Archaeology

The latest digs, ideas, and discoveries about our past, from ancient cities to our prehistoric ancestors.

Latest in Archaeology

Magpie Mine, Derbyshire. Magpie Mine, near the village of Sheldon in the Peak District, is an old lead mine. It was first worked in around 1740 but closed for the last time in 1954, although it only operated intermittently from 1835 onwards. It reached the peak of its production in the 1820s after a Newcomen pumping engine was installed to keep the workings free of water. The mine became notoious in 1833 after 24 of its miners were put on trial for murder. The Magpie men and those of the nearby Maypitt mine were both working on the same disputed seam of ore underground, and would light fires in order to try to smoke each other out. One such incident led to three Maypitt miners dying after being overcome by fumes. None of the Magpie workers were convicted, partly owing to the difficulty of ascertaining which individuals were actually responsible. It is said that the widows of the dead Maypitt men laid a curse on the Magpie Mine, leading to its ruin. (Photo by Peter Thompson/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Human teeth pinpoint when lead began poisoning medieval town

Black and white photo of Stalag Luft 3 prison camp next to scan of a prisoner's questionnaire form

World War II notes linked to ‘The Great Escape’ prison camp found in garage crawlspace

Painting of a gladiator standing over his opponent awaiting a kill order from the emperor.

Ancient Romans thought drinking gladiator blood could cure epilepsy

By Shoshi Parks

Image of Roman marble sculpture of Emperor's cuirass torso

2,000-year-old marble torso symbolizes the dawn of ancient Rome

Reconstruction of the extinct ‘Herugavialis cairensis.’ with the Great Sphinx and pyramids depicted in the background.

New crocodile species found in rocks of Egypt’s Great Sphinx

By Laura Baisas

Castle ruins on small island in dramatic landscape photograph.

Elderly residents of tiny Scottish island just uncovered a medieval monastery

Extinct ice age bovine discovered in Siberian cave

By Laura Baisas

LUXOR, EGYPT - 2026/01/07: Osiride statues of Hatshepsut, a standing statue of a pharaoh in the form of a mummy set on the upper terrace of the Pharaoh Queen. (Photo by John Wreford/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

5,000-year-old skull fractures reveal human sacrifices in Ancient Egypt

There’s still ice leftover from the last ice age

By Laura Baisas

Fused Anglo-Saxon coins discovered in Rome from the 10th century

Medieval coins discovered in Rome are actually from England

The general view of the archaeological site of Oplontis in Torre Annunziata, Italy. The archaeological site of Oplontis is one of the wonders returned after the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD together with the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Rocks from Pompeii suburb tells a story of destruction—that could help us today

By Laura Baisas

Viking silver cache discovered in Denmark that includes jewelry, bars, and coins

Gardener finds 40 pounds of Viking silver in his backyard

Hittite cuneiform tablet fragment

Fragment of oldest known peace treaty discovered in Turkey

a black and white photo of wounded soldiers in a trench

Lost WWI trench lives on in immersive VR installation

By Mack DeGeurin

Bronze Age temple stones overlaid with tracings of ship etchings from Cyprus

Ancient hidden graffiti discovered in Bronze Age temple

Tourists visit the Temple of Parthenon at the Acropolis of Athens, Greece, on June 19, 2026. The restoration of the western pediment of the Parthenon and removal of the external scaffolding from the western façade of the temple, has been finished after 220 years. (Photo by Nick Paleologos / SOOC via AFP)

Mathematician debunks the Parthenon’s famous optical illusions

Front and back images of an 11th century Russian medallion with likely a warrior saint on the front and Medusa on the back

Medieval Russian talisman depicts Christian warrior saint and Medusa

Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea look into distance in painting.

Lewis and Clark’s mercury-laced poop helped archaeologists trace their expedition

By Anna Goldfield

Hand holding up obsidian arrowhead in front of sun through forest trees

Yosemite National Park highlights Indigenous arrowhead crafting

Close up of hands rolling betel nut powder in leaf

Humans experimented with mind-altering drugs 25,000 years ago