Smart News History & Archaeology

The Endurance was discovered resting on the seafloor east of the Antarctic Peninsula in 2022.

See the Wreck of Ernest Shackleton's 'Endurance' in Astonishing Detail With This New 3D Scan

Created from more than 25,000 high-resolution images, the digital model shows artifacts from the ill-fated expedition, including a boot, dishes and a flare gun

The newly discovered jade dragon artifact, as seen from different angles

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Mysterious Jade Dragon Artifact at a 5,000-Year-Old Tomb in China

Hundreds of artifacts have been unearthed at a burial mound in the city of Chifeng, but researchers are particularly intrigued by the six-inch-long object

The right lower side of the submarine's conning tower, a raised platform where the officer in charge would have been stationed

Shipwreck Hunters Find Lost World War II-Era Submarine That Vanished With 64 Crew Members Onboard

The HMS "Trooper" likely sank after hitting an underwater German mine off the coast of an island in the Aegean Sea in 1943

The researchers examined eight Iranian swords in their study.

New Research

These Iron Age Swords Were Smuggled Out of Iran and Modified to Increase Their Value on the Black Market

Using advanced imaging techniques, researchers discovered modern glue, drill holes and even a fragment of a drill bit in the pastiches

The lions have been housed as taxidermy specimens at the Field Museum in Chicago since 1925.

Two Lions Went on a Man-Eating Spree in 1898. Now, DNA Evidence Reveals Their Diets

The notorious predators, nicknamed the “Man-Eaters of Tsavo,” terrorized railway workers in Kenya for roughly nine months

Matthew Vincent, Josh Gates and Pearce Paul Creasman digging in front of the Treasury building in Petra, Jordan

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Petra Discover Secret Tomb Hiding Beneath a Mysterious Structure Featured in 'Indiana Jones'

The recent excavation beneath the Treasury has revealed 12 complete human skeletons and a trove of grave goods dating back 2,000 years

Qing Bao, a 3-year-old female, is one of two giant pandas making the long journey from China to Washington, D.C. 

Pandamonium

The Smithsonian National Zoo's New Giant Pandas Will Make Their Public Debut on January 24

A pair of 3-year-old giant pandas—a male named Bao Li and a female called Qing Bao—have officially arrived at the Zoo, where they will first acclimate to their new home

Hiroshima was left in ruins after American troops detonated a nuclear bomb on August 6, 1945.

Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Japanese Atomic Bomb Survivors Who Fight for Nuclear Disarmament

The grassroots organization, Nihon Hidankyo, was lauded for "demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again"

Bord de Mer (Seaside), Claude Monet, circa 1865

A Rare Monet Painting Has Been Returned to the Family of Its Rightful Owners—Eight Decades After It Was Stolen by the Nazis

The Gestapo seized the Impressionist painting from storage after its owners fled from their home in Vienna. Now, the piece has been returned to their granddaughters

The woman's remains were contained in two painted coffins, one stacked inside the other.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Intricately Decorated Coffins Belonging to the Only Daughter of an Ancient Egyptian Governor

The 4,000-year-old burial chamber featured hieroglyphs referring to the woman, known as Idi, as the "lady of the house"

The blast left a large crater in the taxiway at Miyazaki Airport.

An American Bomb Left Over From World War II Explodes at an Airport Taxiway in Japan

No one was injured in the blast, and authorities are investigating why the ordnance detonated after so many years underground

Winston Churchill loved Claude Monet's paintings, which he looked to as inspiration for his own art.

A Monet Masterpiece That Hung in Churchill's Home Is Now Free of Grime From Cigar Smoke

The newly restored "Charing Cross Bridge," which once hung in the politician's drawing room, is now on display at London's Courtauld Gallery

The 36 silver coins, minted between 1000 to 1065 C.E., have been declared official treasure. 

Metal Detectorists Unearth 1,000-Year-Old Viking Coins on a Small Island in the Irish Sea

Experts say that the trove of silver currency is official treasure and includes coins from England and Ireland

An interior view of the Transfiguration Cathedral in in Odesa, Ukraine, which was heavily damaged by a Russian missile on July 23, 2023

Two and a Half Years After the Russian Invasion, Ukraine's Cultural Heritage Remains at Risk

A $1 million grant from the U.S. is the latest effort to support Ukraine's fight to preserve its rich past

Oued Beht, highlighted in color

The Discovery of a 5,000-Year-Old Society in Morocco Reveals an Ancient Farming Culture

At the site known as Oued Beht, archaeologists uncovered evidence of a large farming settlement where people used advanced techniques

A high-resolution synthetic aperture sonar image of the USS Stewart

Cool Finds

This Newly Discovered Sunken Warship Served on Both Sides of World War II

The USS <em>Stewart</em> was purposefully sunk off the coast of California after the war

Archaeologists digging in ancient Fregellae uncovered the region&rsquo;s oldest known villa

The Roman Republic Quashed a Rebellion So Completely That This City Became a Landfill

Researchers studying the ancient site of Fregellae reveal the consequences of challenging the Roman army

An image of the famous Sycamore Gap tree before it was illegally cut down in 2023

One Year After England's Famous Sycamore Gap Tree Was Illegally Felled, a New Exhibition Honors Its Legacy

The show coincides with an initiative that will give away 49 of the tree's saplings to individuals and communities across the country

This long-term loan comes after Yemen and the Met formalized a partnership in 2023.

Ancient Statues Recently Returned to Yemen Are Now on Loan at the Met

The long-term loan is the latest agreement Yemen has made with a museum in order to protect its cultural heritage amid ongoing civil war

A wall painting of a crowned woman with scepter (upper left), a procession of men behind her carrying objects (upper right) and a textile workshop (below)

Cool Finds

See a Newly Uncovered Throne Room in Peru That May Have Belonged to an Ancient Queen

Built by the Moche people in the seventh century, the stunningly painted space shows signs of heavy use, including an eroded throne and traces of human hair

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