ARCHAEOLOGY

A 1920 mural by paleoartist Charles Robert Knight depicting Cro-Magnon people painting on cave walls at Font-de-Gaume, France.

Neanderthal vs. Cro-Magnon: What’s the Difference?

These prehistoric members of our genus, ‘Homo,’ occupy different branches of the human family tree.

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.

The Discoveries of 21 Human Ancestors, Mapped

Within the last 200 years, we’ve discovered about two dozen species of hominins in Europe, Africa, and Asia—which you can see laid out in this map.

DNA Identifies Medieval Man Thrown Down a Well, Confirming a Norse Saga’s Tale

According to a medieval saga, the Norwegian “Well Man” might have been used as a biological weapon.

Tollund Man—a bog body at the Silkeborg Museum in Denmark

8 Kinds of Mummies That Aren’t From Ancient Egypt

China, Chile, and New Zealand are a few places that have historic mummies of their own.

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Illinois.

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.

The knight’s tombstone rediscovered at Jamestown.

Jamestown’s Mysterious Black Tombstone Originated in Belgium, Archaeologists Say

Scientists examined microscopic fossils in the tombstone and suggest the jet-black slab with an English knight’s insignia could have come only from one place.

A Los Angeles high school turned out to be a hotbed for fossils.

Millions of Marine Fossils Discovered Beneath Los Angeles High School

Millions of fossils, from shells to the largest known shark species, were unearthed beneath San Pedro High School.

Notre-Dame has been the site of a mystery.

Mysterious ‘Horseman’ Found in a Lead Coffin Beneath Notre-Dame May Have Just Been Identified

The 2019 fire at the cathedral brought a mystery to the surface: a lead coffin containing an unknown skeleton.

It might not look like much, but this Neolithic door is as old as Stonehenge.

The Secrets of 8 Amazing Historic Doors

Historic doors can reveal a lot about their times—like the medieval trend of covering doors in (allegedly) human skin.

Three views of the gold Roman-era bracelet discovered in a West Sussex field.

12-Year-Old Boy Stumbles on Ancient Roman Bracelet While Walking His Dog

The rare golden bracelet was probably given to a soldier as a reward for bravery as Roman armies invaded England.

Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, the site of humankind's earliest ancestors.

8 Facts about Olduvai Gorge, the “Cradle of Mankind”

The gorge in northern Tanzania has yielded many of the oldest fossils of humankind, shedding new light on our ancient ancestors.

A portrait of the scientists who found and examined the Piltdown Man skull (accompanied by a picture of Charles Darwin on the wall).

10 Famous Archaeological Hoaxes

From forged artworks to fake mummies and even fraudulent orangutan bones, archaeological hoaxes fool scientists and stir the public’s imagination—until the culprits are forced to come clean.

A replica of Paleolithic cave drawings of deer, horses, and aurochs, dating to 15,000 BCE, from Lascaux cave in France.

7 Misconceptions About the Stone Age

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

The ruins of the Maya settlement Palenque in Mexico.

5 Civilizations Destroyed by Climate Change

The changing climate did not bode well for Khmer Empire, the Maya Civilization, and more ancient cultures.

Tollund Man on display at the Silkeborg Museum, Denmark.

A Brief History of Bog Bodies

The bodies of Iron Age Europeans are so well preserved in peat bogs that they’re sometimes mistaken for modern murder victims.

The coins show a figure of a kneeling archer.

Hoard of Gold Coins Meant for Mercenaries Found in Ancient Greek City

Archaeologists discovered a hoard of Persian coins at the site of ancient Greek city in what is now Turkey.

New Fossils Add to Mystery Surrounding the “Hobbit,” Our Smallest Human Ancestor

A fragment of an arm bone found on Flores, Indonesia, suggests that some of our human ancestors were even smaller than we thought.

10 Fabulous Ancient Tombs

From King Tut’s treasure-stuffed tomb to one of the world's oldest human burial sites, these ancient resting places sent their occupants to the afterlife in style.

Three human-like figures and a large pig are drawn on a limestone cave wall.

A 51,200-Year-Old Cave Painting Might Be the World’s Oldest Narrative Art

The drawing of three human figures with a pig was discovered in an Indonesian cave—and might be the world’s oldest art that tells a story.

Detail of a diorama of a Neanderthal mother and child at the Moravian Provincial Museum in Brno, Czech Republic.

Neanderthals Cared for a Child with Down Syndrome

A fossilized ear bone supports the idea that Neanderthals helped raise the child collectively and altruistically.

The preserved hull of the Tudor warship ‘Mary Rose.’

12 Facts About the ‘Mary Rose,’ Henry VIII’s Legendary Warship

King Henry VIII built the English Royal Navy around his favorite warship, the ‘Mary Rose,’ which sank under mysterious circumstances in 1545.

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Moai at Ahu Tahai with dramatic clouds.

Rock Gardens Contradict Easter Island “Ecocide” Theory, Study Finds

New satellite data of ancient rock gardens on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is countering the “ecocide” narrative of the population’s supposed collapse—and offering a clue to a historical mystery.

Sir Ernest Shackleton stands on the deck of the ‘Quest’ before it left for Antarctica.

The ‘Quest,’ Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Last Ship, Has Been Found Off Eastern Canada

The ‘Quest’ was the ship on which Sir Ernest Shackleton carried out his final, uncompleted voyage to Antarctica.

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