At a construction site in Langrolay-sur-Rance, in northwestern France, archaeologists from the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research have uncovered a vast ancient Roman estate, including the remains of its well-preserved bathhouse. The large property, with its main house, gardens, colonnaded walkways, heated floors, attached stables, and stunning view across the Rance River, likely would have been the country retreat for a wealthy family from the city of Fanum Martis, some eight miles away. The most exceptional remains excavated there are those of the luxurious bathhouse that sprawls across more than 4,000 square feet. Each stage of the standard Roman bathing routine could be followed at the villa, as one proceeded from the room for undressing, to the footbaths, the cold and hot pools, the heated room called the caldarium with its hot-water bath and sauna, and finally the heated massage room and a bracing cold plunge.

When King Olaf Haraldsson gave up the old Viking gods to become Norway’s first Christian ruler, he fundamentally changed his society. Part of that legacy is the church he built in his capital city of Nidaros (now known as Trondheim), which was recently discovered at the construction site of a new office building. The church’s stone foundation is remarkably intact. According to Anna Petersén of the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research, the nave, choir, entrances, and foundation of the altar are still in place. The church was dedicated to Saint Clements the patron of slaves and seafarers and a popular figure among observant Norse raiders. A series of radiocarbon dates shows that the church was built in the early eleventh century, which affirms historical descriptions.

Researchers also found a construction behind the altar that they are calling the “Pall,” the place where they believe Haraldsson was laid to rest after he was martyred in the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030. Petersén says the church became such a popular pilgrimage site that the king’s coffin was later removed to a larger cathedral. The discovery of Haraldsson’s old church gives the research team an opportunity to reconstruct the royal compound and the city’s religious landscape at a time of profound spiritual change.

Forensic experts have reconstructed the face of a man who lived around 9,500 years ago in Jericho, near the Jordan River in the West Bank. The reconstruction was based on a micro-CT scan of his skull, which had been covered in plaster and has clamshells for eyes. Alexandra Fletcher of the British Museum, where the skull is housed, believes it and others like it were created as part of an ancestor cult.

The scan reveals that the skull belonged to a man who died after the age of 40 and had a broken nose that healed during his lifetime. In addition, his skull had been tightly bound from early infancy, changing its shape. “This person lived a very long time ago,” says Fletcher, “but he could go out shopping in London today, and nobody would turn a hair. He’s a modern human, just like you or me.”