TURNING SALT INTO GOLD

In the Austrian Alps, generations of miners toiled to extract the ancient world’s most valuable resource

OFF THE GRID

OPLONTIS, ITALY

AT FACE VALUE

Researchers are using new scientific methods to investigate how artists in Roman Egypt customized portraits for the dead

A Brush With Genius

An unprecedented find in central China brings to life the early years of a master calligrapher

Archaeology's Top 10 Discoveries of 2021

Discoveries

ITALIAN MASTER BUILDERS

A 3,500-year-old ritual pool reflects a little-known culture’s agrarian prowess

Piecing Together Maya Creation Stories

Thousands of mural fragments from the city of San Bartolo illustrate how the Maya envisioned their place in the universe

GHOST TRACKS OF WHITE SANDS

Scientists are uncovering fossilized footprints in the New Mexico desert that show how humans and Ice Age animals shared the landscape

GAUL'S UNIVERSITY TOWN

New excavations have revealed the wealth and prestige of an ancient center of learning

Distant Learning

New immigrant students had the most to gain at Virginia’s Justice High—and the most to lose once the pandemic hit.

Up Rooted

Forests have always migrated to survive. But now they need our help to outrun climate catastrophe.

Delete Your Internet Footprint

With spies lurking everywhere, how can you keep yourself safe? Here are 25 smart steps, from the editor of HowtoGeek.com.

A Chance to Build a More Inclusive Fed

Recent departures increase pressure to appoint more outsiders and minorities

Are Honeybees Dying Off? It Depends On Whom You Ask

Talk to a local beekeeper, and the potential consequences of the decline of the honeybee population are alarming, causing problems for pollination and sending ripple effects through the food supply chain and the entire ecosystem.

SECRET RITES OF SAMOTHRACE

Reimagining the experience of initiation into an ancient Greek mystery cult

LAND OF THE PICTS

New excavations reveal the truth behind the legend of these fearsome northern warriors

The Pursuit of Wellness

How the ancients attended to mind, body, and soul

THE EQUESTRIAN'S CAVE

Recent discoveries in western Mongolia suggest that nomadic horsemen may have invented a revolutionary technology

Digs & Discoveries

Roman marble cutters, anglo-saxon giant, neanderthal hearing… and much more

Who Were The Samaritans?

Investigating a once-powerful sect that has preserved its sacred traditions for millennia

The Would-Be Savior of Patagonia

Are environmental crusaders like Douglas Tompkins good for the planet?

Emmett Till – The Barn

In the Mississippi Delta, an unmarked building sits 100 yards from a gravel road. Sixty-six years ago, just past daybreak, a Chevrolet truck pulled up. Four white men rode in the cab. A 14-year-old child was in the back. His name was Emmett Till.

This Is The End Of Affirmative Action

We have to face the reality that our education system is, and always has been, separate and unequal.

The Legacy of Flight 93

An Army officer remembers his cousin Rich Guadagno and the other 39 heroes who died in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11

12 Underrated Reasons To Love School

Early alarms and pop quizzes aside, the truth is that school *is* actually pretty awesome. Here are 12 reasons why…

Smoke Eaters On The Front Lines

The new era of wildland firefighting is a war with no end in sight.

Estebanico's America

The story of Africans on this continent is longer and more varied than the version I was taught in school.

Trapped At The Bottom Of The Sea

It was supposed to be a routine job for a team of men who repair underwater pipelines. Then one diver’s air-supply cord snapped—when he was 300 feet down.

Young U.S. Jews Shift on Israel

Millennial and Gen Z progressives question American support of Israeli policies, a point of tension for the Democratic Party

Bridging the Endowment Wealth Gap

A new venture fund aims to help HBCUs get in on promising startups