Smart News History & Archaeology

Minnesota River from Gifford Lake Unit, Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area

Human Skull Found by Minnesota Kayakers Dates Back 8,000 Years

The skull fragment will be turned over to Upper Sioux Community tribal officials

Researchers have long tried—and failed—to sequence the complete genome of someone who died in Pompeii. 

This Man Was Encased in Volcanic Ash in Pompeii. Here’s What His DNA Reveals

The adult man’s genome is the first to be fully sequenced from remains found in the ancient city

The artwork’s last owner purchased it for just a few hundred pounds. 

Cool Finds

A Vase Kept in an Ordinary Kitchen Turned Out to Be a Qing-Dynasty Artwork Worth Millions

The rare, blue-and-gold vessel was crafted in 18th-century China

Black soldiers during World War II

History of Now

Nine Army Bases Honoring Confederate Leaders Could Soon Have New Names

Proposed by a government panel, the suggested title changes honor several women and people of color

The ceiling was once so filthy, these depictions of Egyptian goddesses could not be seen.

Temple Restoration Reveals Vibrant Art of Vulture-Like Egyptian Goddesses

Millennia of grime, soot and bird poop had covered up—and preserved—the archaeological treasure

Part of the Field Museum’s new permanent exhibition "Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories."

Past Imperfect

Field Museum Confronts Its Outdated, Insensitive Native American Exhibition

Co-created with Indigenous partners, the new permanent installation reckons with past harm

A group of Chinchorro mummies, dated between 5000 B.C.E. and 3000 B.C.E.

Cool Finds

Can the World's Oldest Mummies Survive Climate Change and Other Threats in the Coming Decades?

Up to 7,000 years old, the mummified remains are treasured by local residents

Salma brachyscopalis Hampson

U.S. Customs Agents Find Rare Moth Last Spotted in 1912

Larvae and pupae found in seed pods at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last fall hatched into <em>Salma brachyscopalis Hampson</em> moths

The Carabinieri Police Cultural Heritage Protection Unit returned the painting to the government in a May 19 ceremony. &nbsp;

Italian Art Police Recovered a Long-Lost Titian. But Is It Really the Renaissance Master's Work?

The recently confiscated painting is worth an estimated $7 million

Left: Photo of the dress from a Bonhams auction listing. Right: Father Gilbert Hartke with the gifted garment

There’s No Place Like Home—but What’s the Right Place for Dorothy's Dress From 'The Wizard of Oz'?

Donated to the head of Catholic University’s drama department in 1973, the garment's ownership is now at the center of a legal dispute

Red ocher has served many history, from painting cave walls to tanning hides.

Cool Finds

This 12,000-Year-Old Wyoming Quarry Could Be North America's Oldest Mine

The state's archaeologists believe people quarried red ocher at Powars II starting 12,840 years ago

Researchers want to recreate the smells of civilizations like ancient Egypt.&nbsp;

Scientists Recreate Cleopatra's Favorite Perfume

Reconstructing the scentscapes of bygone civilizations is anything but simple

Archaeologists unearthed fossilized feces not far from Stonehenge.

What 4,500-Year-Old Poop Teaches Us About the People Who Built Stonehenge

Fossilized feces found near the Neolothic monument suggests its builders chowed down on undercooked animal organs

Judy Chicago&rsquo;s 1985 painting&nbsp;The Creation&nbsp;shows a woman birthing the world.&nbsp;

Global Cultures Have Always Worshipped—and Feared—Women

A new explores two sides of female divinity

Artisans hired by&nbsp;Mehtjetju only made rough drafts of the&nbsp;carvings planned for the entrance to his tomb. &nbsp;

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Egypt Unearth 4,300-Year-Old Tomb of Man Who Handled His Pharaoh’s ‘Secret Documents’

Artisans likely didn’t get a chance to finish decorating Mehtjetju’s final resting place, researchers say

The Parthenon sculptures are also known as the Elgin Marbles.&nbsp;

Past Imperfect

Can Greece and the U.K. Finally Broker a Deal to Return the Elgin Marbles to Athens?

New talks raise old questions about the ancient Parthenon sculptures

The Neolithic-Era henge was completely obscured by overgrown vegetation.&nbsp;

Cool Finds

Volunteers Uncover Rare, 4,800-Year-Old Stone Circle in England

Ground scans at Castilly Henge revealed seven pits where ancient stones once stood

Man Ray,&nbsp;Le Violon d&rsquo;Ingres&nbsp;(1924).

Man Ray's Iconic Portrait of Kiki de Montparnasse Is Now the Most Expensive Photo Ever Sold at Auction

The Surrealist and Dada artist superimposed violin f-holes on his muse’s back

Tiger tamer Alexander Lacey gets his tigers on their feet in one of the final performances of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp; Bailey Circus.

The 'Greatest Show on Earth' Is Coming Back—Without Circus Animals

After seemingly closing for good five years ago, Ringing Bros. and Barnum & Bailey will launch a new, more modern show in 2023

The Clotilda has been at the bottom of the Mobile River since 1860, when the captain burned and sank the vessel that was used illegally to bring enslaved individuals from West Africa to Alabama.&nbsp;

Unlocking the Secrets of the 'Clotilda,' the Last Known Slave Ship

Archaeological divers spent 10 days evaluating the sunken ship in the Mobile River, and took samples for possible traces of DNA

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