History News and Articles - Archaeological Discoveries

X-rays of a medieval painting revealed a Nativity scene that was painted over centuries ago.

In Artistic 'Christmas Miracle,' Hidden Nativity Scene Appears Beneath Medieval Painting

By Mindy Weisberger

Just in time for Christmas, a long-hidden Nativity scene has surfaced after laying concealed for centuries under another painting.

From Jesus' Time: The 10 Most Interesting Biblical Discoveries of 2019

By Stephanie Pappas

From long-lost churches to marvelous mosaics, here are the most intriguing biblical discoveries archaeologists made in 2019.

The remains of iron beds rise above the ashes of a burned-out block after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921.

Mass Grave from 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Possibly Discovered

By Tom Metcalfe

The race massacre that was featured in the HBO television series "Watchmen."

Aerial view of the Pantokratoros Monastery on Nov. 07, 2017, in Mount Athos, Greece.

Bones Found in Monastery Atop 'All-Male' Mountain May Belong to a Woman

By Mindy Weisberger

On a mountain where women were banned, one woman may have found a home ... in death.

This is an artistic reconstruction of Lola, a 5,700-year-old woman whose appearance was reconstructed from DNA analysis of a chewed piece of birch pitch.

This Is 'Lola,' a 5,700-Year-Old Woman Whose Entire Life Is Revealed in Her 'Chewing Gum'

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Thousands of years ago, a young Neolithic woman in what is now Denmark chewed on a piece of birch pitch.

This gold pendant was found in one of the tombs and depicts Hathor, an Egyptian goddess who was regarded as a protector of the dead.

Ancient, Gold-Lined Tombs That May Hold Princesses Discovered in Greece

By Owen Jarus

The bodies of ancient princes and princesses may have rested in two ancient tombs lined with gold that were recently found at the site of Pylos in Greece.

Merit Ptah is often cited as the first woman doctor, but new findings suggest she never existed.

An Ancient Egyptian Physician Cited As the 'First Woman Doctor' Likely Never Existed

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Merit Ptah was thought to live nearly 5,000 years ago. But there was no proof.

A skeleton found in China belonged to an individual with a rare form of dwarfism.

5,000-Year-Old Human Found with 'Extremely Rare' Form of Dwarfism

By Nicoletta Lanese

An ancient human skeleton uncovered in China belonged to an individual with the rare condition of "proportionate dwarfism."

A reconstruction of what the Mithraeum of Colored Marbles looked like. The spelaeum, the most important room in the mithraeum, is on the bottom level.

Dazzling 'Temple of Colored Marbles' Honoring Roman God Discovered in Italy

By Owen Jarus

Archaeologists have discovered a 1,600-year-old temple called the "Mithraeum of Colored Marbles," where Romans would have worshipped the god Mithras.

The Black Death was a devastating medieval epidemic during which 50-60% of the people in Europe. This illustration depicts the diseased: Skeletons are rising from the dead for the dance of death.

What Was the Black Death?

By Winston Black, All About History

The Black Death killed over half the population of Europe during the Middle Ages.

Atlatl hand grips found at Par-Tee varied greatly in size.

Tiny, Ancient Native American Weapons May Have Been Used to Train Children to Fight

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Predating the bow and arrow, the atlatl was a dart-throwing weapon that could launch projectiles with great force.

This therianthrope, showing a human figure with a tail, is part of the hunting scene found in cave art in Leang Bulu' Sipong in Indonesia.

Humanity's Oldest Cave Art Shows Shape-Shifting Supernatural Hunters

By Charles Q. Choi

Researchers have discovered humanity's oldest cave art. The paintings depict a hunting scene with what may be part-animal, part-human figures.

Archaeologist think the ancient building on the small island of Chrysi was inhabited by the local leaders of the purple dye-making settlement between 3500 and 3800 years ago.

Gold and Jewels Found on Minoan Island Devoted to the Color Purple

By Tom Metcalfe

A storehouse of ancient treasures, including precious jewels and gold beads, has been uncovered by archaeologists on an island near Crete devoted to making a precious purple dye from sea snails.

This woman, who was between age 20-29 at time of death, was found buried with a head cone made of beeswax. She lived more than 3,300 years ago and was buried in a cemetery at the site of Amarna in Egypt.

The First Evidence of 'Head Cones' Found in 3,300-Year-Old Egyptian Tomb

By Owen Jarus

Archaeologists have uncovered two ancient Egyptian burials holding bodies wearing head cones, the first physical evidence of the practice.

Parts of the buried town of Beta Samati were occupied for more than 1000 years, from the Pre-Aksumite era around 750 B.C. through the early Christian period from about A.D. 325, until about A.D. 650.

Buried Christian (and Pagan) Basilica Discovered in Ethiopia's 'Lost Kingdom' of Aksum

By Tom Metcalfe

An ancient church from the fourth century, containing both early Christian and what may be pagan artifacts, has been unearthed in a buried town in northern Ethiopia.

One of the stones uncovered in Finstown, Orkney that resembles a human form.

Archaeologists Discover Mysterious 4,000-Year-Old Carved Stones That Look Like Humans

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Archaeologists discovered nine mysterious stone-carved objects scattered around an ancient hearth.

About 30 inches (75 centimeters) in diameter, this shield was found in July 2018; but it wasn't until conservation was complete that its decorations and details could be seen.

Stunning Warrior Grave — Complete with Chariot, Horses — Uncovered in England

By Owen Jarus

Inside a 2,200-year-old grave, archaeologists have discovered a stunning Iron Age shield, along with a chariot and two ponies buried in a leaping pose.

On April 1, 1954, he first H-bomb explosion went off at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific.

Here's How a Princeton Physicist Lost Classified H-Bomb Documents in 1953 … on a Night Train

By Mindy Weisberger

A physicist who coined the term "black hole" lost highly sensitive nuclear weapons information when the U.S. had just completed tests of the first hydrogen bomb.

Albert Einstein: The Life of a Brilliant Physicist

By Adam Mann

So much more than funny hair.

Researchers used two kinds of sonar to detect the wreck of the World War I German battlecruiser Scharnhorst.

Famous World War I Battleship Discovered at the Bottom of the Atlantic

By Tom Metcalfe

The wreck of one of the most famous German warships of World War I has been located on the seafloor near the Falkland Islands, where it sank in a battle with British warships more than 100 years ago.