Archaeology

Frescos of a peacock, fruit discovered in Roman villa near Pomepii belonging to Emperor Nero's wife

The discovery's announcement follow the site’s partial opening to the public for the first time. 

A cat is seen during the excavation and restoration work underway on the exceptional frescoes in the Hall of the Mask and the Peacock, one of the most refined rooms of the Villa of Poppaea at Oplontis, Torre Annunziata, Italy on February 12, 2026.
A bifacial stone tool from ‘Ubeidiya, February 20, 2026.

New dating of Jordan Valley site rewrites timeline of human migration from Africa - study

Front entrance to Jerusalem’s Rockefeller Museum, opened in 1938.

A Jerusalem gem: Rediscovering the Rockefeller Museum’s treasures in Israel's capital

An ancient Egyptian collar stolen from the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology in Caboolture, Australia, February 20, 2026.

Suspect charged for stealing Egyptian artifacts from Australia museum, citing church ties - report


Newly identified ancient Egyptian copper drill rewrites history of region’s craftsmanship

The drill’s chemical composition was also surprising, study co-author Jiří Kmošek noted, as it is made up of an unusual copper alloy containing arsenic, nickel, lead, and silver. 

Original photograph of the artifact published in 1927 (L) and the actual artifact, February 20, 2026.

Bronze scale pan found in ancient Sussiya reveals how biblical law shaped daily Jewish life

Neta, a second-grader at the regional school in Sussiya, and her father, Nachshon, discovered the pan inside a residential building near the town’s main street. 

Archaeologist Achiya Cohen-Tavor holding bronze scale pan found in the ancient Jewish settlement of Sussiya, February 19, 2026.

Egyptian researchers discover collection of ancient rock art spanning 10,000 years in Sinai desert

The engravings and drawings are divided into several groups, researchers learned in their initial study of the space, the oldest of which are done in red and dated to between 10,000 and 5,500 BCE.

Red pigment drawings discovered by Egyptian archaeologists on the Umm Arak Plateau in the southern Sinai, February 17, 2026.

Portugal returns stolen Mayan, Zapotec artifacts to Mexico in first-ever archaeological restitution

INAH specialists were sent photographs of the finds and conducted a preliminary review of the three, confirming that they indeed “form part of Mexico’s archaeological heritage.”

Portugal returns three stolen artifacts to Mexico in handover ceremony at the Mexican Embassy in Lisbon, February 17, 2026.

Second Temple workshop found on Israel's Mount Scopus during investigation into antiquities thieves

The workshop was discovered at the Ras Tamim archaeological site on the eastern slope of Mount Scopus. 

Newly discovered limestone shards and vessels on display in the new "Criminal Past" exhibit at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, February 16, 2026.

On This Day: Howard Carter enters King Tut's burial chamber in Egypt's Valley of Kings

Additional treasures found within the burial chamber are housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

 English archaeologist Howard Carter near the golden sarcophagus of Tutankhamun in the Valley of Kings, Egypt. Photo acquired on February 16, 2026.

Cambridge students find burial pit, 9th century ‘giant’ who underwent surgery during training dig

The pit is believed to have been from a time of conflict “between the Saxon-run kingdom of Mercia and the kingdom of East Anglia, which was conquered by the Vikings in around 870 [CE]."

Cambridge University archaeologists and students discover 9th century CE mass burial pit during a training dig at Wandlebury Country Park on the outskirts of Cambridge, UK, February 4, 2026.

Zapotec tomb from 600 CE marks Mexico’s most ‘significant archaeological discovery’ in last decade

The Zapotecs were a major pre-Hispanic civilization that flourished in Oaxaca from circa 700-500 BC until the Spanish conquest.

Owl carving above the entrance to a Zapotec tomb from 600 CE in the Oaxaca Valley, Mexico, February 14, 2026.

German archaeologists discover medieval tunnel system inside Neolithic burial site

Thousands of similar tunnel systems have been discovered across Europe and despite this, their purpose has been subject to decades of theory and debate. 

Erdstall discovered in late 2025 by the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) during excavations near Reinstedt in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, February 14, 2026.

'Nothing quite like it': UK Treasure Act names Roman carriage ornament Essex's first 'treasure'

According to the Act, archaeological finds can be given the status of Treasure if they are deemed to be of historical, archaeological, or cultural importance.

Rare Roman vehicle ornament depicting a panther with its paws atop a bearded man’s severed head discovered in Essex in 2024.