Sarcophagus lids, a Greco-Roman portrait and fragments of what is believed to be a temple of Queen Hatshepsut were among 25 rare artifacts returned to Egypt from the United States, the Egyptian antiquities ministry said Monday. The pieces — spanning centuries of Egyptian civilization — were handed over following a three-year recovery effort by Egypt’s […]
Vienna archaeologists discover skeletal remains in mass grave of fighters in Roman Empire-era battle
As construction crews churned up dirt to renovate a Vienna soccer field last October, they happened upon an unprecedented find: A heap of intertwined skeletal remains in a mass grave dating to the 1st-century Roman Empire, likely the bodies of warriors in a battle involving Germanic tribes. On Wednesday, after archaeological analysis, experts at the […]
Ancient altar found in Guatemala jungle apparently used for sacrifices,
An altar from the Teotihuacan culture, at the pre-Hispanic heart of what became Mexico, was discovered in Tikal National Park in Guatemala, the center of Mayan culture, demonstrating the interaction between the two societies, Guatemala’s Culture and Sports Ministry announced this week. The enormous city-state of Tikal, whose towering temples still stand in the jungle, […]
Remains of
Archaeologists in Peru announced they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, in an area which for decades was used as a garbage dump. The new discovery revealed the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas, researchers said. “What has been discovered […]
Study sheds new light on exclusive hallucinogenic drug rituals in ancient Peru
An ancient society in the Peruvian Andes likely used psychoactive drugs during exclusive rituals that may have helped establish social and political hierarchies seen later throughout the region, according to a new study. The prehistoric Chavín people held private and potentially secret gatherings where elite figures used “snuff tubes” to consume tobacco and hallucinogenic plant […]