Friday, October 9, 2026
Oldest North African Defensive Structure Outside Egypt Identified
Ancient Engineering

Oldest North African Defensive Structure Outside Egypt Identified

Defensive structure, Oued Beht, Morocco ROME, ITALY—According to a statement released by the National Research Council of Italy (CNR), an international team of archaeologists has identified the oldest defensive complex in Africa beyond the Nile Valley. The 3,500- to 4,000-year-old ditch-and-rampart structure is located around 60 miles from the Atlantic coast at the site of…

This Australian cave hid 25,000 years of ritual secrets

Microscopic plant remains are revealing how GunaiKurnai ancestors used Cloggs Cave for ritual practices over thousands of years. People deliberately gathered whole grasses, carried them into the dark cave, and burned them in thin layers, leaving behind traces that may span 25,000 years. A standing stone erected around 2,000 years ago and other ritual objects…

Early Mosque Uncovered in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Baha Province

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA—According to a Gulf News report, the Saudi Arabian Heritage Commission announced the discovery of an important early mosque in the Al-Baha province, which dates to the first century of the Muslim era. The roughly 50-foot by 30-foot building was unearthed at the site of Al Maallamah. This important mining settlement flourished between…

Landslide Exposes Pre-Roman Burial in Eastern Italy
Ancient Engineering

Landslide Exposes Pre-Roman Burial in Eastern Italy

Picene ceramic vessel, Sant’Elpidio a Mare, Italy SANT’ELPIDIO A MARE, ITALY—La Brújula Verde reports that a landslide in central Italy has exposed a Picene burial estimated to date to the sixth century B.C. Previous genetic studies have shown that the Picenes were related to other pre-Roman Italic groups. The Picenes are known to have lived…

Troy’s Earliest Agora Unearthed

TROY, TURKEY—Hürriyet Daily News reports that excavations in Troy have uncovered the ancient city’s earliest agora. The new work was carried out through a collaboration between the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University. The agora served as the settlement’s central marketplace and is located in front of the city walls…

Black Figs Excavated at Neolithic Site in Northwestern Turkey

HAVRAN, TURKEY—The Anadolu Agency reports that charred figs recovered from a cave in northwestern Turkey have been dated to 8,000 years ago. Derya Yalcikli of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University said that Andik Cave was discovered in 1949. Previous research has shown that the site was used for storage and ritual purposes over thousands of years.…

Medieval Silver Hoard Found in Finland
Ancient Engineering

Medieval Silver Hoard Found in Finland

Coin cache HELSINKI, FINLAND—According to a Live Science report, a hoard of silver coins and jewelry was discovered in southern Finland by a metal detectorist. Esko Tikkala of the Lahti Historical Museum said that the hoard, dated to between A.D. 1000 and 1050, had been split into two deposits held in birch-bark containers, weighing a…

Roman Inscription Marks Lightning Strike at Hadrian’s Villa
Ancient Engineering

Roman Inscription Marks Lightning Strike at Hadrian’s Villa

Inscription TIVOLI, ITALY—A marble slab uncovered near the amphitheater at Hadrian’s Villa bears the inscription “FVLGVR SVBMANIVM,” regarding Summano, the Roman god of night lightning, according to a report in The Independent. The slab is thought to be linked to the practice of burying objects that had been struck by lightning, and therefore considered by…