https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/325334/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Wee Kek Koon Wee Kek Koon Archaeologists have long found a disturbing pattern in the graves of ancient rulers: the dead were sometimes accompanied by other dead. Around royal tombs, the remains of people – who appear to have been killed specifically to follow their masters into the afterlife – lie alongside precious objects and weapons. A new study from Egypt has brought this practice back into the news. At the ancient royal cemetery of Abydos, archaeologists re-examined the skulls of people buried around the tombs of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3370687/how-chinas-macabre-practice-human-sacrifice-burials-came-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3370687/how-chinas-macabre-practice-human-sacrifice-burials-came-end?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:15:04 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Fu Hao is one of the earliest documented female military generals in history, yet relatively little is known about her. Most of the information gathered about her life is from her tomb. One thing we do know is that she lived during the Shang dynasty (1600BC-1046BC), before the unification of China. Fu’s tomb was excavated in 1976. Its contents led archaeologists to conclude she was a high-ranking royal consort and military general who commanded some of the largest armies of her time. So, who... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3370818/ancient-chinese-warrior-queen-who-led-huge-armies-victory-and-stole-kings-heart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3370818/ancient-chinese-warrior-queen-who-led-huge-armies-victory-and-stole-kings-heart?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2026 23:15:06 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen Online claims that archaeologists have identified the source of mercury in the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang – China’s first emperor, who unified the country more than 2,000 years ago – have revived interest in ancient cinnabar sites in northwestern China’s Shaanxi province. The claims, which sent related hashtags trending on social media late last month, centred on three sites in Xunyang where archaeologists last year found evidence of cinnabar mining, processing and transport during the pre-Qin... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369469/online-claims-revive-mercury-mystery-around-tomb-first-chinese-emperor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369469/online-claims-revive-mercury-mystery-around-tomb-first-chinese-emperor?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2026 01:00:07 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik Scientists have unveiled an exceptionally well-preserved 100-million-year-old fossil of a small, feathered dinosaur in northeastern China that could reshape our understanding of how dinosaurs took to the skies. The newly discovered species, named Norellraptor barsboldi, is a four-winged predatory dinosaur measuring 57cm (22 inches) long. Belonging to the microraptorines – small dinosaurs with feathers and wings closely related to birds – the creature offers fresh evidence that flight evolved... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369309/4-winged-fossil-found-liaoning-challenges-single-origin-dinosaur-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369309/4-winged-fossil-found-liaoning-challenges-single-origin-dinosaur-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:00:06 +0000 Shi Huang Shi Huang An airport is an unlikely place to search for national origins but researchers say they have uncovered the tomb of the woman behind the man who unified China – next to a major city runway. The researchers said the tomb was believed to belong to Empress Dowager Huayang, the adoptive grandmother of Qin Shi Huang, who unified the warring states more than 2,200 years ago. “I believe the most likely identity of the tomb owner is Empress Dowager Huayang,” Zhao Hanqing, from the Shaanxi Provincial... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3368116/chinas-fabled-empress-dowager-huayang-buried-near-airport-study-says-yes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3368116/chinas-fabled-empress-dowager-huayang-buried-near-airport-study-says-yes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Sep 2026 14:30:06 +0000 Caroline Lin Caroline Lin The United States has returned dozens of cultural relics to China ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s coming visit to Washington, a goodwill gesture to help pave the way for a positive summit. At the handover ceremony at the Chinese embassy in Washington on Wednesday, China officials received 58 cultural relics and palaeontological fossils from the cultural property, art and antiquities programme of US Homeland Security Investigations. A further six items were returned a day later by the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368033/us-hands-over-64-smuggled-artefacts-china-diplomatic-push-leaders-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368033/us-hands-over-64-smuggled-artefacts-china-diplomatic-push-leaders-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 11:00:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Using fossilised teeth, scientists have finally taken the T. rex’s temperature – and it wasn’t too different from our own. Researchers once thought that dinosaurs were sluggish, cold-blooded creatures. Later findings challenged that, suggesting that older dinosaurs were warm-blooded and could control their body temperature. Most scientists agree that Tyrannosaurus rex was warm-blooded, but pinning down the exact core temperature of an extinct creature is difficult. “We can’t just use a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3367775/t-rex-was-warm-blooded-and-had-body-temperature-close-ours-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3367775/t-rex-was-warm-blooded-and-had-body-temperature-close-ours-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:53:14 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Denisovan remains discovered in southwestern China reveal that Yunnan province’s warm, biodiverse plateau was a “hunting paradise” for the hominins during a global glacial period, according to new research published in the journal Nature. Within the region’s coniferous forests and forest-steppe environments, this archaic human group established a stable subsistence pattern highly adapted to local resources through specialised hunting and the intensive exploitation of animals. The extinct... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3367311/denisovan-fossils-china-reveal-ancient-hunting-paradise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3367311/denisovan-fossils-china-reveal-ancient-hunting-paradise?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Sep 2026 02:00:10 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin Chinese archaeologists are heading to South America for the first field project on the continent in search of ancestral bonds between ancient Chinese and native American civilisations. Under an agreement signed by national research institutions from the two countries in Supe, Peru on Friday, archaeologists from China will soon start working with their Peruvian counterparts in the Caral archaeological zone – home to the oldest known urban centre in the Americas. The joint archaeological team will... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3365148/china-sends-archaeologists-south-america-trace-ancestral-links-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3365148/china-sends-archaeologists-south-america-trace-ancestral-links-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:00:06 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Chinese archaeologists will carry out their first joint field project in South America by exploring sites dating back thousands of years in Peru as Beijing steps up its efforts to deepen cultural ties with the region. The Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said it had signed a cooperation agreement with the Caral Archaeological Zone of the Peruvian Ministry of Culture and the Professional School of Archaeology at the National University of San Marcos to explore... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364961/chinese-archaeologists-heading-peru-first-joint-project-explore-ancient-sites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364961/chinese-archaeologists-heading-peru-first-joint-project-explore-ancient-sites?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Aug 2026 15:00:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Everyone knows dinosaurs got really big. Some of ⁠the long-necked plant-eaters were the largest land animals ever on Earth, as shown by Argentinosaurus, perhaps 65 to 80 tonnes (70 to 90 tons) and upwards of 30 metres (around 100 feet) long. But why were there never tiny dinosaurs, like the size of a mouse? As far as we know, none ever existed. New research investigates this phenomenon. Scientists employed mathematical models to explore the evolution of body size across vertebrate groups. They... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3363296/why-were-there-no-teeny-tiny-dinosaurs-we-have-mammals-and-birds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3363296/why-were-there-no-teeny-tiny-dinosaurs-we-have-mammals-and-birds?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Aug 2026 11:15:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters Footprints left on a muddy lakeshore in northern Kenya ⁠around 1.43 million years ago are providing new insight into the size and behaviour of a species in the human evolutionary lineage that was the last of its kind, known for extensive anatomical adaptations for eating tough vegetation. The species, Paranthropus boisei, is known mostly from skull and tooth fossils. Now researchers working along the eastern side of Kenya’s Lake Turkana have identified 21 footprints made by eight individuals of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3362168/footprints-kenya-shed-light-prehistoric-human-cousin-paranthropus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3362168/footprints-kenya-shed-light-prehistoric-human-cousin-paranthropus?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:15:36 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen South Korea has returned a pair of Qing dynasty (1644-1911) marble sculptures to China, a symbolic gesture as the two nations work to repair bilateral ties through cultural diplomacy. The male and female lions, each standing 1.9 metres (6ft) tall and weighing 1.25 tonnes, were officially handed over by the Kansong Art Museum at a ceremony in Seoul on Thursday and were set to depart for China on Friday, according to the Chinese embassy. Senior cultural officials and diplomats from both nations... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3361739/south-korea-returns-looted-qing-dynasty-lions-china-cultural-diplomacy-win?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3361739/south-korea-returns-looted-qing-dynasty-lions-china-cultural-diplomacy-win?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:59:52 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed “Gus” sold on Tuesday for US$50.1 million at Sotheby’s in New York, making it the most valuable dinosaur fossil bought at auction, after a 10-minute battle between seven bidders. “Gus” is one of the world’s most complete T. rex skeletons – with 183 fossilised bones – and was discovered on a cattle ranch in South Dakota in 2021. The giant beast lived some 72 to 66 million years ago – a period characterised by a warm climate, high sea levels and vast... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3360583/gus-t-rex-fetches-record-us501-million-us-auction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3360583/gus-t-rex-fetches-record-us501-million-us-auction?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jul 2026 20:44:38 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Swiss authorities on Monday returned 18 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria in a ceremony at the National Museum in Lagos, the latest addition to the nation’s growing collection of repatriated treasures. Countries across Africa have been pushing in recent years for the restitution of artefacts and artworks taken during the colonial period – including Nigeria’s famed Benin Bronzes, which were looted as spoils of war by the British and today are scattered in museums and private collections across the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3358811/switzerland-returns-famed-benin-bronzes-nigeria?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3358811/switzerland-returns-famed-benin-bronzes-nigeria?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:21:44 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Visitors to the Acropolis can now see the Parthenon’s western side looking whole for the first time in about 220 years. Officially unveiled Thursday, restorers have slotted two new marble blocks into long-empty gaps high on the temple’s western end – the view visitors see when they first enter the ancient monument in Athens. The 25-century-old monument overlooking the Greek capital attracted about 4.6 million visitors last year. Long-term restoration projects address damage caused by war,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3357656/greece-unveils-parthenons-facade-whole-first-time-220-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3357656/greece-unveils-parthenons-facade-whole-first-time-220-years?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jun 2026 05:03:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Scientists have found the oldest known evidence of the plague, which sparked deadly outbreaks dating back about 5,500 years ago – some 200 years earlier than previously thought. The disease has sickened humans for thousands of years and wiped out a significant chunk of Europe’s population in the 14th century during what’s known as the Black Death. Though rare, the plague is still around today and is treated with antibiotics. “To understand our own history, we believe that understanding the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/article/3357493/our-ancient-enemy-scientists-discover-oldest-known-plague-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/article/3357493/our-ancient-enemy-scientists-discover-oldest-known-plague-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jun 2026 02:59:46 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Wilting in the summer sun, tourists wait to climb Notre-Dame Cathedral and meet its gargoyles. Four metres (13 feet) beneath them, a team of archaeologists is digging the other way – straight down and back in time, to Roman Paris nearly 2,000 years ago. In 2019, fire brought Notre-Dame’s spire crashing down as the world watched. The cathedral was rebuilt and reopened in late 2024, and now Paris wants to soften the hot, bare square in front of it with trees and shade. But in a city this old, the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3356705/whats-under-notre-dame-archaeologists-discover-artefacts-stretching-back-1700-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3356705/whats-under-notre-dame-archaeologists-discover-artefacts-stretching-back-1700-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jun 2026 08:15:04 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A leather bag made from Tyrannosaurus rex cells failed to sell on Thursday, the Paris auction house Drouot said, commenting that bids were well below expected. Auctioneers Giquello had touted the “one-of-a-kind” piece to sell for more than US$500,000 but bids barely broke the US$150,000 mark, said the Drouot house where the sale took place. Unveiled in the spring in Amsterdam, the bag was created from traces of collagen from the femur of a T. rex found in the US state of Montana 25 years... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3356806/bag-made-t-rex-leather-be-auctioned-paris?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3356806/bag-made-t-rex-leather-be-auctioned-paris?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2026 16:38:54 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A huge treasure trove of ancient DNA from animals including extinct woolly mammoths has been discovered in frozen squirrel faeces in Canada’s remote Yukon territory, scientists said on Tuesday. The DNA found deep inside sealed-off burrows is between 3,000 and 700,000 years old, offering a rare window into how life has changed over the millennia. As well as DNA from woolly mammoths – which the US company Colossal claims it is trying to “de-extinct” – genetic material was also found from wolves,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356558/scientists-find-woolly-mammoth-dna-while-digging-through-squirrel-faeces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356558/scientists-find-woolly-mammoth-dna-while-digging-through-squirrel-faeces?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:53:07 +0000 Kevin McSpadden Kevin McSpadden One of the most dreaded terms in dentistry is “root canal,” but at least we get to enjoy the perks of modern medicine. Now, imagine enduring that painful process nearly 60,000 years ago. An international team of scientists believes they have found evidence that Neanderthals, the closest relatives of modern humans, deliberately drilled a hole in a lower molar tooth to remove infected tissue. The discovery represents the oldest known example of invasive dental treatment, and it occurred tens of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/environment/article/3355288/recent-analysis-shows-neanderthals-may-have-been-first-dentists-recorded-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/environment/article/3355288/recent-analysis-shows-neanderthals-may-have-been-first-dentists-recorded-history?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 May 2026 01:00:10 +0000 Kevin McSpadden Kevin McSpadden Archaeologists in central China have directly challenged the long-held belief that humanity’s earliest ancestors reached their creative peak during warm and hospitable climates. For more than a decade, a team of researchers in Henan province has studied a 146,000-year-old animal-butchering site once inhabited by Homo juluensis, an extinct human species that lived about 300,000 years ago in eastern Asia. Their discovery of remarkably inventive tools suggests that these ancient cousins of Homo... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3354567/china-scientists-argue-harsh-settings-not-warm-climates-drive-early-human-creativity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3354567/china-scientists-argue-harsh-settings-not-warm-climates-drive-early-human-creativity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2026 08:00:06 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Chinese archaeologists have started work on a joint excavation project at a site in Greece that may help answer some increasingly popular questions in China about the roots of ancient civilisations. Most global histories are written by European and American scholars. As China’s national power grows, scepticism within the country towards historical narratives shaped by Western perspectives is increasing. Much of this debate is based on second-hand information rather than primary evidence,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3354335/can-china-teams-greek-dig-unveil-untold-truth-ancient-world-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3354335/can-china-teams-greek-dig-unveil-untold-truth-ancient-world-history?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 09:00:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Archaeologists and researchers at the ancient Roman site of Pompeii have used artificial intelligence for the first time to digitally reconstruct the face of a man killed in the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius that smothered the city, offering a new way to understand one of history’s most famous natural disasters. The digital portrait represents a man whose remains, along with those of another person, were discovered as they attempted to flee the city towards the coast of what is now Italy... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3351616/archaeologists-pompeii-use-ai-reveal-face-one-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3351616/archaeologists-pompeii-use-ai-reveal-face-one-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:04:04 +0000 Francesca Fearon Francesca Fearon In November 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter made one of the most exciting discoveries of the modern era when he opened the tomb of the young King Tutankhamen, to find that all its precious 3,200-year-old treasure lay intact within. Now, a century later, those treasures along with others spanning 7,000 years of human history are being displayed together in the new six-storey Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt. Wandering around the museum, Egyptian jewellery designers, Amina Ghali and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3350465/100-years-after-king-tuts-discovery-ancient-egypt-inspires-new-wave-jewellery-design?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3350465/100-years-after-king-tuts-discovery-ancient-egypt-inspires-new-wave-jewellery-design?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:00:14 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351226/palaeontologist-making-her-mark-what-was-gentlemans-science?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351226/palaeontologist-making-her-mark-what-was-gentlemans-science?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu At first glance, Natalia Jagielska’s workspace looks like a clash between a scholarly science laboratory and a whimsical art studio. On one hand, she studies reconstructions of 200-million-year-old dinosaurs; on the other, she creates “cute” digital sketches of Jurassic-era creatures. For Jagielska, a 28-year-old postdoctoral researcher in palaeontology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the two worlds are inseparable. Apart from research, she also works as a freelance illustrator... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/article/3349977/how-hong-kong-dinosaur-expert-making-her-mark-what-was-gentlemans-science?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/article/3349977/how-hong-kong-dinosaur-expert-making-her-mark-what-was-gentlemans-science?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Kevin McSpadden Kevin McSpadden The archaeological site of Sanxingdui in southwest China’s Sichuan province has yielded remarkable discoveries, including insights recently revealed by Chinese researchers about how the inhabitants forged an axelike tool from a meteorite. While meteorite artefacts are not entirely unheard of – China boasts 13 known meteorite objects – this discovery underscores that the people of Sanxingdui were part of a distinct regional culture, separate from their contemporaries further north. “The presence... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3349780/celestial-craftsmanship-discoveries-china-sanxingdui-uveil-secrets-meteorite-axe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3349780/celestial-craftsmanship-discoveries-china-sanxingdui-uveil-secrets-meteorite-axe?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:00:11 +0000 Kevin McSpadden Kevin McSpadden “War is hell,” as the saying goes, and it is often those most intimately acquainted with conflict who are the most eager to leave it behind. This yearning for peace was underscored by a newly uncovered archaeological site from the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC) in Shaanxi province, northwest China, revealed in 2022. Researchers announced their discoveries in mid-March. Among the findings was a gravesite featuring the remains of individuals interred with broken weapons, a custom rooted in an... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3349703/unearthing-peace-ancient-china-gravesite-reveals-significance-broken-weapons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3349703/unearthing-peace-ancient-china-gravesite-reveals-significance-broken-weapons?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 10:00:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters The skeleton of famed French musketeer Charles de Batz de Castelmore d’Artagnan may have been found in front of a church altar in the Dutch city of Maastricht, church officials and an archaeologist said on Wednesday. Workers ‌discovered a grave containing human remains beneath tiles after part of the floor of St Peter and Paul Church subsided in February, triggering a race to identify the skeleton through DNA testing. “This has truly become a top-level investigation, in which we want to be... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3347910/lost-remains-french-musketeer-dartagnan-may-have-been-found-dutch-church?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3347910/lost-remains-french-musketeer-dartagnan-may-have-been-found-dutch-church?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 17:12:27 +0000 Kevin McSpadden Kevin McSpadden If one were to travel to central China, in what is now Hubei province, 4,500 years ago, they might have been fortunate enough to discover a vibrant civilisation characterised by palaces, advanced engineering, and luxuries such as jade. However, in the generations that followed, this culture gradually declined, with its people dispersing across the region. Until now, the reasons behind the collapse of such a thriving civilisation were not well understood. A group of scientists now believe that... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347814/how-climate-change-led-demise-once-thriving-chinese-civilisation-4500-years-ago?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347814/how-climate-change-led-demise-once-thriving-chinese-civilisation-4500-years-ago?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:00:11 +0000 Kevin McSpadden Kevin McSpadden One of the profound tragedies in life is the burial of the youngest among us. In Neolithic China (9,000–1,500 BC), urn burials were often designated for the deceased children and infants. While urn burials for older babies have been extensively studied, there remains little understanding of burial customs surrounding stillbirths, miscarriages, or newborns who passed shortly after birth. A new 2026 study in China revealed that by examining 16 urn burials associated with perinatal deaths from over... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346843/jar-burials-glimpse-ancient-chinas-compassion-funeral-practices-infant-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346843/jar-burials-glimpse-ancient-chinas-compassion-funeral-practices-infant-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 06:00:20 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik A 600-year-old brick bearing Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau Tak-wah’s name has gone viral on social media in mainland China. Three characters, identical to the actor and singer’s Chinese name, were carved into the city wall of Nanjing, the ancient capital of the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The inscriptions, carved into a brick now preserved at the Nanjing City Wall Museum, offer clues about the identity of the ancient namesake – whose name is pronounced “Liu Dehua” in Mandarin. The Ming-era... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3346658/why-andy-laus-name-carved-600-year-old-brick-ming-dynasty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3346658/why-andy-laus-name-carved-600-year-old-brick-ming-dynasty?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 13:00:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A triceratops skeleton that stood in a Wyoming museum for decades will be auctioned off, a rare instance of a museum-exhibited dinosaur going to the auction block just as the market for the prehistoric giants has hit record highs. The fossil, dubbed “Trey”, will be open for bidding from March 17 to 31 on Joopiter, an online auction platform founded by Grammy-winning artist and producer Pharrell Williams. It has a pre-auction estimate of US$4.5 million to US$5.5 million. Dating back more than 66... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345186/triceratops-skeleton-trey-hit-auction-block-dinosaur-market-soars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345186/triceratops-skeleton-trey-hit-auction-block-dinosaur-market-soars?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:02:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australian police have recovered a trove of stolen Egyptian artefacts and charged a 52-year-old man with a nighttime smash and grab at a museum. The man was accused of breaking a window and making off with the priceless treasures in the early hours of Friday from the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology in the Queensland town of Caboolture. Police said they found all the stolen goods – except for a wooden cat sculpture believed to be around 2,600 years old and from the 26th dynasty of ancient... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/australasia/article/3343719/australian-police-arrest-man-recover-stolen-egyptian-artefacts-after-museum-heist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/australasia/article/3343719/australian-police-arrest-man-recover-stolen-egyptian-artefacts-after-museum-heist?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 07:12:01 +0000 Shi Huang Shi Huang In the highest-ranking sacrificial pit at Sanxingdui, 11 crimson beads remained undisturbed for 3,000 years among bronze vessels, ivory tusks and fragments of gold. They are carnelian – a red gemstone prized across the ancient world, from the Indus Valley to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. In China, however, carnelian was not commonly found in elite burials until the late Western Zhou dynasty (c1046-771BC), with red tones traditionally represented by other minerals, such as ochre and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3343451/how-did-prized-red-gemstone-reach-ancient-mysterious-shu-kingdom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3343451/how-did-prized-red-gemstone-reach-ancient-mysterious-shu-kingdom?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 08:00:20 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar The faint outline of a hand in a cave in Indonesia’s Sulawesi has been recognised as the world’s oldest known rock art, shattering a long-held scientific theory that human artistic expression first flourished in Ice Age Europe. Dating back at least 67,800 years, the faded stencil was found hiding beneath a more recent chicken sketch in Metanduno cave on Muna Island. Researchers say the finding, which was published in the scientific journal Nature on January 21, proves that ancient humans in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3342713/indonesias-68000-year-old-handprint-birth-human-art?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3342713/indonesias-68000-year-old-handprint-birth-human-art?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 05:00:09 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng A noted archaeologist is challenging conventional wisdom on one of the world’s oldest cultures, arguing that Chinese civilisation has a recorded history stretching back 8,000 years – three millennia beyond the widely accepted benchmark. An article published late last year on the official portal Chinese Social Sciences Net made the bold new claim that the emergence of astronomy should be seen as the starting point of Chinese civilisation. The author was Feng Shi, a member of the Chinese Academy... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3342760/how-old-chinese-civilisation-archaeologist-argues-it-really-dates-back-8000-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3342760/how-old-chinese-civilisation-archaeologist-argues-it-really-dates-back-8000-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 22:00:11 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik China may have led a Stone Age technological race as early as 160,000 years ago, by crafting sophisticated stone tools for cutting, piercing and sawing, according to a new study. An international team of scientists said the discovery of hafted tools – the earliest evidence for composite tools in eastern Asia – had reshaped the understanding of human evolution in the region. They said the find showed that hominins in China were much more inventive and adaptable than previously thought,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3341421/composite-tool-find-puts-china-centre-tech-revolution-160000-years-ago-paper?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3341421/composite-tool-find-puts-china-centre-tech-revolution-160000-years-ago-paper?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:01:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A red stencil of a hand pressed against the wall of an Indonesian cave is the oldest rock art ever discovered, scientists said on Wednesday, and sheds light on how humans first migrated to Australia. The cave art dates back at least 67,800 years, according to research published in the journal Nature by a team of Indonesian and Australian archaeologists. “We have been working in Indonesia for a long time,” study co-author Maxime Aubert of Australia’s Griffith University said. This time they... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340753/worlds-oldest-cave-art-discovered-indonesia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340753/worlds-oldest-cave-art-discovered-indonesia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 23:51:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters Italian officials ‍on Monday hailed the discovery of a more than 2,000-year-old public building attributed to Vitruvius, the ancient Roman architect and engineer known as the “father of architecture”. “It is a sensational finding … something that our grandchildren will ⁠be talking about,” Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli told a press conference. Vitruvius, who lived in the 1st century BC, is celebrated for having written De architectura, or The Ten Books on Architecture, the oldest... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3340482/italy-uncovers-2000-year-old-basilica-designed-vitruvius-father-architecture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3340482/italy-uncovers-2000-year-old-basilica-designed-vitruvius-father-architecture?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 23:46:00 +0000 Shi Huang Shi Huang “We will not leave the desert till we beat the foe, although in war our golden armour be outworn 100 times.” In this celebrated poem from China’s Tang dynasty, Wang Changling captured the unyielding spirit of soldiers in golden armour battling on the desert frontiers. But for centuries, the splendour of the Tang gold-plated armour lived only in poetry and imagination, as none had ever been unearthed. But that changed last week, when the Key Laboratory of Archaeological Sciences and Cultural... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3340394/chinese-team-restores-legendary-tang-dynasty-golden-armour-found-tibetan-tomb?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3340394/chinese-team-restores-legendary-tang-dynasty-golden-armour-found-tibetan-tomb?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 06:52:53 +0000 Shi Huang Shi Huang The computer, at its core, is an input-output device: it receives instructions, executes programmes, performs calculations automatically and produces results. By this fundamental definition, China’s ancient ti hua ji, or figured loom – dating back more than two millennia to the Western Han dynasty – may well be recognised as the world’s earliest computer, according to the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST). Unearthed in 2012 from a tomb dated to around 150BC in Chengdu,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3338360/2000-year-old-machine-found-western-china-tomb-could-be-binary-computer-authorities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3338360/2000-year-old-machine-found-western-china-tomb-could-be-binary-computer-authorities?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 06:00:16 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik Traces of alcohol in pottery vessels discovered from a Bronze Age cemetery in northwestern China indicate that people at the time consumed beverages made using a fermentation starter of rice and a red mould. Archaeologists said the drink, similar to red rice wine, played a key role in mortuary rituals, and its presence at the Mogou cemetery suggested a tradition that probably served to strengthen the bond between the living and the dead. Researchers from Northwest University in Xian, the Gansu... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3337691/bronze-age-cemetery-offers-clues-how-ancient-chinese-brewed-red-rice-wine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3337691/bronze-age-cemetery-offers-clues-how-ancient-chinese-brewed-red-rice-wine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Dec 2025 06:07:59 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei Chinese archaeologists unearthing the ruins of the earliest known settlement in the Yangtze River Delta say water management may have been the origin of ancient “cities” in the area. Researchers began large-scale excavations of the Doushan site in Wuxi in the eastern province of Jiangsu in July last year, dating the city to about 6,000 years ago. Previously, the oldest urban site in the delta area was the Liangzhu culture site near Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, dating back about 5,300... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3337191/eastern-china-ancient-ruins-are-pushing-back-date-yangtze-deltas-earliest-cities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3337191/eastern-china-ancient-ruins-are-pushing-back-date-yangtze-deltas-earliest-cities?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 02:00:13 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Egypt on Sunday revealed the revamp of two colossal statues of a prominent pharaoh in the southern city of Luxor, the latest in the government’s archaeological events that aim at drawing more tourists to the country. The giant alabaster statues, known as the Colossi of Memnon, were reassembled in a renovation project that lasted about two decades. They represent Amenhotep III, who ruled ancient Egypt about 3,400 years ago. “Today we are celebrating, actually, the finishing and the erecting of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3336410/egypt-reveals-restored-colossal-statues-pharaoh-luxor-bid-boost-tourism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3336410/egypt-reveals-restored-colossal-statues-pharaoh-luxor-bid-boost-tourism?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 18:16:43 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse More than 600 items, including military medals and jewellery from a collection documenting the links between Britain and countries in the former British Empire, were stolen from a UK museum in September, police said on Thursday. Avon and Somerset Police have launched an appeal for information about four men captured on security cameras on September 25 outside a building in the southwestern city of Bristol, which housed items from the collection. “More than 600 artefacts of various descriptions... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3336116/600-artefacts-stolen-bristols-british-empire-collection-daring-heist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3336116/600-artefacts-stolen-bristols-british-empire-collection-daring-heist?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:17:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Scientists announced on Wednesday that they had discovered evidence in the UK of humans deliberately making fire 400,000 years ago, dramatically pushing back the timeline for when our ancient relatives are known to have mastered this crucial skill. Learning to light our own fires was one of the great turning points in human history, offering our ancestors warmth, a place to socialise and a way to cook food – which helped us evolve our unusually big brains. There were signs that humans were using... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3335963/earliest-evidence-humans-making-fire-discovered-uk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3335963/earliest-evidence-humans-making-fire-discovered-uk?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 17:22:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Trade unions at the Louvre Museum have called for a rolling strike next week to demand urgent renovations and better working conditions, piling more bad news on the beleaguered Paris institution. Monday’s announcement came a day after the world’s most visited museum admitted to a major leak in late November and nearly two months after an embarrassing robbery in which French crown jewels were stolen from its permanent collection. In between those two incidents, it had to close a gallery... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3335663/louvre-trade-unions-call-strike-demand-renovations-better-working-conditions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3335663/louvre-trade-unions-call-strike-demand-renovations-better-working-conditions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 17:07:38 +0000 Reuters Reuters A water leak last month damaged hundreds of books in the Egyptian antiquities department at the Louvre, underscoring the deteriorating state of the world’s most visited museum just weeks after a daring jewel heist exposed security flaws. Specialist website La Tribune de l’Art reported that around 400 rare books were affected, blaming poor pipe conditions. It said the department had long sought funds to protect the collection from such risks without success. Le Louvre’s deputy administrator,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3335538/water-leak-louvre-museum-paris-damages-books-egyptian-antiquities-department?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3335538/water-leak-louvre-museum-paris-damages-books-egyptian-antiquities-department?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 19:42:08 +0000