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Archaeology

The 2,000-year-old subterranean system consists of a courtyard and two rooms.

Cool Finds

Underground Chambers Discovered Near Jerusalem’s Western Wall

Carved into bedrock, the mysterious rooms spent 1,400 years hidden beneath the mosaic floor of a Byzantine building

Installation view of the British Museum's "Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum" exhibition

Trending Today

Take a Free Video Tour of Blockbuster Pompeii and Herculaneum Exhibition

Available to stream on YouTube and Facebook, the 82-minute film revisits the British Museum’s popular 2013 show

A Bar Kokhba revolt coin inscribed with the word "Jerusalem" and a picture of a date palm

Cool Finds

This 2,000-Year-Old Coin Commemorates a Jewish Rebellion Against Rome

Of more than 22,000 coins found in Jerusalem to date, just four are from the time of the Bar Kokhba revolt

An artist’s rendering of what an elaphrosaur may have looked like.

Rare ‘Light-Footed’ Dinosaur Discovered in Australia for the First Time

A single vertebra spotted by a dig volunteer was identified as a strange, slender-necked dinosaur called an elaphrosaur

Found at the Roman fort of Vindolanda, this piece of leather was cut into the shape of a mouse.

Cool Finds

Ancient Leather ‘Mouse’ Highlights the Romans’ Sense of Humor

The nearly 2,000-year-old scrap of leather, found at Vindolanda in northern England, may have been a toy or a practical joke

Officials uncovered seven slabs of travertine that date to between 27 and 25 B.C.

Sinkhole Outside of the Pantheon Reveals Ancient Roman Paving Stones

Due to COVID-19, the Piazza della Rotunda was virtually empty when the cavity opened up on April 27

Tap O' Noth overlooks the Scottish town of Rhynie.

Cool Finds

Ancient Hillfort May Be Largest Known Pictish Settlement in Scotland

The findings upend “the narrative of this whole time period,” says archaeologist Gordon Noble

New fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls with writing visible.

Text Found on Supposedly Blank Dead Sea Scroll Fragments

Invisible to the naked eye, researchers revealed lines of ancient script in new photographs

Volunteers spotted dozens of previously unknown structures between Cornwall and Devon in southwest England.

Cool Finds

Amateur Archaeologists Studying Aerial Maps of the U.K. Spot Dozens of Hidden Historical Structures

The finds include prehistoric and Roman settlements, roads, burial mounds, farms, and quarries

Excavations at the Bacho Kiro Cave in Bulgaria uncovered ancient human bones along with stone tools, animal bones, bone tools and pendants.

Humans and Neanderthals May Have Overlapped in Europe Longer Than Previously Thought

Remains found in a Bulgarian cave are between 44,000 and 46,000 years old, making them the oldest confirmed Homo sapiens discovered in Europe

During atomic bomb testing at Bikini Atoll, military equipment was placed onboard the USS Nevada to help assess the damage doled out by the nuclear blasts. This is one of four tanks that survived a 23-kiloton surface blast and a 20-kiloton underwater blast.

Researchers Locate Wreck of Battleship That Survived Pearl Harbor and Nuclear Bomb Tests

The USS Nevada was scuttled in 1948 after decades of service

A new study from scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Center analyzed about 35,000 bone and shell fragments from the Maya city of Ceibal.

Bones Tell the Tale of a Maya Settlement

A new study tracks how the ancient civilization used animals for food, ritual purposes and even as curiosities

Norwegian officials plan to excavate this rare Viking ship burial site.

For the First Time in a Century, Norway Will Excavate Viking Ship Burial

Archaeologists racing to save the rare vessel from fungal attacks hope to begin work in June

A large sandstone turtle unearthed at last week at the Angkor Wat temple complex

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Stone Turtle in Drained Angkor Reservoir

The reservoir houses the remnants of a centuries-old temple now undergoing excavation

Critics say the sphinxes' relocation will make them vulnerable to environmental damage.

Egypt Defies Archaeologists’ Protests by Relocating Four Ancient Sphinxes

Now awaiting unveiling in Tahrir Square, the ram-headed sculptures join a pink granite obelisk dating to the reign of Ramses II

The Bayeux Tapestry depicts Harold II with an arrow jutting from his head, but whether the English king actually died in this manner remains a point of contention.

Medieval Arrows Inflicted Injuries That Mirror Damage Caused by Modern Bullets

New research demonstrates the immense power of the medieval English longbow

To detail the Picts' diet, researchers studied 137 skeletons buried under Portmahomack's old Tarbat Parish Church.

New Research

Why These Ancient Scottish Seafarers Didn’t Snack on Fish

New research suggests fish, which are widely celebrated in Pictish lore, were simply too special to eat

A gold Tumaco mask found among gold figurines and ancient jewelry recovered at Madrid's Barajas airport

Authorities Recover 19,000 Artifacts in International Antiquities Trafficking Sting

Items recovered include fossils, paintings, ancient coins, ceramics and jewelry

Archaeologists are unsure of the long-forgotten passageway's purpose.

Cool Finds

Forgotten Tunnel Found Beneath Danish Train Station

Wood used to build the secret passageway came from a tree felled in 1874, according to a new analysis

Researchers examine a seven-and-a-half-ton limestone sarcophagus in a mummification workshop that dates back to ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egyptian Funeral Home Reveals Embalmers Had a Knack for Business

Funeral parlors’ enterprising staff offered burial packages to suit every social strata and budget

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