Article archive
Research, stories and questions from the ancient world.
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Malta Cart Ruts: The New Case for a Roman-Era Origin
Malta’s limestone cart ruts may belong largely to the Roman and wider Classical periods. New research tests their age, purpose and formation.
Meghalaya’s Living Root Bridges: Engineering With Trees
How Khasi and Jaintia communities grow living root bridges in Meghalaya, why the roots hold, and how conservation and tourism affect these crossings.
Assyrian Propaganda: How Kings Used Fear to Rule
Assyrian kings used palace reliefs, royal inscriptions, deportations and diplomacy to project power. Lachish and Nineveh show how the message worked.
Hannibal’s War Elephants: From the Alps to Zama
Hannibal marched 37 elephants towards Italy in 218 BCE. Ancient texts, coins and new archaeology reveal how they crossed the Alps, fought and died.
The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest: Rome’s Three Lost Legions
In AD 9, Arminius destroyed three Roman legions under Varus. Ancient accounts and new research at Kalkriese reveal what we know, and what remains…
Chinese Magic Mirrors: Hidden Images in Han Bronze
How rare Chinese bronze mirrors project hidden images, what Han mirror designs meant, and how Shen Kuo and modern optics explained the effect.
The Parthenon Was Not White: Ancient Athens in Color
The Parthenon had red, blue and green painted details. Pigment studies reveal what survives on its cornices, metopes and sculptures, and what remains uncertain.
Erotic Art in Pompeii: Sex, Protection and Power
From Priapus at the House of the Vettii to brothel frescoes and phallic charms, Pompeii’s erotic art reveals Roman beliefs about protection, wealth and…
Fayum Mummy Portraits: The Faces Buried in Roman Egypt
Fayum mummy portraits were painted for the dead in Roman Egypt. Learn how encaustic, burial customs and new research explain these extraordinary faces.
Birka Grave Bj 581: The Viking Warrior Woman
DNA identified the occupant of Birka grave Bj 581 as female. The weapons, horses and burial records explain why her warrior status remains debated.
Guatemala’s Ancient Maya Cities and Roads Revealed by LiDAR
LiDAR mapping in Guatemala reveals 417 early Maya cities, towns and villages, raised roads, reservoirs and evidence of complex Preclassic societies.
How Scientists Are Reading the Herculaneum Scrolls Without Opening Them
X-ray scans and AI are recovering ancient Greek writing from the Herculaneum scrolls, including a 2026 reading of one roll’s surviving text.
