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Artifacts

Michelle Delaney holding the original 1888 Kodak and Larry Bird holding a display of campaign buttons.

American History Museum: Pieces of Our Past

Smithsonian curators probe the meanings of telltale objects

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Puzzlers

Stonehenge’s purpose and a noble fish’s demise

The monastery from inside the ramparts at twilight.

In Iraq, a Monastery Rediscovered

Near Mosul, war has helped and hindered efforts to excavate the 1,400-year-old Dair Mar Elia monastery

Crown from the Tillya Tepe, Tomb VI, 1st century BC - 1st century AD. Crown is gold and imitation turquoise

Lost & Found

Ancient gold artifacts from Afghanistan, hidden for more than a decade, dazzle in a new exhibition

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Richard Covington on “Lost & Found”

Fakes are an all too real part of the museum world. “There are always artists capable of making and selling things that seem old,” says anthropologist Jane MacLaren Walsh.

Why the Smithsonian Has a Fake Crystal Skull

The Natural History Museum’s quartz cranium highlights the epic silliness of the new Indiana Jones movie

A horse touted as being from the Tang dynasty, but with only one genuine part in the unglazed underside.

Forensic Science for Antiques

Revealing art secrets—and exposing forgeries

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Dispatch from Stonehenge, Day 14

April 13: The Druids Bless Our Departure

The dig’s emerging physical evidence—including fragments of bluestone and sarsen scattered throughout the site—reflect a complex history.

Dispatch from Stonehenge, Day 10

April 9: Archaeology in a Fishbowl

Archaeologists at Stonehenge continue to make discoveries within the inner circle of the monument.

Dispatch from Stonehenge, Day 9

April 8: The Clock is Ticking

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Dispatch from Stonehenge, Day 1

March 31st: The Excavation Begins

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Dispatch from Stonehenge, Day 2

April 1st: An Ill Wind Blows

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Looting Iraq

No one was prepared for the pillaging of Baghdad’s Iraq Museum in 2003, but Marine officer Col. Matthew Bogdanos, improvised an investigation

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Monumental Mission

Assigned to find art looted by the Nazis, Western Allied forces faced an incredible challenge

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Breuer Chair, 1926

Marcel Breuer’s Bauhaus minimalism redefined a household basic

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Protecting the Priceless

How one retired Army Reserve Major taught soldiers to save artworks and antiquities during wartime

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Understanding the Lasting Allure of the Rosetta Stone

An Egyptologist explains the importance of the artifact

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How Pan Am’s Founder Juan Trippe Turned Americans Into Frequent Fliers

This antique globe was once owned by the fabled airline executive, who ushered in modern air travel

In Mexico, the molinillo stirs passions as well as chocolate.

A Historic Kitchen Utensil Captures What it Takes to Make Hot Chocolate From Scratch

A 1930s tool was used to whip chocolate beverages into a frothy blend

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Trash Becomes Treasure

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