Epigraphy Archaeology

05/04/2023

Interior of the Bethlehem Church in Isfahan, Iran

Photo credit: IG: malekahmadi.parisa

05/04/2023

uɴcᴇʀтᴀιɴ oʀιԍιɴs of Ancient Cave Paintings Found in the ʏucᴀтᴀɴ ᴘᴇɴιɴsuʟᴀ

A major discovery has been reported by archaeologists in the Yucatan Peninsula, in south-eastern Mexico. A team of experts has discovered some astonishing cave paintings deep in a remote jungle. The find is exciting archaeologists who believe that it is of great importance. It is also leading to a d...

04/04/2023

Rock Art Reveals ᴘʀᴇнιsтoʀιc sᴇᴀғᴀʀιɴԍ in Sweden

New technology has allowed experts to understand some enigmatic Stone Age rock-art in Sweden, revealing that prehistoric people were already taking to the seas. Archaeologists have been able to reveal a number of images that are not visible to the eye, for the first time. They have been able also to...

04/04/2023

Laas Geel Complex and The мᴀԍɴιғιcᴇɴт Ancient Rock Art of soмᴀʟιʟᴀɴᴅ

Thousands of years ago, humans from the Neolithic age, decorated the walls of rock shelters with paintings of animals and humans at a site called Laas Geel in Somaliland. Their work would last 5,000 years and would one day attract the attention of the 21st century. The caves provide a glimpse into t...

04/04/2023

This gorgeous Romano-British copper alloy horse-and-rider brooch with red, blue and white enamel inlay was collected by Henry Durden (1807-1892) from Woodyates Dorset

Credit: © The Trustees of the British Museum 1892,0901.1600

04/04/2023

Tumlehed Rock Painting: A Cultural Map of Symbolic Language

It is widely accepted that art represents language in the form of imagery whether placed on a canvas or onto the surface of a rock. Language is different to speech in that a symbol or physical gesture may be understood even when spoken words may not. Certain artistic motifs may change in status, mea...

03/04/2023

The Curious Case of the Rocky Valley Labyrinths

Located between Boscastle and Tintagel, Rocky Valley is a small valley in northern Cornwall, England, carved by the Trevillet River. A site of mystic and historical fascination, it is home to two small labyrinth petroglyphs, dubbed the Rocky Valley Labyrinths, located within old Trewethett Mill with...

03/04/2023

Archaeologists Identify First ᴘʀᴇнιsтoʀιc Figurative Cave Art in ʙᴀʟκᴀɴs – It’s Symbolic!

There was an explosion of symbolism in human culture during the Paleolithic period. Around the world, examples of cave art, some of it rather strange , began cropping up over 35,000 years ago. But some locations have been more willing to share their prehistoric artwork than others. One place where P...

03/04/2023

Mycenaean bronze ᴅᴀԍԍᴇʀs, inlaid with gold and silver. 16th century BC.

Credit: ©National Archaeological Museum in Athens

03/04/2023

Life Before the cʟovιs: Portable Rock Art as Evidence of Pre Ice Age Humans in North ᴀмᴇʀιcᴀ

The worship of carved stone dates back to man’s earliest evolution. Portable rock art is human made markings on movable natural rock or stone. A global phenomenon, these Stone Age objects have been found in many regions of the world with similar motifs. Some of the natural shape and properties of ...

02/04/2023

Ancient Lifeforms and Odd нuмᴀɴs Depicted in мᴀʟιwᴀwᴀ Rock Art

The timeworn relationship between humans and animals has been found depicted on 570 ancient paintings discovered within 87 rock shelters in Western Arnhem Land in Australia’s Northern Territory. In the journal Australian Archaeology , Professor Paul Taçon, Australian Research Council Laureate Fel...

02/04/2023

The ԍʟösᴀ Rock Art in swᴇᴅᴇɴ ᴘʀovιᴅᴇs a Peek Into the Lives of Stone Age нuɴтᴇʀs

One of the most interesting and enjoyable historic sites in the Scandinavian country of Sweden is Glösa. This is an area with remarkable prehistoric petroglyphs, excavated hunting pits, and a center that recreates the ancient past for visitors by offering a unique interactive experience and a real ...

01/04/2023

1,200-Year-Old Viking Runestone May Warn of cʟιмᴀтᴇ cнᴀɴԍᴇ, Study Says

Most people in the modern world are very worried about climate change and the Vikings seem to also be very worried about climate change. Scientists are now claiming that one of the most popular runestones, erected by Vikings, shows they feared a cataclysmic fall in the temperature and terrible winte...

01/04/2023

In swᴇᴅᴇɴ, a long-lost runestone from a vικιɴԍ monument has been discovered

The valuable runestone was found on a bridge across a nearby river as part of an eight-piece 10th-century monument. The discovery, according to scholars, would unleash a wealth of knowledge in several areas, including art, religious history, and archaeology. One of the Hunnestad runestones, which ha...

01/04/2023

A 2000 year old Roman mosaic washed by waters of river Euphrates in ancient city of Zeugma in Turkey. It was discovered in 2000 in a Roman villa of the ancient city during rescue excavations and it is thought to date from the 1st century CE.

Photo credit : Ali Korkmaz

01/04/2023

Ancient тᴀɴzᴀɴιᴀɴ Paintings of ʙιzᴀʀʀᴇ нuмᴀɴoιᴅs Perplex Experts

Rare, multidimensional art has been discovered in a Tanzanian cave shelter. However, the ritual scenes depicted in the ancient art don’t tally up the traditions of the modern Sandawe people. Archaeologists exploring in Tanzania have discovered rare examples of cave art made by the ancient ancestor...

31/03/2023

The Colors of the Wind: нιᴅᴅᴇɴ Messages of the cнuмᴀsн Cave Paintings

Take a moment, and close your eyes. Breathe deeply, and inhale the salt of the air and feel the light brush of low-hanging tree branches caressing your face. Feel the rocky ground beneath your toes, prickly but comforting, as you follow the path you’ve walked thousands of times. Step into the dark...

31/03/2023

Creators of the 800 ᴀʟ Jᴀssᴀsιʏᴀ Rock Carvings Remain Undetected

While some societies leave few remains, especially if they were not literate, rock carvings have helped historians understand prehistoric people and mysterious cultures . Some of the most impressive rock carvings in all of the Middle East are the Al Jassasiya rock carvings in Qatar. They are a remar...

31/03/2023

This mosaic from Pompeii is a great illustration of how a mosaic has been made to look like a rug laid out on a mosaic.

Photo credit: Javier Nero.

31/03/2023

600 Rock Carvings Found by cʟᴇvᴇʀ ιɴquιʀʏ and тoʀcнʟιԍнт

Three friends in Norway have a remarkable way of spending in their spare time. Armed with torches, they go looking for prehistoric rock carvings, and with singular success. So far, they have helped uncover hundreds of Norway’s petroglyphs and have notched up a blinding 75 similar sites this year a...

30/03/2023

5,200-year-old stone carving cнʀʏsᴀʟιs found in north cнιɴᴀ

According to the provincial archaeological research institute, archaeologists discovered a stone-carved silkworm chrysalis dating back at least 5,200 years in north China’s Shanxi Province last month. The stone-carved chrysalis was discovered in a semi-crypt house at the Shangguo Site in Wenxi Cou...

30/03/2023

Rare 2,700-Year-Old Stone cᴀʀvιɴԍs Discovered in ιʀᴀq

Archaeologists in Iraq have unearthed 2,700-year-old stone carvings that were chiselled into a previously undiscovered section of the Mashki Gate, an iconic structure in what was once the ancient Assyrian capital city of Nineveh. An Iraqi worker excavates a rock-carving relief recently found at the....

30/03/2023

Engraved tabloid (blue chalcedony) with three water birds.

Minoan (Crete), 1600 - 1500 BC

Credit: ©J. Paul Getty Museum

30/03/2023

Archaeologists find the earliest evidence мᴀʏᴀ sacred calendar in the ԍuᴀтᴇмᴀʟᴀɴ ᴘʏʀᴀмιᴅ

Archaeologists identified two plaster fragments depicting a date that the Maya civilization called ‘7 deer’ and was part of the 260-day calendar cycle. The Maya calendar dates back further than previously recognized, a mural more than 2,220 years old reveals. The finding probably indicates other...

29/03/2023

Ancient Murals of Two-faced Figures Found in ᴘᴇʀu

Archaeologists are reporting a number of fascinating discoveries as work on the excavations at Pañamarca progresses that are helping to clarify Peru’s ancient history. Archaeologists discovered ancient murals of two-faced figures clutching unusual treasures—including a goblet from which humming...

29/03/2023

‘ғᴀκᴇ’ Gold Coins Prove Roman Emperor Sponsian Was Real

For many years, a hoard of Roman coins uncovered in Transylvania in 1713 were thought to be forgeries, with the ancient coinage displaying the name of an apparently “lost” emperor known as Sponsian. The Sponsian coins had been minted using a distinct method to common coins, and were generally un...

29/03/2023

Frescoes decorating the ancient sʏɴᴀԍoԍuᴇ at Dura-Europos, Syria.

Around 1,700 years old.

Photo credit: u/Ainsley-Sorsby

29/03/2023

The 11-meter giant statue of the island of ɴᴀxos “ᴅιoɴʏsus oғ ᴀᴘoʟʟoɴᴀs”

One of the two ancient marble quarries, thought to have begun the sculpture, the greatest art of antiquity, is located near the coastal settlement of Apollonas of Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades group of islands in the Southern Aegean. Naxos has a great wealth of monuments from various eras that....

28/03/2023

An Outstanding ɴᴀʀcιssus Painting is Found in ᴘoмᴘᴇιι… Would it Have Pleased Him?

In mythology, Narcissus became so enraptured with his own handsome appearance the thought of never obtaining the beauty he saw reflected back at him led to his demise. His self-love story has inspired writers, musicians, poets and artists for at least 2000 years. It is no wonder the recent discovery...

28/03/2023

ᴘʀιᴀᴘus Fresco Tips the Scales in ᴘoмᴘᴇιι

An archaeological dig at a prestigious residence on the slopes of Regio V, overlooking Via del Vesuvio in Pompeii, has unearthed “in elegantly decorated rooms” a fresco of Priapus, a god of Graeco-Roman mythology, weighing his massive member on a scale. The ongoing archaeological operations form...

28/03/2023

A floor mosaic found at the entrance of a Roman bath in the Timgad antique city in Algeria with the writing "Bene lava" ("Good Wishes") it dates back to the 1st and 2nd centuries CE.

Credit: © Roman Archaeology

28/03/2023

New Stone Age Rock Art Discovered at ʀoмᴀɴᴇʟʟι Cave

Expert researchers with an interest in ancient European rock art have just completed an exhaustive study of Romanelli Cave, an impressively decorated rock art site located on the southeastern tip of Italy overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Despite Upper Paleolithic rock art first being found there in 190...

27/03/2023

Celestial Maps of ԍᴇԍнᴀм Mountain: The Unique Rock Art of ᴀʀмᴇɴιᴀ

In the volcanic Gegham and Vardenis Mountains of Armenia, architect Suren Petrosyan discovered unique and mysterious astrological rock art paintings. Experts have different opinions on the creation chronology of the rock art paintings found in the basin of Lake Sevan and along the slopes of Mount Ar...

27/03/2023

Rock Art ᴘuzzʟᴇ of ᴘuᴇʙʟo People Solved

A mysterious series of petroglyphs made by the Pueblo people of southwestern United States have been deciphered. These beautiful examples of rock art have been proven to record the passage of the season and astronomical observations. They also provide evidence for their culture and sophisticated tra...

27/03/2023

The 2,900 year old capstone of the Pyramid of Amenemhat - also known as the 'Black Pyramid'.

Photo credit: u/Kunstkurator

27/03/2023

ᴀʟтᴀι Rock Art Images Reveal Insights Into Ancient ɴoмᴀᴅιc cuʟтuʀᴇ

Researchers in Serbia have studied a collection of ancient petroglyphs revealing the relationship between a medieval nomadic culture and animals. The team of researchers from the Gorno-Altaisk State University has published a new paper in the scientific journal Archaeology, Ethnography and Anthropol...

26/03/2023

The Oldest? 17,300-Year-Old κᴀɴԍᴀʀoo Painting Discovered in ᴀusтʀᴀʟιᴀ

A life size red ochre kangaroo painting has been discovered in Australia. The ancient artwork has been dated to around 17,300 years old and the researchers are calling it “the oldest dated painted figure in an Australian rock shelter.” What can it tell us about the ancient history of Australia? ...

26/03/2023

Warty ᴘιԍ Cave Painting Discovered in Indonesia is a ԍᴀмᴇ cнᴀɴԍᴇʀ

A team of archaeologists researching in Indonesia have come across what they think is the world’s oldest cave painting. The image has now been found to date back 45,500 years, older than any other image of its kind. The challenge now is to discern whether it was drawn by the hand of a Homo sapiens...

25/03/2023

Ancient Carved Eye-Witness ᴀccouɴтs Show мᴀʀтιᴀɴ ιɴvᴀᴅᴇʀs ᴀттᴀcκιɴԍ the Moroccan Landscape

A team of researchers in Morocco have unearthed rocks carved with what appear to be petroglyphs of meteors crashing through space towards Earth, suggesting ancient Moroccan people might have witnessed these martian invaders striking the surface of our planet. Figure two of the petroglyphs of the Tis...

25/03/2023

Art Before the ᴘнᴀʀᴀoнs: 10,000 BC Paintings Found in ᴇԍʏᴘт

In Egypt, a number of mysterious inscriptions and examples of rock art have been found in the Sinai. It is estimated that some of the images could be 12,000 years old. The find is providing insights into the prehistoric past of the region. The inscriptions were found by a person who was exploring so...