A Metal Detectorist Kept Finding Ancient Coins in a German Field—Then He Hit a 1,900-Year-Old Jackpot
A surprise discovery in a German field has led to the discovery of one of the largest ancient Roman coin hoards of its kind.
History
Divers Mapping a Lost Medieval Town Under the North Sea May Have Debunked Its Most Famous Legend
Beneath the waters off the Norfolk coast near Cromer lies a medieval town that has remained submerged for about 700 years. For generations, local tradition has retold the story of a drowned church whose bell is said to ring from beneath the sea.
Ancient Etruscan Tombs May Have Been Engineered to Manipulate the Senses, New Research Suggests
New research investigates how the physical characteristics of ancient tombs might have affected the senses of the people who visited them.
New Genetic Evidence of an Ancient Killer Has Surfaced After Being Concealed in Medieval Texts for Centuries
The story of a Medieval European plague is coming into focus through historic manuscripts, but not in the way you might think.
A Lost English “Ghost Village,” Long Hidden Beneath One of England’s Largest Reservoirs, Has Mysteriously Resurfaced
The remains of a “lost” English village hidden beneath the waters of an English reservoir for more than half a century have resurfaced.
A B-52 Carrying Two Hydrogen Bombs Broke Apart Over North Carolina in 1961—and Nearly Caused a Nuclear Disaster
The dropping of a nuclear bomb on the United States isn’t just relegated to Cold War fiction; it actually occurred in 1961.
British Security Coordination and the Limits of Allied Persuasion: How Foreign Partners Can Shape Strategy Through Clandestine Action
American lawyer Irina Tsukerman examines Britain’s WWII-era British Security Coordination campaign, and a potential lesson NATO must learn to adapt to today’s political environment.
A Nearly 4,000-Year-Old “Giant’s Tomb” Was Accidentally Discovered in Sardinia
Italian authorities working in western Sardinia have accidentally unearthed a new 'Giant's Tomb' that includes rarely seen features.
An Ancient Egyptian Moon God Mystery Deepens with New Analysis Revealing Thoth’s Sacred Baboon Glowed Like Moonlight
A spectrometer shows the sacred baboon's silver fur is the color of moonlight. Is this the first physical evidence for why Thoth, god of the moon, wore his strangest and only imported animal face?
The World War II Atomic Blast Over Hiroshima Created a Previously Unidentified Multicomponent Metallic Alloy
The extreme energy, temperature, and pressure conditions during the World War II atomic bombing of Hiroshima created an all-new metal alloy.
Researchers May Have Solved a Two-Thousand-Year-Old Stellar Mystery Recorded by Ancient Astronomers
New study suggests Theta Eridani stayed unusually bright for 1,000 years, helping solve a 2,000-year stellar mystery.
A Routine Search for Lost Objects Unearths an Extremely Rare 2500-Year-Old Coin
A local official helping people locate lost everyday objects stumbled upon a 2500-year-old coin that's the first of its kind found in Israel.
“Enough Heat to Sizzle Thin-Skinned Animals”: New Evidence Shows How a Dinosaur-Killing Meteor Set the World on Fire
A fine layer of dust encircling Earth after the Chicxulub asteroid impact may have set the world on fire and caused dinosaur extinction.
Archaeologists Unearth “Exceptionally Well-Preserved” 2,600-Year-Old Wooden Beams Burned in the First Temple Fire
Excavations in the City of David have unearthed 2,600-year-old, exceptionally well-preserved wooden beams from the 586 BCE First Temple fire.
A New Theory May Explain One of the Dead Sea Scrolls’ Biggest Mysteries
One of the longest-debated mysteries involving the Dead Sea Scrolls ma finally be solved, according to Tel Aviv University researchers.
Scientists May Have Finally Solved the Mystery of How and Why Hannibal Took War Elephants Across the Alps
New research suggests war elephants helped determine Hannibal's route across the Alps—and survived it better than soldiers.
2000-Year-Old Evidence of a Cult Shrine to Odysseus, the Legendary Hero of Homer’s ‘Odyssey,’ Has Been Uncovered at Ithaca
Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of an ancient cult site devoted to the legendary hero of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey.
Scholars Uncover Evidence of ‘Lost’ Medieval Manuscripts Using Simulations—Along With a New Concern for Historians
New evidence of “lost” ancient medieval manuscripts is being uncovered by researchers using computer simulations—but there's a problem.
Ancient Romans Buried Secret Coin Hoards Across Europe and Never Retrieved Them—Now Archaeologists Finally Know Why
Scholars may have solved an enduring archaeological riddle: why ancient Romans concealed massive coin hoards and never returned for them.
A 2,700-Year-Old Stone Could Shed New Light on a Religious Reform Described in the Bible
A massive stone, deliberately laid on its side and buried within the walls of an ancient Judean home, may provide physical evidence consistent with interpretations of King Hezekiah’s reported religious reforms.
Tiny Artifact Found by Metal Detectorist Complicates the Story of Sutton Hoo, May Rewrite the History of Early English Metallurgy
A chance discovery is challenging archaeologists’ understanding of one of England’s most famous archaeological sites.
“It Was Completely Shocking to Me”: Archaeologists Discover the Earliest Monumental Egyptian Hieroglyphs Written 1,000 Years Before the Pyramids
Yale Archaeologists have discovered the earliest monumental Egyptian hieroglyphs, predating the Great Pyramid of Giza by over 1,000 years.
Discovery Hidden Inside 520-Million-Year-Old Rocks Solves a Longstanding ‘Evolutionary Enigma’
A discovery hidden inside 520-million-year-old rocks has solved an evolutionary enigma and could even rewrite the entire tree of life.
3000-Year-Old Evidence of “Anomalous” Iron Production Suggests Bronze Age Metalsmiths Launched a Technological Revolution by Accident
Long before the discovery of iron reshaped civilizations, Bronze Age metalworkers may discovered it by accident, new research suggests.
A 250-Year-Old Mechanical Volcano Finally Erupts for the First Time
250-year-old plans for a model that would mechanically recreate the eruption of Mount Vesuvius have finally been brought to life.
A Subtle Shift in the Nile May Explain the Rise of an Ancient African Empire
Recent research from the University of Michigan now provides a geological explanation for why this part of the Nile became the foundation for Kushite civilization.
42 Lost Pages from a Critically Important 6th-Century Manuscript Have Been Recovered—Here’s What They Reveal
Scientists have restored the lost portions of a manuscript widely considered one of the most critically important early New Testament works.
These Weird Medieval Artifacts Are Helping Archaeologists Unearth the Hidden World of Human Senses in the Middle Ages
New research reveals how curious medieval artifacts are helping uncover the hidden world of sensory experiences in the Middle Ages.
Missing for 2000 Years, the “Lost” Verses from This Ancient Greek Philosopher’s Writings Have Finally Been Discovered
A papyrologist at the University of Liège has made a remarkable discovery in the archives of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo.
Roman Sanctuary Found Beneath Frankfurt Could Transform What We Know About Religion on Rome’s Frontier
Archaeologists uncover a vast Roman sanctuary in Nida, revealing new clues about ritual life and religion on the empire’s frontier.
New Genetic Study of the Famous ‘Shroud of Turin’ Reopens Debate Over the Controversial Relic’s Origins
A new genetic study of the famous Shroud of Turin has revealed the complex interactions it has had with its environment over the centuries.
12,000-Year-Old Native American Dice Rewrite the Ancient History of Probability
Ancient dice dating back 12,000 years suggest early humans understood chance and probability long before mathematics emerged.
Can AI and One of History’s Most Preeminent Military Strategists Explain the U.S.-Iran War? The Answer Was Striking
AI applies Clausewitz to the U.S.-Iran war, revealing how strategy, politics, and power shape a conflict still far from resolved
“A Microcosm of Life Itself”: Archaeologists Use ‘Radioactive’ Method to Date Historic Coral Polynesian Structures
Scientists have revealed a new timeline for historic coral structures in French Polynesia thanks to the modern uranium-thorium dating method
A Mysterious Ancient Egyptian Text Reveals Evidence of Advanced Medicine 1000 Years Earlier Than Once Thought
An obscure ancient Egyptian text discovered in the 19th century led to discoveries that rewrote the timeline of early medical knowledge.
163-Year-Old Wreckage of Historic ‘USS Monitor’ Revealed in Haunting New Imagery with Cutting-Edge Sonar Tech
State-of-the-art technology has revealed the 19th-century wreckage site of the USS Monitor in stunning new highest resolution images.
Mysterious Greek Inscription Found in a Syrian Mosque Reopens Debate Over Roman “Temple of the Sun”
A mysterious inscription within the Great Mosque of Homs in Syria is raising new questions over the location of the Roman Temple of the Sun.
A Forgotten ESP Study From 1943 Is Raising New Questions About Experiments on Canada’s Indigenous Children
A resurfaced 1943 study brings the history of human experiments conducted on Indigenous children in Canadian residential schools into focus.
Droughts and Floods Weakened the Tang Dynasty Before Its Collapse, Researchers Say
New research suggests that environmental stress played an important role in weakening the Tang dynasty before its eventual collapse.
Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA Discovered? 500-Year-Old Disputed Drawing May Preserve Genetic Material Linked to Renaissance Artist
Researchers report having collected DNA they believe to belong to the legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci, offering new insights on the artist.
Voynich Manuscript Breakthrough? The Secret Behind “The Most Mysterious Book in the World” May Involve an Ancient Cipher System
A new theory argues the famous Voynich Manuscript, often referred to as “the most mysterious book in the world,” may have served as an ancient cipher system.
Cremation Before Civilization? Evidence Suggests Ancient Hunter Gatherers Cremated a Woman Nearly 10,000 Years Ago
Evidence suggests ancient hunter-gatherers performed the first ever African cremation of a female sometime around 9,500 years ago.
Has The Mystery of ‘The Bayeux Tapestry’ Been Solved? How a Medieval Illustration May Have Misled Scholars For Centuries
A medieval tapestry conveying an 11th-century tale of Norman conquest may have surprising origins, according to a new interpretation of the enigmatic ancient work of art.
A Century Later, Ramanujan’s Pi Equations Are Helping Physicists Unlock the Secrets of Nature
In 1914, Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan published a short paper detailing several unusual formulas for calculating the value of the number π.
An Ancient Sewer System is Revealing How Disease Spread Among Roman Soldiers
Roman soldiers living along Britain’s northern frontier used communal bath and toilet facilities that depended on a sewer system to remove waste from their fort.
Ancient Pottery Shows Humans Were Doing Math 3,000 Years Before Numbers Existed
Ancient pottery reveals early farmers were using math thousands of years before numbers, embedding geometry and patterns into everyday art.
Radiocarbon Study Redraws the Timeline of Ancient Egypt’s First Pharaohs
New data from radiocarbon dating is offering deeper insights into ancient Egypt and its relationship with the volcanic eruption at Thera.
New Study Debunks the Myth of Truly “Egalitarian” Societies in Human History
New study reveals that no human society has ever been truly Egalitarian, reshaping how we understand inequality and human social life.
Volcanoes, Famine and Grain Ships: How Climate‑Driven Trade May Have Brought the Black Death to Europe
Climate‑driven shifts due to volcanic activity, and the increase in grain trade helped bring the Black Death to Italian ports in 1347 and turned a regional disease into a continent‑wide catastrophe.
The Oldest Known Eclipse Record is Shedding Light on Early Celestial Mysteries, Revealing the Location of a Misplaced Ancient Chinese City
Using ancient Chinese eclipse records, scientists have calculated the Earth’s variable rotational speed back to the year 709 BCE.