Archaeology

Archaeology

A tooth and a piece of wood juxtaposed in an unsettling manner.
A 1.5-million-year-old hominin bone shows signs that the victim was eaten by lions — and humans.
A group of silver balls resembling mercury surrounding a statue of a man influenced by Maya culture.
Today, many Maya sites are polluted with toxic levels of mercury. The contamination likely originated from cinnabar paints and art.
A poster displaying different skulls of other human species on a purple background.
There were at least eight other human species, some of whom existed for far longer than we have. Who were they?
A photo of a skull conjured through necromancy in a pile of dirt.
The Te’omim Cave in the Jerusalem Hills is filled with skulls and oil lamps — objects a new study says may have been used in dark rituals.
The demixed Beatles are shown in a crowd of people at the Hollywood Bowl.
Engineer James Clarke liberated John, Paul, George, and Ringo from their mono and stereo straitjackets using algorithms at Abbey Road.
A Greek statue of a man with a bow and arrow.
Those white, marble statues you see in museums all over the world were originally painted with bright colors.
Hybrid animals emerge when two different species from the same family reproduce. For many years, the kunga’s lineage was just another genetic mystery. 
Three women, embodying the male hunter myth, standing confidently on a rock and armed with spears.
In numerous cultures worldwide, women were just as involved in bringing home the prehistoric bacon as their male counterparts.
breakthrough starshot
A Harvard astronomer went to the bottom of the ocean, claiming he recovered alien technology. But what does the science actually indicate?
Odilon Redon's 1914 oil painting, "The Cyclops"
People discovered prehistoric fossils long before Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species." The remains of these unknown creatures often puzzled their discoverers.
Cuneiform writing on a stone wall.
It's like combining Google Translate with a time machine.
A map showing the Columbian Exchange.
For better and worse, the Columbian Exchange plugged the Americas into the global system — and there was no going back.
a stone wheel with a hole in it.
They had the technology. So why didn't they use it?
a blue and white porcelain frame with a picture of a piece of wood.
Due to export controls from China, the Europeans had to invent their own forms of porcelain. One type involves dead cows.
a map of the area where the trail is located.
Is the vast "Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area" the final resting place of Genghis Khan?
a close up of the sun with a black background.
We don't know what causes Miyake events, but these great surges of energy can help us understand the past — while posing a threat to our future.
A close up of a carving on a wall showing Sol Invictus
Before Constantine received his history-defining vision, a pagan Sun god paved the way for Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into the Eternal City.
a painting of a man and a woman playing instruments.
500 sheep were slaughtered to produce the 2,060 pages of the "Codex Amiatinus," a Latin translation of the Bible.
a black and white photo of a woman and a child.
The chances that a newborn survives childhood have increased from 50% to 96% globally.
a close up of a carving on a wall.
Glimpse into the ancient Maya empire through the writing of its own inhabitants.
a painting of an egyptian vase with egyptian symbols on it.
To protect yourself, you need an antifungal rather than an amulet.
a close up of a hat with gold leaves on it.
And her clothing tells an important story, says archeologist Rita Wright.
Mount Vesuvius 1760-1761 eruption
Nearly 2000 years ago, Mt. Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii but incinerating Herculaneum. The most lethal volcanic phenomenon is at fault.
a picture of a skeleton in the dirt.
It wasn't merely an act of brutality; it was a condemnation for the afterlife.
a spooky graveyard
Zombies aren't a modern-day obsession. Throughout history, fear of the undead led to bizarre burial rituals all over the world.
the interior of a large cathedral with chandeliers.
The cathedral is being explored as never before.