Archaeology news, features and articles

Editor's Picks

A camel caravan crosses in front of the great pyramids at Giza with a stunning sunrise in the background.
What did ancient Egypt's pharaohs stash inside the pyramids? The ancient Egyptian king Tutankhamun was entombed with lavish grave goods. What were other Egyptian pharaohs buried with in ancient times?
Sally-Ann Ashton admires one of the statues of Cleopatra at the launch of a new exhibition at The British Museum in London 10 April 2001.
What if Antony and Cleopatra had defeated Octavian? How would history have unfolded if Antony and Cleopatra had defeated Octavian? Would they have ruled the Roman Empire?
a gold necklace with 14 Byzantine gold coins at the bottom, against a white background
Pectoral with coins: 'One of the most intricate pieces of gold jewelry to survive from the mid-sixth century' This sixth-century pectoral comprises 14 Byzantine gold coins and a gold disc gathered over two centuries.

Latest about Archaeology

The Alfred Jewel: A 1,100-year-old treasure from England's first king that proclaims 'Alfred ordered me to be made'

By Kristina Killgrove published

This gold-encrusted jewel has an inscription revealing who made it.

7 Comments
Archaeology

Mysterious Voynich manuscript may be a cipher, a new study suggests

By Tom Metcalfe published

A newly invented cipher may shed light on how the mysterious Voynich manuscript was made in medieval times.

6 Comments
Archaeology
A ceramic vessel depicting a man with a cleft lip.

Centuries-old 'trophy head' from Peru reveals individual survived to adulthood despite disabling birth defect

By Aristos Georgiou published

A researcher has documented a cleft lip in an ancient mummified head from the Andes, a condition that may have been seen as a "blessing" rather than a disability.

Archaeology
Prometheus brings fire to humanity, Heinrich Fueger (1817) Prometheus has sometimes been cited by anthropologists as a mythical symbol of humans’ conscience, and thought about the world and about himself.

'Artificial intelligence' myths have existed for centuries – from the ancient Greeks to a pope's chatbot

By Michael Falk published

'Artificial intelligence' myths have existed for centuries — from the ancient Greeks to a pope's chatbot

Archaeology

10 things we learned about Neanderthals in 2025

By Kristina Killgrove published

Findings about our extinct relatives, the Neanderthals, continue to surprise us, especially those from 2025.

Human Evolution

Lchashen wagon: A 3,500-year-old covered wagon that transported a deceased chief to the next world

By Kristina Killgrove published

This 3,500-year-old covered wagon is the best-preserved example in the world of this ancient form of wheeled transport.

3 Comments
Archaeology
Chinook Helicopter in Iraq.

6 'lost' cities archaeologists have never found

By Owen Jarus published

Scholars know of some important ancient cities from texts, but they haven't been able to find them.

4 Comments
Archaeology

1.5 million-year-old Homo erectus face was just reconstructed — and its mix of old and new traits is complicating the picture of human evolution

By Skyler Ware published

A never-before-seen Homo erectus face reveals a complex picture of early human evolution.

Human Evolution
A photo of a "hobbit" skull against a black background

10 things we learned about our human ancestors in 2025

By Kristina Killgrove published

Findings about our human ancestors continue to surprise us, especially those from 2025.

Archaeology
Complete set of artifacts donated to SFU for study laid out on a white table.

Archaeological artifacts should not be for sale in thrift shops. But putting them in a museum is harder than it sounds.

By Sabrina C. Higgins, Cara Tremain published

Archaeologists discovered artifacts for sale in a thrift shop. They decided to create a college course on what to do about them.

Archaeology
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Archives