Ancient Civilizations

Gilgamesh statue at Sydney University

Iraqi Museum Discovers Missing Lines From the Epic of Gilgamesh

One of the world's first great stories just got a new chapter

A Bronze Age mummified skeleton lies tightly curled in Bradley Fen in Cambridgeshire, England.

Mummies May Have Been Scattered Across Bronze Age Britain

Skeletal analysis hints that, intentional or not, mummification may have been more common than previously thought

An ancient Hittite carving

Archaeologists Recreate 4,000-Year-Old Hittite Feast to Better Understand Their History

The chef crushed buckwheat on stones and used no kitchenware other than a knife

A diver holds a granite head, meant to be the head of a priest, from the Ptolemaic period. The now-hollow eyes were probably inlaid when it was first made in ancient Egypt.

Sunken Treasures From Ancient Egypt Are Now on Display in France

The Arab World Institute in Paris shows off 250 artifacts once lost underwater

New Proof That Ancient Egyptians Bred Birds of Prey

A recent 3-D scan of a mummified falcon shows it was force fed sparrows and mice

Construction Workers Found, and Then Tried to Hide an Ancient Sarcophagus

It turns out the now-damaged coffin is actually quite a find

Archaeologists Had a Huge Reenactment Party to Verify Ancient Pit Oven

A prehistoric-style barbecue helped feed 200 guests — and prove archaeologists’ hypothetis

Confused Construction Workers Tore Down an Ancient Tomb and Replaced it With a Picnic Table

Is the tomb's picnic table-like appearance to blame?

The temple of Baalshamin in Palmyra, Syria in its former glory.

ISIS Recently Blew Up an Ancient Temple in Palmyra

The temple of Baalshamin was over 2,000 years old

Images of the rock art after the team’s analysis show a collection of animal- and human-like figures and no dragon or pterodactyl

Utah's Winged Monster Rock Painting Isn’t A Monster at All

The picture shows a collection of figures, none of which have wings

Five of the World's Most Fascinating Topiary Gardens

Whimsical gardens in surprising shapes decorate homes, churches and cemeteries around the world. We’ve rounded up five of the most extraordinary

The Plain of Jars in northeast Laos may be related to burial rituals dating back 2,000 years—but the site still proves a mystery to archeologists.

Ancient Urns or Drinking Vessels for Giants? Behind the Mysterious Plain of Jars in Laos

A grassy area studded with hulking, 2,000-year-old jars provides a surreal sight as well as an archeological puzzle

Take a Drone Tour of Ancient History

Drones offer a soaring perspective of ancient sites

A guard patrolling the ruins of Nimrud in 1995

Cyber-archeology May be the Way to Remember Artifacts Destroyed by Militants

Digitally saving 3D models is the only way to offset some lost cultural artifacts

Ancient Pit Home Unearthed in a Salt Lake City Suburb

Spear points and other artifacts found in the 1,500-year-old home

Illustration of a Greek vase shows Dionysus leading three revelers toward likely hangovers

Recently Translated Papyrus Details 1,900-Year-Old Hangover Cure

Those disappointed by the effectiveness of this 1,900-year old remedy can instead peruse the eye surgery techniques in other ancient texts

This pyramid in Lima, Peru was built by the Wari civilization, who pre-dated the Incas. Now Lima is proposing using another Wari innovation, a series of waterways called 'amunas,' to stem the city's ongoing water crisis.

Ancient Tech Could Help Solve Lima’s Water Crisis

Turns out Peru’s Wari people were excellent urban planners...and their 1,500-year-old 'amunas' could soon bring water to Lima

Northern Europeans Were Not So Sold on Farming

A new study of ancient beads shows “an enduring cultural boundary” between northern and southern Europe during the Neolithic Age

In an eerie green hue, this upside-down Medusa head threatens to turn onlookers to stone. The color seems to come partly from a slick covering of algae.

Two Eerie Medusa Heads Watch Over Turkey’s Waterways

Why the Greek monster stares out from an ancient cistern in Istanbul

Here’s What the Apostles Ate at the Last Supper

Beans, charoset, and unleavened bread

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