Archaeology: Facts, Trivia, Quizzes, Brain Teasers & More

© Martin Rattini for Port-Au-Prince Film /Echofilm

The fictionalized account doesn't skimp on historical accuracy.

Department Of Classics, University Of Cincinnati

It's the earliest physical evidence of ancient Greek parasites.

History is filled with cities that emerged and then were abandoned or forgotten. Some have been rediscovered—others are still out there, waiting to be found.

It might belong to an ancient Egyptian scribe, or to an important official named Djehuty Mes.

Photograph by Sofía Samper Carro. "Fishing in life and death: Pleistocene fish-hooks from a burial context on Alor Island, Indonesia," Antiquity, Sue O’Connor, Mahirta, Sofía C. Samper Carro, Stuart Hawkin, Shimona Kealy, Julien Louys and Rachel Wood.

For prehistoric residents of Indonesia's rugged Alor Island, fishing was fundamental for both the living <em>and</em> the dead.

Courtesy of the Megiddo Expedition, Tel-Aviv University

The vessel's treasures likely belonged to an elite Canaanite family.

Who needs a gym when you haul grain and till fields all day?

"A mutiny, a psychopath, and a brutal mass murder."

They estimate it to be 8000 years old.

Instead of tweeting, ancient Romans bragged in more permanent ways.

The London Mithraeum recreates what it was like to take part in the rituals of an ancient cult using light, haze, and sound.

Experts still don't know how the 100 artificial islands were constructed a millennium ago.

While browsing eBay for vintage finds, steer clear of anything that looks like it once graced an ancient tomb, temple, or palace.

The ships are considered the graves of thousands of sailors.

Dave Doody, http://historicjamestowne.org

Teams of scientists are excavating the colonial settlement's tiny churches to see if they can locate the bones of notable historic figures like John Rolfe, Pocahontas's husband.

Scientists speak to residents in Aitape.

"We have dramatic proof that living by the sea isn't always a life of beautiful golden sunsets," as one researcher put it.

Hopefully its owner used coasters.

The researchers claim they look like the teeth of one of our hominid relatives—but they are millions of years older.

Smithsonian Institution, Wikipedia/Public Domain

Bones, stone tools, and the footprints of early human ancestors are just a few of the legendary paleoanthropologist's discoveries.

Sweet potatoes might have played a big role.

Cyrus E. Dallin, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Listen, my children, and you shall hear, of the brick-lined privy of Paul Revere …

Take a virtual tour of England's Rothwell charnel chapel. They call it a digital ossuary.

CFEETK-CNRS-MoA: J. Maucor / Antiquity 2017

Archaeologists in Luxor discovered the cache in 2014 while excavating a temple dedicated to Egyptian creator god Ptah.

Rendering of a Roman ship hull by Black Sea MAP researchers.

"We couldn't believe our eyes."

ARCHAEOLOGY

Ötzi the Iceman Is the Star of a New Action Movie

Ancient Poop Contains First Evidence of Parasites Described by Hippocrates

30 Cities Around the World That No Longer Exist

3500-Year-Old Mummy Discovered in Forgotten Egyptian Tomb

These 12,000-Year-Old Fish Hooks Are the Oldest to Ever Be Discovered in a Grave

3100 Years Ago, an Elite Family Stashed Their Silver Jewelry in a Beer Jug

Prehistoric Women Were Stronger Than Some of Today's Elite Female Athletes

Archaeologists Unearth the Victims of a Mysterious Massacre 400 Years Ago on an Australian Island

Archaeologists Find Traces of What Could Be the Oldest Wine in the World

Rare 2000-Year-Old Sundial Sheds New Light on Ancient Roman Politics

Visit the Temple of a Roman Mystery Cult in a New London Museum

Satellite Images Show Mysterious Nan Madol Ruins From a Brand-New Perspective

Don't Buy Ancient Artifacts You See Online—Most Are Looted or Fake

Metal Salvagers Are Destroying World War II Shipwrecks in Asia

Archaeologists Search for the Graves of Jamestown's Elite

6000-Year-Old Skull Might Belong to World's Oldest Tsunami Victim

Unusual 'Coffee Table' Is a Mosaic From One of Caligula's Party Ships

9.7-Million-Year-Old Teeth Discovered in Germany Have Scientists Puzzled

6 Pioneering Facts About Mary Leakey

Researchers Unveil an Unusual New Theory For How Easter Island’s Statues Were Made

Archaeologists in Boston May Have Unearthed Paul Revere's Bathroom

3D Modeling Lets You Step Inside a 13th-Century Chapel Filled With Human Remains

Egyptian Priests Buried These Sacred Statues of Gods More Than 2000 Years Ago

'Ship Graveyard' Discovered in the Black Sea Provides New Insights into Maritime History