Weapons of the Ancient World

How people of the past developed arms to master the challenges of their time

THE KING'S CANAL

Rock reliefs in Iraqi Kurdistan show how Assyrian farmers toiled under the royal gaze

VILLAGES IN THE SKY

High in the Rockies, archaeologists have discovered evidence of mountain life 4,000 years ago

SPLENDOR AT THE EDGE OF THE SAHARA

Excavations of a bustling medieval city tell the tale of a powerful Berber dynasty

MEGASITES OF UKRAINE

Massive 6,000-year-old settlements are revolutionizing how archaeologists understand ancient cities

Farm to Emperor's Table

Excavations reveal the inner workings of an ancient Roman imperial estate

Life In The City Of The Gods

Inside the neighborhoods of Teotihuacan, Mesoamerica’s first great metropolis

Magical Beasts Of Babylon

How the Ishtar Gate safeguarded the Mesopotamian world

Artists Of The Dark Zone

Deciphering Cherokee ritual imagery deep in the caves of the American South

Searching For The Witches' Tower

Archaeologists hunt for evidence of a 17th-century English family accused of witchcraft

Saving Nero's Fabled Pleasure Palace

How archaeologists are saving Nero's fabled pleasure palace.

The Rulers Of Foreign Lands

Was a new regional power, once thought of as a bloodthirsty invading force, actually a catalyst for ancient Egypt’s most prosperous era?

The Alchemist's Tale

Long regarded as a charlatan’s game, alchemy is now taking its proper place in the history of science.

Rites of the Scythians

Spectacular new discoveries from the Caucasus set the stage for a dramatic hilltop ritual.

Franklin's Last Voyage

After 170 years and countless searches, archaeologists have discovered a famed wreck in the frigid Arctic.

Vietnam's First City

At the site of Co Loa, researchers are examining the foundations of power in Southeast Asia.

The Secrets Of Sabotage

One of history’s greatest “what ifs” is the question of what would have happened had the Germans been able to develop nuclear weapons during the Second World War.

Evolution Of A Town

The beginnings of a Roman settlement in southern Gaul

Romans On The Bay Of Naples

A spectacular villa under Positano sees the light.

A Local Institution

The cellar of an 18th-century coffeehouse has been unearthed in Cambridge, revealing a dynamic social venue

When The Inuit Met The Basques

A site in southeastern Canada bears evidence of surprising 17th-century interactions between peoples from disparate parts of the world

Shipping Stone

A wreck off the Sicilian coast offers a rare look into the world of Byzantine commerce

Westminster Abbey's Hidden History

Far above the royal pomp and circumstance, archaeologists unexpectedly discover seven centuries of England’s past

An Etruscan Family Story

Surprising evidence of daily life and of one of Rome’s greatest conflicts is found in a wealthy residence in Tuscany

Timelines

Tracking when humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans crossed paths—and what became of their offspring.

Fire In The Fens

A short-lived settlement provides an unparalleled view of bronze age life in eastern england.

Digging Up Digital Music

Archaeologists think of stone tools in terms of “technologies”—the particular ways that they were made and used—that help us understand the cultures that produced them. Today we have our own technologies, but they come and go at a vastly different pace. Their life spans are measured not in thousands of years, but in months and even days. To modern digital technology, 65 years is an eon.

Hidden From View

One of Cappadocia’s underground cities may yet yield clues about its history.

The Blackener's Cave

Viking Age outlaws, taboo, and ritual in Iceland’s lava fields. 

After The Battle

The defeat of a Scottish army at the 1650 Battle of Dunbar was just the beginning of an epic ordeal for the survivors.