Three leather balls discovered in northwest China set back the invention of ball games in Asia by hundreds of years. These three leather balls with a diameter between 7.4 and 9.2 cm are between 3200 and 2900 years old. Humanity did not wait for the advent of Fifa to play with footballs. Moreover,
Devoted to Viking deities, a rare 1,200-year-old pagan shrine has been unearthed in western Norway. 3D digital reconstruction of the pagan sanctuary of Orsta, Norway. Built 1200 years ago, it would have been made on the basis of Christian buildings seen by the Vikings during their migrations. The
A carbon 14 analysis made it possible to date this skeleton, exhumed a century ago in the Dordogne, from 600 or 700 years, sweeping away the century-old local legend and which designated a gentleman of bad reputation, Ernest de Fontaubert. The skeleton baptized Ernest, found in 1913 under the floo
While exceptional Paleolithic frescoes in the Cosquer cave, in the creeks of Marseille, are beginning to disappear due to global warming, the realization of its replica has just been announced. Testifying to the rising waters, horses adorning the walls of the Cosquer cave (Bouches-du-Rhône) are di
A remarkable female statuette carved 23,000 years ago has just been revealed. It was discovered this summer during archaeological digs in Amiens. This Venus with face represented without features, arms just sketched , will join the rare examples of these portable works of art unearthed since the 1
The burial of a warrior woman could have been discovered in northern Armenia, as the osteological examination of a skeleton seems to indicate. A descendant of the legendary Amazons? Achilles killing Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons (Greek vase from the 6th century BC) Did a warrior woman die on
In Central America, during the classical period, many pyramids became funerary monuments. And are encapsulated in each other, like Russian dolls! The Temple of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza conceals two nesting pyramids. Rising up to the sky, La Danta (tapir, in Spanish) dominates the emerald canopy o
The analysis of ancient wood found in Rome illustrates the powerful logistical organization and long-distance trade of this raw material in the Roman Empire. Planks of wood used 2,000 years ago in the construction of an ancient portico, found in Rome. Traces of axes and adzes are still visible the
A hunting scene, painted 44,000 years ago in present-day Indonesia, is said to represent the oldest hunting scene in prehistoric art known to date, according to researchers who signed a study published in the journal Nature . Photo courtesy of Griffith University of oldest known hunting scene. It
An archaeological study shows that the strange cone-shaped headdresses represented on the walls of certain Egyptian monuments were not just an iconographic ornament. Their discovery on two skeletons lifts part of the veil as to their meaning. Two figures from Tomb TT255 of the 18th dynasty, on th
The ziggurats are imposing buildings built between 2,100 and 600 BC by the Mesopotamian rulers. The ziggurat of Tchogha Zanbil, in the extreme south-west of Iran, dated 1300 BC, is the best preserved of this type of building. In the middle stands a massive tower, one stadium long and wide, topped
In a 2,200-year-old burial, archaeologists have unearthed an impressive Iron Age chariot and shield which they consider one of the most important discoveries made in recent decades in the United Kingdom. Remarkably preserved Iron Age shield. Found in Yorkshire, it has been hailed as the most impor
Lola had blue eyes and dark skin, lived 5,700 years ago in present-day Denmark, and likely ate duck and hazelnuts, analysis of a chewed-up, DNA-encrusted piece of birch reveals. Artistic representation of Lola Brown skin and hair, blue eyes, mouth bacteria similar to ours, and a meal presumably
Traditionally described as originating from Egypt or the Near East, monkeys adorning the walls of the famous site of Akrotiri, on the island of Santorini, in the Aegean Sea, could have had a much more distant origin... Wall paintings of gray langur monkeys, on the site of Akrotiri, the ancient isl
In this committed essay, archaeologist Jean-Paul Demoule, former president of the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap), professor emeritus at the University of Paris-I Panthéon-Sorbonne, discusses the nature of archeology . A discipline approached as “a science at the h
Papua New Guinea is considered the furthest point reached by modern humans after leaving Africa. Its inhabitants are said to possess some of the oldest strains of modern DNA outside of Africa. Residents of the village of Awin, Papua New Guinea (PNG), during a traditional ceremony. We need to loo
The Gironde gendarmerie called for caution after the discovery of several explosive devices on the Gironde coast. Despite their condition, these weapons are still very dangerous. A beach in Gironde (illustration photo) During a walk on the Girondin coast, it is best at this time to watch carefull
Cain, Romulus, Indra… The founding myths are peopled with murderous heroes. They provide keys to understanding the violence inherent in human beings. On the left, Abel offers a lamb to God, whose hand is seen in the cloud, then blessing him. On the right, Cain offers a sheaf of wheat. Could civil
The ancient Greeks accepted infanticide, the Romans could punish adultery with death. As for medieval judges, they inflicted on rapists a sentence proportional to the status of the victim! But not all crimes are eternal:today homosexuality or abortion are no longer on the list. The list of crimes
How was the profession of executioner born? Who performed this task before? Science and the Future posed these questions to the historian and jurist, Frédéric Armand. Executioners ax on display at the Tower of London, England. This article is from the magazine Sciences et Avenir Hors-série n°194
Discovery of a monumental structure made of mammoth bones in Russia. 25,000 years old, it would be the oldest known. A vast circular structure made of mammoth bones, 25,000 years old, was discovered 500 km south of Moscow, Russia. A circle 12.5m in diameter, made up of massive skulls and large wh
Scientists from the National Museum of Eritrea and the Roman University of La Sapienza announced in 2016 the discovery of what may be the oldest traces of Homo Erectus. , dated 800,000 years ago. The footprints belong to several individuals that researchers believe were hunting animals at the time
It is a widespread belief that it was the Swiss who invented the utility knife. Nothing could be further from the truth. The proof is a Roman piece that is exhibited in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge (United Kingdom), and that can also be seen online on its official website, which is also the m
According to the tradition of various Buddhist texts Siddharta Gautama, the future Buddha, lived in the palace of King Suddhodana and Queen Maya, his parents, until the age of 29. The palace was located in the capital of the Sakya clan, called Kapilavastu. Siddharta Gautama left the palace and the