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 March/April 2026
A look inside miniature worlds created for the living, the dead, and the divine
Features March/April 2026
Vivid frescoes in an opulent dining room celebrate the wild rites of the wine god
Features March/April 2026
Discovering the true origins of an enigmatic mile-long pattern in Peru’s coastal desert
Features March/April 2026
In a remote region of India, archaeologists trace 4,000 years of history through a vast collection of petroglyphs
Features March/April 2026
New analysis of Neanderthal remains reveals surprisingly grim secrets
