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Archaeology

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Disturbing rituals, ‘sex pots’, jewellery: The surprise relics being unearthed in Peru

When it comes to fascinating ancient artefacts, this Andean nation has so much beyond Machu Picchu.

  • Tim Elliott

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EGMY0X The treasury is also called Al Khazna, it is the most magnificant and famous facade in Petra Jordan *** FEE APPLIES *** sataug28cover unesco world heritage site / sites ; text by Michael Turtle ; extract from "Great World Wonders" from Hardie Grant ; *** SINGLE PRINT AND ONLINE USE *** credit: Alamy

The world’s 20 most incredible lost cities you can still visit

While many “lost cities” are no longer lost, there can be joy in finding them for yourself.

  • Chris Leadbeater
Scientists have identified the conditions in which human brain tissue turned into glass after a volcanic eruption.

‘Absolutely mind-blowing’: Human brain turned to glass by volcanic eruption

The finding potentially re-writes our understanding of what happened when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.

  • Angus Dalton
A representation of how the Roman London Basilica, recently unearthed by a redevelopment of a City of London office building, would have looked 2000 years ago.

2000-year-old basilica found in London office basement

Archaeologists at the site of a planned 32-storey office tower have unearthed the remains of a thriving Roman town centre at the heart of old Londinium.

  • Jill Lawless
An Egyptian mug from the second century B.C. at the Tampa Museum of Art that was found to have traces of hallucinogenic plants.

Psychedelic traces found on mug from ancient Egypt

Egyptians may have used hallucinogenic substances as part of a fertility rite, researchers say.

  • Alexander Nazaryan
Some of the footprints of two humans pieces found side by side in Kenya.

Footprints show two human species crossed paths 1.5 million years ago

One had an ape-like big toe, the other a high arch. One was a juvenile, another had a stiff foot.

  • Will Dunham
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Using a Lidar dataset, researchers revealed a previously unrecorded dense Mayan urban settlement, which they are calling Valeriana. 

More than 6000 Mayan structures discovered buried in Mexican jungle

The city, which has been named Valeriana by archaeologists, bears the hallmarks of an important regional capital.

  • Sarah Knapton
The Pantheon in Rome has boasted the largest unsupported concrete dome in the world for 2000 years.

Self-healing concrete? The Romans thought of that

Modern concrete is much less resilient than the concrete used in Roman times. Now researchers think they know why.

  • Amos Zeeberg
The Treasury in Petra.

‘Stunning’ hidden tomb found at Petra site featured in Indiana Jones

Researchers found at least 12 skeletal remains and artefacts – including a ceramic vessel that “looked nearly identical to the Holy Grail” in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

  • Annabelle Timsit
Leang Kerampuang, a dramatic karst hill in Sulawesi, Indonesia riddled with caves that host the world’s oldest rock art.

Inside the cave where Australians have uncovered the world’s oldest rock art

This extraordinary ancient image may be our oldest evidence of a story.

  • Angus Dalton

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/archaeology-jlk