Smart News History & Archaeology

An illustration of Charles Byrne, whose bones were displayed at the Hunterian Museum in London for some 200 years

Why a London Museum Is Removing the Skeleton of an 'Irish Giant' From View

Charles Byrne asked for his body to be buried at sea. Instead, an anatomist bought his bones and displayed them to the public

The 800-year-old pendant is made of copper and plated in gold.

Cool Finds

Neutron Imaging Reveals Tiny Bones Inside 800-Year-Old Pendant

The high-tech method allowed researchers to examine the artifact without opening it

The flower measures roughly an inch across and is at least three times larger than all other known amber-encased blossoms.

See the Largest Known Flower Preserved in Amber

Aided by modern technology, researchers discovered the prehistoric blossom was a case of mistaken identity

Alexander Graham Bell circa 1910

The Smithsonian Will Restore Hundreds of the World's Oldest Sound Recordings

They were made by Alexander Graham Bell and his fellow researchers between 1881 and 1892

A painting at Brazil's National Congress that was damaged during the attacks

Rioters Damage Art at Government Buildings in Brazil

The government has released a list of artworks that were harmed during the attacks

Robert Garcia, a newly elected congressman from California, selected several items with personal significance to use at his swearing-in ceremony.

This Congressman Was Sworn Into Office With Rare Superman Comic

California’s Robert Garcia says the superhero embodies values like truth and justice

The researchers' facial reconstruction shows a bearded, brown-eyed man in his 30s or 40s.

See the Face of a Neolithic Man Who Lived in Jericho 9,500 Years Ago

Prehistoric people modified a skull to create a rudimentary likeness of its owner. Now, scholars have produced a more accurate facial reconstruction

The courtyard of the House of the Vettii in Pompeii

See the Lavish Pompeii Home Owned by Two Men Freed From Slavery

After two decades, the newly restored House of the Vettii is officially open to visitors

Archaeologists studied the tree ring growth patterns of 100 timbers.

Cool Finds

Rare 16th-Century Ship Unearthed in England

Quarry workers discovered the vessel 1,000 feet from the nearest coastline

An old Viking ship under the Northern Lights in Iceland

Ancient DNA Reveals a Genetic History of the Viking Age

Nearly 300 ancient genomes shed light on how people migrated and genes flowed in Scandinavia

A painting of Diana by British portraitist Douglas Hardinge Anderson, now hanging at the Royal Marsden Hospital

Princess Diana's Iconic Velvet Gown Is Going Up For Auction

The late princess wore the dress on several occasions throughout the '90s

The icory cosmetic spoon was used to pour incense onto fires as an offering to the gods or the dead.

For the First Time, U.S. Repatriates an Artifact to the Palestinian Authority

The item, an ivory cosmetic spoon, dates back to between 800 and 700 B.C.E.

The Pantheon's dome, the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, is still standing despite being nearly 2,000 years old.

'Self-Healing' Concrete May Have Preserved Ancient Roman Structures

The durable material could fill its own cracks, new research suggests

Archaeological artifacts as well as bone fragments up to 5,000 years old were discovered at two Spanish homes.

Police Discover Hundreds of Stolen Artifacts at Two Spanish Residences

The collection includes bones, Paleolithic tools, an ancient Roman loom and more

A cave painting of an extinct cattle species from Lascaux, France, with markings on its back.

Could These Cave Markings Be the Earliest Form of Writing?

New research proposes that symbols in 20,000-year-old cave drawings are a proto-writing system, but not all scientists are convinced

Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti was welcomed by friends and colleagues on Wednesday after being released from prison on bail.

Iran Releases Taraneh Alidoosti, the Famous Actress Arrested for Supporting Protests

Alidoosti had criticized Iran's brutal crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa Amini

Archaeologists have only unearthed half of the Viking hall so far and plan to continue their dig later in 2023.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Viking Hall in Denmark

The structure may have been used for political meetings or other community gatherings

Archaeologists used a remotely operated vehicle called Deep Trekker to explore the H.M.S. Erebus site.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Recover 275 Artifacts From Mysterious Arctic Shipwreck

Explorer John Franklin and his 128 crew members disappeared while searching for the Northwest Passage in the 1840s

Toni Morrison, the renowned author of powerful novels about the Black experience, taught at Princeton between 1989 and 2006.

Toni Morrison's Rarely Seen Papers Will Go on View at Princeton

The university is planning a months-long series of exhibitions, programs and performances

Egyptian officials with the ancient sarcophagus on January 2, 2023

U.S. Returns Looted Sarcophagus to Egypt

The "Green Coffin" had been at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences since 2013

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