Religion

The team used A.I. algorithms to combine more than 400,000 photos into a comprehensive, three-dimensional model of the Catholic church.

See Every Nook and Cranny of St. Peter's Basilica With This New, Stunningly Accurate 3D Replica

Microsoft and the Vatican used artificial intelligence to virtually recreate the historic Vatican City church

This marble tablet weighs 115 pounds and measures two feet tall.

An Ancient Tablet Inscribed With Nine of the Ten Commandments From the Book of Exodus Is for Sale

The marble slab, which dates to between 300 and 500 C.E., is the oldest-known stone tablet inscribed with the Commandments. Nobody recognized its significance until decades after its discovery

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The Feminist Who Inspired the Witches of Oz

The untold story of suffragist Matilda Gage, the woman behind the curtain whose life story captivated her son-in-law L. Frank Baum as he wrote his classic novel

Three new bells arrived for installation at Notre-Dame on November 7. One of the bells had been used for the Summer Olympics in Paris.

Hear the Bells of Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral Ring Out for the First Time in More Than Five Years

The cathedral has been under renovation since 2019, when it was badly damaged in a fire. Crews are testing the bells before the historic structure reopens on December 8

The gold votive plaque features a Greek inscription dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus.

Archaeologists Discover Engraved Gold Offering to Jupiter Dolichenu, a War God Revered by Roman Soldiers

The votive plaque was found amid the ruins of an ancient Roman fortress. Researchers think a temple dedicated to the mysterious deity may have stood nearby

Tarlati Altarpiece, Pietro Lorenzetti, circa 1320

See the Breathtaking 14th-Century Sienese Artworks That Helped Set the Italian Renaissance in Motion

This brief chapter of art history is often overlooked. Now, an exhibition in New York City makes a strong argument for the integral role played by four artists in the city of Siena

Over the past two years, roughly 20 wall engravings and 100 burn marks have been found at the historic residence.

Tour Guide at Medieval Manor House Discovers Mysterious Etchings Meant to Repel Evil, Trap Demons and Curse Enemies

A "staggering array" of markings have been hiding in plain sight carved into the walls of Gainsborough Old Hall, a 500-year-old home in Lincolnshire, England

Users of the Sortes Astrampsychi chose a specific question from a list of 92. Then, they randomly picked a number between one and ten, which, when added to the number of the chosen question, directed them to one of 1,030 possible answers.

To Divine the Future, the Ancients Relied on These Chance-Based Fortune-Telling Tools

Texts like the "Sortes Astrampsychi" promised insights on clients' love lives, career prospects, financial woes and families

As the story goes, the makers of the first talking board asked the board what they should call it; the name “Ouija” came through.

The Ouija Board Can't Connect Us to Paranormal Forces—but It Can Tell Us a Lot About Psychology, Grief and Uncertainty

The game was born from Americans' obsession with Spiritualism in the 19th century. Since then, it's functioned as a reflection of their deep-seated beliefs and anxieties for more than a century

The man's remains were found in 1938 in a well by Sverresborg Castle, near the modern-day city of Trondheim.

Scientists Think a Skeleton Found in a Well Is the Same Man Described in an 800-Year-Old Norse Text

The remains were discovered during excavations in 1938. Now, researchers have learned new information about his identity by analyzing DNA from his tooth

This digital reconstruction of the church's now-degraded walls shows its original shape.

This Newly Discovered, Octagonal Building in Armenia Is One of the World's Oldest Christian Churches

The structure—also the earliest of its kind in the Asian country—dates to around 350 C.E.

A participant dressed up as a demon brandishes a stick with fireworks during Correfoc in Catalonia.

Halloween Is Spooky. But So Are These Eight Other Celebrations Around the World

From Setsubun in Japan to Fèt Gede in Haiti, these festivals relish in the macabre

Agafia Lykova was born while her family was living alone in the wilderness. She is the only surviving member of the family.

This Russian Family Lived Alone in the Siberian Wilderness for 40 Years, Unaware of World War II or the Moon Landing

In 1978, Soviet geologists stumbled upon a family of five in the taiga. They had been cut off from almost all human contact since fleeing religious persecution in 1936

The temple walls' reliefs were restored to reveal colorful paint that decorated carvings of Egyptian gods.

See an Ancient Egyptian Temple's Brilliant Colors, Newly Revealed Beneath Layers of Dust and Soot

Experts are carefully uncovering traces of the original paint and fragments of gold leaf that once adorned the 2,000-year-old Temple of Edfu

The barracks were designed as a series of mudbrick rooms.

These Ancient Egyptian Barracks Paint a Vivid Picture of Military Life During the Reign of Ramses II

Archaeologists unearthed a series of mudbrick rooms filled with religious tributes, soldiers' personal effects, engraved weaponry and animal bones

The 900-year-old picture stone features a carving that may depict Otto of Bamberg.

Man Discovers 900-Year-Old Stone Carving Beneath His House in Germany

The rare picture stone may depict Otto of Bamberg, the bishop who helped spread Christianity throughout the region

A 17th-century painting of the September 10, 1622, Great Genna Martyrdom, in which 55 Christians were beheaded or burned alive

Why Japan's Shogun Executed Dozens of Christians During the Great Genna Martyrdom of 1622

On September 10, 1622, Japanese officials burned alive or beheaded 55 missionaries and laypeople alike. The violence coincided with Japan's push to expel all foreign influences

This silver lidded vessel was discovered in Scotland as part of the Galloway Hoard, but originates from Asia.

A Viking-Era Vessel Found in Scotland a Decade Ago Turns Out to Be From Asia

Experts used X-ray technology to link the artifact—part of the famous Galloway Hoard—to an Iranian silver mine

An 1851 ink-and-watercolor gift drawing titled A Type of Mother Hannah’s Pocket Handkerchief by Polly Jane Reed, a Shaker in New Lebanon, New York.

These Colorful Drawings Defy Expectations of Shaker Art

Colorful, intricate drawings on view at the American Folk Art Museum are anything but simple

The 700-year-old text is in “exceptionally fine condition,” according to Sotheby’s.

Hebrew Bible From Medieval Spain Could Sell for $7 Million

After years of painstaking work, Rabbi Shem Tov Ibn Gaon finished the illustrated manuscript in 1312

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