The roar of the arena crowd, the bustle of the Roman forum, the grand temples, the Roman army in red with glistening shields and armor — when people imagine ancient Rome, they often think of its sights and sounds. We know less, however, about the scents of ancient Rome. We cannot, of course, go back … Read more
Researchers and artists have created a striking facial reconstruction of a Stone Age woman who lived roughly 10,500 years ago in what is now Belgium. The detailed depiction of the prehistoric hunter-gatherer, known as the “Margaux woman,” is based on various scientific data, including the remains of her skeleton and ancient DNA, according to a … Read more
Ancient DNA from Stone Age burials in Turkey has finally put to rest a decades-long debate about whether the 9,000-year-old proto-city of Çatalhöyük was a matriarchal society. The research finally confirms what experts have long suspected: Women and girls were key figures in this agricultural society. “With Çatalhöyük, we now have the oldest genetically-inferred social … Read more
Nearly two millennia after the height of the Roman Empire, some of its structures are still standing. These marvels have stood the test of time, including the Pantheon in Rome; the Roman aqueducts in Segovia, Spain; and the Roman baths in England. The longevity of these structures can be attributed largely to Roman concrete. But … Read more
A bizarre ancient life-form, considered to be the first giant organism to live on land, may belong to a totally unknown branch of the tree of life, scientists say. These organisms, named Prototaxites, lived around 420 million to 375 million years ago during the Devonian period and resembled branchless, cylindrical tree trunks. These organisms would … Read more
A knight in “shining armor” wielding a sword or lance is an iconic medieval image, but more advanced weapons also appeared in the Middle Ages — including guns that fired bullets. This leads to an interesting question: Could the metal suits worn by knights and other warriors block a bullet? Live Science contacted experts to … Read more
Modern humans now permanently live on every continent except Antarctica, but it wasn’t always this way. After our species, Homo sapiens, emerged in Africa at least 300,000 years ago, some eventually ventured out, trekking and voyaging across the world. So when did the first modern humans reach each of the seven continents? The accepted ideas … Read more
A set of 16th-century royal burial regalia concealed in a niche under a staircase for nearly a century has been recovered from the Vilnius Cathedral in Lithuania. The gold crowns, rings and other accessories have been missing since 1939, when they were hidden at the start of World War II. A team of experts found … Read more
A structure in southwest England that’s associated with King Arthur isn’t medieval as scientists had long thought. Instead, it dates back more than 5,000 years, to the Neolithic, or New Stone Age, archaeologists say — thousands of years before the mythical king and his knights are said to have lived. The scientists who were involved … Read more
Earth’s surface is a turbulent place. Mountains rise, continents merge and split, and earthquakes shake the ground. All of these processes result from plate tectonics, the movement of enormous chunks of Earth’s crust. This movement may be why life exists here. Earth is the only known planet with plate tectonics and the only known planet … Read more
