The oldest documented instance of opium use in antiquity was uncovered by Israeli researchers who found traces of the drug in ceramic items from the 14th century B.C.E.

Everything You Know About History Is Wrong is a new series exploring widely believed historical myths. New installments will be published every few weeks. If you enjoy this sort of thing, let us know!

AS A NEANDERTHAL RESEARCHER, I’m familiar with the stereotypes of Homo neanderthalensis: dull, unintelligent, lacking the imagination to do more than bash each other on the head. They just sat around, gnawing on mammoth, awaiting their inevitable extinction. So, in 2018, I was excited when I saw a headline announcing “It’s Official: Neanderthals Created Art.”

The ruins were originally uncovered in Scarborough, England, last year

It was a Spanish galleon laden with treasures so sumptuous that its sinking in the Bahamas in 1656 sparked repeated salvage attempts over the next 350 years. So when another expedition was launched recently, few thought that there could be anything left – but exquisite, jewel-encrusted pendants and gold chains are among spectacular finds that have now been recovered, having lain untouched on the seabed for hundreds of years.

Archaeological work at Tombos reveals the stories of people who lived more than 4,000 years ago—and inspires new interest from the people who live there today.

The finds underneath the Paris landmark include a human-shaped lead sarcophagus. The discovery was made during restoration work at the cathedral, which was damaged by a fire in 2019.

The dawn of human civilization is often pinned down to the rise of farming. As food production grew, so did human populations, trade, and tax.

Ancient sandstone quarry sites, believed to be the largest in the southern hemisphere, are on track for national heritage status.

arXiv preprint suggests December 23, 178 BCE; others think it was summer 204 BCE.

Across Assam in India, sometimes in plain sight and sometimes hidden in the wilderness, archaeologists have found more sites to add to a long-standing mystery. Similar sites have also been found in Laos and Indonesia.

Archaeologists say ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ finds near London Bridge are from heyday of Londinium

Archaeologists working in Oman's Qumayrah Valley recently unearthed a rare artifact: a stone board game dating back some 4,000 years. The board features grid-like markings (possibly indicating fields) and holes for cups. It was found at a site near the village of Ayn Bani Saidah.

The Ipogeo dei Cristallini's well-preserved tombs will open to the public as soon as summer 2022

BEST OF 2021: A hundred and twenty years ago, divers discovered a shipwreck off the island of Antikythera in Greece. What they found changed our understanding of human history. The mysterious Antikythera Mechanism has captured the imagination of archaeologists, mathematicians, and scientists ever since. Now, using the latest 3D x-ray and modelling technology, experts are unravelling the secrets of what this machine may have been capable of. Video by Harriet Constable

Egyptian scientists have unwrapped a 3,500-year-old royal mummy without peeling away a single layer of embalming linen.

The Justinianic Plague spread through west Eurasia between the 6th and 8th centuries CE, signifying the first known outbreak of bubonic plague in this part of the world. According to a new analysis of ancient texts and genetic data, its impact was much more severe than some recent studies have suggested.

Uncovered from a Byzantine-era winery, the gold and purple amethyst ring may have been worn to prevent the ill effects of drinking too much alcohol.

You can't see them from the surface, but they're definitely there. Scientists have revealed the discovery of hundreds of ancient ceremonial sites, many of which belonged to the Maya civilization, hiding in plain sight just underneath the landscape of

The long read: Archaeological discoveries are shattering scholars’ long-held beliefs about how the earliest humans organised their societies – and hint at possibilities for our own