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Pre‑History ‑ Stories

Prehistory, the vast period of time before written records or human documentation, includes the Neolithic Revolution, Neanderthals and Denisovans, Stonehenge, the Ice Age and more.

Lidar reveals ancient Amazon cities.

8 Intriguing Archaeology Discoveries of 2024

From detecting lost cities of the Amazon to tracing our history with Neanderthals, these were among 2024’s most fascinating discoveries.

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Painting depicting dinosaurs during the Saurian Age.

When Did Humans First Discover Dinosaurs?

The first known illustration of a dinosaur bone is from 1677. The man who wrote about it thought it might belong to a giant.

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entryway to a tall dark cave, with lights

6 of the Earliest Known Cave Dwellings

Our early human ancestors left behind archaeological clues whenever they went, but the ones they left in caves are often particularly well‑preserved. From South Africa to Siberia, archaeologists have discovered prehistoric bones, fire ash and even fossilized human footprints inside caves. Early humans may have used caves for shelter, but they also used them in […]

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A sculptor's rendering of the hominid Australopithecus afarensis ("Lucy").

How the ‘Lucy’ Fossil Rewrote the Story of Human Origins

The stunning 1974 discovery offered proof that ancient hominins were walking around on two feet some 3.2 million years ago. 

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Sue, the Tyrannosaurus rex.

Sue the T. rex: 6 Facts About the Famous Dinosaur Fossil

The Tyrannosaurus rex fossil known as Sue carries a controversial past—and has revealed fearsome facts about its species.

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rock art from Libya

When Did Humans Start Waging Wars?

Organized warfare appears to have started in the Neolithic Age and then ramped up during the Bronze Age.

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Ice Age footprints

Did Our Human Ancestors Come Close to Extinction?

Our human ancestors may have lost 98.7 percent of their population around 900,000 to 800,000 years ago, according to genetic research.

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Giant Short-Faced Bear in North American during Ice Age

8 Massive Ice Age Animals That Roamed North America

Many of these giant mammals may have been hunted into extinction as prehistoric humans expanded into North America.

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Chukotka coast, the snowy landscape of the Arctic Ocean.

How Early Humans First Reached the Americas: 3 Theories

How and when did humans first set foot in North America? Here are three theories.

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The excavation of Homo naledi in South Africa, 2015.

When Did Human Ancestors Start Burying Their Dead?

Research claiming that human ancestors living between 240,000 and 500,000 years ago may have intentionally buried their dead, raises the question of when this behavior began.

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Excavated ruins of ancient city of Babylon in Mesopotamia, Iraq

What Was Life Like in Ancient Babylon?

Hammurabi’s Code may get all the attention, but barley and wool were the mainstays of Babylonian day‑to‑day life and commerce.

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This ice age-era painting in the Chauvet Cave in southern France dates to around 32,000-30,000 B.C.

What Prehistoric Cave Paintings Reveal About Early Human Life

Some of the oldest known art may hint at the beginning of language development, while later examples portray narratives with human and animal figures.

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