Archaeology news, features and articles

Editor's Picks

A digital reconstruction of a Giza pyramid by Australian insurance company Budget Direct.
What did the ancient Egyptian pyramids look like when they were built? The ancient Egyptian pyramids have stood for thousands of years and are among the world's most enduring monuments. But what did the pyramids look like when they were first built?
Reconstruction of Lucy hominin species
Human origins quiz: How well do you know the story of humanity? Think you know about our human relatives? Take our quiz to find out — and remember, it's human to make mistakes.
An ancient clay tablet with inscriptions photographed with a black background.
Gilgamesh flood tablet: A 2,600-year-old text that's eerily similar to the story of Noah's Ark The baked clay tablet tells the tale of an epic flood.

Latest about Archaeology

Most complete Homo habilis skeleton ever found dates to more than 2 million years ago and retains 'Lucy'-like features

By Kristina Killgrove published

Scientists have revealed the most complete skeleton yet of our 2 million-year-old ancestor Homo habilis.

Human Evolution

Ötzi the Iceman mummy carried a high-risk strain of HPV, research finds

By Aristos Georgiou published

Two renowned prehistoric individuals were likely infected with a human papillomavirus that has been linked to several cancers.

5 Comments
Archaeology

Tumba Madžari Great Mother: A boxy goddess figurine from North Macedonia designed to protect Stone Age houses 7,800 years ago

By Kristina Killgrove published

Stone Age people in Macedonia created goddess figurines whose bottom half was a house.

Archaeology

Monumental tomb discovered in Turkey might be of royal from King Midas' kingdom

By Tom Metcalfe published

A burial mound in Turkey may have held the remains of a member of King Midas's family. But not all experts are convinced.

2 Comments
Archaeology

Dionysus and his erect penis depicted on 2,500-year-old bone stylus found in Sicily

By Kristina Killgrove published

Archaeologists in Sicily found a unique writing implement featuring a grumpy-faced god and his erect penis.

Archaeology
Homo georgicus. On the left, reproduction of the skull D2282 probably of a young woman. On the right, reproduction of the skull D2700 and the jaw D2735 corresponding to a male. Lower Pleistocene. Found in Dmanisi (Georgia).

Homo erectus wasn't the first human species to leave Africa 1.8 million years ago, fossils suggest

By Charles Q. Choi published

A new analysis of enigmatic skulls from the Republic of Georgia suggest that Homo erectus wasn't the only human species to leave Africa 1.8 million years ago.

Human Evolution

Tiny bump on 7 million-year-old fossil suggests ancient ape walked upright — and might even be a human ancestor

By Sophie Berdugo published

The way Sahelanthropus tchadensis moved has long been debated. The discovery of a small bump on the front of the thigh bone is "beyond convincing" evidence this ape was bipedal.

6 Comments
Human Evolution

1,100-year-old mummy found in Chile died of extensive injuries when a turquoise mine caved in, CT scans reveal

By Kristina Killgrove published

The mummified remains of a man buried close to a turquoise mine in Chile's Atacama Desert suggest he was a miner who died in a tragic occupational accident.

The Americas

Rare 2,000-year-old war trumpet, possibly linked to Celtic queen Boudica, discovered in England

By Kristina Killgrove published

Archaeologists have announced their discovery of a metal hoard that contained an extremely rare example of a Celtic battle trumpet.

Archaeology

60,000-year-old poison arrows from South Africa are the oldest poison weapons ever discovered

By Sophie Berdugo published

Five quartz arrowheads found in a South African cave were laced with a slow-acting tumbleweed poison that would have tired prey during long hunts.

Archaeology
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Archives