112 Items Tagged

Skulls

San Bartolo Coyotepec, Mexico

‘El Mural de la Conquista’ (‘Mural of the Conquest’)

In this state repository of folk art, perhaps no piece is more representative than this brutal work featuring the town’s distinctive black clay pottery.

Twentynine Palms, California

Skull Rock

An eerie natural formation that looks right back at you.

Albertinia, South Africa

Skull Garden

On the grounds of a game lodge, a path decorated with the skulls of all kinds of animals.

The tentacles of a colossal squid sit on the surface of the water as it is defrosted at Te Papa labs in Wellington on September 16, 2014. The squid was caught by a fishing boat longline in the Antarctic over the summer and kept on ice until scientists worked to thaw it out to begin examining the specimen.

Wonder Is Everywhere: The ‘Real’ Kraken, an Ancient Pet Cemetery, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.

April White June 10, 2024

The Viking Women With Intentionally Reshaped Skulls

Scientists posit how and why the ladies achieved the cone-head look.

Meg St-Esprit April 15, 2024

(Alleged) Piece of Descartes' Skull

Could this controversial parietal bone be the remains of the famed French philosopher?

Glasgow, Scotland

The Witch's Skull

One of the city's oldest pubs displays a skull said to belong to the country's last witch burned at the stake.

The first skull fossil from Jebel Irhoud, found by a miner in the early 1960s, was initially thought to belong to a Neanderthal.

Where Did Humans Evolve? (Probably Not Where You’re Thinking)

For decades, East Africa was considered the birthplace of our species. Fossils from Morocco suggest otherwise.

Gemma Tarlach February 22, 2024

The birth of jazz music can be traced all the way back to this unassuming New Orleans public square.

5 of Our Favorite Podcasts Exploring Surprising Bits of Human History

From a complaint logged on an ancient tablet to the birth of jazz in a tiny New Orleans public square.

The Podcast Team January 19, 2024

Podcast: Dmanisi

An archaeological site in Georgia challenges what we think we know about the deep human past.

The Podcast Team August 2, 2023

One of this cat’s distinctive sabers was broken off before it died.

This Stunning Sabertooth Cat Skull Belonged to a Big Male That Died Young

Found in southwestern Iowa, the well-preserved fossil is about 13,500 years old.

Matthew Hill July 17, 2023

Takao Inari Shrine

A unique shrine dedicated to the deified skull of a 17th-century Tokyo courtesan.

Bruges, Belgium

Grave of Antoine Michel Wemaer

The spectacular and eerie moss-covered grave site of 19th-century Belgian merchant.

Researchers found the remains of the frontal skulls of 35 large game animals in Des-Cubierta cave near Madrid, Spain.

Did Neanderthals Collect Impressive Animal Skulls?

Researchers found something "very strange" in a Spanish cave.

Alyssa McMurtry March 16, 2023

Museo Ritos Andinos

Andahuaylillas, Peru

Museo Ritos Andinos (Andean Rites Museum)

In this tiny museum, an unusually-shaped skull that some claim as evidence of extraterrestrials.

Cesare Lombroso, a prominent 19th-century Italian scientist, based his life's work on the skull of a man he called "brigand Villella"—but little was known about Giuseppe Villella until recently.

Why is Everyone Fighting Over the Skull of 'Brigand Villella'?

The answer involves pseudoscience, politics, and a burglary at a windmill.

Dania Rodrigues November 4, 2022

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

Puzzle Monday: Heads Up Crossword

AO Puzzles October 17, 2022

In the Mütter Museum's renovated exhibit, each skull is now labeled first with the name of the individual (if known). Previously, such information was considered secondary to ailments and cause of death.

medical museums

Darwin’s Squeaky Beans and 139 Victorian Skulls: Our Favorite 2021 ‘Secret Lives of Museums’ Stories

Let’s sneak into where museum visitors can’t.

Sarah Durn December 28, 2021