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Cool Finds

After the fall of Tenochtitlan in 1521, the Spanish forced the Aztecs to tear down their buildings and use the leftover materials to construct a new city.

Cool Finds

Aztec Palace and House Built by Hernán Cortés Unearthed in Mexico City

The Spanish conquistador’s home stood on the site of the razed royal residence

Roughly 1.4 million years ago, Homo erectus made this hand ax out of a hippopotamus' thigh bone.

Cool Finds

1.4-Million-Year-Old Ax Made of Hippo Bone Found in Ethiopia

Thought to have been made by Homo erectus, the implement adds range and sophistication to the bipedal hominin’s toolkit

Archaeologists discovered rock art engraved inside this 4,000-year-old stone monument in northern Israel. Illustrations highlight the herd of horned animal figures etched into the boulder.

Cool Finds

Millennia-Old Rock Art in Israel Offers Window Into Lost Culture

The carvings depict animals, geometric designs and what may be a human face

Archaeologists unearthed the nearly complete cat skeleton at the ancient settlement of Dhzankent in Kazakhstan.

Cool Finds

In Ancient Kazakhstan, Nomadic Herders Kept Their Toothless Pet Cat Alive

An assessment of the 1,000-year-old feline’s bones suggest it wouldn’t have been able to survive without human care

A set of 120,000-year-old shells from the Qafzeh Cave in northern Israel. Ancient humans collected these shells, which had natural perforations, and arranged them on lengths of string.

Cool Finds

New Research Suggests Humans Invented String at Least 120,000 Years Ago

Marks found on ancient shells indicate that they were laced together to create necklaces

Rock piles like the one pictured here helped ancient miners navigate the subterranean network.

An Underwater Cave Once Hosted the Americas’ Oldest Known Ocher Mine

Humans have valued the rich red pigment for hundreds of thousands of years

The pair immediately knew their find was something special, as wood rarely survives in saltwater unless it is buried by sediment.

Cool Finds

Divers Find 16th-Century Shipwreck Off Coast of Northern Italy

The vessel may be the “Santo Spirito & Santa Maria di Loreto,” which sank in the vicinity in 1579

A whale shark off the coast of Australia.

Whale Sharks Have Tiny Teeth on Their Eyeballs

The ‘dermal denticles’ probably help protect the eyes of these gentle giants, scientists say

The York Guildhall, which sits on the banks of the River Ouse in northeastern England, is currently undergoing a major renovation.

Renovations at Historic York Guildhall Reveal Human Remains, Roman Artifacts

Ongoing work at the 15th-century municipal building has yielded an array of archaeological finds

This 1846 daguerreotype is likely the oldest surviving photograph of a Māori person.

Newly Discovered Portrait May Be Oldest Known Image of Māori Person

The photo depicts Hemi Pomara, who was kidnapped and “exhibited” by British colonialists in London during the 1840s

The circular ovens may have been used to bake bricks or pottery.

Roman-Era Structures Found Near Sphinx-Lined Egyptian Avenue

Excavations at Kebbash Road revealed circular ovens, a mud-brick wall and a sandstone wall

Replica of a Norse Viking longhouse in Scotland's Shetland Islands. Archaeologists in Iceland have uncovered the remains of two ancient Viking longhouses that may have been among the island's very first settlements.

Cool Finds

Newly Excavated Viking Dwelling May Be Oldest Found in Iceland

Archaeologists say the settlement, which may have housed a Norse chieftain, dates to roughly 800 A.D.

The circle of submerged shafts likely acted as a boundary for a sacred area or precinct associated with the Durrington Walls henge.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Enormous Ring of Ancient Pits Near Stonehenge

The buried shafts may represent the largest prehistoric structure ever found in Great Britain

Written in ornate cursive by a general’s aide and signed by Maj. F.W. Emery on behalf of Granger, “General Orders No. 3” had long been hidden in a book of formal orders housed at the archives.

Cool Finds

National Archives Locates Handwritten Juneteenth Order

On June 19, 1865, the decree informed the people of Texas that enslaved individuals were now free

Simon G. Elliott's Antietam battlefield map was one of about 3,000 antique maps digitized by the New York Public Library between 2015 and 2018.

Cool Finds

Forgotten Antietam Battlefield Map Shows Locations of Thousands of Graves

The Union and Confederate soldiers buried at the site of the 1862 clash were later moved to nearby cemeteries

A fisherman happened upon a statue depicting the Virgin Mary and child in a river near Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Cool Finds

Fisherman Finds Suspected Medieval Statue in Spanish Riverbed

Researchers think the religious icon, which depicts the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus, is about 700 years old

This diagram shows the different kinds of animal bones used to make the 48,000-year-old tools.

Cool Finds

Evidence of Early Bow-and-Arrow Hunting Discovered in Sri Lanka

If confirmed, the 48,000-year-old find will be the oldest known instance of bowhunting outside of Africa

The hot, dry summer of 2018 revealed the long-lost outlines of Roman forts and roads in Wales. This photo shows a Roman fort discovered near Carrow Hill.

Cool Finds

Drought Reveals Traces of Ancient Roman Structures in Wales

Archaeologists used aerial photographs to discover previously unknown forts and roads in water-starved fields across the country

View of the PT-59 boat in the Solomon Islands during World War II.

Cool Finds

Wreck of John F. Kennedy’s World War II Patrol Boat Recovered

The future president took over command of PT-59 after his first ship, PT-109, sank in 1943

The four sides of a dice, as well as the front and back sides of several other game pieces found in western Norway

Cool Finds

Ancient Roman Board Game Found in Norwegian Burial Mound

Researchers unearthed a four-sided dice and 18 circular tokens

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