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This Viking comb had the word "comb" inscribed on it.
vikings

Found: A Viking Comb That Says 'Comb'

It is helping researchers understand runic inscriptions, so maybe we should all start labeling our stuff.
Vittoria Traverso January 15, 2018
Ancient round barrow in an unlikely spot.
Cambridge, England

Fourwentways Bronze Age Cemetery

A 4,000-year-old burial site hides behind a roadside Burger King.
An original puzzle lock discovered in the Rhine River in Germany.
objects of intrigue

The Fashion and Mystery of Ancient Roman Puzzle Locks

Put something complicated, useful, and stylish on your finger.
Eric Grundhauser January 12, 2018
A page from the <em>Book of Deer</em>, a medieval illuminated book of gospels, is believed to be Scotland's oldest manuscript.
medieval

Found: Evidence of a Long-Lost Scottish Monastery

Archaeologists may have found where one of the country's oldest manuscripts was written.
Vittoria Traverso January 11, 2018
A fresco from Pompeii shows people playing something resembling a board game on a small table.
games

The Impossible Task of Reconstructing the Rules to an Ancient Board Game

How would you figure out Monopoly with no instructions and half the pieces missing?
Natasha Frost January 11, 2018
The largest paper fragment recovered from Blackbeard's wreck is about the size of a quarter.
pirates

Found: Scraps of a Book From the Wreck of Blackbeard's Flagship

Apparently pirates spent some of their free time reading about sea voyages.
Vittoria Traverso January 8, 2018
The Inca Bridge, a backdoor to Machu Picchu.
Aguas Calientes, Peru

Inca Bridge

A backdoor to Machu Picchu that only the most foolhardy infiltrator would attempt to breach.
A 3.75-pound meteorite from the Sikhote Alin shower of 1947.
meteorites

Before the Iron Age, Most Iron Came From Space

New research is showing just how coveted meteoritic iron was in the Bronze Age.
Vittoria Traverso December 22, 2017
The Norse coin found at the Goddard site.
vikings

The Mystery of Maine's Viking Penny

The coin is the real deal, but how did it get all the way from Norway?
Sarah Laskow December 21, 2017
Archaeologists examine a ballast pile near Naxos.
shipwrecks

Found: Roman Shipwrecks Off the Greek Island of Naxos

Amphoras and anchors at a popular stop on east-west trade routes.
Vittoria Traverso December 19, 2017
Some unnerving faces in Leymebamba Museum
Leymebamba, Peru

Mummies of Museo Leymebamba

Hundreds of mummies in a silent room, some with eerily pained expressions preserved on their faces.
Ceramics, glassware, and clay pipes found at the site of an 18th-century coffeehouse in England.
food

Found: The Remains of an 18th-Century English Coffeehouse

Archaeologists think that calf's foot jelly was its signature dish.
Vittoria Traverso December 18, 2017
A shield painting from the cave art.
archaeology

In Indonesian Caves, a Treasure Trove of Forgotten Ancient Paintings

The images show dynamic scenes of dogs and drums.
Natasha Frost December 15, 2017
A model of khipu knots, representative of many khipus from pre- and post-Conquest Peru
colleges

The College Student Who Decoded the Data Hidden in Inca Knots

Manny Medrano cut loose on spring break by analyzing a set of khipus.
Katherine Davis-Young December 14, 2017
Erotic art.
Lima, Peru

Larco Museum's Erotic Art

The large collection of pre-Columbian pottery might make you blush.
This tureen features handles that are decorated with bovine heads.
food

Found: A 3,100-Year-Old Tomb Full of Bronze Cauldrons and Other Food Vessels

Archaeologists believe they were spoils of war.
Vittoria Traverso December 12, 2017
Recolored photo of George White's 1991 cornerstone.
Washington, D.C.

Missing Capitol Building Cornerstone

A promising candidate for the lost rock laid by George Washington was unearthed, but the hunt is still on.
The tomb was filled with cauldrons and drinking bowls.
ancient

Recreating King Midas's 2,700-Year-Old Feast

A mysterious tomb contained a royal feast. Scientific analysis made it possible to taste once again.
Anne Ewbank December 11, 2017