Archaeology

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

Latest in Archaeology

An elevated, long-range photograph of the Rano Raraku volcanic crater on Easter Island, showing several moai statues partially buried in the grassy hillside. The massive stone heads and torsos are scattered across a sloped landscape that leads up to a rugged, rocky cliff face with visible excavation sites. Some areas of the background rock feature unnatural blue markings, likely from digital editing or site markers.

3D map of Easter Island takes you places visitors aren’t allowed

a medieval ring made of gold with a large blue stone at the center

Ornate medieval ring discovered in Norway’s oldest town

By Margherita Bassi

Group of ancient Roman whetstones discovered in Britain

800 ancient Roman blade sharpeners found in Britain

Both sides of one of the arrowheads analysed. The left-hand image shows the organic remains in which the arrowhead residues were identified. Photo: Marlize Lombard

World’s oldest poison-tipped arrow discovered in South Africa

a celtic gold coin

Rare Celtic coin found by metal detectorist

By Laura Baisas

‘King of Silver Dollars’ coin could fetch over $1M at auction

By Laura Baisas

a cave painting of two warty pigs

Pigs have been island hopping for 50,000 years

By Laura Baisas

A close-up, angled shot of a silver waiter's corkscrew in the process of opening a wine bottle. The metal lever of the corkscrew is braced against the lip of the dark glass bottle, while the black spiral "worm" is drilled deep into the center of the natural wood cork. The background is a soft, out-of-focus gradient of green and grey.

The corkscrew began as a tool for muskets, not merlot

By Andrew Coletti

coins in dirt and a can in dirt

A couple walking their dog found $10 million worth of rare coins

roman ruins in northern england

Diarrhea slowed down Roman soldiers

By Laura Baisas

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry showing a medieval dining scene involving Bishop Odo of Bayeux.

Famous phallic tapestry may have entertained monks during meals

By Laura Baisas

Man with metal detector stumbles on perplexing Viking Age grave

By Margherita Bassi

Rhesus macaque bones in Roman animal cemetery grave

Roman generals gifted kittens and piglets to their pet monkeys

a wooden boat on display in a dark museum exhibit

Who built Scandinavia’s oldest wooden plank boat? An ancient fingerprint offers clues.

By Laura Baisas

Artist's impression of sparks from flint and pyrite

Neanderthals harnessed fire 350,000 years earlier than previously thought

An ancient Pompeii wall at a newly excavated site, where Associate Professor Admir Masic applied compositional analysis (overlayed to right) to understand how ancient Romans made concrete that has endured for thousands of years.

Pompeii’s ruins challenge Rome’s famous concrete recipe

a gold coin with a ship and queen elizabeth i etched into it

Elizabethan era gold coin sold for record-breaking price

By Laura Baisas

coins in a jug at an archaeologist dig

40,000 Roman-era coins discovered in French village

By Laura Baisas

pouring olive oil in a clear container

Ancient ‘dirty dishes’ may have led archaeologists astray for decades

By Laura Baisas

two donkeys looking directly at the camera in a green field with a blue sky

Why using a donkey to treat whooping cough makes sense

By Laura Baisas