Rituals and Traditions

Crowds gather for the summer solstice at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England.

Nine Ways People Celebrate the Summer Solstice Around the World

Across the Northern Hemisphere, worshippers of the longest day of the year build bonfires, plunge into the ocean and visit prehistoric monuments

Archaeologists in England found Bronze Age skeletal remains, cremation burials and artifacts.

Bronze Age Cemetery Discovered Near Stonehenge

Archaeologists found graves and artifacts while preparing land for a new subdivision in southern England

Researcher Laurent Davin plays a replica of one of the 12,000-year-old bird bone flutes recently discovered in northern Israel.

These 12,000-Year-Old Flutes Mimic the Sound of Prehistoric Birds

The remnants of seven small bird bone instruments were discovered in northern Israel

A researcher scans the negative cavity in the gypsum casing.

Why Did the Romans Cover Bodies With Gypsum?

Researchers are using 3D scanning technology to learn more about the plaster casts

Paleontologist Lee Berger, who led the new research, walks in the Rising Star cave system in South Africa, where the possible burial sites were uncovered.

Ancient Human Relatives May Have Buried Their Dead

Remains in a South African cave system predate the oldest known human burials by about 160,000 years or more

Public swimming at Clift Park in Skaneateles, New York

The 15 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2023

From an ultramarathon capital in the Rockies to a laid-back village in the Florida Keys, these vibrant towns are calling your name

This picture taken on July 26, 2020 shows a cemetery undergoing demolition amidst ongoing construction at the historic City of the Dead.

Activists Work to Protect Cairo's City of the Dead From Demolition

Historic graves are being moved or destroyed as Egypt builds new roads and bridges

Designer Nudie Cohn sits in his Pontiac convertible.

How a Rhinestone Cowboy From Ukraine Left His Mark on the Music World

Making his famous “Nudie suits,” tailor to the stars Nudie Cohn lived and breathed the bedazzled American dream

Charles and Camilla with members of the working royal family

See Charles III's Official Coronation Portraits

Hugo Burnand prepared meticulously for his brief photo session following Saturday's ceremony

A generation told not to trust anyone over 30 nevertheless adored Vonnegut.

Kurt Vonnegut's Advice to College Graduates Is Still Relevant

To his adoring young fans in the 1960s and '70s, the anti-establishment novelist was the father they wished they had

Elizabeth II's 1953 coronation portrait

A Not-So-Brief History of British Coronations

Ahead of Charles III’s ceremony, here's what you need to know about the origins and evolution of the centuries-old tradition

The carriage is designed to resemble the one that Charles III will ride in.

You Can Book Uber's Horse-Drawn Carriage Ahead of Charles III’s Coronation

One driver—and a team of four white horses—will be available in the days leading up to the ceremony

A group of French Carthusian monks are the only producers of Chartreuse—and despite high demand, they aren't planning to increase production.

French Monks Are Driving the Chartreuse Shortage

Dating back to 1605, the closely guarded recipe is becoming increasingly popular

The hair strands were found inside decorative tubes.

Ancient Europeans Took Hallucinogenic Drugs 3,000 Years Ago

Hair strands from the Bronze Age reveal the first direct evidence of drug use in Europe

"AquaReinas," or costumed mermaid messengers with the Mermaid Society of Texas, participate in the 2022 Mermaid Capital of Texas Fest parade in San Marcos, Texas.

The Texas City Where Mermaids Inspire River Conservation

“Aquamaids” were once the stars at an amusement park in San Marcos. Now, they are making a comeback to help the environment

A view of the more than 2,000 mummified ram skulls found at the temple in Abydos

Archaeologists Discover 2,000 Mummified Ram Skulls in Temple of Ramses II

The skulls were likely left as offerings about 1,000 years after the pharaoh's death

A woman throws flowers on the boxes containing human remains at Waldfriedhof cemetery.

Berlin Holds Funeral for Bone Fragments Linked to Nazi Research

Discovered in 2014, the remains of at least 54 victims were buried at a ceremony this week

Tourists visiting the Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt, earlier this week

Hidden Chamber Revealed Inside Great Pyramid of Giza

Researchers used cosmic-ray imaging to uncover the 30-foot-long corridor

The comb measures roughly two inches and has nearly a dozen teeth.

Ancient Comb Made From Human Skull Unearthed in England

The Iron Age artifact may have been used as an amulet rather than a hairstyling tool

The Nenana Ice Classic tripod is on display alongside the Tanana River and the Alaska Railroad tracks, next to the community "watchtower" building. The tripod will be raised on the ice of the Tanana River on March 5, 2023.

The River That's Kept Alaska Guessing for More Than a Century

The Nenana Ice Classic, started in 1917, is a high-stakes guessing game over the date, hour and minute of the ice breakup on the Tanana River

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