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The marble statue likely depicts the Greek god Apollo and decorated a fountain in Philippi.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Find Ancient Statue of Apollo That Probably Adorned a Magnificent Fountain

The marble bust sheds new light on the layered history of a 2,000-year-old Greek city

The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly, James Hampton's strange and transporting magnum opus.       

In His Garage, an Untrained Artist Created a Work of Sublime Divinity

How deep faith created one of the loveliest—and most curious—sacred objects in the Smithsonian collections

The lead scrolls found onsite resemble Roman "curse tablets," used to write messages to higher powers.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Find ‘Remarkable’ Roman Villa Full of Coins, Jewelry and ‘Curse Tablets’

Discovered at a housing development in England, the complex’s buildings may be nearly 2,000 years old

In recent years, three papal bulls have been found near the Polish village of Wysoka Kamieńska.

Cool Finds

The Broken Seal of a Pope’s 14th-Century Decree Has Been Found in Poland

The metal fragment was once part of a papal bull, an official communication distributed by the Catholic Church

A reveler enjoys a playful and colorful water war in the streets of Jodhpur during the Holi festival.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Celebrate Holi With These 15 Vibrant Photos

Observed around the world, the Hindu Festival of Colors welcomes spring

Discovered by a metal detectorist in the village of Wólka Nieliska, the badge is about an inch wide.

Cool Finds

A Medieval Pilgrim May Have Carried This Basilisk Pendant to Guard Against Evil

Found in Poland, the “pilgrim’s badge” was likely worn by a Christian traveler hundreds of years ago

Religious lore suggests that God showed Patrick the entrance to purgatory, where the Irish could witness the consequences of not embracing Christianity with their own eyes.

St. Patrick Opened a Portal to Purgatory on This Little-Known Irish Island

Medieval pilgrims flocked to the site for spiritual purification

Completed in 1709, the library has more than 22,000 books.

You Can Spend the Night in the Secret Library Tucked Inside St. Paul’s Cathedral

Airbnb is offering two guests the chance to sleep amongst 22,000 books in an area normally off-limits to visitors

Mohammed (seated at left) with Franklin D. Roosevelt (center) and Winston Churchill (right) at a 1943 war conference near Casablanca

The Moroccan Sultan Who Protected His Country’s Jews During World War II

Mohammed V defied the collaborationist Vichy regime, saving Morocco’s 250,000 Jews from deportation to Nazi death camps

The Great Mosque of Algiers (or the Djamaa El-Djazair) has the world’s tallest minaret at 869 feet.

Algerian Officials Inaugurate the Largest Mosque in Africa

Spanning nearly 70 acres, the $898 million project faced years of delays amid political controversy

Researchers have pieced together a 26-foot-tall statue of Atlas originally built some 2,500 years ago.

A Towering Statue of Atlas Emerges From the Ruins of Sicily’s Ancient Temple of Zeus

In the fifth century B.C.E., 38 looming sculptures of the Titan stood guard at the structure

The clay head of the Roman god Mercury is roughly two inches long.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth ‘Incredibly Rare’ Roman-Era Clay Figurine of the God Mercury

The excavations led to the discovery of a previously unknown ancient Roman settlement in England

The remains of a dog buried next to a baby

These Ancient Celts Were Buried With Their Animals

Some remains found in the 2,000-year-old graves were likely food offerings, but others may have been much-loved companions

A close-up of Sojourner Truth’s face in statue created by Woodrow Nash. An 1883 New York Times obituary described Truth’s “tall, masculine-looking figure” and “deep, guttural, powerful voice.”

The Remarkable Untold Story of Sojourner Truth

Feminist. Preacher. Abolitionist. Civil rights pioneer. Now the full story of the American icon’s life and faith is finally coming to light

An image of an archaeologist excavating the wooden funerary bed and a reconstruction of the artifact (top right)

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Rare Roman Funerary Bed Buried Beneath London

The wooden bed was likely dismantled IKEA-style before being buried alongside a high-status individual

A Lötschental Valley resident dressed as a Tschägättä strolls around the village of Wiler, in Valais, Switzerland moments before the annual Carnival Parade begins.

Discover the Beasts of Switzerland’s Lötschental Valley

During Carnival, villagers wearing wooden masks and dressing like fearsome “tschäggättä” terrorize the streets

A gilded unicorn atop a silver baton from the regalia of Scotland's Usher of the White Rod

How the Unicorn Became an Enduring Symbol—and Scotland’s National Animal

The Perth Museum’s inaugural exhibition examines the mythical creature’s long history

A more than four-foot-long medieval sword was found just to the left of the Swedish man's skeleton.

Cool Finds

This Medieval Man Was Buried With a Four-Foot-Long Sword in Sweden

Researchers in Halmstad think he was a high-ranking member of the nobility before his death some 600 years ago

The artifact was found during a two-week dig by a volunteer group in the village of Norton Disney.

Cool Finds

Another Mysterious Roman Dodecahedron Has Been Unearthed in England

More than 100 such ancient artifacts have been found throughout Europe, but nobody knows what they are

Turkey’s government hopes the new policies will help protect the 1,500-year-old landmark in Istanbul.

Hagia Sophia Introduces Entry Fee for Foreign Tourists

Worshippers will be able to use a separate entrance to gain free access to the 1,500-year-old landmark in Istanbul

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