Category: News
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Rare early medieval coin treasure found in the Netherlands
A large number of early medieval coins were found last Thurday in Utrecht, Netherlands. The coins date back to the late 7th century. A turbulent era, wherein the dominion over the region changed hands from the Franks to the Frisians several times. The golden and silver coins date back to an era of Frisian rule…
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Archaeologists’ depots looted in Syria
Hundreds of boxes with exclusive archaeological excavation-materials in Syria have been looted. The findings were gathered and investigated by the University of Leiden (Netherlands). The extent of the damage is not yet clear. From 1986 on, Leiden’ archaeologists conducted excavations on the Syrian site of Tell Sabi Abyad. The finds were stored in depots in…
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1800-year old’ soldiers letter deciphered
An ancient letter of an Egyptian soldier, Aurelius Polion, is finally deciphered. The letter was discovered in 1899, but was in very poor condition. Therefore, researchers have been waiting a long time to decipher it. Now this ancient writing has revealed its meaning, with impressive results. The tone of the letter is desperate. Aurelius wrote for…
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Oldest known example of human with cancer discovered
Archaeologists have found the oldest known example of a human with cancer. The young adult male died 3,000 years ago and was buried in a tom in modern Sudan. The cancer spread out through his body and killed him – making him the oldest known victim of this disease. More information on: Science Daily
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Statue found in Luxor of Amenhotep III’s daughter
Archaeologists unearthed a statue of princess Iset, the daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep III who in turn is the grandfather of Tutankhamun. It is the first picture that’s found of Iset and measures up to 1.70 meters high and is part of a 14-meter high alabaster statue of Amenhotep III that was excavated earlier. On the…
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Unearthed bones show Edinburgh’s history as center of anatomical research
At Edinburgh’s university campus five human skeletons have been unearthed. Radiocarbon-dating suggests that the human remains date to the 18th / early 19th century. This was a glorious age for anatomical research. Since these bones were threaded with wires, it is likely that these remains served just that purpose. The Scottish city of Edinburgh was…
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Ancient war elephant mystery solved
At a certain point, anybody who studies the Antiquities will encounter them: war-elephants. They played a major role in ancient warfare, most notably in Hannibals’ crossing of the Alps (218 BC) as he attacked Rome (how many elephants actually survived this remarkable feat seems questionable). One documented ancient battle featured a match-up between the big…