The Tomb of Emperor Wen of Han

Who was this Emperor called Wen of Han, you ask, and why was he important? Well, he's a well-known figure in Chinese history. He reigned from 180 BC to 157 BC, and it is said that during his reign, China enjoyed both peace and prosperity. Now, no one really knew where he was buried.

But, researchers learned that a tomb they discovered back in 2006 belongs to no other than Emperor Wen himself. His tomb contained over 1000 small statues as well as bronze, iron, and pottery relics. This finding sealed the deal, and now researchers know where all Western Han emperors were buried.

How the Curia Pompeia Was Established

Curia Pompeia? What's that? Isn't that the name of some Paco Rabanne fragrance? Well, no. It used to be the place where Roman senators would meet during the times of the Roman Republic. While we don't know exactly when it was built, researchers believe that during the time of the Roman general Pompey the Great.

But, only recently, it was discovered that this amazing site was actually built during three different time periods. Firstly during the period of Pompey in 55 BC. Then, around 19 BC, during the time of Augustus. And finally, around the early medieval period. How cool is that?

This Is the Earliest Proof of Maize Being Used

You probably haven't spent too much time thinking about Maize. Unless you are an aficionado of polenta or popcorn, that is. But maybe you should have thought about it a little more since this domesticated cereal grain pretty much rules our lives.

Recently, a new study found the earliest evidence of this grain being a dietary staple. Basically, about 5600 years ago, migrants from South America brought with them unique types of corn, and these, in turn, were used to help sustain the ancient Maya civilization. How was discovery actually made? The dental remains of the new migrants were analyzed! That's so cool.

The Origins of the Avars Warriors Confirmed

Around 1500 years ago, after the Western Roman Empire collapsed, there was a group of warriors in Europe called The Avars. Not to be confused with Avatars, the people we're talking about here did not come from a different planet nor can they bend the elements to their will. This group was ultimately overpowered in the 8th century, and although we've always known how they were defeated, their origins were unclear.

But, lately, we learned that they most likely came to Europe from Mongolia. This was confirmed using the DNA of an Avar warrior's remains. It's amazing what we can learn and confirm by using DNA.

These Bronze Age Daggers

How much of your time do you spend thinking about daggers? Probably not much, but not the same can be said of the researchers who have been studying copper-alloy daggers. While they knew these were common during the Bronze Age in Europe, they were not sure what they were actually used for.

After all, there is so much that a human can do with a sharp object — hunt, slice, chop, shave — you name it! After developing a new method of extraction of organic residues, the researchers got their answer. The daggers were used as butchering knives, helping Bronze Age people turn livestock into delicious dishes.

These Baths that Belonged to Herod the Great

Does Herod the Great need an introduction? Well, just in case you're rushing to Wikipedia, let's give you a quick one. He was the king of Judea right around the time that Jesus was born. The king was wildly known for his love of luxury, and honestly, we can't blame him. He had himself calcite-alabaster baths, which were believed to have been brought to him from Egypt.

In 2022 it was discovered that the calcite-alabaster actually originated in the Te’omim cave in Israel. This means that there was probably a booming calcite-alabaster industry in Judea during the time of the first century BC.

This Mayan Tooth With Gemstones

Wait, what? Gemstones in teeth? And here we were thinking that the dental grills were a modern-day invention! Who thought that Mayan people had so much in common with today's rappers? We certainly did not expect that. A new study sheds some light on the fact that Mayans would glue gemstones to their teeth.

Most likely, they used plant resins as adhesives for this ancient form of bling. What were these adhesives actually made out of? Samples taken from the teeth prove that they were made out of pine trees, which incredibly also had qualities that fight tooth decay. Two for one!

The People Who Were in the Volcano Eruption in Pompeii

Have you heard of the terrible and unfortunate Mt. Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD? We won't hold it against you if you didn't. We will hold it against your teacher for not teaching you, though. Sadly, many people died in that eruption, but luckily new technology has enabled us to learn more about them.

Remains of the people who were there were found in 1914 in a place called the House of the Craftsman in Pompeii. Recently scientists sequenced the genome of some of the victims, learning a ton of valuable information about people of the time and how similar there actually are to modern Italians.

This Amazing Theory About the Domestication of Chickens

What's the connection between rice and chicken? (You know, other than the obvious connection that is your dinner plate.) Apparently, scientists believe that the two were always together since the beginning of time. According to new studies, it's most likely that chickens were domesticated as long as 3,500 years ago in Southeast Asia.

They were domesticated in the rice fields, not in order to turn into chicken tenders, but in order to be grown as exotic creatures or kept as pets. Chickens and rice were spreading together across Asia and Africa, so much so that chickens were perceived as sacred.

This Anonymous God of Palmyra

When studying the ancient culture of the Syrian city of Palmyra, there has always been one anonymous god that perplexed archaeologists for decades. Finally, in 2022, there was a breakthrough in helping archaeologists learn more about the anonymous deity.

2,500 inscriptions in the language of Aramaic were found and translated. This language is linguistically close to both Hebrew and Arabic though nowadays, there are no native speakers of it. The findings mean that there is a strong chance the anonymous god was not one, but many different deities. This means the people of the Syrian city of Palmyra probably practiced a polytheistic religion.

This Lost City Was Finally Found

The idea of a lost city makes us think of Atlantis — a place submerged somewhere in an untouched corner of the ocean. But the truth is that history has its fair share of lost cities. Natounia is the name of one such lost city. This one is believed to have existed in the region of today's Iraq.

While many believed this city existed, others firmly thought it was just a myth since there was no historical evidence to support it. In 2022, an answer was finally found. A fortress called Rabana-Merquly might be part of the remains of the city.

This Is What Mayans Did With Their Dead

This might sound a bit brutal but try to remember that the process you're about to read about was done to a dead body and that it was done in a thoughtful ritual. So, when a Mayan leader died, he was not simply buried.

Mexican researchers have found urns that helped them understand what the Mayans did with their dead. Their remains, ashes, were mixed with plant roots, coal, and rubber to create an early version of rubber balls. They then used the balls to play a ritual game called pelota. It is believed the urns were where the balls were being created.

This Roman Lopsided Dice

Dice are not a new invention. Evidence shows that dice were used for thousands of years. Yes, unsurprisingly, humans were into gambling and games of chance for as long as they have been around. The Romans especially enjoyed playing with dice, but they made weird ones that were both asymmetrical and also biased.

Apparently, the reason for that was that Romans thought the gods could influence the result of a die roll. They assumed that the gods would prefer the larger side, which is why they made certain sides bigger than others. So, in some kind of backward way, they were actually trying to make their dice fairer.

This New Bantus Route Discovered

Who were the Bantu peoples? They were a group of people who were all united by a group language they all spoke, called the Bantu language. They most likely existed around 2500 years ago.

At first, it was thought that they had no way of surviving in the forests of Central Africa. But a recent study proved that the Bantu people were older than anyone imagined. They most likely existed 4,000 years ago, and they actually did migrate through the rainforests of Central Africa. This should be a lesson to never doubt a person's ability to survive in their native habitat.

These Mystery Metals, Used in China in the First Millenium

The Kao Gong Ji, an old and mysterious Chinese text, one that is believed to be over 2000 years old, mentions two ingredients used to make Bronze. Except that these two ingredients have been a mystery for over 100 years. Simply called “jin” and “xi” it was unclear what they might be.

It was believed they were copper and tin, but in 2022 it was confirmed that the two ingredients were actually compounds. One was of copper, tin, and lead. The other is just copper and lead. This means that when making Bronze, the Chinese mixed alloys, not pure metals.

This Evidence of the Shift in the Minoan Civilization

Minoan-who? Let us save you some googling and tell you that they were an Aegean civilization from the Bronze Age who lived in Crete and other Aegean Islands. For years it was thought the Minoans had a huge change in shift and culture because they were invaded by the Mycenaeans.

You see, 3500 years ago, the Minoans saw a big shift in culture with their language, clothes, and even economic system seeing a sudden change. But new research shows while the elite did change everything about their culture in order to fit in with the Mycenaeans, the commoners continued with their own unique traditions.

This New Information About the Pyramids

The Pyramids are still one of humanity's greatest mysteries. One example of that is the fact that they were built using incredibly heavy materials like granite and limestone during a time with no known technology that could lift or hoist those materials.

So, how did they move all those things around? Researchers found that there was a unique arm of the Nile that was used specifically in order to transport these heavy materials from place to place. The arm was called Khufu Branch, and it was located near the pyramids of Giza, Scientists believe the branch dried around 600 BC.

The World’s Oldest Complete Star Map

Have you heard of Hipparchus? He was a Greek astronomer from the 2nd century BC and he was probably the best authority on stars during his time. Think of an ancient Neil DeGrasse Tyson but Greek. People believed for a long time that he was the first person to try and make a full star map. The problem is that there was no evidence of that, only literary references alluding to that.

But finally, in 2022, a piece of his star map was found hidden under a medieval manuscript. The book was found in a Monastery in Egypt. Finally, proof!

This Evidence of a Migration That Altered Britain’s DNA

If you know anything about Britain's history, you've noticed that the Celts lived in it and ruled it for a while. But how did they get there? New evidence shows that it was anywhere between 1400 BC and 870 BC.

At that time, there was a huge migration to Britain. Actually, many of the people living there today are actually descendants of these migrants. They also changed the overall DNA of the population, introducing a gene that helps with milk digestion. So if any of you are descent from Britain and somehow not lactose intolerant, these are the people you have to thank.

The Statue of Liberty When It Was Still in Paris and Covered