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Archaeology

The stone is dedicated to soldier Sextus Congenius Verus.

Cool Finds

The Mystery of the Ancient Roman Gravestone Discovered in a Family’s Backyard Has Been Solved

The couple hadn’t known how the artifact made its way to their property in New Orleans. But after their story went viral, a former owner of the home came forward with new information about the object

The Passage of Commodus was used by Roman emperors.

You Can Now Walk Through the Colosseum’s Secret Tunnel Once Used by Ancient Roman Emperors

Experts say the notorious emperor Commodus may have survived an assassination attempt inside this tunnel, which is now open to the public following extensive restorations

Installation view of "Divine Egypt," now open at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through January 2026

Meet 25 of the Ancient Egyptians’ Most Significant Gods and Goddesses, From the Falcon-Headed Horus to the Sky Deity Hathor

“Divine Egypt,” a new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, features nearly 250 artifacts representing the rich pantheon of Egyptian deities

The pillar is topped with a simple carving of a human face.

Cool Finds

A Human Face Was Carved Into This Stone Pillar in Turkey 11,000 Years Ago

The T-shaped pillar is the first with a face to be found in the Stone Age archaeological sites of Turkey’s Taş Tepeler

The stone is dedicated to soldier Sextus Congenius Verus.

Cool Finds

A Married Couple in New Orleans Found a Stone in Their Backyard. It Turned Out to Be an Ancient Roman Soldier’s Gravestone

The piece bears a Latin inscription describing the legionary’s service aboard a warship

Students will have a chance to study the mysterious artifacts in a new course slated to launch in the fall of 2026.

Cool Finds

Someone Donated These Mysterious Artifacts to a Thrift Shop. Experts Think They Might Date to Medieval Times

A shopper who said he was an archaeologist spotted the 11 rings and two medallions and alerted a volunteer

The four individuals lived in the Andes in Colombia between 1216 and 1797.

These Individuals Were Buried in Colombia Wearing ‘Death Masks.’ Researchers Just Digitally Removed the Skull Coverings to Reveal Their Faces for the First Time

See the portraits of a 6- or 7-year-old child, a woman in her 60s, and two young men who were buried in Colombia between the 13th and 18th centuries

More than 250 looted objects are on display in UNESCO's Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects.

The World’s First Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects Wants Its Collection to Shrink, Not Grow

Visitors can explore 3D renderings of stolen artworks, historical artifacts, rare books and more in UNESCO’s new digital museum

Generations of bearded vultures return to the same nesting sites for centuries, offering archaeologists a glimpse into the past.

Generations of Bearded Vultures Stashed Humans’ Treasures, Including a 650-Year-Old Sandal, in These Bird Nests

Researchers recovered more than 200 human artifacts from historical nests in southern Spain

A magnified view of tiny specks of blue residue found on a Paleolithic stone artifact

Cool Finds

These Archaeologists Set Out in Search of Animal Fat. Instead, They Found the Oldest Blue Pigment Ever Discovered in Europe

Blue residue on a 13,000-year-old stone artifact, long believed to be an oil lamp, may paint a new picture of Paleolithic art and culture

The piece was carved from local red deer antler.

Cool Finds

A Rare Medieval Hair-Styling Tool Was Found at Scotland’s Eilean Donan Castle

The artifact is part of a large assemblage of excavated artifacts recently acquired by National Museums Scotland

Highlighted engravings at Jebel Misma. 

Cool Finds

Researchers Discover 12,000-Year-Old Life-Size Animal Engravings in Saudi Arabia

The findings address an important gap in the region’s archaeological record and history

Visualization of the castle that stood at Finlaggan during the 12th and 13th centuries

Three Decades of Research Reveal a Forgotten Medieval Castle on a Scottish Island

Archaeologists say Finlaggan was the seat of power for the Lordship of the Isles. Before that, a previously unknown castle stood at the site during the 12th and 13th centuries

Yunxian 1 (left) and Yunxian 2 (right) are skulls unearthed in China that had been badly crushed. Scientists digitally reconstructed Yunxian 2 (center) and analyzed its relationship to other early human fossils.

Scientists Reconstruct a Million-Year-Old Skull and Suggest It Could Rewrite Our Timeline of Human Evolution

A recent study dramatically pushes back the date for the emergence of our species, though some researchers call for further evidence

Three of the circles were built between 4850 and 4500 B.C.E.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Mysterious Earthwork Circles Built 6,500 Years Ago—Nearly 2,000 Years Before Stonehenge

Recent excavations have shed new light on the four circular ditches, which were identified in a field near Rechnitz, Austria, during surveys of the area between 2011 and 2017

The wampum beads found this summer by Calum Brydon, an archaeology graduate student

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Seven Rare Wampum Beads at 17th-Century English Settlement in Canada

Indigenous groups created the small beads from mollusk shells. They’re the first artifacts of their kind ever found at the Colony of Avalon in Newfoundland

Archaeologists think the bench may have been used by visitors who came to meet with the villa's owner.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Pompeii Discover Ancient Bench Where Hopeful Clients Waited to Be Seen by an Elite Roman

The seat is across from the entrance to the Villa of the Mysteries, a large property full of beautiful frescoes located just outside the ancient city’s walls

This 5,000-year-old tomb could be one of the best preserved in Andalusia, researchers say. Inside the tomb lay rare objects such as amber, ivory and prehistoric weapons.

Archaeologists Discover a 5,000-Year-Old Tomb in Southern Spain

The stone structure, called a dolmen, offers a glimpse into prehistoric life, trade and religion

Leicester Market has hosted vendors for some eight centuries.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Find Both a Medieval Dungeon and Roman Burial Beneath a Market Square in England

Researchers are excavating Leicester Market amid the area’s large-scale renovation

Deep-sea divers retrieve artifacts from the wreckage of the Britannic, which rests nearly 400 feet below sea level.

The Titanic’s Sister Ship, the Britannic, Sank in 1916. For the First Time, Divers Have Recovered Artifacts From Its Wreck

The luxury liner was requisitioned as a hospital ship during World War I. Thirty people died after the vessel struck a German naval mine and sank off the coast of Greece

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