Archaeology
If we don't understand our past, how can we be expected to prepare for our future? Archaeology is the study of human activity throughout history by studying ancient artefacts, structures and cultural landscapes, and goes hand in hand with the field of anthropology. Unlike what we are led to believe in films such as the Indiana Jones series, archaeology is a painstaking and meticulous scientific practise, with barely a whip or fedora in sight.
We might finally know how the pyramids were built
Breakthrough studies are beginning to paint a spectacular picture.
Pompeii disaster victims aren’t who we think they are, study suggests
New DNA evidence paints a very different picture of the eruption.
Scientists uncover two gigantic hidden ancient cities
Experts estimate without the technology, the cities would’ve taken decades to map out.
Ice Age hunters tricked mammoths into impaling themselves: new study
New research suggests humans trapped Ice Age animals in a self-impaling system rather than through direct contact.
Scientists have finally solved a major Stonehenge mystery
New findings highlight the origin of an important six-tonne part of the monument.
This Egyptian mummy was found screaming 90 years ago. Now scientists might know why
3,500 years after she died, this Egyptian mummy is finally revealing her secrets.
We might finally know how Egypt’s oldest pyramid was built
Just when you thought the Egyptians couldn’t get any smarter.
Pompeii disaster survivors were killed by second mysterious force, study finds
People fleeing the deadly volcano were doomed from the start.
Once-in-a-generation lunar standstill set to decode mysteries of Stonehenge
Experts are carefully watching the once-in-a-generation event to see whether the monument is aligned with the Moon.
Some (very creepy) secrets of Mayan human sacrifices have been uncovered
Note to self: avoid being an identical twin in ancient Mayan culture.
We might finally know how the biggest Egyptian pyramids were built
Aliens might not be behind Egypt's wonders after all.
Scientists capture Egyptian mummy’s ‘scent of eternity' - and are pumping it through a museum
This is one perfume you probably wouldn’t want to wear.
These ancient stone weapons may link the ice age peoples of North America and Northeast Asia
The discovery of North America’s oldest-known stone ‘projectile points’ has given archaeologists valuable insights into the use of ancient technology.
4,000-year-old head lice comb found inscribed with phrase using the alphabet
The comb was made by the Canaanites, an ancient people that lived in what is now Israel and Palestine around 4,000-5,000 years ago.
Oldest human DNA found in the UK reveals two genetically distinct groups migrated from Europe
The remains of the ancient Britons were found in caves in Somerset and North Wales and date back more than 13,500 years.
Were the bones of soldiers that died at the Battle of Waterloo sold as fertiliser? Probably, archaeologists say.
Very few human remains have been found at the site of the conflict despite thousands of soldiers being killed.
4,500-year-old poo found near Stonehenge shows Neolithic Britons were infected with parasites
The parasites were also present in dog poo found at the site, suggesting that prehistoric humans fed leftovers to their pet pups.
Scientists that found Shackleton’s lost ship are developing a ‘Google Maps for the Antarctic’
Navigating the polar regions is almost as complicated now as it was when Ernest Shackleton's Endurance sank in 1915. But the technology used to find the shipwreck could help create "a kind of Google Maps for the Arctic and Antarctic".
In Pictures: Shackleton’s ship Endurance found over a century after it sank
Incredible discovery made by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust and National Geographic.
Ancient spines threaded onto sticks found in Peru
The strange burial practice was discovered in the Chincha Valley on the Pacific Coast of Peru.
Earliest evidence of humans decorating jewellery unearthed in Polish cave
The 41,500-year-old ivory pendant is decorated with an ornate pattern of dots.
Children’s skull from ancient human ancestor Homo naledi unearthed in South African cave
The 250,000-year-old remains were found in the remote depths of the Rising Star cave system in Johannesburg.
Secrets of the dead: How perfectly preserved brains let us look back in time
What can preserved human brains tell us about the past?
Early humans in Israel used modern fishing tools 12,000 years ago
The people who used these tools "knew all there was to know about fish".