This ancient clay tablet is inscribed in cuneiform with a map of the countryside around the important Mesopotamian city of Nippur, now part of southeastern Iraq, south of Baghdad. Written in cuneiform, it is dated to some point in the 14th-13th century BC, making it one of the oldest known maps in the world!
Read MoreTechnology is Allowing Researchers to Read Damaged Ancient Texts From Herculaneum
Reads For The Road: "Mossad" by Michael Bar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal
You can't turn on the TV without coming across fictional shows about the FBI, CIA, NCIS, MI6 or some other covert organization operating somewhere in the world. I have to admit that I am definitely a sucker for these shows (who doesn't love Homeland?), and while I have managed to figure out generally what these organizations do in the real world, the one that I have always been a bit confused about is the Mossad.
Read MoreDrinking Champagne Out of Marie Antoinette's Breast (or, the history of champagne glasses)
The small bowl, or saucer-shaped champagne glass (called a coupe) is often claimed to be modeled on the left breast of the famed French aristocrat Marie Antoinette (1721-1793).
Read MoreFact or Fiction? The Great American Streetcar Conspiracy
Like most big cities, the one that I live in used to have an efficient and elaborate street-car system that was dismantled long before I ever came along, and the streets were overtaken by cars.
Read MoreSaving Pompeii: What Archaeologists Are Doing to Save This Important Site
Located at the base of a now dormant volcano, the ancient city of Pompeii is one of the most visited spots in Italy.
This incredible city, active archeological site, and invaluable piece of history always seems to be under constant threat, however. The site has to content with looting tourists, the elements, the Italian mafia (archeologists working at the site often receive death threats), and lack of funds for restoration.
Read MoreA Royal Parking Lot: The Discovery of King Richard III
In the fall of 2012, a team of archeologists from the University of Leicester discovered a skeleton under one of the town's parking lots. Shockingly, the skeleton turned out to be the lost remains in King Richard III who had been killed in battle in 1485!
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