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Archaeology

Archaeology is fundamentally the study of humanity and its past. Archaeologists study things that were created, used or changed by humans. They do this by studying the material remains, in other words, the stuff we leave behind.

Related Topics: Anthropology, Fossils, Human Origins, Shipwrecks

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Scientists in Mexico have identified the wreck of La Union, a Mayan slave ship.

Mysterious Mexican wreck was an illegal slave ship

By Stephanie Pappas

Archaeologists have identified the wreck of a Mexican steamer as La Union, an illegal slave ship that smuggled the Maya as cargo to Cuba.

The texts describing the wizard battle are from the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great in Egypt. This image shows the shrine of St. Macarius in the monastery.

Wizard battles and demon circles revealed in newly translated Christian texts

By Owen Jarus

Newly translated Christian texts tell of wizard battles and demon circles.

The ancient Egyptian boy's "mummy portrait" (left) next to the newly created 3D facial reconstruction (right).

Facial reconstruction reveals Egyptian 'mummy portrait' was accurate except for one detail

By Laura Geggel

A CT scan of an ancient mummy shows that its "mummy portrait" was almost, but not completely accurate.

Volunteer divers from the nonprofit Badewanne team discovered this Dutch fluit ship in the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea.

Eerily well-preserved 17th-century ship found in the dark waters of the Baltic Sea

By Peter Dockrill

Divers from Finland have made an unexpected discovery while exploring the depths of the Baltic Sea, finding an incredibly well-preserved shipwreck dating back almost 400 years.

The Nebra Sky Disk of bronze decorated with gold is one of Germany's most famous archaeological artifacts. But a new study suggests it dates from the Iron Age, at least 1000 years later than the Bronze Age date which has been assumed.

Study casts doubt on 'sky disk' thought to be oldest representation of the heavens

By Tom Metcalfe

Fierce debate over the Nebra Sky Disk has been reignited by a new study that suggests it is at least 1,000 years younger than previously thought.

The painted coffins found at Saqqara were well preserved.

13 mummy coffins stacked in a well unearthed in ancient Egyptian necropolis

By Laura Geggel

Archaeologists have yet to open any of the 2,500-year-old coffins.

Archaeologist Astrid Kviseth is the first person to lift this Viking sword in about 1,100 years. It was buried with a warrior who lived in what is now Trøndelag, Norway.

Viking sword placed on warrior's left side likely prepared him for 'mirror afterlife'

By Laura Geggel

It's possible the Vikings thought the afterlife was a mirrored version of the real world.

The small "bluestones" at Stonehenge were moved around by ancient people over the centuries. But the changes didn't make much difference to the sound, which was dominated by the outer circle of large upright "sarsens."

'Spinal Tap'-size Stonehenge reveals how the ancient monument really sounded

By Tom Metcalfe

It took 9 months to build the perfectly scaled model.

An aerial view of the fortress discovered in central Israel. Notice the rooms that lined its sides.

3,200-year-old Egyptian-built fortress found in Israel

By Laura Geggel

The fortress was built to stop the Philistines, who wanted more land.

an image of etchings that may be Britain's oldest artwork

Britain's oldest artwork may depict mammoths from a drowned land

By Tom Metcalfe

Britain's oldest artworks have been unearthed on the Channel Island of Jersey, showing what apperar to be Ice Age scenes of mammoths in ancient lands now drowned by the sea.

Youths found an 1,100-year-old gold hoard during an excavation in Israel.

Stash of pure, 24-carat gold coins unearthed in Israel

By Laura Geggel

All that protected this jar of gold was a nail and a good hiding spot.

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Massive stone structures in Saudi Arabia may be some of oldest monuments in the world

By Owen Jarus

Mysterious stone structures that dot lava fields and deserts across Saudi Arabia may be some of the oldest monuments in the world, scientists say.

Richard the Lionhearted leads his Crusaders in battle against the Muslims at Arsuf.

Crusader battlefield where 'Richard the Lionheart' defeated Muslims is unearthed in Israel

By Laura Geggel

Several clues indicate that a field near Tel Aviv is the site of the 1191 battle.

The Beisamoun pyre fields, where the cremated burial was discovered, during the crepuscular hours.

Oldest human cremation in the Near East unearthed

By Laura Geggel

In 7000 B.C., a kiln-like pit became the site of the earliest know human cremation in the Near East.

Only one-third of the circle has been excavated so far but a projection was created to give a better sense of its size. The portion that has been excavated is shown at far left. Archaeologists estimate the circle to be about 20 meters (66 feet) in diameter.

4,500-year-old 'timber circles' discovered in Portugal

By Owen Jarus

The remains of several timber circles constructed over 4,500 years ago have been discovered at the Perdigões complex archaeological site in Portugal.

This lidar image shows the site at Navan Fort where the archaeologists did their survey work.

Massive ancient temple complex may lurk beneath famous Northern Ireland fort

By Laura Geggel

Archaeologists have found Iron Age temples and medieval structures in Northern Ireland.

The stone box, its cap and contents: a figurine made of shell, representing a llama or alpaca, and a miniature gold arm band.

1st intact evidence of Incas' underwater ritual offerings found in a lake in the Andes

By Mindy Weisberger

Spanish records dating to the 16th century hinted that the Inca people performed underwater ritual offerings, and archaeologists have finally found one that's still intact.

This head excavated recently by archaeologists at the site of Khirbet Qeiyafa in Israel may depict Yahweh.

3,000-year-old head may be face of God

By Owen Jarus

A clay head that dates back almost 3,000 years may be a rare depiction of Yahweh, or God. But other archaeologists aren't convinced.

The new research reveals the origin of most of the largest stones at Stonehenge, the Neolithic monument built on England's Salisbury Plain about 4500 years ago.

Returned chunk of Stonehenge solves long-standing monument mystery

By Tom Metcalfe

A restoration worker kept a chunk of Stonehenge more than 60 years ago. He returned it last year and now the stone has solved a long-standing mystery.

There is no evidence that Cleopatra is buried in the Ptolomaic ruins at Taposiris magna in Alexandria, Egypt, archaeologists say.

Where is Cleopatra's tomb?

By Owen Jarus

The chances of finding Cleopatra's tomb are pretty low, experts say, despite claims to the contrary.