During and after the Black Death, not all infected people were placed in mass graves, a new study reveals. Many of the deceased were buried in ordinary cemeteries. The Black Death in 1348. Engraving in Histoire De France En Cent Tableaux de Paul Lehugeur. As early as the mid-14th century in Europ
The discovery and excavation of a site in Israel revealed the existence of cultural exchanges between populations. The excavation of Nesher Ramla yielded thousands of carved flints, animal remains and the fossil of an Archaic Man. The site of Nesher Ramla is located in central Israel, near the ci
The tragedy occurred in the Seto Sea, in Japan, and the victim was probably a fisherman:more than 790 injuries were recorded on his body. The great white shark is possibly responsible for this 3000 year old attack. He was buried between between 1370 and 1010 BC in the cemetery of Tsukumo. It is a
While the reopening of tombs in the High Middle Ages in Europe has long been attributed to an act of looting, European researchers have just rehabilitated this practice. Funerary spaces and practices in Alsace during the Merovingian and Carolingian periods. From the 5th to the 8th century AD. J.-
Baptized in Marseille on July 2, 2021, this technology-packed boat will be the third building dedicated to underwater archaeology. The Alfred Merlin berthed in front of the Mucem in Marseille. Alfred Merlin (1876-1965) was a historian and archaeologist who, as director of the antiquities service
Like hunting or victory scenes, the presence of wild animals in royal tombs symbolizes the power of the sovereign, capable of mastering chaos. Sculpture in the shape of a cheetah or a lion from the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, discovered in the Valley of the Kings, Thebes, Egypt. This article
Analysis of a skull found in Latvia has revealed the oldest trace of the plague. European scientists have discovered a genome of Yersinia pestis there over 5000 years old. Mandible of a 5000 year old man on which the oldest strain of plague was found. The oldest strain of plague discovered to dat
Analysis of combustion fireplaces in houses at the Çatalhöyük site in Turkey indicates that the owners were exposed to levels of pollution incompatible with current standards. The historic site of Çatalhöyük is still being excavated. The Çatalhöyük site has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage
While not rejoicing in the devastating effects of global warming, researchers do acknowledge that it has created an opportunity to fill the huge gaps in our understanding of life in the mountains several millennia ago. The melting of the glaciers reveals treasures buried for a long time. Conserva
The Mexican government has reiterated its request to Austria to return a precious Aztec headdress of feathers and gold. Currently on display at the Weltmuseum in Vienna, legend has it that this “penacho” belonged to Emperor Moctezuma (1466-1520). This Aztec headdress called El Penacho is on displa
More than 10,000 years ago, a person undertook a short journey with a young child whom she carried at arms length over muddy and slippery ground. Researchers have attempted to reconstruct his journey. In this Ice Age scene, a woman holding a child on the shores of an ancient lake leaves footprints
One would think that after more than three centuries marked by waves of plague, between the start of the Black Death in 1348 and the Great Plague of 1665, Europeans would have learned to slow down the transmission of the disease. But a study proves the opposite extreme:in the 17th century, the plagu
This geoglyph of a pointy-eared cat about 37 meters long was recently brought out of oblivion, its lines having been spotted by a drone flyby. A new geoglyph, more than 2,000 years old and representing a feline, photographed on October 15, 2020 in Nazca A new geoglyph, more than 2,000 years old a
An exhibition Sons of Heaven and the Steppes devoted to Mongolia and Genghis Khan was to open in Nantes. Rather than having its content redacted by Beijing, the Nantes History Museum preferred to cancel the event. Interview with Christian Grataloup, specialist in geohistory of the Old World. Portr
In the city of Tikal, the Mayans had their own way of filtering water. An ingenious technique with compounds still used today for the same purpose. A temple rises above the rainforest in the ancient Mayan city of Tikal. It is not uncommon to be amazed by the extent of knowledge of civilizations t
Richly decorated animals, found sacrificed in southern Peru, highlight Inca rituals. Lamas sacrificed 600 years ago found in an exceptional state of preservation at the archaeological site of Tambo Viejo, in Peru. A warm wind blew on their fleece still present despite six centuries of burial...
The ink used to blacken (and redden) papyri by the ancient Egyptians is far more complex than imagined. Moreover, its composition was already similar to a preparation that will only be found centuries later, among Renaissance painters. Detail of a medical treatise from the library of the temple of
A collection of formulas found in one of the 59 sarcophagi exhumed on October 4, 2020 on the Saqqara plateau, in the heart of the ancient necropolis of Memphis, in Egypt, turned out to be one of the oldest versions of Book of the Dead . Deceased worshiping a crocodile symbol of fertility, detail
Two studies shed new light on the origin of megaliths and the amazing acoustic properties of the British prehistoric monument. The monument consists of several structures, concentric. This article is taken from the monthly n°885 of Sciences et Avenir-La Recherche, on newsstands in November 2020.
The Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Goods exceptionally opened its doors to us in Nanterre, near Paris. Diving into the heart of very sensitive investigations. Police Commander Jean-Luc Boyer, deputy head of the OCBC, in the room that houses cultural property recently
It is known, from scientific and documentary evidence, that the city of Rome suffered up to five earthquakes between the end of Antiquity and the beginning of the Middle Ages. These events happened in the years 443, 484 or 508, 618, 801 and 847. The first of them, from the year 443, is mentioned in
8,000-year-old skulls bearing signs of abuse have been unearthed in central Sweden, revealing an unknown prehistoric ritual This Mesolithic skull was found at the end of a stake at the site of Kanaljorden, Sweden. Sinister discovery south of the 60° parallel! Impaled skulls have been unearthed in
The last exit from Africa, 70,000 to 60,000 years ago, was the right one. That of a small group of humans who, crossing the Red Sea, marks the start of an odyssey. Prehistory, Upper Palaeolithic. A group of Homo sapiens grouped around a fire are carving flint tools. Painting by Francisco Fonollosa
The ravages of pandemics have also had an impact on art. Thus the Black Death gave birth to the 15e century to very codified performances, called Danses macabres. Appearing in France, they will become a recurring theme in European painting illustrating the egalitarian nature of death in the face of