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Artifacts

Some scholars argue that the sprawling medieval tapestry is too fragile to be moved.

French Official Rules That 1,000-Year-Old Bayeux Tapestry Isn’t Too Fragile to Travel to London

The 230-foot-long medieval tapestry is scheduled to go on view at the British Museum next year, but critics worry that transporting the delicate artifact is too risky

Visitors to the Grand Egyptian Museum can view the pyramids.

A Sweeping Transformation Is Underway as the Grand Egyptian Museum Prepares to Officially Open and the Giza Plateau Braces for a Record-Breaking Influx of Visitors

The Egyptian government is making changes to enhance the visitor experience around the pyramids, but are these modifications threatening the livelihoods of local communities rooted in generations-old tourism practices?

Italian officials with the five stones and brick fragment

Italian Police Catch Tourist Stealing Stones From the Ancient City of Pompeii

According to legend, travelers who remove artifacts from the historic Italian city are cursed to endure hardship. Many have even returned the stolen items years later

These custom copper stools from Price Tower were sold in 2024 and later purchased by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.

Custom Furnishings From Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper Have Been Preserved for Posterity

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy hopes to return the 11 artifacts to the Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Gedi is another precolonial African site that was occupied from about 1000 to 1500 C.E. The courthouse from the site is shown.

Understanding the Gaps in Africa’s Archaeological Record

Sites and artifacts are revealing clues to the continent’s recent history. An archaeologist explains the findings and threats to this heritage

The gold object measures just four centimeters, or 1.5 inches, long.

Cool Finds

An Archaeology Student Found a Medieval Gold Artifact During Her First Dig

The piece resembles another found in the same area four years ago

The letter sold at auction in April and is now on display at the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver.

See Rare Letters From a Titanic Passenger, Who Called the Vessel a ‘Fine Ship’ Days Before It Sank

Archibald Gracie’s letter, which recently sold at auction, is part of a new exhibition at the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver

The building's shape is square-like, while Christian churches tend to be rectangular.

New Research

Archaeologists Thought This Ancient Site in Spain Was a Church. Was It Actually a Synagogue?

A new study examines artifacts and features of the site that may be associated with Judaism, though researchers caution that more work is needed

The carved head is made of red sandstone.

Cool Finds

Archaeology Student Discovers Carefully Carved Stone Head at Viking Settlement in Scotland’s Orkney Islands

Found on the island of Rousay, the red sandstone artifact adds to the layered history of an archaeological site in the Scottish archipelago

Based on the fragment, experts digitally reconstructed the piece of torso armor.

Cool Finds

Rare Fragment of 3,200-Year-Old Bronze Chest Armor Unearthed in Czech Republic

Bronze armor made by skilled craftsmen was reserved for elite warriors, according to experts from the Brno City Museum

Researchers found a 4,000-year-old handprint on the bottom of a "soul house," a clay funerary object popular during Egypt's Middle Kingdom period.

Cool Finds

See a Stunningly Well-Preserved, 4,000-Year-Old Handprint Left Behind by an Ancient Egyptian Potter

The find “takes you directly to the moment when the object was made,” says curator Helen Strudwick

Measuring just 3.5 inches long, the grasshopper is carved from ivory and wood.

3,400-Year-Old Grasshopper Artifact That May Have Been Stolen From King Tut’s Tomb Sells at Auction for More Than $450,000

While the artifact’s provenance is unclear, many experts think the archaeologist Howard Carter took the item for himself after excavating the pharaoh’s tomb in 1922

The site was occupied by an unknown Celtic tribe.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Celtic Settlement Filled With Jewelry, Amber and Coins in the Czech Republic

The 62-acre settlement was likely established in the fourth century B.C.E. Researchers think it may have served as a major trading hub

The sled is central to the plot of Citizen Kane.

One of the Rosebud Sleds From ‘Citizen Kane’ Just Became the Second Most Expensive Piece of Movie Memorabilia Ever Sold

The iconic prop, which went for $14.75 million at auction, is one of several sleds used in the production of Orson Welles’ 1941 classic

The Stone of Destiny is on display at the Perth Museum in Scotland.

Man Arrested for Trying to Break the Glass Protecting the Stone of Destiny in Scotland

The symbolic artifact, which has been used for centuries during the coronations of Scottish and English monarchs, is on display at the Perth Museum

Archaeologists have recovered 3,300 artifacts from the wreck, including gold coins and pieces of porcelain.

Archaeologists Find 300-Year-Old Shipwreck in What Used to Be ‘One of the Baddest Pirate Lairs on Earth’

Pirates attacked the Portuguese warship, named the “Nossa Senhora do Cabo,” and made off with many of the treasures the ship was transporting from India to Portugal

The tomb was found in an acropolis to the right of Caana, the central architectural complex at Caracol, which is more than 140 feet tall.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Treasure-Filled Tomb Belonging to the First Known Ruler of a Maya City in Belize

Te K’ab Chaak was a wealthy warrior king who rose to power in 331 C.E. His burial is the first royal tomb found in the ancient city of Caracol

At the Neumark-Nord site in central Germany, researchers found the remains of at least 172 individual animals, including foxes, horses, big cats and an extinct species of rhinoceros.

New Research

Neanderthals May Have Been Running a Sophisticated ‘Fat Factory’ in Germany 125,000 Years Ago

New research suggests that they smashed animal bones into tiny pieces before boiling them to extract the high-calorie grease inside

The Smithsonian’s own Etch A Sketch, acquired in 2011, is displayed as a cultural artifact—a symbol of a toy that has shaped generations.

How the Etch A Sketch Etched Itself Into Pop Culture

Sixty-five years after it first hit store shelves, the iconic, red-framed drawing toy continues to enchant kids, artists, and collectors alike

An aerial view of Peñico in Peru

Archaeologists Unveil a 3,500-Year-Old City in Peru That Sheds Light on the Caral Culture

Known as Peñico, the city is now open to tourists. It was once a vibrant urban center that connected coastal, mountain and jungle communities

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