Artifacts

Once considered pests with useless hides, coyote fur/pelts became popular when wolf fur could not longer be used for commercial purposes. Coyote pelts are durable, thick and warm. The furs are...

Water clocks, one of the first time-telling devices, first appeared in Ancient Egypt during the reign of King Amenhotep I around 1500 BCE. Most ancient Egyptian water clocks were outflow water...

The Calvert Cliffs of Maryland are peaceful now, but during the Miocene period (between 5 and 23 million years ago), they were the underwater home of megalodon, the giant ancestor of the great...

Paleobiologists, paleontologists and archaeologists strive for one thing; to preserve their finds in as original a state as possible. You can mount a fossil with an epoxy or cement, which even...

There are over 120 pyramids and 20 pyramidlike structures in Egypt. Most were constructed for funerary purposes, serving as giant monuments/gravesites to the pharaohs and members of the royal...

Ancient Mesopotamians used tools for a variety of purposes. Farming, building, sculpting and writing required different instruments, and the Mesopotamians learned to use tools made of a variety of...

Pyramids are usually associated with the deserts of Egypt, but many cultures of the ancient world built pyramids. Though all similar in style and function, there is variation in look and...

Much of the theory of continental drift (now referred to as plate tectonics) derives from evidence provided by fossils. Scientists have been collecting parallel evidence across the Pacific Ocean...

Fossils are preserved in two main ways: with and without alteration. Preservation with alteration includes carbonization, petrifaction, recrystallization and replacement. Preservation without...

Since it was developed by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Willard Libby in 1947, radiocarbon dating has been one of the most important tools available to archaeologists, and just about anyone else...

It's hard to imagine going anywhere today without a GPS unit, a PDA or at least directions from a reputable map, but early explorers did without all of the above as they courageously forged their...

As American Indian warriors set out to hunt for food or fight another tribe, weapons had to be made from whatever materials were available. Arrowheads became popular because the stone used to make...

The Rosetta Stone, nearly 4 feet long and more than 2 feet wide, is a slab of black basalt. It is nearly a foot thick and weighs almost a ton. Upon its polished surface are engravings in three...

A magnetometer is an electric device that senses slight changes in magnetic fields. Essentially an extremely sensitive compass, a magnetometer is used by scientists and treasure hunters to detect...

There are a few ways that plant fossils can be formed, but the odds are against it actually happening. Most vegetation breaks down quickly when it dies and never gets the opportunity to be...

The Mesozoic Era lasted more than 180 million years and was marked by a generally tropical climate where plants and animals -- especially dinosaurs -- thrived. Today, Colorado retains evidence of...

The castles built in England following the Norman Invasion of 1066 were made of timber rather than stone and for defense, depended not only on their multiple rings of walls but also on their...

An hourglass is a device that measures time. They were the first dependable, accurate and reusable devices invented for tracking time. In addition, hourglasses will not freeze, giving them a...

Vellum was originally harvested from animal hides and intestines. The most prized vellum was that obtained from newly born or stillborn herd animals like calves and sheep. The hide or intestinal...

It's often said that the best way to find arrowhead artifacts is to scour the grounds of hunting sites frequented by modern hunters. And the scores of websites offering arrowheads for sale attest...

Imprint fossils are results of footprints and of plant or animal remains. The remains have been trapped in stone, decayed completely and then dissolved away. The imprint fossil is a permanent...

Wax anatomical models were used throughout the 18th and early 19th century as teaching tools for medical students and doctors. They were especially popular in Europe and are now sought after by...

Prehistory presents a challenge for contemporary scholar. Without written records, archaeologists and anthropologists are left to piece together bits of antiquity in order to formulate some kind...

An arrowhead is the front part of an arrow. The arrowhead is the part of the arrow that pierces a target. Different types can have different effects on the intended target. The use of these...

Easter Island got its name when the Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen landed there on Easter Sunday in 1722. Since that time it has been a hot spot for tourists, not only because of the island's...

Atlantis is the name of a mythical lost civilization, perhaps a continent, that disappeared in a sudden catastrophe in ancient history. No one knows where this land was and many legends and...

When you hear the word, pyramid, you probably think of the ancient Egyptian burial sites along the Nile River. Other cultures built pyramids as well, including Babylonians, Mayans, Aztecs and...

The Karankawa, a Native American tribe that is now extinct, had a fascinating culture that modern historians are desperately trying to piece together before it's becomes totally lost. As...

Punishment in the Middle Ages was severe and merciless. Government and religious officials used torture, sadistic by today's standards, to deter crime; to force confessions of alleged crimes,...

Hummingbirds are fascinating to watch as they hover over their favorite, usually red flowers in the garden on a sultry summer's day pushing their long beaks deep into the flowers to feed on the...

A kaleidoscope is a toy that uses light and mirrors to reflect objects and create patterns. There are many different types of kaleidoscopes that create different patterns, but all use the same...

A stapler works by using force to push a staple through the paper, then secure the pages together. It can be used for locking pages of a document together, or for tacking, when the stapler is...

Most kids go through a "dinosaur phase" at some point. This contrived adventure helps your kids to feel like real paleontologists, even if just for an hour or so.

Whether you're looking for dinosaur bones or the prehistoric remains of plants and animals, fossil hunting can be a fun activity for the whole family or a serious hobby for the collector. Fossils...

The Viking city of Jorvik was constructed based on artifacts and evidence uncovered during the Coppergate excavations of the late 1970s to the early 1980s. During the dig, 10th Century Viking...