Archaeology

Researchers have decoded more than half of the characters in the so-called Kushan script by comparing them with inscriptions in a known ancient language called Bactrian

Extraordinary claims about the small-brained human relative Homo naledi challenge prevailing view of cognitive evolution

Stone engravings of ancient megastructures called desert kites may be the earliest “blueprints” ever discovered

Macaques using stones to open oil palm nuts can accidentally create stone flakes that look like early human tools

Archaeologists have found a handful of human skeletons with characteristics that have been linked to horseback riding and are a millennium older than early depictions of humans riding horses

Resins used by ancient Egyptians to prepare bodies for the afterlife are found in vessels in a 2,500-year-old workshop

Archaeologists studying one of the birthplaces of agriculture find a complex interplay between human actions and the workings of nature and genetics.

Mineral deposits called “lime clasts” found in ancient Roman concrete give the material self-healing capabilities that could help engineers develop more resilient modern concrete and reduce its associated emissions

A sprawling Maya site has been discovered beneath a Guatemalan rain forest

Archeologists have found a small mountain of artifacts buried in a farm field that show the presence of some of the first peoples to inhabit the Americas.

A century after archaeologist Howard Carter’s momentous discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, questions and controversy still swirl around Egypt’s most famous king

Scientists say drought and other climate change impacts are undermining their ability to protect and document important sites before they degrade or disappear