Smart News History & Archaeology

An X-ray shows where the prosthetic metal fingers attach to the device.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Centuries-Old Prosthetic Hand in Germany

Used by a man between 30 and 50 years old, the four prosthetic fingers date to between 1450 and 1620

The inscription suggests the home belonged to one of the candidate's friends or supporters.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Electoral Campaign Inscription Inside Pompeii House

The text urged voters to elect a candidate named Aulus Rustius Verus to a position of political power

Frances Mabel Hollams, Buster, Shandy and Bluett—Dalmatians, 1936

You Could Own Rare Artworks Celebrating Canine Companions

An upcoming "Dog Sale" at Bonhams Scotland features 250 paintings, sculptures and more

The newly re-excavated 2,700-year-old lamassu—a winged bull with a human head—at the site of the ancent city of Dur-Sharrukin in northern Iraq

Cool Finds

Stunning 2,700-Year-Old Sculpture Unearthed in Iraq

Archaeologists hope to reunite the 18-ton torso of the Assyrian deity with its head, severed by smugglers decades ago

A screenshot of Native Land Digital’s interactive map

This Interactive Map Shows Which Indigenous Lands You Live On

The nonprofit behind the tool wants people to learn the history of the spaces they inhabit

Images from Corona, a U.S. military program that ran from 1960 to 1972

Cool Finds

Declassified Cold War Satellite Photos Reveal Hundreds of Roman-Era Forts

Once thought to be defensive military bases, the forts may have supported peaceful trade and travel

These five creepy dolls are in the running for this year's competition.

Which of These Vintage Dolls Do You Find the Creepiest?

Now in its fifth year, an annual contest spotlights a Minnesota museum's historical doll collection

Jean Fouquet's Melun Diptych features two panels, Étienne Chevalier with Saint Stephen on the left, and Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels on the right.

New Research

Mysterious Stone in 15th-Century Painting Could Be a Prehistoric Tool

Jean Fouquet's "Melun Diptych" is likely the earliest artistic representation of an Acheulean hand ax

Archaeologists excavating the Roman-era sarcophagus in Reims

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover 'Exceptional' Roman-Era Sarcophagus in France

The 40-year-old woman inside the tomb was buried with a ring, a comb and other items

The Africa disappeared on Lake Huron in October 1895.

Cool Finds

Filmmakers Stumble Upon 128-Year-Old Shipwreck in Lake Huron

A duo working on a documentary about invasive quagga mussels in the Great Lakes discovered the long-lost steamship "Africa"

Foundry workers disassembled Charlottesville's Robert E. Lee statue before melting it down.

Foundry Workers Melt Down Charlottesville's Divisive Robert E. Lee Statue

Eventually, an artist will be chosen to transform the bronze bars into a public art installation

A historic drought in the Amazon has revealed faces carved in the rocky banks of the Rio Negro in Brazil.

Cool Finds

Drought Exposes Ancient Rock Carvings in Brazil

Revealed by receding Amazon waters, the carvings of human faces are up to 2,000 years old

Artist Oscar Nilsson spent 400 hours working on the reconstruction.

See the Face of an Inca Teenager Killed in a Ritual Sacrifice 500 Years Ago

The mummified girl, known as "Juanita," was found in 1995 on Peru's Ampato volcano

Prince Harry (played by Fflyn Edwards), Princess Diana (played by Elizabeth Debicki) and Prince William (played by Rufus Kampa) in season six of "The Crown"

Watch the New Trailer for the Final Season of 'The Crown'

Part one of the new season will follow Princess Diana through the final weeks of her life in 1997

Vienna-born artist Johann Franz Nepomuk Lauterer, who lived between 1700 and 1733, created Landscape of Italian Character along with a companion painting.

Painting Stolen by American Soldier During World War II Returned to Germany

FBI agents and art recovery lawyers helped retrieve the piece by Austrian artist Johann Franz Nepomuk Lauterer

The Aztec snakehead was discovered beneath a law school in Mexico City after an earthquake.

Cool Finds

Earthquake in Mexico City Reveals 500-Year-Old Aztec Snakehead

The nearly six-foot-long sculpture features well-preserved colors on 80 percent of its surface

Flowers on the memorial for the 146 victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire during its dedication on October 11

New Memorial Honors Victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

A total of 146 workers died in the 1911 disaster, which galvanized the fight for workers' rights

An original copy of a 15th-century Christopher Columbus letter translated from Spanish into Latin

Christopher Columbus Letter Describing Journey to the Americas Sells for $3.9 Million

Copies of the letter have long been the target of thefts and forgeries, but Christie's says this one is the real deal

Crews painstakingly removed mud layer by layer to expose the vessel.

Cool Finds

Workers Unearth 19th-Century Shipwreck Beneath a Road in Florida

The 19-foot-long vessel was found alongside a kerosene lamp, leather shoes, coins and other artifacts

Archaeologists described the finds as "costume jewelry" that would've been worn by Bronze Age women around 3,500 years ago.

Cool Finds

Metal Detectorist Unearths Bronze Age Jewelry in Swiss Carrot Field

Researchers suspect the trove may have belonged to a "rich woman with a passion for collecting"

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