Archaeology
Viking’s Most Powerful City Unearthed in Northern Germany
Archaeologists working in northern Germany may have found one of the most important cities in Viking history—Sliasthorp, where once sat the first Scandanavian kings.
July 06, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
World’s Oldest Purse Adorned with Dog Teeth
The world's oldest purse features a decoration that doesn't look so different from modern beading. It's just way more gruesome.
June 29, 2012 |
By Sarah Laskow
Greek Subway Dig Uncovers Marble Road from Roman Empire
The vast network of roads built by the Romans spanned from England to India and is considered one of the main drivers of the expansive reach of the Empire. Eighteen hundred years later, Greek workers digging a new subway line in the city of Thessaloniki have stumbled across a 230-foot long stretch of a Roman marble [...]
June 27, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
How Easter Island Statues ‘Walked’ To Their Stations
How were those gigantic Easter Island statues—the moai—moved from the quarry to their final stations? One going theory, popularized by Guns, Germs and Steel author Jared Diamond, has it that they were put on wooden sledges and pulled over a system of log rails. But here’s another theory: the statues, ranging from four to 33 [...]
June 21, 2012 |
By Sarah Laskow
Pirate Vampire Dug Up in Bulgaria
Sorry, Dracula, Bill Compton and Team-Edward. An older vampire is in town, at least in Bulgaria. In the Black Sea town of Sozopol, a 700-year-old skeleton was found with metal stakes where the man’s heart had been, attracting flocks of onlookers to the church graveyard where the remains were discovered. Visitors also crowded to see [...]
June 21, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Things That Humans Did Not Invent (Including Art)
We humans like to think of ourselves as unique creatures that do all sorts of neat tricks other species can’t manage. But Alistair Pike, a British archaeologist, says his new method of dating cave paintings shows that Neanderthals, not humans, could have created some of the earliest art. Granted, it’s just a bunch of red [...]
June 18, 2012 |
By Sarah Laskow
Howard Carter: Famous Archaeologist, Not-So-Famous Painter
Didn’t know he was an artist too? "Tut tut!"
May 09, 2012 |
By K. Annabelle Smith
The Secret Lives of Medieval Books
A new method reveals which pages of ancient religious texts were most frequently used—and which prayers perpetually put readers to sleep
April 26, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Using Space Satellites to Spot Ancient Cities
Computer analysis of satellite imagery has revealed what could be a record number of archaeological sites
March 20, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Clovis People Hunted Canada’s Camels
North American camels went extinct at the end of the last ice age. Were humans partly to blame?
March 13, 2012 |
By Bruce Dorminey
Oldest American Rock Art Found in Brazil
The petroglyph, with a head, hands and "oversized phallus" is around 10,000 years old
February 23, 2012 |
By Virginia Hughes
What the Inuit Taught Scientists About Killer Whales
The native people knew what orcas ate, how they hunted prey, how the prey responded to the whales and when and where predation occurred
February 06, 2012 |
By Greg Laden
How One Mummy Came to the Smithsonian
An American diplomat’s memento takes center stage after 125 years
February 2012 |
By Owen Edwards
Fossil Finds Complicate Search for Human Ancestor
A new analysis of a 2-million-year-old hominid shows that it had an intriguing mix of australopithecine and Homo-like traits
September 09, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
Farming Like the Incas
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
Six Talking Apes
“Talking” apes are not just the stuff of science fiction; scientists have taught many apes to use some semblance of language
August 11, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
Archaeologists May Have A Bone To Pick With Herbivores
Carnivores aren't the only creatures munching on bones, and herbivores are not the strict vegans we think they are
August 04, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Beer Archaeologist
By analyzing ancient pottery, Patrick McGovern is resurrecting the libations that fueled civilization
August 2011 |
By Abigail Tucker
The Fall of Zahi Hawass
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
Snake-Spotting Theory Brings Primate Vision into Focus
Do camouflaged predators explain why monkeys, apes and other primates evolved superior eyesight?
June 22, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
