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"The Eyes" in the Prohodna Cave near Karlukovo, Bulgaria.

God or the Devil? Whose Mystical Eyes Follow Visitors through the Bulgarian Prohodna Cave?

Prohodna Cave is a natural cave located in North Central Bulgaria. This cave is a popular tourist attraction due to a certain natural feature in the cave, i.e. two eye-shaped holes in its central...
Pont des Trous in Tournai. Credit: Francois / Adobe Stock.

13th Century Pont des Trous Bridge Demolished: Archaeological Vandalism or Economic Progression?

Angry Belgians and a minister of that countries federal government have voiced their distain towards politicians and counselors who ordered the dismantling of Tournai’s gothic “Bridge of Holes” so...
Priest hole in the cupboard of Harvington Hall, Worcestershire

Hiding to Avoid Hanging: Priest Holes, Hidden Chambers, and Secret Passages

Under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, which began in 1558, Catholics were persecuted by law and priests were imprisoned, tortured, and frequently executed. As a result of this oppression,...
Man-made holes visible amongst the natural erosion features of the granite rock in Sudan

Were Peculiar Holes Drilled in Rocks Used to Construct Shelters by Ancient Sudanese?

Archaeologists working at the site of Sphinx, in central Sudan, have examined closely some peculiar man-made holes in rocks located on the west bank of the River Nile. They now speculate that the...
Evidence Emerges of Cranial Surgery in China Dating Back More than 3,500 Years

Evidence Emerges of Cranial Surgery in China Dating Back More than 3,500 Years

New evidence has emerged that suggests ancient surgeons in China were drilling or scraping holes in people’s heads more than 3,500 years ago. The process, known as trepanation, was used in various...
Archaeologists Uncover a Symbolic Code Hidden in the Crater-Filled Plaza of the Moon in Teotihuacan

Archaeologists Uncover a Symbolic Code Hidden in the Crater-Filled Plaza of the Moon in Teotihuacan

For weeks, archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) of Mexico have been digging and exploring, for the first time, the bowels of the Plaza of the Moon at...
Solved: The Mystery of the Spiraling Holes in the Nasca Region of Peru

Solved: The Mystery of the Spiraling Holes in the Nasca Region of Peru

Spiraling holes, known as puquios, are located in the Nasca (Nazca) region of Peru. This is the same place where gigantic geometric images are located carved into the landscape. After years of...
Mile long band of mysterious and unexplained holes in Pisco Valley – Peru. (CC BY 3.0). Inset:  An artistic impression defining 11 pictographs and 22 characters composing just a 200 meters length of the "Band of Holes'.

The Mysterious Holes of Peru: A Pre-Columbian Domestic Water Source for Trans-Oceanic Travelers? Part II

Read Part I In Part I , Ancient Origins Guest Writer, William James Veall discussed why he believes his research has uncovered a viable solution to the long term "Mystery of the Peruvian Holes" - a...
Mile long band of mysterious and unexplained holes in Pisco Valley – Peru.

The Mysterious Holes of Peru: A Pre-Columbian Domestic Water Source for Trans-Oceanic Travelers? Part I

No really serious attention has been paid by scientists to resolve the mystery of nearly 7000 'pits' that snake their way for almost one mile across the rugged Cajamarquilla Plain bordering the Pisco...
Ancient skull was drilled and harvested for medicine

Ancient skull was drilled and harvested for medicine in the 18th century

The skull of a man who was beheaded in the 15 th century was at the center of a mystery until experts revealed the cranium was harvested to be used as medicine. Within the crypt of Italy’s Otranto...
A trepannated skull from Neolithic period

Evidence of successful brain surgery and ancient pharmaceutical warehouse found in Turkey

Archaeologists have unearthed evidence of ancient surgery among the remains of people who lived in a settlement near Istanbul, Turkey, between the 11 th and 6 th centuries B.C. A skull, buried among...
Miles-long band of mysterious and unexplained holes in Pisco Valley - Peru

Miles-long band of mysterious and unexplained holes in Pisco Valley, Peru

A mysterious site spans the landscape of Pisco Valley, Peru. On the same plateau where the famous Nazca Lines are found, thousands of holes have been carved into rock, creating a band that stretches...
The tell-tale marks on this Early Bronze Age man’s bones reveal cancer is not necessarily a modern phenomenon only

Researchers find oldest known case of cancer in 4,500-year-old remains of Siberian man

The earliest known case of cancer has been identified in the skeleton of a Siberian Bronze Age man. The 4,500-year-old bones have significant marks and holes, alerting researchers to the devastating...