New Evidence Points to World's Richest Shipwreck

Europe and the End of Old Java JamesHoare Mon, 06/16/2025 - 06:00

An early 11th century sword with rare decoration surviving in excellent condition discovered in Montfoort, the Netherlands, has entered the permanent collection of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden. The Linschoten Sword is 1 meter (3.3 feet) long, with a broad crossguard 17 cm (6.7 inches) wide and weighs 840 grams (1.85 lbs). It is … Read the full post →"11th c. sword with rare blade inlays found in the Netherlands"

An X-ray examination of a gilt bronze spear sheath from the Kofun period (300-538 A.D.) of the Yamato kingship in Japan has found that the iron spear inside was inlaid with gold in an intricate pattern. It is the first spear discovered in East Asia with inlaid decoration. The artifact was discovered under a boulder … Read the full post →"Intricate gold inlay found on ritual spear"

DUBLIN, IRELAND—A recent investigation by University College Dublin archaeologist Conor Trainor posits that ceramic beehives […] The post Did Cretan Winemakers Scam Their Roman Customers? appeared first on Archaeology Magazine. News, beehives, Crete, honey, Rome, winemaking

NORWICH, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that a metal detectorist recently retrieved a rare and unique gold […] The post Unique Anglo-Saxon Gold Coin Found in English Field appeared first on Archaeology Magazine. News, Anglo Saxon, East Anglia, England, Gold Coin, Norwich, Thrymsa, valknut

FUJIA, CHINA—Researchers from Peking University and the Shandong Institute of Cultural Relics and ARCHAEOLOGY revealed […] The post Ancient DNA Reveals Matrilineal Neolithic Society in China appeared first on Archaeology Magazine. News, Ancient DNA, China, Dawenkou Culture, Fujia, matrilineal, Neolithic

'Bleeding Kansas' was a term coined by the New York Tribune in 1856, referring to the escalating hostilities in the Kansas Territory between pro-slavery activists and anti-slavery 'free staters' following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. Violent confrontations between these two factions went on from 1854 to 1859, though hostilities would continue through 1861, when Kansas was admitted...

Wallis Simpson (1896-1986) is often remembered as the wife of King Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor. British monarch for less than a year in 1936, Edward preferred to abdicate the throne to be free to marry Wallis, an American woman who was considered unfit for the role of queen consort due to her previous two divorces. Before meeting Edward, Wallis spent a year in China, a period of time around...

Footwear of unusual size has been discovered at the Roman fort of Magna near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, England. The honker of a leather sole is 32 cm (12.6 inches) long, which converts to a US men’s size 13, UK 12.5 or EU 47. It may be the largest one in the Vindolanda Trust’s collection … Read the full post →"Huge shoe found at Roman fort near Hadrian’s Wall"

CHEGA SOFLA, IRAN—Science News Today reports that archaeologists excavating a Copper Age cemetery in western […] The post Young Woman with Cone-Shaped Skull Suffered Fatal Blow 6,000 Years Ago appeared first on Archaeology Magazine. News, artificial cranial deformation, Chega Sofla, Iran, skull binding

CAESAREA, ISRAEL—Israeli archaeologists working at a site outside of Caesarea uncovered an exquisitely carved marble […] The post Ornate Roman Sarcophagus Found in Caesarea appeared first on Archaeology Magazine. News, caesarea, Dionysus, Hercules, Israel, sarcophagus

Henry Clay (1777-1852) was an American lawyer and statesman, one of the defining political figures of his age. Over the course of his several decades on the stage of national politics, Clay helped lead the United States into the War of 1812 (1812-1815), diffused several sectional crises over slavery, introduced an economic plan known as the 'American System', and founded the Whig Party in opposition...

The brutal murder of the entire Romanov family was the culmination of deep discontent across the Russian Empire with the persistently autocratic rule of Tsar Nicholas II (reign 1894-1917). Following the disaster of the First World War (1914-18) and the tsar's abdication in 1917, Bolshevik revolutionaries took power. The new Soviet Russia was immediately split by a raging civil war, and as royalist...

A Royal Skeleton in the Chapel JamesHoare Thu, 06/12/2025 - 07:00

A new type of coin that synthesizes Christian and Pagan iconography has been discovered by a metal detectorist near Norwich. Dating to between 640 to 660 A.D., the shilling (also known as thrymsa) is the oldest known Anglo-Saxon East Anglian coin. The obverse features a man wearing a diadem, a rough copy of how Roman … Read the full post →"New Anglo-Saxon shilling type found in Norwich" Ancient, Medieval

CHICHESTER, ENGLAND—Last year, excavations in Chichester’s Priory Park revealed a masonry causeway and bridge that […] The post Norman-Era Defensive Tower Unearthed in English Town appeared first on Archaeology Magazine. News, Arundel, castle, Chichester, England, Henry II, motte and bailey, Norman

WRANGELL, ALASKA—Anchorage Daily News reports that an underwater archaeological team identified and mapped a shipwreck […] The post Bell Retrieved from Alaska's Second Deadliest Shipwreck appeared first on Archaeology Magazine. News, Alaska, bell, Coronation Island, shipwreck, Star of Bengal, Wrangell

GORDION, TURKEY—The site of Gordion, the capital of the Phrygian kingdom that flourished in west-central […] The post Tomb of Famous Royal Dynasty Discovered in Turkey appeared first on Archaeology Magazine. News, Gordias, Gordion, Midas, Phrygia, Tomb, Turkey