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

NTNU archaeologist Astrid Kviseth digs up a viking sword in Norway.

Archaeolgists in Norway recently uncovered a sword buried on a Viking’s left side, indicating that the Viking likely wielded it with his left hand.

A gold-embossed religious text from the 15th century.

“I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it.” —Ariana Grande and also the avaricious rats of Oxburgh Hall.

Researcher samples cave sediments for DNA.

New archeological evidence pushes back the arrival of the first North Americans 15,000 years and suggests they occupied the Americas during the Last Glacial Maximum, 26,000 to 19,000 years ago.

Iron Age skeleton found buried face-down on Wellwick Farm in England.

During in excavation in Buckinghamshire, England, a skeleton was found lying face-down with its hands tied behind its back, indicating that it belonged to a possible murder victim.

After telling tourists to stay away from Stonehenge on the summer solstice, English Heritage has announced it will be livestreaming the event for the first time in the landmark's history.

A photo of the Pompeii ruins from November 2019.

Before the Mount Vesuvius eruption of 79 C.E., these homes in Pompeii featured gardens and impressive art collections.

From fossilized feces to antediluvian rodent nests, ancient objects are getting their DNA analyzed for clues about the past.

Historian Liz Hallam Smith shows off the a-door-able opening in the wall of Westminster Hall.

Earlier this week, England’s Parliament announced that a secret door had been discovered in the walls of Westminster Hall. Inside, historians found “graffiti” left in 1851 by a bricklayer who was “fond of Ould Ale.”

Drone image above the H.M.S. Erebus shipwreck.

A pair of epaulets, a pencil case, and a glass decanter were found at the Arctic shipwreck, which continues to reveal clues to the fate of the doomed 19th century expedition.

It's just one of several horrors that befell victims in Pompeii and Herculaneum when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE.

The old bottle filled with rusted nails looks like trash, but it was actually used by a Union soldier to ward off evil spirits during the Civil War.

The likely remnants of the 'Samson' were discovered this year under a Stockholm park, where it's believed to have been hidden for hundreds of years.

From the origins of our species to clues about the future of the universe, scientific discoveries achieved in the last decade transformed our understanding of our world. Here are 14 of the most momentous.

At the site of the new Springhead Bridge in the UK, workers stumbled upon what appears to be tweezers and an ear cleaner dating back to the Roman Empire 2000 years ago.

The discovery is the first of its kind, researchers write in a paper published in 'Latin American Antiquity.'

The Vasa shipwreck displayed in Sweden's Vasa Museum.

Unlike the ‘Vasa,’ these ships almost definitely didn’t sink less than a mile into their maiden voyages.

Standing tall in the Scandinavian countryside, Viking runestones bear messages from 1000 years ago in an alphabet called the Futhark. Read on for more little-known lore.

A Dutch vessel posing as a Danish trading ship sunk near Iceland in 1659, and now a 3D recreation of the shipwreck is available to tour in virtual reality.

Lin uses his iPad to visualize scanning data of a crusaders' fortress at the lagoon in Acre, Israel.

Armed with a drone, an iPad, and a thirst for adventure, Albert Lin reveals what we can learn about the past with today's technology in a new TV series.

The archaeological site in Norway contains several burial mounds and boats that were used in Viking funerals.

Game pieces, sake bottles, and hundreds of ceramic pieces have been unearthed at the archaeological site.

More than 150 years after the HMS ‘Terror’ sank in the Canadian Arctic, the shipwreck was finally rediscovered under the ice. Now, we know what the inside looks like.

Thirteen human bones that may have been Amelia Earhart’s were found and promptly lost. But what happened to the other 193?

Archaeologists plan to use the 3D model to find out exactly what the woman’s face looked like, warts and all.

ARCHAEOLOGY

A Left-Handed Viking’s 1200-Year-Old Sword Discovered in Norway

Rare 16th-Century Textiles and Manuscripts Pulled Out of Giant Rat Nests in English Manor House

Humans First Arrived in North America 30,000 Years Ago, New Studies Suggest

Possible Iron Age Murder Victim’s Skeleton Discovered In England

For the First Time Ever, You Can Watch the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge via Livestream

Explore Two of Pompeii’s Excavated Homes in This Virtual Tour

9 Ancient Objects That Have Had DNA Tests

Secret Doorway Discovered in London’s House of Commons

More Than 350 Franklin Expedition Artifacts Retrieved from Shipwreck of HMS Erebus

Mount Vesuvius's Volcanic Eruption Turned One Victim's Brain into Glass

Civil War-Era ‘Witch Bottle’ Used to Keep Evil Spirits at Bay Discovered in Virginia

A 16th-Century Shipwreck Was Discovered Under the Center of Stockholm

14 Incredible Scientific Discoveries of the Decade

2000-Year-Old Roman Tweezers and Metal Ear Swab Discovered in UK

Archaeologists Uncover Infant Remains Wearing Skulls of Older Children

12 Surprising Facts About Viking Runestones

Take a Virtual Tour of a 17th-Century Dutch Smugglers’ Shipwreck

Mapping Technology Reveals 'Lost Cities' on National Geographic

A ‘Lost’ Viking Graveyard Was Discovered in Norway

A Lost Japanese Village Has Been Uncovered in the British Columbia Wilderness

Watch Groundbreaking Underwater Footage of the Franklin Expedition’s HMS Terror Shipwreck

Could Gigantic Coconut Crabs Have Played a Part in Amelia Earhart’s Mysterious Disappearance? At Least One Scientist Thinks So

Scientists Are Creating a 3D Model of an 18th-Century ‘Vampire Witch’ Who Was Tortured to Death