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Archaeology and palaeontology

Archaeology and palaeontology
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Archaeology and palaeontology. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A fragment of organic glass was found inside the skull of a man killed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Photo: Pier Paolo Petrone via Reuters
Natural disasters

Mount Vesuvius eruption turned man’s brain into glass. Here’s how it happened

The disaster that obliterated two cities also created the intense heat and rapid cooling behind the one-of-a-kind transformation.

Egypt

Egypt announces first discovery of pharaoh’s tomb in over 100 years

History

Archaeologists unearth remains of Roman basilica at new London skyscraper site

Wellness

How ancient bones reveal secrets to old diseases such as plague

Anthropologist Alice Roberts describes how secrets of diseases can be uncovered from old skeletons building workers and archaeologists find.

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Palaeopathologist Alice Roberts at an excavation of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in southeast England. Photo: facebook.com/ProfessorAliceRoberts
Science

Where did the first dinosaurs evolve? Scientists have an answer

Dinosaurs likely originated in a locale that spans the modern-day Sahara desert and Amazon rainforest regions, study suggests.

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History

Like a giant jigsaw puzzle, Iraq’s historic treasures become whole again

Archaeologists are painstakingly putting together artefacts at Nimrud shattered by Islamic State jihadists, undaunted by the colossal task.

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Britain

‘Dinosaur highway’ tracks dating back 166 million years discovered in England

Hundreds of dinosaur footprints found in UK quarry offer a glimpse into the lives of Jurassic giants like Cetiosaurus and Megalosaurus.

Dinosaur footprints found at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, England. Photo: University Of Birmingham via dpa
Science

Did a wet climate give rise to China’s first empires over 2,000 years ago?

Researchers find rainy, humid climate in ancient north China contributed to agricultural boom and prosperity of Qin and Han dynasties.

Science

‘Out of Africa’? Not so, says Chinese scientist challenging evolutionary theory

Evolutionary biologist Huang Shi argues that lack of genetic diversity among East Asians suggests they are real ancestors of modern humans.

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History

Should museums return antiquities to their countries of origin? Some say no

New fronts have opened up in the war of cultural restitution, raising complex ethical and legal questions as some argue against museums returning foreign artefacts.

Plaques that form part of the Benin Bronzes, which were taken from Africa by British troops in 1897, on display at The British Museum in London. Photo: Getty Images
United States

New York man finds mastodon jaw while gardening in backyard

Mastodons, which were distant cousins of mammoths and modern-day elephants, went extinct around 13,000 years ago.

The well-preserved mastodon jaw. Photo: New York State Museum via AP
Auctions

Ancient stone tablet engraved with Ten Commandments sells for US$5 million

The high figure was notched despite questions around the slab’s authenticity, with some experts expressing doubts about its origins.

Science

Mysterious terracotta commander offers clues to China’s ancient Qin dynasty army

Rare statue of high-ranking officer is helping archeologists piece together military structure of the first empire in China.

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Hong Kong society

30 more rocks containing dinosaur fossils found on Hong Kong’s Port Island

Remote island will reopen to public on Thursday, but visitors warned against exploring area on their own due to safety concerns.

Port Island was earlier closed off to allow experts to excavate more dinosaur fossils. Photo: Dickson Lee
Chinese culture

Tomb of Chinese emperor Liu He gives up Han dynasty battle secrets

6,000 multi-material armour scales represent a first for Han dynasty discoveries and are also ‘the smallest ever unearthed’ from the era.

Liu He’s tomb near Nanchang, capital of east China’s Jiangxi Province. Photo: Weibo/ 海昏侯
Science

Dinosaurs grew stupid over time – and the same could happen to humans: study

A new Chinese-led study into the evolution of dinosaurs has offered a timely warning to our technology-reliant world.

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Science

Russian scientists hail discovery of 32,000-year-old sabre-toothed cat cub

A remarkably well-preserved cat cub, tens of thousands of years old, was discovered in Russia’s permafrost.

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SCMP Highlights

Recap | Ancient king’s tomb unearthed, a Song dynasty fashion shock and more historical finds

From ancient Chinese kings to cutting-edge AI in archaeology, explore fascinating discoveries that rewrite history in some of our recent stories looking into the past.

Chinese scientists have created a digital reconstruction of a wealthy woman’s clothing from the Southern Song dynasty. Photo: Wuhan Textile University
Science

Chinese women wore tank tops, transparent clothing 800 years ago: study

Digital reconstruction of treasure trove found in 800-year-old tomb reveals forward-thinking fashion of the day, according to scientists.

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Hong Kong society

‘Work priorities’ delayed identifying Hong Kong dinosaur fossils by 11 years

Commissioner for Heritage Ivanhoe Chang reveals fossils were found in geological study and left for over a decade due to ‘work priorities’.

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Chinese history

The imperfect value of digital facial reconstructions of our ancient ancestors

Digital facial reconstructions are looking increasingly realistic, but do they add equal scientific value?

Photo: SCMP composite/Fudan University/Current Biology
Science

Sacred Lion of Venice was made in China, new research suggests

It is the emblem of the Italian city. But now scientists say this ancient statue originated much further east.

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Researchers have proved that the Lion of Venice statue which stands in St Mark’s Square, Venice, originated in China. Photo: Shutterstock
Animals

What did the biggest bug on Earth look like? Scientists recreate its head

Arthropleura fossils tell the story of an ancient, many-legged creature that could grow up to 2.7 metres (nine feet) long.

Science

China set to conduct nation’s first expeditions in the ‘land of the dinosaurs’

Leading Chinese scientist hopes project will be the ‘beginning of our international expeditions’ after decades of playing catch-up.

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Chinese history

Chopsticks date back millennia, silver versions used by elites in China and Korea

Recent discovery of 800-year-old chopsticks highlights just how little the technology has changed over thousands of years.

A recent excavation in Sichuan province revealed a remarkably preserved pair of metal chopsticks from the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/kaogu.cssn.cn
Science

10,000 gold, bronze relics unearthed as China’s Sanxingdui ruins give up secrets

Bronze items buried under hundreds of elephant tusks in attempt to ‘fully conceal’, paper by archaeologists behind the find says.

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A platform adorned with 13 bronze figures is among the dazzling relics recovered from the Sanxingdui pits between 2020 and 2022. Photo: Sichuan Cultural Relics
Science

Chinese scientists find world’s oldest cheese buried with Xinjiang mummies

DNA tests suggest Bronze Age people who lived in far west China 3,500 years ago made kefir cheese, challenging beliefs about ancient diets.

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Chinese history

These 3 individuals shaped ancient Chinese history during their childhood

Whether they were progeny philosophers or boy emperors, their names are stamped in Chinese history.

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