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Archaeology

More Stories in Archaeology

  1. An Amazonian woman walks away from the camera while holding a large basket on her head.
    Earth

     Indigenous people may have created the Amazon’s ‘dark earth’ on purpose

    Modern Amazonians make nutrient-rich soil from ash, food scraps and burns. The soil strongly resembles ancient dark soils found in the region.
    By Freda Kreier
  2. a child's partial skull, belonging to Homo naledi, against a black backdrop. The area around the bridge of the nose and eyebrows is brown, while the rest of the skull is mostly white.
    Anthropology

    Homo naledi may have lit fires in underground caves at least 236,000 years ago

    Homo naledi may have joined the group of ancient hominids who built controlled fires, presumably for light or warmth, new finds hint.

    By Bruce Bower
  3. A photo of spider monkey bones found buried alongside eagle bones to the left and other animal bones
    Archaeology

    A spider monkey’s remains tell a story of ancient diplomacy in the Americas

    A 1,700-year-old spider monkey skeleton unearthed at Teotihuacan in Mexico was likely a diplomatic gift from the Maya.
    By Freda Kreier
  4. A photo of a large boab tree in the center with several smaller trees spread out around it
    Anthropology

    Carvings on Australia’s boab trees reveal a generation’s lost history

    Archaeologists and an Aboriginal family are working together to rediscover a First Nations group’s lost connections to the land.
    By Freda Kreier
  5. A photo of the remnants of a pyramid among trees and other forest growth
    Archaeology

     Some Maya rulers may have taken generations to attract subjects

    Commoners slowly granted authority to kings at the ancient Maya site of Tamarindito, researchers suspect.
    By Bruce Bower
  6. A photo of Stonehenge at sunset
    Archaeology

    50 years ago, Stonehenge’s purpose mystified scientists. It still does

    In 1972, scientists thought Stonehenge may have been a calendar. Today, we still don’t know its purpose, but we have gained insight on its origin.
    By Maria Temming
  7. An ancient ivory comb with a row of teeth faint signs of engraving
    Humans

     This ancient Canaanite comb is engraved with a plea against lice

    The Canaanite comb bears the earliest known instance of a complete sentence written in a phonetic alphabet, researchers say.
    By Freda Kreier
  8. profile photo of the top section of a gold sarcophagus belonging to King Tutankhamun
    Archaeology

     King Tut’s tomb still has secrets to reveal 100 years after its discovery

    More of Tut’s story is poised to come to light in the coming years. Here are four things to know on the 100th anniversary of his tomb’s discovery.
    By Bruce Bower
  9. archaeologists excavating graves of plague victims at a London cemetery
    Genetics

     Black Death immunity came at a cost to modern-day health

    A genetic variant that boosts Crohn’s disease risk may have helped people survive the 14th century bubonic plague known as the Black Death.
    By Wynne Parry