Smart News History & Archaeology

A view of Progressive Field, the team's home arena, in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2008

Cleveland Baseball Team to Rebrand as the Guardians

The new name references the "Guardians of Traffic"—larger-than-life statues that appear on the city's Hope Memorial Bridge

Paolo Veneziano, The Crucifixion, about 1340-1345

Fragments of Gold-Adorned, 14th-Century Triptych Reunited After Decades

An exhibition at the Getty in Los Angeles brings together panels from a stunning altarpiece by Venetian painter Paolo Veneziano

The Humboldt Forum opened in the heart of Berlin on July 20.

Why Germany's Newly Opened Humboldt Forum Is So Controversial

Critics cite the Berlin museum's ties to the country's colonialist past

Liverpool is only the third site to be stripped of its Unesco World Heritage status.

Liverpool Loses Its Unesco World Heritage Status

The English city argues that redevelopment of its waterfront shouldn't disqualify it from the list

Tollund Man was likely the victim of a human sacrifice.

What Did Tollund Man, One of Europe's Famed Bog Bodies, Eat Before He Died?

The enigmatic, 2,400-year-old mummy's last meal consisted of porridge and fish

The Olivewood Cemetery in Houston, Texas, is at risk of flooding and erosion. Newly announced grants will help fund a drainage plan to prevent further damage to the graveyard.

National Trust Pledges $3 Million to Preserve Black History Sites Across the U.S.

A series of newly announced grants will support 40 African American landmarks and organizations

Members of the public take part in a blessing of the Lummi Nation totem pole in San Leandro, California, on June 3. The House of Tears Carvers toured the pole around the West Coast before embarking on a two-week journey to Washington, D.C.

Why Indigenous Activists Are Driving a 25-Foot Totem Pole Across the Country

Master carvers from the Lummi Nation, a Native tribe in Washington, crafted the 5,000-pound object from a single red cedar tree

The trove included around silver coins, jewelry, and other artifacts.

Amateur Metal-Detectorist Finds Viking 'Piggy Bank' Filled With 1,000-Year-Old Silver Coins

Unearthed on the Isle of Man, experts suspect Vikings most likely added money to the stash over time

An Egyptian-French mission found the 80-foot-long ship beneath roughly 16 feet of hard clay.

Cool Finds

Divers Discover Ancient Military Vessel in Submerged Egyptian City

Prior to the foundation of Alexandria, Thônis-Heracleion served as Egypt's greatest Mediterranean port

Tea Time, Hongkew, Shanghai, China, April 1946

Europe's Jews Found Refuge in Shanghai During the Holocaust

A new exhibition in Illinois centers the stories of the 20,000 Jewish refugees who fled to the Chinese city

This fragment of the Egyptian Book of the Dead depicts the god Osiris. Two segments of a different Book of the Dead were recently reunited digitally.

Cool Finds

Fragments of Ancient Egyptian 'Book of the Dead' Reunited After Centuries

Researchers in Los Angeles realized that a linen wrapping housed in the Getty's collections fit perfectly with a piece held in New Zealand

DNA from the skin of this mummified sheep leg allowed researchers to study sheep husbandry practices in ancient Iran.

Researchers Recover DNA From 1,600-Year-Old, Naturally Mummified Sheep Leg

The molecules offer insights on ancient farming practices near the Chehrabad salt mine in Iran

Researchers previously thought the cave was an 18th-century folly, or decorative structure constructed to enhance the natural landscape.

Cool Finds

Deposed Ninth-Century King May Have Called This Cave Dwelling Home

New research suggests Eardwulf of Northumbria lived in the modified structure while in exile

Rembrandt created this sketch of Hansken, an Asian elephant brought to Europe from Sri Lanka, in 1637.

The Tragic Life of Hansken, 'Rembrandt's Elephant'

A new show at the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam explores the story of an animal who fascinated the Dutch artist

Known as potins, the 2,000-year-old coins were crafted out of a copper, tin and lead alloy.

Cool Finds

London Rainstorm Reveals Trove of 300 Iron Age Coins

The "once-in-a-lifetime find" includes 2,000-year-old potins featuring stylized images representing Apollo and a charging bull

Ilse Bing, Selbstporträt mit Leica (Self-Portrait With Leica), 1931 gelatin silver print

Meet the Woman Photographers Who Cataloged the 20th Century

A major exhibition at the Met and the National Gallery of Art spotlights 120 international artists, from Homai Vyarawalla to Lee Miller

Group portrait of three Chinese children, each holding an American flag and a Chinese flag, in a room in Chicago, 1929

Innovation for Good

Illinois Becomes First State to Mandate Teaching Asian American History

The move arrives amid a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes across the country

The inscription represents a rare and valuable clue to the development and spread of writing systems in the region.

Cool Finds

This 3,100-Year-Old Inscription May Be Linked to a Biblical Judge

A pottery fragment found in Israel bears the name Jerubbaal—a nickname for Gideon ben Yoash, who appears in the Book of Judges

Presumed self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, circa 1512, red chalk on paper

Art Meets Science

Historians Identify 14 Living Relatives of Leonardo da Vinci

An ongoing effort to trace the artist's male lineage may help researchers sequence his genome

The sandstone relief is the first of its kind found at Vindolanda, a Roman fort near Hadrian's Wall.

Cool Finds

Rare Carving of Nude Horseman Found at Roman Fort May Depict Mercury or Mars

A pair of amateur archaeologists discovered the sandstone relief at Vindolanda in northern England

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