Editors' Picks
The Oldest Modernist Paintings
Two thousand years before Picasso, artists in Egypt painted some of the most arresting portraits in the history of art
El Mirador, the Lost City of the Maya
Now overgrown by jungle, the ancient site was once the thriving capital of the Maya civilization
Secrets of the Colosseum
A German archaeologist has finally deciphered the Roman amphitheater's amazing underground labyrinth
Starving Settlers in Jamestown Colony Resorted to Cannibalism
New archaeological evidence and forensic analysis reveals that a 14-year-old girl was cannibalized in desperation
May 01, 2013
| By Joseph Stromberg
Page 1 of 3
Did he, and other Vikings, really use a brutal method of ritual execution called the "blood eagle"?
March 18, 2013
| By Mike Dash
A new DNA analysis confirms that an ancient skull found in a Siberian cave was an early ancestor of man's best friend
March 06, 2013
| By Joseph Stromberg
The whaler Essex was indeed sunk by a whale—and that's only the beginning
March 01, 2013
| By Gilbert King
Rival towns are vying for the king’s remains and his legacy now that his skeleton has been found 500 years after his death
February 08, 2013
| By Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
Recent scientific findings date their arrival earlier than ever thought, sparking hot debate among archaeologists
February 2013
| By Guy Gugliotta
By testing ice cores in Greenland, scientists can look back at environmental data from millennia past
February 2013
| By Joseph Stromberg
Evidence of substantial gene flow between Australian and Indian populations around 4,000 years ago refutes beliefs that Australia was an isolated continent before Europeans arrived
January 15, 2013
| By Rachel Nuwer
Ancient Roman pills, preserved in sealed tin containers on the seafloor, may have been used as eye medicine
January 07, 2013
| By Joseph Stromberg
The Secretary of the Smithsonian draws the connection between the Clovis tools and Silicon Valley
December 2012
| By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
According to a top religion scholar, this 1,600-year-old text fragment suggests that some early Christians believed Jesus was married—possibly to Mary Magdalene
September 18, 2012
| By Ariel Sabar
Didn’t know he was an artist too? "Tut tut!"
May 09, 2012
| By K. Annabelle Smith
The discovery of a 40,000-year old figurine reignites debate among archaeologists about the origins—and true purpose—of art
March 2012
| By Andrew Curry
Off the coast of North Carolina lie dozens of shipwrecks, remainders of a forgotten theater of World War II
January 18, 2012
| By Jim Morrison
Two thousand years before Picasso, artists in Egypt painted some of the most arresting portraits in the history of art
February 2012
| By Smithsonian Magazine
What is it about Roman concrete that keeps the Pantheon and the Colosseum still standing?
November 16, 2011
| By Erin Wayman
Following years of haggling over its provenance, a celebrated statue once identified as Aphrodite, has returned to Italy
November 2011
| By Ralph Frammolino
November 2011 | By Ralph Frammolino
The Incas were masters of their harsh climate, archaeologists are finding—and the ancient civilization has a lot to teach us today
September 07, 2011
| By Cynthia Graber
A debate rages over preserving the awe-inspiring, 350-year-old monument that now shows signs of distress from pollution and shoddy repairs
September 2011
| By Jeffrey Bartholet
Removed as minister of antiquities, the high profile archaeologist no longer holds the keys to 5,000 years of Egyptian history
July 18, 2011
| By Andrew Lawler
By analyzing ancient pottery, Patrick McGovern is resurrecting the libations that fueled civilization
August 2011
| By Abigail Tucker
Now overgrown by jungle, the ancient site was once the thriving capital of the Maya civilization
May 2011
| By Chip Brown
As Israeli archaeologists recover artifacts from the religious site, ancient history inflames modern-day political tensions
April 2011
| By Joshua Hammer
Cannons. Gold dust. Turtle bones. For archaeologists researching the notorious pirate's flagship, every clue is priceless
March 2011
| By Abigail Tucker
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