Latest articles by Tom Metcalfe
7 centuries-old suits of battle armor from around the world
Countdown From Roman "fish scale" armor to Japanese samurai suits, these examples of battle armor were designed to protect and impress.
Pazyryk Swan: A 2,400-year-old plush swan from Siberia tied to the 'creation of the universe'
Archaeologists think the felt figurine was used as a symbol of life by the Iron Age people of the region.
DNA analysis of medieval man thrown into a well suggests story in Norse saga really happened
A new analysis indicates the human remains found in a well in Norway are from a 1197 raid described in a royal history.
Mask of Agamemnon: A gold death mask once thought to be evidence of the Trojan War
The archaeologist who discovered the mask believed it showed the Trojan War was real.
WWII British sub that sank with 64 on board finally found off Greek Island
The discovery of the WWII wreck solves an 81-year-old mystery about the submarine's fate.
Phaistos Disk: 3,000-year-old inscriptions from Crete that have never been deciphered
None of the many interpretations of the Phaistos Disk's inscriptions are universally accepted.
Basement renovation in home near Paris unearths cemetery spanning 700 years, with Roman-era graves
A homeowner doing a basement renovation project near Paris unexpectedly found a skeleton, which later led to the discovery of nearly 40 burials, some of them dating to Roman times.
Nabta Playa: A mysterious stone circle that may be the world's oldest astronomical observatory
Nabta Playa in Egypt is an ancient stone circle that researchers suspect was used to determine the summer solstice, which signaled rain was on the way.
'Ghost Ship of the Pacific,' which fought on both sides in WWII, discovered near San Francisco
The newfound wreck could help maritime archaeologists better understand how 20th-century warships were designed.
Medieval gold coin unearthed in ruined fortress in Bulgaria may depict Byzantine emperor
Archaeologists think the coin dates to the first years of the region's rule by the Ottoman Empire.
50 Viking Age burials discovered in Denmark, including a woman in a rare 'Viking wagon'
Finding a Viking Age burial ground of this size is rare, in part because Scandinavian soil doesn't preserve skeletons well.
Razed city that rebelled against Rome 'remained uninhabited for over 170 years,' excavations reveal
The ancient city was besieged and destroyed in 125 B.C., probably in a dispute over the rights of Roman citizenship.
When was steel invented?
No one knows for sure when steel was invented, but some of the earliest examples crop up in the first millennium B.C. in Central and South Asia.
Man buried with large stones on his chest to prevent him from 'rising from the grave' unearthed in Germany
Archaeologists in Germany have unearthed a "revenant" grave where a man was buried with large stones on his chest to prevent him from rising from the dead.
2,300-year-old Celtic helmet discovered in Poland
Archaeologists think the ancient helmet indicates that Celts settled in the region to protect their supplies of precious amber.
16,000-year-old skeleton, crystals and stone tools discovered in Malaysian caves
Archaeologists think the earliest skeleton from the Malaysian excavation may be up to 16,000 years old.
Why doesn't stainless steel rust?
The special chemistry of this shiny iron alloy creates a protective layer on its surface that prevents it from rusting.
1,700-year-old 'barbarian' burial discovered along Roman Empire's frontier in Germany
Archaeologists think the man was buried in the first half of the fourth century.
Roman coin trove discovered on Mediterranean island may have been hidden during ancient pirate attack
The silver coin discoveries date to the Roman Republic and are from the island of Pantelleria, between Sicily and Tunisia.
World War I British warship that sank in a surprise U-boat attack 110 years ago discovered in North Sea
HMS Hawke sank after an explosion caused by an enemy torpedo, with the loss of more than 500 of its crew.
3 shipwrecks from 'forgotten battle' of World War II discovered off remote Alaskan island
This is the first time that wrecks from the almost-overlooked conflict in WWII have been studied scientifically.
3,000-year-old goddess figurine found in an Italian lake still bears the handprints of its maker
Archaeologists think the figurine was a homemade representation of an ancient goddess.
17th-century pirate 'corsair' shipwreck discovered off Morocco's Barbary Coast
The wreck is the first time the remains of a pirate corsair have been found in the region known as the Barbary Coast.
