archaeology

Recovering the Story of the Empress Messalina After a Roman Cancellation

by Honor Cargill-Martin

After the empress Valeria Messalina's fatal fall from favor with her husband Claudius, her name and image were stricken from public and private spheres, an episode that reveals the tightly-regulated dissemination of imperial women's images (and puts current "cancel culture" panic and whisper networks into perspective). 

Discovery: Vast Network of Connected Mayan Cities in Guatemala

The discovery, using LIDAR technology, of more than 400 settlements connected by more than 100 miles of highways suggests that the Mayan civilization was even more developed than previously believed. The discovery also raises major issues of preservation and public access to the site. 

Is Archaeology Due for a Sexual Revolution?

What if the phallic objects of antiquity were less about ceremony or symbolism and had extremely... practical uses? Have Victorian attitudes toward sexuality suppressed discussion of ancient artifacts' use in sex? 

An Amateur Historian Helped Find Richard III's Remains Under a Parking Garage. Her Story Hits the Screen

The Plantagenet King Richard III was portrayed as a villain by the Tudor dynasty that supplanted him in 1485 (including by Shakespeare). Philippa Langley came to question his bad reputation, and began investigations that led to the discovery of his remains

The Secrets of Bog People

Scholars have released a comprehensive survey of bodies discovered in bogs, including a database of more than 1,000 bodies from 266 sites spanning approximately 7,000 years of northern European history.  

Parthenon Marbles' Fate Subject to Secret Talks

The British Museum and Greek government officials have acknowledged secret talks over the last two years about the repatriation of marbles taken by Lord Elgin from the Parthenon in the early 1800s. The resolution is not yet known. 

Alphabet Politics: What Caused the Development of Writing?

by Josephine Quinn

Much remains unknown about the earliest development of written language; two new books make important contributions.   

A Grisly but Significant Discovery at Red Bank Updates the History of the 1777 Philadelphia Campaign

by Robin Baker

Local volunteers excavating near the site of Fort Mercer in southern New Jersey discovered new evidence of the participation of Hessian mercenaries in a key battle in the British attempt to seize Philadelphia in 1777.

A Hundred Years On, Tutankhamun's Alleged Curse Still Captivates

by Gill Paul

The fevered belief that visitors to Tutankhamun's tomb (and their families) were cursed became a media phenomenon in 1922, but popular culture from the Bible to Victorian serial stories and stage plays had already linked mummies and the supernatural. Today, curses persist alongside conspiracy theories to help ease the randomness of tragedy.

Melting European Glaciers Yielding Artifacts Faster than Archaeologists Can Keep Up

Artifacts trapped in glacial ice are valuable because they are preserved; for archaeologists, climate change means both glaciers and artifacts are at risk. 

Drone Photos Give New Insight into Mesopotamian City Structure

Evidence of separate clusters of urbanization on islands separated by marshland suggests that ancient Lagash did not grow out from one administrative and ceremonial center but was a polycentric urban zone. 

What Will Nobel Recognition Mean for Ancient Human DNA Studies?

by Mary Prendergast

An archaeologist sees the recogntion of paleogenomics as a vital tool to reinvigorate the field's access to knowledge about early humans, but warns that the science needs to be accompanied by ethical self-reflection to respect the remains of indigenous people and avoid giving credence to pseudoscientific racism. 

New Archaeology of Lost Crops Shows the Reign of Corn Wasn't Inevitable

The establishment of corn as the center of indigenous American agriculture was slow; researchers are considering how other crops could have come to dominate the American food system.

What Must Be Done with Native Remains in Texas's Big Bend Region?

Byron Schroeder ran into difficulty tracking down the story of a commerical artifact digging operation on private land. Past participants were reticent because, in addition to artifacts, some had removed human remains. The story highlights the divides between academic and amateur archaeologists and the ethics of digs.

Search for Missing Native Artifacts Reveals Scandalous Handling of Human Remains by University of North Dakota

“The best way I can describe how we have found things is in the most inhumane way possible,” Laine Lyons said. “Just completely disregarded that these were once people.” 

Discovery of Earliest Known Record of Mayan Calendar

A fragment discovered at the Las Pinturas pyramid site in San Bartolo, Guatemala connects the ancient site to a calendar system used by indigenous Mayan people today. 

The Paradox of Sourness

Of all the major taste categories, the relationship between human thriving and sensing sourness is the least understood. 

Thank a Hungry Badger for Discovering a Vast Cache of Roman Coins

The badger could not be reached for comment. 

Richard Leakey, Finder of Fossils Key to Story of Human Origins, Dies at 77

Leakey's discoveries were foundational both to the study of human origins and the model of scientific investigation. 

Discovering the World's Oldest Figurative Paintings

The Sulawesi pig is estimated to be 10,000 years older than the Lascaux cave drawings and shows that figurative art didn't originate exclusively in Europe.