History
Chinese barge suspected of looting WWII British warship wrecks detained by Malaysia
Illegal salvage operators were believed to have targeted the HMS Repulse and the HMS Prince of Wales, which were sunk in 1941 by Japanese torpedoes.
Latest
Archaeologists discover biggest ever Egyptian mummification workshop
The workshop, which dates from the 30th Dynasty and the early Ptolemaic era (4th century BC), was found near the oldest stone pyramid, Djoser’s Step.
- by Magdy Samaan
The winter beauty that started wars, inspired opera and helped women get the vote
From courtesans to colonialists, the camellia has long been admired, but its beauty hides a sordid history.
- by Andrew Taylor
Buckingham Palace refuses to return ‘stolen’ Ethiopian prince’s remains
Prince Dejatch Alemayehu was heir to the throne of Abyssinia, now known as Ethiopia. He was taken to the UK by victorious British forces after his father died and made a ward of Queen Victoria.
- by Adela Suliman
Special series
City life
Buried treasure shows Flinders St clocks have been a meeting place for thousands of years
Archaeologists have discovered hundreds of Aboriginal stone tools underneath Flinders Street Station. Find out more about these and other hidden treasures in our Underground Melbourne series.
- by Cara Waters and Patrick Hatch
Special series
City life
Step inside the bank vaults beneath city streets
Wealthy Melburnians have stored gold bullion, guns and cash at the Melbourne Safe Deposit deep below the CBD for more than a century. As part of our Underground Melbourne series, we discover other subterranean places to keep your valuables.
- by Cara Waters
Was Grandma tripping on acid at Aquarius?
The day in 1973 that naked hippies swamped a future deputy prime minister Doug Anthony is the stuff of family legend. But the memories of other festival goers are a little ... hazy.
- by Heath Gilmore
The fake identity and the forgotten wife of the man behind the Archibald
Jules Francois Archibald wooed Rosa Frankenstein in London. But he was not what he seemed.
- by David Myton
Harriet the swimmer beat a man and taught women, with her Alice
Harriet Rowell and Alice Moon opened Melbourne’s first women-only gymnasium and taught the children of influential settlers to keep their heads above water.
- by Danielle Scrimshaw
Tooth’s truth revealed: DNA tells us who held artefact 20,000 years ago
Found in a Siberian cave, the elk’s tooth was likely used as a pendant. Thanks to new technology, scientists have identified the Stone Age woman who either made or wore it.
- by Will Dunham