Smart News History & Archaeology

The coins date to between 1840 and 1863.

Cool Finds

Trove of 700 Civil War-Era Gold Coins Discovered in Kentucky

An unidentified man found the cache, which may have been buried ahead of a Confederate invasion, in a cornfield earlier this year

Minarets are built adjacent to mosques and used to call Muslims to prayer.

300-Year-Old Minaret Toppled to Make Way for Road Expansion in Iraq

Residents and cultural officials are dismayed by the city of Basra's decision to demolish the structure

The Toshodaiji Temple, an eighth-century Buddhist site in Nara, Japan

Teenage Tourist Carves His Name Into 1,200-Year-Old Temple in Japan

The UNESCO World Heritage site is one of several historical landmarks around the world to be vandalized this summer

The Church of San Pablo now stands above the underground passageways in the ancient city of Mitla.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Entrance to the Zapotec Underworld Beneath a Church in Mexico

New scans of the site have confirmed the existence of an "underground labyrinth"

A lightsheet used to reveal hidden text in a manuscript of William Camden's Annals. New research suggests the author reworked his biography of Elizabeth I to win the favor of her successor, James VI of Scotland and I of England.

Cool Finds

Hidden for 400 Years, Censored Pages Reveal New Insights Into Elizabeth I's Reign

Scholars used advanced imaging to read crossed-out, pasted-over passages in the first official account of the Tudor queen's time on the English throne

The memorial wall inside the new Africatown Heritage House

New Exhibition Tells the Story of the 'Clotilda,' the Last Known American Slave Ship

A display spotlighting the schooner's survivors is now open inside the new Africatown Heritage House in Mobile, Alabama

A portrait of the Ramesses II (left) and researchers Philippe Walter and Catherine Defeyt using portable X-ray fluorescence equipment to take measurements (right)

New Research

X-Rays Uncover the Secrets of 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian Paintings

A new study provides insight into how tomb painters altered their work over time

The stone is over 5,000 years old and was once used to sharpen ax heads.

Cool Finds

Rare Neolithic 'Polishing Boulder' Discovered in England

Used to sharpen axes, the 5,000-year-old polissoir is only the second of its kind ever found in the country

Scientists found that carvings on the bones of giant sloths were made within a few years of the animals' deaths.

New Research

Humans May Have Arrived in the Americas Earlier Than Previously Thought

Researchers say that humans coexisted with giant sloths in Brazil some 25,0000 years ago

Archaeologists are still speculating as to why the remote location was chosen as a burial site.

Mysterious 2,500-Year-Old Skeletons Found in Israel's Negev Desert

The tomb was located at the crossroads of two trading routes—and far away from any ancient settlements

Avalon Waterways' eight-day commemorative cruise includes an onboard D-Day ceremony on June 6, 2024.

River Cruises Will Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day

Travelers can immerse themselves in the history of the Normandy landings that changed the tide of World War II

Crowds gather outside the front gate of the Acropolis.

The Acropolis Adopts Crowd Control Measures for the First Time

The increasingly popular tourist destination in Greece is becoming overwhelmed with tourists

The ceremonial Cannon of Kandy is one of 478 objects that will return to Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

The Netherlands Repatriates Nearly 500 Looted Artifacts to Sri Lanka and Indonesia

Six of these objects are held by the Rijksmuseum, which is returning stolen items for the very first time

Archaeologist Letty Ingrey measures one of the hand axes.

Cool Finds

Giant Hand Axes Discovered in England Point to Prehistoric Humans' 'Strength and Skill'

A trove of artifacts found in a valley in Kent includes the third largest hand ax found in the country to date

Alda wore the boots and dog tags for all 11 seasons of the popular show.

Alan Alda Is Selling His Boots and Dog Tags From 'M*A*S*H'

They were worn by real soldiers before serving as props in one of America's most popular TV shows

A still from the upcoming film Napoleon, which dramatizes the ambitious military commander and emperor's rise and fall

The Trailer for Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' Is Here

The new film stars Joaquin Phoenix and follows the ambitious French ruler's rise to power

An artistic rendering of what the "Ivory Lady" might have looked like

New Research

The 'Ivory Man'—a Powerful Leader Buried in a Lavish Tomb 5,000 Years Ago—Was Actually a Woman

Researchers in Spain had previously assumed that the grave belonged to a high-status young man

Images of human figures are visible in the Bronze Age paintings.

Cool Finds

Eagle-Eyed Hiker Spots Bronze Age Rock Paintings in Norway

Tormod Fjeld and two friends have spent years searching for traces of rock art in their free time

The alignment of the pits discovered suggests a ritual purpose.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover 25 Mesolithic Pits in England

The 8,000-year-old pits shed light on a period in Britain that historians know very little about

The canoe was discovered in an underwater cave in 2021.

Maya Canoe Found in Underwater Cave May Have Been Used for Rituals

Archaeologists discovered the seven-foot-long vessel near Chichén Itzá two years ago

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