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Archaeology and palaeontology

Archaeology and palaeontology
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Archaeology and palaeontology. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A life-size reproduction of a Neanderthal family and their dwelling, set 50,000 years ago, is now on exhibit at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois. These are the first authoritative lifelike representations of early humans. Photo: Getty Images
Trending in China

Recent analysis shows Neanderthals may have been first dentists in recorded history

60,000-year-old dental procedure blurs line between humans and Neanderthals.

Trending in China

Chinese scientists suggest harsh environments foster early human creativity

Science

Can China team’s Greek dig unveil an untold truth in ancient world history?

Italy

Archaeologists use AI to reconstruct Pompeii victim’s face and final moments

AI-generated image shows a man ducking for cover, with a flaming Mount Vesuvius in the background.

The AI-generated image shows a man ducking ​for cover while holding a large bowl over his head. Image: Pompeii Archaeological Park
Jewellery

King Tut’s 3,200-year-old legacy inspires a new era of Egyptian jewellery

The opening of Giza’s Grand Egyptian Museum is sparking renewed interest in ancient motifs from brands like Azza Fahmy and Bibi van der Velden.

Women and gender

The palaeontologist making her mark in what was a ‘gentleman’s science’

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Art

From Jurassic Park kid to dinosaur expert in what was ‘a gentleman’s science’

Natalia Jagielska, dinosaur researcher, illustrator and scientific consultant, explains how women are under-represented in her field.

Dr Natalia Jagielska, a postdoctoral researcher in palaeontology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: Edmond So
Trending in China

Celestial craftsmanship: secrets of meteorite axe from China Sanxingdui unveiled

Artefact was made of a particular blend of metal that would have been extremely difficult for the ancient people to create on Earth.

Trending in China

Unearthing peace: ancient China gravesite reveals significance of broken weapons

The bronze daggers and knives were intentionally damaged during burial as offerings to ensure deceased’s peaceful passage into afterlife.

The Netherlands

Lost remains of French musketeer d’Artagnan may have been found in Dutch church

DNA testing is under way to verify ⁠the skeleton. D’Artagnan, fictionalised in Alexandre ⁠Dumas’ novel The ⁠Three Musketeers, died in 1673.

An excavation pit opened in the floor at the Peter and Paul Church in Maastricht, Netherlands, where archaeologists believe they may have uncovered the skeletal remains of musketeer d’Artagnan. Photo: Reuters
Trending in China

How climate change led to demise of an advanced Chinese civilisation 4,500 years ago

New research paints a picture of a culture that struggled to navigate a significant increase in rainfall and slowly disappeared from history.

A team of scientists analysed data from a stalagmite in Heshang Cave, located in Hubei province, which, because of its low nutrient levels, has proven to be an invaluable resource for reconstructing ancient climate models. Photo: SCMP composite/Science China Press/Shutterstock
Trending in China

Jar burials: a glimpse into ancient China’s compassion for infant deaths

New study indicates Neolithic cultures in China may have separated graves of perinatal infants; different treatment than older children.

Science

Why is Andy Lau’s name carved on a 600-year-old brick from the Ming dynasty?

The inscription – identical to the Hong Kong star’s name – reveals ancient quality-control system and early use of simplified characters.

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United States

Triceratops skeleton ‘Trey’ to hit the auction block as dinosaur market soars

The 66-million-year-old fossil, for sale on musician Pharrell Williams’ auction platform Joopiter, is expected to fetch up to US$5.5 million.

A triceratops skeleton, named Trey, is displayed at Co-Museum at Le Freeport Singapore on February 5. Photo: Courtesy of Joopiter via AP
Australia

Australian police recover stolen Egyptian artefacts after museum heist

The man is accused of stealing a mummy mask, collar, necklace and wooden cat from a museum in Caboolture, Queensland.

A mummy mask recovered from a theft at the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology. Photo: Queensland Police/AFP
Science

How did a prized red gemstone reach the ancient, mysterious Shu kingdom?

The presence of the warm, reddish-orange mineral in the Bronze Age archaeological site of Sanxingdui has long puzzled archaeologists.

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Indonesia

Indonesia’s 68,000-year-old handprint: the birth of human art?

Found hiding beneath a chicken sketch, the faded outline proves ancient humans were capable of reflecting on their existence, scientists say.

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Science

How old is Chinese civilisation? A scholar says it really dates back 8,000 years

Leading scholar’s argument stretches the timeline back beyond the widely accepted figure of 5,000 years.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Science

Composite tool find puts China in tech revolution up to 160,000 years ago: paper

Team says discovery of 2,600 stone tools, including hafted tools, reshapes understanding of human evolution in eastern Asia.

Indonesia

World’s oldest cave art discovered in Indonesia

A handprint dating back at least 67,800 years is over a thousand years older than hand stencils in Spain that are attributed to Neanderthals.

Italy

Italy uncovers ancient basilica designed by the ‘father of architecture’ Vitruvius

Mayor calls archeological find in the central Italian city of Fano the ‘discovery of the century’.

Excavations in Piazza Andrea Costa from which large columns emerged, remains believed of the Basilica of Vitruvius, in Fano, Italy on Monday. Photo: EPA / Regione Marche Press Office Handout
Science

Chinese team restores legendary Tang dynasty ‘golden’ armour from Tibetan tomb

Tomb’s occupant confirmed to be a Tuyuhun king and the golden armour is likely to have been among his prized possessions, conservators say.

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For centuries, the splendour of the Tang dynasty gold-plated armour lived only in poetry and imagination. Photo: Handout
Science

Could 2,000-year-old machine from tomb in China be earliest binary computer?

Silk-weaving loom dating to Western Han is world’s oldest known ‘computer hardware’ with corresponding ‘software’, China science body says.

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Science

Bronze Age cemetery offers clues on how ancient Chinese brewed red rice wine

Vessels found in tombs at Mogou in modern-day Gansu contain traces of a fermentation starter of the type still used to make sake today.

Science

In eastern China, ancient ruins push back the date of Yangtze delta’s earliest cities

Excavations at the Doushan site near Wuxi suggest water may have spurred the development of the oldest centres in the area.

The prehistoric Doushan site in Wuxi is believed to date back about 6,000 years. Photo: Jiangsu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
Egypt

Egypt reveals restored colossal statues of prominent pharaoh in Luxor

The giant statues, toppled by an earthquake in about 1200 BC, were meticulously pieced back together in a project that lasted about two decades.

A man takes selfie in front of the two colossal statues. Photo: EPA
Britain

UK police hunt suspects after 600 British Empire artefacts stolen from museum

Police release images of four men after many items with ‘significant cultural value’ were stolen in Bristol on September 25.

Science

Oldest evidence of humans making fire discovered in UK, dating back 400,000 years

Scientists found an ancient fireplace in Suffolk, providing crucial evidence that humans mastered fire far earlier than previously believed.

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