The first sound recording from prehistory was obtained from a conch, a shell used by Magdalenian hunters in France 18,000 years ago. This exceptional discovery sheds light on certain practices of Upper Paleolithic societies with an unknown musical dimension. Reconstruction of the use of the conch
Stones at the prehistoric site of Stonehenge in England may have come from another site in Wales more than 200 kilometers away, archaeologists say. Vigilantes keep watch at the prehistoric site of Stonehenge, in Amesbury, England, on April 26, 2020, as it is closed to the public due to the Covid-1
A large-scale production brewery, said to be the oldest in the world, has been discovered in Egypt. Beer, the favorite drink of ancient Egypt, was brewed at this burial site. Photo provided by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism on February 13, 2021 shows a beer-making site, at the Egyptian archaeolo
Nearly 35 years after the discovery of the one and only authenticated pirate shipwreck - that of the Whydah Gally , which sank in a storm in 1717 -, six new skeletons have just been discovered by underwater explorers, preserved in concretions. The researchers hope to be able to identify that of Blac
One of the best preserved perfumeries in the Roman world has been found at the archaeological site of Pompeii, shedding light on the production chain of perfumes and ointments. Fresco of the Perfumer Cupids in the Villa of the Vettii, on the site of Pompeii (Italy). Perfume and ashes... The compl
By studying the genome of contemporary French people, researchers have succeeded in tracing the history of the settlement of France up to the great epidemics of the Middle Ages and the agricultural revolution of the 18th-19th centuries. Researchers have been able to trace the settlement of France
Chemical analysis of residues preserved in an ancient Iron Age fortress in Tel Arad, in the Negev desert (Israel), revealed the unexpected presence of cannabis! The first evidence of a use of this psychotropic in the ancient Near East. The holy of holies of the sanctuary of the ancient Iron Age fo
3,000 years old, Aguada Fénix, the most monumental ceremonial complex of the entire Mayan civilization, was spotted for the first time in the state of Tabasco, Mexico. It would be the largest pre-Hispanic construction encountered to date in Central America. Lidar image of the recently discovered s
Thousands of kilometers from China, Israeli archaeologists have reconstructed the route of a portion of the Great Wall forgotten by historians. Aerial view released by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on June 7, 2020 showing the route of a portion of the Great Wall of China in the Mongolian step
The ancient city of Falerii Novi is located in Lazio, about fifty kilometers from Rome. His study reveals a surprising network of water circulation. Undated photo released on June 4, 2020 by the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) shows a mapping carried out with ground penetrating radar (GPR
A chest full of gold coins hidden ten years ago by American millionaire Forrest Fenn has been discovered in the Rocky Mountains, ending one of the biggest treasure hunts in the United States. Undated photo sent by Forrest Fenn. It shows a chest believed to contain gold dust, hundreds of rare coins
Just a few millimeters tall, this bird figurine found on the Chinese site of Lingjing pushes back the appearance of figurative sculpture in East Asia by more than eight millennia. It could also help to better understand why the latter appeared much earlier in Europe, between 35,000 and 40,000 years
New genetic studies report that several waves of ancient settlement existed between the Caribbean and the Americas, where these early island populations are believed to have originated. Illustration of the exploration of the Caribbean by the first settlers. Parrots, turquoise waters, and pristin
More than 3,000 years BC in Ireland, even before the construction of the Great Pyramids, genetic analyzes reveal the preeminence of an inbred elite. Star trails above Irish passage tombs. Legend has it that every day, the King-Builder restarts the solar cycle by sleeping with his sister. Is there
The first evidence of the use of bows and arrows by prehistoric people outside the African continent has been attested in the tropical forests of Sri Lanka, in South Asia. They date back 48,000 years. Shuttle, monkey tooth punch and arrowhead, from Fa-Hien La cave in Sri Lanka (45-48,000 years old
A remarkable cave, located in the Dordogne, lifts the veil on ritual practices and funerary traditions dating back 30,000 years. The decorated cave of Cussac (Dordogne) and its engraved bestiary. The case is absolutely exceptional! The decorated cave of Cussac, in the Dordogne, one of the most sp
Analysis of volcanic ash has linked the low temperatures experienced in Rome in 44 BCE to the eruption of a volcano in Alaska. Marble statue of Julius Caesar, 16th century. The assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE sparked a nearly two-decade-long power struggle that marked the beginning of th
Archaeologists have located in Australia two aboriginal sites at least 7,000 years old, the first under the sea ever discovered in the country. It is estimated today that the ancient Aborigines arrived on the island-continent nearly 65,000 years ago. These sites could be among their oldest centers o
American researchers have provided evidence of significant pollution of certain drinking water reservoirs at the ancient Mayan site of Tikal. The mercury and algae identified made the water at the site undrinkable. The site was abandoned at the end of the 9th century CE. Classified as a UNESCO Wo
Nearly 150 burials have been unearthed in the early Christian necropolis of Saint-Pierre-lEstrier in Autun. The excavations reveal a great diversity of burials. Aerial view of the excavation site. One hundred and fifty tombs dating from the middle of the 3rd to the 5th century, one of which may c
Even before the famous Incas, several other indigenous peoples inhabited South American lands. The Moche Civilization, for example, occupied vast areas of present-day Peru for about 900 years (between 100 BC and 800 AD). Despite such a long existence, the Moche peoples did not manage to constitute a
If we think of Egypt, images of colossal monuments and pyramids most likely come to our minds that have made the world give explanations about their construction that are more bordering on fiction than reality. The truth is that the function of the pyramids was none other than the journey of the pha
Located in the Jamtli Museum , in Östersund, Sweden, the Överhogdal Tapestry is a unique relic from the Viking Age. Dating, according to several estimates, from the beginning of the 11th century, it was incredibly well preserved. This masterpiece could correspond to the famous Bayeux tapestry. The
At this point it seems impossible that ancient buildings as large as the dragon houses on the Greek island of Euboea could not have been dated, and that practically nothing is known about them. The dragon houses (in Greek Drakospita ) are 20 large buildings spread across the south of the island of