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An illustration of Alexander the Great
Was Alexander the Great eaten by sharks? Inside the wild theories for what happened to the iconic ruler's body. The remains of Alexander the Great may lie under the streets of Alexandria, they may have been "eaten by a shark," or they may be somewhere else entirely. But one thing is certain: Archaeologists don't agree.
Small ivory diving bird sculpture pointed down at a 45-degree angle against a royal blue background
Hohle Fels water bird: The oldest depiction of a bird in the world This tiny bird sculpture was created 40,000 years ago by early humans in Europe who carved the key animals in their lives.
A whitish stone tool is stuck into a piece of brown wood with greyish tar. There is a hole drilled into the wood.
Pfyn culture flint tool: World's oldest known 'Swiss Army' knife Over five millennia ago, Stone Age people in Central Europe crafted wooden handles for their stone tools.

Latest about Archaeology

a reconstruction of a Russian warrior in battle gear with a bow and arrow

Stunning reconstruction reveals warrior from ancient Siberia

By Tom Metcalfe published

A new full-body reconstruction depicts a warrior wearing armor and holding weapons, all of which were found in a 4,000-year-old burial in Siberia.

Archaeology
an aerial view of a mass grave with many bones

Mass grave of Roman-era soldiers discovered beneath soccer field in Vienna

By Tom Metcalfe published

Roman dead were often cremated, so the ancient mass grave in Vienna is a rare find.

Romans
7,000-year-old natural mummy found at the Takarkori rock shelter (Individual H1) in Southern Libya.

Unknown human lineage lived in 'Green Sahara' 7,000 years ago, ancient DNA reveals

By Skyler Ware published

Researchers analyzed the ancient DNA of two mummies from what is now Libya to learn about people who lived in the "Green Sahara" 7,000 years ago.

Archaeology
a close-up of a stamp with a warrior riding a horse

Mysterious origin of iconic Sutton Hoo helmet possibly revealed in new research

By Tom Metcalfe published

A metalworking die found in Denmark features a depiction of a horse and warrior that is remarkably similar to motifs on the Sutton Hoo helmet in England.

Archaeology

Ancient Egypt: History, dynasties, religion and writing

By Owen Jarus published

The rich history of ancient Egypt involves power struggles, amazing feats of engineering, advances in writing and art, and more.

Ancient Egyptians
a closeup of King Tut's gold mask

Ancient Egypt: Facts about the ancient civilization known for its pyramids, mummies and pharaohs

By Margherita Bassi last updated

Discover interesting facts about ancient Egypt's pyramids, mummies and pharaohs.

Ancient Egyptians
a closeup of an amulet with a scarab on it

3-year-old picks up 'beautiful stone,' discovers 3,800-year-old scarab amulet in Israel

By Laura Geggel published

A 3-year-old girl in Israel found an ancient Canaanite amulet shaped like a scarab while she was out walking with her family.

Archaeology

Unknown human species in East Asia used sophisticated tools at the same time Neanderthals did in Europe

By Ben Marwick published

A stone tool discovery in China rewrites the human story of Middle Paleolithic era in East Asia

Archaeology
Small ivory diving bird sculpture pointed down at a 45-degree angle against a royal blue background

Hohle Fels water bird: The oldest depiction of a bird in the world

By Kristina Killgrove published

This tiny bird sculpture was created 40,000 years ago by early humans in Europe who carved the key animals in their lives.

Archaeology
Here we see a reconstruction of our human relative Homo naledi, which has a wider nose and larger brow than humans.

A 'landmark finding': Homo naledi buried their dead 250,000 years ago, according to newly updated research

By Kristina Killgrove last updated

Homo naledi, an extinct human relative with one-third the brain size of ours, buried and may have memorialized their dead, controversial research suggests.

Archaeology
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