ARCHAEOLOGY

An illustration of Atlantis, the lost underwater city.

9 Real-Life Sunken Cities

Forget Atlantis (which probably doesn’t exist)—we’re taking a trip to nine cities that ended up underwater in the latest episode of The List Show.

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.

A portion of the preserved Maya village Joya de Ceren (“Jewel of Ceren”) under a protective roof.

The “New World Pompeii”: 10 Fascinating Facts about the Maya Village of Joya de Ceren

Buried by a volcanic eruption 1400 years ago, well-preserved remains of the Maya village in modern-day El Salvador have earned a provocative nickname: The Pompeii of the New World.

Andreas Pernerstorfer’s wine cellar renovations revealed a trove of at least three mammoth skeletons.

Woolly Mammoth Bones Unearthed in Austrian Wine Cellar

The three mammoth skeletons represent the first significant paleontology discovery in Austria in a century.

Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, at sunset, c26th century BC.

Egypt’s Giza Pyramids Might Have Been Built Next To A Now-Vanished River

A recent study claims that the pyramids of Giza were constructed alongside an almost 40-mile long artery of the Nile river that no longer exists today.

Replicas of golden sarcophagi are showcased in “Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures.”

See Exact Replicas of King Tut’s Treasures in His Recreated Tomb

If you can’t make it to Egypt, head to Washington, D.C., where “Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures” puts visitors inside the artifact-stuffed rooms of King Tut’s tomb.

Angkor Wat reflected in one of its waterways.

10 Facts about Angkor Wat, the World’s Largest Religious Temple

Angkor Wat is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. Here is what we know of its story, from its countless carvings to feats of engineering.

We invented jewelry (such as this ancient Egyptian beaded necklace) before we invented the wheel.

11 Inventions That Came Before the Wheel

In the scope of human history, the wheel is actually a rather young creation. Beer, clothing, and jewelry are much older.

A replica of the Denisovan finger bone discovered in 2010.

9 Facts About the Denisovans, Our Mysterious Human Ancestor

The Denisovans went extinct around 30,000 years ago. Scientists are just beginning to unravel their genetic legacy.

A section of Hadrian’s Wall showing the remains of a Roman fort.

10 Facts About Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman Empire’s Northern Frontier

Uncover the story of Hadrian’s Wall and take a fascinating dive into life at the Roman Empire’s northern frontier.

Recreated Viking sod houses behind a wooden fence at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada.

10 Facts About L’Anse aux Meadows, North America’s Only Viking Ruins

Discover the mysteries of L’Anse aux Meadows, the only confirmed Viking settlement in North America.

Virginia Woolf, Charlie Chaplin, and Ludwig van Beethoven could be considered nepo babies.

18 Nepo Babies From History

Plenty of nepo babies have earned their places in history. But it’s always good to acknowledge the doors open to people who have rich relatives—or whose dad knows the manager of a clogging troupe.

Part of a tablet—regarding wheat, animal hides, and other supplies—on display in the British Museum.

8 Illuminating Facts About the Vindolanda Tablets

The Vindolanda tablets tell us a lot about life in early Roman Britain.

The massive megafauna of the Ice Age / Getty / VICTOR HABBICK VISIONS/SPL

Misconceptions About the Ice Age

In this episode of Misconceptions, host Justin Dodd thaws out a few myths about the ice age, from the idea that Earth was once frozen solid to what actually caused the mammoths’ extinction.

The Lewis Chessmen: a few pieces from a collection of 93 found at Uig on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland.

12 Fascinating Facts About the Lewis Chessmen

They're the most famous chess pieces in history—but much of their story is still unknown

This pair of men's black leather Blucher ankle boots from the 1840s was found under floor of an old military prison at Weedon, Northants, in 1939.

Lost Soles: When Concealed Shoes Kept Witches Away

The folk magic tradition of concealing shoes to trap witches probably started in the Middle Ages.

The Great Sphinx of Giza and the Pyramid of Khafre.

15 Things You Might Not Know About the Great Sphinx of Giza

The ancient Egyptian monument, thought to depict the likeness of the pharaoh Khafre, confounds scholars to this day.

16 Fascinating Facts About ‘Venus de Milo’

There’s much more to this iconic statue than a couple of absent appendages.

The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius destroyed Herculaneum—but may have preserved a lost library of Epicurus's writings.

The Lost Library of Herculaneum: Unravelling the Scrolls That Mount Vesuvius Almost Destroyed

Historians were struck by the tantalizing possibility that this library might contain missing works of some of history’s greatest writers—works thought to have been lost forever.

The Iceman Baldeth: New Genome Analysis Shows Ötzi Had Surprising Ancestry—and Male-Pattern Baldness

Ötzi the Iceman may have gone bald in middle age—but hey, at least he had tattoos.

The Dare Stones: The Elaborate Hoax That “Solved” the Mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke

What really happened to Virginia Dare and the rest of the Lost Colony of Roanoke? In the late 1930s, an enterprising con man claimed to know.

The deck of the Ironton beneath Lake Huron.

Newly-Discovered Lake Huron Shipwreck Paints Grim Picture of Vessel’s Final Moments

After lying at the bottom of Lake Huron for more than a century, the wreck of the ‘Ironton’ has been discovered, confirming its tragic fate.

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