The BBC reports that archaeologists in China have turned up 114 more terracotta warriors. The warriors are part of the massive mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang, which was built in 221 BC.
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If you’re passionate about ancient mysteries — and let’s face it, we all are! — then you’ll want to check out this story out of Manchester, England.
You’ve probably puzzled over how the stones from Stonehenge were moved. Or how the blocks in the Egyptian pyramids were raised into place. Or, how the giant statues of Easter Island were moved into place.
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21 years ago, a legendary painting by Paul Klee was stolen. This week, it was finally recovered in Montréal.
The painting, called “Portrait in the Garden,” was stolen from New York’s Marlborough Gallery. At the time it was stolen, the Marlborough accepted an insurance settlement from Lloyd’s of London. That means that Lloyd’s now owns the painting.
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Cleverly hidden for 500 years, the original signature of the future renaissance artist Raphael lay waiting for the day it was discovered. That day has finally arrived.
In 1499, Raphael was 16 years old. He created a painting called “The Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine.” And, in the background of that painting, he placed his signature in a way that would escape detection.
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Israeli archaeologists said today that they have identified the location of the ancient Arab palace called al-Sinnabra.
The site had originally been discovered in the 1950s. But, at that time, it was believed to be a Jewish structure. Since then, new archaeological techniques have been developed which now allow experts to update their conclusions.
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North of Tibet, in the middle of a stunning desert, Chinese archaeologists have revealed a most unusual cemetery. The bodies and cemetery are nearly 4000 years old, but the dry desert air has preserved them nearly perfectly.
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Officials in Sofia, Bulgaria, have been forced to stop construction of the city’s second major metropolitan rail line because construction workers have uncovered the remains of an ancient medieval church. Initial excavation of the church has revealed murals dating back to the 1100s, and have also revealed fragments of other buildings several hundred years older than that.
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In Los Angeles, the Getty Museum has opened a new exhibit honoring the Aztec people of Mexico. Previous Getty exhibits have always focused on Greek and Roman cultures; this is the first time the Getty has displayed artifacts from another portion of the world.
This exhibit is also unusual because it brings to light the cultural struggles that Europeans dealt with when they came into contact with the Aztec people. European explorers came to the Americas with a perspective on the world that did not include the possibility of a major empire like the Aztec existing in the New World.
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Scientists in South Africa have announced that the discovery of “the world’s oldest writing.” The writing is so old that it dates back to the years before humans migrated outward from Africa to spread around the world.
The writing consists of tiny scratches — like tally marks — found on fragments of ostrich eggs. The fragments were collected at an archaeological site in the Western Cape area of South Africa. The fragments are 60,000 years old, which is twice as old as the oldest previously-known form of written communication.
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The experts restoring England’s Salisbury Cathedral have a problem, and they want your help.
Hidden behind a wall, they found another wall. Written on that hidden wall is a block of text that they believe is the oldest example of written English ever discovered in a church. The problem is, nobody can read the text!
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