The baptistery was discovered near Bekalta, Tunisia, and is now a significant part of the paleo-Christian collection at the archaeological museum in Sousse.
It was built during the 2nd century AD, and rediscovered, under an old church, when Benito Mussolini initiated a plan for massive urban renewal of Rome's historic Capitoline Hill neighbourhood
Recently, a vast treasure was discovered during an archaeological excavation at the Abbey of Cluny, in the French department of Saône-et-Loire. Consisting of 2,200 silver deniers and oboles, 21 Islamic gold dinars, a signet ring, and other objects made of gold, it is a singular witness to the financial importance of this centre. Of particular interest is a golden signet ring with a red intaglio showing a Roman bust. An engraving – AVETE – denotes something like “hail thee”.
Discovered in Egypt 🇪🇬 (many similar fragments come from excavations in the ancient city of Fustat, now Cairo). It is made entirely of cotton, a plant fiber typical of Egyptian and Islamic textile production of the period. It features abstract geometric patterns and decorative bands in white and blue. To obtain the different shades of blue on the cotton yarn, a natural pigment derived from indigo was used. The sock was worked in the round (probably starting from the toe upward) with a very high stitch density, demonstrating the refined craftsmanship of the craftsmen of the time. The heel was often inserted separately so that it could be easily mended or replaced once worn from contact with sandals.
At the center lay a human skeleton surrounded by carefully arranged ceramic jars and piles of silver and gold coins, a discovery that offers a rare glimpse into the beliefs, wealth, and rituals of the ancient world.
Experts believe the burial dates back between 1,600 and 1,800 years. The large number of coins suggests the deceased may have been a person of high status, or that the grave served as a hidden emergency hoard during a dangerous period in Roman history. Some of the jars likely once contained wine, oil, or grain, offerings meant to provide comfort and sustenance in the afterlife.
Several coins were found placed inside and atop the vessels, possibly connected to the ancient tradition of “Charon’s obol” — the payment believed necessary for the soul to cross the river Styx into the underworld. The careful placement of every object points to a highly ritualized burial ceremony designed to honor and protect the dead.
For archaeologists and numismatists, discoveries like this are incredibly valuable. Every coin helps trace trade routes, economic conditions, and currency circulation across the Roman Empire. The burial itself also reveals how provincial Roman communities viewed death, status, and the journey into the next life.
Thousands of years later, each jar, coin, and bone continues to tell the story of a civilization that shaped much of the ancient world.
Surrounding his tomb were four Panathenaic amphorae dating to around 480 BC: with Athena on one side and depictions of athletic events on the other, these were just a few of the prizes that victors in the Panathenaic Games of ancient Athens won. -
on display at the National Museum at Taranto, Italy
First brought to global attention in 1942, the site was long thought to be the resting place of pilgrims killed by a catastrophic hailstorm more than 1,000 years ago. But DNA analysis published in 2019 revealed a far more complicated story. The remains did not belong to a single group or a single event. Some individuals were South Asians who died between the 7th and 10th centuries AD, while others had ancestry linked to the eastern Mediterranean, including Crete, and died in the 19th century. Why people from such distant regions ended up at this isolated Himalayan lake remains unknown. Nearly 80 years after its discovery, Roopkund continues to be one of archaeology’s most puzzling unsolved mysteries. 📸: Atish Waghwase 📸: Awanish Tirkey
Two gold bracelets and gold earrings were also found by the woman's side Photograph by O. Louis Mazzatenta, Nat Geo Image Collection
Most of them show signs of extensive wear or were cannibalized for parts to repair shoes that survived the great purge of 212. This leather sandal is in good condition with only a tear along the seam of the hell. The shoelaces are gone, but there’s a slot where they would have tied together.
Weighing 2.2 kg and measuring about 30 cm in diameter, the disc features a blue-green patina and gold symbols depicting a sun or full moon, a lunar crescent, and stars (including the Pleiades). Later, two golden arcs were added to the sides, forming an 82° angle that accurately represents the distance between sunset positions during the summer and winter solstices at the latitude of the Mittelberg (51°N). Another arc at the bottom has been interpreted as a Solar Barge with numerous oars or as the Milky Way. While earlier earthworks and megalithic structures like the Goseck circle and Stonehenge had been used to mark solstices, the Nebra Sky Disc is the oldest known portable instrument for such measurements.
The figures, rendered in ochre hues, dance across the sandstone canvas. Some are adorned with elaborate headdresses or skirts, hinting at ritual or ceremonial significance. The desert winds have gently eroded the rock face, blurring the edges of the figures, yet their presence remains vivid. The ancient artists captured a moment of life in the heart of the Sahara, a testament to human creativity and resilience. Their work whispers of stories untold, of a time when the desert teemed with life, and the human spirit soared against the backdrop of endless sands.
is a carved, circular Aztec stone, depicting the dismembered body of the Aztec moon goddess, Coyolxauhqui, who was vanquished by her brother, the sun god Huitzilopochtli. It was discovered by utility workers in 1978 while digging near the Zócalo. Originally, the stone was situated at the base of the stairs of the Templo Mayor, the main temple of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan.
It was a settlement which contained goddess figures, dwellings made of mammoth bones, and many flint tools and bone implements. Actually it is not a single site but really an area on the right bank of the Don River in the region of the villages of Kostenki and Borshevo, consisting of more than twenty site locations, all dating to the Paleolithic.