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Smart News / Smart News History & Archaeology

Tomb of the unknown Abydos dynasty king

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Tomb of Unknown Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh

The king’s mummy and sarcophagus are missing from the royal tomb, which is the second of its kind unearthed this year

The body of this Buddha statue is missing its head, feet and right hand.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth the Torso of a Rare Buddha Statue—Nearly 100 Years After They Found Its Head

The two pieces of the 800-year-old sculpture were discovered roughly 160 feet away from each other at the Ta Prohm Temple in Cambodia

Text from ancient Greek and Roman writers describes how statues of deities—including Artemis, the Greek goddess of wild animals—were anointed with perfumes.

Ancient Greek and Roman Statues Were Not Only Beautiful, but Smelled Nice, Too

New research suggests that sculptures were perfumed with sweet-smelling fragrances such as rose and beeswax

A spy pigeon with a camera strapped to its breast at the CIA Museum

Learn the Secret Histories of These Fascinating CIA Artifacts, From Pigeon Cameras to Cufflink Compasses

With the launch of its new website, the CIA Museum is bringing its sprawling collection of spy artifacts out of the shadows and into the public eye

This clay tablet sports the name of an Akkadian governor.

Cool Finds

4,000-Year-Old Clay Tablets Show Ancient Sumerians’ Obsession With Government Bureaucracy

The artifacts were excavated from a city dating back to the third millennium B.C.E. by researchers from Iraq and the British Museum

The mosaics date to the third century B.C.E.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Mosaics of Two Fighting Cupids and a Mysterious Inscription at an Ancient Greek City Hall

New research is shedding light on the bouleuterion building that once stood in the ancient city of Teos, located in present-day Turkey

An artistic interpretation of what Flagstones might have looked like shortly after it was constructed

New Research

Could This Prehistoric Burial Site Have Influenced the Construction of Stonehenge?

Researchers say that Flagstones, a large circular enclosure in southern England, dates to around 3200 B.C.E.—which means it predates Stonehenge by several hundred years

Curator Katherine Carter with the restored Marlborough portrait in Chartwell's main staircase

Restoration Reveals the Secrets of One of Winston Churchill’s Most Beloved Paintings

Long thought to be a family heirloom, the artwork was actually gifted to the British prime minister in 1942 during the darkest days of World War II

Researchers carefuly wrapped the tusk in strips of plaster-covered burlap for protection.

Cool Finds

A Hunter Was Out Looking for Deer in West Texas. He Found a Rare Mammoth Tusk Instead

Discovered in the drainage area of a creek bed, the tusk was initially thought to be “just an old stump”

Aerial view of the mikvah site

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth 1,600-Year-Old Jewish Ritual Bath—the Oldest Ever Found in Europe

Located in Ostia Antica, the mikvah dates to the late fourth or early fifth century C.E. Researchers say it’s the earliest discovery of its kind outside the Middle East

Researchers discovered the facial fragments in a cave in northern Spain.

New Research

Researchers Unearth Oldest Known Human Facial Bones Ever Found in Western Europe

The upper jawbone and partial cheek bone represent a mysterious unknown species that lived in present-day Spain between 1.1 million and 1.4 million years ago, according to a new study

Researchers used remotely operated underwater vehicles to explore the wreckage.

Historic Century-Old Shipwreck Discovered 600 Feet Beneath the Surface of Lake Superior

The 300-foot “Western Reserve” sank in August 1892, killing 27 people after both lifeboats capsized. Harry W. Stewart, the ship’s wheelsman, was the only survivor

Illustration by Meilan Solly / Photos via the Maryland Department of Transportation

These Everyday Artifacts Tell the Story of Harriet Tubman’s Father’s Home as Climate Change Threatens the Historic Site

The Maryland Department of Transportation launched an interactive virtual museum, showcasing finds from where Ben Ross lived after emancipation

The rolled-up message contained a list of people who had worked on the theater's construction.

Cool Finds

Man Discovers Message in a Bottle Hidden Above a Historic Scottish Theater’s Stage, Untouched for Nearly 120 Years

A theater patron found the glass bottle behind a decorative crown positioned 40 feet above the stage. The note was dated 1906, the year the King’s Theater opened in Edinburgh

This illustration shows the two kinds of travois researchers think humans used while moving heavy goods in New Mexico.

New Research

These Tracks Reveal Evidence of 22,000-Year-Old Wheelbarrows—But Without the Wheels

The drag marks and footprints were discovered in present-day New Mexico. Researchers say they’re some of the earliest known examples of transport vehicles

One of the toilets featured a granite slab with a hole in it and two stepping stones on either side.

Archaeologists Unearth 1,300-Year-Old Flush Toilets at a Palace Complex in South Korea

One of the toilets, likely used by the crown prince and his court ladies, may have drained directly into a nearby river

The discoveries include gold-plated beads, eye-shaped amulets and a small statue of three Egyptian gods.

Cool Finds

See the Stunning Golden Jewelry, Amulets and Small Statues Unearthed at an Ancient Egyptian Temple

Found at the Karnak Temple complex in Luxor, the 2,600-year-old trove includes a necklace depicting a golden trio of Egyptian deities

Harold Godwinson's death, as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry

Cool Finds

Newly Rediscovered, a Missing Fragment of the Bayeux Tapestry Is Returning to France

Likely removed by Nazi researchers, the scrap of fabric is a small but crucial part of the tattered tapestry’s nearly 1,000-year history

The study included two species of small cats, domesticated cats and leopard cats.

New Research

A New Study Finds That Domestic Cats Traveled the Silk Road to China About 1,400 Years Ago

The animals were likely gifted to some elites, then spread throughout the region

The portrait recently went on display at England's Wrest Park.

Does This Mysterious Portrait Depict Lady Jane Grey, the Doomed Queen Who Ruled England for Nine Days in 1553?

After conducting a new analysis, some researchers think it may be the only portrait of Grey created during her lifetime—a conclusion that has generated controversy

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