Archaeology

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A facial reconstruction of Ramses II
Facial reconstructions help the past come alive. But are they accurate? DNA analysis is changing the science of facial reconstructions and making them more lifelike than ever before.
Illustration of ancient humans in White Sands.
The 1st Americans were not who we thought they were For decades, we thought the first humans to arrive in the Americas came across the Bering Land Bridge 13,000 years ago. New evidence is changing that picture.
Iceman Ötzi reconstruction
40 amazing facial reconstructions, from Stone Age shamans to King Tut New scientific techniques are helping us reconstruct people from the past in uncanny detail.

Latest about Archaeology

The monumental, square tomb complex of queen Meret-Neith in Abydos, Egypt.

Egypt had an unusually powerful 'female king' 5,000 years ago, lavish tomb suggests

By Sascha Pare published

Excavations of the tomb of ancient Egyptian queen Meret-Neith reveal she was an influential figure with "unusually high levels of authority," but experts are divided about whether she actually reigned.

Ancient Egyptians
Herculaneum scroll with red laser lines being scanned at Institut de France by Brent Seales and his team.

AI reveals scroll's lost text after it was scorched by Mount Vesuvius eruption 2,000 years ago

By Laura Geggel published

Mount Vesuvius' eruption in A.D. 79 carbonized hundreds of scrolls and papyri in the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum. Now, AI has decoded part of a scroll.

Romans
This portrait, painted between A.D. 150 and 200 on wood, shows a young woman with brown doe eyes, a slender nose and thick eyebrows.

See gorgeous ancient Egyptian 'mummy portraits' from nearly 2 millennia ago

By Laura Geggel published

These ancient 'mummy portraits' provide a window into ancient Egyptian life and culture.

Ancient Egyptians
Human skull on green leaves.

Violence in the ancient Middle East spiked with the formation of states and empires, battered skulls reveal

By Kristina Killgrove published

Human violence in the Middle East has ebbed and flowed since 12000 B.C., with spikes in the Copper and Iron ages and a lull in the Bronze Age, new research finds.

Archaeology
A view of 2.3-meter high human statue, which is a candidate for one of the most impressive examples of prehistoric art with a realistic facial expression, was found fixed to the ground on a bench during excavations in Karahantepe site in Sanliurfa, Turkiye on October 01, 2023.

11,000-year-old statue of giant man clutching penis unearthed in Turkey

By Owen Jarus published

A 7.5-foot-tall statue of a man clutching his penis was unearthed at one of the oldest temple sites in Turkey.

Archaeology
Human remains of mostly skull and jaw bone fragments are arranged as specimen samples on a white backdrop.

Cannibalism was a common funerary rite in northwest Europe near end of last ice age

By Tom Metcalfe published

Research suggests cannibalism was a funerary rite for the Magdalenian people in northwest Europe, but others preferred to bury their dead.

Archaeology
We see two ichthyocentaurs, which are part man, part horse and part fish, next to two cherubs on a half-circle wall.

Mythical hellhound and sea-centaurs painted on 2,200-year-old tomb discovered in Italy

By Kristina Killgrove published

Paintings of sea-centaurs, the hellhound Cerberus and other mythical beings cover a 2,200-year-old tomb unearthed near Naples in Italy.

Romans
Bird's eye view of excavated Harwell catapult. We see a circular structure with runways coming off it.

Catapult designed to launch World War II bomber planes unearthed in England

By Laura Geggel published

The WWII catapult, designed to launch bomber planes in southeastern England, was never used.

Archaeology
The Elgin Marbles stolen from Greece. From left to right we see a horse, a naked Greek man leading the way, whilst looking back at the others. Then there's another horse. Next to the horse is a person, and behind the horse if a person clothed in a tunic and a child with cloth draped around their shoulders.

Hidden colors and intricate patterns discovered on the 2,500-year-old Parthenon Marbles from ancient Greece

By Ben Turner published

The ancient Greek statues were assumed to be spotlessly white, but a new study reveals that the Parthenon Sculptures once burst with color.

Archaeology
Photo of Stonehenge as the sun is peaking between the stone arches.

Where is Stonehenge, who built the prehistoric monument, and how?

By Owen Jarus last updated

The prehistoric monument Stonehenge was built up to 5,000 years ago on Salisbury Plain in England, but its ultimate purpose remains a tantalizing mystery.

Archaeology
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