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Archaeology

The burial site is located inside of Makpan cave on the Indonesian island of Alor.

8,000 Years Ago, a Child in Indonesia Was Buried Without Their Arms and Legs

Ancient humans often modified the bones of their dead as part of funerary rituals

Prehistoric hunter-gather societies may have depended on women, as well as men and children, to conduct a successful hunt.

Cool Finds

This Prehistoric Peruvian Woman Was a Big-Game Hunter

Some 9,000 years ago, a 17- to 19-year-old female was buried alongside a hunter’s tookit

A genetic analysis revealed that by the end of the last ice age—around 11,000 years ago—there were a least five distinct lineages that gave rise to dogs in New Guinea, the Americas, northern Europe, the Near East and Siberia.

How Dogs and Humans Evolved and Migrated in Tandem

Our relationship with pups spans millennia, and new DNA analysis shows just how much people influenced canine evolution

The Maya built the Corriental reservoir filtration system as early as 2,185 years ago.

Cool Finds

Researchers Uncover 2,000-Year-Old Maya Water Filtration System

The city of Tikal purified one of its reservoirs with technology comparable to modern systems

Researchers from ADHS, Historic Environment Scotland, Dendrochronicle and Wessex Archaeology examined the remains of the old bridge.

Cool Finds

Remnants of Scotland’s Oldest Surviving Bridge Found

Both Mary, Queen of Scots, and James V crossed the Old Ancrum Bridge, which was key to travel, commerce and war

A satellite image of the Noordoostpolder, a Dutch municipality where the four settlements were found

Cool Finds

Dutch Archaeologist Discovers Traces of Four Submerged Medieval Settlements

A five-year research project yielded the locations of several long-forgotten villages

Tourigny analyzed gravestones from four large pet cemeteries in the United Kingdom, including the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals.

New Research

Pet Cemeteries Reveal Evolution of Humans’ Relationships With Furry Friends

By analyzing a thousand tombstones, an archaeologist revealed how animals evolved from companions to family in just 100 years

A Lidl grocery store in Ireland is pictured here in 2019. The German grocery chain's new Dublin location features a surprising archaeological display.

Cool Finds

Shoppers at Dublin Grocery Store Glimpse Viking History Beneath Their Feet

A new Lidl boasts plexiglass windows that reveal archaeological wonders, including an 11th-century house and 18th-century staircase

Archaeologists found the remains of cabins, broken clay tobacco pipes, ceramic cups and other artifacts.

Maryland Archaeologists Unearth Jesuit Plantation’s 18th-Century Slave Quarters

Researchers are working with the descendants of enslaved people seeking to document their family histories

Ostraca are rare artifacts of actual democratic procedures. They can reveal hidden bits of history that were omitted by ancient chroniclers and offer insight into voter behavior and preferences that would otherwise be lost.

Ancient Greeks Voted to Kick Politicians Out of Athens if Enough People Didn’t Like Them

Ballots that date more than two millennia old tell the story of ostracism

A probable witches' mark found at the site of the abandoned St. Mary's church in Buckinghamshire, England

Cool Finds

Eerie Witches’ Marks Found Among Ruins of Medieval English Church

Archaeologists in Stoke Mandeville found carvings probably designed to ward off evil spirits

The llamas were preserved through natural mummification, leaving their colorful decorations intact.

Sacrificed Llamas Found in Peru Were Likely a Gift From the Inca

The elaborately decorated animals were probably buried alive alongside similarly adorned guinea pigs

17-year-old Reece Pickering found one of just three surviving silver pennies dated to Harold II's reign.

Cool Finds

Two British Teens Using Metal Detectors Discovered 1,000-Year-Old Coins

One of the coins is a silver penny dated to Harold II’s brief reign in 1066. The other dates to the time of Henry I

An overview of the Olorgesailie basin landscape, where the archeological site exists that contains stone weapons and tools

To Adapt to a Changing Environment 400,000 Years Ago, Early Humans Developed New Tools and Behaviors

When the East African Rift Valley transformed dramatically, new weapons arose and trade expanded

Three 3,000-year-old balls discovered at the Yanghai cemetery complex in Xinjiang

Cool Finds

These Hair-Filled Leather Pouches Are the Oldest Balls Found in Eurasia

Some 3,000 years ago, Chinese horsemen may have used the objects to play a team sport involving hitting a ball

Archaeologists completing excavations on Fischer-Hallman Road

Cool Finds

Remnants of Woodland Iroquois Village Discovered in Ontario

Excavations have unearthed 35,000 artifacts, including carbonized corn, ceramics and stone tools

The Original Selfie Craze Was the Mirror

Today’s social media obsession has its roots in the development centuries ago of the reflective material

Archaeologists unearthed the friary's ruins beneath the site of a demolished parking garage.

Cool Finds

Long-Lost Medieval Monastery Discovered Beneath Parking Garage in England

Carmelite friars established Whitefriars in 1270, but the religious site was destroyed during the Protestant Reformation

“[It] was about to disappear because it’s situated on quite a steep slope that’s prone to the effects of natural erosion,” Peru's Ministry of Culture explains.

Cool Finds

2,000-Year-Old Nazca Line Featuring Lounging Cat Found in Peru

The enormous glyph is one of hundreds of ancient etchings scattered across the arid region

A digital reconstruction of the newly unearthed Norse godhouse

Cool Finds

Ruins of Eighth-Century Pagan Temple Found in Norway

The structure—built to honor Norse gods like Thor and Odin—is the first of its kind discovered in the country

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