The Local France

Mysterious ancient skeletons discovered sitting upright in France

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:18:13 +0100

Children at a primary school in eastern France found a strange new attraction next to their playground this week: a skeleton sitting upright, peeking out the top of a circular pit.

France digs up bones from 6,000-year-old 'massacre'

Wed, 08 Jun 2016 11:29:59 +0200

Archaeologists said on Tuesday they had discovered the remains of victims from a 6,000-year-old massacre in Alsace in eastern France that was likely carried out by "furious ritualised warriors".

16th century castle unearthed in heart of Lille city centre

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 16:20:33 +0100

Archaeological excavations uncovered the ruins of a sixteenth century fortress on Tuesday - in the very centre of Lille.

Europe's 'oldest' Muslim graves unearthed in France

Thu, 25 Feb 2016 11:10:15 +0100

Archeologists working in southern France have identified three graves that represent the oldest Muslim burials ever found in Europe, dating to the eighth century.

Students find 560,000-year-old tooth in France

Tue, 28 Jul 2015 12:22:55 +0200

Archaeology students have unearthed what is understood to be the oldest human body part ever found in France - a tooth from 560,000 years ago. Researchers have hailed it as a "major discovery".

French noblewoman and husband's heart dug up

Wed, 03 Jun 2015 16:51:47 +0200

A lead coffin housing the remarkably well-preserved body of a 17th century noblewoman - still wearing her shoes and cap - has been unearthed in the northwestern French city of Rennes. Her husband's heart was found nearby.

Ancient tomb of Celtic prince found in France

Thu, 05 Mar 2015 09:21:00 +0100

An "exceptional" tomb from the fifth century BC, likely that of a Celtic prince, has been unearthed in a small French town, shedding light on Iron Age European trade, researchers said Wednesday.

Mass grave found under Paris supermarket

Mon, 02 Mar 2015 10:41:00 +0100

Around 200 skeletons were found closely packed together underneath the floor of a supermarket in central Paris, with experts saying the medieval grave offers a unique research opportunity.

Found in France: Ice age statuette of busty woman

Fri, 28 Nov 2014 09:58:00 +0100

A 23,000-year-old limestone statuette of a woman with big breasts and buttocks has been discovered in northern France in what archaeologists on Thursday described as an “exceptional” find.

French 'learned wine-making' from Italians

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 11:02:00 +0200

Despite now being perhaps the global capital of wine, France imported its earliest wine and learned wine-making from ancient Italians, according to archaeological evidence unearthed by US researchers.

Prehistoric French cave paintings go on tour

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:23:18 +0100

Stunning reproductions of the famed cave paintings of Lascaux are being displayed for the first time outside of France at an exhibit in Chicago opening on Wednesday.

Woolly mammoth 'Helmut' found near Paris

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:31:00 +0100

Archaeologists have uncovered a 100,000-year-old mammoth skeleton in the Paris region, in what experts are calling an “exceptional” discovery.

Frenchman Bruno finds dinosaur bone in garden

Fri, 04 May 2012 17:02:00 +0200

While tending to his flowerbeds in Louplande, west France, one Frenchman made a very rare discovery - a 100 million-year-old dinosaur bone.