Tag: lost civilizations

20,000-Year-Old Stone Tools Unearthed in South Africa

A team of archaeologists from Chicago’s Field Museum has uncovered thousands of stone tools in coastal caves near South Africa’s southern tip. Some of the tools date back as far as 24,000 years. The discovery, detailed in a recent Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology study, reveals advanced blade-making techniques developed during the Last Glacial Maximum. These findings offer new insights into how Ice Age humans connected, adapted, and exchanged knowledge over long distances.

The excavation was led by Dr. Sara Watson, a postdoctoral researcher at the museum’s Negaunee Integrative Research Center. It focused on caves near what would have been an inland plains region 20,000 years ago. At that time, lower sea levels had pushed the coastline miles beyond its current boundary. The area, rich with antelope and other megafauna, gave hunter-gatherers a strategic place to live and hunt.

The tools, crafted between 24,000 and 12,000 years ago, include small, razor-sharp bladelets and stone cores—the parent rocks from which blades were systematically chipped. By analyzing minuscule striations and reduction patterns on these artifacts, the team reconstructed the meticulous methods used to produce them. Notably, the cores exhibited a distinctive reduction strategy known as “Robberg” technology, named after the region’s caves, where tiny bladelets were precision-struck in sequences to maximize efficiency.

“The core is the storyteller,” Watson explained. “It reveals the intentionality behind each strike—a shared ‘recipe’ repeated across sites.” Strikingly, this method mirrors techniques identified in sites hundreds of miles away in modern-day Namibia and Lesotho. “The repetition of these patterns isn’t accidental. It signals a transmission of knowledge, likely through direct interaction between groups,” Watson added.

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Archaeologists Found a 3,000-Year-Old Lost City That May Hold Secrets of a Royal Past

Just like scientific hypotheses are ever-evolving, so is our understanding of history. 15 years ago, researchers began excavating what they thought were the remains of a military outpost, built to guard against Roman attacks—but their recent findings prove to be much more exciting. The site in Northern Macedonia, known as the archaeological site of Gradishte, might actually be an entire ancient city. And not just any city; it may have a direct connection to the lineage of Alexander the Great.

Using advanced drone-deployed LiDAR and ground penetrating radar technologies, researchers from Macedonia’s Institute and Museum–Bitola and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt) are uncovering the mysteries of this once thriving city. The team announced their findings in a university press release.

“We’re only beginning to scratch the surface of what we can learn about this period,” Engin Nasuh—curator-advisor archaeologist at the National Institute and Museum–Bitola—said in the press release.

Ancient Macedonia was a small, initially insignificant kingdom in Greece. Fighting among major powers in the region—such as between the Athenians and Persians or the Spartans and Athenians, respectively—made it easy for Macedonia (under the heavy hand of King Philip II to stake its claim to power. The kingdom eventually expanded into an empire, most notably under Philip II’s son, Alexander the Great, but eventually fell under Roman control due to internal power struggles.

According to the release, experts initially dated the city back to King Philip V’s reign (221-179 B.C.), but later archaeological findings pushed estimates further back. A coin minted between 325 and 323 B.C. points to the city’s existence during Alexander the Great’s lifetime. But other artifacts including axe fragments and ceramic vessels have led researchers to believe humans could have inhabited the area as far back as the Bronze Age (3,300-1,200 B.C.).

Of the structures uncovered at the site, a Macedonian-style theater and textile workshop are among the most notable. Archaeologists have also discovered coins, axes and textile tools, game pieces, pottery, and even a clay theater ticket at the site, suggesting that the area was a thriving city before Rome’s rise to power, according to Nasuh.

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Cave discovery could rewrite 1,000 years of Mediterranean history

Evidence discovered in a cave on Malta indicates hunter-gatherers visited the picturesque Mediterranean island long before they began farming on mainland Europe. If true, the 8,500-year-old archeological site appears to contradict commonly held assumptions about societal development among the continent’s last Mesolithic communities. Researchers published their findings on April 9 in Nature, and argue that as much as a millennium’s worth of Maltese prehistory may warrant reevaluation.

The trajectory of paleohistorical societies often goes something like this: first farming, then the open ocean. That’s because, generally speaking, the tools and techniques needed to craft seafaring technology such as sails only arrived after the invention of farming tools. Because of this, most archeologists long believed Mediterranean islands like Malta were some of the last wildernesses to encounter humans.

However, a cave site known as Latnija in Malta’s northern Mellieħa region is forcing experts to consider alternative historical narratives. There, researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Malta have uncovered evidence indicating a human presence on the island at least 8,500 years ago—roughly 1,000 years before the first known farmers arrived. More specifically, Latnija contained stone tools and hearth fragments, as well as cooked food waste. Some of this food even came from animals believed to have already died out on the island.

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This 7,000-year-old mummy DNA has revealed a ‘ghost’ branch of humanity

Today, the Sahara Desert is one of the most inhospitable places on our planet. But it wasn’t always this way. 

Roll the clock back 7,000 years, and the Sahara was a lush, green savannah, teeming with wildlife, dotted with lakes – including one the size of modern-day Germany. It was, in other words, the perfect place for our ancient ancestors to settle.

But who were they? We might finally know.

Scientists have successfully analysed the DNA of two naturally mummified individuals from the Takarkori rock shelter, in what is now southwestern Libya. Their findings reveal something extraordinary: these ancient people belonged to a previously unknown branch of the human family tree.

The two women belonged to a so-called ‘ghost population’ – one that had only ever been glimpsed as faint genetic echoes in modern humans, but never found in the flesh.

“These samples come from some of the oldest mummies in the world,” Prof Johannes Krause, senior author of the new study, told BBC Science Focus. It is, he explained, remarkable that genome sequencing was possible at all, given hot conditions tend to degrade such information. 

Genome sequencing is the process of reading the complete set of genetic instructions found in an organism’s DNA – a kind of biological blueprint.

Earlier studies had examined the mummies’ mitochondrial DNA, which is much more limited. It’s passed down only through the maternal line, and is far shorter than the full genome found in the cell nucleus.

“There are around 16,000 base pairs in mitochondrial DNA,” Krause said. “That might sound like a lot, but compared to the whole genome, which has 3.2 billion, it’s just a fraction.”

So what did the team discover from this newly unlocked genetic treasure trove?

First, they found that this lost lineage split from the ancestors of sub-Saharan Africans around 50,000 years ago – about the same time other groups were beginning to migrate out of Africa. 

Remarkably, this group then remained genetically isolated from other groups of humans for tens of thousands of years, all the way through to the time when these two women died around 7,000 years ago. 

“It’s incredible,” Krause said. “At the time when they were alive, these people were almost like living fossils – like something that shouldn’t be there. If you’d told me these genomes were 40,000 years old, I would have believed it.” 

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Ancient Hunting Tools Unearthed in Texas Cave

Archaeologists have uncovered a remarkable collection of prehistoric hunting equipment in a remote cave near Marfa, Texas. Dating back approximately 6,500 years, the assemblage includes fragments of an atlatl (spear-throwing device), a curved wooden object resembling a boomerang, and multiple darts tipped with stone and wood. Discovered alongside remnants of a small fire and preserved fecal matter, these artifacts offer a rare window into the lives of North America’s early inhabitants. Researchers from Sul Ross State University and the University of Kansas suggest this may be one of the oldest near-intact sets of organic and stone tools ever found on the continent.

The discovery site, known as the San Esteban Rockshelter, appears to have served as a temporary shelter for ancient hunters. Evidence suggests that early humans used the cave to assess and repair damaged gear. ‘This wasn’t just a campsite—it functioned as a toolkit maintenance station,’” explained Dr. Bryon Schroeder, lead researcher at Sul Ross State University. “They’d discard broken items here while preparing for their next hunt.” Among the finds were wooden tips that may have delivered toxins to prey, highlighting sophisticated hunting techniques. The team theorizes that nomadic groups traversing the arid landscape periodically used the shelter to regroup and re-equip.

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Jerf el-Ahmar and Göbeklitepe: Connecting Neolithic Symbolism and Architecture

During the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) period in the Near East, spanning approximately 10,000 to 8,000 BCE, people underwent a transformative shift from nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles to more settled agricultural communities. Among the myriad archaeological sites from this period, Jerf el-Ahmar in northern Syria and Göbeklitepe in southeastern Türkiye stand out as pivotal locales that offer profound insights into early Neolithic societal transformations.​

Göbeklitepe features monumental stone pillars arranged in circular enclosures, decorated with intricate carvings of animals and abstract symbols. These structures, likely among the earliest known temples, indicate that PPN communities placed a strong emphasis on ritual and communal gatherings.The site’s complexity and scale indicate a high degree of social organization and cooperation, challenging previous notions that such architectural feats were beyond the capabilities of pre-agricultural societies.

Jerf el-Ahmar: A Shift in Neolithic Architecture and Community Life

Early Communal Architecture and Storage

Jerf el-Ahmar provides a different yet complementary perspective on PPN life. The site features communal architecture, including large, circular buildings that likely served as centers for community activities and storage. Notably, these structures exhibit early examples of rectilinear architecture, marking a transition from round to rectangular building designs that became prevalent in later Neolithic periods. The presence of communal storage facilities at Jerf el-Ahmar underscores the emerging importance of food surplus management and collective resource sharing in early agricultural communities.

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Mass Grave of Roman Soldiers Discovered Beneath Vienna Soccer Field

During routine renovations of a Vienna soccer field in October, construction crews stumbled upon an astonishing find: an ancient mass grave filled with intertwined skeletal remains, from what were clearly dozens of bodies. This discovery became even more noteworthy when archaeologists dated the bodies back to the first-century Roman Empire.

The mass burial, likely the result of a violent clash between the Romans and Germanic tribes, has been analyzed by experts from Stadtarchäologie Wien (Vienna City Archaeology) in collaboration with the private firm Novetus GmbH. Following months of study, experts from the Vienna Museum have now publicly unveiled their findings, linking the site to a catastrophic military conflict—the first known ancient battle ever recorded in this region.

The mass grave, located in Vienna’s Simmering district, contains the confirmed remains of 129 individuals. However, archaeologists believe that the total number of victims exceeds 150 (many of the bones re jumbled), making this an unparalleled discovery in Central Europe.

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Hidden tomb discovered by scientists investigating vast city beneath Giza pyramid

A ‘sarcophagus’ hidden more than 600 feet below the surface in Egypt is the latest discovery from the team that uncovered a ‘vast city’ beneath the Giza pyramids.

Italian researchers told DailyMail.com that they identified an unknown chamber under the Tomb of Osiris, which is believed to be a symbolic burial site dedicated to the Egyptian god of the afterlife.

Last week, the team announced the discovery of wells and chambers more than 2,000 feet below the Khafre Pyramid. If confirmed, these findings could rewrite human history.

Many independent experts have called the claims ‘outlandish,’ noting that using radar pulses to create images deep below the structure lacks scientific basis.

An image produced by the technology revealed the known levels within the Tomb of Osiris, descending 114 feet below the surface, along with a vertical shaft followed by three distinct steps.

It also detected a previously unknown structure, which ‘appears to reach an empty chamber’ 656 feet below the surface.

‘There is also a sarcophagus (?), which remains surrounded by running water,’ said the team.

However, Professor Lawrence Conyers, a radar expert at the University of Denver who specializes in archaeology and was not involved in the study, said the technology cannot penetrate to such depths.

‘Maybe 30 or 40 feet, depending on the wavelength they’re using. But they’re not even telling us that. All of this is very speculative,’ he added

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A ‘landmark finding’: Homo naledi buried their dead 250,000 years ago, according to newly updated research

Homo naledi, an extinct relative of modern humans whose brain was one-third the size of ours, buried their dead and engraved cave walls about 250,000 years ago, according to new research.

The findings are overturning long-held theories that only modern humans and our Neanderthal cousins could do these complex activities.

Evidence of burial practices in this early hominin would be a “landmark finding,” according to a team of researchers who published their hypothesis in the journal eLife in 2023. But their theory became controversial, with numerous experts saying the evidence wasn’t enough to conclude that H. naledi buried or memorialized their dead.

In a revised study published Friday (March 28) in eLife, the researchers laid out 250 pages’ worth of proof of purposeful burial that they say has convinced more people.

Archaeologists first discovered the remains of H. naledi in South Africa’s Rising Star cave system in 2013. Since then, over 1,500 bones from multiple individuals have been found throughout the 2.5-mile-long (4 kilometers) system.

The anatomy of H. naledi is well known due to the remarkable preservation of the remains. They were bipedal, stood around 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall and weighed about 100 pounds (45 kilograms). They had dexterous hands and small-but-complex brains — traits that have led to a debate about the complexity of their behavior.

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Experts now even more confident a ‘vast city’ exists under Giza Pyramids in Egypt after new discovery

Scientists on a mission to prove a ‘vast city’ sits more than 4,000 feet below Egypt‘s Giza Pyramids have released a new analysis they say proves the findings to be true.

Last week, the team in Italy presented bombshell research that claimed to have discovered multi-thousand-foot-tall wells and chambers under the Khafre Pyramid.

If true, it would turn Egyptian – and human – history on its head, though independent experts have said the discovery is ‘completely wrong’ and lacked any scientific basis.

Researchers said they determined ‘a confidence level well above 85 percent’ that the ‘structures identified beneath the Pyramid of Khafre, as well as those beneath other pyramids on the Giza Plateau,’ exist.

The wells and chambers were identified by sending ‘high-frequency electromagnetic waves’ into the subsurface, and the way signals bounced back allowed researchers to map structures beneath the pyramid.

The team used ‘a specialized algorithm’ to process the data and create the images that showed what looked like wells with spiral formations leading to enormous chambers.

They cross checked the structures with known architectural forms, ‘specifically those accessible to us today, such as the Pozzo di San Patrizio in Italy,’ Niccole Ciccole, the project’s spokesperson, shared with Dailymail.com.

Professor Lawrence Conyers, a radar expert at the University of Denver who focuses on archaeology and was not involved in the study, said: ‘To make correlation confidence levels there needs to be something to correlate to or compare to. 

‘What could that be here? Without that, these percentages are meaningless scientifically.’

However, Professor Conyers suggested that it is conceivable that small structures, such as shafts and chambers, may exist beneath the pyramids, having been there before the pyramids were built, because the site was ‘special to ancient people.’

He highlighted how ‘the Mayans and other peoples in ancient Mesoamerica often built pyramids on top of the entrances to caves or caverns that had ceremonial significance to them.’

The team claimed they found eight wells and two enormous enclosures more than 2,000 feet below the base of the Khafre pyramid and ‘an entire hidden world of many structures’ another 2,000 feet below those

‘I am skeptical of the deeper claims. If their ‘algorithms’ can do what they say (I can’t comment on those), then perhaps this will hold up,’ Professor Conyers said.

‘A ‘well’ or ‘tunnel’ is what I would expect under a pyramid.’

The work by Corrado Malanga from Italy’s University of Pisa, Filippo Biondi with the University of Strathclyde in Scotland and Egyptologist Armando Mei has not yet been published in a scientific journal for the review of independent experts. 

The team sent the analysis to DailyMail.com, where they admitted ‘further validation is recommended through additional tomographic scans and in-situ verification.’

To determine if anything was hiding below the Pyramid of Khafre, they sent high-frequency waves (similar to how radar works) into the ground beneath the pyramid.

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