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Mexican Farmers Unearth Ancient Statue of Elite Mesoamerican Woman

Mexican Farmers Unearth Ancient Statue of Elite Mesoamerican Woman

Farmers tilling the soil in a citrus grove in the Huasteca region along Mexico ’s Gulf Coast unearthed something ancient and unusual. Hitting a hard object they assumed was a rock, the farmers dug...
Though Egyptian hippos are now extinct in Egypt they still thrive in Africa. And these hippos are shown with lotus flowers, which often featured as decoration in Egyptian hippo figurines and paintings.                  Source: Faas / Adobe Stock

Egyptian Hippos: Ancient Symbol of Protection, Rebirth And Hunting

The ancient Egyptians had an undeniable and powerful connection to nature and the world around them. Almost every animal and plant had a specific meaning to their way of life, inspiring grand murals...
The Lady of Baza, a famous example of Iberian sculpture by the Bastetani, has long been a source of contention. Source: Juan Aunión / Adobe Stock

The Lady of Baza and the Battle to Take Her Home

The Lady of Baza, a statue unearthed in Baza, has long been a subject of contention. Discovered in 1971, it was swiftly removed and taken to Madrid where it has been kept at the National Museum of...
Ice Age Figurines and the Sanctity of Prehistoric Obesity

Ice Age Figurines and the Sanctity of Prehistoric Obesity

While we all know too much icing can lead to obesity, a new study now says too much “Ice Age” can too, linking the famous Ice Age Venus figurines with a widespread prehistoric desire for “female...
Prof. Vasil Nikolov and his team of archaeologists at the Provadia-Saltworks found the ceramic artifact, believed to be a salt god, while excavating the bottom of a salt evaporation pool. Source: Provadia-Solnitsata

Unidentified Salt God Emerges from Ancient Bulgarian Cult Site

In the ancient world salt was so valuable that Roman soldiers were sometimes paid with salt instead of money . A monthly salt allowance was a salarium , and this Latin word seeds both the French word...
The 18th century sex toy unearthed in the Polish latrine. Credit: Regional Office for the Protection of Monuments.

The 18th Century Sex Toy Unearthed in a Polish Latrine

Archaeologists excavating an ancient latrine in the Baltic city of Gdańsk in Poland made an unexpected discovery when they unearthed a 250-year-old sex toy. The construction of the object and the...
Archaeologists Find Maya Sweat Bath ‘IS’ the Goddess of Creation

Archaeologists Find Maya Sweat Bath ‘IS’ the Goddess of Creation

Archaeologists exploring an ancient Maya sweat bath in Guatemala say not only did this sacred chamber represent the goddess of creation , but it is the actual deity herself manifested on earth. What...
Tilapia Stew: Egyptian Recipe Found in 6000-year-old Stomach

Tilapia Stew: Egyptian Recipe Found in 6000-year-old Stomach

This recipe is based on an archaeological discovery made in an upper Egypt tomb dating to around 3500 to 4000 BC. Differing from a typical mummy, which would have had its organs in canopic jars, the...
Front of the main piece of the Stone Age Venus of Egerszeg Statuette recently unearthed in Hungary. Source: Göcsej Museum

Stone Age ‘Venus of Egerszeg’ Statuette Unearthed in Hungary

In Hungary , archaeologists have found a 6500-year-old idol . The incomplete figure is a female form and has been named the Venus of Egerszeg. The team who discovered the Venus of Egerszeg say the...
Human-Neanderthal fertility gene discovered in recent study. Source: Dimid / Adobe Stock.

Neanderthal Gene Makes Women More Fertile

Are you in the “one in three” group of European women with the special Neanderthal gene required for fewer pregnancy issues? The revelatory new DNA study by researchers at the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft...
The Maya goddess Ix Chel wearing a coiled snake headdress

Ix Chel’s Coiled Snake Headdress: Sacred Symbol of Maya Women

The coiled snake headdress is a significant artifact connected with Maya women, both ancient and modern. Images of ancient Maya women wearing this distinctive headdress have been found carved on...
An example of a Sheela na gig, a carving of a naked woman with an exaggerated vulva.

Viva La Vulva! When Did Female Genitalia Become Obscene?

In September 2019, a French ad for feminine hygiene products featuring taboo-breaking representations of vulvas and menstruation sparked controversy . Yet in a cultural context in France, phallic...
Fertility goddesses can be found in all cultures and times. Source: zolotareva_elina /Adobe Stock

Praying For Life – Top 10 Ancient Fertility Goddesses

Throughout the ancient history of the world, polytheism - commonly known as paganism or heathenism - was the defining aspect of all societies and civilizations. Our ancestors had complex and...
Mistletoe branch. Credit: Vera Kuttelvaserova / Adobe Stock.

Mistletoe: From Toxin-Laced Darts to Fertility Symbol

Christmas and mistletoe: have you ever simply asked yourself … why? I have studied plant parasites like mistletoe for almost ten years, and I’m here to tell you that the answer is absolutely...
Group of Moai statues at the quarry of Rano Raraku, Easter Island.    Source: thomaslusth / Adobe Stock

Easter Island’s Moai Enigma Finally Solved?

Rapa Nui (or Easter Island , as it is commonly known) is home to the enigmatic Moai , stone monoliths that have stood watch over the island landscape for hundreds of years. Their existence is a...
art of the megalithic temple excavation site at Huaca el Toro in Peru. Source: EFE

Water Cult’s Megalithic Temple in Peru was Re-Purposed for Death

A megalithic temple found near the springs of the Zaña Valley river in Peru is an interesting find for several reasons. First, it’s the only known megalithic architecture in the Lambayeque region...
Heryshaf depicted as a ram wearing symbolic headdress. (Rama / CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Egyptian God Heryshaf – Mysterious Lord of Heracleopolis

We all know that the wonders of the ancient Egyptian pantheon are many and so amazing – and the deities that lurk within that pantheon are almost impossible to count and mention. Many of these...
Mysterious Monk Walking Alone During Sunset. Source: Igor Ovsyannykov / CC BY 2.0

Italy’s Ancient Benandanti: Harvest Rites and Ghostly Battles

In the Friuli region of Italy in 1580, during the peak of the Roman Inquisition’s foray into witchcraft, an inquisitorial examination of a local town crier produced the following eerie testimony: “…...
This naked lady statuette was found by a 7 year old boy at Tel Rehov in 2015. Source: © Clara Amit, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Bare Naked Lady Tablets Offer A Fresh Insight Into Ancient Canaanite Goddess Worship

Five clay tablets depicting full-breasted naked ancient Egyptian women and a carved scarab have been unearthed by archaeologists digging at Rehob, a 3,500-year-old city in modern-day Israel. Mazar...
Neanderthal extinction has been blamed on a drop in fertility. Source: Kovalenko I / Adobe Stock.

Small Drop In Fertility Rate May Have Led To Neanderthal Extinction

Sapiens be warned, the life of a population is fragile! After decades of speculation about Neanderthals being wiped out by our ancestors, a new scientific study suggests that Neanderthal extinction...
Beltane Fire Festival Celebrations.

The Pagan Wheel of the Year: What Elaborate Rituals and Events Mark this Sacred Cycle?

As more and more people describe themselves as ‘spiritual’ rather than religious, experts expect eco-friendly pagan movements will continue to grow. Already there are perhaps a million pagans in the...
'A May Day celebration’ by William Powell Frith.

May Day’s Weird and Wonderful Pagan Roots

May 1st is an ancient Northern Hemisphere festival, now known as ‘May Day’, which traditionally marked the return of summer. It is believed that the celebrations originated in agricultural rituals...
Beltane. Source: chrisdonia/CC BY NC SA 2.0

Beltane: Celtic Fire Festival Beckons with the Warmth of Summer

Celtic tribes celebrated Beltane to welcome the return of summer. Since at least the Iron Age, celebrations have included fire ceremonies, feasting, and fertility rites. Historically, the festival...
Head and torso of god Xipe Totec found at Ndachjian–Tehuacán archaeological site

Gruesome Sacrificial Temple of the Macabre Fertility God Xipe Totec Discovered in Mexico

Delighted archaeologists in Mexico have found the first temple dedicated to the ‘Flayed Lord’ or Xipe Tótec, one of the most important Pre-Columbian deities. The find, which included a stone...

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