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Smart News / Smart News History & Archaeology

Along with stretches of cobblestone path, researchers found pottery and Roman coins.

Cool Finds

A Roman Road Was Hiding Beneath a Primary School Playing Field in England

The 2,000-year-old cobbled pathway was likely built after the Romans invaded Britain in the first century C.E.

The medieval archway was buried beneath layers of plaster and brick.

Cool Finds

Historic Theater Discovers 15th-Century Doorway That May Have Led to a Dressing Room

Some experts speculate that Shakespeare could have used the room to change costume during performances in the late 16th century

Carpentry waste inside one of the Roman-era wells discovered in England.

Two Ancient Wells Discovered in England Suggest Even the Romans Used Trial and Error

After the first well collapsed, the local builders incorporated wooden planks to hold up the walls of the second

Another rare example of Alan Turing's handwritten notes, which went to auction in 2015

British Government Places Export Ban on Alan Turing’s World War II-Era Notebooks

The mathematician took careful notes while working on a portable voice encryption system in the mid-1940s

The munitions are primarily located in Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, Lake Lucerne and Lake Neuchatel.

For Decades, Switzerland Dumped Munitions Into Its Pristine Alpine Lakes. Now, It Wants Them Gone

Officials are offering cash rewards for the best strategies to safely remove the submerged weapons

The rooftop addition has a hotel, restaurants and thousands of plants.

Germany Turns Former Nazi Bunker Into a Leisure Complex

Built as an air raid shelter in the 1940s, the massive structure now houses a hotel, restaurants and a rooftop park with lush greenery

Archaeologists found the bishop's remains in a tomb in Spain in 1955.

New Research

Archaeologists May Have Identified the Bones of a Celebrated Ninth-Century Bishop in Spain

Bishop Teodomiro was a central figure in the creation of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage

A case in the Green Vault's jewel room

Dazzling Jewels Stolen in Green Vault Heist Go Back on Display in Dresden

In the early morning hours of November 25, 2019, thieves made away with 4,300 valuable diamonds and other stones

Archaeologists discovered stone tools at the site, though they dated to a few thousand years after the mastodon’s death. 

13,600-Year-Old Mastodon Skull Uncovered in Iowa

The hulking creature may have overlapped with Indigenous people

The London Fire Brigade responded to a blaze that began on Somerset House's roof.

Firefighters Extinguish Blaze at London’s Somerset House

The palatial complex’s historic artworks sustained no damage from the fire that broke out on August 17

The colorful mosaic depicts brightly colored dolphins and fish.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Stumble Upon a 2,000-Year-Old Dolphin Mosaic in England

The Roman-era artwork was likely preserved thanks to a remodeling project in the third or fourth century C.E.

Andreane Rellou is an actor and filmmaker who saw the photos at the museum and took it upon herself to identify the two women.

Cool Finds

Amateur Sleuth Identifies the Mystery Women in a Museum’s Fabergé Frames

The portraits were on display at a museum in England, where staffers had been wondering about the two subjects for years

The ancient complex was unearthed in Corinth, Greece.

New Research

Ancient Prisoners Carved Graffiti Into the Floors of a Roman-Era Prison

An archaeologist has identified vengeful inscriptions etched into a 1,600-year-old prison in Greece

The Altar Stone lies at the center of the prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England.

New Research

Stonehenge’s Massive Central Stone May Have Been Shipped From Hundreds of Miles Away

Researchers think they’ve solved the mystery of the monument’s Altar Stone, which could have traveled all the way from Scotland

One of the ancient victims recently unearthed at Pompeii

Archaeologists Unearth Two More Vesuvius Victims at Pompeii

Recent excavations provide a glimpse into the choices a man and woman made in their final moments

Jackie Robinson was the first Black athlete to play in modern Major League Baseball.

A Youth League’s Stolen Jackie Robinson Statue Has Been Replaced

The original statue of the pioneering baseball player vanished from a ballpark in Wichita, Kansas, earlier this year

The Tower of London has loomed over the city since the 11th century.

Will the Tower of London Lose Its UNESCO World Heritage Status?

The United Nations agency is worried about high-rise developments near the famed 11th-century fortress

The mosaic was discovered during the construction of a water pipeline.

Cool Finds

Workers Stumble Upon Ancient Greek Mosaic of Dancing Satyrs

Found on the Greek island of Euboea, the pebbled design is part of a 2,400-year-old floor

Göbekli Tepe is an archaeological site in southern Turkey.

New Research

Could These Carvings in Turkey Be the World’s Oldest Lunisolar Calendar?

One researcher thinks the V-shaped markings engraved into a pillar thousands of years ago may represent the days of the year

The 58-foot-long, 10-foot-high sculpture is expected to be the largest free-standing bronze relief in the Western Hemisphere.

The Final Piece of the National World War I Memorial Is Almost Finished

“A Soldier’s Journey,” the 58-foot-long bronze sculpture created by Sabin Howard, will be unveiled in Washington, D.C. on September 13

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