Smart News History & Archaeology

The steering wheel at the site of the newly identified shipwreck

Eight Decades Ago, a Ship Vanished Into the Depths of Lake Superior. Why Did the Captain Remain Aboard?

The wreck of the S.S. Arlington has finally been found—but it provides no answers about Captain Frederick Burke's final moments

While the egg was found during excavations in 2010, researchers learned only recently that it still contains liquid.

Archaeologists Were 'Amazed' to Find That a 1,700-Year-Old Chicken Egg Still Has Liquid Inside

Discovered in England, the egg is thought to be the only one of its kind—and analysis of its contents could shed new light on its origins

An example of the cave art found in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. Researchers dated the paintings to as early as 8,200 years ago.

This Ancient Cave Art Passed Survival Information Across 130 Human Generations in Patagonia, Study Suggests

Dating to as early as 8,200 years ago, the paintings may have maintained collective memories during an extremely dry period in history

Today, the rongorongo script survives on less than 30 objects.

New Research

Did the People of Easter Island Invent a Writing System From Scratch?

Radiocarbon dating has found that a tablet inscribed with the mysterious rongorongo script predates European contact

The 43-foot-tall replica of Constantine's statue was constructed to mirror the dimensions of the fourth-century original.

Experts Recreate Looming 43-Foot-Tall Statue of Constantine Using 3D Modeling

Although only fragments of the 1,700-year-old colossus remain, experts hope to paint a fuller picture for the public with a new installation at Rome's Capitoline Museums

The five-inch-long Bronze Age dress fastener may have once been worn by an "important person,"

Cool Finds

Metal Detectorist Finds a Rare 3,000-Year-Old Dress Fastener

The gold accessory is one of only seven artifacts of this kind discovered in England and Wales

A reconstruction of how the newly discovered wall could have served as a hunting structure during the Stone Age, trapping deer alongside a body of water.

Stone Age Wall Discovered Beneath the Baltic Sea Helped Early Hunters Trap Reindeer

Made up of some 1,600 stones, the submerged “Blinkerwall” might be Europe's oldest known megastructure

The hollow bone containing the seeds was discovered at a Roman-era settlement in 2017.

New Research

Romans Stored Hallucinogenic Seeds in a Vial Made From an Animal Bone

Ancient scholars wrote about the medicinal, poisonous and psychoactive properties of black henbane seeds

An aerial view of the 100-foot-long wreck taken on January 30

Cool Finds

Locals Work to Save Mysterious Canadian Shipwreck Before It Disappears Into the Ocean

The 100-foot-long wreck, which likely dates to the 19th century, washed up off the coast of Cape Ray in January

An etching of Darwin's study, commissioned a week after he died.

See What Charles Darwin Kept in His 'Insanely Eclectic' Personal Library, Revealed for the First Time

On the English naturalist's 215th birthday, more than 9,000 titles from his expansive collection are now accessible online

The missile was declared "inert" by members of the Bellevue Police Department’s bomb squad.

Inert Cold War-Era Missile Discovered in a Washington Man's Garage

A resident of Bellevue, Washington, attempted to donate the historic artifact to a museum, which alerted authorities

The First Supper (Galaxy Black), Tavares Strachan, 2023

Monumental Sculpture Reimagines 'The Last Supper' With Black Historical Figures

Tavares Strachan's "The First Supper" took four years to sculpt and is now on display at an exhibition in London

An image of an archaeologist excavating the wooden funerary bed and a reconstruction of the artifact (top right)

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Rare Roman Funerary Bed Buried Beneath London

The wooden bed was likely dismantled IKEA-style before being buried alongside a high-status individual

The lavish first-century C.E. villa was located in the Roman military port city of Misenum.

Cool Finds

Was This Villa Pliny the Elder’s Front-Row Seat to Mount Vesuvius' Eruption?

Researchers are wondering whether a newly discovered villa in southern Italy could be linked to the celebrated scholar

A gold Asante necklace was among the items turned over to British forces in 1874.

Los Angeles Museum Returns Artifacts to Ghana That Were Taken by British Forces in 1874

Museum officials traveled to the city of Kumasi to return the objects on the 150th anniversary of their seizure

The rows of shallow pits were carved into a rock ledge in what is now the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in central Kenya.

Cool Finds

These Pits Carved Into Rocks in Kenya Might Be Ancient Game Boards

An archaeologist thinks the small, carved holes were used by herders for games of mancala up to 5,000 years ago

Researchers excavated Bellaghy Bog after a civilian reported seeing bones sticking out of the peat in October.

Police Find Ancient Teenager’s Body, Preserved in Irish Bog for 2,500 Years

Nicknamed the "Bellaghy Boy," he was likely between 13 and 17 when he died around 500 B.C.E.

The sword was found at the Włocławek port on the Vistula River.

Cool Finds

This Medieval Sword Spent 1,000 Years at the Bottom of a Polish River

Construction crews stumbled upon the weapon while dredging the Vistula River in Włocławek

The scroll is part of a vast library found in the ancient town of Herculaneum.

Three Students Just Deciphered the First Passages of a 2,000-Year-Old Scroll Burned in Vesuvius' Eruption

The trio used artificial intelligence to decode sections of the text, which appear to be a philosophical exploration of pleasure

The 1898 silent film Something Good‑Negro Kiss is often described as the earliest known on-screen depiction of Black intimacy. 

See Long-Lost Artifacts From Early Black Cinema

Now open in Detroit, "Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971" showcases nearly 200 rare props, posters, photographs and more

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