Archaeology: Facts, Trivia, Quizzes, Brain Teasers & More

Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, the site of humankind's earliest ancestors.

The gorge in northern Tanzania has yielded many of the oldest fossils of humankind, shedding new light on our ancient ancestors.

A portrait of the scientists who found and examined the Piltdown Man skull (accompanied by a picture of Charles Darwin on the wall).

From forged artworks to fake mummies and even fraudulent orangutan bones, archaeological hoaxes fool scientists and stir the public’s imagination—until the culprits are forced to come clean.

A replica of Paleolithic cave drawings of deer, horses, and aurochs, dating to 15,000 BCE, from Lascaux cave in France.

The Stone Age timeline encompasses a huge chunk of prehistory—and life wasn’t only about hunting and gathering.

The ruins of the Maya settlement Palenque in Mexico.

The changing climate did not bode well for Khmer Empire, the Maya Civilization, and more ancient cultures.

Tollund Man on display at the Silkeborg Museum, Denmark.

The bodies of Iron Age Europeans are so well preserved in peat bogs that they’re sometimes mistaken for modern murder victims.

The coins show a figure of a kneeling archer.

Archaeologists discovered a hoard of Persian coins at the site of ancient Greek city in what is now Turkey.

A fragment of an arm bone found on Flores, Indonesia, suggests that some of our human ancestors were even smaller than we thought.

From King Tut’s treasure-stuffed tomb to one of the world's oldest human burial sites, these ancient resting places sent their occupants to the afterlife in style.

Three human-like figures and a large pig are drawn on a limestone cave wall.

The drawing of three human figures with a pig was discovered in an Indonesian cave—and might be the world’s oldest art that tells a story.

Detail of a diorama of a Neanderthal mother and child at the Moravian Provincial Museum in Brno, Czech Republic.

A fossilized ear bone supports the idea that Neanderthals helped raise the child collectively and altruistically.

The preserved hull of the Tudor warship ‘Mary Rose.’

King Henry VIII built the English Royal Navy around his favorite warship, the ‘Mary Rose,’ which sank under mysterious circumstances in 1545.

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Moai at Ahu Tahai with dramatic clouds.

New satellite data of ancient rock gardens on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is countering the “ecocide” narrative of the population’s supposed collapse—and offering a clue to a historical mystery.

Sir Ernest Shackleton stands on the deck of the ‘Quest’ before it left for Antarctica.

The ‘Quest’ was the ship on which Sir Ernest Shackleton carried out his final, uncompleted voyage to Antarctica.

A portion of the preserved Maya village Joya de Ceren (“Jewel of Ceren”) under a protective roof.

Buried by a volcanic eruption 1400 years ago, well-preserved remains of the Maya village in modern-day El Salvador have earned a provocative nickname: The Pompeii of the New World.

Andreas Pernerstorfer’s wine cellar renovations revealed a trove of at least three mammoth skeletons.

The three mammoth skeletons represent the first significant paleontology discovery in Austria in a century.

Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, at sunset, c26th century BC.

A recent study claims that the pyramids of Giza were constructed alongside an almost 40-mile long artery of the Nile river that no longer exists today.

Replicas of golden sarcophagi are showcased in “Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures.”

If you can’t make it to Egypt, head to Washington, D.C., where “Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures” puts visitors inside the artifact-stuffed rooms of King Tut’s tomb.

Angkor Wat reflected in one of its waterways.

Angkor Wat is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. Here is what we know of its story, from its countless carvings to feats of engineering.

We invented jewelry (such as this ancient Egyptian beaded necklace) before we invented the wheel.

In the scope of human history, the wheel is actually a rather young creation. Beer, clothing, and jewelry are much older.

A replica of the Denisovan finger bone discovered in 2010.

The Denisovans went extinct around 30,000 years ago. Scientists are just beginning to unravel their genetic legacy.

A section of Hadrian’s Wall showing the remains of a Roman fort.

Uncover the story of Hadrian’s Wall and take a fascinating dive into life at the Roman Empire’s northern frontier.

Recreated Viking sod houses behind a wooden fence at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada.

Discover the mysteries of L’Anse aux Meadows, the only confirmed Viking settlement in North America.

Virginia Woolf, Charlie Chaplin, and Ludwig van Beethoven could be considered nepo babies.

Plenty of nepo babies have earned their places in history. But it’s always good to acknowledge the doors open to people who have rich relatives—or whose dad knows the manager of a clogging troupe.

Part of a tablet—regarding wheat, animal hides, and other supplies—on display in the British Museum.

The Vindolanda tablets tell us a lot about life in early Roman Britain.

ARCHAEOLOGY

8 Facts about Olduvai Gorge, the “Cradle of Mankind”

10 Famous Archaeological Hoaxes

7 Misconceptions About the Stone Age

5 Civilizations Destroyed by Climate Change

A Brief History of Bog Bodies

Hoard of Gold Coins Meant for Mercenaries Found in Ancient Greek City

New Fossils Add to Mystery Surrounding the “Hobbit,” Our Smallest Human Ancestor

10 Fabulous Ancient Tombs

A 51,200-Year-Old Cave Painting Might Be the World’s Oldest Narrative Art

Neanderthals Cared for a Child with Down Syndrome

12 Facts About the ‘Mary Rose,’ Henry VIII’s Legendary Warship

Rock Gardens Contradict Easter Island “Ecocide” Theory, Study Finds

The ‘Quest,’ Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Last Ship, Has Been Found Off Eastern Canada

The “New World Pompeii”: 10 Fascinating Facts about the Maya Village of Joya de Ceren

Woolly Mammoth Bones Unearthed in Austrian Wine Cellar

Egypt’s Giza Pyramids Might Have Been Built Next To A Now-Vanished River

See Exact Replicas of King Tut’s Treasures in His Recreated Tomb

10 Facts about Angkor Wat, the World’s Largest Religious Temple

11 Inventions That Came Before the Wheel

9 Facts About the Denisovans, Our Mysterious Human Ancestor

10 Facts About Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman Empire’s Northern Frontier

10 Facts About L’Anse aux Meadows, North America’s Only Viking Ruins

18 Nepo Babies From History

8 Illuminating Facts About the Vindolanda Tablets