Mysteries

Researchers say the incisors' removal may have served as an indicator of social status or membership in a specific group.

Why Are These Medieval-Era Skulls Found in Gabon Missing Their Front Teeth?

Intact, 500-year-old upper jaws discovered in an African cave bear evidence of deliberate facial modification

An eight-foot-wide model of the intact monument was placed in an acoustics-testing chamber. Researchers found that sounds emanating from near the center reverberated within the structure.

What Did Stonehenge Sound Like?

Researchers have developed a new understanding of what it meant to be a member of the inner circle

An eighth- or ninth-century B.C. Urartian castle similar to the one recently found in eastern Turkey

2,800-Year-Old Castle Linked to Enigmatic Ancient Civilization Found in Turkey

The structures dates to the time of Urartu, a kingdom that clashed with the Assyrians in the first millennium B.C.

People who reopened graves might take items like swords and brooches but leave more valuable objects untouched.

Why Did Early Medieval Europeans Reopen Graves?

Contrary to some assumptions, the removal of objects from burial sites was not typically motivated by greed

An individual buried in an amphora on the Croatian island of Hvar

Ancient Necropolis Discovered in 17th-Century Croatian Palace's Garden

The fourth- or fifth-century cemetery contained the remains of several individuals buried in jars

To date, researchers have uncovered fragments of Spanish pottery, animal bones, oyster shells, jewelry beads and an array of other artifacts.

Is This Florida Island Home to a Long-Lost Native American Settlement?

Excavations on Big Talbot Island may have unearthed traces of Saraby, a 16th- or 17th-century Mocama community

Researchers had previously theorized that the 61 people buried in the Jebel Sahaba Cemetery were the victims of a single battle or massacre. A new study suggests the remains actually belong to hunter-gatherers killed during a series of smaller raids.

Did Climate Change Drive Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers in Sudan to War?

Some 13,400 years ago, rival communities in the Nile Valley likely clashed over scarce resources

Controversial collector Stuart Pivar discovered the painting at an auction outside of Paris. The Van Gogh Museum reportedly plans to authenticate the work.

Is This Landscape a Long-Lost Vincent van Gogh Painting?

A controversial art collector claims that a depiction of wheat fields in Auvers is the work of the famed Impressionist

"You can never safely operate a flying bomb," says historian Dan Grossman.

Watch Newly Resurfaced Footage of the Hindenburg Disaster

A PBS documentary investigates the cause of the infamous 1937 explosion that tanked the airship industry

New research suggests the intrepid adventurer's persistent health problems stemmed from beriberi, a disease linked to vitamin B-1 deficiency.

What Mysterious Illness Plagued Polar Explorer Ernest Shackleton?

The Antarctic adventurer was initially diagnosed with scurvy, but new research suggests he actually suffered from beriberi

Historians have long thought that Slavic peoples did not develop an alphabet until the ninth century—but the new findings suggest otherwise.

Runes Found on Seventh-Century Cow Bone Could Change Slavic History

The Germanic writing suggests Slavs used an alphabet more than 200 years earlier than previously believed

Bran Castle is relying on its connections to the puncture-happy vampire Dracula to entice people to get vaccinated. Here, masked visitors stand in front of a sign depicting syringes as vampire fangs.

'Dracula's Castle' Is Now Offering Visitors Free Covid-19 Vaccinations

Bran Castle's connections to the vampire may be as mythic as the monster himself, but the site remains a popular Romanian attraction

Smithsonian ecologist Andy Boyce reported the rediscovery and photographed the elusive Bornean subspecies of the Rajah scops owl, Otus brookii brookii, in the mountainous forests of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia.

Rare Owl With Bright Orange Eyes Seen for the First Time in More Than 125 Years

The elusive Bornean Rajah scops owl is inspiring scientists and researchers after its brief rediscovery

Researchers have long debated the Cerne Abbas Giant's age, with some dating it to the prehistoric period and others to the medieval era.

Scholars Are One Step Closer to Solving the Mystery of an Enormous Chalk Figure

A new analysis of the 180-foot-tall Cerne Abbas Giant dates the English landmark to between 700 and 1100 A.D.

At its height in the 13th century, Angkor boasted a population of around 700,000 to 900,000.

Thirteenth-Century Angkor Was Home to More People Than Modern Boston

New research tracks the famed southeast Asian city's growth over hundreds of years

This facial reconstruction envisions what HMS Erebus engineer John Gregory may have looked like.

Descendant's DNA Helps Identify Remains of Doomed Franklin Expedition Engineer

New research marks the first time scholars have confirmed the identity of bones associated with the fateful Arctic voyage

Mired in myth and misconception, the killer’s life has evolved into “a new American tall tale,” argues tour guide and author Adam Selzer.

The Enduring Mystery of H.H. Holmes, America's 'First' Serial Killer

The infamous "devil in the White City" remains mired in myth 125 years after his execution

This 1540 miniature by Hans Holbein may depict the Tudor king's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, not his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

Presumed Portrait of Catherine Howard May Actually Depict Anne of Cleves

A Hans Holbein miniature long thought to depict Henry VIII's fifth queen may instead portray the Tudor king's fourth wife

This month's book picks include African Europeans, X Troop and Chasing the Thrill.

African Europeans, Jewish Commandos of WWII and Other New Books to Read

These May releases elevate overlooked stories and offer insights on oft-discussed topics

“When we saw the little foot and then the little hand [of the fetus], we were really shocked,” says anthropologist and archaeologist Marzena Ozarek-Szilke.

World's Only Known Pregnant Egyptian Mummy Revealed

The unprecedented discovery opens up new pathways into the study of maternal health in the ancient world

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