Sonja Anderson

Sonja Anderson

Sonja Anderson is a writer and reporter based in New York City.

Photographer Miles Astray shot this image of a flamingo scratching itself with its beak on a beach in Aruba.

How a Real Photo of a Flamingo Snuck Into—and Won—an A.I. Art Competition

The photographer entered the image into a contest's artificial intelligence category to "prove that human-made content has not lost its relevance"

Pottery fragments found onsite are lined in purple pigment, suggesting they were once containers for dye.

In This Ancient Workshop, Greeks Crushed Snail Glands to Make the Purple Dye Worn by Royalty

Archaeologists discovered remnants of the small factory on an island in Greece

The skull rack at Chichén Itzá was created to honor the Maya's dead.

A Mass Grave of Maya Boys May Shed Light on Human Sacrifice in Chichén Itzá

Researchers have genetically tested the bones and made determinations of gender and family relations

 The coins were found in the courtyard of a farmhouse in the small town of Wettin, Germany.

This Stash of Silver Coins Found in Germany Belonged to a Wealthy 17th-Century Mayor

The collection includes pieces from surrounding regions, as well as Italy and the Spanish Netherlands

The stones were shot from catapults during one of the longest sieges in British history.

Catapult Shots Fired During 13th-Century Siege Unearthed at British Castle

Found on the grounds of Kenilworth Castle, the eight stones were used during a clash between rebels and royal forces in 1266

Researchers are particularly excited about the newly discovered chess piece, which is about an inch and a half tall.

Medieval Game Pieces Unearthed Beneath a Castle in Germany

The "excellently preserved" chess knight, six-sided die and several other pieces are all about 1,000 years old

A reconstruction of the central grave in the burial mound of Eberdingen-Hochdorf, located in southwestern Germany

Ancient Celtic Elites Inherited Wealth From Their Mothers' Sides

A genetic analysis of opulent burial mounds in Germany sheds new light on how power passed through family lines

The 14.5-inch artifact was likely made between 900 and 1050 C.E.

Norwegian Farmer Stumbles Upon 1,000-Year-Old Viking Sword

The well-preserved artifact may belong to a special class of high-quality, engraved weapons

The correspondence is undated, but experts think Kafka wrote it in the spring of 1920.

An Ailing Franz Kafka Curses Writer's Block in This Handwritten Letter to a Friend

"I haven't written anything for three years," he admitted in the note, which will go to auction this summer

Components of Seahenge, or Holme I, were displayed at the British Museum in 2022.

England's Mysterious 'Seahenge' Monument May Have Been Built to Prolong Summer

One researcher thinks the structure was used for ancient rituals during a period of bitter cold

The graves were found in central France during an excavation of a site containing mostly fifth- and sixth-century development.

These 28 Horses Were Buried in an Ancient Mass Grave. How Did They Die?

Archaeologists are puzzled by the 2,000-year-old burial site uncovered in central France

American authorities rounded up all 600 of the artifacts in a single year.

Trove of 600 Looted Italian Artifacts Worth $65 Million Comes Home

The collection includes artifacts spanning the ninth century B.C.E. to the second century C.E.

Measuring more than five and a half feet long and three inches thick, the fragment represents almost an entire wall of the sarcophagus.

Ramses II's Long-Lost Sarcophagus Has Finally Been Identified

An Egyptologist recently concluded that a fragment of an overlooked granite coffin bears the great pharaoh's name

This charcoal sketch of gladiators was drawn from memory, not imagination, researchers say.

The Children of Pompeii Saw Gladiators Fight to the Death—and They Drew Graffiti About It

Researchers recently discovered bloodshed-themed stick-figure sketches in a cluster of houses in the doomed ancient city

Archaeologists have been studying the pet cemetery since it was first discovered in 2011.

Letters Written by Ancient Roman Commanders Have Been Found in a Pet Cemetery in Egypt

Discovered among the graves of hundreds of cats, dogs and monkeys, the correspondence was likely written by centurions in the first century

While two of the tombs were robbed, one was left untouched, and it contained a box full of glazed pottery, among other goods.

This Ancient Chinese Couple Was Buried in a Miniature Home

The tomb, composed of two chambers connected by a tiny door and windows, was found in a family gravesite on China's east coast containing four other burials

The soldiers fought in replicas of a suit of armor found near the ancient site of Mycenae in Greece.

Soldiers Put an Ancient Greek Suit of Armor to the Test, and It Passed

Researchers outfitted Greek marines in replicas of a Mycenaean suit and simulated combat to see if the armor was usable in its day

This page from the Madrid Codex depicts the Maya honey harvest.

Centuries-Old Maya Beekeeping Tools Unearthed in Mexico

Archaeologists in the Yucatán Peninsula found several stone lids used by the pre-Columbian civilization to collect honey from stingless bees

The ancient pool was lined with mosaics made with tesserae, or shaped tiles, of different materials.

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Roman Swimming Pool in Albania

Found in an upper-class villa, the indoor pool was accompanied by decorative mosaics and frescoes dating back nearly two millennia

Eman Ghoneim and her team studied the remains of an ancient branch of the Nile near the pyramids of Giza.

Did a Dried-Up Branch of the Nile Help the Egyptians Build the Pyramids?

Researchers say 31 of the monuments were constructed on the banks of the ancient waterway

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