Archaeology

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

Latest in Archaeology

Papyrus fragments featuring portion of 'The Iliad'

Egyptian mummy discovered stuffed with excerpt from ‘The Iliad’

Aerial view of Perge stadium from ancient Rome

‘Doors to Death’ reveal how Romans upgraded a stadium for bloodsport

CT scan of mummy foot, viewed from the side

It’s a bird! It’s a head! No, it’s a mummified foot.

Portrait of William Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s long-lost London home is finally found

a satirical currency showing president andrew jackson as a cat

Fake banknotes mocked a US president. And are now worth thousands.

By Laura Baisas

Close up of 1851 Humbert Slug gold coin

$50,000 rare coin hunt will take over San Francisco

Egyptian child mummy on CT scan bed

Mystery item spotted in 2,000-year-old Egyptian child mummy

Pieces of Japanese plate armor arranged against pink background

Armor buried under Japanese temple linked to ancient Korean kingdom

Metal detectorist finds Viking Age gold coin that might upend history

Rendering of a reconstructed polybolos within a virtual environment derived from reality-based documentation of the city walls. Digital survey and 3D model by S.B.; rendering and animation by V.C. with Lumion Pro Student 2024.

Rome unleashed an ancient ‘machine gun’ on Pompeii

Terracotta incense burner with the investigated ash residues. The rim is adorned with three female figures, probably depicting deceased persons who were venerated after their death.

What did Pompeii smell like before it burned?

By Margherita Bassi

Probable examples of Indigenous dice tools

The first gamblers were Ice Age women on the Great Plains

Bone phallus with partial pixelation

Ancient Roman bone penis discovered in forgotten museum box

Roman mosaic depicting bare chested woman armed with whip chasing a leopard

First female ‘beast-huntress’ gladiator depiction uncovered in lost mosaic

Illustration of Neanderthal tribe butchering large elephant near lake

Neanderthals hunted giant elephants in Europe

Man giving thumbs up next to Viking age ship beam

Sewer line workers stumble on Viking ship timber

Close up of two people clinking together red wine glasses

This pinot noir hasn’t changed in 500 years

Inscribed sling bullet (B19655) found at Hippos with the inscription ΜΑΘΟΥ, meaning "Learn your lesson!" Credit: Eisenberg et al. 2026

2,100 years ago, someone hurled a rock inscribed with ‘Learn your lesson!’

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings

The biggest medieval march in English history never actually happened

A black chess player about to win against a light-skinned cleric. Chess problem 88 in the Libro de axedrez, dados e tablas (Seville, 1283). Credit: Patrimonio Nacional. Real Biblioteca del Monasterio de El Escorial

Medieval chess was more inclusive than the world around it