The Best Archaeological Discoveries of 2023

Flatbread mural at Pompeii

Photo: Archaeological Park of Pompeii / Italian Ministry of Culture

In June, archaeologists in Pompeii revealed a beautiful still-life fresco of a food platter, including a Roman mensa flatbread that had the internet abuzz.

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This 400,000-Year-Old Campfire Could Rewrite Human History

Humans likely harvested their first flames from wildfire. When they learned to make it themselves, it changed everything.

Human History Margherita Bassi Dec 10

Oldest Shell Jewelry Workshop in Western Europe Dates Back 42,000 Years

Not much is known about the mysterious, prehistoric Châtelperronian people, but they did leave behind some tantalizing clues.

Human History Margherita Bassi Sep 28

Stone Age People Brutalized Their Prisoners of War, New Evidence Suggests

Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a particularly gruesome war celebration dating back some 6,000 years.

Tech News Margherita Bassi Aug 20

Image of a reconstructed Funnel Beaker Culture house

Archaeologists Uncover Rare Prehistoric Cellar in Denmark, Complete With Paved Floor

The 5,000-year-old cellar may have been part of a complex used for trading and forming alliances in prehistoric Denmark.

Human History Adam Kovac Oct 7

Scientists Find Ancient Herpes in Neanderthal Bones

Our closest cousins carried some of the same pathogens we did, many of which are still around today.

Human History Isaac Schultz May 21

Stone Age Megastructure Found at the Bottom of the Baltic Sea

Estimated to be over 10,000 years old, the kilometer-long wall was likely used for hunting.

Human History Isaac Schultz Feb 16