Around the World March 1, 2011
VIRGINIA: An encrypted message in a bottle dating to the Civil War has been removed and deciphered by codebreakers. "You can expect no help from this side of the river," began the unsigned message, which is in a museum collection. It was meant for Confederate Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton, in response to his request for aid during the Siege of Vicksburg in Mississippi. But the note never reached his hands—it was dated July 4, 1863, the date he surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant.
Digs & Discoveries September/October 2018
Letter from Virginia July/August 2015
Excavations are providing a new look at some of the Civil War’s earliest fugitive slaves—considered war goods or contraband—and their first taste of liberty
Digs & Discoveries November/December 2025
Letter from Williamsburg July/August 2025
Archaeologists are reconstructing the complicated 400-year history of Virginia’s colonial capital
Features September/October 2026
Hoards of lavish gold and silver neck rings buried on an English hill reflect dramatic social change
Features September/October 2026
Peru’s ancient farmers used intricate rock maps to plan for the future
Features September/October 2026
Archaeologists are reimagining a time before the first pharaohs
Features September/October 2026
The story of Greece’s famed Antikythera wreck is finally being revealed
