History News and Articles - Archaeological Discoveries

Part of the small memorial honoring the recently discovered mass grave at the Kamloops Residential School. The memorial was in front of Queens Park Legislative building in Toronto.

Remains of more than 1,000 Indigenous children found at former residential schools in Canada

By Mindy Weisberger

Since May 28, the graves of more than 1,000 Indigenous children have been discovered in Canada, on the grounds of former state-funded boarding schools run by the Catholic Church.

Some of the ancient Roman coins found by the Aa river in the Netherlands, following their discovery and an initial cleaning.

100 Roman coins were likely an offering for safe passage across river

By Laura Geggel

A perplexing mystery about a scattered hoard of ancient Roman coins found near a river in the Netherlands has now been solved.

New expedition will search for Shackleton's Endurance deep below Antarctic waters

By Ben Turner

The team has renewed the search after a failed 2019 expedition.

A skull (a) and photogrammetry of a skull (b) showing how the individuals had their upper incisors removed.

500-year-old skulls with facial modification unearthed in Gabon

By Mindy Weisberger

Human remains dating to the 14th and 15th centuries show that people who lived in what is now Gabon modified their faces through tooth removal.

landscape view of scatters of qubba tombs around an area known as Jebel Maman.

Secret patterns found in arrangement of medieval Islamic tombs

By Owen Jarus

Thousands of medieval Islamic tombs in eastern Sudan were arranged in hard-to-detect patterns, with sacred "parent" tombs hosting subclusters of emanating burials.

About 51,000 years ago, Neanderthals carved chevrons into this giant deer toe.

Cave thought to hold unicorn bones actually home to Neanderthal artwork

By Laura Geggel

Archaeologists have unearthed a rare instance of Neanderthal-created art in a German cave once famous for its "unicorn bones."

A statue of Leonardo Da Vinci in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.

Scientists may have cracked the mystery of da Vinci’s DNA

By Ben Turner

The artist's remains are reportedly buried in France's Chateau d'Amboise. Now, scientists are one step closer to identifying them.

During excavations at the church, archaeologists discovered this enameled brooch from the ninth century.

1,000-year-old church built by Otto the Great found in Saxony

By Owen Jarus

Archaeologists searching for a royal palace in Germany have discovered a 1,000-year-old church constructed for Otto the Great (also called Otto 1).

This close-up shot shows one of the burials found in the tombs in Sweden. They are believed to be Christianized Vikings who lived about 1,000 years ago.

Skeletons of twin infant Vikings discovered in Sweden

By Owen Jarus

Seven Viking tombs holding well-preserved skeletons, including possible twin infants, have been discovered in the Swedish town of Sigtuna.

Where did watermelons come from?

By Benjamin Plackett

New evidence shows that watermelons were first domesticated in Sudan, leading experts to think the region rivals Iraq as a cradle of agriculture.

A historical reenactment of the British preparing to fight in the Revolutionary War's Battle of Lexington and Concord, which was hosted by the Huntington Beach Historical Society in February 2020.

When did the Brits and Yanks become allies again after the Revolutionary War?

By Benjamin Plackett

While often strained, the U.K.-U.S. relationship got a boost when Roosevelt and Churchill became drinking buddies.

A Roman-era stone carving of a naked man holding a spear was found in a fort by Hadrian's Wall.

Mysterious carving of naked man discovered near Hadrian's Wall

By Laura Geggel

Excavations at a fort by Hadrian's Wall revealed the carving of a naked man standing next to a horse or donkey.

7 scientists who helped change the world

By Scott Dutfield , How It Works magazine

They're not as famous as Darwin or Curie, but these heroes made our lives better through groundbreaking achievements.

Sediment show the timber-lined pit was filled with water; archaeologists think it formed an artificial pool that reflected the sky and that it may have been used for water rituals.

Bronze Age 'infinity pool' hosted supernatural water rituals, archaeologists say

By Tom Metcalfe

A mysterious wooden structure built in Italy more than 3,000 years ago may have been a Bronze Age "infinity pool" that reflected the sky during religious rituals.

The skull of the hunter-gatherer, who has been dubbed RV 2039.

Earliest known strain of plague could have come from a beaver bite

By Ben Turner

The early plague strain didn’t have the ability to transmit itself through fleas, making it less deadly than later versions .

This snake shaped wooden artifact is about 21 inches long and dates back about 4,400 years. It may have been used as a staff or figurine.

Possible shaman's snake stick from 4,400 years ago discovered in a Finnish lake

By Owen Jarus

A wooden stick carved into the shape of a snake and possibly used by a shaman 4,400 years ago has been discovered by a lake in southwest Finland.

Albert Einstein: The life of a brilliant physicist

By Adam Mann

So much more than funny hair.

This illustration shows what "Dragon man" may have looked like during his lifetime at least 146,000 years ago.

New human species 'Dragon man' may be our closest relative

By Laura Geggel

A newly described skull from China may belong to an extinct sister species of Homo sapiens.

Original excavation photograph of Tsukumo No. 24.

Oldest-known shark attack discovered in 3,000-year-old skeleton with 800 injuries

By Mindy Weisberger

Scientists reconstructed a 3,000-year-old shark attack from marks left behind in the victim's skeleton.

Orange stains on a throwing dart known as an atlatl suggested that the weapon had been modified with an organic substance.

Sticky orange coating on a 6,000-year-old Yukon dart came from a beaver's anal sac

By Mindy Weisberger

Melting alpine ice in the Yukon uncovered an ancient throwing weapon coated in an organic residue.