Smart News History & Archaeology

This blue-pigmented figurine was found buried with the oldest child.

Four Aztec Burials Found in Mexico

Even after the fall of the Aztec Empire, new discoveries reveal that some traditions survived

Ralph Samuelson on water skiis

The Man Who Invented Water Skiing

One hundred years ago, Ralph Samuelson successfully skied across the waters of Lake Pepin

Archaeologists continue to dig around the Roman temple complex in the Netherlands.

Cool Finds

In the Netherlands, Volunteer Archaeologists Find Roman Temple Complex

The site was likely used by soldiers near the Roman Empire's northern border

The remains of an ancient tortoise in Pompeii

Cool Finds

In Pompeii, Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Pregnant Tortoise

The tortoise was likely looking for a safe place to lay her egg when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 C.E.

Discovered beneath the Baths of Caracalla, the two-story home dates to between 134 and 138 C.E.

Cool Finds

An Ancient Home Found Beneath the Baths of Caracalla Is Now on Display

The second-century structure has frescoed ceilings and depictions of both Roman and Egyptian deities

Researchers analyzed flint tools found at the Evron Quarry in Israel.

Cool Finds

When Did Early Humans Start Using Fire? To Find Answers, Scientists Enlist Artificial Intelligence

By analyzing flint tools, researchers find new evidence of an 800,000-year-old fire in northern Israel

Women at Gateways with owner Ted Ware around 1953

Inside Gateways, One of the World's Longest-Surviving Lesbian Nightclubs

A new documentary tells the story of the London nightclub where lesbian women found escape and acceptance

Sammy B torpedo tubes

World’s Deepest Shipwreck Discovered Four Miles Underwater in the Philippines

The U.S. destroyer was sunk during World War II

Reconstruction of marble finial in the form of a sphinx (detail), 2022, by Vinzenz Brinkmann and Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann

Art Meets Science

See the Vibrant, Long-Overlooked Colors of Classical Sculptures

A new exhibition at the Met features brightly hued reconstructions of ancient Greco-Roman artworks

Charlotte Bischoff van Heemskerck sees the portrait for the first time since it was stolen.

Cool Finds

Nazi-Looted Painting Returned to 101-Year-Old Dutch Woman

Over 75 years ago, Germans stole 'Portrait of Steven Wolters' from Charlotte Bischoff van Heemskerck’s father

Notre-Dame’s oldest bell, Emmanuel, dates back to the 15th century and rings in F sharp.

The Secret Sounds of Notre-Dame's Bells

An artist is live streaming the bells' imperceptible vibrations, which reflect the city around them

First discovered in 1900, the Antikythera shipwreck has yielded some of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century.

Cool Finds

Divers Pull Marble Head of Hercules From a 2,000-Year-Old Shipwreck in Greece

The Antikythera shipwreck, discovered in 1900, continues to yield new artifacts

Attorney Gloria Allred (left) and Norma McCorvey (right), the anonymous plaintiff in Roe v. Wade, during a pro-choice rally in Burbank, California, on July 4, 1989

Women Who Shaped History

Who Was Norma McCorvey, the Woman Behind Roe v. Wade?

Dubbed "Jane Roe," McCorvey sought an abortion after becoming pregnant in 1969 but was thwarted by Texas' restrictive reproductive laws

In “EmilyBlaster,” the gameplay is shooting at words to form Emily Dickinson poems.

You Can Now Play 'EmilyBlaster,' a Video Game Inspired by Emily Dickinson's Poetry

Players assemble poems by shooting at words in the '80s-style adventure

This painting by Richard Caton Woodville Jr. depicts the Battle of Omdurman.

Sudanese Museums Call for Return of Stolen Artifacts

Colonizers took the items after a deadly battle in the late 19th century

The mosque was found in the Bedouin town of Rahat in Israel’s Negev desert.

Cool Finds

In Israeli Desert, Archaeologists Find One of the Oldest Known Mosques

The seventh-century structure provides clues about a region in transition

In June, a World War II barge became visible in the Po River

Cool Finds

Drought in Italy Reveals Sunken World War II Barge

The Po, Italy's largest river, is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years

While many strains of E. coli are harmless, some can cause illness.

Ancient Strain of E. Coli Found in 16th-Century Mummy

Researchers identified the bacterium in fragments from a gallstone

View of Nehalem Beach, where the ship was wrecked, with Neahkahnie Mountain in the distance

Cool Finds

Rare Timbers From 17th-Century Spanish Shipwreck Discovered Off Oregon Coast

The Manila galleon—and its cargo of silk, porcelain and beeswax—vanished en route to Mexico in 1693

This pay phone, one of the last in New York City, was removed from Times Square at the end of May.

One of the Last Pay Phones in New York City Moves to a Museum

Located in Times Square until last month, the pay phone is now on display at the Museum of the City of New York

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