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Mold used by the Maya to make figurines. Credit: Dr Brent Woodfill, Winthrop University.
23 April, 2019 - 18:52 ashley cowie

Largest Ever Maya Figurine Workshop Discovered Accidentally in Unexplored Mound

In May 2018, heavy machinery excavating outside the city of Coban, in the highlands of Guatemala , sliced into a large earthen mound that was found to contain millions of parts from Classic Maya...
Life-size Dorset masks. (500-1000 AD) The masks were carved from driftwood and painted. They also once had fur moustaches and eyebrows attached with pegs. Scholars believe that the masks were probably used by shamans in rituals to cure illness, control the weather, or to aid in hunts.
15 September, 2018 - 03:49 Alicia McDermott

Preserved in Legends and Ice: What Led to the Extinction of the Dorset Culture?

Before the Inuit’s ancestors conquered the Arctic region of what we now call Canada and Greenland, there is evidence of another remarkable Paleo-Eskimo culture– the Dorset. Soon after the arrival of...
A dragon-like animal head (pictured), made from antler or horn, was found in the grave of a small child.
29 December, 2017 - 01:51 ancient-origins

Magical new 4,500 year old finds add to 'oldest toy collection in the world'

By: The Siberian Times reporter Archaeologists have made ‘rare’ discoveries of pre-historic toys at the Itkol II burial ground in the Republic of Khakassia, southern Siberia. At 4,500 years old, they...
Collection of Egyptian Busts and Shabtis, design by Anand Balaji
27 October, 2017 - 15:27 anand balaji

Nefertiti and the Perfect Serenity of Death: Mesmeric Shabtis of Akhenaten and Tutankhamun —Part II

Archeological records and a trove of recovered specimens inform us that shabtis (funerary figurines) produced from different materials were placed in the tombs of Eighteenth Dynasty Pharaoh...
Collection of Egyptian Shabtis, design by Anand Balaji
25 October, 2017 - 15:32 anand balaji

Deputies of the Dead from Amarna to Thebes: Mesmeric Shabtis of Akhenaten and Tutankhamun—Part I

Among the most important items that made it into the crypts of both kings and commoners alike were shabti figurines that served to ensure that the Afterlife was one long holiday for their masters...
Figurines discovered in recently-unearthed tomb in Mexico.
13 February, 2017 - 22:53 ancient-origins

Ancient Intact Tomb Unearthed in Mexico with Skulls, Bones, and Shaman Figurine to Protect the Deceased

Archaeologists have unearthed a 1,700-year-old intact tomb in Mexico where they found the skulls and other bones of twelve male adults, as well as pre-Columbian figurines and statues. Each of the...
Fascinating Figurines Accompanied a Chinese General and his Princess Wife to the Afterlife
8 February, 2017 - 02:05 Alicia McDermott

Fascinating Figurines Accompanied a Chinese General and his Princess Wife to the Afterlife

Over 100 grave goods accompanied a Chinese general and his princess wife to the afterlife. The elite couple were buried in 564 with a collection of figurines. Their double burial likely had some...
The Immense Collection of Strange Acambaro Figurines: Evidence of Dinosaurs Living Among Us?
27 December, 2016 - 00:51 Caleb Strom

The Immense Collection of Strange Acambaro Figurines: Evidence of Dinosaurs Living Among Us?

Most mainstream paleontologists and geologists place dinosaurs on earth’s timeline at around 220 million and 65 million years ago, during the Mesozoic Era. Homo sapiens on the other hand, do not...
New Information Comes to Light on a Unique Mycenaean Tholos Tomb
23 November, 2016 - 03:49 Theodoros Karasavvas

New Information Comes to Light on a Unique Mycenaean Tholos Tomb

Preliminary results have been provided on a Mycenaean tholos tomb discovered in 2014 on the slope of the Amblianos hill near Amphissa on the Greek mainland. The tomb is considered a special find in...
Experts Try to Solve Mystery of Thousands of Ancient Clay Body Parts Strewn Across Italy
22 November, 2016 - 21:52 Mark Miller

Experts Try to Solve Mystery of Thousands of Ancient Clay Body Parts Strewn Across Italy

Not quite two centuries after researchers and healers started making huge strides in medicine, some diseases stubbornly elude cures. In these cases, many people resort to imploring God to heal...
Close microscopic inspection reveals them as being far from idealised female forms.
20 February, 2016 - 00:40 ancient-origins

World Famous Ancient Siberian Venus Figurines are NOT Venuses After All

By Olga Gertcyk / The Siberian Times None are naked: instead, they're far more interesting… New groundbreaking research shows that a celebrated collection of prehistoric Venus figurines are - in fact...
Anthromorphic clay figurines from the Sao civilization, Chad.
26 September, 2015 - 04:01 dhwty

Lost in the Mists of Time: The Ancient Sao Civilization in Central Africa

The Sao Civilization was an ancient culture located in Central Africa, in an area which is today partly owned by the countries of Cameroon and Chad. They settled along the Chari River, which is...
The Canine Figurines of Mesoamerican Colima
14 July, 2015 - 03:51 Riley Winters

A Dog Eat Dog World: The Canine Figurines of Mesoamerican Colima

The ceramics of West Mexico were very different from contemporary civilizations. Jalisco, Nayarit and Colima were the primary sites, creating some of the most intriguing and visually stimulating art...
Prehistoric Jomon dogū statue with large eyes and hips, Ebisuda Site in Tajiri, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. 1000–400 BCE.
28 February, 2015 - 00:45 Riley Winters

Ancient dogu figurines with large goggle-eyes defy scholarly explanation

The Jomon Period is the earliest identifiable period in Japanese history and is broken into several categories—Incipient, Early, Middle, and Late. Comprised of a sedentary culture, the Jomon people...
A close-up of a Nomoli figure taken in the British Museum
30 December, 2014 - 12:11 mrreese

The Unknown Origins of the Mysterious Nomoli Figures

Locals in Sierra Leone, Africa were searching for diamonds when they came across a set of extraordinary stone figures depicting several human races, and in some cases, semi-human beings. These...
The Lady of the Spiked Throne
17 October, 2014 - 13:44 aprilholloway

The Lady of the Spiked Throne and her Mysterious Entourage

The Lady of the Spiked Throne refers to a mysterious artifact from the Indus Valley civilization that has been dated to the 3 rd millennium BC. It depicts a woman in a position of power seated in a...

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