Happisburgh Footprints Preserve a Walk Along an Ancient Estuary
Photographed before the tide wore them away, the Happisburgh footprints preserve a small group crossing an estuary in Norfolk between about 1 million and 780,000 years ago.
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Ivan Petricevic
Ivan Petricevic is an investigative journalist and researcher with more than a decade of experience covering ancient history, UAP phenomena, space, and science. He writes about space, science, and history for Večernji list and has appeared as an expert on Discovery Channel and History Channel. He founded Curiosmos, where he reports from primary sources, archaeological research, and field investigations.
Lake Michigan’s “Mastodon Stone”: What Divers Actually Found
A line of stones beneath Grand Traverse Bay became an “underwater Stonehenge” online. Here is what divers recorded, what remains unproven and how Lake Huron offers a useful comparison.
Inside Ecuador’s Cueva de los Tayos: The 1976 Expedition Record
Cueva de los Tayos is an oilbird cave in Shuar territory in Ecuador. The 1976 expedition documented cave passages, birds and archaeological questions, not a catalogue of metal books.
The Montoro Stela: 31 Engraved Signs That Defy a Single Script
The Montoro stela bears 31 engraved motifs, some resembling signs from Mediterranean scripts. Researchers cannot date it precisely or identify a readable language.
Homer’s Achilles and the Archaeology of the Real Troy
Troy was a real Bronze Age city, but no inscription or burial identifies Achilles. Homer’s poem preserves a powerful story shaped by generations of oral tradition.
The Sea Peoples and the End of the Bronze Age: A Crisis with Many Causes
Egyptian records describe an attack by groups later called the Sea Peoples. Drought, disrupted trade and political strain were also reshaping the eastern Mediterranean.
Cannabis Smoke at a 2,500-Year-Old Pamir Funeral
Researchers found cannabis residues in braziers and heated stones from Jirzankal Cemetery in the Pamirs. The chemistry links the plant to a mortuary ritual, while its meaning remains unknown.
Triquet Island’s 14,000-Year Record of Coastal Life
Radiocarbon-dated charcoal places activity at Triquet Island as early as 14,000 years ago. The site preserves generations of coastal life, trade and adaptation in Haíɫzaqv territory.
Chile’s Atacama Giant: A Geoglyph on an Ancient Desert Route
The Atacama Giant was made by scraping and arranging the desert surface. Its position near old caravan routes gives researchers context, although its exact identity is unknown.
Inside Abu Ghurab, the Old Kingdom Sun Temple Behind the “Stargate” Claims
Abu Ghurab was a Fifth Dynasty sun temple with an open court, carved basins and a newly excavated valley temple. Its layout points to solar worship and royal ceremony, not a portal.
An Ierapetra Tomb Preserves Two Minoan Burials and More Than 20 Vessels
A sealed tomb near Ierapetra contained two adult burials, two larnakes and more than 20 vessels. Pottery dates the chamber to Late Minoan III, while the occupants remain unknown.
Jōmon Dogū: The Clay Figurines with Goggle Eyes and Missing Limbs
Dogū figurines from Jōmon Japan have been linked to fertility, prayer and healing. Museum records show a varied tradition whose exact rituals remain unknown.
The Roman Ring of Senicianus and the Curse Behind a Tolkien Theory
The Ring of Senicianus and a Roman curse tablet from Lydney may concern the same stolen object. Tolkien knew the site, but the ring’s influence on his fiction remains unproven.
Aztec Carvings Survive in a Colonial Water Tunnel at Ecatepec
Archaeologists documented eleven pre-Hispanic carvings in a colonial-era tunnel at Ecatepec. The stones preserve an older visual world inside a water system rebuilt over centuries.
The 60-Ton Sarcophagus Reused in Egypt’s Forgotten Abydos Dynasty
The red-quartzite sarcophagus at South Abydos weighed about 60 tons and had been moved from its original tomb. Its reuse helped archaeologists connect the burials of two lesser-known Egyptian kings.
Sumerian Cylinder Seals: Pocket-Sized Tools for Securing Ancient Records
Sumerian cylinder seals combined image, identity and security. Their impressions closed containers, marked records and carried a person’s authority across ancient Mesopotamia.
The Ars Notoria: Medieval Prayers for Mastering the Liberal Arts
The Ars Notoria promised medieval readers help with memory and learning through prayer and diagrams. Surviving manuscripts show how its ritual instructions developed.
A 7,000-Year-Old Wooden Tablet from Dispilio, Still Unread
A wooden tablet from the Neolithic settlement of Dispilio dates to about 5260 BC. Its rows of deliberate marks have not been shown to record a language.
Valencina’s Rock-Crystal Dagger: Copper Age Skill and Display
Rock-crystal weapons from Copper Age tombs at Valencina reveal skilled stoneworking and the social value of rare materials in southern Iberia.
Veyre-Monton’s Menhirs: A Stone Alignment Built, Then Buried
Excavations at Veyre-Monton revealed about 30 menhirs, a carved human figure and a large cairn. Many of the stones were later toppled and buried.
Otuzco’s Stone Windows: Cajamarca Tombs Cut into a Fragile Cliff
Ventanillas de Otuzco was a Cajamarca mortuary site cut into volcanic stone. Official surveys describe varied burial chambers and a modern rockfall hazard that threatens the remains.
Track Rock Gap: Reading Georgia’s Petroglyphs in Context
Track Rock Gap’s petroglyphs are documented as Native American. Comparisons with European rock art have raised contact claims, but dating, context and a clear chain of evidence remain essential.
Stone Circles of Senegambia: A Thousand Monuments Along the Gambia River
More than 1,000 stone circles and burial mounds stretch across Senegal and The Gambia. Excavations reveal a long funerary tradition, skilled quarrying and local communities whose identities remain uncertain.
Hierapolis’ Ploutonion: How a Deadly Gas Vent Became a Gateway to Hades
Carbon dioxide pooled around the Ploutonion at Hierapolis, where ancient visitors saw a passage to the underworld. Archaeology and modern gas measurements show how geology and ritual met at the site.