Jerusalem’s ancient water system was not only about finding a spring. It was about controlling what happened when the water came too quickly and when the rain failed to arrive at all. A new study has dated a large dam near the Siloam Pool to roughly 805–795 BCE, during the period when the kingdom of […]

The post Jerusalem’s 2,800-Year-Old Dam Shows How Judah Managed Drought and Flash Floods appeared first on Curiosmos.

Deep within ancient chamber tombs where elite members of society in ancient Greece and Crete were once laid to rest, new evidence has emerged that these high-status individuals wore some out-of-this-world iron jewelry.

Among the most coveted jewelry worn in the Bronze Age Mediterranean world were rings that were likely made from extraterrestrial iron, according to a new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Researchers Matthieu Gounelle and Eleni Mantzourani used chemical analysis to examine more than 90 iron objects from the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, uncovered from 33 archaeological sites, revealing that about one-third of the artifacts were likely crafted using iron that fell from space.

Although iron harvested from ancient meteorites accounted for at least 10 of the rings the researchers examined, another three “might deserve further examination,” the study’s authors say, in new observations that indicate these ancient extraterrestrial adornments “may have been popular power symbols among prominent individuals” that included the Mycenaean and Minoan palatial elite.

Yet despite their apparent significance, the otherworldly fashion trend involving these otherworldly rings seems to have mysteriously vanished by the 12th century BCE, for reasons that remain unclear to researchers.

Meteoritic Iron as a Status Symbol

Using portable X-ray fluorescence, or XRF, to assess these rare artifacts in various museums where they are kept, most of the objects were found to contain very little nickel, if any at all. This is consistent with iron produced using smelting processes from the periods in question, which relied on terrestrial ores.

However, 13 of the objects possessed elevated levels of nickel, which hinted at the likelihood that some of these ancient rings had been crafted with metal originating in meteorites, which contain far more nickel than smelted varieties of iron do.

Another intriguing discovery the researchers made was that each artifact suspected of being made from meteoritic iron was either a whole or fragmentary signet or bezel ring, combining the suspected meteoritic iron with gold, silver, or bronze. Most were also found in various chamber tombs alongside other luxury goods, adding to the likelihood that these unique artifacts may have been considered symbols of status or authority.

Where Did Ancient Greeks Obtain Extraterrestrial Iron?

However, another mystery involves the source of the meteoritic material, which remains uncertain since extraterrestrial iron was uncommon in ancient Greece. Because of this, the team suspects that one reason for this material’s role as a status symbol may have been not just its otherworldly nature, but also the fact that it was likely imported.

“Given the rarity of meteorites in Greece and the established trade networks during the Bronze Age, we propose that the source of the raw meteoritic material was Egypt,” the team writes, “where meteorites are numerous due to the abundance of deserts.”

Several famous examples of meteoritic iron have been recovered from Egypt, which include a dagger found among the items entombed with the Pharaoh Tutankhamun.

The abundance of rings made from this extraterrestrial metal contrasts with the more common iron objects that appear to have been made from smelted material. This suggests that ancient metalworkers recognized the distinction between the materials, and ascribed higher value to the far rarer meteoritic forms of iron.

An Otherworldly Fashion Trend Goes Missing

Curiously, the researchers also found that by around the 12th century BCE, this otherworldly fashion trend appears to have almost completely vanished, and for reasons that remain unclear.

Possible reasons for this may include interruptions to trade networks, political upheaval, or simply changes in trends from the period. However, one potential clue is that the ancient Greeks’ production of meteoritic iron rings seems to have ended coinciding with the collapse of the Mycenaean palace system.

“Such a development could be related to economic, social or political changes,” the team speculates, although they also acknowledge more mundane possibilities.

“It is also possible that the meteoritic finger ring fashion, almost exclusive to Minoan and Mycenaean Late Bronze Age, has ‘naturally’ faded away as does any fashion,” the researchers write.

The recent study, “Iron in Greece in the second millennium B.C.E.,” appeared in the Journal of Archaeological Science. 

Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.

A team of researchers from the University of Burgos and the Atapuerca Foundation has published the first detailed analysis of the bone retouchers found in the Valdegoba cave, in the municipality of Huérmeces (Burgos). This site, occupied by Neanderthals during the Middle Paleolithic, has yielded 38 bone fragments that were used as tools to retouch […]

The desert north of Arabia has kept a Roman military story out of sight for almost two thousand years. Now three angular traces in the landscape are giving archaeologists a possible route to follow. Researchers working with satellite imagery have identified three Roman marching camps in the Harrat al-Shaam region, close to the ancient frontier […]

The post Three Roman Desert Camps May Reveal a Hidden Campaign Against Nabataea appeared first on Curiosmos.

Archaeologists have discovered two giant rock scallop beads that push back the clock on the first appearance of these high-status ornaments. The discovery shows that these prized marine beads were traded hundreds of miles from the California coast thousands of years earlier than previously thought.

Archaeologists have discovered two giant rock scallop beads that push back the clock on the first appearance of these high-status ornaments. The discovery shows that these prized marine beads were traded hundreds of miles from the California coast thousands of years earlier than previously thought.

Archaeologists have discovered two giant rock scallop beads that push back the clock on the first appearance of these high-status ornaments. The discovery shows that these prized marine beads were traded hundreds of miles from the California coast thousands of years earlier than previously thought.

A laser survey of southwestern Amazonia has changed the scale of an old archaeological question. The aircraft did not reveal a hidden stone city, and it did not count 20,000 monuments one by one. What it did reveal was a dense pattern of ancient earthworks beneath the forest canopy—enough for the research team to estimate […]

The post LiDAR Suggests More Than 20,000 Ancient Earthworks in the Amazon appeared first on Curiosmos.

Modern humans and Neanderthals may have shared more than land and genes. They may have also shared culture. Modern humans and Neanderthals may have shared more than territory, tools, and genes. New evidence from a cave in southern Türkiye suggests the two groups may also have exchanged ideas and developed similar symbolic traditions over thousands [...]

When archaeologists began excavating a large ancient settlement near Tel Aviv in 2012, among the many discoveries at the 9000-year-old site were as many as 400 locally crafted artifacts made from obsidian.

One reason this was so significant is that this dark volcanic glass is absent in Northern Israel, and discoveries in the region ultimately helped trace it back to quarry sites in central Turkey. Although the importation of non-local source materials in the ancient world is not particularly unusual, another discovery archaeologists soon made proved more baffling: the appearance of unusual engravings on several arrowheads produced from this ancient Anatolian obsidian.

Now, a rare collection of these uniquely engraved projectiles is providing archaeologists with deeper insights into the presence of a mysterious symbolic tradition that was practiced long ago by some of the earliest farming communities 9,000 years ago.

The Mystery of Anatolia’s Engraved Arrowheads

In a recent study published in Plos One, an international research team examined a collection of eleven previously undocumented arrowheads unearthed at Tepecik-Çiftlik, a Neolithic settlement in Cappadocia. These ancient projectiles are each decorated with carefully carved incisions, the purpose of which remains baffling to archaeologists.

The rare discoveries have been grouped with an exceptionally uncommon class of ancient stone artifacts, which have only been found in Central Anatolia, and were only known to have been produced during the late eighth and seventh millennia BCE. With the inclusion of the new set, which became the focus of the team’s study, the total number of these unusual artifacts rises to 43 that have been documented across the region.

These projectile points are unique among arrowheads, which are one of the most common artifacts from the ancient world, since the purpose of their engravings remains unclear. A range of theories have been proposed, which include the idea that some may have been personal identifiers; other theories propose clan symbols, hunters’ marks, or even ritual or symbolic reasons for their presence on the ancient obsidian weapons.

Unraveling the Mystery

Study authors Alice Vinet and Denis Guilbeau took a cautionary approach, warning that current evidence remains insufficient to draw any firm conclusions about the unusual markings.

“The analysis of these incised arrowheads, along with the limited archaeological and ethnographic comparisons available, calls for a cautious interpretation,” the authors write.

To try to understand the possible meaning behind these markings, the researchers conducted a detailed analysis that examined technological, functional, and iconographic aspects of the markings. Based on macroscopic evaluations, the source of the obsidian was determined to likely come from volcanic sources at Göllüdağ and Nenezi Dağ in Turkey, both of which are recognized by archaeologists as sources of high-quality volcanic glass during the Neolithic.

Despite their simplicity, the engraved designs on the samples the team examined showed significant diversity. However, no consistent relationship emerged between the incisions and the raw materials used to craft the arrowheads; nor were any connections apparent regarding manufacturing techniques, shapes, or in terms of use patterns.

One potentially important observation was that some of the engravings appear to have been made before the tools were completed, while other examples showed signs of engraving after completion. This suggests there had been no standardized stage during production when the markings were applied that may provide clues in terms of a possible meaning behind the markings (such as a kind of label or other marking that might have been used to designate individual samples before being knapped into projectiles).

Despite the variations between samples, their overall comparison with other samples recovered from Central Anatolian sites in the region did appear to show recurring design components, suggesting continuity that could indicate a shared visual tradition that was incorporated across multiple ancient communities in the area.

Location Offers Clues

Another intriguing aspect of the team’s study involves the locations where they were recovered. As opposed to simply being found in ceremonial contexts, some of the projectiles were found in the remnants of homes, while others were found in lithic production sites or during archaeological surveys, which seems to suggest the engraved obsidian arrowheads saw use in a wide range of everyday activities and practices.

Still, based on their rarity and constrained geographic distribution, the persistence throughout several centuries of Anatolian prehistory seems to point to a unique cultural practice in the region, the full significance of which remains unknown. For now, their presence offers a unique look at the ancient hunters and farmers from one of the earliest settled societies, suggesting that even artifacts with largely practical uses may have held greater significance in terms of the symbolic importance they held for their ancient makers.

 The recent study, “Intentional incisions on Neolithic Obsidian arrowheads from Central Anatolia: A techno-functional and iconographic approach,” appeared in Plos One on July 28, 2026.

Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.

The Egyptian archaeological mission under the authority of the Supreme Council of Antiquities has brought to light, during excavation work carried out in the archaeological area of Kom el-Khilgan, in the Dakahlia Governorate, a necropolis whose origins date back to the Predynastic Period and whose use continued through the Greek and Roman eras, together with […]

A team of Mexican and Slovenian archaeologists has reported the discovery of a Maya city in the northern reaches of Mexico’s Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, a dense forested landscape already known for its extraordinary concentration of ancient settlements. The site has been named Minanbé, an expression in Yucatec Maya that the researchers translate as “there is […]

The post Minanbé: Archaeologists Find an Intact Maya City Deep in the Calakmul Reserve appeared first on Curiosmos.

Chemical analysis of Bronze Age iron objects indicate that Greek nobles may have indulged in signet rings made with precious metal from the sky.

A research team led by Koji Ishiya of Kanazawa University reconstructed exceptionally high-coverage genomes from two ancient individuals in Japan: IY1, a woman from the Initial Jomon period who lived about 8,300 years ago, and DO, a man from the Middle Yayoi period who lived about 2,300 years ago.

An unfinished Neolithic loaf may be the oldest fermented bread ever identified.

The fortress also hid everything from medieval monks to prehistoric communities.

A ritual well with unique characteristics has emerged in the archaeological area of the ancient Etruscan city of Kainua, near Marzabotto, in a discovery that the scientific community is already describing as extraordinary. Located within the sacred precinct dedicated to the deity Uni, the well has brought to light a collection of exceptionally crafted objects […]

The history of the Roman Empire is often told through the exploits of emperors and generals, but the mechanisms of daily administration and, especially, the relationships between central power and the provinces, constitute an equally revealing field of study to understand the dynamics of that civilization. In this context, the discovery and subsequent analysis of […]

The silvery fur of the hamadryas baboon is, under a spectrometer, nearly the exact color of moonlight, which may explain why ancient Egyptians made a monkey the face of their moon god, according to a new study in Time and Mind.

The work, from biological anthropologist Nathaniel Dominy of Dartmouth College and primatologist Catherine Hobaiter of the University of St Andrews, takes an old Egyptological question and points an instrument at it. Thoth, god of the moon, writing, and magic, had two sacred animals: the ibis and the baboon. The ibis makes sense. A curved beak echoing a crescent, white plumage the same color as the moon’s glow.

The baboon, however, has long “defied explanation,” as one Egyptologist put it; the key problem being that baboons didn’t live in Egypt.

Egypt’s pantheon features many local creatures, from the jackals that haunted its cemeteries to the cow that stood in for the mother goddess Hathor. But no wild baboon has ever been found in Holocene Egypt. The hundreds recovered from tombs and temples were all imports, carried in by ship from somewhere down the Red Sea coast. Of all the animal gods, the baboon is the only foreigner.

“Why would two such different animals be used to represent one deity? Most other Egyptian deities are represented by just one type of animal. Ancient Egyptians were familiar with at least three species of ibis, but they chose the white one for embodying Thoth. They were also familiar with two species of baboon, along with vervet monkeys and patas monkeys, but again they chose the silver-white species,” explained lead author Professor Catherine Hobaiter in a press statement.

According to the study, the Egyptians were picky. They knew two species of baboon and three of ibis, and each time they deified only one of each.

“Sacred ibises and hamadryas baboons are different in many ways, but one thing that unites them is their moon-like colour,” Hobaiter said.

To test whether color was the thread, the team recorded reflectance spectra from the hair of 12 baboon specimens at the American Museum of Natural History and lined them up against the measured spectrum of moonlight. The olive baboon came back green, peaking around 525 to 650 nanometers (which is precisely why it is called the olive baboon). The hamadryas came back silver-gray, roughly 65 percent brighter, with a curve the authors call “indistinguishable from moonlight.”

 

According to the study and historical records, the living emblem of Thoth is not just the hamadryas but the mature male, with his heavy silver shoulder mantle and white cheek ruffs. This head of hair is so reflective the authors clock it as brighter than a golden lion tamarin, a monkey practically famous for glowing. The Germans noticed too. Their name for the animal is Silberpavian, the silver baboon.

There is a stranger layer beneath the color. Egyptians kept baboons in their temples partly to watch them, because the animals seemed to answer to the moon. There are historical records which indicate that male baboons in Egypt, during a fifth-century solar eclipse, fell into a state of “grief” and, according to the ancient writer, entered a sort of trance of reverence. 

Modern ethologists watching zoo baboons during the 2017 total eclipse logged something uncomfortably close: activity falling away, the animals going quiet and huddling together. The Egyptians, in effect, may have kept a small colony of living eclipse detectors and read their unease as devotion.

History being what it is, and not an exact science, the authors are careful not to pretend that their findings are direct evidence as to why Ancient Egyptians made gods of baboons. A spectrometer can confirm that a baboon is the color of moonlight. It cannot confirm that the color is why anyone bowed to it. The argument rests on a 2024 etymology tracing Thoth’s name to a word meaning roughly “bright-thing.”

There is also an irony the study mostly steps around. The male’s silver mantle did not evolve to look like the moon; it evolved as a sexual signal, a way for dominant males to advertise themselves to other baboons. The Egyptians took a mating ornament and read it as a message from the sky.

That may be the most human thing in the whole account. The Egyptians were meticulous observers who noticed that one animal, in one sex, at one particular brightness, resembled the thing they worshiped, and decided the resemblance meant something.

One of those baboons even has a name. Harnufi was brought to Egypt in the sixth year of Ptolemy V and entombed 31 years later, on September 6, 168 BC. Someone counted out his life in years, mummified him, and laid him down as a small gray piece of the moon.