Archaeology

DNA analysis confirms that bones excavated from underneath a parking lot in Leicester, England, are the remains of the vilified English king, Richard III

New fossil discoveries complicate the already devilish task of identifying our most ancient progenitors

An analysis of pills recovered from a shipwreck off the coast of Italy reveals them to contain zinc compounds that were probably used as eye medication. Sophie Bushwick reports

An almost 5,000-year-old collection of precious stones may be the earliest evidence of shamanic rituals in Central America

Ancient Pompeii’s political elite vied for advertising space on the “private walls” of wealthy citizens

A record of changing climate in the Olduvai Gorge suggests early humans had to adapt to shifting ecosystems

After a drought revealed the seawall of a Byzantine Empire harbor town near Istanbul, archeologists excavated what was a thriving ancient center. But how does it fit into the city's 1,600-year history?

A drone aircraft can acquire in minutes data for a 3-D map of an archaeological site that would have taken humans years to gather. Cynthia Graber reports

Research shows that what laid low Mayan society was climate change, which brought prolonged drought. David Biello reports

Milk fat residue on pottery shards shows that people were purposefully making cheese at least 7,500 years ago. Sophie Bushwick reports

A new genetic analysis reveals that Ötzi the Iceman is most closely related to modern-day Sardinian