Smart News History & Archaeology

A video posted on social media shows a woman spraying red paint on the portrait, then cutting it with a handheld tool.

Pro-Palestinian Activists Damage Balfour Portrait at Cambridge University

The 1917 Balfour Declaration was a pivotal declaration of British support for a "national home for the Jewish people"

Researchers tested samples from seven ceramic vessels found on the ancient site of Cotzumalhuapa, and they found nicotine residue in three of them.

New Research

Mesoamericans May Have Drunk Tobacco During Rituals 1,000 Years Ago

New research reveals evidence of nicotine residue on vases unearthed in Guatemala

The moon’s shadow, as seen from the International Space Station, passes over central Asia during a 2020 total solar eclipse.

A History of Total Solar Eclipses Seen by Astronauts From Outer Space

Since the Gemini 12 mission in 1966, a handful of people have seen these stunning celestial events from orbit—or watched the moon’s shadow pass over Earth

The museum is located inside a former teacher's college that played a vital role in the Dutch resistance.

With New Holocaust Museum, the Netherlands Reckons With Its Past

The venue, which opens this week, memorializes the Dutch Jews who suffered at the hands of the Nazis

The dagger was discovered in a forest near Korzenica in November 2023.

Cool Finds

Found in a Polish Forest, This Dagger Belonged to an Elite Warrior 4,000 Years Ago

A metal detectorist came across the copper artifact while searching for objects from World War I and World War II

Completed in 1709, the library has more than 22,000 books.

You Can Spend the Night in the Secret Library Tucked Inside St. Paul's Cathedral

Airbnb is offering two guests the chance to sleep amongst 22,000 books in an area normally off-limits to visitors

A view of the Korolevo archaeological site. Researchers used the decay of isotopes in rocks dug up from the site to determine the age of the stone tools.

Stone Tools Found in Ukraine May Be the Oldest Evidence of Early Humans in Europe

The 1.4-million-year-old rocks may have belonged to Homo erectus, and they shed light on migrations of human ancestors, a new study suggests

Mining foreman R. Thornburg shows a small cage with a canary used for testing carbon monoxide gas in 1928.

What Happened to the Canary in the Coal Mine? The Story of How the Real-Life Animal Helper Became Just a Metaphor

The humble bird, which was employed until 1986, represents an important part of mining history

The Bréal Cup, designed by French scholar Michel Bréal, was awarded to the winner of the first Olympic marathon.

Paris Is Preparing for the Summer Olympics With a New Exhibition at the Louvre

"Olympism" explores the history of the ancient Olympics and France’s influence on the modern games

The shield has been withdrawn from an auction at Anderson & Garland, where it was expected to fetch between £800 and £1,200 (roughly $1,000 to $1,500). 

Auction House Cancels Sale of Looted Ethiopian Shield

Heritage officials have called for the return of the artifact, which British forces seized in 1868

Scientists studied the Lala Lallia star dune in the Sahara Desert in eastern Morocco.

Scientists Unravel the Mysteries of Earth's Towering Star Dunes—Massive, Moving Mountains of Sand

Using new technologies, researchers revealed an enormous star dune in Morocco formed more quickly than thought, and it's on the move

An ancient fresco depicting Helle reaching for her twin brother, Phrixus, after falling from a golden ram

Cool Finds

A Remarkable Fresco Depicting a Scene From Greek Mythology Has Been Found in Pompeii

The vibrant painting portrays siblings Phrixus and Helle as they flee from their stepmother

Cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. on March 22, 2023

This Is When Washington, D.C.'s Cherry Trees Are Predicted to Bloom This Year

"Peak bloom," which typically falls in late March or early April, refers to the day when at least 70 percent of the trees have blossomed

Researchers drove a car equipped with ground-penetrating radar over the land near Utstein Monastery on the island of Klosterøy.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists May Have Found Traces of a Viking Marketplace in Norway

Ground-penetrating radar found evidence of a trading hub buried near the island of Klosterøy's historic monastery

Partially buried dolia at a wine cellar in the town of Boscoreale, Italy

This Is What Ancient Roman Wine Tasted Like

New research shows that clay vessels known as dolia were essential to the drink's distinctive taste, flavor and texture

Wasabi, which is commonly eaten with sushi, is also an effective preservation tool.

New Research

How Wasabi Can Help Preserve Ancient Papyrus

Researchers say the green horseradish-like paste can fight fungal infections without damaging fragile pigments

The Great Mosque of Algiers (or the Djamaa El-Djazair) has the world’s tallest minaret at 869 feet.

Algerian Officials Inaugurate the Largest Mosque in Africa

Spanning nearly 70 acres, the $898 million project faced years of delays amid political controversy

Researchers have pieced together a 26-foot-tall statue of Atlas originally built some 2,500 years ago.

A Towering Statue of Atlas Emerges From the Ruins of Sicily's Ancient Temple of Zeus

In the fifth century B.C.E., 38 looming sculptures of the Titan stood guard at the structure

The metal slab is called a tasset, a piece of armor worn over the upper thigh.

Cool Finds

Why Did Colonists Trash This Piece of Armor After Settling in Maryland 300 Years Ago?

The metal plate was unearthed in the cellar of a storehouse dating to the mid-1600s

Residents were asked to evacuate for several hours while the military transported the bomb to a waiting ship.

10,000 People Were Evacuated So Experts Could Safely Detonate an Unexploded World War II-Era Bomb

Residents found the German explosive in a backyard garden in Plymouth, England

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