Ancient news stories

Islands along the coastline were seemingly ice-free 17,700 years ago, so an early route along the coastline of Canada might have been viable well before an alternative, inland route.

Governor Bill Walker aims to promote and preserve all 20 recognized indigenous tongues in the state before they die out.

Humans trekked into Australia’s vast, harsh Western Desert almost 50,000 years ago—10,000 years earlier than thought and just a few thousand years after people first arrived on the continent, a new study suggests.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, says the building is likely part of the residential block of the area, which was the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis.

Comparison with modern strains offers glimpses of the pathogen’s evolutionary history.

An ancient Egyptian papyrus with an image showing two bird-like creatures, possibly with a penis connecting them, has been deciphered, revealing a magic spell of love.

There is something comforting and joyous about prehistoric figurines depicting women, particularly the small, curvy ones, so welcoming in the abundance of their forms.

Human genome ‘littered’ with viral DNA but problem drug users three times more likely to carry genetic fragments in regions which control reward centres and addictive behaviour.

Sixty graves, ancient pottery and a villa have been excavated at this ancient Roman cemetery in Lincolnshire.

Native Americans are wary of disclosing traditional knowledge, because doing so risks opening a door to exploitation that can undermine tribal values, harm their resources, or fail to provide benefits in return.

One of the earliest complete versions of Curtis’s early 20th-century work will be offered for auction in its original binding in New York on 18 October, with an estimate of $1m-$1.5m.

A significant find shows that these early desert peoples were technological innovators; this tool is at least 15,000 years older than other known Australian examples.

Monotheism is widely considered more moral and rational than polytheism. But a controversy in Germany is raising the question whether the belief in one God actually leads to fanaticism and violence.

We can confidently say fossil Neanderthals and modern humans from the same time period had similar brain sizes.

Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park may be America’s best-known place to visit ancient ruins, but sites of ancient villages can be found throughout the Midwest, often near the continent’s great waterways and trade routes. Here are some worth exploring.