Archaeology

Plate tectonics, or the recycling of Earth’s crust, may have begun much earlier than previously thought—and may be a big reason that our planet harbors life

A finger-sized clay cylinder from a tomb in northern Syria appears to be the oldest example of writing using an alphabet rather than hieroglyphs or cuneiform

The 3.2-million-year-old human ancestor known as Lucy sparked a revolution in scientists’ understanding of the origins of clever hands and stone tools

Archaeological and genetic discoveries topple long-standing ideas about the domestication of equines

An ancient temple made by Arabian immigrants from the Nabataean culture has finally been found off the Italian coast

On the Silk Road, these lost twin cities may have sustained themselves in a foreboding landscape with metallurgy and commerce

Scientists reveal the identity of a cannibalized captain from the doomed Northwest Passage expedition of 1845 to 1848

A survey of the Dolmen of Menga suggests that the stone tomb’s Neolithic builders had an understanding of science

A new analysis of Stonehenge’s “Altar Stone” suggests Neolithic people walked or sailed some 500 miles to transport the six-ton boulder

A mountaintop burial site offers a glimpse into Inka life—but raises ethical questions about unearthing ancient human remains.

Archaeoastronomers piece together how people understood the heavens thousands of years ago.

A group on the islands of Penghu is restoring ancient fishing weirs, hoping to preserve the sustainable fishing practice and attract ecotourism.