#AncientCivilizations

New evidence suggests that early humans reached the Jordan Valley at least 1.9 million years ago, hundreds of thousands of years earlier than scientists previously thought.…

Scientists have uncovered the oldest known hand-held wooden tools ever used by humans — and they’re an astonishing 430,000 years old. Buried for hundreds of thousands of years at an ancient lakeside site in Greece, the carefully carved wooden objects…

Humans may have returned to Britain far earlier than scientists once believed — not long after the last ice sheet began retreating. New evidence suggests people were already moving into the British Isles around 15,200 years ago, tracking herds of reindeer…

Scientists in China discovered that ancient humans were making surprisingly advanced stone tools during a harsh ice age 146,000 years ago. The tools, created by Homo juluensis, show careful planning and complex thinking rather than simple stone-chipping.…

Long-forgotten ancient tablets have been decoded, uncovering a mix of magic, politics, and daily life from early civilizations. Among the discoveries are rare anti-witchcraft rituals meant to protect kings and a regnal list that could point to the…

The artifact is decorated with an illustration of the defensive fortification in northern England, but it was unearthed some 1,200 miles away. A new study suggests the design reflects a soldier’s achievements at the site

From Latest articles | smithsonianmag.com: This Man Fled Pompeii as Mount Vesuvius Erupted. Archaeologists Found Him 2,000 Years Later, Holding a Bowl to Protect His Head and a Lamp to Light His Way

Archaeologists have uncovered six previously unknown Bronze Age mines in southwestern Spain, offering a striking new clue about where the metal in ancient Scandinavian artifacts may have come from.…

From Latest articles | smithsonianmag.com: This Giant 400-Year-Old Astrolabe—Made by Mughal Master Craftsmen and Owned by Royalty—Fetched Millions at Auction

Beneath East Africa’s Turkana Rift, scientists have found the crust is thinning to a critical point, suggesting the continent is gradually breaking apart.…

A long-standing mystery in southern Africa’s fossil record is beginning to unravel. After massive lava flows 182 million years ago seemed to erase evidence of dinosaurs in the region, scientists have now uncovered surprising new clues along the Western…

From Latest articles | smithsonianmag.com: These Modern-Day Photographs Highlight Why, Centuries Later, Pompeii Still Attracts Throngs of Tourists and Archaeologists

The excerpt from Homer's epic poem features his catalog of ships, a famous passage listing the Greek forces that sailed to Troy. It may be the first Greek literary text found in the context of mummification

Ancient DNA from a tomb near Paris reveals a shocking prehistoric reset: one population vanished and was replaced by newcomers from the south. The two groups show no genetic connection, signaling a major upheaval around 3000 BC.…

A remarkable genetic breakthrough has uncovered what may be one of the clearest snapshots yet of a Neanderthal “community” living together 100,000 years ago in what is now Poland.…

The first-ever published research on Tinshemet Cave reveals that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens in the mid-Middle Paleolithic Levant not only coexisted but actively interacted, sharing technology, lifestyles, and burial customs.…

The sandstone monument shows Tiberius standing next to a family of local gods. Archaeologists say the scene illustrates the ruler's role as a leader who upheld cosmic order in Egyptian society

More than 12,000 years ago, Native American hunter-gatherers were already making and using dice—thousands of years before similar tools appeared elsewhere. These bone “binary lots” acted like primitive coins, producing random outcomes for games of chance.…

Now on display in London, "Ramses and the Pharaohs' Gold" features 3,000-year-old artifacts alongside virtual reality experiences that transport museumgoers to the 13th century B.C.E.