Ancient news stories

Karahan Tepe
3rd October 2021 | facebook.com | Ancient, Humans

Graham Hancock: In late 2020 I returned to the enigmatic site of Karahan Tepe (near the more famous site of Gobekli Tepe) in Anatolia, Turkey, to research the mind-blowing new excavations underway there (my previous visit to Karahan Tepe, described in my book Magicians of the Gods, was in 2014 when the site was largely unexcavated)…

Photos by Santha Faiia

Decoding the secrets of a forgotten human history during the Pleistocene
2nd October 2021 cosmosmagazine.com | Ancient, Humans

An international team of researchers has discovered the first fossilised bone from a Pleistocene-era human in Wallacea, the cluster of Indonesian islands, including Lombok, Sulaewsi, Timor and Sumba, that were the likely seafaring gateway for the first humans to populate Australia.

Russian expedition finds evidence of northernmost Stone Age hunters above the Arctic Circle
2nd October 2021 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

Ancient cut marks on mammoth bones unearthed on a remote island in the frozen extremes of Siberia are the northernmost evidence of Paleolithic humans ever found, according to archaeologists.

Swarm of Near-Earth Comets Linked to Recent Ice Giant Breakup
1st October 2021 | discovermagazine.com | Ancient, Humans, Space

The findings are welcomed by supporters of cometary catastrophe theories from Earth’s history.

Paper found here: https://www.sciencedirect.com

Ancient Humans Tended The World’s Most Dangerous Birds, Because of Course We Did
29th September 2021 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Animal Life, Humans

With powerful legs tipped by dagger-like talons, capable of eviscerating you with a single kick, cassowaries are the bird that most lives up to the moniker of a modern dinosaur.

South Australian eagle fossil identified as one of the oldest raptor species in the world
29th September 2021 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Animal Life, Earth

A 25m-year-old eagle fossil discovered on a remote outback cattle station in South Australia has been identified as one of the oldest raptor species in the world.

Cavers discover snakes and waterfalls inside Yemen’s infamous ‘Well of Hell’ in world-first descent
28th September 2021 | livescience.com | Ancient, Earth, Humans

Many local people believe the enormous pit is a prison for genies and a gateway to the underworld.

In Guatemala, archaeologists uncover hidden neighborhood in ancient Maya city
28th September 2021 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

A startling recent discovery by the Pacunam Lidar Initiative, a research consortium involving a Brown University anthropologist, has ancient Mesoamerican scholars across the globe wondering whether they know Tikal as well as they think.

Gibraltar cave chamber discovery could shed light on Neanderthals’ culture
28th September 2021 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans

Researchers excavating a cave network on the Rock of Gibraltar have discovered a new chamber, sealed off from the world for at least 40,000 years, that could shed light on the culture and customs of the Neanderthals who occupied the area for a thousand centuries.

Dinosaurs: ‘Bizarre’ fossil is Africa’s first ankylosaur
24th September 2021 | bbc.co.uk | Ancient, Animal Life, Humans

“Think of a coffee table. Short, broad, covered in spikes and walking towards you. That’s an ankylosaur!”

Human footprints thought to be oldest in North America discovered
24th September 2021 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans

New scientific research conducted by archaeologists has uncovered what they believe are the oldest known human footprints in North America.

Apophis: The asteroid we thought might hit us
23rd September 2021 | space.com | Ancient, Earth, Humans, Space

On Friday, April 13, 2029, Earth will experience a dramatic close encounter with the asteroid 99942 Apophis

Genetic Study Maps When and How Polynesians Settled the Pacific Islands
23rd September 2021 | smithsonianmag.com | Ancient, Humans

New research published today in Nature makes the intriguing suggestion that the Polynesians who erected those mysterious stone figures on islands thousands of miles apart were actually descended from the same group of explorers.

Hidden Traces of a Massive Ancient City Are Still in Mexico’s Landscape Today
23rd September 2021 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans, Tech

Modern roads and developments share more similarities with ancient urban centers than we often realize – which is certainly the case with the sprawling Teotihuacan settlement, once located around 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Mexico City.

Nearly 900 years ago, astronomers spotted a strange, bright light in the sky. We finally know what caused it.
21st September 2021 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans, Space

In the 12th century, Chinese and Japanese astronomers spotted a new light in the sky shining as brightly as Saturn.

Evidence that a cosmic impact destroyed ancient city in the Jordan Valley
21st September 2021 phys.org | Ancient, Earth, Humans

In the Middle Bronze Age (about 3,600 years ago or roughly 1650 BCE), the city of Tall el-Hammam was ascendant.

News stories covering history, archaeology, ancient Egypt, and mysteries of the past.