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The Dog Rock

The dog rock in Walpole, Massachusetts.

The Old Providence Journal Building

A 2000-Year-Old Thracian Chariot with Horse Skeletons Found in Bulgaria

The 2,000-year-old Thracian chariot discovered in 2008 near the village of Karanovo, Bulgaria, is a remarkably preserved artifact. Excavated by a team led by archaeologist Veselin Ignatov, the 1st century A.D. burial site contained a disassembled four-wheeled wooden chariot, silver-coated decorations, and the sacrificed skeletons of two horses and a hunting dog.

Location: Eastern Mound of Karanovo, Bulgaria (near Nova Zagora).

Age: 1st Century A.D. (about 2,000 years old).

The Chariot: A four-wheeled wooden cart with a wheel diameter of 1.2 meters, heavily embellished with bronze and silver-coated figures (including Eros and riding mythical creatures).

Fauna Skeletons: The perfectly arranged skeletons of two horses (still positioned as if attached to a draft pole) and one hunting dog.

The Nobleman: Later excavations in (2009) located a nearby brick tomb belonging to a wealthy Thracian aristocrat or ruler buried with golden rings, coins, glass and silver cups, and armor.

Historical Context: This type of lavish "chariot burial" was practiced by the Thracian nobility to symbolize prestige, wealth, and to provide transportation for the deceased into the afterlife.

Caligulas Ring

A 2,000-year-old sapphire ring, often attributed to Roman Emperor Caligula, features a delicate portrait engraved into the stone, widely believed to be his fourth and final wife, Caesonia. Crafting a ring from a single piece of sapphire was an immense technical feat in antiquity.

The Ring:

The Material: It is a hololith, meaning the entire ring (both the stone and the band) was carved out of a single piece of sky-blue sapphire.

The Engraving: The bezel features the profile of a woman, which historians and gem collectors associate with Caligula's empress, Milonia Caesonia.

Current Status: The ring is part of the legendary Marlborough Gems collection. It previously surfaced at an auction through the royal jewelers Wartski.

1,200-Year-Old Gold Hoard Found at Ancient Saudi Settlement

Archaeologists have unearthed a 1,200-year-old hoard of gold, silver and gemstones that was buried along a medieval pilgrimage route in Saudi Arabia.

Archaeologists in Saudi Arabia have unearthed a clay pot full of gold, silver and gemstone-encrusted jewelry that may have been buried by an Islamic pilgrim en route to Mecca more than a millennium ago.

The team nicknamed the hoard the "Diriyah Treasure" after the archaeological site where it was discovered. Located on the outskirts of Riyadh, Diriyah was a key station on the Hajj route for Islamic pilgrims between Basra, Iraq, and Mecca, Saudi Arabia. According to archaeologists with the Saudi Heritage Commission who have been excavating Diriyah for six years, radiocarbon analysis of organic remains puts the main settlement in the period of 743 to 753.

During the recent excavation season, archaeologists discovered gypsum water basins and the walls of several residential buildings. Inside the structures, they found fragments of pottery and glass — but the buried ceramic jar containing over 100 pieces of jewelry was a surprise.

"One of the most important discoveries of this sixth season was the uncovering of the 'Diriyah Treasure,' which consists of a collection of gold pieces, gemstones and oxidized copper fragments," a laboratory expert with the Saudi Heritage Commission said in a translated video.

Although Diriyah is better known for being the first Saudi state and the original location of the House of Saud (the ruling family of Saudi Arabia) beginning in the 18th century, its history goes back much further.

The treasure hoard was likely buried during the early years of the Abbasid caliphate, which came to power in 750 and was destroyed by the Mongols in 1258. Named after one of Muhammad's uncles, the Abbasid caliphs helped usher in the Islamic Golden Age in which cultural and scientific activity flourished. Geographically, the Abbasid Empire stretched from North Africa to Iran but was concentrated primarily in the Arabian Peninsula and present-day Iraq, with its capital at Baghdad.

According to Islamic tradition, every adult who can afford it and is physically able to make it is supposed to make a pilgrimage — called the Hajj — to the holiest Islamic city, Mecca, at least once. During the Abbasid period, Diriyah was an important stop on the pilgrimage route between Basra, a port city in southern Iraq near the Arabian Gulf, and Mecca on the west coast of Saudi Arabia.

Experts do not yet know why the jewelry decorated with floral patterns and geometric motifs was buried at Diriyah or whether it belonged to a pilgrim. But it is clear that skilled metalworkers crafted the pieces, Gulf News reported, by shaping sheets of gold, embossing them, and inlaying semiprecious gems.

Additional archaeological excavation at Diriyah is planned for the future.

By Kristina Killgrove.

Roman Mosaic Floor Discovered in Verona, Italy.

The mosaic was uncovered in 2020 during routine utility work to replace gas pipes.

Origin: It is believed to be part of a 4th or 5th-century AD villa, potentially belonging to the Ostrogoth king Theodoric the Great.

Theodoric (born AD 454—died Aug. 30, 526, Ravenna) was the king of the Ostrogoths (from 471), who invaded Italy in 488 and completed the conquest of virtually the entire peninsula and Sicily by 493, making himself king of Italy (493–526) and establishing his capital at Ravenna.

Ancient Greek Theater Mask Found in Croatian

Archaeologists have uncovered a remarkably preserved terracotta head depicting a Greek theatrical mask inside the Crno Jezero (Black Lake) cave on the Pelješac Peninsula in Croatia.

Dating from the 4th to 3rd centuries BC, the hollow mask features a suspension hole at the top, suggesting it was once hung on a wall, likely as part of ritual activity associated with Dionysus, the Greek god of theatre and wine.

According to archaeologist Domagoj Perkić, head of the Archaeological Museum, the discovery raises intriguing questions about the cave’s religious significance and the possible worship of Dionysus or an Illyrian equivalent deity.

“Thanks to their location in a hidden, intact part of the cave, the finds have remained intact and almost completely preserved, almost like a frozen image more than two thousand years old,” said archaeologist Domagoj Perkić, head of the Archaeological Museum.”

Research conducted in 2025 revealed that the cave served multiple purposes across different prehistoric periods. During the Bronze Age, particularly throughout the 2nd millennium BC, it appears to have functioned as a refuge or seasonal shelter. Later, from the Late Bronze Age into the Early Iron Age, it became a burial site used between approximately 1012 and 481 BC, according to radiocarbon dating of human remains.

Following the end of its funerary use, the cave was transformed into an Illyrian sanctuary between the late 4th and mid-1st centuries BC. This is evidenced by numerous miniature vessels, mostly Greek (amphorae, bowls, kantharos), but also of local provenance, which were usually left in sanctuaries as votive offerings, or gifts used within the framework of a certain religious ritual and cult,” Perkić pointed out.

Many of these luxury imports were associated with the storage and consumption of wine and symbolised the wealth and status of the local Illyrian community.

Archaeologists also recovered fragments of an earlier find: part of the head and bust of a Greek deity dating to the 4th century BC. Together with the newly discovered theatrical mask, the artefacts point to strong cultural and religious interaction between the Illyrians and the Greek world.

Perkić noted that Crno Jezero is one of only three known Illyrian sanctuaries in the wider Dubrovnik region, alongside the sites at Spila in Nakovana and Vilina špilja above the Ombla spring. These sanctuaries provide valuable insight into Illyrian religious practices and their gradual blending with Greek beliefs and rituals.

By Mark Milligan.

The Rhode Island State House at Sunset

Pompeii Roads

Ancient Romans embedded reflective white stones (sometimes called "cat's eyes" or "tiger's eyes") into the roads of Pompeii. These pale stones caught and reflected moonlight and torchlight, helping pedestrians and cart drivers safely navigate the city streets at night.

The Ara Pacis Augustae

The Ara Pacis Augustae (Latin, "Altar of Augustan Peace"; commonly shortened to Ara Pacis) is an altar in Rome dedicated to the Pax Romana. The monument was commissioned by the Roman Senate on July 4, 13 BC to honour the return of Augustus to Rome after three years in Hispania and Gaul and consecrated on January 30, 9 BC. Originally located on the northern outskirts of Rome, a Roman mile from the boundary of the pomerium on the west side of the Via Flaminia, the Ara Pacis stood in the northeastern corner of the Campus Martius, the former flood plain of the Tiber River and gradually became buried under 4 metres (13 ft) of silt deposits. It was reassembled in its current location, now the Museum of the Ara Pacis, in 1938, turned 90° counterclockwise from its original orientation so that the original western side now faces south.

Mark Rothko Untitled

Oil and Watercolor on Paper Mounted on Canvas. Executed circa 1959.

2,000-Year-Old Roman Bust of Goddess Venus Discovered in Spain

A marble head dating back some 2,000 years has been discovered at a Spanish beach - and it's said to be one of the most significant Roman-era sculptural finds in the region.

The historic find was made during ongoing regeneration work on Alicante's popular Almadraba beach.

Workmen who stumbled across the lump of marble were left amazed when experts were called to the scene, who later revealed the head dates back to the High Imperial Roman period in the first or second century.

The white marble head, which archaeologists say may possibly represent the goddess Venus, is still in near-perfect condition, aside from minor damage to the nose.

Its cultural and historical value is said to be incalculable.

Alicante council describes the bust as 'a Roman head of great artistic quality and in excellent state of preservation', while archaeologists already consider it one of the most substantial finds in Alicante from the Roman era.

Councillor for culture, Nayma Beldjilali, added: 'We could be talking about one of the most important Roman sculpture finds in the history of Alicante and the province.

Regeneration work at La Almadraba beach is currently being put on hold while a full excavation is carried out.

The site has been designated as an archaeological area for over 15 years after the remains of a Roman villa linked to Lucentum was discovered in 2009.

Speaking of the villa, Mr Beldjilali added: 'It must have been the home of some prominent Roman citizen.'

As for the newly-discovered head, which measures 22.22 centimetres high and 19.78 wide, experts believe it could have once been placed on a base in Roman patrician houses - though tests are set to be carried out to confirm this.

José Manuel Pérez Burgos, head of integral heritage, said: 'The bust presents a hairstyle of Hellenistic influence, with wavy hair pulled back with a parting in the middle following the idealised model of representations of divinities such as the Greek Aphrodite or the Roman Venus.'

'The time of Emperor Caesar Augustus, between the year 27 BC and the 19th of the current era, meant a strong expansion of the borders of the Roman Empire and brought the Pax Romana and a time of great cultural effervescence.

'In this context the goddess Venus was considered in the Empire the mother of the Roman people and represented love, beauty and fertility.'

The cultural department added: 'This era was operational between the third century BC and fourth century AD.

'As a result of these works, foundations of houses and rooms belonging to a Roman villa of a maritime nature have been found, abundant remains of ceramics, some of them very well preserved, and coins of the time.'

The beach was scheduled to reopen in time for peak summer season, though this has now been delayed due to the find.

By Jowena Riley and Rita Sobot.

Egyptian Wooden Shabti NEW KINGDOM, 19TH DYNASTY, CIRCA 1292-1185 B.C.

The Great Pyramid of Giza

A stunning perspective showing just how enormous the Great Pyramid of Giza is with a woman sitting at the bottom.