CMG releases top 10 intl news of archaeological discoveries in 2025

1. Discovery of 1.5-million-year-old bone tools in Tanzania  

Archaeologists have uncovered a collection of bone tools in northern Tanzania shaped by ancient human ancestors 1.5 million years ago, making them the oldest known bone tools – about 1 million years older than previously discovered examples, according to new research. The 27 fragments of limb bones, most from hippopotamuses and elephants, show evidence of having been sharpened and shaped.

2. Ancient DNA analysis reveals history of sheep-human livelihoods bond

Ancient DNA has revealed new insights into how sheep have been intertwined with human livelihoods for over 11,000 years. An international and interdisciplinary team of researchers led by geneticists from Trinity and zoo archaeologists from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the Bavarian State Collections of Natural History has deciphered the prehistoric cultural trajectory of this species by analyzing 118 genomes recovered from archaeological bones dating across 12 millennia and stretching from Mongolia to Ireland. It reveals how domestication, migration and selection shaped early human societies.

3. China's first ancient DNA evidence confirms existence of prehistoric matrilineal society

Chinese scientists have confirmed the existence of a prehistoric matrilineal community in east China's Shandong Province, pushing back the established timeline of matrilineal social societies previously believed to have emerged no earlier than the Iron Age in Europe. The new findings were published in Nature.

4. Large Bronze Age settlement site uncovered in Kazakhstan

An international team of archaeologists has discovered a large Bronze Age settlement in the steppes of Kazakhstan, which may have served as an administrative and commercial center around 1600 BC. According to a study published in the Antiquity journal, the finding may fundamentally change our understanding of prehistoric urban life in Eurasia. The settlement covers 140 hectares and includes houses, a central monumental structure and workshops for producing tin bronze.

5. Discovery of 3,500-year-old urban ruins in Peru  

Archaeologists unveiled a 3,500-year-old city in Peru that likely served as a trading hub linking Pacific coast cultures with those in the Andes and Amazon, flourishing around the same time as early civilizations in the Middle East and Asia. Drone footage released by researchers shows the city center marked by a circular structure on a hillside terrace, with remains of stone and mud buildings constructed some 600 meters above sea level.

6. Discovery of 3,500-year-old pharaoh's tomb in Egypt  

Officials in Egypt say they have unearthed the resting place of King Thutmose II, marking what the government described as the very first major discovery since finding the tomb of King Tutankhamun in 1922. Egyptian archaeologists, alongside British experts, discovered the latest ancient tomb in the mount of Thebes area, west of Luxor and the renowned Valley of the Kings. Artifacts discovered inside the 3,500-year-old tomb bore inscriptions with king's name.

7. Oldest and largest Maya monumental structure found in Mexico

Aguada Fénix had lain hidden beneath the fields and forests of southeastern Mexico for millennia. The vast earthen platform, built more than 3,000 years ago, represents the oldest and largest monumental structure known in the Maya region, placing it almost a millennium before cities such as Tikal and Teotihuacán in age and rivaling both in scale. The design of the site was a representation of how the community conceived the universe, according to new research.

8. Rare giant frescoes unearthed in Pompeii, Italy

Archaeologists in Pompeii have uncovered rare, nearly life-sized frescoes that offer fresh insight into religious practices in the ancient city. Dating back to the 1st century BC, this well-preserved painting was discovered in a banquet hall of the House of Thiasus in Region IX of Pompeii. This find stands out as one of the most important in over a century, with experts comparing it to the famous Villa of the Mysteries frescoes.

9. Lost Babylonian hymn deciphered with AI assistance in Iraq  

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich researcher Enrique Jiménez was able to decipher a Babylonian hymn that had been lost for 2,000 years. Jiménez, in collaboration with the University of Baghdad, is working on digitizing all cuneiform tablets from the legendary ancient Sippar Library, once located on the banks of the Euphrates River north of Babylon. Using artificial intelligence, the team was able to identify 30 different fragmentary pieces from the same composition, which turned out to be a previously unknown hymn consisting of 250 lines. The piece was written by an ancient Babylonian who wished to shower his city with praise.

10. Core structure of Tiwanaku civilization discovered in Bolivia

Archaeologists have unearthed a previously unknown temple complex in Bolivia, belonging to the Tiwanaku civilization, one of South America's oldest and most influential ancient cultures. The temple, built on a hill in the Caracollo municipality, approximately 215 kilometers southeast of the main site at Tiwanaku near Lake Titicaca, was recently unearthed by a team of researchers led by José Capriles, an associate professor of anthropology at Penn State, in collaboration with Bolivian partners.