Artifacts including gold medallions and sacrificial llama bones reveal the ritual pilgrimages taken around Lake Titicaca
Museums house a wealth of rare animal specimens, such as arctic clothing, medieval parchment and Viking drinking horns, but DNA testing can be destructive
Archaeologist Wendell Phillips traveled throughout Yemen in the 1950s, where he found ancient treasures and controversy
The once-fortified outposts that protected U.S. troops are relics of our ambitions abroad
From a 50-year-old political scandal to swarms of genetically engineered mosquitos, here are Smithsonian.com's most-read stories
Trade caravans, whether supported by mules, camels or llamas, have helped archaeologists piece together the past in many corners of the world
Hominins made stone tools in central Arabia 190,000 years ago, and the hand axe technology raises questions about just who they were
As archaeologists push back the dates for the spread of tobacco use, new questions are emerging about trade networks and agriculture
Archaeologists thought these ancient tools, 80,000 years old at least, were brought to China by migrants—but now it appears they were invented locally
Dated to at least 40,000 years old, the depiction of a cattle-like animal has striking similarities to ancient rock art found in other parts of the world
Disrupting a stereotype of Mesoamerican savagery, Zelia Nuttall brought the ingenuity of Aztec civilization to the fore
As early herders spread across northern and then eastern Africa, the communities erected monumental graves which may have served as social gathering points
Gourds are the runts of their family of fruits, too tough and bitter to eat, but they remain one of the most popular crops of fall
It took millennia, but America’s founding farmers developed the grain that would fuel civilizations—and still does
In a 5,000 year-old jar, archaeologists discovered the remnants of wine
After an ill-fated journey hauling boulders sank it, the Lake Serpent is at last ready to tell its story
Material pulled from ceramic sherds reveals the favored foodstuffs in the 8,000-year-old city of Çatalhöyük in Turkey
The board game <i>hnefatafl</i>, commonly called Viking chess, pits an attacking player against another trying to defend the king
Human remains dating back to the Roman Empire populate the grounds below the surface, representing a burden for developers but a boon for archaeologists
Undigested molecules persist in soil for hundreds or even thousands of years, acting as biomarkers that show the ebbs and flows of bygone civilizations
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