Smart News: History & Archaeology | Smithsonian Magazine

AP file photo of musician Coco Schumann taken on August 16, 1997.

Coco Schumann, the Holocaust Survivor who Played Jazz at Auschwitz, Dies at 93

The Berlin native returned to the city after the war and became renowned for playing the electric guitar

January 31, 2018

Piu Eatwell’s recent true crime book on the case suggests that one-time suspect Leslie Dillon was the killer of Elizabeth Short in the unsolved 1947 murder

January 30, 2018

Why This Film Based on a 16th-Century Poem Has Sparked Violent Protests in India

The controversy around Padmaavat centers around its depiction of a legendary Hindu queen

January 29, 2018

Amateur Historian Reveals Forgotten Stretch of the Berlin Wall

The dilapidated structure appears to be an early iteration of the infamous Cold War partition

January 29, 2018

This Newly Digitized 16th-Century Planisphere Is the Largest-Known Early Map

Explore continents, islands and unicorns with scholar Urbano Monte’s epic map that’s been digitally pieced together by Stanford’s David Rumsey Map Center

January 29, 2018

Iron Age Tunic, radiocarbon-dated to c. AD 300. that was found in a glaciated mountain pass.

New Research

Norway’s Melting Glaciers Release Over 2,000 Artifacts

Spanning 6,000 years, the well-preserved items hint at the history of mountain dwellers

January 26, 2018

We’re One Step Closer to Non-Invasively Reading Ancient Papyri Hidden in Mummy Masks

Researchers at the University College of London are working to find a way to read the ancient scraps without destroying the artifacts in the process

January 25, 2018

Left: Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Terminal, 6th Street & Constitution Avenue, Washington, D.C. Opened in 1873, demolished in 1908.
Right: View of the Constitution Avenue entrance, north side, of the National Gallery of Art.

A new campaign by historians seeks to bring recognition to the site where the 20th president was shot

January 25, 2018

Artist J. Howard Miller produced this work-incentive poster for the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company. Though displayed only briefly in Westinghouse factories, the poster in later year has become one of the most famous icons of World War II.

Women Who Shaped History

The Unsung Inspiration Behind the “Real” Rosie the Riveter

Historians pay tribute to the legacy of Naomi Parker Fraley, who died Saturday at 96. In 2015, she was linked, circumstantially, to the We Can Do It poster

January 24, 2018

Scholars Decipher One of the Last Encrypted Dead Sea Scrolls

The text sheds light on an unusual Jewish calendar

January 23, 2018

This Recently Discovered 1,700-Year-Old Mouth Harp Can Still Hold a Tune

The mouth harp, found in Siberia’s Altai Republic, produces music when you strike or pluck it with a finger

January 23, 2018

Scythian Prince’s Sprawling Tomb Found in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings”

A summer dig unearthed what may be the oldest and largest tomb left behind by the ancient nomadic culture in southern Siberia

January 22, 2018

Cool Finds

Researchers Uncover Ancient Greek Island’s Complex Plumbing System

Excavations show the settlement of Dhaskalio at the pilgrimage site Keros was a sophisticated urban center

January 22, 2018

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Could Be Close to Finding the Tomb of King Tut’s Wife

After Tut’s death, Ankhesenamun might have wed the Pharaoh Ay, and there’s a possibility she’s buried near him in the Valley of the Monkeys

January 19, 2018

Close-up image of mural depicting the battle in Phra Ubosot, Wat Suwan Dararam, Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Thailand Drops Charges Against Historian Who Questioned the Facts Around Historic 16th-Century Duel

Sulak Sivaraksa cast doubt on whether the legendary King Naresuan had really defeated an adversary while riding an elephant

January 19, 2018

The Next Pandemic

Are Rats Innocent of Spreading the Black Plague?

Human pests like fleas and lice may be responsible for spreading the pandemic that devastated Medieval Europe

January 17, 2018

Excerpt from Folio 5 recto from the Book of Deer.

Possible Remains of ‘Lost’ Monastery Discovered in Scotland

The elusive monastery is associated with the Book of Deer, which contains the oldest-surviving examples of Scottish Gaelic writing

January 16, 2018

Michigan State’s ‘Enslaved: The People of the Historic Slave Trade’ will combine available historical data on slavery into one searchable hub

January 16, 2018

In August, protesters defaced Central Park's statue of J. Marion Sims, a 19th-century doctor who performed surgery on enslaved women without their consent

Controversial Statues in New York City Will Remain in Place With Added Historical Context

The J. Marion Sims statue is the only one the Mayor de Blasio task force recommended to be moved. It will go to the Brooklyn cemetery where he is buried

Updated: January 12, 2018 | Originally Published: November 2, 2017

The Weimaraner will inspect incoming artwork for beetles, moths and other critters that can damage museum collections

January 11, 2018

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