Archaeology

Lego Caveman comes armed with a toy wooden club.

Did Our Ancestors Actually Wield Clubs?

Inspired by pop culture depictions of cavepeople, an archaeologist searches for what is real and what is a myth

A woman throws flowers on the boxes containing human remains at Waldfriedhof cemetery.

Berlin Holds Funeral for Bone Fragments Linked to Nazi Research

Discovered in 2014, the remains of at least 54 victims were buried at a ceremony this week

One of the scrolls carbonized by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius

You Could Win $1 Million by Deciphering These Ancient Roman Scrolls

The Herculaneum scrolls have remained unreadable since their discovery in 1750, but researchers hope to change that

Richard’s life has long sparked debate, with two competing views of the last Yorkist king emerging in the centuries after his reign ended in 1485.

Based on a True Story

'The Lost King' Dramatizes the Search for Richard III's Remains. The Monarch's Life Was Even More Sensational

A new film offers a sympathetic portrait of the 15th-century ruler, who seized the crown from his nephew before dying on the battlefield

More than two million people visit Chichén Itzá in Mexico each year.

Mexico's Chichén Itzá Is Getting a New Museum

Officials hope the new facility will attract an influx of tourists arriving on the controversial Maya Train

The ruins of structures in the newly discovered town on Siniyah Island

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Find the Persian Gulf's First Known Pearling Town

Located 30 miles north of Dubai, the settlement dates to the sixth century C.E.

The full treasure includes 4 ear pendants, 39 silver coins and 2 strips of gold leaf.

Cool Finds

1,000-Year-Old Gold Earrings and Silver Coins Unearthed in the Netherlands

Lorenzo Ruijter, a Dutch treasure hunter, discovered the cache with his metal detector

A long-tailed macaque uses a stone to get at food. The striking of one stone on another accidentally creates stone flakes the monkeys don't use.

Stone Flakes Made by Monkeys Raise Questions About Early Human Tools

The flakes accidentally produced by long-tailed macaques resemble those thought to have been made by early humans

The sphinx has a "slight smile," according to archaeologist Mamdouh Al-Damati.

Cool Finds

Smiling Sphinx Statue Unearthed in Egypt

Researchers suspect the Roman-era limestone figure may depict the emperor Claudius

The Malalmuerzo Cave in southern Spain, where archaeologists uncovered the fossilized teeth of an ancient hunter-gatherer.

Ancient DNA Sheds Light on Europe's Hunter-Gatherers

Researchers looked at the genomes of several hundred people who lived before, during and after the last ice age

Studying skeletal remains, researchers identified six criteria that could indicate whether someone rode horses.

Archaeologists Find Evidence of Earliest Known Horseback Riders

New research indicates that humans were riding horses as early as 5,000 years ago

The comb measures roughly two inches and has nearly a dozen teeth.

Ancient Comb Made From Human Skull Unearthed in England

The Iron Age artifact may have been used as an amulet rather than a hairstyling tool

For the first time, researchers have discovered remnants of Roman-era wooden spikes meant to deter attackers.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Wooden Spikes Described by Julius Caesar

Until recently, no traces of the military technology had ever been found

Moai statues on Easter Island 

Cool Finds

Dried Lake Reveals New Statue on Easter Island

The stone monolith is one of the famous moai sculptures scattered across the landscape

First discovered in 1992, the phallus is 6.3 inches long and made of ash wood.

Is This Wooden Artifact an Ancient Roman Phallus?

Thirty years ago, researchers thought that the 2,000-year-old object was a darning tool

Archaeologists created replica stone points, then experimented with them by firing them at a goat carcass using different methods.

Cool Finds

Archery May Have Arrived in Europe Thousands of Years Earlier Than Thought

New archaeological research suggests Homo sapiens used bows and arrows 54,000 years ago in present-day France

Untold tsunamis hit coastal communities before anyone logged them in written records. Paleotsunami researchers are on a quest to uncover these forgotten disasters.

These Tsunami Detectives Search for Ancient Disasters

The gigantic waves have been decimating coastlines since time immemorial. We ignore these prehistoric warnings at our own peril.

Chichén Itzá is home to famous Maya structures such as El Castillo.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Find Elite Residences at Mexico's Chichén Itzá

The housing complex is the first discovery of its kind in the ruined Maya city

Two brothers’ remains were found buried together under the floorboards of their home. One had a hole in his skull consistent with surgery.

This Man Underwent Brain Surgery 3,500 Years Ago

Researchers discovered a punctured skull below the floor of a home in what is now Israel

The items were found at Thompson Farm, were Harriet Tubman was born into slvery.

Artifacts Unearthed Near Harriet Tubman's Birthplace

Archaeologists identified a West African spirit cache, a collection of items used to protect a home's occupants

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