The Roman siege of Masada lasted just a few weeks, not several years
Archaeologists at Tel Aviv University contest a widespread myth.
Popular Archaeology is a quarterly online magazine exploring the human past, from prehistoric beginnings to the present day. See About Us for more details. Regular subscriptions are FREE. Access to all premium level content (our best articles, including all back-issue premium articles) is only $9.00 annually.
Travel and learn with Far Horizons.
Cover Stories
New population model identifies phases of human dispersal across Europe
Political Collapse: Lessons From Fallen Empires
The conflictive political culture of the contemporary U.S. presents striking parallels to the conditions preceding civilization collapse of the past.
What a submerged ancient bridge discovered in a Spanish cave reveals about early human settlement
New study shows humans arrived in the western Mediterranean much earlier than previously believed.
Among Viking societies, Norway was much more violent than Denmark
Rates of violence in Viking Age societies were long believed to be comparable. New research challenges that assumption.
What role did fear play in Europe’s population growth?
Fear of conflict may have influenced the development of prehistoric European societies as much as the conflicts themselves, according to a recent study by the Complexity Science Hub (CSH).
Wood charcoal reveals the existence of a variety of woody plants around early millet sites and people started pruning, protecting and managing Prunus fruit trees as early as 8000 yr BP.
Early evidence of wheat and cotton in Nigeria
To kill mammoths in the Ice Age, people used planted pikes, not throwing spears, researchers say
UC Berkeley archeologists say the findings might help resolve the debate about Clovis points and reshape how we think about what life was like roughly 13,000 years ago.
Fossil hotspots in Africa obscure a more complete picture of human evolution
See the full Cover Articles archive →
Other Stories
Research reveals ancient Maya lessons on surviving drought
Huge variety of plant foods made their starvation unlikely.
Nits on ancient mummies shed light on South American ancestry
New technique means head lice can provide clues about ancient people and migration.
Scientists digitally ‘unwrap’ mummy of pharaoh Amenhotep I for the first time in 3,000 years
Study shows that 21st dynasty restorers ‘lovingly restored’ mummy, dispelling theory that they were bent on reusing old royal burial equipment.
New dates for Viking trade
Solar flare throws light on ancient trade between the Islamic Middle East and the Viking Age.
Humans Reached Remote North Atlantic Islands Centuries Earlier Than Thought
Faroes Settled Well Before Vikings Arrived, Lake Sediments Show.
Mystery solved: Footprints from site A at Laetoli, Tanzania, are from early humans, not bears
Findings provide conclusive evidence that multiple species of hominins co-existed on the landscape.
Volcanic eruptions contributed to collapse of China dynasties
Eruptions create sulfuric acid clouds in the upper atmosphere and can cool the climate.
A Child of darkness
The first partial skull of a child of Homo naledi begins to give us insight into all stages of life of this remarkable species.
More than ceremonial, ancient Chaco Canyon was home, new study says
Early puebloans impacted the ecosystem around Chaco Canyon earlier than previously believed.
