archaeology

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'Spanish Stonehenge' Reappears in 50-Year First

Dolmen of Guadalperal was last seen in full in 1963

(Newser) - For a limited time, you can feast your eyes on "Spanish Stonehenge"—which has been unseen in full in more than 50 years. The ancient monument officially known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal—a circle of 150 stones up to 6 feet tall on Spain's Peraleda de...

Scotland Is Seeking the Bones of a 300-Year-Old Witch

Lilias Adie died in 1704

(Newser) - Scotland has a single witch's grave. Only the bones that were placed there in 1704 aren't there anymore, and local officials are hoping to finally get them back. The Washington Post reports that Lilias Adie was arrested 315 years ago after she was accused of calling upon Satan...

As Far as Child Sacrifices Go, This Could Be the Biggest

227 bodies found in Peru

(Newser) - It's a grim and possibly record-setting find in Peru: what archaeologists say could be the biggest single mass child sacrifice ever found. The current body count is 227, and that number could grow as archaeologists continue to work the site, which is near the seaside town of Huanchaco in...

Pompeii Gives Up a 'Sorcerer's Treasure Trove'

So much for good-luck charms

(Newser) - There was perhaps no better place for good-luck charms than Pompeii circa AD79. Too bad they didn't quite work. Archaeologists combing the ancient Roman city discovered dozens of charms within a "sorcerer's treasure trove," encased in hardened volcanic material from Mount Vesuvius' eruption that year, per...

Cannonball Alters History of Waterloo

It suggests French army reached British field hospital before defeat

(Newser) - Rare human remains—specifically, amputated leg bones—have been discovered at the site of the 200-year-old battle that marked Napoleon's final defeat. Archaeologists were combing the site of farm buildings that were used as a British field hospital during the Battle of Waterloo in what is now Belgium when...

'It's the Earliest Strong Evidence of People Getting High' on Pot

Signs of ritual marijuana smoking found in western China

(Newser) - Archaeologists have unearthed the earliest direct evidence of people smoking marijuana from a 2,500-year-old graveyard in western China. In a complex of lofty tombs in the Pamir Mountains—a region near the borders of modern China, Pakistan, and Tajikistan—excavators found 10 wooden bowls and several stones containing burnt...

Mass Grave Tells of Horror When the Men Were Away
Mass Grave Tells of Horror
When the Men Were Away
new study
May 18, 2019 1:45 PM CDT

Mass Grave Tells of Horror When the Men Were Away

Archaeologists probe a 5K-Year-old killing

(Newser) - Talk about a cold case: Archaeologists are investigating a 5,000-year-old mass murder that confirms the brutality of late Neolithic life, LiveScience reports. Eight years ago, a grave was discovered in Poland with 15 women, young men, and children, all killed by head wounds and buried alongside funerary gifts like...

At Heart of Lake Titicaca, an Ancient Treasure Trove

Evidence suggests ritual sacrifice by the Tiwanaku

(Newser) - To the Aymara people of the Andes, Lake Titicaca is a mystical being. It's a belief that dates back hundreds of years to the Inca—and beyond, as evidenced by treasure pulled from the lake's depths, per Live Science . Divers have discovered gold medallions marked with a ray-faced...

Remnants of Nazi Massacre Found in Germany

400 artifacts found during excavation

(Newser) - Between March 20 and 23 in 1945, Nazis killed three groups of Polish and Soviet forced laborers—208 people in all—in Germany's Arnsberg Forest. The remains were exhumed and reburied by 1947, but those victims are now being remembered and discussed following a trio of excavations of the...

Archaeologists Are Bitter About Cadbury

They say treasure hunt campaign advocated looting

(Newser) - Cadbury has pulled an advertising campaign that archaeologists say encouraged children to dig for treasure—illegally. Naming archaeological sites around the UK and Ireland where jewels, gold, and silver have been found, the Treasure Island ads encouraged kids to "grab your metal detector and go hunting for Roman riches"...

After Locals Told of the Cave, It Was Sealed&mdash;Until Now
After Locals Told of the Cave,
It Was Sealed—Until Now
in case you missed it
Mar 10, 2019 12:15 PM CDT

After Locals Told of the Cave, It Was Sealed—Until Now

Some 200 Mayan artifacts found below Chichen Itza

(Newser) - This "extraordinary" story could have been published 50 years ago. That's when locals at the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza told an archaeologist about a cave there, but he had its entrance sealed, possibly to safeguard what was inside. The AP reports his brief report on it languished...

'Ancient' Stone Circle Turns Out to Be '90s Replica

Scottish farmer fooled archaeologists

(Newser) - An "ancient" stone circle in Scotland turned out to be as authentic a Neolithic relic as Spinal Tap's stage props. After the owner of a farm in Leochel-Cushnie, Aberdeenshire, contacted authorities about a stone circle on his property, archaeologists investigated the site and concluded that it was an...

Harnessed Horse Unearthed in Pompeii Stable

General may have been preparing to flee

(Newser) - Archaeologists have unearthed the petrified remains of a harnessed horse and saddle in the stable of an ancient villa in a Pompeii suburb. Pompeii archaeological park head Massimo Osanna tells the ANSA news agency that the villa belonged to a high-ranking military officer, perhaps a general, during ancient Roman times....

Hidden Chamber, Tunnel Beneath Mexican Pyramid

It might have been used for funerals beneath Pyramid of the Moon

(Newser) - There's more than a tunnel hidden beneath Mexico's second largest pyramid. A survey using electrical resistance technology has not only confirmed the existence of a tunnel running out the southern end of the Teotihuacan's 140-foot-tall Pyramid of the Moon, but also uncovered a chamber connected to it,...

Girl Describes Finding Iron Age Sword in Swedish Lake

Saga Vanecek says people are calling her the country's new queen

(Newser) - The 8-year-old girl who made sensational headlines after finding a pre-Viking sword in a Swedish lake has given her side of the story to the Guardian . In a first-person take, Saga Vanecek says she was in search of rocks to skim from the bottom of Lake Vidostern in the southern...

Small Inscription, Big Consequence for Ancient Pompeii

Newly found writing on wall suggests Vesuvius eruption came 2 months later than thought

(Newser) - A construction worker's ancient jotting on a wall might rewrite the history books. The wall scrawl suggests that the Roman city of Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in October of AD79, two months later than historians have long believed, reports the BBC . Uncovered by archaeologists...

Discovery of Bronze Hand Sparks a Mystery
Ancient Bronze Hand Leaves
Archaeologists Perplexed
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sep 30, 2018 10:10 AM CDT

Ancient Bronze Hand Leaves Archaeologists Perplexed

And leads to a criminal investigation

(Newser) - The hand is a bit smaller than that of an adult and made from roughly a pound of bronze. What it was used for has perplexed archaeologists since it was found in Switzerland last October. At an estimated 3,500 years old, National Geographic calls it "Europe's earliest...

61K Hidden Structures Reveal 'Unimaginable' Mayans

Archaeologists look at the details of earlier LIDAR survey

(Newser) - Maya civilization was no mere collection of city states using slash-and-burn farming—that we learned earlier this year . Now archaeologists are looking deeper into an airborne survey that revealed a formidable civilization double the size of medieval England at its peak 1,200 years ago, Ars Technica reports. The survey,...

Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Sphinx Statue in Egypt Temple
Sphinx Uncovered
in Egyptian Temple
Sep 16, 2018 5:00 PM CDT

Sphinx Uncovered in Egyptian Temple

The discovery was made in the southern city of Aswan

(Newser) - Egypt says archaeologists have discovered a statue of a lion's body and a human head in the southern city of Aswan. Per the AP , the Antiquities Ministry says the sphinx made of sandstone was found in the Temple of Kom Ombo during work to protect the site from groundwater....

Limestone Altar Reveals Secret of Mayan Rule

Guatemalan engraving may reveal how rival dynasty defeated Tikal

(Newser) - How do you conquer a powerful Mayan city-state? Forge a political dynasty, ally with smaller surrounding cities, and slowly envelop until you become leader of the Serpent Kingdom—at least according to one take on a newly unveiled Mayan altar, the AP reports. Discovered in 2017 at the Guatemalan site...

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