Smart News History & Archaeology

A letter signed by Mary and her husband, James Hepburn, which grants ground for the making of salt to London businessmen.

Newly Discovered Letters Show a Different Side of Mary, Queen of Scots

When she wasn’t embroiled in political strife and intrigue, Mary still had to deal with the daily practicalities of running a kingdom

A newly rediscovered fragment of Ibn Sīnā's Canon of Medicine

A Medieval Arabic Medical Text Was Translated Into Irish, Discovery Shows

Ibn Sīnā's <i>Canon of Medicine</i> was once a core part of the European medical curriculum

Alcatraz's recreation yard, where the structures were discovered.

Cool Finds

Radar Scans Reveal Traces of 19th-Century Fort Beneath Alcatraz

Before Capone took up residence, the island was home to military installation that guarded San Francisco Bay

Underdrawing as seen under X-ray (left) and underdrawing superimposed with elements of 1619 portrait (right)

Cool Finds

X-Ray Analysis Reveals Self-Portrait Hidden Under Artemisia Gentileschi Painting

The underpainting closely mirrors an earlier self-portrait depicting the Baroque artist as Saint Catherine

Illustrated Police News periodical detailing the murders

New Book Chronicles the Lives of Jack the Ripper’s Victims

Contrary to popular belief, the five women were not all prostitutes, but rather individuals down on their luck

Cool Finds

Cave Full of Untouched Maya Artifacts Found at Chichén Itzá

The intact offerings will allow researchers to understand changes over time at the site

Pope Pius XII's archives will be unsealed next year

The Vatican Will Unseal the Archives of Pius XII, the Controversial Holocaust-Era Pope

Some have accused the pope of remaining silent in the face of Nazi persecution, while others say he quietly worked to rescue Jews

Trending Today

Site Where Julius Caesar Was Stabbed Will Finally Open to the Public

The curia in Pompey's Theater where Caesar died in the Largo di Torre Argentina is currently a fenced-off feral cat colony

The cactus spines, bound together with yucca leaves, are still stained with black ink

Cool Finds

These 2,000-Year-Old Needles, Still Sharp, Are the Oldest Tattooing Instruments Found in the Southwestern U.S.

Originally excavated in 1972, the pronged cactus-spine tool languished in storage for more than 40 years before its true purpose was recognized

Louis de Jong, founder of Dutch Institute for War Documentation, examining documents on the Holocaust.

These Pioneers Created the First Reliable Record of the Holocaust

A new exhibition at the Wiener Library profiles the earliest men and women who gathered firsthand survivor accounts, ensuring their testimony would live on

The drawings and inscriptions date to 207 A.D.

Graffiti Left by Soldiers Repairing Hadrian’s Wall Will Be Immortalized in 3-D

Historic London calls the etchings "some of the most important" along the empire’s sprawling 73-mile northern border

New Research

Lake Sediment and Ancient Poop Track Environmental Changes at Cahokia

The research reveals the largest pre-Hispanic settlement north of the Mexican border experienced flood and drought near its end

The volume of poetry is set to be sold alongside a trove of photographs passed down by the Barrow family.

Notebook of Poetry Penned by Bonnie and Clyde Set to Go on Auction

The volume features poems written by the outlaw duo during their Depression-era crime spree

Belarus' servicemen excavate a mass grave for the prisoners of a Jewish ghetto set up by the Nazis during World War II in the city of Brest.

Trending Today

Nazi-Era Mass Grave Found in Former Jewish Ghetto in Belarus

So far, authorities have recovered 730 sets of remains, though there may be many more

The bluestone quarry at Carn Goedog.

New Research

Secrets of Stonehenge Found in Quarries 180 Miles Away

Archaeologists believe the builders popped out "ready-made" bluestones at a quarry in Wales and dragged them overland to Salisbury

Bernard Schottlander, "Calypso," c. 1972

Why 150,000 Sculptures in the U.K. Are Being Digitized

The expansive campaign by Art U.K. wants open up a conversation on the medium

The "Faces of Dudley" mural depicts residents of Boston's Roxbury neighborhood

This Map Details More Than 200 Massachusetts Sites Connected to African-American History

You can contribute to the project by suggesting new entries or proposing edits to existing ones via the project’s main hub

Artist's rendering. The remains of the woman in the ornate tomb were found buried alongside an array of weapons, as well as a gaming set suggestive of strategic military planning.

Researchers Reaffirm Remains in Viking Warrior Tomb Belonged to a Woman

In new paper, the authors behind the 2017 study echo their original conclusions and delve deeper into the secrets of the grave in the Viking town of Birka

The late publisher and editor Betty Ballantine at the Nebula Awards on April 28, 2002 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Sci-Fi Lovers Owe a Debt of Gratitude to Betty Ballantine

"Introverted and quiet" Betty, who ran the editorial side of the Ballantine publishing companies, deserves her due for changing the industry

The three-seater was unearthed from the banks of the River Fleet between the late 1980s and early 1990s

12th-Century Toilet Flush With New Lease on Life

The three-holed oak plank seat likely served a tenement building owned by a capmaker and his wife

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