Archaeology

Editor's Picks

Iceman Ötzi reconstruction
45 amazing facial reconstructions, from Stone Age shamans to King Tut New scientific techniques are helping us reconstruct people from the past in uncanny detail.
An aerial view of Angkor Wat and surrounding trees.
32 times lasers revealed hidden forts and settlements from centuries ago Lasers have helped uncover ancient human-made structures the world over.
A projectile point, a stone blade and a rod typical of the Clovis culture.
13 of the oldest archaeological sites in the Americas Archaeological discoveries throughout the Americas are pushing back the date for when humans reached the New World by thousands of years, rewriting the long-standing theory that people arrived only 13,000 years ago.

Latest about Archaeology

A digitally edited image showing a rendering of a settlement in Saudi Arabia with mountains in the distance

Archaeologists discover 4,000-year-old Bronze Age settlement hidden in Saudi Arabian oasis

By Owen Jarus published

A Bronze Age settlement hidden on the Arabian Peninsula reveals secrets about the slow growth of urbanization in the region.

Archaeology
Two archaeologists excavate a burial site

1,200-year-old Viking cemetery with 'stone ship' burials discovered in Sweden

By Kristina Killgrove published

Archaeologists in Sweden were expecting to find an ancient settlement, but they were surprised to discover a Viking Age cemetery with boat-shaped burial outlines.

Vikings
an illustration of a time lapse of a skeleton swinging an axe-like weapon

Ancient Indigenous weapons from Australia can deliver 'devastating blows,' 1st-ever biomechanics study of its kind reveals

By Laura Diamond, Michelle Langley published

A first-ever biomechanics study of two First Nations weapons systems has identified the design features that make them so formidable.

Archaeology
An image of a shiny medieval knight-style suit of armor

7 centuries-old suits of battle armor from around the world

By Tom Metcalfe published

From Roman "fish scale" armor to Japanese samurai suits, these examples of battle armor were designed to protect and impress.

Archaeology
blue-red lidar map of newly discovered maya city

Lasers reveal Maya city, including thousands of structures, hidden in Mexico

By Sierra Bouchér published

The new city, dubbed Valeriana, was a dense urban settlement with temple pyramids and a ball court.

Archaeology
A stone with a cat's paw imprinted in it

1,200 years ago, a cat in Jerusalem left the oldest known evidence of 'making biscuits' on a clay jug

By Margherita Bassi published

Around 1,200 years ago, a cat "made biscuits," kneading on a drying clay jug in Jerusalem, leaving behind the oldest evidence of this feline behavior on record.

Archaeology
A swan made out of pink and brown felt against a green background

Pazyryk Swan: A 2,400-year-old plush swan from Siberia tied to the 'creation of the universe'

By Tom Metcalfe published

Archaeologists think the felt figurine was used as a symbol of life by the Iron Age people of the region.

Archaeology
An aerial lidar video of Tugunbulak

Lasers reveal secrets of lost Silk Road cities in the mountains of Uzbekistan

By Allison Parshall published

On the Silk Road, these lost twin cities may have sustained themselves in a foreboding landscape with metallurgy and commerce.

Archaeology
An enthroned woman talking to a man who looks like a bird.

1,300-year-old throne room of powerful Moche queen discovered in Peru

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed the throne room of a powerful queen from the Moche culture, and detailed murals of the female ruler decorate its walls.

Archaeology
a skeleton laid out against a black background

DNA analysis of medieval man thrown into a well suggests story in Norse saga really happened

By Tom Metcalfe published

A new analysis indicates the human remains found in a well in Norway are from a 1197 raid described in a royal history.

Archaeology
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Archives