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Four views of a gold-covered figurine in the shape of a woman. She holds a shield and a sword and wears her hair in a ponytail. There is a small hole behind her neck, perhaps for hanging.
Hårby Valkyrie: A 1,200-year-old gold Viking Age woman sporting a sword, shield and ponytail This tiny figurine may represent a mythical warrior maiden who assisted Odin, the Norse god of war.
Mount Vesuvius behind the ruins of pompeii.
Pompeii quiz: How much do you know about the Roman town destroyed by Mount Vesuvius? Is your knowledge of Pompeii strong enough to withstand our flow of questions?
A pair of shoes
12 old shoes found in archaeological excavations from around the world Shoes can give us an interesting insight into what people used to wear. Here are a dozen of the most extraordinary finds from the archaeological record.

Latest about Archaeology

An archaeologist excavating a wooden tool in China.

Oldest wooden tools unearthed in East Asia show that ancient humans made planned trips to dig up edible plants

By Sascha Pare published

The 300,000 year-old tools show that hominins in East Asia made planned foraging trips to lakeshores and designed instruments for specific purposes.

Human Evolution
Ruins of Tiwanaku archaeological site.

Tiwanaku: A little-known pre-Incan civilization that built temples and cities high in the Andes

By Owen Jarus, Laura Geggel last updated

This ancient city in modern-day Bolivia is almost 13,000 feet above sea level. Only a small portion of the ruins have been excavated.

Archaeology

Remote cave in Guam reveals ancient voyagers carried rice to Pacific islands 3,500 years ago, study finds

By Hsiao-chun Hung published

Opinion Rice is difficult to grow in the Pacific, so how did it end up in a cave? Archaeologists reveal the hidden history of this ancient and well-travelled grain.

Opinion

Neanderthal DNA may refute 65,000-year-old date for human occupation in Australia, but not all experts are convinced

By Kristina Killgrove published

A new DNA model suggests humans didn't reach Australia until 50,000 years ago, but archaeological data disagrees.

Human Evolution

1,400-year-old temple ruins the size of a city block unearthed in Bolivia

By Perri Thaler published

Ruins of the Palaspata temple complex from the millennia-old Tiwanaku civilization are unraveling some mysteries about the relatively unstudied society.

Archaeology
A photo showing a shipwreck underwater

300-year-old pirate-plundered shipwreck that once held 'eyewatering treasure' discovered off Madagascar

By Tom Metcalfe published

Researchers think a shipwreck off Madagascar was a Portuguese treasure ship captured by pirates in 1721.

Archaeology

Mesopotamia quiz: Test your knowledge about the ancient civilizations of the Fertile Crescent

By Kristina Killgrove published

Are you as assured as Ashurbanipal about your knowledge of Mesopotamia, or as dim as Nimrud?

Archaeology

'Alien' skull of toddler is actually evidence of long-standing practice of head shaping

By Kristina Killgrove published

Workers digging a pipeline in Argentina found the flattened skull of an ancient toddler, raising questions about its asymmetrical shape.

Archaeology

125,000-year-old 'fat factory' run by Neanderthals discovered in Germany

By Perri Thaler published

An analysis of ancient animal bones found in Germany suggests that Neanderthals extracted grease from them to gobble up 125,000 years ago.

Human Evolution

8 ancient Roman shoes of 'exceptional size' discovered at Roman fort near Hadrian's Wall

By Kristina Killgrove published

Eight XXL leather shoes have been recovered from Magna, a Roman-era fort along Hadrian's Wall.

Romans
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