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Artifacts

The spike is inscribed, "Presented to Col. Frederick Mears by the city of Anchorage in commemoration of the building of the Alaska Railroad 1915-1923."

The Alaska Railroad’s Golden Spike Hammered in by President Harding Will Return to Its Home State

The spike’s installation marked the completion of the Alaska Railroad in 1923. It’s spent most of the time since then in the hands of private owners

The tokens are roughly the size of a half-dollar coin and feature markings etched into their surfaces.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Tokens That Roman Soldiers Used to Play Strategy Games

The lentil-shaped objects were unearthed in Hadrianopolis, an ancient city in modern-day Turkey, that once hosted a Roman fortress

Experts determined that the Japanese hand grenade was inactive.

Staffers Find a Japanese Hand Grenade From World War II at a Museum in Kentucky

After police and the nearby bomb squad investigated to the scene, they announced that the weapon was inactive and safe

The recently discovered statue is missing its arms and head.

Cool Finds

A Man Found a Mysterious Statue in a Trash Bag on the Street. It Turned Out to Be a 2,000-Year-Old Greek Artifact

After discovering the ancient artwork in a suburb of Thessaloniki, Greece, the man surrendered it to the police. Authorities are analyzing the statue and investigating why it was abandoned

The helmet was made in the Corinthian style, though historians don't know whether the style actually originated in Corinth.

You Can Buy a 2,500-Year-Old Corinthian Helmet Worn by a Warrior in Ancient Greece

Experts think the well-preserved bronze artifact was made between 500 and 450 B.C.E. It will be sold at auction on January 25

An elite resident of Pompeii used these baths to entertain guests.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Pompeii Discover Private Spa Where Dozens of Guests Bathed in Luxury 2,000 Years Ago

The well-preserved thermal bath complex was unearthed at a lavish home likely owned by a member of the ancient city’s elite

Maayan Margulis and Shira Lifshitz clean the mosaic.

Cool Finds

See the Greek Biblical Inscription Embedded in an Ancient Mosaic Floor Discovered in Israel

Archaeologists think the tiles once lined a Byzantine-era monastery. The complex also included a large warehouse and winepress

Archaeologists unearthed roughly 1,500 decorated stone blocks that once made up part of Hatshepsut's valley temple.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Intricately Decorated Blocks From Hatshepsut’s Temple in Egypt

Officials have announced a number of discoveries during excavations around the valley temple of the powerful Egyptian queen, who reigned during the 15th century B.C.E.

Experts are concerned that artifacts and bootprints on the moon might be affected by lunar landing missions, space tourism and space junk.

The Moon Makes the List of the World’s Most Endangered Cultural Heritage Sites in 2025

Earth-bound landmarks ravaged by war, climate change, tourism and other threats also landed in the World Monuments Watch report

The Charles Dickens Museum is celebrating its anniversary by displaying rare books, artworks, letters, artifacts and other unique historical objects connected to the 19th-century author.

See Charles Dickens’ Rare Manuscripts, Teenage Love Letters and a Copy of ‘David Copperfield’ That Traveled to Antarctica

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Charles Dickens Museum in London is staging an exhibition of historic objects that shed light on the writer’s life and legacy

Researchers think there may be as many as 20 graves at the site in southwest Norway.

Metal Detectorists Discover 1,200-Year-Old Graves That May Have Belonged to High-Status Viking Women

Excavations in Norway revealed a rich variety of artifacts, including jewelry, textile tools and stones positioned in the shape of a ship

Researchers found the pieces covered in newspaper and tucked beneath a staircase in the crypt.

Cool Finds

Medieval Crowns and Scepters Discovered Hidden Inside the Walls of a Crypt Beneath a Lithuanian Cathedral

The royal treasures were stashed away at the beginning of World War II. Experts knew the trove existed, but previous attempts to find it had failed

The tomb's walls are painted and carved with images of objects the doctor might have used.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Intricately Decorated Tomb Belonging to a Doctor Who Treated Egyptian Pharaohs 4,100 Years Ago

The chamber holds a stone coffin engraved with the physician’s name and titles, which include “director of medicinal plants” and “chief dentist”

The coffin was found in a small Roman cemetery.

Cool Finds

Construction Workers Discover Ancient Stone Coffin Filled With Plaster While Expanding Highway in England

The intricately crafted coffin dates back more than 1,500 years. Researchers say it weighs around 1,650 pounds, “comparable to an adult male polar bear”

Experts debate whether this bust depicts Cleopatra. 

Does This Peculiar Statue Found at an Ancient Egyptian Temple Really Depict Cleopatra?

Experts on the hunt for the queen’s tomb believe that they’ve found a small bust of her—but not everyone agrees

Experts are currently examining the sword in a lab.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Early Medieval Sword Engraved With Mysterious Runes in a Cemetery in England

Dating to the fifth and sixth centuries C.E., the burials held a trove of grave goods—but the team was particularly impressed by the sword, which was covered in intricate decorations

The terra-cotta warriors were constructed in the third century B.C.E.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Rare Clay Commander Among Thousands of Life-Size Terra-Cotta Soldiers in China

The 2,000-year-old military general figurine is the tenth of its kind to be excavated from the emperor Qin Shi Huang’s tomb, which may hold up to 8,000 clay statues

One of the ceremonial double ikat textiles acquired by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in 2024

Eleven Fascinating Acquisitions That Joined the Smithsonian’s Vast Collections in 2024

This year, the Institution collected everything from the stunning shell of an extinct cephalopod to a Blue Origin rocket booster

During a systematic metal detector survey in southern Arizona, Deni Seymour unearthed a 16th-century cannon likely left behind by Spanish conquistadors.

These 500-Year-Old Cannons May Help Unravel the Mysteries of the Coronado Expedition

The 16th-century artifacts were found during excavations in Arizona. Researchers say they may be the oldest firearms ever discovered in the continental United States

The silver amulet contained a thin foil scroll.

New Research

Archaeologists Say This Tiny Amulet Is the Oldest Evidence of Christianity Found North of the Alps

Discovered in central Germany, the 1,800-year-old silver artifact held a tiny scroll, which researchers have now deciphered using high-resolution scans

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