https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/archaeology/RSS feed for ArchaeologyenFri, 25 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/google-just-released-an-ai-tool-that-helps-historians-fill-in-missing-words-in-ancient-roman-inscriptions-180987046/Known as Aeneas, the tool was trained on an extensive dataset of Latin epigraphy. Experts hope it will help decipher segments of text that have been lost to historyFri, 25 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-mysterious-medieval-knight-buried-beneath-an-ice-cream-parlor-in-poland-180987021/The well-preserved skeleton was buried under a rare limestone tombstone, which suggests the individual may have been an important member of Gdańsk society during the Middle AgesThu, 24 Jul 2025 19:34:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/with-ancient-dna-scientists-have-mapped-37000-years-of-disease-across-europe-and-asia-180986964/Zoonoses—diseases that spread from animals to humans—began to gain prevalence some 6,500 years ago with the rise of animal husbandry, a new study suggestsWed, 23 Jul 2025 20:25:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-archer-shot-this-bronze-age-human-in-the-back-4000-years-later-the-arrow-is-still-embedded-in-the-victims-rib-bone-180987036/The attack took place during a period of conflict between groups living in the Pyrenees mountains in modern-day SpainWed, 23 Jul 2025 19:10:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/underwater-archaeologists-capture-photos-of-japanese-warship-that-hasnt-been-seen-since-it-sank-during-world-war-ii-180987026/The “Teruzuki” was a Japanese Navy destroyer that sank near the Solomon Islands on December 12, 1942. Eight decades later, researchers have identified the wreckage in the PacificWed, 23 Jul 2025 14:57:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/athens-is-reviving-a-2000-year-old-roman-empire-era-aqueduct-to-deliver-water-amid-prolonged-droughts-180987013/With the capital's reservoirs approaching historic lows, officials are turning to ancient engineering to conserve potable waterTue, 22 Jul 2025 20:40:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-childs-skull-that-has-long-confounded-archaeologists-might-be-a-human-neanderthal-hybrid-study-suggests-180986981/According to new CT scans and models, parts of the 140,000-year-old skull resemble those of modern humans, while the jaw appears to be more similar to those of our extinct relativesMon, 21 Jul 2025 21:12:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-site-where-george-washington-stopped-a-friendly-fire-incident-by-blocking-muskets-with-his-sword-180987008/In 1758, during the French and Indian War, the future president saved lives by stepping into the middle of a deadly skirmish in PennsylvaniaFri, 18 Jul 2025 10:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cut-marks-on-animal-bones-suggest-neanderthal-groups-had-their-own-unique-culinary-traditions-180987002/Neanderthals in two nearby caves used different techniques when butchering animal carcasses in what is now Israel, according to a new paperThu, 17 Jul 2025 20:06:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-find-300-year-old-shipwreck-in-what-used-to-be-one-of-the-baddest-pirate-lairs-on-earth-180986983/Pirates attacked the Portuguese warship, named the "Nossa Senhora do Cabo," and made off with many of the treasures the ship was transporting from India to PortugalThu, 17 Jul 2025 17:41:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-erotic-mosaic-stolen-from-pompeii-during-world-war-ii-finally-returns-home-180986992/A Nazi captain gave artwork, which depicts an intimate Roman romance, to a civilian. When he died, his heirs decided to return the piece to ItalyThu, 17 Jul 2025 14:07:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/underwater-archaeologists-were-looking-for-a-lost-shipwreck-in-wisconsin-they-stumbled-upon-a-different-vessel-instead-180986990/Researchers think they have located the final resting place of the "L.W. Crane," a wooden side-wheel steam ship that caught fire and sank in the Fox River in 1880Wed, 16 Jul 2025 20:55:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/does-this-ancient-rock-carving-depict-one-of-egypts-earliest-rulers-180986980/New research suggests the engraving, which shows an elite individual sitting in a boat, may be up to 5,100 years oldTue, 15 Jul 2025 18:26:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/greenland-sled-dog-dna-reveals-a-story-of-human-migration-and-ancestry-of-the-unique-breed-180986975/Researchers analyzed ancient and modern genetic samples of the Greenlandic Qimmit breed to shed light on the long relationship between the Inuit and their dogs in the ArcticMon, 14 Jul 2025 17:06:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-treasure-filled-tomb-belonging-to-the-first-known-ruler-of-a-maya-city-in-belize-180986972/Te K'ab Chaak was a wealthy warrior king who rose to power in 331 C.E. His burial is the first royal tomb found in the ancient city of CaracolFri, 11 Jul 2025 20:16:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-may-have-been-running-a-sophisticated-fat-factory-in-germany-125000-years-ago-180986951/New research suggests that they smashed animal bones into tiny pieces before boiling them to extract the high-calorie grease insideFri, 11 Jul 2025 18:01:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lost-bow-of-american-warship-found-eight-decades-after-it-was-blown-off-by-a-japanese-torpedo-in-world-war-ii-180986959/After the attack, crews sailed the USS "New Orleans" backwards for more than 1,000 miles across the Pacific. Since then, the location of the vessel's bow has been a mysteryThu, 10 Jul 2025 16:39:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unveil-a-3500-year-old-city-in-peru-that-sheds-light-on-the-caral-culture-180986944/Known as Peñico, the city is now open to tourists. It was once a vibrant urban center that connected coastal, mountain and jungle communitiesThu, 10 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-underwater-archaeology-brings-secrets-to-the-surface-from-lost-shipwrecks-to-submerged-cities-180986950/An immersive new exhibition at the Intrepid Museum in New York City spotlights the science and technology behind the disciplineThu, 10 Jul 2025 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-traces-of-an-iron-age-settlement-and-roman-villa-in-england-180986943/The excavation, which followed the discovery of two Roman swords in 2023, is providing historians with fresh insights into Britain’s ancient historyWed, 09 Jul 2025 14:56:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-museum-is-asking-visitors-whether-it-should-continue-to-display-mummified-human-remains-180986942/The Manchester Museum in England is inviting guests to share feedback on Asru, an ancient Egyptian woman whose body was unwrapped 200 years agoTue, 08 Jul 2025 18:57:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-have-sequenced-an-ancient-egyptian-skeletons-entire-genome-for-the-very-first-time-heres-what-they-found-180986935/Dating back more than 4,500 years, the skeleton belonged to a middle-aged man who may have worked as a potter and likely descended from ancestors in North Africa and MesopotamiaMon, 07 Jul 2025 19:26:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-roman-army-camp-in-the-netherlands-15-miles-beyond-the-empires-northern-border-180986910/Researchers think the camp was built during the second century C.E. Stretching across 22 acres, it was identified using a computer model developed by an archaeology studentMon, 07 Jul 2025 15:49:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/four-bewildering-bronze-lions-heads-with-slightly-different-facial-expressions-found-in-ancient-roman-grave-in-israel-180986922/Similar examples of ancient lion artifacts appear to have been used as door knockers. But the newly discovered discs may have served a different purposeThu, 03 Jul 2025 17:47:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fishermen-in-the-brazilian-amazon-discover-enormous-funerary-urns-beneath-a-toppled-tree-180986926/The ceramic vessels contained the bones of pre-Columbian Indigenous people, as well as fish, frog and turtle remainsThu, 03 Jul 2025 16:53:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gas-workers-digging-beneath-the-streets-of-lima-stumble-upon-1000-year-old-mummy-with-dark-brown-hair-180986924/The burial belonged to a child who may have lived among fishermen from the Chancay culture, which thrived in Peru before the rise of the Inca EmpireWed, 02 Jul 2025 19:29:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-dugout-canoe-made-from-a-12-foot-long-log-was-found-bobbing-in-a-north-carolina-river-180986898/The newly discovered vessel is one of 79 known dugout canoes that have been unearthed throughout the stateWed, 02 Jul 2025 18:32:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-dna-reveals-that-men-moved-in-with-their-brides-families-in-this-neolithic-settlement-180986915/A new study suggests that a 9,000-year-old society in Catalhoyuk, a proto-city in southern Anatolia, may have established a "female-centered" social structureWed, 02 Jul 2025 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-young-woman-with-a-cone-shaped-skull-died-after-suffering-a-severe-head-wound-6000-years-ago-180986894/Found in the Chega Sofla cemetery in Iran, the skull appears to have been struck by a blunt object. Archaeologists don't know whether the incident was intentional or accidentalMon, 30 Jun 2025 20:49:59 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-sinkhole-opened-up-on-a-street-in-england-revealing-the-remains-of-a-massive-medieval-hospital-180986890/Centuries ago, the site was home to St. Leonard's Hospital, a sprawling monastic facility that provided care to sick individuals and supplied meals for prisoners at nearby York CastleFri, 27 Jun 2025 15:47:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-worlds-oldest-boomerang-is-even-older-than-scientists-thought-a-new-analysis-suggests-180986885/Researchers revisited a crescent-shaped, mammoth tusk artifact discovered in Poland and estimated it’s around 40,000 years oldThu, 26 Jun 2025 20:50:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-were-the-ancient-statues-of-this-egyptian-female-pharaoh-destroyed-180986883/Shattered depictions of Hatshepsut have long thought to be products of her successor’s violent hatred towards her, but a new study presents a different narrativeThu, 26 Jun 2025 19:30:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-vibrant-colorful-mosaic-discovered-at-ancient-roman-settlement-in-france-180986887/Perched on a hill overlooking the town of Alès, the site, which was salvaged before construction on modern houses began, also boasts advanced architectureThu, 26 Jun 2025 18:28:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-face-of-a-10500-year-old-woman-reconstructed-by-archaeologists-and-artists-180986852/Using well-preserved ancient DNA, researchers have created a life-like facial reconstruction of a woman who lived in Belgium's Meuse Valley during the Mesolithic periodWed, 25 Jun 2025 18:53:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-dna-reveals-mysterious-new-group-of-humans-in-colombia-with-no-genetic-ties-to-people-today-180986819/The previously undocumented lineage of hunter-gatherers seems to have disappeared around 2,000 years agoWed, 25 Jun 2025 16:44:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-2000-year-old-perfume-garden-in-the-ancient-city-of-pompeii-has-been-restored-to-its-former-glory-180986830/The small garden now features thousands of roses, violets, cherry trees and vines. Experts think a perfumer may have once used the plants to experiment with new scentsTue, 24 Jun 2025 15:37:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-artifacts-from-one-of-the-nations-oldest-schools-for-black-children-180986863/News of the discoveries comes amid the opening of the Williamsburg Bray School building, which educated hundreds of free and enslaved Black children between 1760 and 1774Mon, 23 Jun 2025 20:53:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-medieval-sword-pulled-from-a-dutch-riverbed-is-marked-with-intricate-copper-symbols-180986858/The artifact was remarkably preserved for a millennium in anaerobic clay on a private estate near the city of MontfoortMon, 23 Jun 2025 18:51:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-rare-6000-year-old-limestone-fertility-figurine-could-be-polands-archaeological-find-of-the-century-180986859/Dating back to the Neolithic era, the so-called Venus of Kolobrzeg is the first artifact of its kind unearthed in the European countryMon, 23 Jun 2025 18:13:57 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-gold-coins-may-solve-the-mystery-of-the-worlds-richest-shipwreck-confirming-its-identity-as-a-legendary-18th-century-galleon-180986856/Minted in Peru in 1707, the money bolsters the evidence that the wreck is the Spanish ship "San José," which sank off the Colombian coast in 1708 with treasure worth billions on boardMon, 23 Jun 2025 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-16th-century-shipwreck-discovered-at-record-depth-in-french-waters-180986826/The 98-foot-long vessel was transporting ceramic jugs, ceramic plates and metal bars when it sank off southeastern France nearly 500 years agoWed, 18 Jun 2025 20:56:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/14000-year-old-puppies-found-in-siberia-were-young-wolf-littermates-who-dined-on-wooly-rhino-180986834/Researchers studied chemicals found in the animals’ bones, teeth and tissues, as well as genetic material from their stomach contentsTue, 17 Jun 2025 18:31:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-viking-woman-was-buried-with-a-small-dog-at-her-feet-1000-years-ago-180986792/Archaeologists unearthed the burial site during excavations in Norway. They say the discovery provides unique insights into the bonds humans form with their animalsTue, 17 Jun 2025 14:40:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tutankhamuns-iconic-gold-death-mask-is-getting-a-new-home-180986801/Soon, the elaborately decorated artifact will be transferred to the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum, joining more than 5,000 other items from the boy king's tombFri, 13 Jun 2025 20:03:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-stumble-onto-sprawling-ancient-roman-villa-during-construction-road-in-france-180986800/Located near Auxerre, the grand estate once possessed an exorbitant level of wealth, with thermal baths and heated floorsFri, 13 Jun 2025 19:44:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-roman-casual-dining-joint-served-fish-chicken-and-fried-songbird-180986796/A new analysis of the bones in the eatery’s garbage pit challenges the elite status of thrush in the Roman dietFri, 13 Jun 2025 16:58:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-sarcophagus-unearthed-in-israel-portrays-an-epic-drinking-contest-between-the-god-dionysus-and-the-mythical-hero-hercules-180986785/Archaeologists say the marble coffin is the first of its kind found in the region. The story it depicts is more often seen in mosaicsThu, 12 Jun 2025 16:09:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/yemens-al-qahira-castle-survived-centuries-of-war-and-neglect-can-it-survive-its-own-restoration-180986777/With funding for preserving the historic site in jeopardy, local officials are wondering what will come next for the 800-year-old structureThu, 12 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/massive-field-where-native-american-farmers-grew-corn-beans-and-squash-1000-years-ago-discovered-in-michigan-180986758/The ancestors of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin built earthen mounds to grow crops. The site could be the largest preserved archaeological field system in the eastern United StatesTue, 10 Jun 2025 15:42:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1000-year-old-gold-bracelet-fragment-found-british-isle-dates-when-vikings-ruled-land-180986761/Archaeologists believe the piece was made by a skilled goldsmith and was potentially used as currencyMon, 09 Jun 2025 20:17:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-dead-sea-scrolls-changed-our-understanding-of-the-bible-could-some-of-them-be-even-older-than-we-thought-180986746/A new study combines A.I., radiocarbon dating and handwriting analysis to estimate new dates for some of the ancient scrolls, thought to be some of the earliest surviving fragments of the Old TestamentThu, 05 Jun 2025 20:00:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nearly-half-of-the-protected-land-around-the-nazca-lines-of-peru-is-now-open-to-miners-180986738/Some environmentalists are concerned about mining operations drawing closer to the ancient landmarksThu, 05 Jun 2025 16:19:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-more-than-100-structures-linked-to-a-mysterious-pre-hispanic-civilization-in-the-remote-peruvian-andes-180986740/Based in high-altitude urban centers, the Chachapoya resisted conquest by the Inca Empire for centuriesWed, 04 Jun 2025 18:37:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-was-life-like-for-the-women-who-lived-in-ancient-pompeii-2000-years-ago-180986714/A new exhibition is spotlighting the women who have long been sidelined in histories of the Roman Empire—from mothers and weavers to entrepreneurs and influential tavern ownersTue, 03 Jun 2025 19:50:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-a-neanderthal-who-lived-43000-years-ago-paint-a-red-nose-on-a-rock-that-looked-like-a-face-180986704/Researchers theorize that an adult male dipped his finger in red ocher and intentionally used the pigment to complete the face he saw on a small granite stoneMon, 02 Jun 2025 16:48:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-investigate-22-million-year-old-tooth-enamel-to-unravel-the-mysteries-of-ancient-human-relatives-180986723/By studying proteins preserved in teeth, researchers determined the sex of four Paranthropus robustus individuals that lived in southern AfricaFri, 30 May 2025 21:02:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-bewildering-byzantine-bucket-stumped-archaeologists-for-decades-now-theyve-finally-discovered-its-purpose-180986701/Fragments of the bucket were first found at England's Sutton Hoo burial site in 1986. New research has revealed that the 1,500-year-old artifact was probably used as a cremation vesselThu, 29 May 2025 18:20:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-did-vikings-view-pregnant-women-new-research-reveals-that-they-were-sometimes-depicted-with-weapons-180986674/Researchers studied Old Norse literature and archaeological evidence to shed new light on women's experiences of pregnancy during the Viking AgeWed, 28 May 2025 17:38:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-the-oldest-known-tools-made-from-whale-bones-crafted-in-western-europe-20000-years-ago-180986696/Stone Age humans scavenged the skeletons of several whale species along the Bay of Biscay in what is now southwestern France and northern Spain, according to a new studyWed, 28 May 2025 17:04:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/revolutionary-war-era-gunboat-found-at-ground-zero-finds-a-new-permanent-home-in-new-york-180986694/Researchers are reassembling the ship, which was likely built in the 1770s near PhiladelphiaWed, 28 May 2025 13:58:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/egyptian-archaeologists-unearth-three-ancient-tombs-belonging-to-three-senior-statesmen-who-helped-keep-the-new-kingdom-running-180986692/The burials were found at Dra Abu el-Naga, a necropolis for nobles and officials on the West Bank of the Nile RiverTue, 27 May 2025 18:48:36 +0000