Archaeology
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![The monumental, square tomb complex of queen Meret-Neith in Abydos, Egypt.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nbWptQxMMJmZpSfh6g2tTi-320-80.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nbWptQxMMJmZpSfh6g2tTi-450-80.jpeg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nbWptQxMMJmZpSfh6g2tTi-500-80.jpeg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nbWptQxMMJmZpSfh6g2tTi-650-80.jpeg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nbWptQxMMJmZpSfh6g2tTi-840-80.jpeg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nbWptQxMMJmZpSfh6g2tTi-970-80.jpeg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nbWptQxMMJmZpSfh6g2tTi-1024-80.jpeg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nbWptQxMMJmZpSfh6g2tTi-1200-80.jpeg 1200w)
Egypt had an unusually powerful 'female king' 5,000 years ago, lavish tomb suggests
By Sascha Pare published
Excavations of the tomb of ancient Egyptian queen Meret-Neith reveal she was an influential figure with "unusually high levels of authority," but experts are divided about whether she actually reigned.
![Herculaneum scroll with red laser lines being scanned at Institut de France by Brent Seales and his team.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HtXRip27FenHxNUP4cv3ef-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HtXRip27FenHxNUP4cv3ef-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HtXRip27FenHxNUP4cv3ef-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HtXRip27FenHxNUP4cv3ef-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HtXRip27FenHxNUP4cv3ef-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HtXRip27FenHxNUP4cv3ef-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HtXRip27FenHxNUP4cv3ef-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HtXRip27FenHxNUP4cv3ef-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
AI reveals scroll's lost text after it was scorched by Mount Vesuvius eruption 2,000 years ago
By Laura Geggel published
Mount Vesuvius' eruption in A.D. 79 carbonized hundreds of scrolls and papyri in the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum. Now, AI has decoded part of a scroll.
![This portrait, painted between A.D. 150 and 200 on wood, shows a young woman with brown doe eyes, a slender nose and thick eyebrows.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MjjLmCpxG3PyspPngE9iH4-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MjjLmCpxG3PyspPngE9iH4-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MjjLmCpxG3PyspPngE9iH4-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MjjLmCpxG3PyspPngE9iH4-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MjjLmCpxG3PyspPngE9iH4-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MjjLmCpxG3PyspPngE9iH4-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MjjLmCpxG3PyspPngE9iH4-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MjjLmCpxG3PyspPngE9iH4-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
See gorgeous ancient Egyptian 'mummy portraits' from nearly 2 millennia ago
By Laura Geggel published
These ancient 'mummy portraits' provide a window into ancient Egyptian life and culture.
![Human skull on green leaves.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CRYzgYivyRqYyuxeYouEX6-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CRYzgYivyRqYyuxeYouEX6-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CRYzgYivyRqYyuxeYouEX6-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CRYzgYivyRqYyuxeYouEX6-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CRYzgYivyRqYyuxeYouEX6-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CRYzgYivyRqYyuxeYouEX6-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CRYzgYivyRqYyuxeYouEX6-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CRYzgYivyRqYyuxeYouEX6-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Violence in the ancient Middle East spiked with the formation of states and empires, battered skulls reveal
By Kristina Killgrove published
Human violence in the Middle East has ebbed and flowed since 12000 B.C., with spikes in the Copper and Iron ages and a lull in the Bronze Age, new research finds.
![A view of 2.3-meter high human statue, which is a candidate for one of the most impressive examples of prehistoric art with a realistic facial expression, was found fixed to the ground on a bench during excavations in Karahantepe site in Sanliurfa, Turkiye on October 01, 2023.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xeu6jRUs3T4NnsTZDjibYV-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xeu6jRUs3T4NnsTZDjibYV-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xeu6jRUs3T4NnsTZDjibYV-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xeu6jRUs3T4NnsTZDjibYV-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xeu6jRUs3T4NnsTZDjibYV-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xeu6jRUs3T4NnsTZDjibYV-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xeu6jRUs3T4NnsTZDjibYV-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xeu6jRUs3T4NnsTZDjibYV-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
11,000-year-old statue of giant man clutching penis unearthed in Turkey
By Owen Jarus published
A 7.5-foot-tall statue of a man clutching his penis was unearthed at one of the oldest temple sites in Turkey.
![Human remains of mostly skull and jaw bone fragments are arranged as specimen samples on a white backdrop.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xtQHdzXwT3msJW8QXqmVs6-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xtQHdzXwT3msJW8QXqmVs6-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xtQHdzXwT3msJW8QXqmVs6-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xtQHdzXwT3msJW8QXqmVs6-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xtQHdzXwT3msJW8QXqmVs6-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xtQHdzXwT3msJW8QXqmVs6-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xtQHdzXwT3msJW8QXqmVs6-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xtQHdzXwT3msJW8QXqmVs6-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Cannibalism was a common funerary rite in northwest Europe near end of last ice age
By Tom Metcalfe published
Research suggests cannibalism was a funerary rite for the Magdalenian people in northwest Europe, but others preferred to bury their dead.
![We see two ichthyocentaurs, which are part man, part horse and part fish, next to two cherubs on a half-circle wall.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jv9Vsf3n8txU6EQ334oQ2g-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jv9Vsf3n8txU6EQ334oQ2g-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jv9Vsf3n8txU6EQ334oQ2g-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jv9Vsf3n8txU6EQ334oQ2g-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jv9Vsf3n8txU6EQ334oQ2g-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jv9Vsf3n8txU6EQ334oQ2g-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jv9Vsf3n8txU6EQ334oQ2g-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jv9Vsf3n8txU6EQ334oQ2g-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Mythical hellhound and sea-centaurs painted on 2,200-year-old tomb discovered in Italy
By Kristina Killgrove published
Paintings of sea-centaurs, the hellhound Cerberus and other mythical beings cover a 2,200-year-old tomb unearthed near Naples in Italy.
![Bird's eye view of excavated Harwell catapult. We see a circular structure with runways coming off it.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M7UpaqFponJtqx9x6uwgzG-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M7UpaqFponJtqx9x6uwgzG-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M7UpaqFponJtqx9x6uwgzG-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M7UpaqFponJtqx9x6uwgzG-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M7UpaqFponJtqx9x6uwgzG-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M7UpaqFponJtqx9x6uwgzG-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M7UpaqFponJtqx9x6uwgzG-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M7UpaqFponJtqx9x6uwgzG-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Catapult designed to launch World War II bomber planes unearthed in England
By Laura Geggel published
The WWII catapult, designed to launch bomber planes in southeastern England, was never used.
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