Archaeology Magazine
Archaeology Magazine tells the story of the human past through articles that explore the latest discoveries from around the world.
archaeology.org
- Archaeologists on Saint Helena recently found skeletal remains, glass beads, and bracelets of captive Africans who died shortly after being liberated by the British Navy. The island’s most famous resident is Jonathan the tortoise. archaeology.org/issues/may-june-2021/off-the-grid/otg-saint-helena/
- New find from Roman Britain: a four-inch copper-alloy carriage ornament depicting a panther and, well, a severed head. Likely as not, it fell off a wealthy farmer’s or merchant’s carriage during a trip over bumpy roads. archaeology.org/news/2026/02/05/roman-carriage-ornament-found-in-england/
- The pilgrims to Chavín de Huántar fasted and took hallucinogens. They encountered frightening statues of hybrid jaguar-men. Archaeologists in Peru are now trying to understand the allure of the “Chavín cult.” archaeology.org/issues/january-february-2026/features/stone-gods-and-monsters/
- An early Egyptian pharaoh conquered the southern Sinai, and a 5,000-year-old rock art panel may explain why. The scene is accompanied by an inscription, which reads, “God Min, ruler of copper ore/the mining region.” archaeology.org/news/2026/02/03/5000-year-old-rock-art-discovered-in-sinai/
- By the end of the Civil War, 178,975 free and freed Black men had served in the Union Army, and archaeologists are now learning about their lives at sites like Kentucky’s Camp Nelson. archaeology.org/issues/may-june-2020/features/kentucky-civil-war-army-camp/
- Archaeologists in Southeast Asia investigated dozens of puzzling burials, and their curiosity led them to discover the oldest known intentionally mummified people in the world! archaeology.org/issues/january-february-2026/collection/oldest-mummified-people/top-10-discoveries-of-2025/
- An exciting find by a metal detectorist: This medieval silver seal discovered in England is inscribed with the words “Richard’s secret,” and it’s set with a carnelian jewel that’s much older, engraved 2,000 years ago. archaeology.org/news/2026/02/03/medieval-seal-incorporated-roman-intaglio/
- An excavation at the Holzman site in Alaska has uncovered mammoth ivory, traces of campfires, and stone tools dated to 14,000 years ago. The Holtzman people first reached Alaska via the land bridge from Asia! archaeology.org/news/2026/02/03/did-ancestors-of-the-clovis-people-camp-in-central-alaska/
- Uruk, in Iraq, is often called the world’s first metropolis, and archaeologists recently discovered a monumental structure linked to its sphere of influence—300 miles away. It’s a 5,000-year-old building, similar to the Uruk style. archaeology.org/issues/january-february-2026/world/?location=iraq-4
- Archaeologists analyzed the residue in a Roman glass vial and found it contained what was likely a preparation to treat inflammation and infection, as described by the physician Galen. It was *very* rough medicine … archaeology.org/news/2026/02/02/contents-of-1900-year-old-roman-vial-analyzed/
