The elegant pictorial writing system of the ancient Egyptians—known as hieroglyphics—has fascinated generations of archeologists. Its precise origins are uncertain. One ancient Egyptian legend holds ...

For centuries, hieroglyphs have helped historians piece together the beliefs, rituals, and everyday lives of ancient ...

Across the globe, a race is under way to crack some of the last mysterious forms of writing that have never been translated.

Ancient writing systems tell stories of forgotten civilizations and lost knowledge. Their decipherment often requires decades of scholarly work, combining linguistics, archaeology, and historical ...

Researchers have uncovered links between the precursor to the world’s oldest writing system and the mysterious, intricate designs left behind by engraved cylindrical seals that were rolled across clay ...

For over 100 years, archaeologists have been flummoxed by a set of symbols discovered at an ancient temple in Iraq — until now. An expert on Mesopotamia says he has decoded the symbols, revealing a ...

SANTA CRUZ — While a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University, UC Santa Cruz history professor Elaine Sullivan unearthed ancient artifacts in Syria marked with an alphabetic script whose meaning ...

TEOTIHUACAN, Mexico, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Among the many mysteries surrounding the ancient Mexican metropolis of Teotihuacan, one has been especially hard to crack: how did its residents use the many ...

On a summer day in 1908, Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier unearthed what would become one of history’s most tantalizing puzzles. While excavating the ancient Minoan palace of Phaistos in Crete, ...