Asian History

Whether the ten hand and footprints constitute art is up for debate, scholars say.

These 200,000-Year-Old Hand and Footprints Could Be the World's Earliest Cave Art

Found at a hot spring on the Tibetan Plateau, the impressions were likely left by hominin children

Archaeologists have been excavating the palace, which served as the seat of power for the Silla dynasty, since 2014.

Remains of Likely Human Sacrifice Victim Found in Foundation of Korean Palace

The young woman died in her 20s during the fourth century C.E.

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

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

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

The cave paintings are located in the Aravalli mountain range in northwestern India.

These Millennia-Old Cave Paintings May Be Among India's Oldest

Locals have known about the artworks for generations, but government archaeologists only began documenting them this summer

The Chinese port city of Quanzhou was crucial to maritime trade between the 10th and 14th centuries C.E.

Nine New Sites, From Chinese Port City to Saudi Rock Art Complex, Join Unesco World Heritage List

Other honorees include a group of European spa towns, a 13th-century Hindu temple and a lighthouse in France

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

Illinois Becomes First State to Mandate Teaching Asian American History

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

Yakumo Academy High School karate team members practice a kata. Competitors are judged on such things as strength/power, deportment and interpretation.

The Centuries-Old Sport of Karate Finally Gets Its Due at the Olympics

With the games set for Japan, the martial art will at last debut at next month's competition

At its height in the 13th century, Angkor boasted a population of around 700,000 to 900,000.

Thirteenth-Century Angkor Was Home to More People Than Modern Boston

New research tracks the famed southeast Asian city's growth over hundreds of years

Three of the men featured in Facing the Mountain fought in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The fourth was a conscientious objector who took his case to the Supreme Court.

Meet Four Japanese American Men Who Fought Back Against Racism During WWII

"Facing the Mountain," a new book by author Daniel James Brown, details the lives of four 20th-century heroes

Through co-creation efforts with K-12 educators and Asian American community partners, the National Veterans Network, elementary and middle school educators, Asian Pacific American Center interns and National Museum of American History staff, learn more about the stories behind objects.

What's Missing from Classrooms When Asian American and Pacific Islander Voices Aren't Included?

When grappling with our current moment of increased hate and violence, AAPI students need the educational resources to contextualize what we are witnessing

Bronze mirrors like the one pictured here were luxury items in Han dynasty China. Researchers recently discovered a trove of 80 ancient mirrors at a cemetery in Shaanxi Province.

Trove of 2,000-Year-Old Bronze Mirrors Found in Ancient Chinese Cemetery

The well-preserved artifacts bear inscriptions such as "Eternal Joy," "Family Wealth" and "Long Memory"

The yazh's design is based on detailed descriptions of the ancient instrument.

Listen to the First Song Ever Recorded on This Ancient, Harp-Like Instrument

Tharun Sekar, a luthier based in southern India, has painstakingly recreated the long-lost yazh

Wind-screen and cherry tree, unknown artist, (detail) Edo period, 1615-1868

Honor the Tradition of Viewing Cherry Blossoms in These Signature Japanese Works of Art

The timeless glory of the early spring bloom can be found In the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art

A 300-thread count sari woven out of a hybrid Dhaka muslin thread

How Modern Researchers Are Trying to Recreate a Long-Lost Fabric

Dhaka muslin was immensely popular for millennia, but the secrets of its creation faded from memory by the early 20th century

The genetic lineage of the plague that hit London in 1348 gave Green a data point to track the disease back to its origin.

Did the Black Death Rampage Across the World a Century Earlier Than Previously Thought?

Scholar Monica Green combined the science of genetics with the study of old texts to reach a new hypothesis about the plague

During World War II, the United States government incarcerated some 120,000 Japanese Americans, including the Uno family spotlighted in the documentary series.

Watch 150 Years of Asian American History Unfold in This Documentary

The five-part PBS series chronicles the community's story through archival footage, interviews

Just six comparable Ming dynasty bowls are known to survive today.

Porcelain Bowl Bought at Yard Sale for $35 Could Sell at Auction for $500,000

The blue-and-white vessel is a rare Ming dynasty dish dated to the early 15th century

Crafted in Venice, these blue beads traveled all the way to northern Alaska in the mid-15th century.

Venetian Glass Beads May Be Oldest European Artifacts Found in North America

Traders likely transported the small spheres from Italy to northern Alaska in the mid-15th century

A picture of Lunar New Year festivities in a previous year.

How to Participate in the Lunar New Year This Year

The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Freer and Sackler Galleries host virtual events

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