Archaeology

For decades, an influential theory blamed the Rapanui for their own downfall—a story made famous by Jared Diamond’s book Collapse. New evidence tells a different tale

Centuries-old DNA that was found in these mummies belongs to an extinct viral lineage of smallpox that was brought across the Atlantic during European colonization of the Americas

Many of these structures date to around C.E. 100–300, during the time of the Aquiry civilization, and may have been used for ceremonial purposes

Actor Tom Hiddleston reflects on the first time he visited Pompeii as a teenager and explains why the ancient city’s preserved tragedy continues to shape his understanding of history and humanity

These findings challenge a long-held belief about weapons found in female burial sites

The signature of Sak Tahn Waax, or “White-Chested Fox,” was found inscribed in a 1,000-year-old chamber beneath present-day Guatemala

An ancient sample shows calcite threading through this material’s cracks and pores, offering possible lessons for making modern concrete last longer

Anthropeum is a daily game that uses the Met’s open-access data to showcase underrepresented art and artifacts

The hominins may have gone on adventures, but they lacked key skills of modern humans

The breakthrough could reveal previously hidden ancient human activity inside caves acting as “genetic archives”

This Silicon Valley–backed venture is unraveling the mangled remains of scrolls ruined by the C.E. 79 eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Herculaneum and Pompeii

A new method that detects whether bones have been burned reveals Homo erectus brought fires into caves far earlier than previous evidence had suggested