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The history of the Trojan horse is probably one of the most famous stories ever told. A gigantic wooden horse is loaded with Greek soldiers and presented to the Trojans as a gift. Unsuspecting, they swallow the bait and pull the horse into the city. Under cover of darkness the Greeks slip out of the horse and open the gates to their comrades. Only hours later the mighty Troy goes up in flames. But what if the myth of the horse is not true at all? New, groundbreaking findings show that one of the most famous stories of all time...

An example of Linear Elamite( Image Credit: Darafsh/Wikimedia/CC 3.0) An ancient Iranian mystery has finally been solved, according to a French archaeologist who reports successfully cracking the code to an enigmatic, undeciphered writing system. Known as Linear Elamite, the 4000-year-old script—once considered impossible to decode—has now been unlocked by François Desset, in an achievement that has drawn comparisons to Jean-François Champollion’s famous deciphering of the enigmatic Rosetta Stone. Desset, a 43-year-old archaeological researcher based at the University of Liege in Belgium, says the remarkable ancient script is the only truly “local” writing system from the country’s early history, which is...

We Might Be Wrong About Humanity's Near Extinction | 34:00 New Scientist | 484K subscribers | 330,045 views | April 8, 2026

Gerardo Aldana is a professor at University of California, Santa Barbara. Our Living Lands producer Daniel Spaulding spoke to Aldana about Mayan astronomy, Mesoamerican culture, and the importance of Indigenous knowledge. “If we think of Indigenous cultures and their approaches, especially Mesoamerican cultures and their approaches to astronomy, it wasn't to transform and control nature,” Aldana said. “It was to find ways to open up dialogues with nature so that now your engagement with your environment can be a productive and a healthy one.”

Archaeologists working in southeastern Turkey have uncovered new evidence that expands the known reach of one of the world’s earliest monumental cultures. The find is reshaping how researchers understand the Neolithic transition in Upper Mesopotamia. Stone structures featuring Göbeklitepe-style T-pillars have been identified in the Samsat district of Adıyaman. The remains surfaced after falling water levels in the Atatürk Dam reservoir exposed land that had remained underwater for decades. Discovery triggered by retreating waters The site lies near Kızılöz village, where receding waters revealed stone features along the shoreline. After a report from residents, teams from the Adıyaman Museum Directorate...

To the Greeks, the Trojan War is one of the most famous events in their history, and it is also one of the most well-known stories in Greek mythology. However, the question about whether or not the Trojan War truly happened remains. The discovery of Troy in the eighteenth century seemed to vindicate Homer’s account, but the reality is much more complicated than that. Does the city of Troy prove the Trojan War really happened? For many people, the discovery of the city of Troy proves that the Trojan War really happened. According to this train of thought, such a...

The Viking Ship Museum in Denmark recently announced an unprecedented discovery in the Øresund Strait: the world’s largest and most advanced medieval cargo ship ever found. Hailed as “a milestone in maritime archaeology,” the discovery occurred while divers were investigating the seabed in the Sound, in anticipation of Copenhagen’s new Lynetteholm district, and stumbled upon a record-breaking cog buried beneath centuries of sand and silt. Found approximately 43 feet deep, the precious wreckage escaped destructive forces, resulting in an extraordinary state of preservation that provided archaeologists with a rare, close-up look at never-before-seen details. “It is extraordinary to have so...

Archaeologists in northwest China have uncovered an 8-mile (13km) section of a Qin Dynasty road, believed to date back more than 2,200 years. The ancient military route, part of the Qinzhidao system, was constructed under the orders of Emperor Qinshihuang during China’s first unification period. The newly identified stretch runs through the Hengshan District of Yulin, in Shaanxi Province. The discovery was made during a 2024 survey conducted by the Cultural Relics Protection Research Institute in Yulin. The project focused on documenting the layout and current condition of the road remains. According to the institute, the finding helps further outline...

Biblical archaeologists are using ancient texts and modern technology to uncover possible clues to one of Christianity's biggest mysteries.When God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, the Bible says that he placed a cherubim and flaming sword at the entrance that scholars believe is used to guard against their return to this paradise on Earth. But this clear expulsion of human beings hasn’t stopped archaeologists, theologians, and tourists alike from trying to find their way back. The Bible’s vivid geographical description of Eden gave seekers a head start. Readers are initially told that the Eden is “in...

Archaeologists have found the earliest evidence yet of fire technology — and it was created by Neanderthals in England more than 400,000 years ago. Neanderthals were the world's first innovators of fire technology, tiny specks of evidence in England suggest. Flecks of pyrite found at a more than 400,000-year-old archaeological site in Suffolk, in eastern England, push back archaeologists' evidence for controlled fire-making and suggest that key human brain developments began far earlier than previously thought. "We're a species who've used fire to really shape the world around us," study co-author Rob Davis, a Paleolithic archaeologist at the British Museum,...

The Tower of David Museum has recently undergone comprehensive renovation work and in the process, an astonishing archaeological discovery has been unearthed. Just in time for the Hanukkah holiday, when we remember how the Hasmonean Maccabees fought and gained victory over their Greek oppressors 162 years before the birth of Yeshua (Jesus), a huge section of ancient wall from the Hasmonean era has been found underground. The Tower of David is an iconic part of Jerusalem’s old city skyline, and has been made into an impressive museum. The Israel Antiques Authority (IAA) have been carrying out excavations at the historic...

Around 8,000 years ago, a vast stretch of land connected Britain to mainland Europe. This lost world, known as Doggerland, was a thriving Mesolithic landscape teeming with mammoth, deer, and human communities. But everything changed with a catastrophic event that submerged this Stone Age Eden beneath the rising waters of the North Sea. In 1931, fishermen accidentally pulled prehistoric bones and tools from the seafloor, marking the first modern discovery of Doggerland. Since then, especially from the 1990s through 2019, archaeologists and scientists have used sonar scans, seabed sampling, and digital reconstructions to piece together what life was like in...

Archaeologists have uncovered definitive proof of early Christian life in the Arabian Gulf, thanks to the discovery of a plaster Christian cross dating back around 1,400 years. The find was made on Sir Bani Yas Island, about 110 miles southwest of Abu Dhabi, and confirms that a cluster of small courtyard houses found decades ago were part of a monastic Christian community. The cross was discovered by teams from Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism during excavations that restarted in January 2025. The artifact was found among courtyard houses north of the main monastery complex, where senior monks are...

Reuters reports that Peruvian authorities announced the discovery of a major lost ancient city in the country's Barranca province. The site of Peñico was founded high in the Andes mountains between 1800 and 1500 b.c. following the collapse of the nearby Caral culture, which is often considered the oldest civilization in the Americas. The site features a monumental central plaza with a large circular structure and walls bearing relief sculptures and depictions of pututus, or conch shell trumpets. Over the past several years, archaeologists have uncovered 18 buildings that include residential complexes and ceremonial temples. Among the objects they recovered...

In A Nutshell Around 3,500 BCE in central Jordan, people built over 95 stone burial monuments (dolmens) and standing stone structures on hilltops, creating a ceremonial gathering place that remained active for roughly 200 years. These monuments appeared during a crisis period when the Chalcolithic way of life was ending: large settlements had been abandoned, trade networks collapsed, and climate data shows a severe drought around 3,400 BCE. Unlike typical residential sites, Murayghat had no hearths or permanent housing—instead, excavations found massive 27-liter pottery bowls (suggesting communal feasts), ritual grinding stones stained with red ochre, and animal horn cores. Researchers...

Many questions about the famous moai statues on Easter Island, Chile, have long eluded scholars—from their cultural significance to how they were made and transported. A recent study in the Journal of Archaeological Science by archaeologists Carl Lipo of Binghamton University and Terry Hunt of the University of Arizona poses the theory that the 92-ton statues were transported in a vertical position, with movers using ropes to “walk” the moai across the island and onto their ahu, or platforms. This theory is supported by the oral traditions of the island’s Indigenous Rapa Nui people, which reference the moai “walking” from...

A man hunting for fishing worms near his summer house in the Stockholm area has made an amazing discovery: a large hoard of silver coins and jewelry from the early Middle Ages. The hoard, weighing around six kilograms (13 pounds), consists of thousands of silver coins mixed with rings, pendants, and beads. The finder immediately informed the Stockholm County Administrative Board, which began an archaeological excavation of the site. The hoard is described by experts as unusually large and well-preserved. The items were placed in a copper cauldron that has mostly decayed over the centuries. “This is likely one of...

Archaeologists are excavating an ancient Neolithic site in Turkey that is believed to represent one of the earliest found in the region, potentially even predating the famous site of Göbekli Tepe. The new site, dubbed Mendik Tepe, was discovered in the Eyyübiye area in Şanlıurfa, Turkey, and offers archaeologists an unprecedented look at the early human activities in the region, contrasting in many ways with its famous nearby counterpart, now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Excavations are currently being led by Professor Douglas Baird of the University of Liverpool, supported by the British Institute of Archaeology and the...

Archaeologists found a 1,600-year-old coin hoard dating to the final Jewish revolt against Romans.Archaeologists have unearthed a rare hoard of 1,600-year-old copper coins in Galilee, and the coins may have been stashed there during the last known Jewish revolt against the Romans. Researchers found the 22 copper coins in a crevice within a tunnel complex deep underneath a settlement known as Hukok. The tunnels were used by Jews as a hiding place in two early rebellions against the Romans: the Great Revolt (A.D. 66 to 70) and the Bar-Kochba (also spelled Bar-Kokhba) Revolt (A.D. 132 to 135). However, the newfound...

Archaeologists have discovered an intact Roman helmet while conducting an underwater study near the Aegadian Islands off Sicily’s western coast. The helmet dates from the time of the First Punic War (264–241 BC), the first of three major wars fought between the Roman Republic and Carthage, the two main superpowers competing for domination of the western Mediterranean. The conflict was mostly fought on and around Sicily, resulting in the island being annexed as a Roman province and Carthage forced to pay large reparations. Remarkably preserved with both cheekpieces still intact, the helmet has been identified as a Montefortino type –...