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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The entrance to the Midnight Terror Cave in Belize.

Maya sacrifice victims found with mysterious blue string in their teeth

By Kristina Killgrove published

An investigation into the dental plaque on Maya sacrifice victims in 'Midnight Terror Cave' in Belize has revealed mysterious blue fibers that might have been tied to the victims' demise.

Seventy-six child sacrifices were found recently as part of ongoing excavations near Huanchaco, Peru.

76 child sacrifice victims with their hearts ripped out found in Peru excavation

By Owen Jarus last updated

Many more are likely to be found.

The wreck of SM U-111 lies on the seafloor about 40 miles off the coast of Virginia, at a depth of about 120 feet. It was rediscovered in July after being deliberately sunk over 100 years ago.

WWI German U-boat discovered off US coast 100 years after it sank

By Tom Metcalfe published

The wreck of a WWI German U-boat sunk by the U.S. Navy in 1922 has been discovered off the East Coast of the United States, about 40 miles off Virginia and at a depth of about 400 feet.

Here we see the sphinx in front of the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt.

How old is ancient Egypt?

By Owen Jarus published

Here's how old ancient Egypt really is, according to Egyptologists and archaeologists.

A camel with a colorful saddle sits in front of the pyramids at Giza in Egypt.

Was ancient Egypt a desert?

By Owen Jarus published

Iconic images show Egypt as a sandy, arid place. But was ancient Egypt a desert, and is modern Egypt one today?

A vintage illustration from the Papyrus of Ani showing Osiris (left) with Isis (right) on a scroll with cursive hieroglyphs from circa 1250 B.C., during the 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom.

Who was the ancient Egyptian god of death?

By Owen Jarus published

The ancient Egyptians were obsessed with the afterlife. So whom did they view as the deity of death?

A pile of gold coins discovered in Israel dating to the Byzantine Empire.

Buried treasure of 44 Byzantine gold coins found in nature reserve in Israel

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Researchers in Israel discovered a hoard of 44 gold coins from the Byzantine Empire.

The archaeologists have discovered about 35 skeletons, almost all missing their heads, in a mass grave that dates from about 5000 B.C. at Vráble in western Slovakia.

7,000-year-old mass grave in Slovakia may hold human sacrifice victims

By Tom Metcalfe published

The mass burial had about 35 decapitated skeletons.

A facial reconstruction of a woman using computers.

See lifelike facial reconstructions of a medieval Scottish woman, priest and bishop

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Using forensic technology, researchers reanimate medieval skulls.

Archaeologists have been excavating a site known as Slaves Hill in the Timna Valley, which was a major center for copper production from the 11th to the ninth centuries B.C.

King Solomon's mines were abandoned and became a desert wasteland. Here's why.

By Tom Metcalfe published

Copper mines in southern Israel that may have inspired the legend of King Solomon's mines of gold were abandoned 3,000 years ago. Now we may know why.

One of the archaeologists excavating the Gribshunden, led by Sweden's Lund University, explores some of the ship's timbers.

15th-century Baltic warship served as a 'floating castle' for an intrepid king

By Tom Metcalfe last updated

Archaeologists exploring the wreck of a 15th-century royal warship off the coast of Sweden have revealed how it functioned as a "floating castle."

An artist's digital approximation of a Stone Age woman seen from multiple angles.

See the striking facial reconstruction of a Paleolithic woman who lived 31,000 years ago

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Using forensic facial reconstruction, researchers reclassified a Stone Age skull as female.

The Fair Head crannog in Northern Ireland

Artificial islands surrounding British Isles were used for ancient parties, archaeologists find

By Kristina Killgrove published

A high-tech look at crannogs, artificial islands build around the British Isles, reveals that prehistoric to post-medieval people partied on them.

A pink sunset with clouds falls over Stonehenge in England.

Did druids build Stonehenge?

By Owen Jarus published

It's commonly said that the druids built Stonehenge. But is there any truth to this assertion?

Roman Forum at sunrise, from left to right: Temple of Vespasian and Titus, church of Santi Luca e Martina, Septimius Severus Arch, ruins of Temple of Saturn.

Why did the Roman Empire split in two?

By Joe Phelan published

The vast Roman Empire split into the Eastern Roman Empire and Western Roman Empire in the fourth century A.D.

The skeletal remains of a male buried with ceramic vessels containing opium residue was found in Israel.

Earliest traces of opium use, found in Israel, may have been an 'offering to the gods'

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Researchers in Israel discovered the earliest evidence of opium use at a burial site near Tel Aviv.

Illustration of the Druids of Ole England. In a forest, one druid is sitting down and looks like he's telling a story, whilst four other druids stand around him.

The mysterious history of druids, ancient 'mediators between humans and the gods'

By Owen Jarus published

Reference Druids were revered in ancient Britain. Much about them is a mystery, but we know this: They did not build Stonehenge.

The tomb includes the shrouded remains of an elite male, dubbed the "Lord of Huarmey," and six other people, some of whom may have first been buried elsewhere and brought to the tomb later.

Gold and silver treasures discovered with 'elite craftspeople' burials near powerful Wari queen's tomb

By Tom Metcalfe published

Archaeologists excavating a site north of Lima have unearthed a 1,300-year-old ornate tomb from the Wari era of Peru.

This pink granite coffin, found near the pyramid of King Unas.

3,300-year-old pink granite sarcophagus of Egyptian 'pyramid keeper' found at Saqqara

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a pink granite sarcophagus crafted for an official who cared for a pyramid built during the time of Ramesses II.

An aerial view of the Vinoř roundel near Prague, showing three separate entrances.

7,000-year-old structure near Prague is older than Stonehenge, Egyptian pyramids

By Kristina Killgrove published

Archaeologists near Prague have unearthed the remains of a 7,000-year-old structure that may have been a Stone Age community center.