Archaeology

The hilt of a the recently discovered Bronze Age sword, which was extraordinarily well-preserved

Archaeologists Find 3,000-Year-Old Sword So Well Preserved It 'Almost Still Shines'

The Bronze Age artifact was discovered in a grave during excavations in southern Germany

Natufian artworks, such as this figurine, became common around 15,000 years ago. Few artworks predating that period have been found in the Levant.

When Did Humans Start Settling Down?

In Israel, new discoveries at one of the world's oldest villages are upending the debate about when we stopped wandering

One of the mysterious boats painted in an Australian cave several hundred years ago

New Study Identifies Mysterious Boats Painted in Australian Cave

Researchers say the rock art may be a record of "fighting craft" from present-day Indonesia

An astonishingly well preserved mosaic was unearthed at the same site in early 2022.

Rare Roman Mausoleum Unearthed in London

Archaeologists say it's the most intact structure of its kind ever found in Britain

Archaeologists in England found Bronze Age skeletal remains, cremation burials and artifacts.

Bronze Age Cemetery Discovered Near Stonehenge

Archaeologists found graves and artifacts while preparing land for a new subdivision in southern England

Marine archaeologists first learned of the wreck from local fishermen in 2008.

Divers Are About to Pull a 3,000-Year-Old Shipwreck From the Depths

Found off of Croatia, the hand-sewn vessel will be the subject of extensive study once it's back on dry land

Researcher Laurent Davin plays a replica of one of the 12,000-year-old bird bone flutes recently discovered in northern Israel.

These 12,000-Year-Old Flutes Mimic the Sound of Prehistoric Birds

The remnants of seven small bird bone instruments were discovered in northern Israel

Researchers take sediment samples in the excacation pit in the Tam Pà Ling cave in Laos, where two newly uncovered human bones—part of a skull and a shin bone—were found.

Archaeologists Uncover Earliest Evidence of Modern Humans in Southeast Asia

The fossils from a cave in Laos, which date to between 68,000 and 86,000 years ago, challenge several ideas about early human migration

A researcher scans the negative cavity in the gypsum casing.

Why Did the Romans Cover Bodies With Gypsum?

Researchers are using 3D scanning technology to learn more about the plaster casts

David Andrews of Historic England undertakes photogrammetry of the 6,000-year-old artifact.

Retiree Uncovers Wooden Artifact 2,000 Years Older Than Stonehenge

Markings on the timber may help piece together lost European history

Underwater researchers have encountered many other shipwrecks while studying the Maravillas in the Bahamas.

Unraveling the Secrets of the Long-Lost Shipwrecks in the Bahamas

Using historical records, a new initiative has identified and mapped 176 wrecks in the region

One of the vessels excavated from the funerary site in Carmona, Spain

What Did the Ancient Romans Smell Like?

Scientists have analyzed the composition of a 2,000-year-old perfume unearthed in Carmona, Spain

“Anyang: China’s Ancient City of Kings” is on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (above: A grouping of bronze and ceramic wine cups and warmers that date to 1100-1150 B.C.E.) 

A U.S.-China Collaboration a Century Ago Helped Find Riches of a Lost Civilization

The first U.S. exhibition to display the wonders of China’s ancient city of Anyang is on view at the National Museum of Asian Art

The toilet discovered at the House of Ahiel

Iron Age Residents of Jerusalem Suffered From Dysentery

A new analysis of 2,500-year-old toilets has found early evidence of a harmful parasite

The Charterhouse Warren site in Somerset, England, in 1972. Researchers detected the DNA of plague-causing bacteria in the 4,000-year-old remains of two people found there.

4,000-Year-Old DNA Is the Oldest Evidence of Plague in Britain

Scientists found DNA of the plague-causing bacteria in the teeth of three Bronze Age people buried at two different sites

This picture taken on July 26, 2020 shows a cemetery undergoing demolition amidst ongoing construction at the historic City of the Dead.

Activists Work to Protect Cairo's City of the Dead From Demolition

Historic graves are being moved or destroyed as Egypt builds new roads and bridges

An overhead view shows the full layout of the 3,000-year-old bakery.

Archaeologists in Armenia Unearth a Bakery—Complete With 3,000-Year-Old Flour

Originally thought to be ash, the ancient powdery substance helped researchers identify the building's purpose

Two views of a composite reconstruction of the earliest known Homo sapiens fossils, which were discovered six years ago in Morocco and date to around 300,000 years ago.

DNA Suggests Modern Humans Emerged From Several Groups in Africa, Not One

Scientists used computer modeling and the genomes of several hundred living people to examine our prehistoric origins

Dogs sunbathing at the Acropolis

Pets Will Soon Be Welcome at More Than 120 Archaeological Sites in Greece

The new policies won't apply at certain high-traffic destinations like the Acropolis

One of the marble capitals found by swimmer Gideon Harris

Swimmer Stumbles Upon 1,800-Year-Old Marble Columns From Shipwreck Off Israel’s Coast

The artifacts help settle an unanswered question about ancient architectural materials

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