Popular Archeology

Before Kings and Temples
by James Kensington
Ancient landscapes in present-day Israel have revealed astonishing evidence of early human occupation.
The Archaeology of the Invisible and the Fall of Rome
by Kyle Harper
Silent killers can help bring down civilizations. Author Kyle Harper relates how the Roman Empire of Late Antiquity was severely crippled by an unseen enemy.
The Archaeological Watchlist
by Dan McLerran
Popular Archaeology suggests a select group of sites and projects that readers can follow as archaeologists and other scientists uncover more tantalizing finds bearing on the human past.
Tunneling Through a Sacred Underworld
by Brian Fagan
Archaeologists are piecing together an ancient sacred view of the cosmos at Teotihuacan, where creation, gods, and mortals intersected to legitimize the power of rulers.
A Decade of Discovery: The Tandy Excavations at Tel Gezer
by Steven Ortiz and Samuel Wolff
A preliminary summary report of the excavations of a city that, according to the biblical account, was fortified by King Solomon during the time of the United Monarchy of ancient Israel.
Uncovering the Secrets of an Island Paradise
by Cristina Bravo, Irene Riudavets, and Montserrat Anglada
Excavations continue to reveal a unique prehistoric monumental sanctuary in Menorca.
Using LiDAR at El Pilar
by Anabel Ford, Thomas Crimmel, Claudia Knudson, Sherman Horn, and Keith Clarke
Well before the recent media reports about the amazing discoveries of ancient Maya remains in Guatemala using laser technology, another team of pioneering scientists had already made equivalent discoveries in Belize.

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.

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Cover Stories

‘Uniquely human’ muscles have been discovered in apes

Apes also have muscles long-believed to be only present in humans and used for walking on two legs, using complex tools, and sophisticated facial and vocal communication.

Study: Ancient mound builders carefully timed their occupation of coastal Louisiana site

Archaeological finds illuminate Roman Empire battle

Far from special: Humanity’s tiny DNA differences are ‘average’ in animal kingdom

Paper offers new insights into evolution; as with humans, over 90 percent of animal species today likely originated 100,000-200,000 years ago.

Scientists analyze first ancient human DNA from Southeast Asia

Results reveal three major waves of migration.

Critically endangered South American forests were man made

How our ancestors with autistic traits led a revolution in Ice Age art

The ability to focus on detail, a common trait among people with autism, allowed realism to flourish in Ice Age art, according to researchers at the University of York.

Lead pollution in Greenland ice shows rise and fall of ancient European civilizations

Ice-core study finds evidence of plagues, wars and imperial expansion.

Ancient hominid brain shows human-like elements

The human-like features of Homo naledi's brain surprise research team that examined fossil's brain imprints.

78,000 year cave record from East Africa shows early cultural innovations

The first substantial cave record from coastal Kenya ranges from the Middle Stone Age to the Iron Age, showing gradual changes in cultural, technological and symbolic innovations beginning at 67,000 years ago.

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A wooden toe: Swiss Egyptologists study 3,000-year-old prosthesis

Multispectral imaging reveals ancient Hebrew inscription undetected for over 50 years

Military correspondence from the First Temple period discovered on reverse side of well-studied artifact at The Israel Museum, Tel Aviv University researchers say.

New research reveals earliest directly dated rock paintings from southern Africa

Scientists have pioneered a technique to directly date prehistoric rock paintings in southern Africa, which revealed dates much older than previously thought.