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Archeology

Two Old Stone Balls Found in Scotland – And The Jokes Practically Write Themselves – Live Science

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scottish stone balls - live science

Two polished stone balls shaped about 5,500 years ago — linked to a mysterious practice almost unique to Neolithic Britain — have been discovered in an ancient tomb on the island of Sanday, in the Orkney Islands north of mainland Scotland. Hundreds of similar stone balls, each about the size of a baseball, have been found at Neolithic sites mainly in Scotland and the Orkney Islands, but also in England, Ireland and Norway, Live Science previously reported. Some are ornately carved — such as the famous Towie ball discovered in northeast Scotland in 1860 — but others are studded with … Read more

Real Life Atlantis

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Atlantis - Deposit Photos

Humans need water to survive, and so access to this precious natural resource has been an important factor in deciding where we have made our homes throughout history. Building near rivers, lakes and springs gave early settlers access to clean water for domestic and agricultural use, and the availability of fish meant they h ad a reliable food source. Traveling by boat also became an easy way to navigate the land more quickly, enabling our species to migrate to new areas. As humans spread across continents and populations boomed, trade between civilizations became more frequent. Coastal settlements allowed for larger … Read more

New Stonehenge Discovery Echoes Merlin’s Tale

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Stonehenge - Pixabay

The earliest megalithic circle at Stonehenge was first built in the west of Wales more than 5,000 years ago, before its stones were dug up and dragged over 140 miles (225 kilometers) to its present site in the west of England, new research suggests. The findings also support a wild legend that the mythical wizard Merlin ordered giants to move Stonehenge from Ireland and rebuild it in its current location. The researchers discovered the remains of the original stone circle in the Preseli Hills in Wales, near the ancient quarries where geologists have determined that Stonehenge’s famous bluestones were cut. … Read more

There’s a Knife-Wielding Spider God in peru!

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Knife-wielding spider god

An ancient ceremonial building that was built thousands of years ago in northwestern Peru’s La Libertad region was decorated with a painting of a spider deity clutching a knife. Archaeologists discovered the mural in November 2020, after local farmers damaged the temple structure during the expansion of their sugar cane and avocado plantations. When scientists inspected the monument (“huaca” in the Indigenous Quechuan family of languages), they found a figure painted against a white background on the southern wall, in shades of ocher, yellow and gray, the Peruvian national daily newspaper La República reported. Régulo Franco Jordán, director of archaeological … Read more

Nine Cool Ancient Weapons Discovered in 2020

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beautoful hilt - live science

Ancient swords, elaborate daggers, even early artillery — 2020 turned up a number of intriguing ancient weapons that tell the story of the violence of the past. These discoveries cover hundreds of thousands of years of human history, ranging from the ice age to medieval times.  A Beautiful Hilt A mushroom hunter in the Czech Republic was out in the woods this spring when he discovered far more than delectable fungi.  Sticking out of the soil was a piece of metal. Mushroom hunter Roman Novák kicked at it and realized it was the blade of a sword. He started digging and … Read more