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Cool Finds

Hilma af Klint, pictured in her studio circa 1885

Cool Finds

See Newly Discovered Works by Trailblazing Painter Hilma af Klint

The Swedish Modernist created innovative, genre-defying abstract art inspired by science, mysticism and her own encounters with the spiritual world

The tablet depicts a male ghost being led back to the afterlife, curator Irving Finkel says.

Cool Finds

3,500-Year-Old Babylonian Tablet May Contain Earliest Known Depiction of a Ghost

A curator at the British Museum details the spooky find in a new book

Authorites plan to reattach the heads to statues along the famed Avenue of Sphinxes.

Cool Finds

Ancient Stone Ram Heads Unearthed on Egypt’s ‘Avenue of the Sphinxes’

The newly restored road, once lined with around 700 towering sculptures, is set to open to the public in the coming weeks

The late princess of Wales lived at Althorp during her teenage years.

Archaeologists Are Excavating Princess Diana’s Childhood Home

Althorp has served as the seat of the Spencer family since the early 16th century

The ivory comb shows gazelle-like animals attempting to escape predators.

Cool Finds

1,500-Year-Old Ivory Beard Comb Found in Grave in Germany

The rare sixth-century grooming tool features intricate carvings of a hunting scene

A diver discovered the 900-year-old sword in a natural cove off the coast of northern Israel.

Cool Finds

Diver Discovers 900-Year-Old Crusader Sword Off Israel’s Coast

The four-foot-long weapon is encrusted in marine organisms but otherwise in “perfect condition”

The tombs feature images of vines, flowers and geometric patterns, as well as mythological figures.

Cool Finds

Hundreds of Ornate, Rock-Cut Tombs Discovered in Ancient Turkish City

Some 1,800 years ago, residents of Blaundos buried their dead in highly decorated graves cut into the sides of a surrounding canyon

Bronze and Iron Age miners' poop contained Penicillium roqueforti, which is still used to make blue cheese today.

Cool Finds

Europeans Enjoyed Blue Cheese and Beer 2,700 Years Ago, Study Suggests

Ancient poop from salt mines in the Alps contained the same fungi used in brewing and cheesemaking today

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's A Large Group of Punchinelli is expected to fetch more than $200,000 at auction.

Cool Finds

Rare 18th-Century Drawing by Rococo Artist Tiepolo Discovered in English Estate’s Attic

“Wrapped in bubble wrap” and forgotten, the artwork had collected dust in one of Weston Hall’s nine attics for decades

Each of the five wine presses covered about 2,400 square feet.

Cool Finds

1,500-Year-Old Winery Found in Israel

The industrial-scale operation produced half-a-million gallons a year, destined for drinkers around the Mediterranean

Nestor's Cup, named for its ties to a legendary king referenced in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, bears one of the earliest known Greek inscriptions.

Cool Finds

Researchers Are Unraveling the Mystery of the Ancient Greek Tomb of ‘Nestor’s Cup’

New analysis suggests the 2,800-year-old burial held the remains of at least three adults, not a child as previously believed

The second ski was better preserved than the first, perhaps because it was buried more deeply in the ice.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Extract 1,300-Year-Old Wooden Ski From Norwegian Ice

Seven years after finding the first half of the pair, researchers have finally reunited the ski with its mate

Researchers studying Edvard Munch's Madonna (left) discovered hidden underdrawings (right) that reveal how the artist tinkered with his composition over time.

Art Meets Science

Hidden Sketch Reveals a More Traditional Version of Edvard Munch’s Sensual ‘Madonna’

A chance discovery suggests the woman’s provocative pose was originally somewhat subdued

The white pipeclay Venus statuette before (right) and after (left) cleaning

Roman-Era Statue of Venus, Goddess of Love, Discovered in England

The seven-inch-tall figurine likely stood in a household shrine in what is now Gloucestershire some 1,800 years ago

A cubicle surrounding the toilet and a deep septic tank beneath it were both carved out of limestone bedrock.

Cool Finds

2,700-Year-Old Private Toilet Found in Jerusalem

Bowls discovered inside the bathroom cubicle may have held incense or other air fresheners, researchers say

The golden bowl may have been used in religious ceremonies honoring the sun.

Cool Finds

3,000-Year-Old Golden Bowl Adorned With Sun Motif Found in Austria

Researcher Michał Sip described the prehistoric vessel as the “discovery of a lifetime”

Researchers in Turkey have uncovered an all-but-forgotten ancient Greek temple and a 50,000-seat stadium (shown).

Entrance Gate to Greek Temple of Zeus Unearthed in Turkey

Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Magnesia hope to fully restore the 2,300-year-old sacred structure

Two men found the coins while diving in Portitxol Bay along the Mediterranean coast.

Cool Finds

Amateur Divers Discover Trove of 53 Roman Gold Coins in Spain

A wealthy landowner probably hid the hoard to protect it from “barbarian” invaders

Believed to be the world's oldest jewelry, the perforated shells date to about 142,000 years ago.

Cool Finds

Are These Snail Shells the World’s Oldest Known Beads?

Found in a Moroccan cave, the prehistoric jewelry dates to between 142,000 and 150,000 years ago

The letters "IMP" stand for imperator, meaning the tile maker was "supplying tiles fit for the emperor" or "on the emperor's demands."

Cool Finds

Tiles ‘Fit for the Emperor’ Found in Roman Ruins Beneath English Cricket Club

The objects, as well as an inscription at the site, suggest ties to Septimius Severus, who led campaigns nearby in the early third century C.E.

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