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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An artist's interpretation of an early human hunting a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius).

37,000-year-old mammoth butchering site may be oldest evidence of humans in North America

By Harry Baker published

But some experts are skeptical about the new findings.

Two reliefs of rulers from the ancient Olmec civilization in Mexico.

Twin 'grumpy mouth' reliefs of Olmec contortionists discovered in Mexico

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Researchers have found two reliefs in Mexico that are tied to the ancient Olmec civilization.

A sampling of priceless treasures like gold and jewels found at a shipwreck site in the Bahamas.

Treasure trove of gold and jewels recovered from a 366-year-old shipwreck in the Bahamas

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

A treasure trove of gold coins and jewels has been recovered from a 350-year-old shipwreck in the Bahamas and will be part of a new museum exhibition.

A black and white illustration from the 19th century of King Alaric I in Rome, A.D. 410. King Alaric is riding into a large room upon a black horse, holding up his right hand. To his left are several followers dressed in white tunics carrying a large cross. There is black smoke billowing in the background and all around him is chaos – building debris on the floor, people huddling away from men waving swords, a broken sign on the floor that reads ‘Roma.’

Who were the ancient Goths, Visigoths and Ostrogoths?

By Owen Jarus published

The Goths sacked Rome, but they also helped preserve Roman culture. Gothic architecture, Gothic fiction and Goth music evolved from references to the Goths.

Maya ruins of Tikal in the jungle of Guatemala. On the right a tall step pyramid, with a series of stone steps leading to a doorway at the very top. To the left are two smaller step pyramids, half the size of the larger step pyramid. There are several rows of gravestones dotted around the green lawns. There are tall, lush trees in the background.

Tikal: The iconic ancient Maya city in Guatemala

By Owen Jarus published

The ancient Maya city of Tikal thrived between 600 B.C. and A.D. 900 in what is now Guatemala.

A rare 1766 King George III gold guinea, the equivalent of a soldier’s wages for a month, found during the Red Bank Battlefield Archaeology Project excavation.

Mass grave of Revolutionary War mercenaries and rare gold coin unearthed in New Jersey

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

A public dig in New Jersey uncovered a mass grave of Hessian soldiers who fought during the Revolutionary War.

This image shows part of the excavated Sun Temple. Here we see some very large stone bricks. There are some three red and white striped poles in place to help measure the site and provide scale.

Ancient Egyptian temple to the sun cult uncovered near Cairo

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered the remains of a cultic sun temple that dates to the fifth dynasty about 4,500 years ago.

This image shows the remains of an ornate villa. Two small doorways can be made out amongst the broken walls of stone.

Ancient 'ritual bath' and elite villa unearthed by Jerusalem's Western Wall

By Tom Metcalfe published

The installation of a new elevator led to the ancient finds.

Two of the ghost footprints uncovered in Utah's great Salt Lake Desert.

'Ghost footprints' left by ancient hunter-gatherers discovered in Utah desert

By Harry Baker published

The eerie prints appear only after it rains.

Jacob Sharvit (clean shaven, short white hair), director of the Marine Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, holds the up the Luna coin in his fingers. It’s an old coin with the profile of Luna, ancient goddess of the moon. Below her face there is the cancer zodiac sign.

Roman 'Zodiac' coin with cancer sign unearthed in Israel

By JoAnna Wendel published

While exploring off the coast of Israel, archaeologists unearthed a rare astrological bronze coin showing the Roman moon goddess Luna.

The King Arthur statue "Gallos" by Rubin Eynon stands near on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall.

14 biggest historical mysteries that will probably never be solved

By Owen Jarus published

From the identity location of Cleopatra's tomb to the fate of the Ark of the Covenant, some historical mysteries may never be solved.

An example of a bed burial.

Mystery behind medieval 'bed burials' in UK possibly solved

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Bed burials were an unusual rite for Christian women in medieval England.

Here we see a scuba diver underwater using a flashlight to illuminate a gravestone found on the seabed.

13th-century 'Mortar Wreck' is England's oldest-ever preserved sunken ship

By Tom Metcalfe published

Divers are racing to save the shipwreck from seafloor decay.

This photo shows a bird's eye view of a tomb as it is being excavated in Egypt. There are 5 people scattered inside the big hole, which requires a long ladder to get to. Above there are 5 people also doing excavation work.

Tomb of ancient Egyptian mercenary commander found in Egypt

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists have discovered a 2,600-year-old tomb buried at Abusir, Egypt belonging to a man of high status named "Wahibre-mery-Neith," a "commander of foreign mercenaries."

An illustration of children from the last ice age splashing in puddles on a ground sloth trackway in what is now New Mexico.

Ice age children frolicked in 'giant sloth puddles' 11,000 years ago, footprints reveal

By Laura Geggel published

More than 11,000 years ago, children in what is now New Mexico splashed in muddy puddles made from sloth footprints, new research shows.

A painting of the Mongol ruler Hulagu Khan with his Nestorian Christian wife, Dokuz Khatun.

Archaeologists may have discovered the palace of Genghis Khan's grandson

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered what may be the palace of Hulagu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan.

The ring is just visible here near the center of the jewelry bundle. Archaeologists have tracked the items to a man who said he'd bought them at an antique shop in Norway.

Gold Viking ring unexpectedly found in stash of 'cheap jewelry' from online auction

By Tom Metcalfe published

A woman in Norway discovered a large, gold Viking ring in a pile of cheap jewelry she bought in an online auction.

The exterior of the Colosseum

The Roman Colosseum: Facts about the gladiatorial arena

By Emily Staniforth published

reference The Colosseum has a rich and fascinating history that spans from ancient Rome to present day

An aerial view of a fortress believed to be part of the lost city of Natounia, including the (A) Merquly settlement; and the (B) 'barracks' building.

Lost city, a real-life 'Helm's Deep,' possibly discovered in Iraq

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Mountain fortress in Iraq is said to be part of the lost city Natounia.

Jamie Lund, an archaeologist, and Ed Coghlan, a caving club leader, explore mines beneath Alderley Edge. They are both wearing a hardhat with a light and a safety harness and are looking up.

Cave explorers discover a 19th-century mining scene preserved like a time capsule

By JoAnna Wendel published

While exploring an old mine in northwestern England, a group of cavers stumbled upon 200-year-old personal items and equipment left by 19th-century cobalt miners.