In October 2017, a pair of treasure-hunting metal detectorists made an extraordinary discovery near a Swiss lake: a sculpted bronze hand with a gold cuff dating back some 3,500 years. Archaeologists have never seen anything quite like it, and are at a loss to explain its purpose or function. And in an unfortunate…
It’s no secret that modern humans, with our fuel-burning cars, massive ranching and agriculture practices, and penchant for disposable goods, have had a huge impact on nearly every environment across the globe. But new research shows that even our ancestors in the Bronze Age changed the chemistry of the soils they…
In what archaeologists are calling the “find of a lifetime,” a horde of Late Bronze Age weapons has been discovered at a Scottish construction site. Among the items found is a gold-decorated spearhead, and a 3,000-year-old bronze sword in remarkably good condition.
The largest and best-preserved Bronze Age wheel ever to be found in Britain has been unearthed by researchers from the University of Cambridge.
Archaeologists in Britain have uncovered the charred remains of a 3,000-year-old stilted wooden structure that plunged into the river after it caught fire. The remarkably well-preserved roundhouse is offering an unprecedented glimpse into what domestic life was like during the Bronze Age.
The Black Death wiped out nearly half the population of Europe during the 14th Century, a blight that swept through the continent in the gut of fleas. But a new analysis of ancient human DNA shows that the dreaded bacteria emerged at least 3,000 years before the first plague pandemic—a time before it mutated into its…
Europe has surprisingly little genetic variety. Learning how and when the modern gene-pool came together has been a long journey. But thanks to new technological advances a picture is slowly coming together of repeated colonization by peoples from the east with more efficient lifestyles.
Go on, say it with us: "It belongs in a museum!" That's exactly what a farmer realized 12 years after he discovered a strange object in one of his fields. Turns out the hunk of bent bronze he'd been using as a doorstop was actually ... an extremely significant 3,500 year old artifact.
An analysis of artifacts retrieved from Bronze Age burial sites reveals that Denmark and ancient Egypt traded with one another 3,400 years ago, and possibly practiced similar religious rituals.
Archaeologists working near Omsk in Siberia have discovered a complete suit of bone armor that likely belonged to an elite warrior. Found in near perfect condition, the unique armor dates back to the Bronze Age.
If you've ever wanted to be an archaeologist or a museum curator, now is your chance. A new open source crowdsourcing platform, called Micropasts, is asking the public to help catalogue more than 30,000 prehistoric artifacts discovered over the past two centuries.
Wanna get some real beer snob cred? With Egtved Girl's Brew, you can sneer at your friends' beers and their "founded in the 1800s" claims to authenticity. Because this beer's recipe is 3,300 years old. Now that's a legit brew.
A team of people from 2012 tried to re-create and build a boat from 1550 BC, the Bronze Age, but failed spectacularly. When the ship was lowered into the ocean, it immediately filled with water and started sinking. Yikes, we suck.
Archaeologists have discovered a bronze artifact in ancient Eskimo settlement...which is pretty surprising, considering ancient Alaska never actually went through the Bronze Age. This artifact was likely cast long ago in Asia before making its long, mysterious journey Northward.
The sword is the perennial symbol of empires, knighthood, chivalry and fantasy. But it's also one of the world's most ancient technologies, connected with breakthroughs in metallurgy that would change the world. There are even some types of ancient swords so strong that modern science still can't determine how they…
In its simplest terms, European prehistory can be divided into three parts: the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. But there's a mysterious 300 year gap in prehistoric Britain, created by one of humanity's first economic bubbles.
At a dig site in Pakistan, archaeologists have discovered that one in every ten unearthed items is related to gaming. Dice, gaming pieces, all gathered together in halls and courtyards. Apparently the 4,000 year old city of Mohenjo-Daro wasn't just the largest Bronze Age city in the area; it was also where the…
