Archaeologists working on an excavation in downtown Mexico City think they are on the brink of discovering the first Aztec royal tomb ever found. Meanwhile, objects from the dig are on display at "Moctezuma II: Times and Destiny of a Ruler" at the Templo Mayor Museum.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego is planning to build a replica of explorer Juan Cabrillo's ship, the San Salvador. The San Salvador was the first European expedition to the area, exploring San Diego Bay in 1542.

Early European explorers in the Caribbean islands commented on the "abominable" and "frightening" figures in the locals' art, with their bared teeth and "burning" eyes. But a new analysis suggests that the artists may have intended these expressions as inviting smiles rather than demonic grimaces.

Peace-loving, religiously tolerant, a ladies' man and the coiner of the phrase "a chicken in every pot" -- 400 years later, France still thinks Henri IV is le Grand.

At Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, visitors can see the results of a new excavation in a remote corner of southeastern Georgia.

The Kyoto City Archaeological Research Institute has been investigating the 16th century residence of warlord Nobunaga Oda. Among other finds, they turned up the lord's private sauna. 

For generations, St. Augustine's Aviles Street has competed with Philadelphia's Elfreth's Alley as the oldest street in the United States, but a recent archaeological dig may hand the honor to the Florida city.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has produced a series of programs based on Modern Publics: 1500-1700, a book by a group of scholars at McGill University. The program is podcast online.

The mummified remains of a 16th century noble woman were found at a construction site in Osan (Gyeonggi Province), South Korea.

A November exhumation is planned to try to discover the true cause of Tycho Brahe's death. Since a 1901 analysis discovered mercury in a sample of his beard, some have believed the astronomer, "more famous in death than he ever was in life," was murdered.

Most of us think of a map as a tool for getting from one place to another. But throughout history, mapmakers have had other priorities than providing a factual picture of the world.

The entire Parker library, a collection of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts at Corpus Christi College of Cambridge University, has been made accessible online. Librarian Suzanne Paul narrates a video tour of the collection's highlights.

The Life and Suffering of Saint Wenceslas, a 16th century manuscript, is the centerpiece of a small exhibit of celebrating the life of the Czech Republic's patron saint, Prince Wenceslas, at the National Museum until May 2, 2010.

Ronald Emmerich, who directed such major films as 2012 and Independence Day, will take on a less earth-shaking project with his new project Anonymous. The film will investigate whether Edward de Vere was the real author of Shakespeare's plays.

The concept of a museum to view art and antiquities was unknown until 16th century Venice when wealthy families designed buildings to showcase Roman statuary. Now the Palazzo Grimani, one of the pioneering museums of the city, has restored and reopened to the public.

A 16th century silver crucifix depicting Christ flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist, discovered in 2009 in Yanworth, England, has been declared treasure. (photo)

Author James Shapiro, whose 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, delighted the literary world, has a new book, this time investigating whether the Bard of Stratford-upon-Avon actually wrote his plays. Robert McCrum of The Observer has a review.

In 1545, the Mary Rose sank during the Battle of the Solent. Trapped inside the carpenter's cabin was a dog, probably kept to catch rats. Now the skeleton of the animal, nicknamed "Hatch," is on display at the Mary Rose Museum at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

Vatican researcher Sabrina Sforza Galitzia believes that Leonardo da Vinci worked out a code predicting the world to end on November 1, 4006.

Jane Stockton reports that BBC History Magazine is offering a free 14-page digital preview drawn from the March 2010 issue of the magazine.

A casual interest in the history of computing led Erwin Tomash, who started his career in computer engineering in the 1940s and became one of the pioneers of the information age, to compile an encyclopedic, illustrated catalog of primary source references dating back to the 12th century CE. The catalog is available online for free access.

A silver pin in the shape of a bird, believed to have been a cap pin dating to the 16th century, has been declared treasure in Lynn, England. The pin was found by metal detectorist David Cockle in Stoke Ferry.

Gaetano La Fata, Mayor of Carini, Italy, has an extremely cold case on his hands: the murder of Baroness Laura Lanzaand her lover Ludovico Vernagallo, killed in 1563 when caught in bed together.

In his fifties, it appears that renaissance master Michelangelo fell in love with a Roman nobleman 40 years his junior. A record of the infatuation can be found in handwritten sonnets on display for the first time at the British Museum in London.

A team of experts from Italy’s National Committee for Cultural Heritage are requesting permission to exhume the remains of Leonardo da Vinci in hopes of revealing the real identity of the Mona Lisa.

A video on YouTube exhibits and describes a deck of German playing cards from the 16th century CE.

Michelangelo is revered one of the greatest masters of Renaissance art, especially when it comes to depicting the form of the human body. A new exhibit at the Muscarelle Museum of Art in Williamsburg, Virginia, explores this aspect of his work.

Archaeologists studying the sites of Elizabethan playhouses in London have discovered that theatre-goers were treated to an "exotic array of foods while enjoying the latest plays of the day."

In the mid 16th century, Agnolo Bronzino was the most respected portraitist in Florence. Now a new exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Drawings of Bronzino, offers 59 of his works on paper. (slideshow)

To many Americans, the sport of curling is a mystery of complex scoring and opaque strategies. A deeper look reveals a sport that dates back to the later SCA period and whose participants have much in common with SCA martial competitors.