Smart News History & Archaeology

The Iron Age sculpture is one of only a dozen of its kind found in Ireland to date.

Cool Finds

Eight-Foot-Tall, 1,600-Year-Old Statue of Pagan Deity Found in Ireland

The well-preserved wooden sculpture may have been part of a ritual site where animal sacrifices were carried out

Martin Luther King Jr. speaks to members of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), including Rosa Parks (front row, center). Parks' arrest in December 1955 sparked the group's formation.

History of Now

Church Where MLK Launched His Civil Rights Career to Become a Museum

The young pastor assumed a leadership role in the Montgomery bus boycott during a 1955 meeting at Mt. Zion AME Zion Church

Excavation of a grave at the Roman site in 1992

Traces of Lead Found in 5,000-Year-Old Human Remains

A new study details the link between lead production and the metal's presence in bones buried at a Roman cemetery

Researchers successfully recovered one of the two prehistoric timbers.

Cool Finds

5,000-Year-Old Wooden Stakes Discovered at Neolithic Site in Scotland

Excavations at Orkney's Ness of Brodgar revealed two prehistoric pieces of timber

The key handle depicts a "barbarian" fending off a lion as four young onlookers watch in horror.

Cool Finds

Did Officials in Roman Britain Throw Condemned Prisoners to the Lions?

A key handle unearthed in Leicester suggests executions in imperial colonies involved wild animals

Finds ranged from a portrait of Adolf Hitler to a revolver, gas masks, Nazi Party badges, brass knuckles, letters and documents.

Trove of Nazi Artifacts Found Stashed in Wall of German House

Likely hidden as the Allies advanced on the city at the end of WWII, the cache includes gas masks, a revolver and boxes of documents

Experts transported the boat in a shock-absorbing metal container carried by a remote-controlled vehicle imported from Belgium.

Why King Khufu's Solar Boat Is on the Move After 4,600 Years

Officials transported the pharaoh's wooden ship from the Pyramids of Giza to its new home at the Grand Egyptian Museum

The 1,900-year-old segment dates to the early stages of the wall's construction.

Cool Finds

Overlooked Section of Hadrian's Wall Discovered Beneath Busy Newcastle Street

Routine work in the English city revealed a ten-foot stretch of the barrier that once marked the Roman Empire's northwest frontier

This iron dagger's well-preserved wooden handle may help researchers date artifacts found in Konthagai.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Dagger Linked to Enigmatic Indian Civilization

A blade found in the state of Tamil Nadu offers new evidence of an urban center that thrived as long as 2,500 years ago

The study's authors argue that the individual may have been highly regarded due to their nonbinary status or “because they already had a distinctive or secured position in the community for other reasons; for example, by belonging to a relatively wealthy and well-connected family.”

New Research

Mysterious Iron Age Burial May Hold Remains of Elite Nonbinary Person

The Finnish grave's occupant likely had Klinefelter syndrome, meaning they were born with an extra copy of the X chromosome

Saka artisans crafted ornaments using gold and inlaid precious stones.

These Horse-Riding Ancient Nomads Made Astonishing Golden Art

An exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge displays ornate Saka treasures discovered in Kazakhstan

Radiocarbon dating suggests the workshop began minting operations between 640 and 550 B.C.E.

Cool Finds

World's Oldest Known Coin Mint Found in China

The 2,600-year-old site produced highly standardized "spade money," possibly on government orders

Helina Metaferia, Crowning Care 1, 2021

Innovation for Good

Pioneering Project Explores Motherhood Through the Lens of Design

A new exhibition and book series offers an intimate view of reproductive history

Students from Cardiff University collaborated with archaeologists to excavate the mound on Soulton Hall's grounds.

Cool Finds

Mysterious Mound at English Manor May Conceal Remains of Medieval Castle

Archaeologists at Soulton Hall have unearthed sandstone walls and trinkets likely left behind by religious pilgrims

The first verse of the Book of Amos states that the events the narrator plans to relay took place “two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah.”

Cool Finds

Researchers Find Physical Evidence of Earthquake Described in Old Testament

Excavations in Jerusalem revealed damage dating to the eighth century B.C.E., when the natural disaster reportedly took place

The Parthenon, the temple that sits atop Athens' Acropolis, seen surrounded by smoke on August 4

Ancient Olympics' Birthplace Saved as Fires Rage Across Southern Europe

A massive heatwave sparked blazes along the Mediterranean, threatening cultural heritage sites and forcing mass evacuations

Researchers uncovered the remains in the Umm Jirsan lava tube in Saudi Arabia.

Hyenas Hoarded Thousands of Human, Animal Bones in Saudi Arabian Lava Tube

The huge stockpile includes camel, rodent and cattle remains

“With this new tablet, we can actually see for the first time why they were interested in geometry: to lay down precise land boundaries,” says researcher Daniel Mansfield.

Babylonians Used Applied Geometry 1,000 Years Before Pythagoras

Calculations inscribed on a clay tablet helped ancient people document property boundaries, new research suggests

The gold and garnet pyramid mount found in Norfolk, England

Cool Finds

Amateur Treasure Hunter in England Discovers Early Medieval Sword Pyramid

On par with specimens found at nearby Sutton Hoo, the tiny accessory likely helped a lord or king keep their weapon sheathed

Previous research has largely drawn on texts created by Spanish colonizers.

New Research

Machu Picchu Is Older Than Previously Thought, Radiocarbon Dating Suggests

New research indicates that the Inca settlement was in continuous use from at least 1420 to 1530

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