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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"You are men of good will and loyalty," said Roman emperor Septimus Severus in the letter.

Roman subjects paid emperor piles of silver to leave them alone, inscription reveals

By Mindy Weisberger

A stone inscription immortalized Roman emperor Septimius Severus' gratitude for a city's generous "donation" of 700,000 silver coins.

Thousands of images drawn during the last ice age were found in the Amazon Rainforest.

Sprawling 8-mile-long 'canvas' of ice age beasts discovered hidden in Amazon rainforest

By Laura Geggel

Ancient rock art of extinct ice age animals, handprints and patterns were found in the Amazon rainforest of Colombia.

David slays Goliath in this illustration by Gustave Dore from the Dore Bible, 1866.

Biblical Goliath may not have been a giant

By Owen Jarus

Goliath, the giant who was felled by King David in the Hebrew Bible, is described as having a jaw-dropping height. Turns out, that may not have been accurate.

A digitally enhanced image of the Indigenous pinwheel drawing that researchers made with a technique called D-Stretch.

Pinwheel Cave rock art in California may depict hallucinogenic 'trance flower'

By Laura Geggel

Starting about 400 years ago, Indigenous people in California had hallucinogenic ceremonies in a cave by Santa Barbara.

Here is the ancient Egyptian depiction of the Big Dipper, seen here in the shape of a bull's leg. It includes seven stars and is tied to a stake by a goddess in hippo form (right). The Big Dipper is considered the manifestation of the evil god Seth, who murdered his brother Osiris. The goddess prevents Seth from reaching Osiris in the underworld — a myth made possible because the constellation never dips below the horizon.

Ancient Egyptian temple reveals previously unknown star constellations

By Laura Geggel

The ancient Egyptian temple was covered with soot, dirt and bird droppings.

The skeleton and artifacts were surprisingly well-preserved.

Medieval soldier found with sword and knives at the bottom of a Lithuanian lake

By Mindy Weisberger

Archaeologists recently discovered the skeleton of a medieval soldier and his weapons at the bottom of a lake, the first such find in Lithuania.

A close-up showing one of the mummy filled coffins. The colors are remarkably well preserved despite the passage of over 2,000 years of time.

Mummy count continues to grow at ancient Egypt burial site

By Owen Jarus

The number of mummy-filled coffins found in a series of burial shafts at Saqqara in Egypt keeps growing, archaeologists with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities reported.

A stone stele to the moon god found in 2019 at a site called et-Tell, north of the Sea of Galilee, which may have been the ancient capital of the kingdom of Geshur.

Horned figures from cult of a Mesopotamian moon god discovered in biblical-era fort

By Stephanie Pappas

The twin infants' double burial was unearthed in Krems am Wachtberg, Austria.

31,000-year-old burial holds world's oldest known identical twins

By Laura Geggel

About 31,000 years ago, identical twin boys died, but not at the same time, a new analysis of their remains shows.

Not much bigger than a Starbucks cup, the juglet was well-preserved, with four gold coins inside.

Ancient gold stash found in jug in Jerusalem

By Stephanie Pappas

A jug of four gold coins was found during the construction of an elevator in Israel.

The male (left) and female (right) mummies first found in Saqqara, Egypt in 1615.

Archaeologists finally peer inside Egyptian mummies first found in 1615

By Laura Geggel

Ancient painted mummies found in Egypt more than 400 years ago were finally examined with CT scans.

The ancient child's skull and jaw are fragmented. The diagonal lines show where ochre pigment was found.

Rare ancient burial contains child whose arms and legs were removed

By Laura Geggel

8,000 years ago in Indonesia, a child was buried without their leg and arm bones, a common practice at that time and place.

A digitally created view of the two octagonal viewing towers by the tiltyard.

Jousting yard where Henry VIII nearly died just discovered 5 feet under

By Laura Geggel

Radar technology has revealed exactly where Henry VIII had a traumatic brain injury while jousting.

The detailed carving of Apollo is smaller than a dime.

2,000-year-old seal depicting Greek god Apollo found in Jerusalem

By Laura Geggel

A 2,000-year-old carved gem bears the likeness of Apollo, and it was likely owned by a Jew.

The two Roman-era iron nails are from an unmarked box delivered to Tel Aviv University; new research suggests they could be the two nails lost from the tomb of the Jewish high priest Caiaphas, who presided over the condemnation of Jesus.

Were these nails used to crucify Jesus? New evidence revives controversial idea.

By Tom Metcalfe

A new study has reignited a heated dispute about two corroded Roman-era iron nails some suggest were used to crucify Jesus.

The sacrificed llamas were adorned with colored string earrings and necklaces.

Sacrificed llama mummies unearthed in Peru

By Laura Geggel

These five naturally mummified llamas were sacrificed by the Inca about 500 years ago.

Witch marks found on the medieval stones of St. Mary's church in Stoke Mandeville, England

Witch-repellent graffiti discovered in ruins of medieval UK church

By Brandon Specktor

Archaeologists in the U.K. have discovered ruins of a medieval church graffitied with mystical "'witch marks."'

It took archaeologists about one week to refurbish the ancient cat outline.

New Nazca Line geoglyph discovered: A 120-foot-long cat

By Laura Geggel

The latest Nazca Line depicts a giant cat.

The skeletal remains of the Marlow Warlord, as he's been dubbed, show he was very tall for the time – about 6 feet, when the average height was about 5 feet 7 inches.

Anglo-Saxon warlord unearthed by metal detector hobbyists

By Tom Metcalfe

Archaeologists have unearthed the rich burial of a sixth-century man thought to be an Anglo-Saxon warlord in southern England, after it was first discovered by metal detectorists.

Archaeologist Arnold Muhl shows early medieval fibulae, a part of women's clothing, that were discovered in the cemetery. This and other artifacts from the excavation are now in the workshop of the Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte (State Museum for Prehistory) in Germany. 

Germanic lord buried with a harem of 6? Not quite, but the real story is fascinating.

By Laura Geggel

A Germanic aristocrat is just one of 80 newly discovered ancient burials.