1250 Items Tagged

Archaeology

In Maidanetske, a massive Neolithic settlement is revealing a complex social structure.

cultures and civilizations

In Neolithic Ukraine, Big Buildings Hint at Democratic Assemblies

Until it all came crashing down.

Isaac Schultz September 25, 2019

Bowls and bottles recovered from the site.

The Japanese Ghost Town Buried Deep in a Canadian Forest

Archaeologists have dug up sake bottles and delicate rice bowls.

Reina Gattuso September 23, 2019

Detail of the sacrificial scenes.

Arch of the Argentarii

This ancient Roman arch misled treasure hunters for centuries.

The memorial is below ground, and is slowly being overtaken by nature.

Gerald Lankester Harding's Burial Place

The 20th-century archaeologist was interred among the ruins of an ancient Roman city.

Acequia Madre.

Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico

Acequia Madre

The remains of a centuries-old water system that inspired local legends of secret tunnels.

Two bulls carved in the temple at El-Kurru.

El-Kurru’s Carved Graffiti Reveal Another Side of Ancient Nubia

From Kushites to Christians, an old site in Sudan has new stories to tell.

Isaac Schultz September 19, 2019

The abandoned Moravian Mission site at Hebron, evacuated in 1959.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Abandoned Hebron Mission

This remote Moravian mission brought Christianity—as well as devastation—to the Inuit people.

The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento (including the more contemporary "fallen" Icarus statue by the Polish artist Igor Mitoraj) is just one of the world's incredible ruin sites.

14 Lesser-Known Ancient Sites Worth Building a Trip Around

Check out Atlas Obscura readers' favorite archaeological wonders.

Eric Grundhauser September 16, 2019

At fossil identification days, such as this one at the American Museum of Natural History in 2018, kids can bring in their finds for an expert opinion.

Why Kids Find the Darndest Prehistoric Things

It helps to be curious, low to the ground, and not afraid to look a little silly.

Jessica Leigh Hester September 16, 2019

These lovely pastries in the British Museum are 1,500 years old.

Why Museums Display Ancient Pastries and Beef Older Than Christ

People love food, even when it's behind a glass case.

Anne Ewbank September 13, 2019

Historic trash in Joshua Tree National Park.

Sometimes Trash Is Treasured in America's National Parks

Bottles, cans, and more can reveal a long history of industry, recreation, and shenanigans.

Jessica Leigh Hester September 13, 2019

Cramond Lioness.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Cramond Lioness

This Roman relic was discovered in Scotland by a mudlarking ferryman.

Quelfénec Neolithic Site

Plussulien, France

Quelfénec Neolithic Site

This stone quarry was used to make axes and other tools more than 6,000 years ago.

Reconstructed flume.

Paradox, Colorado

Hanging Flume

The decaying ruins of a failed mining company’s water diversion project cling to the side of a desert canyon.

Église Notre-Dame de Vals (Church of Our Lady of Vals)

A medieval church built into an ancient cave.

The Le Rozel site in Normandy, which has yielded hundreds of Neanderthal footprints.

Found: A Windfall of Neanderthal Footprints in France

257 small steps for our human cousins, one giant leap for paleoanthropology.

Isaac Schultz September 9, 2019

Portraits of the saints.

Basilica of San Crisogono

Remnants of a 4th-century church with vivid medieval frescoes and ancient sarcophagi hide beneath this old basilica.

Water stains and aquatic plants attest that the dolmen was recently submerged.

Drought Has Revealed Spain's Long-Submerged 'Stonehenge'

Up close with the 7,000-year-old Dolmen of Guadalperal.

Alyssa McMurtry September 6, 2019