Personal ‘hygiene sticks’ used in toilets on the Silk Road.
Hui-Yuan Yeh. Reproduced from the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.
How a research team identified parasites in ‘hygiene sticks’ that travellers on the Silk Road effectively used as their toilet paper.
The fragmented remains of the Antikythera mechanism.
Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis
A bronze artefact rescued from a Greek shipwreck could hold the secrets of the universe.
A replica of the remains of “Lucy” at the National Museum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Reuters/Barry Malone
When it comes to valuable African fossils, much is at stake. They often unearth disputed ways of debating archaeology as a science of ‘discovery’.
Damian Evans/Cambodian Archaeological Lidar Initiative
Space lasers developed in the 1970s are being put to a brand new use.
Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, built by Anasazi c. 1200. The Antiquities Act was passed to protect such sites from looters.
National Park Service
The 1906 Antiquities Act gives presidents unilateral power to protect land as national monuments. The law has saved important places, but has also fueled intense conflicts over land control.
Fallen star sword.
Daniella Comelli/University of Pisa
Research has confirmed a knife found in the ancient Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb was made with metal from the heavens.
© The Rose Theatre Trust
In an attempt to speed up the planning process, the government has introduced a new law which could put Britain’s heritage at risk.
This clay facial reconstruction of Kennewick Man, carefully sculpted around the morphological features of his skull, suggests how he may have looked alive nearly 9,000 years ago.
Brittney Tatchell, Smithsonian Institution
A 9,000-year-old skeleton became a high-profile and highly contested case for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. How do we respectfully deal with ancient human remains?
The polished surface was a sure sign this was no natural fragment.
Australian Archaeology
Getting a scientific paper published about a significant finding - like the discovery of the world’s oldest axe - is challenge in itself.
Frank Augstein/AP
A model Palmyra’s Arch of Triumph, made in Italy from Egyptian marble, has been installed in London’s Trafalgar Square. Is this such a good thing?
There’s something in the water.
Shutterstock
The reach of the Vikings in England went further than we thought.
Omar Sanadiki/Reuters
Unpaid volunteers are negotiating with Islamic State and facing military attacks as they try to save Syria’s ancient cities.
Yuttasak Jannarong / shutterstock
Archaeological remains, traditional tribes and conflict among chimpanzees can tell us much about the history of human warfare.
The extreme architectural investment in Chaco Canyon typifies periods of peak building.
Nathan Crabtree
Multiple times over the centuries, climate issues caused Pueblo farming to collapse, taking the establishment down with it. New research suggests there are parallels with American inequalities today.
A depiction of the destruction.
Humam Alsalim and Rami Bakhos
Work is already underway to repair the damage to the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria, but we need to question if technology will take things too far.
EPA
It takes more than a quick scan for high-tech archaeology to reveal history’s secrets.
Indiana Jones: the real deal?
Eva Rinaldi/flickr
As a fifth Indiana Jones film is announced, what Indy got right – and wrong – in his earlier exploits …
One of the spear points found in the 2,500-year-old grave in Pocklington, East Yorkshire.
Anna Gowthorpe/PA
What’s in a name? In search of the link between the Parisi people of East Yorkshire and Parisii of northern France.
TJ Photography UK/Shutterstock
Archaeologists are launching a crowdfunded search for Lindisfarne monastery, famous for St Cuthbert and Lindisfarne Gospels.
More is possible in a virtual world than in a classroom – that’s what makes Minecraft invaluable.