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Smart News / Smart News History & Archaeology

An aerial view of the Palace of Aigai following 16 years of restoration

Greece Reopens the Palace Where Alexander the Great Was Crowned

The 2,300-year-old Palace of Aigai—the largest building in classical Greece—had been under renovation for 16 years

Yuval Gadot stands at the bottom of the recently discovered moat.

Cool Finds

Iron Age Moat Discovered in Jerusalem Parking Lot

The structure’s purpose is unclear, but researchers think it may have been used to divide the city in two

A California grizzly bear specimen at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The brown bear subspecies went extinct around 1924.

California Grizzlies Weren’t as Big—or Bloodthirsty—as People Once Thought

The now-extinct bears were mostly vegetarians and measured about the same size as today’s North American grizzlies

Welcome Park is named after the ship that brought Penn across the Atlantic in 1682.

Officials Reverse Plans to Remove William Penn Statue From a Philadelphia Park

The National Park Service had proposed replacing the statue with public resources showcasing the city’s Native American history

Paleontologists say the collection of uncovered bones likely represents the most complete mammoth ever found in North Dakota.

Cool Finds

Miners Discover Seven-Foot Mammoth Tusk in North Dakota

After coal mine workers found the 50-pound specimen, paleontologists studied the site and uncovered more than 20 additional bones

A mask uncovered during recent excavations at Saqqara

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Egyptian Tomb and Stunning Trove of Artifacts

Excavations at Saqqara revealed burials, colorful masks and statues of the goddess Isis

Marie Curie was the first individual to win two Nobel Prizes.

Building Used by Marie Curie Saved From Demolition

Cultural heritage supporters are hoping to see the facility listed as a protected site

An aerial view of the temple walls unearthed north of Rome

Cool Finds

Roman Imperial Cult Temple Unearthed Beneath a Parking Lot in Italy

The pagan temple sheds new light on the empire’s gradual embrace of Christianity

Issues from Curt Bloch's Het Onderwater Cabaret will be shown at the Jewish Museum Berlin beginning in February.

While Hiding From the Nazis in an Attic, a Jewish Man Created 95 Issues of a Satirical Magazine

An exhibition of Curt Bloch’s little-known wartime publications is going on display in Berlin

The S.S. Point Reyes has become a popular tourist destination and photoshoot spot.

This Instagram-Famous Abandoned Boat May Soon Disappear From California Shoreline

The already-dilapidated S.S. Point Reyes suffered more damage during the recent storms that pummeled the coast

Lily Gladstone became the Golden Globe's first Indigenous Best Actress for her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon.  

Lily Gladstone Makes Golden Globes History as First Indigenous Best Actress Winner

The “Killers of the Flower Moon” star accepted the award by speaking in the Blackfeet language

The silk dress, which dates to the mid-1880s, in which the pieces of paper containing the code were found. They were tucked in a hidden pocket, the opening of which was hidden by an overskirt.

‘Unsolvable’ Code Hidden in Antique Dress Pocket Is Finally Cracked

Short, handwritten lines of unrelated words contained coded weather reports to send via telegraph in the late 19th century

Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral under renovation on December 8, 2023

Plans to Install Contemporary Stained-Glass Windows in Notre-Dame Cathedral Spark Backlash

French officials have called on artists to submit designs for six new windows in the structure’s south aisle

These fossilized teeth belonged to a Propliopithecus chirobates, a type of early primate that lived between 29 million and 35 million years ago.

Early Primates May Have Feasted on Soft, Sweet Fruits

An analysis of more than 400 fossilized teeth suggests the creatures weren’t eating many seeds, nuts or other hard foods

Some skeletons found in the cemetery are lying flat on their backs, while others were buried in unusual positions.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Early Medieval Cemetery in Wales

The site contains skeletons in unusual positions and evidence of feasting rituals

The object was found by metal detectorists in Norfolk, England.

Cool Finds

This 1,200-Year-Old Artifact Is Stunning—but Nobody Knows What It Is

The intricately decorated silver object was likely created by a highly skilled craftsperson in England

Volunteers repairing and refreshing the 180-foot-tall giant in 2019

New Research

This Mysterious Hillside Carving Is Actually Hercules, Researchers Say

England’s 180-foot-tall Cerne Abbas Giant may have served as a landmark for gathering troops

The burial mound is called Herlaugshaugen, and it's located in coastal Norway in a community called Leka.

1,300-Year-Old Ship Burial Unearthed in Norway

The custom of burying people in their ships was believed to help provide safe passage to the afterlife

The final design is a modified version of a submission by 24-year-old Andrew Prekker.

Minnesota Reveals New State Flag Design

Submitted by a 24-year-old Minnesotan, the updated flag is expected to fly on May 11

The Two Towers in Bologna, Italy, on December 14, 2023

Donations Help Save Bologna’s 12th-Century Leaning Tower

Officials recently shut down the area around the increasingly delicate structure

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