Ancient History
Lost civilizations, forgotten empires, and the archaeological discoveries that rewrite what we thought we knew about the past.
83 articlesLatest Ancient History
Archaeologists Just Found 1,000 Roman Artefacts in a Swiss Lake
Over 1,000 Roman artifacts were discovered in Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland, including pottery, swords, and a chariot—revealing a military cargo ship that sank nearly 2,000 years ago.
5 Strange Cases of Mass Hysteria
Explore five bizarre historical cases of mass hysteria, from the 1518 Dancing Plague of Strasbourg to the Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic and recurrent outbreaks in Nepal.
History's Worst Archaeologists.
Discover how early archaeologists like Heinrich Schliemann, Arthur Evans, and Lord Elgin used dynamite, concrete, and brute force to destroy the very history they claimed to preserve.
Priceless Artifacts Destroyed by Human Stupidity
From dynamiting ancient Troy to bulldozing Maya temples and Taliban destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, explore how human ignorance and carelessness have wiped out irreplaceable cultural treasures.
The Quartz Crisis: The (Almost) End of the Watch Industry
Discover the dramatic story of the quartz crisis, when Japanese innovation with computerized timepieces brought centuries-old Swiss watchmakers to their knees—and how the industry fought back.
The 5 Most Devastating Days in Human History
From the 1976 Tangshan earthquake to the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, explore five of the most catastrophic 24-hour periods in human history and the lessons learned from each tragedy.
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More in Ancient History
The Mask of Tutankhamun
Discover the story of Tutankhamun's legendary gold death mask, from Howard Carter's 1922 discovery to the ongoing questions about its true origins and the 2014 beard restoration scandal.
The Craziest CIA Projects
Discover five of the CIA's most bizarre and unethical real-life operations, from staging false-flag attacks to psychic espionage and mind control experiments.
Ancient Rome's Most Incredible Engineering Achievements
Discover how Roman engineers built roads, aqueducts, the Colosseum, and revolutionary concrete structures that still inspire modern architecture after 2,000 years.
Incredible Lost Cities of Myth
Explore the world's most fascinating legendary lost cities, from Plato's Atlantis and King Arthur's Camelot to the subterranean kingdom of Agartha and the golden city of El Dorado.
Designs Through History that Just Never Changed
From paperclips to wheels to rope, discover the inventions whose designs were so perfectly optimized from the start that they remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Unsolved Mysteries of History: The Questions Your Teacher Couldn’t Answer
Explore four of history's most perplexing unsolved mysteries: the Maya Collapse, Alexander the Great's lost tomb, the Bronze Age Collapse, and the ancient builders of Göbekli Tepe.