Archaeology

Humans

Scientists Say: Artifact

Take note: This term might describe ancient pottery shards in the field of archeology. But in statistics, it’s a misleading pattern in data.

Archaeology

Knotted strands of 500-year-old hair tell a surprising story

Used in a device called a khipu, the hair reveals the owner’s simple diet. Those data now suggest that in Incan society, even some commoners kept records.

Archaeology

This may be the oldest, most complete Neandertal fingerprint ever seen

The print appears in a red ochre dot, which a Neandertal left on the ‘nose’ of a facelike rock roughly 43,000 years ago.

Genetics

DNA confirmed a Pueblo tribe’s ties to Chaco Canyon

DNA supports Picuris Pueblo stories of their ancestry going back more than 1,000 years — to the famous Chaco Canyon site.

Archaeology

Roman gladiators really fought big cats, ancient bite marks suggest 

This is the first skeletal evidence of an ancient Roman gladiator show — or execution — involving an exotic animal.

Archaeology

Let’s learn about radiocarbon dating

Through the power of radioactivity, carbon dating can reveal the age of many fossils and artifacts.

Fossils

50 years on, Lucy offers lessons for achieving fossil fame

Since the discovery of Lucy's skeleton in 1974, a catchy name and ongoing scientific debates have kept this human ancestor in the spotlight.

Archaeology

Let’s learn about ancient pyramids

You may have heard of pyramids built in ancient Egypt — but what about ones built elsewhere in Africa, Europe and the Americas?

Earth

Earthquakes upped the death toll at Pompeii

Broken bodies found at a house in Pompeii suggest that earthquakes played a role in the legendary tragedy.

Archaeology

An Egyptian mummy’s silent ‘scream’ hints at her violent death

A rare muscle stiffening known as a cadaveric spasm might explain the mummy’s open-mouthed expression.

Archaeology

Scientists Say: Stone Age

This vast, mysterious stretch of time marks the dawn of human civilizations.

Tech

Did builders of Egypt’s first pyramid use a water-powered elevator?

A controversial study suggests that ancient people might have used one to hoist the stones used to assemble into King Djoser’s pyramid.