Artifacts

Engineer Martin Cooper made the world's first cellphone call on April 3, 1973, using a Motorola DynaTAC.

From 'the Brick' to the iPhone, the Cellphone Celebrates 50 Years

As the technology turns 50, science fiction might hint at the cellphone's next chapter

The coin was one of 29 antiquities returned to Greece

Rare Gold Coin Celebrating Julius Caesar's Death Returned to Greece

Minted in 42 B.C.E., the looted coin broke auction records in 2020 when it sold for $4.2 million

Lego Caveman comes armed with a toy wooden club.

Did Our Ancestors Actually Wield Clubs?

Inspired by pop culture depictions of cavepeople, an archaeologist searches for what is real and what is a myth

One of the scrolls carbonized by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius

You Could Win $1 Million by Deciphering These Ancient Roman Scrolls

The Herculaneum scrolls have remained unreadable since their discovery in 1750, but researchers hope to change that

More than two million people visit Chichén Itzá in Mexico each year.

Mexico's Chichén Itzá Is Getting a New Museum

Officials hope the new facility will attract an influx of tourists arriving on the controversial Maya Train

The sphinx has a "slight smile," according to archaeologist Mamdouh Al-Damati.

Smiling Sphinx Statue Unearthed in Egypt

Researchers suspect the Roman-era limestone figure may depict the emperor Claudius

The comb measures roughly two inches and has nearly a dozen teeth.

Ancient Comb Made From Human Skull Unearthed in England

The Iron Age artifact may have been used as an amulet rather than a hairstyling tool

For the first time, researchers have discovered remnants of Roman-era wooden spikes meant to deter attackers.

Archaeologists Discover Wooden Spikes Described by Julius Caesar

Until recently, no traces of the military technology had ever been found

First discovered in 1992, the phallus is 6.3 inches long and made of ash wood.

Is This Wooden Artifact an Ancient Roman Phallus?

Thirty years ago, researchers thought that the 2,000-year-old object was a darning tool

Yemeni artifacts on display during a ceremony to celebrate their repatriation

The Smithsonian Will Temporarily House 77 Repatriated Artifacts Amid Unrest in Yemen

Until the items can be returned, the National Museum of Asian Art will keep them safe

One of the pieces of Cambodian jewelry returned by the estate of antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford

Looted Gold Jewelry Returns to Cambodia

Now back in Phnom Penh, the 77 items may have been worn by Angkorian royalty

The Codex Sassoon, which measures 12 by 14 inches, dates to the late ninth or early tenth century.

World's Oldest Near-Complete Hebrew Bible Goes to Auction

The Codex Sassoon could break auction records, becoming the most valuable historical document ever sold

The items were found at Thompson Farm, were Harriet Tubman was born into slvery.

Artifacts Unearthed Near Harriet Tubman's Birthplace

Archaeologists identified a West African spirit cache, a collection of items used to protect a home's occupants

Pottery from the wreck of the Josephine Willis, which has been granted historical protection by the British government

Shipwreck Carrying Rare 19th-Century Ceramics Gets Government Protection

The British emigrant vessel sank with a cargo of Victorian pottery on board

Construction workers at the site of the new Metro C subway line in Rome

Ancient Golden Glass Unearthed During Roman Subway Construction

The artifact depicts Roma, the goddess who personifies the city of Rome

The damaged castle following the earthquakes on February 6

Earthquakes Damage 2,000-Year-Old Castle in Turkey

The 7.8-magnitude quake also harmed other historic structures throughout Turkey and Syria

The dako sword found at Tomio Maruyama

Seven-Foot Sword Unearthed From 1,600-Year-Old Burial Mound in Japan

Archaeologists think the artifact was used to protect against evil after death

An intact Roman dodecahedron at the Gallo-Roman Museum

Metal Detectorist Finds Mysterious Roman Object Possibly Used for Magic

Patrick Schuermans discovered a fragment of a 1,600-year-old dodecahedron in Belgium

The Djidji Ayôkwé was kept at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris for about a century.

French Museum Will Return 'Talking Drum' to Ivory Coast

Colonial settlers seized the ten-foot-long wooden instrument in 1916

Two of the gemstones discovered at a Roman bathhouse in Carlisle, England

Archaeologists Find 2,000-Year-Old Gemstones in Drain Beneath a Roman Bathhouse

The stones, known as intaglios, likely fell from the rings of wealthy bathers

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