Kings

Researchers found several amphorae, ancient vases that stored wine, in one of the old villa's rooms.

Archaeologists May Have Found the Villa Where the Roman Emperor Augustus Died

Excavations north of Mount Vesuvius revealed Roman ruins buried by the eruption in 79 C.E.

Julianne Moore as Mary Villiers and Nicholas Galitzine as her son George Villiers in "Mary & George"

The Real Story Behind 'Mary & George'

The new mini-series dramatizes the Villiers family’s scandalous rise to power at the court of England's James I

The fully intact statue would have measured nearly 23 feet tall.

Archaeologists Unearth the Long-Lost Top Half of an Enormous Ramses II Statue

A German researcher found the lower section of the Egyptian pharaoh's likeness nearly 100 years ago

Mohammed (seated at left) with Franklin D. Roosevelt (center) and Winston Churchill (right) at a 1943 war conference near Casablanca

The Moroccan Sultan Who Protected His Country's Jews During World War II

Mohammed V defied the collaborationist Vichy regime, saving Morocco's 250,000 Jews from deportation to Nazi death camps

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

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

Rasputin with his acolytes in 1914

What Really Happened During the Murder of Rasputin, Russia's 'Mad Monk'?

Aristocrats plotted to kill the Siberian peasant, who wielded undue influence over Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra. But the conspiracy backfired, hastening the coming Russian Revolution

The 1,500-year-old gold ring's semiprecious red stone likely served as a symbol of power.

Metal Detectorist Finds Rare 1,500-Year-Old Gold Ring in Denmark

The distinctly decorated artifact may be linked to a powerful family in the area with ties to the Merovingians

In late January, workers began moving the Pyramid of Menkaure's granite blocks, many of which were abandoned around the structure's base.

Egypt Halts Controversial Plans to Renovate Ancient Pyramid

A committee of experts concluded that altering the Pyramid of Menkaure would compromise its historical value

Granite blocks lie at the base of the Pyramid of Menkaure in Giza, Egypt, which is 4,500 years old.

Should Egypt Renovate This Ancient Pyramid?

Officials have announced plans to rebuild the granite blocks they say once covered the Pyramid of Menkaure

A 1,700-year-old mosaic jade mask and a carved femur bone found inside an ancient Maya tomb at Chochkitam, Guatemala

Archaeologists Discover 1,700-Year-Old Jade Mask Inside the Tomb of a Maya King

Located in Guatemala, the tomb also held rare mollusk shells, carvings and other funeral offerings

A gilded unicorn atop a silver baton from the regalia of Scotland's Usher of the White Rod

How the Unicorn Became an Enduring Symbol—and Scotland's National Animal

The Perth Museum's inaugural exhibition examines the mythical creature's long history

Found by workers during recent restorations, the wall paintings feature three crowned motifs.

Forgotten Tudor Wall Paintings Discovered in a Cambridge University Loft Space

Unseen for nearly 300 years, the art resurfaced during restorations at Christ's College

Princess Diana in 1985. The sixth season of "The Crown" opens 12 years later, in the summer of 1997.

How Princess Diana's Death Transformed the Royal Family

The last season of "The Crown" will examine the aftermath of the beloved royal's death in a car accident in 1997

Performers at the 1963 Renaissance Pleasure Faire. Ron Patterson, a co-founder of the event, appears in orange at the far right.

The Surprisingly Radical Roots of the Renaissance Fair

The first of these festivals debuted in the early 1960s, serving as a prime example of the United States' burgeoning counterculture

A psalter owned by Henry VIII offers something that fans of the Tudors have craved for centuries: a window into the mind of the tyrannical English ruler.

Henry VIII’s Book of Psalms Reflects His Quest for Legitimacy—and His Fear of Death

Handwritten annotations in the Tudor king's psalter show how he looked to scripture to justify his break from Rome and the annulment of his first marriage

One of the more than 200 bouquiniste stalls along the Seine in Paris

Parisian Booksellers Have Lined the Seine for Centuries. Now, They're Fighting to Stay

Ahead of the 2024 Olympics, city officials are trying to relocate the bouquinistes for security reasons

The remains likely belong to a Qinling panda rather than a Sichuan panda. Pictured: Qi Zai, a Qinling panda born in captivity

Fully Intact Giant Panda Skeleton Discovered in Chinese Emperor's 2,000-Year-Old Tomb

Archaeologists previously found a panda skull in a nearby Han burial, but its torso was missing

George Herbert’s pictures aren’t just decorative. They reinforce the meanings of his poems.

These 17th-Century Poems Painted Pictures on the Page—and Defied the Church of England's Rejection of Religious Images

George Herbert's shaped poetry subtly pushed back against the iconoclasm of the English Reformation

A lightsheet used to reveal hidden text in a manuscript of William Camden's Annals. New research suggests the author reworked his biography of Elizabeth I to win the favor of her successor, James VI of Scotland and I of England.

Hidden for 400 Years, Censored Pages Reveal New Insights Into Elizabeth I's Reign

Scholars used advanced imaging to read crossed-out, pasted-over passages in the first official account of the Tudor queen's time on the English throne

King Willem-Alexander lays a wreath as part of a ceremony on the Netherlands' National Remembrance Day of Slavery, during which he gave a speech apologizing for the country's involvement in the slave trade.

Dutch King Apologizes for the Netherlands' Role in the Slave Trade

The monarch's statement coincided with the 150th anniversary of slavery's abolition in the country's colonies

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