Religious History
Six New York Inmates Successfully Sue to Watch the Total Solar Eclipse
The state's prison agency settled a lawsuit with the incarcerated men, allowing them to watch the eclipse on religious grounds. But for now, the rest of New York's correctional facilities will remain locked down on April 8
What Indigenous Cultures From Around the World Believe About Eclipses
A Smithsonian folklorist looks back and finds stories that explain how a darkening of daytime skies provokes a foreboding of evil
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 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 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
St. Patrick Opened a Portal to Purgatory on This Little-Known Irish Island
Medieval pilgrims flocked to the site for spiritual purification
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
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
A Brief History of How Carnival Is Celebrated Around the World
Here’s how Venice, Rio de Janeiro, Trinidad and Tobago, New Orleans, and Quebec City mark the pre-Lenten season
Why Is the Year of the Dragon Considered So Lucky?
The only mythical creature in the Chinese zodiac, the dragon has long been associated with prosperity and imperial power
Why Descendants of Holocaust Survivors Are Replicating Auschwitz Tattoos
Those who choose to put the numbers on their bodies hope the act will spark conversation about the Holocaust and pay tribute to loved ones who survived
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
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
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
See the Face of Roman Britain's Only Known Crucifixion Victim
A forensic artist has reimagined what the man may have looked like 2,000 years ago
Roman Imperial Cult Temple Unearthed Beneath a Parking Lot in Italy
The pagan temple sheds new light on the empire's gradual embrace of Christianity
This 1,200-Year-Old Artifact Is Stunning—but Nobody Knows What It Is
The intricately decorated silver object was likely created by a highly skilled craftsperson in England
This Mysterious Hillside Carving Is Actually Hercules, Researchers Say
England's 180-foot-tall Cerne Abbas Giant may have served as a landmark for gathering troops
117 Fascinating Finds Revealed in 2023
The year's most exciting discoveries included a stolen Vincent van Gogh painting, a hidden medieval crypt and a gold-covered mummy
Notre-Dame Gets New Spire and Golden Rooster
The return of these two distinctive features marks a poignant milestone in the cathedral's reconstruction
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