Social Sciences
The social sciences study cultural artifacts, innovations, language and behaviors to discover how humans relate to each other and to society
Below the Rim
Humans have roamed the Grand Canyon for more than 8,000 years. But the chasm is only slowly yielding clues to the ancient peoples who lived below the rim
June 2006 |
By David Roberts
Shifting Ground in the Holy Land
Archaeology is casting new light on the Old Testament
May 2006 |
By Jennifer Wallace
Copernicus Unearthed
Archaeologists believe they have found the remains of the 16th century astronomer who revolutionized our view of the universe
May 2006 |
By Andrew Curry
Odyssey's End?: The Search for Ancient Ithaca
A British researcher believes he has at last pinpointed the island to which Homer's wanderer returned
April 2006 |
By Fergus M. Bordewich
Refined Palette
Scholars say this 19th-century artifact could have belonged to the celebrated American painter
April 2006 |
By Owen Edwards
Students of the Game
When the Aztec and Maya played it 500 to 1,000 years ago, the losers sometimes lost their headsliterally. Today scholars are visiting remote Mexican villages to study the oldest sport in the Americas, ulama, now on the verge of extinction
April 2006 |
By John Fox
Secrets of the Range Creek Ranch
Archaeologists cheered when Waldo Wilcox's vast spread was deeded to the state of Utah, believing that it holds keys to a tribe that flourished 1,000 years ago - and then mysteriously vanished.
March 2006 |
By Keith Kloor
Resurrecting Pompeii
A new exhibition brings the doomed residents of Pompeii and Herculaneum vividly to life
February 2006 |
By Doug Stewart
In John They Trust
South Pacific villagers worship a mysterious American they call John Frum - believing he'll one day shower their remote island with riches
February 2006 |
By Paul Raffaele
Airborne Archaeology
The view from above can yield insights on the ground
December 2005 |
By Andrew Curry
West African Gold: Out of the Ordinary
The inventive goldwork and royal regalia of Ghana's Akan people on display in a new exhibition are drawn, strikingly, from daily life
December 2005 |
By Doug Stewart
Christmas Cards
When orbiting pranksters Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford launched into "Jingle Bells," Mission Control almost lost control
December 2005 |
By Owen Edwards
35 Who Made a Difference: Douglas Owsley
Dead people tell no tales—but their bones do, when he examines them
November 01, 2005 |
By Aaron Elkins
Dive Bomber
Underwater archaeologists ready a crashed B-29 for visits by scuba-wearing tourists at the bottom of Lake Mead.
October 2005 |
By Julian Smith
John Lennon's First Album
A recently acquired stamp collection opens a new page on the teenage Beatle-to-be
September 2005 |
By Owen Edwards
The Ambush That Changed History
An amateur archaeologist discovers the field where wily Germanic warriors halted the spread of the Roman Empire
September 2005 |
By Fergus M. Bordewich
Mystery Man of Stonehenge
Who was he and where did he come from? And what was his role in the making of the great monument? The discovery of a 4,300-year-old skeleton surrounded by intriguing artifacts has archaeologists abuzz
August 2005 |
By Richard Stone
Glyph Dweller
Archaeologist Alanah Woody's infectious enthusiasm for Nevada's rock art knows no bounds
June 2005 |
By Christopher Hall
The Seeds of Civilization
Why did humans first turn from nomadic wandering to villages and togetherness? The answer may lie in a 9,500-year-old settlement in central Turkey
May 2005 |
By Michael Balter
