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The recent heatwave in the UK and Ireland has uncovered ancient archaeological sites that, in some cases, have never been seen before. One such discovery is a henge, or circular enclosure, located 1km from the famous Irish megalithic passage tomb, Newgrange. The henge was discovered by historian Anthony Murphy of Mythical Ireland, who was flying his drone over the Boyne Valley when he spotted a circular shape in the field. It is estimated that this henge was built some 5000 years ago. ... snip ... These new discoveries include a Roman fortlet near Magor, which emerged in ripening crops, and...

Bruce Thornton is a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. In Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, when the Welsh magus Glendower boasts, “I can call spirits from the vasty deep,” the sceptic Hotspur retorts, “Why, so can I, or so can any man; But will they come when you do call for them?” For seven decades the West’s foreign policy establishment has been trying to call Middle East peace from depths of endless summits and conferences and agreements with ritualistic chants of “land for peace” and “two-state solution.” But all they’ve managed to produce is war, terrorism,...

About 709,000 years ago, someone butchered a rhinoceros using stone tools on the Philippine island of Luzon. That may not seem remarkable -- except that humans weren't supposed to be in the Philippines so long ago. Before this discovery, the earliest indicator that early humans, or hominins, were even on those islands had been a single foot bone from 67,000 years ago, uncovered in the Callao Cave on Luzon. That's quite a time jump. Research says that the new findings push back the date for humans inhabiting the Philippines by hundreds of thousands of years. A study published Wednesday in...

MANBIJ, Syria – For more than two years, ISIS forces who occupied this northern Syrian city paid little attention to the tip of an old gate on an empty mound of land where they dumped trash. They were clueless the gate ran several feet into the ground down to something they might well have destroyed had they known: The ruins of an ancient Christian refuge, or early church, possibly dating back to the first centuries of Christendom’s existence, under the Roman Empire. “I was so excited, I can’t describe it. I was holding everything in my hands,” Abdulwahab Sheko, head...

Scientists discovered a strange, tall, humanoid wooden figure under four meters of peat in a Russian bog. The figure, dubbed the Shirgir Idol (after the bog where it was found), is more than twice as old as the Egyptian pyramids. Gold miners stumbled upon pieces of the wooden figure in 1894. 100 years later, radiocarbon dating helped researchers trace the sculpture back some 9,900 years, which made it the oldest monumental sculpture in the world. The most recent analysis of the idol, published in Antiquity journal, pegged the figure at about 11,500 years old.

Researchers recently announced the discovery of human remains off the coast of Sarasota County, Florida. Radiocarbon testing of wood buried with the bones suggests the remains date back some 7,000 years. It's believed the remains were some of the first Native Americans to settle in Florida. Just 300 feet off the coast of Manasota Key in Sarasota County, Florida, divers made a recent discovery that could unlock centuries of Florida's ancient history. The find, called "unprecedented" by National Geographic, is a burial site that contains human remains dating back some 7,000 years. Originally believed to be a crime scene when...

The approach, known as light detection and ranging scanning (lidar) involves directing a rapid succession of laser pulses at the ground from an aircraft. The time and wavelength of the pulses reflected by the surface are combined with GPS and other data to produce a precise, three-dimensional map of the landscape. Crucially, the technique probes beneath foliage - useful for areas where vegetation is dense. ... The team also found that Angamuco has an unusual layout. Monuments such as pyramids and open plazas are largely concentrated in eight zones around the city's edges, rather being located in one large city...

​In 1963, a Turkish man accidentally uncovered an underground city while making renovations to his home. In the region of ​Cappadocia, the man was knocking down a wall in his basement when he unintentionally came across a secret room, which led to an underground tunnel, which opened up to a ancient hidden city: Derinkuyu.This ancient city was lying 18 stories beneath the Earth's surface. With about 600 entrances, it could house over 20,000 people and the preservation from the photos show the possibility of livestock, food supplies, churches, tombs, communal rooms, schools and stables all hidden in the underground city (Chapel featured in image above). The subterranean...

They say the best things in life are free, but try telling that to the art-lover who owns a Leonardo da Vinci or Vincent van Gogh masterpiece. World-renowned auction house Christie's has revealed its top 10 most expensive lots sold in 2017 including da Vinci's 500-year-old mystical masterpiece, Salvator Mundi, which was bought for an eye-watering $450,312,500(£342,182,751). An Andy Warhol painting, two pieces of work by Cy Twombly, Max Beckmann’s Hölle der Vögel and Fernand Léger’s Contraste de Formes all made it into the top 10 list after buyers battled it out in the auction room.

At the cemetery of the 'Marquis of Haihun' in east China's Jiangxi Province, the identity of a tomb owner has been confirmed to be the eldest son of the controversial Chinese emperor Liu He. Grandson of Emperor Wu - who was known as one of the greatest rulers of the Han Dynasty - Liu He was given the title 'Marquis of Haihun' after he was unseated as emperor, having only lasted 27 days. He was dethroned by the royal faction for his lack of morals and talent. Archaeologists said that a metal seal reading 'Liu Chongguo' was unearthed from the...

More than 2,000 remarkably well-preserved hunting artefacts have emerged from melting ice in Norway's highest mountains, dating as far back as 4000 BC. The incredible finds were made by 'glacial archaeologists' in Jotunheimen and the surrounding areas of Oppland, which include Norway’s highest mountains. They looked at the edge of the contracting ice and recovered artefacts of wood, textile, hide and other organic materials. Included in the archaeologists' haul is a ski with preserved binding from 700 AD - only the second one to be preserved globally - as well as a Bronze Age shoe from 1300 BC.

The mystery of the final resting place of the wife of Ancient Egypt's most famous ruler has moved a step closer to being solved. Egyptologists previously discovered what they believe is the burial chamber of Ankhesenamun, Tutankhamun's wife, in the Valley of The Kings. If confirmed, it could help to unravel the final fate of the boy king's wife, who suddenly disappeared from historical records after her second marriage. The teen bride is believed to have had a tragic life, marrying her father, her grandfather and her half-brother Tutankhamun. Archaeologists have now begun to excavate an area near a tomb...

The Gran Acuifero Maya (GAM), a project dedicated to the study and preservation of the subterranean waters of the Yucatan peninsula, said the 216-mile (347km) cave was identified after months of exploring a maze of underwater channels. Near the beach resort of Tulum, the project found that the cave system known as Sac Actun, once measured at 163 miles, is actually connected with the 53-mile Dos Ojos system. In a statement, GAM said for that reason, Sac Actun now absorbs Dos Ojos. GAM director and underwater archaeologist Guillermo de Anda hailed the discovery as an 'amazing' find. He also said...

A creepy prehistoric doll with almond-shaped eyes has been unearthed in Siberia. Another plaything, a mythical dragon-like animal head, made from antler or horn, was found alongside the artefact in the Bronze Age grave of a small child. The finds have been added to what has been described as 'the oldest toy collection in the world' following a series of 4,500-year-old discoveries in the remote Khakassia region. The toy, which is made of soapstone, is believed to be the oldest doll designed for play ever found.

It's one of the greatest artworks in the world, and now Chinese archaeologists and artists are using 3D printing to make a perfect copy of the Yungang Buddhist Grottoes. 'West Empress Chamber', the number 3 and the largest cave of Yungang Grottoes in northern China, have been meticulously re-created using specially developed 3D printers and state-of-the-art scanning technology. ... The original 'West Empress Chamber' was carved between the 5th and 6th century during the Northern Wei Dynasty - when the religion first flourished in China. The full-size replica is enormous, measuring 17.9 metres (59 feet) in length, 13.6 metres (45...

The details of a mummified Egyptian woman's 1,800-year-old portrait have been mapped by scientists in incredible detail. A new non-invasive technique allowed experts to take intricate scans of the second century portrait, revealing the materials and methods the artist used. The images show that the ancient painter used beeswax as a base and plant dyes for colour during his work. A number of different tools helped him to craft the noblewoman's likeness, including a fine painter's brush, a metal spoon and an engraver, the scans reveal.

The secrets of the Roman Empire's ancient and 'luxurious' harbour of Corinth have been revealed in a series of new underwater excavations. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of 'large-scale engineering' at the port of Lechaion, which was mostly destroyed in the 6th or early 7th century AD by a massive earthquake. Wooden foundations preserved so well they look new have been found at the site, as well as a host of Roman artefacts including fishing lines and hooks, wooden pulleys and ceramics imported from Tunisia and Turkey. These discoveries are helping researchers understand the infrastructure and layout of an ancient port...

...Ms Howard, otherwise known as 'Indiana Joan', volunteered on archeological digs for around 11 years with British and American archaeologists in Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Israel from around 1967... Her collection includes neolithic axe heads more than 40,000 years old, pottery and weapons from the Phoenicians and the Romans, coins and seals and jewellery from the time of the pharaohs, and a precious funerary mask from Egypt. She said a favourite was a Roman dagger she found buried with the skeletal remains of its owner. Another was the wrappings of a mummy's remains and a cat claw wound...

...Experts said the well-equipped washrooms, dating back about 2,300 years, were a part of an imperial palace. They were once fitted with exquisite tiles and sophisticated sewage system. ... The remains of the luxurious facilities were discovered more than two metres below the ground on the archaeological site of the Ancient Liyang City near modern-day Xi'an, reported People's Daily Online, citing Xi'an Evening News.

Shuwaymis is an area about 370 km southwest of the city of Ha’il, near the town of al-Ha’it, in southern Ha’il province. The petroglyphs were known by local Bedouin for centuries, but only drawn to the attention of authorities by a local school headmaster, Mamdouh al Rasheedi, in 2001. Professor Saad Abdul Aziz al-Rashid, calls Shuwaymis “a unique and very important find.” The setting differs significantly from Jubbah in being surrounded by striking lava flows that impede travel, especially by camels and horses. Wadis are therefore important avenues for herders, and it is in these valleys that Neolithic and later...