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Ancient Egypt

The marble head dates to Egypt's Ptolemaic period (305 to 30 B.C.E.), but it was found in a seventh-century C.E. house.

Cool Finds

See the Haunting Stone Face of a Ptolemaic Statue Unearthed Near the Ancient Egyptian City of Alexandria

The statue was found at Taposiris Magna, an archaeological site where some researchers suspect Cleopatra and Mark Antony are entombed

Archaeologists unearthed roughly 1,500 decorated stone blocks that once made up part of Hatshepsut's valley temple.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Intricately Decorated Blocks From Hatshepsut’s Temple in Egypt

Officials have announced a number of discoveries during excavations around the valley temple of the powerful Egyptian queen, who reigned during the 15th century B.C.E.

The tomb's walls are painted and carved with images of objects the doctor might have used.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Intricately Decorated Tomb Belonging to a Doctor Who Treated Egyptian Pharaohs 4,100 Years Ago

The chamber holds a stone coffin engraved with the physician’s name and titles, which include “director of medicinal plants” and “chief dentist”

Experts debate whether this bust depicts Cleopatra. 

Does This Peculiar Statue Found at an Ancient Egyptian Temple Really Depict Cleopatra?

Experts on the hunt for the queen’s tomb believe that they’ve found a small bust of her—but not everyone agrees

Illustration from a 16th-century Falnama, or Persian Book of Omens

How People of the Past Predicted the Future, From Spider Divination to Bibliomancy

A new exhibition spotlights the ways in which cultures around the world have sought answers in the face of uncertainty

Fascinating finds unveiled in 2024 ranged from a jade Maya funerary mask to a Roman dodecahedron.

Cool Finds

Seventy-Seven Fascinating Finds Revealed in 2024, From a Mysterious ‘Anomaly’ Near the Great Pyramid of Giza to a Missing Portrait of Henry VIII

The year’s most exciting discoveries included musket balls fired in the early days of the American Revolution, a lost composition by Mozart and a medieval chess piece

A cat in a stroller examines ancient Egyptian artifacts at the Shanghai Museum.

Hundreds of Curious Cats Contemplated Ancient Egyptian Artifacts During a Series of ‘Meowseum Nights’ in China

For ten nights, animal lovers brought their furry friends to “On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt” at the Shanghai Museum, where many examples of ancient cat imagery are on display

Bust of Nefertiti in Neues Museum, Berlin

On This Day in History

German Archaeologists Discovered the Iconic Bust of Nefertiti in an Ancient Egyptian Sculptor’s Studio. Find Out Why Their Discovery Is Now One of Archaeology’s Most Controversial

For over a century, ever since the bust was found on this day in 1912, the world has debated who should rightfully own this work of timeless beauty

The temple's north tower, which holds a newly discovered chamber

Cool Finds

Hidden Entrance to a Mysterious Ancient Temple Found Tucked Away in an Egyptian Cliff Face

Researchers have been carefully excavating the artifacts and decorative reliefs found at the 2,100-year-old site in the ancient city of Athribis

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

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

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

The decorative coffin of Lady Chenet-aa, a high-status woman who died some 3,000 years ago

New Research

Scientists Are Using CT Scanners to Reveal the Secrets of More Than Two Dozen Ancient Egyptian Mummies

For the first time, researchers were able to see inside the mummies in the Chicago Field Museum’s collections. Their findings paint a more comprehensive picture of ancient Egyptian life

Shilo Shiv Suleman's Padma/Lotus is the first piece from an Indian artist to appear at the pyramids of Giza.

To See a Spellbinding Contemporary Art Exhibition, Head to the Ancient Egyptian Pyramids

The 4,500-year-old pyramids of Giza are the backdrop for “Forever Is Now,” which features sculptures, installations and immersive artworks that explore the relationship between the past and present

An engraved mirror and beaded jewelry discovered at the ancient family tomb near Luxor

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Egyptian Family Tomb Full of Necklaces, Bracelets and Rings

The 3,800-year-old site near the city of Luxor holds the remains of 11 individuals, who may have been members of the same family. Researchers think the tomb was used for several generations

In a version of the iconic "Pillars of Creation" image, the James Webb Space Telescope turned its powerful near-infrared-light cameras on the Eagle Nebula in 2022.

This Stunning New Atlas Explores Humanity’s Ancient Relationship With Space and the Universe

Written by the former chief historian of NASA, the book examines the evolution of our cosmic understanding—from early civilizations to the present day

Teaching in Oxford, England, began no later than 1096. Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec Empire, was founded in 1325.

The University of Oxford Is Older Than the Aztec Empire and Other Facts That Will Change Your Perspective on History

The historical timeline you keep in your head might not be as accurate as you think

Users of the Sortes Astrampsychi chose a specific question from a list of 92. Then, they randomly picked a number between one and ten, which, when added to the number of the chosen question, directed them to one of 1,030 possible answers.

To Divine the Future, the Ancients Relied on These Chance-Based Fortune-Telling Tools

Texts like the “Sortes Astrampsychi” promised insights on clients’ love lives, career prospects, financial woes and families

The Pyramid of Khafre is the second-largest pyramid in Egypt.

This Pup Is Going Viral for Climbing to the Top of an Egyptian Pyramid

Paramotorists spotted the dog while soaring above one of Giza’s pyramids last week

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”

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