Items ranging from those left over at a modern-day campsite to the remains of an ancient tomb are at the heart of archaeology. This branch of science seeks to study humanity through material evidence, including artifacts and human remains. These resources will help you to better understand this ever-growing field and its implications for future generations.
Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
Archaeologists are increasingly relying on dogs to help find decaying bodies at burial sites, some of them up to thousands of years old. This is helping archaeologists to detect past remains without ever touching a shovel, which means there's less...
Archaeologists have managed to brew beer from yeast found inside jugs abandoned thousands of years ago. This article explores why scientists are recreating these ancient beverages and what they hope to learn. People have been drinking beer for...
The natural pitch of a person's voice depends on the size of their larynx, also known as their voice box, and the length and thickness of their vocal folds or vocal cords. Using this information, scientists have recreated the voice of Ötzi the...
As ancient artists made their way deep into caves and created massive works of art that continue to inspire awe today, they would've required light sources to see what they were doing. This gallery details some of the light sources that cave artists...
Humans rely on plants to survive, and many plants have come to rely on humans. This 14-minute video explores how agriculture was simultaneously a building block of civilization and a trap that captured humanity. Plant types that may not have...
This narrative article follows an archaeological team as they sift through the remains of Nahal Ein Gev II, an ancient village near the Sea of Galilee in Israel. Abandoned about 12,000 years ago, the site has been investigated for years and...
This article explores how economic and social inequality relates to the rise of agriculture. About 10,000 years ago, some hunter-gatherers started farming, launching what came to be known as the Neolithic revolution. Hunting and gathering allowed...
This 28-minute podcast dives into the political ramifications of two Ming dynasty-era ships found in the South China Sea in October 2022. The ships, filled with well-preserved porcelain and timber, were found 1,500 meters—about 4,900...
Archaeologists have always been interested in rubbish—sites such as waste heaps, middens, and latrines can be some of the richest places to learn about the human past. But the type of rubbish we're leaving behind is changing, and much of it now...
The earliest evidence for stone tools currently dates back to 3.3 million years ago, long before modern humans started roaming about. These tools were made by stone flaking, a mode of tool creation that still is used today and is done by striking...
Weave together the many narratives of world history with our highly curated and expanding selection of diverse, fascinating resources designed to showcase the breadth and richness of Earth's story, from the earliest traces of human civilization to the dramatic developments of contemporary cultures.