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Ancient History
Searching for truth in unorthodox ways can be a valuable exercise. But Anatoly Fomenko's alternate world history is just plain weird.
To the ancient Greeks, exotic animals were proof of mythological creatures. To the ancient Romans, they were oddities and adversaries.
A recent advance in 3D imaging techniques helped spark the biggest ever discovery of North American cave art.
Was there an intelligent, technologically advanced species long before humans existed? Could there have been a dinosaur civilization?
Paintings played an important role in these ancient civilizations. Unfortunately, pigment is not nearly as durable as marble.
Speculation about the existence of aliens goes all the way back at least to the Greek philosophers. Their arguments will sound familiar.
The Mayan calendar is revered for its impeccable accuracy. Now, a recent excavation in Guatemala reveals how the system developed over time.
A toxicological study shows that the victims of human sacrifice consumed coca leaves and ayahuasca before they were killed, but not for reasons we originally thought.
The underground burial tombs were used at least as far back as 2500 B.C.
Archaic humans ventured into Eurasia in waves, not always successfully. They may have started their journey in North Africa or West Asia.
The Assam stone jars were described as early as 1929. Almost a century later, archaeologists still puzzle over their placement and purpose.
This representation of the Bamum kingdom is a rare example of early 20th-century indigenous African cartography.
There have been some 6,000 Great Lakes shipwrecks, which have claimed an estimated 30,000 lives. These maps show some of them.
From the tablets of the Babylonians to the telescopes of modern science, humans have always looked to the skies for fundamental answers.
The way that the ancient Megalodon adapted to water temperature has important implications for modern marine creatures.
Understanding the factors behind recent growth could help us better approach inequality.
In the Saudi Arabian desert, the Al Naslaa rock formation looks completely unnatural. Its perfectly vertical split remains a mystery.
Syllipsimopodi bideni is small (about 12cm in length), has ten arms, suckers, fins, and a triangular pen of hard tissue inside its body for support.
Is there any good reason for assigning North and South the way we do, or could we have just as easily done the reverse?
At the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society in Michigan, retrieving sunken vessels is the order of the day. Here’s how they do it.
In the shadow of the Shard, the mosaics help paint a picture of Roman London.
Researchers speculate the famous monument was one of the world’s first solar calendars, possibly inspired by trade with ancient Egyptians.
As always, aDNA research raises as many questions as answers.
An ancient continent called Balkanatolia rose and fell in the area in and around what is now the eastern Mediterranean.
Socrates lived during a time when people did not strive to separate fact from fiction. So how much of what we know about Socrates is true?
Da Vinci dreamed up a helicopter 400 years before they actually existed. Now, engineers have brought his design to life, but with a twist.
Using the Book of Mormon as a sacred but ambiguous atlas, the Latter-day Saints have been looking for the lost city of Zarahemla for decades.
Was this a moment when humans interbred with Neanderthals?
After it became clear that the world wasn't 6,000 years old, some proposed that northern peoples had emerged independently from others.