Smart News History & Archaeology

Alice Tate-Harte, a conservator at English Heritage, works on a 17th-century portrait of Diana Cecil.

See a 17th-Century Portrait Restored to Its Original Appearance, Minus Lip Fillers and Other Touch-Ups

Conservators removed cosmetic changes made to a painting of English aristocrat Diana Cecil, likely to match 19th-century beauty standards

A visitor examines artifacts from the exhibition "Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea" at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam in 2014.

Hundreds of Crimean Treasures Return to Ukraine After Long Legal Battle

When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the artifacts were on loan to a museum in the Netherlands

Diana first spotted the blouse on a rack of clothes presented to her by the fashion team at Vogue magazine.

Princess Diana's Engagement Portrait Blouse Is for Sale

Diana wore the garment for a portrait that officially announced her engagement in 1981

A stela found at Las Capellanías, a necropolis in southern Spain, is changing conceptions around ancient gender roles. 

Cool Finds

This 3,000-Year-Old Stone Slab Found in Spain Is Upending Ideas About Ancient Gender Roles

The newly discovered stela depicts a figure with a headdress, a necklace, swords and male genitalia

The jawbone likely belonged to a Columbian mammoth.

Cool Finds

Fossil Hunter Pulls Massive Mammoth Jawbone Out of Florida River

John Kreatsoulas, who made the discovery while diving in southwest Florida, initially thought the 60-pound mandible was a log

The S.S. Dix was part of the "Mosquito Fleet" of vessels that ferried passengers around Puget Sound.

117-Year-Old Shipwreck Found in Puget Sound

The S.S. Dix went down while ferrying passengers between Seattle and Bainbridge Island

Flag design finalist submission F2100

See the Top Contenders for the New Minnesota State Flag

Picked from more than 2,600 submissions, the finalists pay homage to the state's motto and nickname

Crews used armor-plated excavators while working on the riverbed in case they came across unexploded ordnances.

Cool Finds

Civil War Weapons Recovered From South Carolina's Congaree River

Union troops tossed Confederate munitions and supplies into the waterway after taking Columbia in February 1865

Jonny Fowle, global head of whisky at Sotheby's, tasted a tiny drop of the rare Scotch whisky and described it as "very rich."

Rare Bottle of Scotch Whisky Sells for Record-Breaking $2.7 Million

Made in 1926, the whisky aged in sherry casks for 60 years before being bottled in 1986

The sarcophagus of Ramses II is a major attraction in a new exhibition, as it has rarely been shown publicly outside of Egypt.

Why Egyptomania Is Taking Over Australia

A series of exhibitions in the country spotlight the enduring appeal of ancient Egypt for modern audiences

The store's owner said she got the skull when she bought a storage unit last year.

Why Was a Human Skull on Sale at a Florida Thrift Shop?

Experts are now analyzing the specimen, which could belong to a Native American woman

A display of low-value coins from Greece helps illustrate how money became part of ordinary peoples' everyday lives during economic transformation in medieval Europe.

How Money Transformed Medieval Europe

A new exhibition explores the questions raised by economic revolution—and how familiar those questions remain today

A drawing of a musical lion from 14th-century France

Why Is Medieval Art So Weird?

Titled "Weird Medieval Guys," a new book examines illustrations of armless frogs, human-sized snails and more

Sergeant Gabriela Corbalan rang a bell as the names of the soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment were read at a recent ceremony. 

U.S. Army Clears 110 Black Soldiers Charged in 1917 Houston Riots

The soldiers have been given honorable discharges, and their families may now be eligible for benefits

This is the only known first-class Titanic dinner menu of its kind from April 11, 1912.

Titanic Passengers Dined in Style Before Disaster Struck

A water-stained first-class dinner menu dated April 11, 1912 just sold for more than $100,000

The north wall of an ancient Egyptian burial chamber decorated with spells protecting against snake bites

Cool Finds

This Ancient Egyptian Burial Chamber Was Filled With Spells to Ward Off Snake Bites

Although serpents were a symbol of protection for the Egyptians, the discovery suggests some were wary of getting venomous bites after death

Only ten known examples of Babe Ruth's rookie baseball card still exist today.

Only Ten Babe Ruth Rookie Baseball Cards Survive. Now, One Is Going Up for Auction

Bidding starts at $2.5 million, but the auction house expects the 1914 collectible to sell for much more—and possibly break memorabilia records

Police initially arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with the felling.

Hadrian's Wall Damaged by Sycamore Gap Tree Felling, Inspection Confirms

Cut down by a chainsaw, the beloved tree fell atop the 1,900-year-old Roman wall in September

The Great Sphinx in the Giza Necropolis

New Research

Wind May Have Helped Sculpt Egypt's Famous Sphinx

New research suggests that a natural rock formation served as the sculpture's foundation

Austin Butler stars as Major Gale Winston Cleven.

Based on a True Story

Watch the Trailer for 'Masters of the Air,' Steven Spielberg's Long-Awaited Follow-Up to 'Band of Brothers'

The upcoming miniseries follows the 100th Bombardment Group, an Air Force unit nicknamed the "Bloody Hundredth"

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