History & Archaeology

Insight into an SS labor camp on the channel island of Alderney

Ruins of SS camp "Sylt" on Alderney in 1945. (Image: Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum) During the Second World War, the Nazis also...

The oldest Homo erectus

Homo-erectus skull from Drimolen. (Image: Therese van Wyk / University of Johannesburg) Where and when our ancestor Homo erectus developed has so far been controversial....

“Lucy”: monkey brain – but long childhood

The results are based on the reconstruction of fossil skulls from Australopithecus afarensis. (Image: Philipp Gunz, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.de) News from "Lucy" and Co:...

Pandemic 300 years ago – the original daily reports

The world's oldest daily newspaper, which still exists today, has been published since 1703: Viennaerian diarium - today's Wiener Zeitung. Now you can do...

The last survivor of the slave ship Clotilda

Portrait of Matilda McCrear (Image: Newcastle University / Crear Family) In 1860 the last slave ship landed in the United States. On board was Matilda...

Neanderthals: coastal fare instead of mammoth roast

View of the three entrances to the Figueira Brava cave in Portugal. (Image: João Zilhão) They hunted mammoths and co in the ice age steppes...

Enigmatic “mantis man”

This rock drawing puzzles archaeologists. (Image: Dr. Mohammad Naserifard) A strange shaped body with six limbs - what is that supposed to represent? Archaeologists have...

How precise is radiocarbon dating?

There may be discrepancies in radiocarbon dating of Egyptian mummies. (Image: webking / iStock) The age determination of archaeological finds using radiocarbon dating could be...

Strange: grave of a donkey polo player

Donkeys were not just pack animals in imperial China. (George-Standen / iStock) Donkeys as grave goods: Finds from the 9th century AD prove that noble...

Oldest highland ball playground discovered

Ceramic figure of a ball player, found in Etlatongo. (Image: Blomster and Salazar Chavez, Science Advances 2020; 6: eaay6964) The ritual ball games and ball...

Ostrich egg jewelry and ancient networks

Hunters and gatherers from ecologically diverse regions of southern Africa exchanged ostrich egg pearls as symbolic gifts in the Stone Age. (Image: Brian A....

Wikipedia: How objective are articles on historical conflicts?

How objective are Wikipedia entries on historical conflicts? (Image: brightstars / iStock) Wikipedia has long become one of the most important sources of information on...

Homo erectus: more versatile than expected

Newly discovered Homo-erectus skull (DAN5) (Image: Michael J. Rogers / Southern Connecticut State University) Homo erectus has shaped the history of our ancestors for almost...

What nourished the Mongol empires

The Mongols were notorious for their powerful equestrian armies. (Image: Traditional Historical Show, Credit: Dmitry_Chulov / iStok) Was their strength based only on meat and...

5000 year old sword discovered in Venetian monastery

This arsenic bronze sword is around 5,000 years old. (Photo: Ph.Andrea Avezzu / Ca Foscari University of Venice) For decades, one of the oldest swords...

“Pathogen breeding” in the course of cattle breeding

Livestock farming created complex interactions between animals, humans and bacteria. (Image: Annette Günzel) Herding instead of hunting: The development of livestock farming made life...

Unique mass grave of plague victims discovered

Some of the plague dead found in Thornton Abbey. (Image: University of Sheffield) Millions of people in Europe died of the plague in the 14th...

Magnificent Roman dagger discovered

Through the restoration, the dagger was finally pulled out of its sheath. (Photo: LWL / Eugen Müsch) He was probably the pride of a legionnaire...

Earliest crossing of different types of people

Different types of early humans mated with each other (Image: 1971yes / iStock) The history of our ancestors is becoming increasingly complex. Because now, in...

Historic helmets were just as stable as today’s

Historical helmets in the pressure test. (Photo: Op 't Eynde et al./PLOS ONE, CC-by-sa 4.0) Since the First World War, soldiers have been protecting their...

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