Smart News History & Archaeology

X-ray analysis revealed a hidden landscape depicting the birth of Christ.

Cool Finds

Nativity Scene Discovered Beneath 16th-Century Painting of John the Baptist's Beheading

Experts hope further examination will yield insights on the canvas' age, background and history

Minoan single-use cup alongside a paper cup from Air India

Cool Finds

For Easy Clean-Up After Parties, Minoans Used Disposable Cups

A 3,500-year-old single-use vessel is part of a new display at the British Museum that explores our long-standing relationship with trash

On Christmas Eve 1869, a bird-related incident ruffled Charles Dickens' feathers.

Charles Dickens Lost His Last Christmas Turkey to a Freak Fire

A rediscovered letter reveals the famed author forgave the railway company that botched his holiday delivery

Kent Monkman, a Canadian artist of Cree ancestry, poses with one of his large-scale history paintings, The Scream.

At the Met, Two New Monumental Paintings Foreground the Indigenous Experience

Cree artist Kent Monkman borrows from European artists while reframing problematic narratives about indigenous people

The garum factory found near Ashkelon in Israel

Cool Finds

Ancient Roman Fish Sauce Factory Unearthed in Israel

The site produced the incredibly popular fish gut-based condiment garum—a process so stinky it had to take place far from town

The shores of Mount Athos, a monastic sanctuary where women have been banned for more than 1,000 years

Cool Finds

Possible Female Remains Discovered on Greece's All-Male Monastic Peninsula

The identity and sex of the individual have yet to be confirmed, but could mark a first for the sacred Mount Athos

Recent excavations in the ancient Greek city of Pylos revealed a gold pendant featuring the likeness of Hathor, an Egyptian goddess who was a protector of the dead.

Cool Finds

Artifacts in Gold-Lined Tombs Hint at Ancient Greek Trade Relationships

The gilded graves, built some 3,500 years ago, likely housed high-status individuals who displayed their wealth with objects from abroad

The Fiscardo wreck's amphorae are exceptionally well-preserved.

Cool Finds

Enormous Roman Shipwreck Found Off Greek Island

The 110-foot-long ship carried more than 6,000 amphorae used as shipping containers in the ancient world

Lead author Scott Haddow says, "Given the small sample size, the ultimate meaning of the human teeth pendants will remain elusive until new findings ... can help us better contextualize [them]."

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Beads Made of Human Teeth in Ancient Turkish City

The molars found in Çatalhöyük are the first such beads found in the Near East

A 1997 photograph submitted by Andrea Ekins

See 150 Years of Stonehenge Family Photos

The collection offers a glimpse into humans' engagement with the monument

The blue monkey fresco at Akrotiri, an ancient settlement on the Aegean island of Thera, or modern-day Santorini

Cool Finds

Painted Bronze Age Monkeys Hint at the Interconnectedness of the Ancient World

The fascinating "tail" of how Indian monkeys might have ended up in a Minoan painting

The new attraction is the Dominican Republic's Living Museum of the Sea.

Trending Today

New 'Living Museum of the Sea' Established in Dominican Republic Waters

Based around an existing shipwreck, the museum will allow divers to explore cannons, anchors and coral reefs

The Wedding Dance by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1566

Art Meets Science

Detroit Exhibit Celebrates Bruegel's 'The Wedding Dance' and Its Controversial Codpieces

The painting’s frank depiction of drunk frivolity—and male anatomy—didn’t sit well with some viewers

Roman tweezers found during bridge construction

Cool Finds

Roman Ear Cleaner, Tweezers Unearthed in England

The ear cleaning tool looks similar to a modern Q-tip but is made entirely out of metal

Popular lore posits that Jimi Hendrix, or perhaps the crew of classic Hollywood film The African Queen, released the invasive species in the U.K., but a new study suggests otherwise.

Contrary to Popular Legend, Jimi Hendrix Did Not Introduce an Invasive Parakeet to the U.K.

A new study debunks several colorful theories about how ring-necked parakeets became the most abundant naturalized parrot across the pond

Six humanoid figures with animal features surround an anoa, a small type of buffalo, in a 44,000-year-old Indonesian cave mural.

Cool Finds

Newly Discovered Indonesian Cave Art May Represent World's Oldest Known Hunting Scene

The finding bolsters the idea that even 44,000 years ago, artistic ingenuity was shaping cultures across the Eurasian continent

New Research

Oceanographers Map Legacy of Nuclear Tests at Bikini Atoll

Sonar scans reveal undersea craters from atomic testing conducted between 1946 and 1958

The Elgin cast, seen on right, reveals sculptural details lost today.

New Research

3-D Imaging Reveals Toll of Parthenon Marbles' Deterioration

A new study of 19th-century plaster casts of the controversial sculptures highlight details lost over the past 200 years

In 2010, researchers excavating this young woman's grave discovered a waxy cone atop her head.

Cool Finds

Ancient Egyptian Head Cones Were Real, Grave Excavations Suggest

Once relegated to wall paintings, the curious headpieces have finally been found in physical form, but archaeologists remain unsure of their purpose

The shield was buried alongside a 2,000-year-old chariot drawn by two horses.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Celtic Warrior Grave Complete With Chariot, Elaborate Shield

One expert hailed the shield as "the most important British Celtic art object of the millennium"

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