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Archaeology

To recreate the face of a pregnant Egyptian woman, Hew Morrison first digitally mapped her skull, then added muscles and soft tissues—and, finally, the most subjective element: the eyes.

Art Meets Science

How One Forensic Artist Brings the Dead to Life

Using DNA analysis and historic records, his work allows us to look ancient humans in the eye

Archaeologists unearthed the bedroom in a Roman villa near Pompeii.

Enslaved Individuals Slept in This Bedroom, Untouched Since Mount Vesuvius’ Eruption 2,000 Years Ago

The small room with two beds—but only one mattress—sheds new light on slavery in a Roman villa near Pompeii

Researchers found the remains of stilts and tens of thousands of wooden spikes.

Cool Finds

This 8,000-Year-Old Village on Stilts May Be the Oldest of Its Kind in Europe

Archaeologists unearthed the settlement—which had tens of thousands of defensive spikes—beneath a lake in Albania

Excavations near the Powder Magazine in Williamsburg, Virginia, where the four bodies were found

Four Bodies Found in Colonial Williamsburg Belonged to Confederate Soldiers

Researchers are trying to identify the men who died after the Battle of Williamsburg in 1862

Ancient human remains and shell accessories found at the Hirota burial site

New Research

These Ancient Japanese Islanders Created a Signature Skull Shape by Molding Babies’ Heads

Some 1,800 years ago, the Hirota people practiced intentional cranial modification

In 25 B.C.E., Romans founded a colony called Augusta Emerita in what is now Mérida, Spain.

Cool Finds

Iron Window Bars Unearthed at a Roman Public Bath in Spain

The crisscrossing bars were likely part of the bath’s changing room, called the apodyterium

A group poses in front of Michigan State University's first observatory, circa 1888.

Cool Finds

Students Unearth Forgotten 142-Year-Old Observatory Buried on Michigan State’s Campus

Archaeology students have been working at the site since workers happened upon it in May

The remains likely belong to a Qinling panda rather than a Sichuan panda. Pictured: Qi Zai, a Qinling panda born in captivity

Cool Finds

Fully Intact Giant Panda Skeleton Discovered in Chinese Emperor’s 2,000-Year-Old Tomb

Archaeologists previously found a panda skull in a nearby Han burial, but its torso was missing

The Tyrolean Iceman Ötzi is one of the oldest known human glacier mummies.

Famed 5,300-Year-Old Alps Iceman Was a Balding Middle-Aged Man With Dark Skin and Eyes

Genetic analysis shows that Ötzi was descended from farmers who migrated from an area that is now part of Turkey

The coins depict the god Apollo on one side and a horse surrounded by symbols on the other.

Cool Finds

Metal Detectorists Discover 2,000-Year-Old Gold Coins in Wales

The 15 artifacts are the first Iron Age gold coins ever found in the country

A total of 163 people attended the 117th Central Mine reunion.

Once a Year, This 19th-Century Michigan Ghost Town Comes to Life

Last month, descendants of copper miners and history enthusiasts alike gathered for the 117th annual Central Mine reunion service

The arrowhead was originally discovered in the 19th century, then stashed away as part of a museum collection. Recently, researchers decided to take another look.

New Research

This Arrowhead Was Made From a Meteorite 3,000 Years Ago

Found in Switzerland, the 1.5-inch-long artifact was fashioned from meteoric iron during the Bronze Age

Miomir Korac, the lead archaeologist working on the newly unearthed ship

Cool Finds

Coal Miners Discover Ancient Roman Boat in Serbia

Measuring nearly 43 feet long, the ship’s remains were found near the bustling Roman city of Viminacium

Catoctin Furnace in Cunningham Falls State Park, Maryland

DNA Links 42,000 Living People to Enslaved and Free African Americans Buried in Maryland

The research, initiated by the local African American community, could be a roadmap for future genealogy studies

Researchers found parts of the original church beneath the cathedral's quire.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover 900-Year-Old English Cathedral’s Hidden Medieval Crypt

The team also found the original foundations of Exeter Cathedral’s high altar, Roman-era structures and empty graves

An archaeologist works on the second lead sarcophagus discovered, which is engraved with dolphins.

Cool Finds

Roman-Era Cemetery With Over 100 Tombs Unearthed in Gaza

The “unprecedented” dig also yielded two rare lead sarcophagi decorated with images of grapes and dolphins

Archaeologists uncovered human remains and a mysterious arrangement of boulders at the site in the Shetland Islands.

4,000-Year-Old Cemetery Discovered Beneath Future Rocket Launch Pad in U.K.

Artifacts found at the site will help scientists shed new light on the groups living on the Shetland Islands

An aerial view of the excavation site, where archaeologists found what they think are the ruins of Emperor Nero's theater

Cool Finds

Have Archaeologists Finally Found Emperor Nero’s Lost Theater?

Ahead of a planned luxury hotel, excavations have revealed what may be the ruins of the venue

Researchers think that servants maintained the site year round, while royals only came to Machu Picchu during the dry season.

New Research

Servants at Machu Picchu Came From Distant Corners of the Inca Empire

The city’s servant class was a genetically diverse community, according to a new study of ancient DNA

The grave held a sword, usually buried with men, as well as a mirror, usually buried with women.

New Research

Iron Age Warrior Buried With a Sword and Mirror Was a Woman, Study Says

The unusual burial on a small island off of England sheds new light on women’s role in Iron Age warfare

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