Tech & Engineering
Welcome to the Tech and Engineering news section, where we explore how modern technology and engineering are transforming our understanding of the ancient world. This section highlights the innovative tools and methods being used to uncover, analyze, and preserve ancient artifacts and sites.
Archaeology
Archaeologists use revolutionary GPR robot to explore Viking Age site
Archaeologist from NIKU are using a revolutionary new GPR robot to explore a Viking Age site in Norway’s Sandefjord municipality.
Heritage
Ford Nucleon – The atomic-powered car
The Nucleon is an unrealised concept car designed by the Ford Motor Company in 1957.
Archaeology
Lasers are mapping Scotland’s subterranean Iron Age structures
Archaeologists from AOC Archaeology have been using lasers to map subterranean Iron Age structures, such as the Cracknie Souterrain, an Iron Age passageway in the Borgie Forest, Scotland.
Archaeology
Dedicated archaeology community launches on Mastodon
Whilst Twitter appears to be going extinct with all the turmoil and public drama, a new haven for archaeology has been launched on the social network, Mastodon.
Archaeology
Gold from ancient Troy, Poliochni and Ur had the same origin
Scientists, using an innovative mobile laser method have determined that gold found in ancient Troy, Poliochni and Ur had the same origin.
Scientists uncover traces of fire-use 800,000 years ago
Scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science have been able to detect nonvisual traces of fire dating back at least 800,000 years, one of the earliest known examples for the controlled use of fire.
Acoustic remote sensing reveals sunken Roman city of Baia
NORBIT Subsea and 2BControl, in collaboration with the Institute of Heritage Science of the Italian National Research Council have conducted a study of the partially submerged Roman city of Baia in the Gulf of Naples, Italy.
Leather scale armour proves technology transfer occurred in antiquity
Researchers at the University of Zurich have investigated a unique leather scale armour found in the tomb of a horse rider in Northwest China.
Why archaeology will be the next harbour for technology
We are entering a golden era of archaeological discoveries where technology will be at its core.
3D technology reveals the mysterious Rongorongo language of Easter Island
Researchers have created a three-dimensional model of a tablet covered in the mysterious Rongorongo handwriting from Easter Island, revealing lost symbols that are invisible to the naked eye.
Archaeologists to bring the prehistoric landscape of Doggerland to life
A project led by the University of Bradford, involving 15 universities and 63 heritage collections, will bring the prehistoric landscape of Doggerland back to life using advanced mapping techniques.
Archaeologists teach computers to sort ancient pottery
Archaeologists at Northern Arizona University are hoping a new technology they helped pioneer will change the way scientists study the broken pieces left behind by ancient societies.
New Technology Allows Scientists First Glimpse of Intricate Details of Little Foot’s Life
In June 2019, an international team brought the complete skull of the 3.67-million-year-old Little Foot Australopithecus skeleton, from South Africa to the UK and achieved unprecedented imaging resolution of its bony structures and dentition in an X-ray synchrotron-based investigation at the UK's national synchrotron, Diamond Light Source.
Virtual Interactive Environment of Ancient Tomb of Ramesses VI
The tomb of Pharaoh Ramesses VI in the Valley of the Kings has been digitally scanned to create a virtual interactive high-resolution environment.
Virtual Interactive Environment of Ancient Egyptian Temple of Abu Simbel
The Great Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel in Egypt has been digitally scanned to create a virtual interactive high-resolution environment.
Modern Computational Tools May Open a New Era for Fossil Pollen Research
One of the best sources of information on the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems and plant diversity over millions of years is fossil pollen.
Artificial Intelligence Reveals Hundreds of Millions of Trees in the Sahara
If you think that the Sahara is covered only by golden dunes and scorched rocks, you aren't alone. Perhaps it's time to shelve that notion.
Animal Mummies Unwrapped With Hi-Res 3D X-rays
Three mummified animals from ancient Egypt have been digitally unwrapped and dissected by researchers, using high-resolution 3D scans that give unprecedented detail about the animals' lives - and deaths - over 2000 years ago.
Researchers Unlock Secrets of the Past With New International Carbon Dating Standard
Radiocarbon dating is set to become more accurate than ever after an international team of scientists improved the technique for assessing the age of historical objects.
Google Launches Hieroglyphic Translator
Google has launched a new translator for Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics based on machine learning.