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History

The three larger figurines measure about a foot tall.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Clay Puppets With Open Mouths and Detachable Heads That ‘Resemble Modern Toy Dolls’

The figurines were discovered in a largely unexcavated site in El Salvador. Some 2,400 years ago, they were controlled by strings that passed through their necks

Stone tools suggest humans lived in a tropical rainforest in present-day Ivory Coast roughly 150,000 years ago.

New Research

Humans May Have Lived in Tropical Rainforests Much Earlier Than Scientists Previously Thought, Study Finds

New research suggests that humans inhabited the rainforests of West Africa roughly 150,000 years ago, providing new insights into our ancestors’ ability to adapt to challenging environments

Harper Lee on the porch of her parents' home in Monroeville, Alabama, in 1961

Eight Never-Before-Seen Short Stories by ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Author Harper Lee Will Be Published This Year

After Lee’s death in 2016, typescripts of her early fiction were discovered in her New York apartment. The previously unseen drafts offer new insights into her creative development

Nikau Dix holds a carved waka piece he found in the creek.

Cool Finds

A Fisherman and His Son Noticed Strange Pieces of Wood on a Beach. They Turned Out to Be Fragments of a Polynesian Canoe

The boat, known as a waka, was unearthed in the Chatham Islands. Researchers say it could be one of the most significant discoveries of its kind

The tomb’s centerpiece carving depicts a reclining man.

Cool Finds

Ancient Tomb Decorated With Stunning Reliefs and a Mysterious Inscription Discovered Beneath a Courtyard in Turkey

Found in the province of Şanlıurfa, the rock tomb features depictions of a reclining man and two winged women alongside an illegible inscription

An artist's illustration of the London Tunnels, a planned tourist attraction in a World War II-era labyrinth beneath central London

Plans Are Taking Shape for an Extravagant New Tourist Attraction Inside London’s World War II-Era Tunnels

The 86,000-square-foot labyrinth was built in the 1940s during the London Blitz. Now, workers are transforming it into a museum, memorial, art gallery and bar

The circle was found during construction in a small town in northern Denmark.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Denmark Discover 4,000-Year-Old Circle of Wooden Posts Resembling Stonehenge

The monument once featured more than 80 posts, which formed a circle measuring nearly 100 feet across. Its prehistoric builders may have used it as a ritual site

A Hun-period “Eastern-type” burial unearthed in Budapest, Hungary

New Research

Who Were the Huns Who Invaded Rome? A New Study Has Revealed Surprising Genetic Diversity

Researchers found that the group led by Attila the Hun contained a mixture of diverse ancestries, with at least a few related to elites of the Xiongnu Empire

An aerial image of the excavation site in Cumbria

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Say They’ve Unearthed Britain’s Largest Known Viking-Age Building Beneath a Family Farm

A team of experts and enthusiasts discovered the structure at High Tarns Farm in northwest England. Researchers think it dates to between the late 10th and early 11th centuries

Herbert G. Tennyson was a 24-year-old first lieutenant in the U.S. Army when he was killed during World War II.

Remains of Bomber Pilot Identified 80 Years After His Plane Went Down During World War II

Herbert G. Tennyson was a U.S. Army pilot on a B-24 nicknamed “Heaven Can Wait,” which crashed into the ocean in early 1944

Archaeologists recently excavated an area of the Great Wall known as the Qi wall in China's Shandong Province.

New Research

The Great Wall of China Might Be Older Than We Thought

New research suggests that some sections of the wall were constructed during the Western Zhou dynasty between 1046 and 771 B.C.E.

The suitcase was likely made in the 1920s.

Cool Finds

Suitcase Belonging to the Legendary Archaeologist Who Discovered King Tut’s Tomb Surfaces in England

Howard Carter used the luggage while working in Egypt before giving it to a fellow researcher in 1939. Now, it’s heading to the auction block

Items like this bronze griffin head were often used to adorn ceremonial cauldrons in ancient Greek sanctuaries.

The Met Returns Stolen Seventh-Century B.C.E. Bronze Griffin Head to Greece

At a ceremony this week, Greece’s culture minister officially accepted the artifact, which was likely stolen from a museum in Olympia in the 1930s

The photos were taken between 1966 and 1970.

Can You Identify the Mystery Photographer Who Captured Thousands of Captivating Images of 1960s San Francisco?

Discovered in an abandoned storage locker, the 2,042 processed color slides and 102 rolls of black-and-white film depict key moments in the city’s history

An early Remington typewriter featuring the QWERTY keyboard

The QWERTY Keyboard Will Never Die. Where Did the 150-Year-Old Design Come From?

The invention’s true origin story has long been the subject of debate. Some argue it was created to prevent typewriter jams, while others insist it’s linked to the telegraph

The double-edged sword was deliberately broken into three pieces.

Cool Finds

Metal Detectorists Stumble Upon a Rare 2,000-Year-Old Roman Sword in Poland

Researchers think the weapon, which had been deliberately broken and burned, was once part of a funerary ritual for a local warrior

The new exhibition comes on the heels of the A.I. Safety Summit held at Bletchley Park in 2023.

Bletchley Park Exhibition Shows How World War II-Era Research Shaped Artificial Intelligence

Titled “The Age of A.I.,” the show examines the technology’s 20th-century roots and spotlights its role in contemporary healthcare, environmental conservation and the creative industries

A group photo taken at what might have been a memorial or funeral service at the Florida School for Boys in the 1950s

Based on a True Story

The Real Story Behind ‘Nickel Boys’ and the Brutal Florida Reform School That Inspired the Film

Based on a Colson Whitehead novel, the Oscar-nominated movie dramatizes the story of the Florida School for Boys, which traumatized children as young as 5 for more than a century

This lidar scan shows the epicenter of the city, where its largest buildings stood.

Cool Finds

Researchers Thought It Was Just a Fortress. It Turned Out to Be a Lost Zapotec City

Lidar scans have revealed a 600-year-old fortified city in southern Mexico that boasted ball courts, roads, neighborhoods and temples

Some argue that the statue depicts an unnamed philosopher, rather than Marcus Aurelius.

A Looted Bronze Statue That May Depict Marcus Aurelius Is Returning to Turkey

The repatriation comes after years of legal disputes over the true identity and provenance of the 6-foot-4 artwork, which has been housed at the Cleveland Museum of Art

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