Conservation experts and archaeologists are uncovering new details about the tomb of Emperor Otto I while carrying out an extensive restoration project at Magdeburg Cathedral.

Since January 2025, the Saxony-Anhalt Cultural Foundation and the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology have led efforts to preserve the heavily damaged burial site of Otto the Great, the 10th-century ruler who laid the foundations of the Holy Roman Empire.

Excavations uncover clues to the tomb’s history

The relocation of the sarcophagus also allowed archaeologists to investigate its foundation for the first time. Excavations revealed large sandstone blocks beneath the tomb, including reused building stones marked by late medieval stonemasons. The findings suggest that the sarcophagus was moved several times over the centuries.

Excavations produced numerous artifacts, including coins, glass beads, ceramics, roof tiles, clothing pins, and fragments of painted plaster from earlier cathedral structures. Researchers also uncovered a lead bullet beneath the floor, reflecting Magdeburg’s turbulent history.

Archaeologists restoring the tomb of Emperor Otto I in Magdeburg Cathedral have uncovered medieval foundations, underground passages and centuries-old artifacts. pic.twitter.com/B1PNeRTlwq

— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 12, 2026

Researchers also uncovered layers of rubble linked to medieval and early modern construction activities in the cathedral’s High Choir. A network of underground passages, some possibly dating to the Middle Ages, was also documented.

Despite the discoveries, archaeologists found no evidence showing whether Otto I’s tomb occupied the same location in an earlier cathedral that once stood on the site. The original placement of the emperor’s burial, therefore, remains uncertain.

Damage prompted conservation efforts

Otto I, who was crowned emperor in 962, established one of medieval Europe’s most powerful empires. His tomb in Magdeburg Cathedral is considered one of Germany’s most important medieval monuments.

The project began after routine inspections in 2024 revealed serious deterioration in the emperor’s tomb. Researchers identified several threats to the monument, including corroded iron fittings, rising moisture from the ground, and fluctuating humidity levels inside the cathedral.

Scientific analyses confirm the emperor’s remains

As part of the conservation work, experts carried out extensive non-invasive documentation of the sarcophagus and its surroundings. The marble cover slab, weighing about 300 kilograms (660 pounds), was removed so researchers could examine the damaged wooden coffin inside.

Anthropological and genetic analyses later confirmed that the human remains belonged to Otto I, supporting centuries-old historical accounts of his burial at the cathedral.

The emperor’s remains are scheduled to be reinterred on Sept. 1, 2026, in a newly designed coffin currently being created through a competition organized by the Saxony-Anhalt Art Foundation.

Restoration work addresses long-term damage

To protect the monument for the future, conservation teams moved the limestone sarcophagus from its original location in early 2026 using a specially designed transport structure. The sarcophagus now sits inside a secure enclosure within the cathedral, where restoration work is underway.

Specialists are removing corroded iron nails and clamps, many believed to date to the 19th century. As the metal rusted over time, it expanded and placed pressure on the stone, increasing the risk of cracking. Conservators are also removing harmful iron residues from the marble cover slab.

Cathedral remains open during conservation work

Church services continue as normal during the project, while visitors can still view major features of the cathedral, including the High Choir and its famous 13th-century sculptures. Officials said the public will continue to receive updates as restoration and research progress.

Scientists have discovered a massive whale necropolis deep beneath the Indian Ocean, at depths reaching nearly 7,000 meters (22,966 feet), stretching almost 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) along the seafloor and containing hundreds of fossils dating back more than five million years.

The findings, published in Nature, offer a rare look at one of the ocean’s most extreme and least understood environments.

The site sits in the Diamantina Zone, a rugged underwater fracture zone in the southeastern Indian Ocean, at depths between 4,616 and 7,001 meters (15,144 and 22,969 feet).

Lead author Xiaotong Peng of the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Sanya, China, and a team of researchers made 32 deep-sea dives using the submersible “Fendouzhe” from February to March 2023.

Whale necropolis beneath the Indian Ocean pushes known depth limits

Researchers found 476 fossilized whale remains and five active whale-fall communities, the ecosystems that form around carcasses sinking to the ocean floor.

The deepest of these communities was found at 6,789 meters (22,274 feet), extending the known depth range of whale-fall habitats by more than 2,500 meters (8,202 feet).

In some areas of the zone, whale remains reached densities of up to 759 individuals per square kilometer (1,966 per square mile).

All five active whale-fall communities are in what scientists call the “sulfophilic stage,” a prolonged phase where bacteria break down bone fats and release sulfide compounds that sustain surrounding life.

The team identified 35 animal species at these sites, including bone-eating worms, brittle stars, and chemosynthetic bivalves, creatures that draw energy from chemicals rather than sunlight. Molecular analysis showed that most of these species may be entirely new to science.

Researchers examined 43 fossil specimens and identified five ‘beaked whale’ species and one ‘baleen whale’ species. Two of the ‘beaked whale’ species still inhabit those waters today, while others have been extinct for millions of years.

One fossil belongs to a previously unknown species, named “Pterocetus diamantinae” after the Diamantina Zone.

Bones preserved for millions of years on the seafloor

Using strontium isotope dating, researchers found that whales have been sinking to this seafloor for at least 5.3 million years.

This whale necropolis survives largely because of the region’s very low sedimentation rate, which means bones are not buried quickly and can remain exposed for hundreds of thousands of years. Iron and manganese minerals gradually coat the bones, protecting them from further decay.

Peng and colleagues noted that the Diamantina Zone’s deep V-shaped underwater valleys likely funnel sinking carcasses into concentrated areas at the bottom. Beaked whales, which dive deeper than nearly any other mammal and can stay submerged for over an hour, likely died from the physical strain of extreme foraging dives.

The discovery also provides new insight into beaked whales, whose behavior and population sizes remain poorly understood because they are rarely seen and are known mostly from occasional strandings.

Researchers further suggest that this stretch of whale falls may act as a biological corridor, connecting deep-sea ecosystems across the southern Indian Ocean.

A small clay figurine, broken and seemingly unremarkable, may hold one of the earliest known examples of numerical notation in the ancient world. Researchers studying a Guatemala figurine have found what appears to be an early form of Mesoamerican writing on its surface, potentially pushing back the timeline of symbolic notation in the region by centuries.

The artifact comes from the Middle Preclassic site of La Blanca in San Marcos, Guatemala. It dates to roughly 750 to 650 BC and features 11 small dots arranged into three vertical columns on what appears to be its headdress.

Julia Guernsey of the University of Texas at Austin led the study, published in Latin American Antiquity. Researchers argue these dots may represent the number 11 in an early dot-based numerical system.

La Blanca was once a major urban center on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala, reaching its peak between 1000 and 900 BC. It controlled a large regional system and was marked by significant social stratification and some of the largest Middle Preclassic architecture in Mesoamerica.

Eleven dots on ancient artifact hint at number system

The artifact belongs to what researchers call the “tab” type, a recurring form at La Blanca in which a tapered, abstract projection replaces a naturalistic human head.

More than 300 such figurines have been found at the site. What sets this one apart is the presence of 11 impressed dots, split into one column of three and two columns of four.

Guernsey notes that the dots were pressed into the clay before the figurine was fired, pointing to deliberate planning by the maker. Their placement in the head region also carries meaning.

Across ancient Mesoamerica, the head and headdress served as the primary space for conveying identity. Symbols placed there often carried names, calendar dates, or other markers tied to personhood.

Guatemala figurine pushes back the timeline of Mesoamerican writing

Numbers were deeply connected to the human body in ancient Mesoamerican cultures. The K’iche’ Maya word for “person” also means 20, a reflection of the 10 fingers and 10 toes at the core of their counting system. Calendar dates at birth often determined a person’s destiny and character, according to the study.

Guernsey argues the figurine from Guatemala stands as the earliest securely dated example of potential dot-based Mesoamerican writing or numeration found anywhere in the region.

While the dots lack an accompanying calendar glyph, their odd total and deliberate grouping hint at numerical intent.

Purely decorative motifs in early Mesoamerican art typically favored symmetry and even numbers, making this arrangement difficult to dismiss as mere decoration.

Archaeologists are excavating a prehistoric cave in northern Israel that could provide rare insights into early human life, how they adapted, and developed new technologies hundreds of thousands of years ago.

The cave was discovered on the outskirts of Fureidis, south of Haifa, near the Zichron Ya’acov interchange. The excavation is being led by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in partnership with researchers from the University of Haifa. Funding for the project is being provided by Ayalon Highways Company.

Researchers date the cave to between 250,000 and 400,000 years ago, placing it within the Acheulo-Yabrudian cultural complex, a group of prehistoric cultures that existed in the Levant during the final stages of the Lower Paleolithic period.

Exceptionally preserved prehistoric site

The site has drawn attention because of its exceptional state of preservation. “It is very rare to find a site in such a state of preservation,” said Dr. Kobi Vardi, head of the IAA’s Prehistory Branch and one of the excavation directors. “Every prehistorian who visits the site is absolutely thrilled.”

Vardi said the cave is comparable in importance to the famous Nahal Me’arot caves in northern Israel, which date to the same period. “The site, which is no less important than the well-known Nahal Me’arot site, and dates to the same period, will allow us to study in high resolution how humans lived at that time,” he said.

Excavations have already uncovered animal bones belonging to fallow deer, gazelles, and ancient horses. Researchers have also found evidence of a nearby water source, suggesting the area may have attracted prehistoric hunter-gatherer groups.

Clues to ancient technology and daily life

The Acheulo-Yabrudian culture is known for advanced stone-tool production. Archaeologists say people living during this period produced carefully crafted flint tools, including handaxes, scrapers, and blades. These technologies reflect an important stage in human development.

Researchers believe the cave may help answer key questions about a period that preceded the rise and spread of both Neanderthals and modern humans.

“We have been fortunate to excavate a unique site of global importance that has been protected from the ravages of time thanks to the exceptional conditions that existed here,” said Prof. Ron Shimelmitz of the University of Haifa.

“This time capsule belongs to a unique period at the end of the Lower Paleolithic era, just before Neanderthals and modern humans became dominant and spread across many regions,” he said.

Evidence of growing social complexity

According to Shimelmitz, the Acheulo-Yabrudian period marked a turning point in human evolution. Gradual changes in technology, social organization, and behavior began to emerge during this era, laying the foundations for more complex societies.

Researchers believe people started living in larger groups and spending longer periods at the same locations. Evidence from similar caves points to repeated use of fire and extended occupation, suggesting increasingly organized camp life and stronger social cooperation.

“These are findings that many researchers associate with the development of social cooperation and the transmission of knowledge, as part of the processes of human evolution,” Shimelmitz said.

Plans for future research

The IAA and the University of Haifa plan to launch a broader research program at the site. Researchers also hope the cave will eventually be opened to the public, allowing residents, students, and visitors to explore one of the region’s most important prehistoric discoveries.

Ancient footprints carved into rocks across Scandinavia may have served a much deeper purpose than simple decoration. New research suggests these unusual carvings, known as podomorphs, could have helped Bronze Age people create lasting connections with places and with each other.

The study, led by Fredrik Fahlander and published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, challenges traditional views that treated the carvings mainly as symbols or images. Instead, the research argues that the footprints were active parts of social and ritual life during the Nordic Bronze Age, which lasted roughly from 1700 BC to 500 BC.

A unique feature of Scandinavian rock art

Rock art from the Nordic Bronze Age includes several common motifs, such as boats, people, animals, and circles. Footprints stand out from the rest.

Unlike other designs, the carved footprints are often close to life size. They appear throughout southern Scandinavia and are found both along coastlines and inland. Researchers note that similar footprint carvings are rare elsewhere in Europe during the same period.

The carvings show both bare feet and footprints left by leather footwear. Many include lines that appear to represent shoe straps. Some are deeply hollowed out, while others are outlined with grooves. Researchers believe the artists deliberately made them resemble real footprints left in sand, mud, or snow.

For decades, archaeologists proposed various explanations. Some suggested the footprints represented gods, ancestors, or the dead. Others linked them to rituals, remembrance, or claims over territory. Yet many of those theories struggled to explain the wide variety of footprint sizes, shapes, and arrangements found across Scandinavia.

Looking beyond symbolism

Fahlander approached the carvings from a different angle. Instead of asking what the footprints represented, the study examined how they were made, where they were placed, and how they interacted with the surrounding landscape.

The research focused on the Mälaren region of eastern Sweden, where more than 600 footprint carvings have been documented across over 140 sites. Most appear near former shorelines and waterways. Many face toward water or natural channels where rainwater regularly flows across the rock surface.

Some footprints were carved directly across quartz veins or placed within mineral-rich sections of rock. Others were positioned around natural cracks and depressions that collect water. These patterns suggest the locations were carefully chosen rather than random.

The study argues that the carvings were intended to interact with the natural qualities of the rock. Water, minerals, and landscape features may have played important roles in how people understood the footprints and their power.

Footprints may have linked people together

Many paired carvings are not identical. One footprint is often larger than the other. Some differ in design, orientation, or level of detail. This suggests they may not represent a single person’s two feet. Instead, researchers propose that two different individuals may have contributed to the pair.

According to the study, a lone footprint may have served as an invitation for another person to add a matching one later. The result would be a permanent connection carved into stone.

Researchers suggest these paired footprints could have marked friendships, agreements, family ties, marriages, or other important relationships. Some examples show the footprints connected by grooves or enclosed within shared shapes, strengthening the impression of a deliberate bond.

The idea fits a broader pattern seen in Bronze Age Scandinavia, where objects were often deposited in pairs during rituals.

More than simple images

The study concludes that the footprint carvings were likely much more than artistic symbols. They may have been seen as extensions of real people who remained connected to them over time.

Unlike ordinary footprints that disappear from sand or soil, these impressions were carved into stone to last for generations. Researchers believe that permanence was part of their purpose.

While the exact meaning of every footprint remains uncertain, the research suggests they helped Bronze Age communities materialize personal relationships and social connections in a lasting way. Nearly 3,000 years later, those carved traces may still preserve echoes of the people who created them.

Archaeologists at an ancient site in Iraq have uncovered rare cuneiform tablets, mass graves, and evidence of a large-scale siege nearly 4,000 years old, giving researchers what they call the clearest record yet of Bronze Age urban warfare in the region.

The site, Kurd Qaburstan, lies in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq and is believed to be the ancient city of Qabra. Tiffany Earley-Spadoni, an associate professor of history at the University of Central Florida, led the excavations over two field seasons in 2024 and 2025 with U.S. National Science Foundation support.

Inside a structure called the Lower Town East Palace, researchers recovered 20 cuneiform tablets and more than 100 administrative sealings, the largest tablet find yet made on the Erbil Plain.

The records include palace administrative texts and a letter tied to a senior official. Several bear dates cluster within the same few days, a pattern consistent with the city’s documented fall. Earley-Spadoni said the tablets offer a detailed look at palace operations and the city’s economy in its final days.

Iraq’s rare palace tablets found alongside ancient mass graves

Within the same destruction layers, researchers found the remains of 17 people. Bioarchaeologist Andrea Zurek-Ost of Michigan State University is studying the individuals.

None had been given a formal burial or left with belongings, and some appear to have died where they lay. One person was found collapsed across a stone basin.

A dig in northern Iraq has yielded rare cuneiform tablets, mass graves and a 4,000-year-old siege record that brings a forgotten ancient city back to life. pic.twitter.com/VGssXIZjt0

— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 11, 2026

The site also showed two overlapping destruction events matching historical records of Qabra’s siege and conquest by Assyrian king Shamshi-Adad. Charred debris, fallen walls, and broken pottery point to a prolonged assault, making it the most complete archaeological case of Middle Bronze Age siege warfare identified in northern Mesopotamia.

Earley-Spadoni said the rare tablets, mass graves, and other findings from the Iraq site make clear that northern cities like Qabra were as organized and politically significant as the more familiar southern centers of ancient Mesopotamia.

Survey uncovers fortified walls matching an ancient monument

A magnetic survey of more than 80 hectares uncovered a large fortification wall with towers encircling the site, matching the layout shown on the “Victory Stele of Dadusha,” an ancient monument tied to the siege.

Researchers also found a preserved street with an engineered drainage system and spaces used for food preparation and textile work.

Laboratory analysis is continuing, including DNA and isotopic testing on the 17 individuals to trace their origins and determine whether they were related.