Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News / Smart News History & Archaeology

Tutankhamun's tomb wasn’t plundered or looted to the same extent as others in the Valley of the Kings.

On This Day in History

Why the Discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb Was the Most Significant Archaeological Find of the 20th Century

The intact burial—unearthed on this day in 1922—contained a “wonderful” cache of objects linked to the ancient Egyptian pharaoh

Divers recovered rye seeds from the James R. Bentley shipwreck in Lake Huron.

Scientists Are Trying to Make Whiskey Using Rye Seeds That Were Submerged in a Lake Huron Shipwreck for Nearly 150 Years

Divers, distillers and researchers recently recovered grain from the “James R. Bentley,” a wooden schooner that sank during a storm in 1878

The researchers of the paper, Matthew Adeleye, University of Cambridge, and David Bowman, University of Tasmania, study a sediment core.

New Research

Researchers Uncover the Oldest Record of Humans Using Fire in Tasmania, Almost 2,000 Years Earlier Than Previously Known

A new paper reveals how Aboriginal people changed the landscape by burning, demonstrating how similar practices could help manage modern bushfires

As part of the study, researchers created a 3D replica of the ancient mug.

New Research

Ancient Egyptians Drank Psychedelic Concoctions From This 2,000-Year-Old Mug, Study Finds

Scientists have discovered traces of hallucinogens in a small vessel depicting an Egyptian deity that may have been used in ancient rituals

Broadway, New York City at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. Union soldiers can be seen walking outside a recruiting station in the image's bottom right corner. 

On This Day in History

The Shocking Moment When a Group of Confederate Spies Plotted—and Failed—to Burn Down New York City

Southern operatives tried to light New York businesses on fire and bring the Northern city to its knees on this date in 1864

A portrait of Henry VIII, based on an original by Hans Holbein the Younger

On This Day in History

How Henry VIII’s Armies Defeated a Much Larger Scottish Force, Humiliating His Nephew, the King of Scotland

On this day in 1542, the Battle of Solway Moss left James V enfeebled and ill, clearing the way for his young daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, to claim the throne weeks later

Freddie Mercury of Queen, 1982 Tour at the Various Locations in Oakland, California 

On This Day in History

Read Freddie Mercury’s Heartbreaking Announcement of His Diagnosis With HIV/AIDS, Released on This Date in 1991, Just a Day Before the Queen Frontman Died

Until Mercury released the statement, tabloid newspapers hounded the ailing singer, while only a smaller inner circle knew about the extent of his illness

The clay cylinders were found in a tomb containing six skeletons.

Archaeologists Say These Mysterious Markings Could Be the World’s Oldest Known Alphabetic Writing

Found etched into clay cylinders in Syria, the strange symbols date to around 2400 B.C.E.—500 years before other known alphabetic scripts

Makenzie Van Eyk (second from right) holds the message in a bottle that she wrote 26 years ago. Roland St. Pierre (far left) was her teacher at the time. Her daughter Scarlet (second from left) and son Huxley (far right) are enrolled in the same school she attended.

Cool Finds

A Little Girl Dropped a Message in a Bottle Into a Lake. Her Daughter’s Classmate Found It 26 Years Later

Makenzie Van Eyk wrote the letter as part of a class project in 1998, when she was in fourth grade. Recently, the note was discovered by a boy who goes to school with her daughter—who is now in fourth grade herself

The engraved plaquettes sport grid-like patterns that researchers think represent fishing nets.

New Research

These Ice Age Artworks Etched Into Rock 15,800 Years Ago May Be the Earliest Known Depictions of Fishing

Found in western Germany, the stone plaques feature etchings of fish trapped in grid-like nets, according to a new study

Italian authorities have recovered several Etruscan antiquities stolen by tomb raiders from a burial site in central Italy.

Italian Police Arrest ‘Clumsy’ Tomb Raiders Who Allegedly Posted Stolen Etruscan Artifacts on Facebook

The items include artistic urns, a bone comb and an ancient sarcophagus with a full skeleton inside

A painting of the capture of Blackbeard on November 22, 1718

On This Day in History

How British Authorities Finally Caught Up to the Most Notorious Pirate in History

On this day in 1718, the Royal Navy attacked and killed Blackbeard, also known as Edward Teach, off the coast of North Carolina

Next May, Airbnb will host two nights of immersive, three-hour gladiator experiences.

Airbnb Plans to Host an Immersive ‘Gladiator’ Experience in the Colosseum, and Politicians in Rome Are Furious

The short-term rental giant will help pay for the Colosseum Archaeological Park’s educational programs in exchange for use of the monument

One side of the coin is stamped with a simple "NE" to represent New England, while the other side features Roman numerals to denote its value.

American Colonists Minted This Humble Silver Coin in 1652. It Just Sold for $2.52 Million

Settlers in Massachusetts needed cash, but England wouldn’t send any. So, they created their own mint in Boston and began making coins

Rebecca Latimer Felton, photographed between 1909 and 1930

On This Day in History

Meet the Woman Who Was the First Female Senator and the Last Senator to Be an Enslaver. She Served for Just One Day

Rebecca Felton was sworn in on this day, and despite her short time in power, her legacy reveals deep contradictions in American history

The book recently underwent a three-month conservation process.

A Rare Atlas of Astronomy From the Dutch Golden Age Goes on Display in England

The copy of “Harmonia Macrocosmica” dates back to the 17th century and includes ancient theories of the universe

A whale attacks a boat in Frank Goodrich's 1858 novel "Man upon the sea : or, a history of maritime adventure, exploration, and discovery, from the earliest ages to the present time".

On This Day in History

Inside the Terrifying True Story of the Sperm Whale That Sank the Whale-Ship ‘Essex’ and Inspired Herman Melville’s ‘Moby-Dick’

Survivors of the whale attack drifted at sea for months, succumbing to starvation, dehydration—and even cannibalism

Sigmund Freud in the office of his Vienna home in 1930

New Exhibition Unravels Sigmund Freud’s Complex Relationship With the Women in His Life and Work

“Women & Freud: Patients, Pioneers, Artists” spotlights the women who influenced the Austrian neurologist—and the field of psychoanalysis more broadly

The team used A.I. algorithms to combine more than 400,000 photos into a comprehensive, three-dimensional model of the Catholic church.

See Every Nook and Cranny of St. Peter’s Basilica With This New, Stunningly Accurate 3D Replica

Microsoft and the Vatican used artificial intelligence to virtually recreate the historic Vatican City church

None

This Interactive Map Shows Which Indigenous Lands You Live On

The nonprofit behind the tool wants people to learn the history of the spaces they inhabit

Page 53 of 346