Archaeologists Discover 150 Skulls from Largest Mass Human Sacrifice in Meso-America.

An excavation in Mexico has led to the discovery of troves of human skulls. Archaeologists believe that the skulls come from the largest mass human sacrifice unearthed yet in ancient Meso-America.

The study, published in the journal Latin American Antiquity, describes the surprising finding. The skulls were found miles from the nearest study in what used to be a body of water called Lake Xaltocan but now simply contains an empty field. The location was so unassuming that researchers had not even immediately thought to look there; they discovered the site when they stumbled upon evidence of looting when viewing satellite images of ancient canals, irrigation channels and lakes that would have surrounded the ancient Teotihuacan kingdom, according to LiveScience.

Upon investigation, the archaeologists discovered over 150 human skulls that were attached to one or two vertebra. The location also held a shrine, which contained incense burners, deity figurines and pottery that indicated a ritual linked with local agriculture. Through carbon dating, researchers have found that the skulls were a minimum of 1,100 years old and, of the dozens of skulls that have been tested so far, the majority belonged to men.

Because most of the skulls belonged to men, researchers believe that they were carefully chosen, rather than the result of indiscriminate slaughter of a village. However, that 

determination shakes up previously held assumptions about human sacrifice in the region. While several cultures in Meso-America, including the Teotihuacan kingdom, participated in human sacrifice, they mostly occurred at large urban pyramids and were connected to state power - a far cry from this mass human sacrifice that would have taken place in a rural area.

Researchers believe that a drought caused the end of the Teotihuacan kingdom, which led to a period of bloody war and political infighting among several regional groups.

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Hermes statue uncovered in Antalya!

A bronze Hermes statue from the Roman era, which has been unearthed during excavations in the ancient city of Patara in the southern province of Antalya’s Kaş district and restored at the Antalya Museum, was yesterday introduced to Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay.

The head of the excavations, Professor Havva İşkan Işık, said the four-meter long head statue was unique in Turkey and the world, saying, “we have never found such a stature before.”

Işık said the statue was estimated to date back to the period of Emperor Constantine. “This is a work from the late period, which makes it more special,” he said.

Following the uncovering of the statue, it was observed that the statue looked like the modern day people of the region.

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What a hobbit REALLY looks like: Researchers reconstruct the face of Homo Floresiensis

Reconstruction based on skull fragments found in Flores in 2003.

Researchers say result is 'not pretty, but definitely distinctive'.

By MARK PRIGG.

On the eve of the release of Peter Jackson's version of the Hobbit, researchers in Australia have revealed what the early human dubbed the 'hobbit human' really looks like.

Researchers analysed the homo floresiensis unearthed by Professor Mike Morwood and the Liang Bua archaeological team in Flores, Indonesia in 2003.

'She's not what you'd call pretty, but she is definitely distinctive,' said Dr Susan Hayes of the University of Woollongong, who led the research.

The 18,000-year-old skeleton, officially known as Homo floresiensis, gets its nickname from its squat stature. 

The 3-foot (1-metre) tall, 30-year-old female based on remains that were uncovered in the Liang Bua cave on the remote Indonesian island of Flores in 2003

Since the discovery, scientists have debated whether the specimen actually represents an extinct species in the human family tree, perhaps a diminutive offshoot of Homo erectus, a 1.8-million-year-old hominid and the first to have body proportions comparable to those of modern Homo sapiens.

'In the media it's often called 'facial reconstruction', but because I'm evidence-based and work in archaeological science, we prefer the term 'facial approximation',' Dr Hayes said.

 The project, marking the beginning of the Australian Archaeological (AAA) Conference being hosted by UOW from 9-13 December, involved Dr Hayes applying her methods to a very different female individual.

She was given access to the very significant remains of Homo floresiensis unearthed by Professor Mike Morwood and the Liang Bua archaeological team in Flores, Indonesia in 2003.

Dr Hayes described the facial approximation as an extraordinary challenge working on an archaic hominin.

'She's taken me a bit longer than I'd anticipated, has caused more than a few headaches along the way, but I'm pleased with both the methodological development and the final results.'

'She's taken me a bit longer than I'd anticipated, has caused more than a few headaches along the way, but I'm pleased with both the methodological development and the final results,' said Miss Hayes.

With a background in forensic science, Hayes was able to flesh out the face of the 3-foot (1-meter) tall, 30-year-old female based on remains that were uncovered in the Liang Bua cave on the remote Indonesian island of Flores in 2003.

The 18,000-year-old skeleton, officially known as Homo floresiensis, gets its nickname from its squat stature. 

Since the discovery, scientists have debated whether the specimen actually represents an extinct species in the human family tree, perhaps a diminutive offshoot of Homo erectus, a 1.8-million-year-old hominid and the first to have body proportions comparable to those of modern Homo sapiens.

The skulls of the miniature human found on the Indonesian island of Flores (left) are a third of the size of humans.

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Rare Artifact Stolen From Israeli Archaeological Dig

A recently uncovered rare archaeological artifact was stolen this week from the Tel Shiloh archaeological site in Israel. Tazpit News Agency reported last week on the discovery of the artifact, a broken clay pitcher lying in a layer of reddish ashes that helped to complete the story of the devastation of Shiloh, the ancient capital of Israel during the First Israelite 

commonwealth. The ashes found attest to a devastating fire the occurred on the site. The dating of the clay pitcher, 1050 BCE, correlates with the dating of the limited portrayal of events surrounding Shiloh’s destruction depicted in Book of Samuel. This artifact is one of its kind, and it was the first to shed light on the biblical mystery it solves.

The artifact was stolen from the exact location it was found at, still lodged in the wall. A part of it was left behind.

The site administration filed a compliant with the police immediately after the theft was discovered.

Avital Selah, director of the Tel Shiloh site, told Tazpit News Agency he could not find a motive for the theft. “I don’t know what can be done with it; it has no value as an antique, but does have immense historical significance. I believe it may be the act of someone who desired to have the artifact in his possession after hearing about the discovery in the media. I don’t think there was criminal intent here; I don’t think it was a professional job, only poor behavior. I call on the person who took the artifact to return it and save this extremely important historical finding.”

The Tel Shiloh site is now exploring the option of installing further security measures to prevent such incidents in the future. “These are the treasures of the Tabernacle. We can’t afford to lose them again,” said Selah.

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Ancient Penis God Temple Discovered By Archaeologists In Bulgaria

Sozopol, Bulgaria – Archaeologists for the National Historical Museum have found an ancient temple curiously dedicated to a dramatically well-hung penis god.

You laugh, but people did indeed worship this penis god. In fact, you probably know him by his given name, Priapus. He was a god in the Greek pantheon, and pretty much the patron saint of penises.

MSN reports that the ancient temple to Priapus was unearthed in the southern town of Sozopol on the Black Sea and that the archaeologists knew they were onto the penis god when they found a clay phallus with “To Priapus” inscribed on it during the dig.

This type of thing was given to Priapus by men who had problems with fertility or erectile dysfunction, reports Sofia Globe. So, instead of popping some Viagra for a casual Saturday night with the wife, you’d get dressed and head to the penis god temple to offer a clay dildo unto Priapus on the hope that he’ll  favor you and help you get closer.

It gets better. There’s a local legend about Priapus that tells of the penis god running into a donkey and getting into a dispute about who was better-endowed. The donkey bet its life in the bargain and ended up losing it (and becoming a sacrifice) because Priapus is the god of penis, and, if he can’t beat everyone at that, he’s not a very good god.

The ancient penis god temple is actually a pretty significant find too. It suggests to archaeologists that a cult of Priapus did indeed exist, but the size of which, believe it or not, has been under dispute.

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Minoans Warlike?

By: Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer
Published: 01/15/2013 01:33 PM EST on LiveScience

The civilization made famous by the myth of the Minotaur was as warlike as their bull-headed mascot, new research suggests.

The ancient people of Crete, also known as Minoan, were once thought to be a bunch of peaceniks. That view has become more complex in recent years, but now University of Sheffield archaeologist Barry Molloy says that war wasn't just a part of Minoan society — it was a defining part.

"Ideologies of war are shown to have permeated religion, art, industry, politics and trade, and the social practices surrounding martial traditions were demonstrably a structural part of how this society evolved and how they saw themselves," Molloy said in a statement.

The ancient Minoans

Crete is the largest Greek isle and the site of thousands of years of civilization, including the Minoans, who dominated during the Bronze Age, between about 2700 B.C. and 1420 B.C. They may have met their downfall with a powerful explosion of the Thera volcano, which based on geological evidence seems to have occurred around this time.

The Minoans are perhaps most famous for the myth of the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull that lived in the center of a labyrinth on the island.

Minoan artifacts were first excavated more than a century ago, Molloy said, and archaeologists painted a picture of a peaceful civilization where war played little to no role. Molloy doubted these tales; Crete was home to a complex society that traded with major powers such as Egypt, he said. It seemed unlikely they could reach such heights entirely cooperatively, he added.

"As I looked for evidence for violence, warriors or war, it quickly became obvious that it could be found in a surprisingly wide range of places," Molloy said.

War or peace?

For example, weapons such as daggers and swords show up in Minoan sanctuaries, graves and residences, Molloy reported in November in The Annual of the British School at Athens. Combat sports were popular for men, including boxing, hunting, archery and bull-leaping, which is exactly what it sounds like.

Hunting scenes often featured shields and helmets, Molloy found, garb more suited to a warrior's identity than to a hunter's. Preserved seals and stone vessels show daggers, spears and swordsmen. Images of double-headed axes and boar's tusk helmets are also common in Cretian art, Molloy reported.

Even the yet-undeciphered language of Minoan may hint at a violent undercurrent. The hieroglyphs include bows, arrows, spears and daggers, Molloy wrote. As the script is untranslated, these hieroglyphs may not represent literal spears, daggers and weapons, he said, but their existence reveals that weaponry was key to Minoan civilization.

"There were few spheres of interaction in Crete that did not have a martial component," Molloy said.

Some of the violent nature of Minoan society might have been missed because archaeologists find few fortified walls on the island, Molloy wrote. It may be that the island's rugged topography provided its own defense, he said, leaving little archaeological evidence of battles behind.

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