ARCHAEOLOGY

The bronze sculpture has lorded over Venice for centuries, but its origins have remained a mystery. Science may have finally figured it out.

Archaeologists have studied some of the world’s most important historic sites with the help of climate change—but those changes also threaten their survival.

From the mysterious human-made structures at Bolivia’s Tiwanaku Archaeological Site to the prehistoric megaliths at Carnac in France, these rock formations inspire awe and curiosity.

‘The Goonies’ turns 40 this year—and to make the film, director Steven Spielberg may have drawn inspiration from a real-life shipwreck that occurred off Oregon’s coast. It’s known as the Beeswax Wreck.

A sunken ship near Florida holds clues to the early history of cats in the U.S.

The ceramic pot was left in a garden for years. It was a genuine work of art hiding in plain sight.

The Herculaneum resident, killed by the volcanic eruption in 79 CE, presents the only known vitrified brain on Earth. Now, researchers have a theory for how it happened.

Chaco Canyon was once the vibrant religious center of a Native American culture whose collapse long remained a mystery—until pack rat middens revealed an important clue. 

Without a Rosetta Stone for these centuries-old writing systems, the meaning of the texts may never be known.

The practice of drilling or scraping a hole into the skull’s cranial vault has been performed for thousands of years.

In 79 CE, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 20 feet of ash, preserving amazing details about daily life in the Roman Empire.

The Inca stronghold of Machu Picchu has astounded and confounded visitors since it was unveiled to the wider world more than 100 years ago by an ambitious Yale professor.