Artifacts

Asked to choose one artifact, the Smithsonian's Undersecretary for Arts, History and Culture Richard Kurin selected this spinning wheel from the collections of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

For Every Object, There Is a Story to Tell

A Smithsonian curator is asked to select just one artifact

Scientists found deliberate scratching on a fossil Pseudodon, likely an engraving made by Homo erectus at Trinil in Indonesia.

Zigzags on a Shell From Java Are the Oldest Human Engravings

The early human <em>Homo erectus</em> also made the oldest known shell tools half a million years ago

The earliest surviving photograph, taken in 1826 or 1827, titled View from the Window at Le Gras.

Where to See the Oldest Artifacts in the World

From a royal soccer ball to a very old book, see humanity's history of innovation in ten amazing everyday objects

Archaeologists Ben Potter and Josh Reuther, both of the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, excavate the burial pit at the Upward Sun River site.

Ice Age Babies Surrounded by Weapon Parts Found in Alaska

Unearthed at an ancient hunting camp in Alaska, the infant remains are offering clues to the burial rites of early Americans

Ten-year-old Noah Cordle visited the National Museum of Natural History on November 3 to donate a Clovis point he found in New Jersey. He and his parents (right) met with the museum's Dennis Stanford (left).

This Fifth Grader Found a 14,000-Year-Old Clovis Point, Likely Unearthed From Hurricane Sandy

Noah Cordle was boogie boarding in New Jersey when he came upon an ancient hunting tool

Photograph of Robert E Lee's Arlington house taken in 1861

Rare Photo of Robert E. Lee's Slave Acquired by National Park Service

The photograph of Selina Gray and her children sold on eBay for $700

Replicas of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria sail Past Cape Canaveral in 1992

Shipwreck Probably Not Santa Maria

Shipwreck found off the coast of Haiti is probably not Santa Maria

Vice-grips Fossil (detail), 2014, wood, oil paint, polyurethane, pigment, marble dust, cast plastic.

What Will We Leave in the Fossil Record?

Artist Erik Hagen considers the remnants of modern human life that may be found in rock strata millions of years from now

Distinctive gold cuff links provided a recognition signal between Soviet mole Pyotr Popov and his CIA contacts.

A Private Tour of the CIA's Incredible Museum

Inside the agency's headquarters is a museum filled with relics from half a century of cloak-and-dagger exploits

"I instinctively distrusted the food," Hess wrote. An American psychiatrist would later marvel at the "colossal naiveté of this Nazi mind."

Rudolf Hess’ Tale of Poison, Paranoia and Tragedy

Why are packets of food that belong to the Nazi war criminal sitting in a Maryland basement?

Bush Barrow was the original resting place of the intricate gold-studded dagger that researchers now believe was crafted by children.

One of the U.K.'s Most Extraordinary Artifacts Was Likely Made by Children

The intricate work found on a dagger in 1808 was likely done by children

The pyramids of Giza were constructed between 2575 and 2465 BC. The monument in Israel dates to between 3050 and 2650 BC.

Huge Structure in Israel Older Than Pyramids

The crescent-shaped stone pile may once have been a border marker

A Persian calligraphy that developed in 14th-century Iran, nasta'liq, is the focus of a new exhibition at the Sackler Gallery. The script in this work dates to the early 1600s.

Long Before Emojis, the Picassos of Persian Calligraphy Brought Emotion to Writing

The world's first exhibition devoted to <em>nasta’liq</em>, a Persian calligraphy, is now on view at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Peaches Were Domesticated in China 7,500 Years Ago

Preserved peach pits reveal the origins of this sweet fruit

Pyramid of Djoser

Restoration Of Egypt’s Oldest Pyramid May Be Harming it

Efforts to save the Pyramid of Djoser could be making things worse

Dry Grass Hints That Stonehenge Was Once a Whole Circle

Researchers find new evidence about the shape of Stonehenge

At "Slaves' Hill," Some Workers Ate Better Than Others

New research suggests that the workers at copper mines in the Levant were valued workers, not slaves

Modern-day Canadian Inuit pictured in their traditional boats (umiak), used for hunting and transportation.

The First People to Settle Across North America's Arctic Regions Were Isolated for 4,000 Years

New research shows that the first humans in the Arctic lived there for nearly 4,000 years

Is This the Most Efficient Way To Build the Pyramids?

A new physics study shows another possible method for how the pyramids of Egypt were constructed

A zoomorphic stone portal found at the re-discovered site of Lagunita

Two Maya Cities Found in Mexican Jungle

One of the sites was re-discovered after being lost for decades

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