Jack Hawkins articles

Archaeologists have finally pinpointed the legendary site of the 7th-century Battle of al-Qadisiyah—thanks to declassified Cold War spy satellite imagery. Using CORONA satellite photos, researchers matched ancient canal systems and terrain features to historical chronicles, revealing where Muslim and Sassanian forces once clashed. Discover how cutting-edge technology and old spy data are rewriting one of the most pivotal moments in Islamic and Persian history.

A Texas woman unknowingly bought a 2,000-year-old Roman bust for just $34.99 at a Goodwill store—only to discover it was an ancient artifact lost since World War II. Learn how experts traced the marble sculpture’s journey from a Bavarian museum to an Austin thrift shop and finally back to Germany in this extraordinary tale of art, history, and rediscovery.

Scientists in Finland (and beyond) are buzzing over a startling announcement: fossilized human remains uncovered in northern Europe might rewrite our understanding of early settlement in the region. This article explores the Finnish context, the broader European finds, and what these discoveries mean for the deep past of Northern Europe.

Discover the story of the Bactrian Hoard of Afghanistan, a 20,000-piece treasure trove of gold crowns, jewelry, and coins from Tillya Tepe. Explore its 1978 discovery, Silk Road connections, survival through war, and uncertain future.

In Costa Rica’s lush southern landscapes, a newly reported monolith has captured archaeologists’ imaginations. Could this mysterious stone be more than geology—perhaps a carefully placed marker aligned with the stars, ancient cultural traditions, and the rhythms of seasonal timekeeping?

Across Hokkaido and northern Honshu, archaeologists have documented earthwork mounds and ritual spaces dating to the Jōmon period—thousands of years before the political state and keyhole tombs of the Kofun era. Recent fieldwork and renewed attention since UNESCO inscription have cast these sites in a new light: carefully planned cemeteries and ceremonial earthworks that predate the region’s earliest historical civilizations, yet display social coordination, memory-making, and ritual sophistication in their own right.

A forgotten shoreline can be a ruthless editor of human history. When sea levels rose after antiquity, coastal places that once buzzed with trade, ritual, and migration slipped below the waves and out of our stories. Now, an ancient sunken settlement off the Crimean coast of the Black Sea—known as Akra—has been steadily reappearing through underwater archaeology. What scholars are finding there doesn’t just enrich local history; it challenges our sense of how far-flung and sophisticated seafaring societies in the northern Black Sea really were.

High in the rugged sandstone plateau of southeastern Algeria, a vast open-air gallery has preserved thousands of images from a time when the Sahara was green. In Tassili n’Ajjer, researchers have documented over 15,000 prehistoric carvings and paintings—depictions of extinct megafauna, human life, and what may be ancient shamanic or ritual practices.

In an age where burnout is trending and emails ping us into the night, some countries have cracked the code on how to actually live while working. We’ve ranked the top 20 countries that offer the best work-life balance, using a blend of data from the OECD Better Life Index, the World Happiness Report, average hours worked, paid leave policies, and lifestyle indicators like access to nature, family support, and flexible work norms.