ARCHAEOLOGY

The Panagyurishte Treasure's gold phiale is on display in a Bulgarian museum.

11 of the Most Dazzling Hoards Ever Discovered

Stuffed with gold, silver, and precious jewels, these fabulous hoards were buried by people who forgot to retrieve them.

Matayang (pool), Bun_Visit (arm)/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Our 40 Favorite Stories of 2021

From Universal Orlando's wild (and usually inoperable) 'Jaws' ride of the '90s to the very real—and very captive—tiger shark that threw up a human arm and sparked a 1935 murder investigation, the Mental Floss team is sharing some of our favorite stories f

Common Misconceptions About the Stone Age

The Stone Age timeline encompasses a huge chunk of prehistory—and life wasn’t only about hunting and gathering.

This hand contains one of Saint Nicholas’s fingers.

7 Places You Can See St. Nicholas's Bones

Over the centuries, relic fragments of what are said to be St. Nick’s bones have been acquired by an impressive number of churches around the world.

6 Misconceptions About the Vikings

From those famous horned helmets to the vaunted fiery funerals, we're busting your favorite Viking misconceptions.

A small fort along Hadrian's Wall in northern England.

New Interactive Tool Lets You Explore England's Hidden Archaeological Wonders From the Comfort of Home

Stonehenge is there, of course. So are Iron Age farms, Bronze Age burial mounds, Industrial Age coal mines, and more.

Workers sift for treasure at Sutton Hoo in 1939.

Explore the Sutton Hoo Ship Burial Through These Newly Digitized Photos From the Dig

The Sutton Hoo ship burial excavation was meticulously captured by two amateur photographers. Now, you can see their work online.

A photo of the skeleton taken when it was originally excavated from the burial site.

3000-Year-Old Remains in Japan Belong to the World’s Oldest Known Shark Attack Victim, Study Finds

The skeleton, unearthed at an archaeological site near Japan’s Seto Inland Sea, had almost 800 injuries.

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Illinois was the location of the largest Mississippian Culture city before European contact.

11 Ancient Native American Earthworks You Can Visit

Hundreds—even thousands—of years ago, Native American peoples built complex and mysterious earthworks. Here are 11 you can visit for a glimpse into prehistory.

Egypt’s famous Luxor Temple is one of the world’s oldest temples.

10 of the World's Oldest Temples

Humans have been building temples for over 10,000 years. Luckily for history lovers, many of those ancient, sacred sites still exist.

A replica of the Laetoli footprints discovered in Laetoli, Tanzania; The original footprints were dated to 3.6 million years ago.

9 Fascinating Discoveries that Changed Our Understanding of Human Evolution

Scientists have uncovered ancient fossils, prehistoric artwork, and other clues to human evolution. Here are nine of the most revealing discoveries that have changed our understanding of our early ancestors—and ourselves.

A photograph of Harriet Tubman taken by Harvey B. Lindsley in the 1870s.

Archaeologists Have Located the Site of Harriet Tubman’s Family Home in Maryland

The Underground Railroad conductor honed her wilderness skills around the cabin her father built in the 1840s.

The ruins of the Temple of Bacchus and the Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek.

Take a Virtual Tour of Lebanon's Ancient Roman Ruins, Restored

The free Baalbek Reborn app transports armchair travelers to the year 215 CE to see some of the Roman Empire’s most ambitious buildings.

The Staffordshire Hoard contains the one of the richest collections of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found.

20 Amazing Historical Discoveries in the Last 20 Years

Scientists and historians have made incredible finds—from the oldest human-made art to long-lost shipwrecks—in the 20 years since Mental Floss began.

The Great Sphinx with the Pyramids of Giza in the distance.

Visit the Pyramids of Giza Without Even Leaving Your Couch

The Great Pyramid, the Great Sphinx, and the rest of the Giza Plateau’s many wonders are a few clicks away.

Nicola White discovered this antique gold and sapphire ring while mudlarking on the River Thames.

Extreme Mudlarking: How London Fortune Hunters Unearth Thames Treasures

London's mudlarks hunt for treasures in the River Thames's tidal sands, finding everything from Roman pottery to human bones.

Beneath a parking lot, archeologists uncovered the ruins of a chapel in which Henry VIII prayed.

11 Things Found Buried Under Parking Lots

Sometimes deliberately, often unintentionally, countless artifacts have been buried—and then rediscovered—under parking lots.

Researchers Uncover 29 Graves at the Original Site of a Razed Black Cemetery in Clearwater, Florida

People have long believed that a 1954 cemetery relocation process in Clearwater, Florida, was incomplete. They were right.

Ruins of Industrial Brewery Unearthed in Ancient Egypt City

The massive brewery uncovered in the ancient Egyptian city of Abydos was capable of producing 5900 gallons of beer at a time.

This magnificent Iron Age cauldron is just one of many amazing items found in a bog.

11 Incredible Things Found in Bogs

Bogs have an almost magical power to preserve organic material. From butter to bodies, here are 11 of the most amazing things archaeologists have recovered from bogs.

Amateur Treasure Hunter Discovers Henry VIII’s Missing Crown Ornament

A gold figurine unearthed by a metal detectorist in England turned out to be the centerpiece of King Henry VIII's long-lost crown.

Game of Thrones’s Dire Wolves Existed—But a New Study Suggests They Weren’t Really Wolves

New research suggests that the real-life inspiration for Ghost from 'Game of Thrones' wasn’t a wolf species.

Early Victorian Bathhouse Unearthed Beneath Manchester Parking Lot

Construction of a new park in Mayfield, Manchester, uncovered a bathhouse used by factory workers 150 years ago.

Bird-Watcher in England Discovers a Hoard of 1st-Century Celtic Coins

Last September, an unnamed bird-watcher found a trove of 1300 Celtic gold coins dating back to the 1st century CE.

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