Gold

When earthquakes squeeze quartz crystals, the mineral generates electricity that attracts gold particles.

How Large Gold Nuggets Form in Quartz Crystals During Earthquakes

Quartz, which can generate electricity, attracts large chunks of gold when stressed and squeezed by seismic shaking, according to a new study

Each of the Persian darics features an image of a crouched archer.

Archaeologists Stumble Upon Ancient Pot of Gold Coins in Turkey

Researchers think the hoard, which dates to the fifth century B.C.E., may have been buried during a time of upheaval

The wine, made of crushed white grapes 2,000 years ago, turned red-brown with age.

Oldest Wine Ever Found in Liquid Form Unearthed in 2,000-Year-Old Tomb

Researchers have concluded that the fluid preserved inside an ancient funerary urn is a white sherry-like wine

A lesson plan from the National Museum of the American Indian seeks to include missing narratives about the California Gold Rush.

There’s a Better Way to Teach the California Gold Rush

A new lesson plan centers Native American perspectives on the violence of Western expansion

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.

The first-century C.E. helmet alongside a newly created replica

See a Restored Ancient Roman Helmet—and Two Shiny New Replicas

The 2,000-year-old Hallaton Helmet is now on permanent display at the Harborough Museum in England

Some said the pirate king went to ground in London or Scotland, others that he died penniless and was buried in an unmarked grave in Devon. Or was he sipping fine French wine in the hills above Marseille?

The Notorious Pirate King Who Vanished With the Riches of a Mughal Treasure Ship

In the late 17th century, Henry Avery—the subject of the first global manhunt—bribed his way into the Bahamas

Richard Brock found the nugget using an old back-up metal detector.

Man With Broken Metal Detector Unearths Largest Gold Nugget Ever Found in England

Richard Brock stumbled upon the treasure, valued at more than $38,000, about 20 minutes after starting his search

This one-inch-tall gold Bionicle mask was found in a bag of jewelry at a Pennsylvania Goodwill.

Goodwill Listed This Rare Gold Lego Piece for $14.95. It Sold for $18,101

Lego created just 30 of the 14-karat gold Kanohi Hau masks for a giveaway in 2001

The 1,500-year-old gold ring's semiprecious red stone likely served as a symbol of power.

Metal Detectorist Finds Rare 1,500-Year-Old Gold Ring in Denmark

The distinctly decorated artifact may be linked to a powerful family in the area with ties to the Merovingians

The trove of goods was discovered alongside the graves of three individuals who died 1,700 years ago.

Graves of Roman Family Held Jewelry, Coins and 'Exquisite' Vials for Storing Mourners' Tears

Archaeologists in Bulgaria unearthed the remains of three individuals interred with rare treasures dating to the third century

The Treasure of Villena was discovered in Spain's Iberian Peninsula in 1963.

These 3,000-Year-Old Treasures Were Forged From Meteoritic Iron

New research reveals that two Bronze Age artifacts from the Treasure of Villena contain iron from a meteor that hit a million years ago

The five-inch-long Bronze Age dress fastener may have once been worn by an "important person,"

Metal Detectorist Finds a Rare 3,000-Year-Old Dress Fastener

The gold accessory is one of only seven artifacts of this kind discovered in England and Wales

Many of the graves onsite were protected by tile or terracotta coverings.

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Roman Cemetery Full of Jewelry, Coins and Clothing

Discovered north of Rome, the burial ground lies near what was once an upper-class villa

The object was found by metal detectorists in Norfolk, England.

This 1,200-Year-Old Artifact Is Stunning—but Nobody Knows What It Is

The intricately decorated silver object was likely created by a highly skilled craftsperson in England

Our ten most-read stories of the year featured the author of Anne of Green Gables, tiny penguins, Queen Charlotte and more.

Our Top Ten Stories of 2023

From the world's oldest dog to the real history behind "Oppenheimer," these were the magazine's most-read articles of the year

Erlend Bore poses with the trove that he found soon after buying his first metal detector.

Amateur Metal Detectorist Makes 'Gold Find of the Century' in Norway

Erlend Bore unearthed a trove of 1,500-year-old gold jewelry—just months after he picked up the hobby

The coins depict the god Apollo on one side and a horse surrounded by symbols on the other.

Metal Detectorists Discover 2,000-Year-Old Gold Coins in Wales

The 15 artifacts are the first Iron Age gold coins ever found in the country

The 700-plus gold coins, found in a cornfield in Kentucky, date to between 1840 and 1863.

Trove of 700 Civil War-Era Gold Coins Discovered in Kentucky

An unidentified man found the cache, which may have been buried ahead of a Confederate invasion, in a cornfield earlier this year

The front of the newly returned altar panel features St. Nicholas of Bari, St. James of Tarentaise and St. Germanus of Paris.

U.K. Museum Recovers 15th-Century Altar Panel Almost 50 Years After It Was Stolen

The piece was about to go to auction when researchers noticed similarities to another panel at the York Art Gallery

Page 1 of 6