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Evidence of 2,200-year-old hallucinogenic ritual found in Egyptian vase depicting dwarf god
By Owen Jarus published
An analysis of ancient residues left on a vase depicting the Egyptian deity Bes reveals it may have been used to reenact a myth.

Mass child sacrifices in 15th-century Mexico were a desperate attempt to appease rain god and end devastating drought
By Ben Turner published
The sacrifice of at least 42 children in Tenochtitlán, now Mexico City, was an effort to calm the anger of the Aztec rain god during a devastating drought, researchers have revealed.

Rare gladiator-shaped knife handle discovered by Hadrian's Wall
By Margherita Bassi published
It's rare to find gladiator memorabilia from Roman Britain, but archaeologists by Hadrian's Wall have just found a 2,000-year-old knife handle depicting a left-handed fighter.

Declassified spy satellite images reveal 1,400-year-old battle site in Iraq that set off the Muslim conquest
By Sierra Bouchér published
Historical texts that mentioned details about the battle site helped researchers match the images to the lost town of al-Qadisiyyah.

12,000-year-old, doughnut-shaped pebbles may be early evidence of the wheel
By Owen Jarus published
The wheel was likely invented around 6,000 years ago, but a new analysis of curious rocks from Israel suggests that wheel-like technologies existed even earlier.

'Medieval' King Arthur site is 4,000 years older than we thought
By Tom Metcalfe published
The discovery suggests the mysterious "King Arthur's Hall" in England is older than Stonehenge.

Our ancestor Lucy may have used tools more than 3 million years ago
By Kristina Killgrove published
An analysis looking at the hand bones of australopithecines, apes and humans reveals that tool use likely evolved before the Homo genus arose.

2,600-year-old Celtic wooden burial chamber of 'outstanding scientific importance' uncovered by archaeologists in Germany
By Margherita Bassi published
The discovery of an impeccably preserved Celtic burial chamber in southern Germany is a "stroke of luck for archaeology," scientists say.
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