In Brief
Archaeologist Discovers Ancient Mayan City Built on a Grid
If you've ever found yourself lost in Manhattan, you know that city grids are a beautiful thing.
Archaeology
In Brief
Archaeologist Finds Liquid Mercury at Ancient Mesoamerican Site
Large quantities of liquid mercury have been discovered at one of Mexico's most sacred pre-Columbian sites.
News
An Archaeological Twist in a Florida Fight Against High-Speed Rail
Eastern Floridians who have long been fighting a high-speed rail development in their region claim in a lawsuit that it would damage two "prehistoric sites of cultural importance."
News
ISIS Video Shows Devastating Destruction of Ancient Assyria's Capital
They were removing "signs of idolatry." That's what an ISIS fighter said in a video published online Saturday.
Art
Richest Gathering of Hellenistic Bronzes in Centuries Goes on Tour
In Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World, opened last week at Florence's Palazzo Strozzi, more Greek bronzes are assembled than ever before in the modern age.
Art
Afterlives of Mesopotamian Artifacts, from Flapper Fashion to de Kooning
After excavation, ancient artifacts embark on an afterlife of interpretation. From Ancient to Modern explores how the archaeology of Mesopotamia reflected fashions and academia of the 1920s and 30s, and influenced contemporary art.
In Brief
Angered Archaeologists Allow Thousands to Enter the Louvre for Free
On Thursday about 100 peeved archaeologists took over the lobby of the Louvre in Paris, blocking the ticket booths for nearly five hours and allowing visitors to enter the museum without paying admission.
Art
Why Is No One Talking About Libya's Cultural Destruction?
Over the past few years, Libya has been making archaeology headlines not for the exciting new discoveries there, but for the ruthless cultural destruction.
News
Researchers Find Way to Read Papyrus Texts Buried at Herculaneum for the First Time
Only one library from the classical world is known to have survived along with its texts: the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum. Ever since its discovery in 1754, archaeologists have attempted to crack open the villa's carbonized texts with knives, chemicals, and unrolling machines, all with little
News
Tomb of Unknown Queen Discovered in Egypt
Archaeologists are one step closer to piecing together an ancient family tree after discovering the 4,500-year-old tomb of an unknown Egyptian queen named Khentakawess, AFP reported.
News
The World's Oldest Art May Be This 430,000-Year-Old Zigzag on a Shell
The history of artistic expression got stretched back a few hundred thousand years this week with the identification of an engraved shell believed to have been carved by Homo erectus. That early human ancestor could rattle the long-held belief that the use of deliberate visual expression is specific
News
Visions of Heaven and Earth in an Ancient Chinese Tomb
Archaeologists have unsealed a 1,000-year-old brick tomb in northern China containing unusually well-preserved murals of heavenly and earthly scenes.