

Previously Unknown 2,500-Year-Old Achaemenid Cemetery Discovered in Northern Iran—Includes Woman Buried with Horse Gear - Arkeonews A previously unknown 2,500-year-old Achaemenid cemetery discovered in northern Iran reveals burial practices, grave goods

arkeonews.net/previously-u...
Rather than adopting imperial culture wholesale, the people buried at Mersin appear to have selectively incorporated its symbols—jewellery styles, objects, and aesthetic cues—into long-standing local traditions.

Ancient golden helmet recovered more than a year after Dutch heist The helmet and three golden bracelets were stolen in January 2025, but one bracelet is yet to be found.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The helmet and two golden bracelets dating back to about 450BC were recently recovered. The treasures had been on loan to the Drents Museum in the Netherlands when they were stolen.

Tasmanian tiger lives on in Arnhem Land rock art The striped dog-like marsupial we know as the Tasmanian tiger has long been surrounded by mystery, and the subject of scientific curiosity. Now, newly discovered rock art depicting Tasmanian tigers an...

phys.org/news/2026-03...
Tasmanian devils and thylacines are believed to have disappeared from mainland Australia about 3,000 years ago. Newly documented artworks—some of which may be less than 1,000 years old—could show that these species survived longer in northern regions than previously thought.

Native Americans were making dice, gambling, exploring probability millennia before their Old World counterparts A new study in American Antiquity presents evidence that the earliest known dice in human history were made and used by Native American hunter-gatherers on the western Great Plains more than 12,000 ye...

phys.org/news/2026-03...
The earliest known dice in human history were made and used by Native American hunter-gatherers on the western Great Plains more than 12,000 years ago.

'Major disruption in Neanderthal history': 65,000 years ago, all Neanderthals in Europe died out except for one lineage The last Neanderthals to survive in Europe came from a single lineage that survived the worst period of the ice age, ancient DNA reveals.

www.livescience.com/archaeology/...
Where Neanderthals ultimately died out, several mitochondrial DNA lineages existed until about 65,000 years ago. After this point, these groups were replaced by a single Neanderthal mitochondrial genetic lineage originating from southwestern France.

News - Wine and Frankincense Identified in Roman Incense Burner - Archaeology Magazine ZURICH, SWITZERLAND—According to a Gizmodo report, analysis of residue samples taken from an incense burner […]

archaeology.org/news/2026/03...
The residues and phytoliths recovered from the ash within the burner contained traces of wine and frankincense, ingredients for a ritual practice called praefatio intended to invite the gods to bless the proceedings.

Mongolian Herders Face New Challenges — Cooperation Is Key to Overcoming Them Mongolian herders work together in herding groups known as Khot ail, a form of cooperation that dates back to the 12th century.

www.niku.no/en/2026/02/m...
A central question in the project is how large empires emerge from small herding groups — and to understand that researchers must first understand how these groups collaborate.

Bronze Age shield found in Beith peat bog to go on display The shield is one of six to feature in an exhibition on Bronze Age Scotland this summer.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
According to historical records, the shield was found buried upright in peat alongside six others – though the whereabouts of those remains unclear.

Polish archaeologists uncover document confirming existence of legendary king Polish archaeologists working in Old Dongola in Sudan have discovered an Arabic document confirming the existence of King Qasqash, a ruler previously regarded as a semi-legendary figure.

scienceinpoland.pl/en/news/news...
The manuscript, found during excavations at the medieval site of Old Dongola in Sudan, is a written order issued on behalf of King Qasqash.

Old plant collections reveal that nature is changing at lightning speed Plants all over the world are on the move. Over the past few decades, they have shifted their habitats by about 5.6 kilometres per year, according to a new study.

www.sciencenorway.no/botany-clima...
The study shows that plant species all over the world are moving at a rapid pace, with a median shift of 5.6 kilometres per year.

Scientists Confirm Remains of Medieval Emperor Otto the Great - Medievalists.net Scientists confirm that the remains in Magdeburg Cathedral belong to Otto the Great, using DNA, archaeology, and scientific analysis to identify the medieval emperor.

www.medievalists.net/2026/03/scie...
Since his death in 973, Otto has been buried in Magdeburg Cathedral, where his tomb has remained a focal point of historical interest. However, questions about the authenticity of the remains persisted—until now.

Musketeer d'Artagnan's remains believed found under Dutch church D'Artagnan was killed during the Siege of Maastricht in 1673 and later immortalised in the stories of Alexandre Dumas.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
D'Artagnan is believed to have been hit in the throat by a musket ball as Louis XIV sought to capture Maastricht.

Fire Preserves Rare Bronze Age Loom in Alicante, Revealing 3,500-Year-Old Textile Technology - Arkeonews Archaeologists in Cabezo Redondo, Alicante (Spain), have uncovered a remarkably preserved 3,500-year-old warp-weighted loom.

arkeonews.net/fire-preserv...
According to archaeological analysis, the loom was destroyed and instantly sealed by a fire event dated to approximately 1507–1428 BC.

Study finds evidence of human settlement in Sharjah's Faya dating back 125,000 years Discover the groundbreaking study revealing human settlement in Sharjah's Faya dating back 125,000 years, reshaping our understanding of early human history.

gulfnews.com/uae/study-fi...
Multiple phases of human presence were identified at the site, dating to approximately 125,000, 59,000, 35,000, and 16,000 years ago. The latter three occupation phases were previously undocumented, filling critical gaps in the archaeological record of the region.

First Four-Wheeled Chariots Found in Iron Age Britain Near Queen Cartimandua’s Capital - Arkeonews First four-wheeled chariots discovered in Iron Age Britain at Melsonby, revealing elite power, ritual destruction, and continental connecti

arkeonews.net/first-four-w...
The excavated elements strongly resemble structural components seen in continental European four-wheeled wagons, particularly those dated to the late Iron Age.

How a Sudden Winter Storm in 1617 Sparked the Deadliest Witchcraft Trials in Norwegian History During the 17th-century Finnmark witch trials, 91 people were executed in Norway's northernmost region, mainly by burning at the stake

www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-...
Known as the Finnmark witchcraft trials, the proceedings continued throughout the 17th century. By 1692, 111 women and 24 men had been prosecuted for practicing witchcraft; 91 of these individuals, the vast majority of them women, were sentenced to death.

6,000-year-old Prehistoric Trackway Discovered in Somerset Archaeological excavations in Somerset have revealed evidence of a nearly 6000-year-old wooden trackway, which would have been used by our early Neolithic ancestors to cross the area’s watery marshes.

www.wessexarch.co.uk/6000-year-ol...
Trackways were raised wooden walkways used to cross the marshes that once covered the British Isles.

Ancient societies ‘far more democratic than assumed’, study suggests Democracy may be far older and more widespread than previously thought, according to a new study of ancient civilisations.

www.york.ac.uk/news-and-eve...
It is often assumed that democratic practices started in Greece and Rome, but the new research shows that many societies around the world developed ways to limit the power of rulers and give ordinary people a voice.

13,000 ostraca discovered at Athribis archaeological site in Sohag - Ancient Egypt - Antiquities An Egyptian-German archaeological mission has uncovered about 13,000 inscribed pottery fragments, known as ostraca, at the ancient site of Athribis, offering new evidence about daily life and administ...

english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/...
The inscriptions, written in several scripts and languages, document a wide range of activities, including tax payments, delivery orders, accounts, administrative lists, and writing exercises used by students.

Neanderthal prey: elephant teeth preserve 125,000-year-old record of movement and diet Fossil teeth can preserve remarkable information, much like a biological identity card with data about the lives of individuals tens of thousands of years ago. By analyzing teeth, a new study publishe...

www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2026...
By analyzing teeth, a new study reconstructed the life history of four straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus), the largest terrestrial mammals of prehistoric Europe.