Archaeology (Page 4)

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

Latest in Archaeology

Skull of a soldier from the Napoleon army next to a button from a soldier's uniform.

The real killer of Napoleon’s army revealed by DNA testing

Roman skeletons in water well mass grave

Ancient Roman mass grave shows its army’s ethnic diversity

pinworm under microscope

Ancient poop from Mexico’s ‘Cave of the Dead Children’ teems with parasites

By Laura Baisas

A 50 cent coin from 1817 (left) and an 1846 Liberty head one-cent coin (right) are just two of the numerous objects uncovered in a dig in Troy, Ohio.

Rare 19th-century coins found after fire at historic tavern

By Laura Baisas

A 3D model of the ancient Roman water basin uncovered about 11 miles east of Rome.

Forgotten rival of Ancient Rome featured an impressive water basin

By Margherita Bassi

Paranthropus boisei. Reproduction of an adult skull. 1,8 million years ago. Pleistocene. Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania). (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

This overlooked human ancestor wielded tools with a gorilla-like grip

Aerial photo of ancient ice storage facility excavation next to photos of a burial jar containing Chinese coins

Ancient underground freezer unearthed at South Korean castle

human bones in the background. in the foreground a hand holds samples of liquids

A mummy microbiome hides inside 1,000-year-old poop

By Laura Baisas

Elephant bones at excavation site next to chalkboard labeling it

Ancient humans butchered giant elephants with thumb-sized tools

a team of researchers using ropes to move a large statue

How Easter Island’s famed heads ‘walked’

By Laura Baisas

Aerial photo of Teotihuacan city

A lost ancient language may be hiding in plain sight

Karnak Temple next to the Nile River and palm trees

Vast ancient Egyptian temple dated to Old Kingdom

a collage of several rare coins and bank notes

A rare coin treasure hunt kicks off in 4 American cities

By Laura Baisas

a black and white photo of a ship leaning on its side in sea ice

Ernest Shackleton knew ‘Endurance’ had shortcomings, new study says

By Laura Baisas

Artifacts found while Dr. Kathleen Martínez searches for Cleopatra's tomb.

The search for Cleopatra’s long-lost tomb leads to sunken seaport

By Laura Baisas

Close up view of bearded vulture

Multi-generational vulture nests hold 700 years of human artifacts

Composite drone photograph of the large panel at Jebel Misma. The engravings are traced to show 19 life-sized camels and 3 equids. Naturalistic animals belonging to the middle phase are traced in white. The more stylized and standardized depictions of the later phase traced in blue. Unidentified lines traced in black.

Camels depicted in 12,000-year-old rock art

By Laura Baisas

a sparkly iron ore

This ‘funny-looking rock’ holds 3,000 years of Iron Age secrets

By Laura Baisas

a tyrannosaur skeleton on display in a musuem

Amateur paleontologist opens fossil museum in rural Minnesota

By Sara Kiley Watson

Study diagram of ancient Egyptian cow bone whistle

Ancient Egypt’s cemetery police blew bone whistles made from cow toes

A Paleolithic handaxe with a broken distal end, discovered during the Ayvalık survey

Early humans reached Europe via an Ice Age land bridge from Turkey

An arid archaeological site with a large, excavated rectangular foundation in the foreground, partially dug into a dirt mound. The site is surrounded by dry, barren land and hills in the distance. A few people are visible, providing a sense of scale, and the background shows a valley with green trees and a clear, hazy sky.

Lost mural reveals ancient Silk Road fire ritual

Ripe grapes growing on plants in vineyard lit by sun

Bronze Age farmers often prioritized wine over olives

Aymara elongated mummy skull

Looted mummy skull mislabeled for over a century

a wheel of a shipwreck under water

Wisconsin ‘ghost ship’ uncovered after 139 years

By Laura Baisas

a gold dollar coin. the heads side has a woman holding a baby on her back named sacagewea on it and the back an eagle with 17 stars

Space-flown Sacagawea dollar coins fetch over $500K at auction

By Laura Baisas

A blurred photo shows a smiling woman with dark hair, wearing a purple shirt, holding a large, ancient-looking wooden tool with a stone head, possibly an ax or hammer. She is wearing white gloves and standing in a laboratory setting with scientific equipment and storage shelves visible in the background.

Stone Age women were buried with as many tools as men

A midden in rural England on a cloudy day

Bronze Age feasts uncovered in ancient English trash heaps

an aerial view of an island with stone structures

Escaped slaves on St. Croix hid their settlements so well, they still haven’t been found. Archaeologists using new mapping technology are on the hunt

By Justin Dunnavant / The Conversation

Clay sculpture of two frogs from Caral civilization

An ancient frog statue’s secret message

a painting depicting a viking battle in russia

Vikings were captivated by silver. Our new analysis of their precious loot reveals how far they travelled to get it

By Jane Kershaw / The Conversation

Mayan child tooth with jade gem and two x-ray images of the tooth

Jade gems decorated these Mayan kids’ teeth

Surkandarya Valley in Uzbekistan

An Uzbekistan cave holds an ancient agricultural secret

Diver investigating shipwreck underwater

138-year-old shipwreck discovered in Lake Michigan

A stone rock with etched art. On one side, a human figure and probably a dog are pecked in with dots. A bow and arrow are carved above the hand on the right side. On the other side, there is a human figure, an unknown figure, and a large boat.

Lost, ancient cult site unearthed near a Norwegian highway

Petralona skull of ancient hominin

Hominin skull discovered in 1960 finally gets an accurate age

a dire wolf skull. it has large front teeth

Dire wolf skull could fetch over $30,000 at auction

By Laura Baisas

Example of knotted khipu cords next to ruler for siz referenc

Human hair-based recordkeeping was widespread in Incan Empire

Six stone tool artifacts

Stone Age humans traveled for miles to find the perfect rocks

a black and white photo of three scientists holding three sled dogs dogs

Body of scientist lost in 1959 found in Antarctica

By Laura Baisas

8 ancient silver coins

Ancient ‘rising sun’ coins reveal far-reaching trade network

By Laura Baisas

a woman holds a neck ring under a light

Famous Viking treasure contains silver from over 3,000 miles away

By Laura Baisas

sheep bones in a dig site

Ancient animal bones unlock clues about Bronze Age plague

By Laura Baisas

Wooden shipwreck timber on river shore

A pirate ship that exploded in 1748 may have finally been found

Pompeii street and building ruins on sunny day

After Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii’s ruins housed survivors, wanderers, and treasure hunters

archaeolgists digging in a cave in spain

‘Wartime cannibalism’ unearthed in prehistoric Spanish cave

By Laura Baisas

Bow of the USS Preston shipwreck sunk in WWII

13 World War II shipwrecks captured in stunning detail

Neolithic burial pit

Electrical workers uncover 5,000-year-old burial pits in Germany

Three photos of early hominin and primate skulls

Human teeth evolved to fit our diet

Illustrations of Ice Age mummy tattoo restorations

Tattoo artists and scientists resurrect a 2,000-year-old mummy’s ink

a orange substance sits at the bottom of a plastic cup

Scientists think this orange goo is 2,500-year-old honey

By Laura Baisas

Hawaiian petroglyphs on sandstone beach with tidal wave

500-year-old petroglyphs resurface on Hawai’i beach

Limestone tomb marker of Polish medieval knight

Medieval knight’s grave discovered under ice cream shop

Tibetan Buddhist pray scroll next to example of its X-ray scan

X-ray scans reveal Buddhist prayers inside tiny Tibetan scrolls

Why ancient people depicted elks as wolfish monsters

By Margherita Bassi

Rib fragment with flint arrowhead embedded in it

The 4,000-year-old mystery of a shepherd’s arrow to the back

Roman tile art depicting two lovers with woman's backside blurred

Stolen during WWII, an erotic Roman mosaic returns home

Medieval book opened to pages

A 600-year-old Chaucer mystery may finally be solved

a drawing of ancient horse butchery

Medieval Hungarians kept eating horse meat, despite Christianity’s influence

By Laura Baisas

several pots dating back 4,500 years on a table

Neolithic moms decorated baby carriers with dog teeth

Images of prehistoric multitool made from cave lion bone

Neanderthals made a ‘Swiss Army knife’ from cave lion bone

Shipwreck bow covered in sea life underwater

Shipwreck fragment linked to one of WWII’s strangest rescue tales

Close up of hand applying acupuncture needles to back

Oldest known steel acupuncture needles discovered in disgraced emperor’s tomb

the ruins of the ancient city of babylon, consisting of brown walls and buildings

Babylonian text missing for 1,000 years deciphered with AI

By Laura Baisas