Trade

A 17th-century painting of the September 10, 1622, Great Genna Martyrdom, in which 55 Christians were beheaded or burned alive

Why Japan's Shogun Executed Dozens of Christians During the Great Genna Martyrdom of 1622

On September 10, 1622, Japanese officials burned alive or beheaded 55 missionaries and laypeople alike. The violence coincided with Japan's push to expel all foreign influences

The historic roadway dates to the fourth century B.C.E. and stretches for over 500 miles.

Ancient Rome's Appian Way Is Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The 500-mile-long stone highway is Italy's 60th property to receive the designation

The reconstructed Magan boat floating off the coast of Abu Dhabi

This Bronze Age Ship Replica, Made From Reeds and Goat Hair, Just Sailed 50 Nautical Miles

Researchers constructed the vessel using a list of materials found on a 4,000-year-old clay tablet

Workers inside one of nine trenches excavated during the recent dig season this January.

A Buried Ancient Egyptian Port Reveals the Hidden Connections Between Distant Civilizations

At the site of Berenike, in the desert sands along the Red Sea, archaeologists are uncovering wondrous new finds that challenge old ideas about the makings of the modern world

Archaeologists have been studying the pet cemetery since it was first discovered in 2011.

Letters Written by Ancient Roman Commanders Have Been Found in a Pet Cemetery in Egypt

Discovered among the graves of hundreds of cats, dogs and monkeys, the correspondence was likely written by centurions in the first century

In A Woman Sewing With Two Children, the central character wears a light wash denim apron.

When Were Blue Jeans Invented? These Paintings Suggest the Fashion Trend Dates Back to the 1600s

Ten paintings attributed to the "Master of the Blue Jeans" depict Italian peasants wearing the storied fabric

Dutch settlers "bought" the island of Manahatta from the Lenape in 1626.

Happy 400th Birthday to New Amsterdam, the Dutch Settlement That Became New York

In 1624, Dutch settlers arrived in Manhattan. Now, officials are marking the milestone with an honest examination of the past

Copenhagen's Old Stock Exchange was undergoing renovations when the building caught fire on April 16, 2024.

Fire Devastates Copenhagen's Historic Stock Exchange

Its signature 184-foot spire collapsed, but rescuers salvaged some of the valuable artworks inside

Researchers tested 49 medieval coins, finding the older ones were minted from silver Byzantine goods and the newer ones were made of silver mined in western France.

Medieval English Coins Were Made With Melted Byzantine Silver

Researchers have solved the mystery of the silver coin boom that took place around 660 C.E.

An artistic representation of the Gotlant burial of a Viking-era woman with a modified skull

Vikings May Have Used Body Modification as a 'Sign of Identification'

A recent study analyzes Scandinavian examples of filed teeth and elongated skulls dating to the Viking Age

Divers receive verbal instructions from operators at the surface, who have access to real-time sonar imagery.

3D Sonar Images of Baltimore's Key Bridge Reveal the Underwater Wreckage in Detail

Divers clearing the Patapsco River are grappling with poor visibility and dangerous conditions, so they rely heavily on real-time sonar observations

The container ship Dali hit Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, causing the entire structure to fall within seconds.

Cargo Ships Keep Getting Bigger, and Infrastructure Is Racing to Keep Up

A massive container ship hit Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge this week, calling attention to the demands that ever-growing shipping vessels are placing on ports, canals and bridges

Made from alder wood, this canoe was thought to have been a fishing boat. 

Five Canoes Discovered Northwest of Rome Are the Oldest Boats Ever Found in the Mediterranean

The 7,000-year-old vessels offer evidence of advanced seafaring technology and an extensive regional trade network, a new study suggests

About halfway between the Greek cities of Corinth and Lechaio, the area around Corinth’s ancient port is tectonically active. That makes the area even more scientifically precious. While many archaeological sites from millennia ago have sunk beneath rising seas, centuries of tectonic uplift have preserved this spot. Parts of the ancient port now sit above sea level, including the inner harbor, where boats likely once berthed in a protected channel.

Ancient Greece’s Biggest Port Is Older Than We Thought

Archaeological discoveries add 500 years to the history of Corinth's main harbor

Researchers drove a car equipped with ground-penetrating radar over the land near Utstein Monastery on the island of Klosterøy.

Archaeologists May Have Found Traces of a Viking Marketplace in Norway

Ground-penetrating radar found evidence of a trading hub buried near the island of Klosterøy's historic monastery

Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, a fictionalized version of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, in FX's "Shogun"

The Real History Behind FX's 'Shogun'

A new adaptation offers a fresh take on James Clavell's 1975 novel, which fictionalizes the stories of English sailor William Adams, shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and Japanese noblewoman Hosokawa Gracia

An illustration of Lucayan divers spearfishing for parrotfish, turtles and conch

How Archaeologists Are Unearthing the Secrets of the Bahamas' First Inhabitants

Spanish colonizers enslaved the Lucayans, putting an end to their lineage by 1530

The Bostonians’ “preferred outcome” was for the tea to be “peacefully sent back to London,” says historian Benjamin L. Carp. “It’s only when they find out … the governor is not going to let [that happen] that they say, ‘Well, we have no choice [but] to destroy [the tea].”

The Many Myths of the Boston Tea Party

Contrary to popular belief, the 1773 protest opposed a tax break, not a tax hike. And it didn't immediately unify the colonies against the British

“The World Made Wondrous: The Dutch Collector’s Cabinet and the Politics of Possession” takes a 17th-century Dutch cabinet as its starting point, tracing the threads of Dutch colonization through each object on view.

How Cabinets of Curiosities Laid the Foundation for Modern Museums

An exhibition at LACMA examines the legacy of Dutch colonization through a fictive 17th-century collector's room of wonders

Images from Corona, a U.S. military program that ran from 1960 to 1972

Declassified Cold War Satellite Photos Reveal Hundreds of Roman-Era Forts

Once thought to be defensive military bases, the forts may have supported peaceful trade and travel

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