Archaeological record suggests hunter gatherers were playing games of chance at the end of the last ice age

It says dice were being made and used on the western great plains of North America at the end of the last ice age, more than 12,000 years ago.

It had been thought that the earliest examples of dice were in the bronze age societies of Mesopotamia and the Indus valley.

A Roman cargo has become the focus of an ongoing underwater archaeological excavation in Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

Hundreds of objects, the last remaining evidence of a now-vanished Roman shipwreck, have been identified, documented, and subsequently removed from the lakebed.

The richness and diversity of this collection, preserved in excellent condition, make the discovery exceptional and unique within Switzerland and in the inland waters north of the Alps. The site offers a rare and well-preserved snapshot of Roman transport and trade in a freshwater environment.

Archaeologists working on the Mexico City–Querétaro passenger rail project have uncovered an altar with skulls and bone offerings in Tula, the ancient capital of the Toltecs, a find that could sharpen understanding of the city’s layout.

The discovery was made during ongoing excavations at the archaeological site near Alanya in Antalya province, where a well-preserved mosaic measuring about 15 square meters emerged in the entrance section of a large residential structure.

“It is an interesting finding that adds probably the second additional tektite strewn field—besides the Belize one—to the four ‘classical’ fields that have been known for more than 100 years,” said Universität Wien impact researcher and geologist Christian Köberl, who did not take part in the study.

The discovery was made by researchers from the Faculty of Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, who resumed work at the site in 2023 after a 13-year break caused by Libya’s civil war.

According to the team, the wreck area extends for more than 100 meters, suggesting that several ships, not just one, were lost there over time while approaching the ancient port from the east.

Piotr Jaworski, who heads the Ptolemais research project, said the length of the wreck field made clear that the area had seen repeated maritime disasters.

Ptolemais was one of the largest ancient Greek cities in Cyrenaica, a historical region in what is now northeastern Libya.

The ancient Roman army didn’t seem to be afraid of anything, but they definitely weren’t afraid of heights, as evidenced by the discovery of a 2,000-year-old Roman military camp located 7,000 feet above sea level in the Swiss Alps.

As archaeologists continue to explore the history of the Roman army in what is now Switzerland, a volunteer unearthed a previously unknown military camp in the mountains, strategically positioned to have tactical views of the surrounding valleys and mountain passes, according to a translated statement from the Canton of Graubünden.

Archaeologists in southern Italy have uncovered a new burial ground and tombs linked to an ancient Samnite settlement along the Tyrrhenian coast. The discoveries come from ongoing excavations in the town of Pontecagnano Faiano, near the city of Salerno.

also see https://www.404media.co/scientists-discover-vast-ancient-trade-network-that-rewrites-history-with-parrot-dna/