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- The treasures are incredible: top archaeological sensations of the beginning of 2026
The treasures are incredible: top archaeological sensations of the beginning of 2026
The first months of 2026 were marked by a number of archaeological discoveries, which are already being called sensations. Amazing discoveries have been made in Russia, Europe, North Africa and Asia — new data not only complement the picture of the past, but also in some cases force us to reconsider established scientific ideas. In the future, Russian and international expeditions will focus on new large-scale research. As a result, this year may become one of the busiest for archeology in recent times, experts say. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Homer was found in a mummy
Archaeologists of the Spanish-Egyptian expedition have discovered a unique fragment of papyrus with the text of Homer's Iliad inside a mummy in the necropolis of the Roman period in the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus. According to the researchers, the found passage refers to the second book of the Iliad, known as Boeotia, or the List of Ships, which lists all the forces of the Achaeans who participated in the campaign against Troy.
According to scientists, placing the papyrus inside the mummy was a conscious choice that could potentially connect literature with ideas about the afterlife or personal identity. Further study of the find will help to better understand how Greek literature spread and what was the level of education in Egypt during the Roman period.
In Roman times, that is, in the first centuries of our era, the Ptolemaic dynasty ruled in Egypt and Greek settlers lived, said Nikolai Savvanidi, an ancient archaeologist and candidate of historical Sciences.
— Who were these deceased? The Greeks, who adopted Egyptian burial customs, or the local Egyptians, who were strongly Hellenized, that's the question. Until the results of the genetic studies are published, one can only guess," he said.
To understand this find, it is also important to find papyrus (one sheet or scroll) separately, for example, on the chest of a mummy or was used to make cardboard in which it is enclosed, added Vladimir Goroncharovsky, head of the Department of the History of Ancient Culture at the IIMK RAS.
— For example, in one Egyptian tomb of the time of the Roman emperor Augustus, the mummy was in cardboard made from used papyri dating back to 6-25 years of his reign, — he says. — Fragments of various literary works were often found in such cartonages.
The treasure contained 85 thousand silver coins: a Moscow sensation
In the very heart of Moscow, in the chambers of Duma clerk Averky Kirillov, restorers discovered a unique treasure — a jug filled to the brim with silver coins. This treasure is considered one of the largest in the history of the city and modern Russian archeology. The find is second in scale only to the legendary Old Gostiny Dvor hoard, where more than 95,000 coins and 335 European thalers were discovered.
In total, there were 85,459 "scales" hidden in the cache, hidden at the height of the Streltsy rebellion of 1682. Among the coins there are rare copies of the era of Ivan the Terrible, as well as completely new pennies of Alexei Mikhailovich, which did not have time to be in circulation. The find has become the subject of close attention of historians and numismatists. According to scientists, the treasure could belong to Kirillov himself, who was not only an official, but also a successful merchant. It is assumed that the owner hid the treasure in a hurry, fearing for his life, and did not even have time to warn the family about the cache.
The treasure was found during the restoration of the chambers on Bersenevskaya Embankment, when workers opened a hidden cavity between the floors. Initially, it was assumed that there were about 20 thousand coins, but with a detailed calculation they turned out to be much more. According to experts, in the 17th century, this money could have been used to buy the entire palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye.
A dagger made of alien metal
In China, archaeologists have found an artifact that can rightfully be called "cosmic" — an ancient dagger forged from meteoritic iron. Chemical analysis confirmed that the metal contains characteristic impurities of nickel and cobalt, which indicates its extraterrestrial origin. Dating refers the find to the Late Bronze Age, and the object itself testifies to the high level of metallurgical knowledge of the ancient masters of the Celestial Empire. Research shows that such artifacts may date back to about 1400 BC and date back to the era of the Shang state. Such treasures are extremely rare outside the Middle East, which makes the Chinese find especially valuable for world science.
The dagger was found in the burial of a noble warrior in northern China. In addition to the weapons themselves, jewelry and household items were found in the burial, which indicates the high status of the owner. The researchers note that the technology of processing meteoritic iron required special skills: the metal is very hard and brittle, but ancient craftsmen managed to shape and sharpen it.
"Such a dagger is absolutely unique for the Bronze Age, it required particularly advanced metallurgical technologies, because forging such iron requires very high temperatures and very sophisticated blacksmithing skills, such finds are extremely rare in ancient times," said Alexey Rezepkin, senior researcher at the Institute of the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg).
But, according to the scientist, earlier meteorite artifacts are also being discovered in Russia. The most famous finds were made in the Boldyrevsky burial ground (Orenburg region). There, archaeologists have found products dating back to the third millennium BC. These items are considered to be the oldest in Eurasia. They belonged to the yamnaya culture, spread from the Southern Urals to Moldova and the Northern Balkans.
Our scientists found another related find in the Bichkin-Buluk mound in Kalmykia, dating back to the Scythian-Sarmatian era. A leaf-shaped spearhead was unearthed there, which also has a meteoritic origin. But this artifact is chronologically inferior to the Chinese one and dates back to the beginning of the first millennium BC.
Treasures of the Iron Age
A large Iron Age treasure has been discovered in the south of England, in the county of Kent. There were hundreds of objects made of bronze and iron in the cache: jewelry, weapons, horse harness parts. Dating back to about the 1st century BC, according to British researchers, the treasure could have been a ritual offering or the treasure of a local chieftain.
It was found using a metal detector on the territory of an ancient settlement. The items include ornate brooches, inlaid swords, and chariot parts. Archaeologists note that many objects were intentionally damaged before burial, probably as part of a ritual to "send" valuables to another world. It was believed that broken things would "come to life" in the afterlife and serve the deceased. Also, deliberate damage made things less attractive to looters, as they partially lost their value and functionality.
— For the Iron Age, such treasures are an extremely valuable find. They are usually associated with sacrifices to the gods, and not with the funeral equipment accompanying the buried, in a way it is an offering to higher powers," explained Vladimir Ehrlich, chief researcher at the Department of the History of Material Culture and Ancient Art at the Museum of Oriental Art, Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation.
According to him, such ritual treasures are characteristic of the Hallstatt and Laten cultures of Europe, and they are also found in Russia. For example, the Ulyap treasure of the IV century BC contained the famous rhyton and other objects, which are also considered as a ritual complex of the Iron Age.
Dinosaur footprints in Europe
In the Dolomites in northern Italy, scientists have discovered more than 20 thousand Fossilized dinosaur footprints, estimated to be 210 million years old. Among the prints are the tracks of giant sauropods up to 12 m long and weighing up to 4 tons. The mass accumulation makes it possible to reconstruct the behavior and migration of ancient lizards, as well as clarify ideas about the fauna of the Triassic period. This discovery was a real gift for paleontologists all over the world.
The tracks were found on the vertical surface of the rock, which allowed scientists to study not only the shape of the prints, but also the direction of movement of the herd. The analysis showed that dinosaurs moved along the ancient coast, periodically entering the water. It is noteworthy that these are traces of both adults and young animals, which indicates the existence of "kindergartens" in sauropods. The discovery confirms the hypothesis of complex social structures in these giants.
The Four-eyed Ancestors
Unique fossils of ancient vertebrates that had four eyes have been found in China. These creatures lived on Earth more than 500 million years ago and represent an important link in the evolution of vision in animals, scientists say. The discovery forces us to reconsider existing theories about the development of sensory systems in early vertebrates and opens up new horizons for further research.
The fossils were discovered in the shales of Yunnan Province. Surprisingly well-preserved specimens allowed experts to study in detail the structure of the organ of vision and the nervous system of these creatures. It turned out that the extra eyes were not just rudiments, but performed important functions of spatial orientation and food search. This discovery was one of the clearest evidence of how evolution experimented with sensory organs in the early stages of vertebrate development.
Researchers' plans for 2026
The main trend in the next month of 2026 should be the introduction of the latest technologies (including AI) in the natural science research of the past. Marine archaeologists will create virtual 3D models of sunken ships such as the San Jose galleon and the legendary Antikythera vessel without bringing the artifacts to the surface.
Excavations of Saka mounds and medieval necropolises will continue in Russia, where discoveries related to funeral rites and ancient trade routes are expected.
— Currently, the Joint North Caucasian Expedition of the State Historical Museum, the Kabardino-Balkarian Scientific Center and the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences is working on creating a three-dimensional model of the Zayukovo-3 burial ground (KBR). The period of its operation covers the period from the 10th century BC to the 9th century AD," said Anna Kadieva, a researcher at the State Historical Museum.
According to her, artificial intelligence creates a three-dimensional model based on data on the time of creation and location of each necropolis object, which makes it possible to identify burial layers of a certain period, clarify the planography of the burial ground and predict further excavation results.
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