2026 in archaeology

This page lists significant events in 2026 in archaeology.

Finds

January

• 3 – Discovery of a pristine medieval gold ring adorned with intricate filigree was announced in Tønsberg, Norway. ^[1]
• 4 – Traces of human modification beneath dense tropical forest canopy in the Andean Chocó region of eastern Panama was revealed by using LIDAR technology. ^[2]
• 6
  • Byzantine-era monastic residential complex was unearthed in Al-Qarya bi-Al-Duweir, Sohag, Upper Egypt, revealing organised early Christian monastic life through well-planned mudbrick buildings, a central church, and Coptic-inscribed artefacts. ^[3]
  • Late Roman mosaic floor featuring a central Solomon's knot motif was discovered in the ancient city of Smyrna, located beneath the modern city of İzmir, Turkey. ^[4]
• 7– Norfolk Carnyx Hoard: Discovery of a near-complete bronze carnyx (war trumpet) together with a metal boar's head flag standard among a 2,000 year-old Iron Age hoard in West Norfolk, England in summer 2025 was announced. ^{[5] [6]}
• 9 – Discovery of a rare 5th-century BC stylus crafted from animal bone was announced during excavations at the ancient Greek site of Gela in Sicily, Italy. ^[7]
• 11 – A rare 3,300-year-old faience funerary mask from the Dilmun civilisation was discovered at Al-Hillah site in southern Bahrain. ^[8]
• 15
  • Identification of Early Roman marching camps in Germania, providing evidence of Roman military advances into the region during the 3rd century CE. ^{[9] [10]}
  • Archaeologists announced the discovery of submerged remains at the El Huarco archaeological complex on Peru's central coast, indicating the site's ancient occupation and complex ritual landscape. ^[11]
• 16 – New evidence for the intentional use of geothermal resources during the Neolithic period at Bagno dei Frati within the thermal complex of Terme di Sorano, Italy. ^[12]
• 17 – Roman Republican-era tombs including inhumations accompanied by grave goods such as pottery, personal items and animal offerings were uncovered in Rome, Italy. ^[13]
• 18 – Researchers from Sevastopol State University announced the discovery of medieval fortress site Isar near the village of Rodnoye in southwestern Crimea. ^[14]
• 19
  • Ancient rock paintings on a sheltered rock face depicting geometric patterns, animal figures and abstract motifs were found near Kayseri, Turkey. ^{[15] [16]}
  • Remains of a Roman basilica dated to the late 1st century BC were unearthed during rescue excavations beneath Piazza Andrea Costa in the city of Fano, Italy. ^[17]

• 20
  • 5,000-year-old human skull bearing evidence of intentional cranial surgery was found at the prehistoric site of İkiztepe Höyüğü, Turkey. ^[18]
  • A recent epigraphic study revealed the interpretation of previously unreadable inscriptions on ancient Roman wooden writing tablet fragments discovered in Tongeren (ancient Atuatuca), Belgium. ^{[19] [20]}
• 21 – A Roman cemetery associated with the Roman frontier with several hundred graves, including both inhumation and cremation burials was discovered near Brougham, in northern Britain. ^[21]

• 23 – A 1,400-year-old tomb from the Zapotec culture was discovered in the municipality of San Pablo Huitzo, Mexico. ^{[22] [23]}
• 24 – A bronze wheel cross dating to the 10th or 11th century AD was found in Havelland, Brandenburg, Germany. ^[24]
• 26
  • Earliest evidence of a 430,000 years old wooden tools was announced at the Marathousa 1 site in Greece's central Peloponnese. ^{[25] [26]}
  • A well-preserved Bronze Age hilltop settlement dating back to approximately 2400 BC at Harden Quarry in the Cheviot Hills. ^[27]

• 27
  • A hidden sacred lake was discovered at the Karnak Temple Complex in Luxor, Egypt. ^{[28] [29]}
  • A bronze reliquary cross dating to between the 9th and 11th centuries AD was discovered in the ancient city of Lystra in Konya, Turkey. ^{[30] [31]}

• 29
  • High-status Bronze Age tombs with multiple interments accompanied by rich grave goods, including finely crafted gold and bronze jewellery and pottery was found at the Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus. ^[32]
  • A 5,000-year-old rock inscription in the southwestern Sinai Peninsula as one of the oldest known visual representations of political domination was identified in Wadi Khamila. ^{[33] [34]}

• 30
  • Medieval tunnel as a type of Erdstall within a Neolithic ditch enclosure was found near Reinstedt in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. ^[35]
  • 4th Class Cross of Military Merit of the Order of St. George was discovered from a forested area near Chełm, Poland. ^[36]

• 31 – Avar-period archaeological complex including a well-preserved early Avar cemetery with graves containing women's gold and silver jewellery was found in Szeged, Hungary. ^[37]

February

• 1 – Rediscovery of a lost metropolis on the Tigris River in modern-day Iraq, believed to be the ancient city of Alexandria on the Tigris was announced. ^{[38] [39] [40]}
• 2 – Remnants of medieval Grimsby with a well-preserved stratigraphic layer protected by waterlogged, anaerobic soil conditions including fragments of leather shoes and aprons were discovered near the historical Flottergate area. ^{[41] [42]}

• 4
  • Several stone masonry foundations and paved surfaces belonging to residential and commercial quarters that were buried after the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée under several meters of volcanic ash and pyroclastic surge deposits were discovered in Saint-Pierre, Martinique. ^[43]
  • A 3rd-century AD Roman-era female terracotta head figure with a centrally parted, braided hairstyle was found at Magna Roman Fort, United Kingdom. ^{[44] [45]}
• 5 – A reanalysis of a 7,000-year-old roe deer antler headdress found in Eilsleben, Germany, was recently published, suggesting that Neolithic villagers at the site maintained significant cultural interactions with Mesolithic hunter-gatherer s. ^{[46] [47]}

• 7 – 4,000-year-old mural that provides data on the cosmological and religious frameworks of formative-period Andean societies was discovered at the Los Corrales site in the Supe Valley of Peru. ^[48]

• 9
  • Microscopic analysis reidentified a 5,300-year-old copper-alloy artifact from Predynastic Egypt as the oldest securely attested rotary metal drill in the Nile Valley. ^{[49] [50]}
  • A multi-year systematic excavation program featuring Bronze Age kurgan s, a vast Muslim necropolis at the Khojaly Archaeological Complex was reported by the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, Khojali, Azerbaijan. ^[51]
  • LiDAR scanning and magnetic survey revealed that Gawroniec Hill in Poland was reshaped by human activity during the Neolithic period. ^{[52] [53]}
  • Researchers used tree-ring dating, proving that the "Princess of Bagicz" was buried around 120 CE and that her previous radiocarbon results had been artificially aged by a "reservoir effect" caused by a diet of fish from carbon-rich waters. ^{[54] [55]}
• 11 – Excavations beneath the town hall square in Cologne, Germany, revealed Roman-era remains within the Praetorium complex, including a stone staircase dating to the late 1st century AD and a well-preserved 2nd-century lararium, or household shrine. ^{[56] [57]}
• 14 – The discovery of a high-status Early Bronze Age tomb with 31 flint arrowhead s, two bronze dagger s, rock crystal was announced in Écouché-les-Vallées, Normandy. ^[58]
• 13 – Aerial drone surveys revealed a previously unknown forum and theatre which is believed by some scholars to be Forum Aemilii, founded in the 2nd–1st century BC at the archaeological site of Fioccaglia, in the municipal territory of Flumeri, Avellino, Italy. ^{[59] [60]}
• 15 – The results of 3D scanning and petrographic analysis of Chalcolithic cornets (cone-shaped ceramic vessels) concluded that these vessels likely served as ritual lamps at the Jordanian site of Teleilat Ghassul. ^{[61] [62]}

• 16
  • A 2,000-year-old stone vessel workshop dates to the Second Temple period and contains hundreds of unfinished stone vessels, production waste, and fragments on the eastern slopes of Mount Scopus in Jerusalem. ^{[63] [64] [65]}
  • The discovery of a petroglyph estimated to be between 4,000 and 8,000 years old likely linked to the cultural legacy of the Chaima and Kariña peoples was discovered in the Cedeño Municipality of Monagas, Venezuela. ^[66]
  • A large cast-iron cannon dating to the late 17th to 18th century was discovered 1.5 meters underground at Queen's Gardens in Hull, England. ^{[67] [68]}
• 17 – 35 polychrome wooden panels dating to the 13th and 14th centuries were found beneath a private home in Toledo, Spain. ^[69]
• 18 – Study revealed that sophisticated stone-tool technologies, such as the Levallois method, developed gradually across Europe approximately 400,000 years ago during a warm interglacial period that facilitated cultural exchange and the emergence of early Neanderthal traits. ^[70]
• 19
  • The discovery of Stolzenberg, a lost medieval town hidden beneath woodland near the settlement of Zagrody was confirmed in West Pomerania, Poland. ^{[71] [72]}
  • The discovery of the lost Ottonian royal palace with St.Radegund’s Church, the Palatium, fortifications was announced in Helfta, located near Lutherstadt Eisleben, Germany. ^[73]
  • A limestone structure is discovered featuring massive blocks inscribed with the cartouches of Pharaoh Apries and ceremonial scenes of the king performing rituals at the Tel Aziz site in Mit Rahina (ancient Memphis), Egypt. ^{[74] [75]}
• 20 – Dozens of gold-enamelled terracotta artifacts, including intricate gold-glazed Bodhi leaf ornaments decorated with dragon motifs at the Ho Dynasty Citadel, Vietnam. ^{[76] [77]}
• 21 – The completion of the excavation of a 1,200-year-old elite tomb was announced at the El Caño Archaeological Park in the Coclé province, Panama. ^{[78] [79] [80]}
• 23 – Greek inscription discovered at the Great Mosque of Homs in Syria provided evidence for the location of the long-lost Temple of the Sun, once home to the solar cult of the Roman emperor Elagabalus. ^[81]

See also

• List of years in archaeology

References

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3. "Byzantine monastic complex unearthed in Sohag". Ahram Online. 6 January 2026.
4. "'Solomon's knot' mosaic unearthed in Türkiye's ancient Smyrna". Daily Sabah. 6 January 2026.
5. Kolirin, Lianne (2026-01-07). "'Extraordinary' Iron Age war trumpet uncovered in England". CNN. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
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8. "3,300-year-old 'fayence mask' discovered at Al-Hillah site". News of Bahrain. 11 January 2026.
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30. "Sealed bronze reliquary cross restored after discovery in central Türkiye". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2026-02-03.
31. "Sealed bronze cross found at ancient Lystra restored". Hürriyet Daily News. 2026-01-29. Retrieved 2026-02-03.
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52. Milligan, Mark (2026-02-09). "Study finds that Gawroniec Hill was artificially shaped during prehistory". HeritageDaily - Archaeology News. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
53. Radley, Dario (2026-02-10). "Defensive ditch and dense Neolithic activity identified at Gawroniec Hill flint settlement in Poland". Archaeology News Online Magazine. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
54. "A coffin holding a dead 'princess' fell from an eroded cliff over 100 years ago — archaeologists just solved a major mystery about her". Live Science. 2026-02-20. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
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60. "Spotted with drones at the archaeological site of Fioccaglia (Avellino) the Forum and a hitherto unknown monumental theater". www.finestresullarte.info. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
61. "Ancient cone-shaped vessels may have served as beeswax lamps during ritual processions, study finds". Archived from the original on 2026-02-18. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
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