2026 has already delivered some of the most important archaeological discoveries in years. In this documentary we walk through the new finds, from a Roman fossil collector in Britain and a possible Bronze Age shipwreck off Turkey to Neanderthal wooden tools and fish traps revealed by melting ice in Norway. Each find is placed on a timeline so you can see how old it really is. ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro: 2026's biggest archaeological discoveries 1:20 Colchester, Roman Britain: the earliest known deliberately collected ichthyosaur fossil 4:30 Guangzhou crucibles: early brass-making in China 8:00 Kekova, Turkey: possibly the world's oldest known shipwreck 11:50 Lake Tesse, Norway: melting ice reveals ancient fish traps 15:20 Çayönü, Turkey: an ancient copper and malachite workshop 18:30 El-Wad Cave, Mount Carmel, Israel: the oldest known clay beads 21:50 Hohle Fels, Germany: Ice Age ivory birds 24:20 Abric Romaní, Spain: Neanderthal wooden tools 27:00 Schöningen, Lehringen & Clacton: Europe's oldest wooden spears 29:10 Marathousa, Greece: wood worked by early humans 30:10 The oldest wooden tools compared: Marathousa, Clacton, Kalambo Falls, Atapuerca 32:20 Recap: every 2026 find on one timeline 📚 Findings are drawn from 2026 publications and excavation reports (including Antiquity, Science Advances and PNAS). Some dates are preliminary and may change as research continues. 🎬 Visuals include AI-generated reconstructions of ancient scenes. If you enjoy archaeology, ancient history and discovery documentaries, subscribe for more. #archaeology #archaeology2026 #ancienthistory #discoveries #neanderthals #shipwreck