Athenians meted out harsh punishments to those who fell afoul of prevalent laws or societal norms. If citizens had done something terrible, they ran the risk of being exiled from the city for up to 10 years. An interesting system was put in place whereby citizen peers voted by scratching the name of the charged person on an ostracon

New research using environmental DNA and advanced dating confirms massive Neolithic pits near Stonehenge as Britain's largest prehistoric structure, revealing sacred boundaries and sophisticated ancient society.

Eleanor Countess of Desmond was an exceptionally courageous woman, who refused to give up during an era of unparalleled destruction and upheaval in Ireland.

Scientists in Massachusetts will soon know if bones discovered in a pirate shipwreck belong to one of the most notorious Pirates of the Caribbean that ever sailed the seven seas - Captain Samuel “Black" Bellamy. In 2008, Forbes reported that during his time as a pirate, Bellamy amassed the equivalent of “$120 million” in today’s money.

Scientists now know that the rarest diamonds, the Hope Diamond and Cullinan, formed more than 400 miles below the surface of the earth.

A 3,500-year-old clay tablet discovered in Iraq reveals remarkably accurate map of Nippur, and is possibly the world's first urban blueprint showing sophisticated Mesopotamian planning.

In ancient times, there was an Aryan religion, Mithraism, so veiled in secrecy that only rumor of its beliefs and rites were recorded. Archaeologists are hoping to shed more light on the mysteries of the religion of Mithra in the ruins of an ancient Roman outpost in eastern Turkey.

Have we been misled for centuries? Research shows that a bias against color, chromophobia, has led to historians stripping classical art of its vibrant colors, but why?

A lot of intriguing evidence has been collected over the years in support of the idea that life once existed on Mars.

Ancient Sumerian gods’ witty use of puns in heavenly writing unveil the celestial script of the Star of Bethlehem in the pre-Christian, pagan constellations.