STENLØSE, DENMARK—Live Science reports that human and animal bones, as well as an unpolished flint ax head, were recovered from what was once a bog on Denmark’s island of Zealand during an investigation conducted before a construction project. The style of the ax suggests that the bones date to the early Neolithic period, more than 5,000 years ago, according to Emil Struve of the ROMU museums. “We know that traditions of human sacrifices date back that far—we have other examples of it,” he said. The human remains include leg bones, a pelvis, and part of a lower jaw with some teeth still attached. The rest of the body probably lay outside the protective layer of peat and was not preserved. Examination of the pelvis and teeth may yield information about the person’s age and sex. Struve and his colleagues plan to conduct a full excavation of the site in the spring. To read about canine remains found in a Danish bog, go to "Denmark's Bog Dogs."

LIMA, PERU—Vice reports that more than 160 geoglyphs, including depictions of humans, birds, orcas, cats, snakes, and camelids, were discovered in Peru’s Nazca Desert during field surveys conducted by a team of researchers led by Jorge Olano of Panthéon-Sorbonne University and Masato Sakai of Yamagata University. The scientists began the search with high-resolution aerial images taken with drones. Many of the geoglyphs, estimated to be about 2,000 years old, measure between just 10 and 20 feet across. This team also identified more than 140 geoglyphs in the same area in 2019. For more on identifying Nazca geoglyphs using high-resolution 3-D imaging, go to "Around the World: Peru."

TURKU, FINLAND—YLE News reports that a Bronze Age monument was discovered on Finland’s southwestern coast during an archaeological survey. The pile of stones, which now measures about 30 feet long, 20 feet wide, and about one foot tall, is situated on the highest point of a hill overlooking the Aura River. Researchers led by Juha Ruohonen of the University of Turku suggest that when built, this cairn was probably taller and more compact. It may have marked a grave, or could have been built as a display of control over an area. Two stones incised with small, cup-like markings were identified near the cairn. To read about preserved organic material that was found in an 8,000-year-old grave in Majoonsuo, go to "Around the World: Finland."

NAPLES, ITALY—The Charlotte Observer reports that a mosaic floor has been uncovered at the Pausilypon, a Roman villa overlooking the Bay of Naples, by a team of researchers led by Marco Giglio of the University of Naples “L’Orientale.” The mosaic, located in what is thought to have been the villa’s original main living area, has a white center surrounded by a double-layered black outline. This style dates the mosaic to the late Republican period or the Augustan period at the latest, Giglio explained. The floor may therefore shed light on the villa’s first owner, Publius Vedius Pollio, a merchant and politician who left the property to the emperor Augustus in his will in 15 B.C. Augustus renovated the villa and covered the white mosaic floor tiles when he converted the living space into a personal spa, Giglio added. To read about a marble head of Augustus that was unearthed in the southern Italian town of Isernia, go to "Head of State."

CAIRO, EGYPT—Ahram Online reports that a collection of jewelry made of gold and soapstone has been discovered in a small shaft-and-chamber tomb in the Tell El-Amarna necropolis by a team of researchers from the University of Cambridge. The capital city of Amarna was built to be the home of the cult of Aten, the sun god, by the pharaoh Akhenaten, who ruled from about 1349 to 1336 B.C. The jewelry, including three rings and a necklace made of petal-shaped pendants, was found with the remains of a woman that had been wrapped in textiles and matting made with woven plant materials. To read about burials in Amarna that contained unusual conical headpieces, go to "Egyptian Coneheads."

MUSCAT, OMAN—The Times of Oman reports that incense burners, bronze axes, and tools made from copper and steatite have been found in an 80-foot-long mass grave on the northeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Researchers from Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and Sapienza University have dated the objects to the first millennium B.C., when the archaeological site of Dibba was a trading center connecting India, Persia, and Mesopotamia. The excavation was conducted ahead of the construction of a visitor center at the site. To read about an ancient game board unearthed at a site in the Qumayrah Valley, go to "Around the World: Oman."

HABIKINO, JAPAN—The Japan Times reports that the remains of a wooden haniwa measuring more than 11 feet long and about two and one-half feet wide were discovered in a moat surrounding the Minegazuka Kofun, a fifth-century A.D. tomb located in Osaka Prefecture on the island of Honshu. The rare figure—the tallest found to date—was carved from kōyamaki (Japanese umbrella pine), which only grows in a few areas of Japan. “It’s possible that a figure then at the center of power was buried [at the Minegazuka Kofun],” commented Hiroaki Suzuki of the Nara Prefectural Government’s cultural property preservation division. To read about an eighth-century A.D. building uncovered at Nara's Heijo Palace, go to "Around the World: Japan."

CORK, IRELAND—Next year, University College Cork will return mummified human remains, a wooden sarcophagus excavated by Ernesto Schiaparelli in the early twentieth century, four canopic jars, cartonnage, and other ancient artifacts to Egypt, according to a BBC News report. The sarcophagus, thought to have belonged to a man named Hor, and the mummy, also thought to belong to a man, were donated to the school. The canopic jars, dated to between 945 and 700 B.C., are thought to be the oldest objects in the collection. They were purchased by the university from an antiquities dealer. No records of how the cartonnage was acquired have been found. To read about the virtual unwrapping of the mummy of Amenhotep I, go to "Inside a Pharaoh's Coffin," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2022.

YAVNE, ISRAEL—A 2,200-year-old lead sling bullet has been unearthed in central Israel by researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority, according to an i24 News report. Yulia Ustinova of Ben Gurion University of the Negev said the object bears a Greek inscription reading, “Victory of Heracles and Hauronas,” the divine patrons of the city during the Hellenistic period. “Actually, the inscription on a sling bullet is the first archaeological evidence of the two guardians of Yavne, discovered inside Yavne itself,” Ustinova said. “Until today, the pair was only known from an inscription on the Greek island of Delos.” Calling on the gods could have unified the warriors, raised their spirits, scared the enemy, and may have been thought to energize the sling bullet itself, she added. To read about a 1,500-year-old gold and amethyst ring found at Yavne, go to "Around the World: Israel."

YUCATÁN, MEXICO—Mexico News Daily reports that work along the route of the Maya Train in southeastern Mexico has uncovered a limestone statue near a staircase covered with hieroglyphs at the site of Oxkintok. “He was found lying on his back and represents the human figure,” said archaeologist Luis Pantoja Díaz. “We see the marked pectorals, the middle part that could be the hanging belly and the part of the member,” he added. The statue, however, is missing its head, hands, and lower legs. Diego Prieto of Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History suggested that the statue represents a warrior who was taken prisoner during combat and decapitated. To read about a recently unearthed fragment of the Maya ritual calendar, go to "Earliest Maya Calendar Date," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2022.

STIRLING, SCOTLAND—An area of abrasive sandstone in central Scotland may have been used as a giant whetstone by Neolithic toolmakers, according to a BBC News report. Volunteers and Stirling Council archaeologist Murray Cook removed a layer of turf from the sandstone and recorded 33 U-shaped grooves, or polissoirs, where stone axes are thought to have been polished some 4,500 years ago. Cook suggests that people may have come from miles around to sharpen and smooth their tools at the site. To read about recent investigations at Scotland's Caerlaverock Castle, go to "Storming the Castle."

ISTANBUL, TURKEY—According to a Gizmodo report, narrative scenes thought to have been carved some 11,000 years ago have been discovered in southeastern Anatolia at the site of Sayburç by Eylem Özdoğan of Istanbul University. The five figures, found behind benches lining the walls of a Neolithic building, include two apparently male humans, a bull, and two leopards. One of the men is holding a snake or rattle in his right hand, while the other is holding his own penis. Özdoğan thinks one of the humans and the bull make up one scene, while the human flanked by two leopards make up a second. The building is thought to have served a communal purpose, he added, noting that the carvings may reflect a collective memory. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Antiquity. To read about the 11,000-year-old stone circles at Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, go to "Last Stand of the Hunter-Gatherers?"

TIBERIAS, ISRAEL—The Times of Israel reports that a section of 1,800-year-old Roman road was uncovered in northern Israel, near the Sea of Galilee, during work on a walking trail. The section runs from north to south, and measures 82 feet long and 26 feet wide. Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority said the road, which was built during the reign of Hadrian to move soldiers, mail, and goods, connected the cities of Acre, Sepphoris, and Tiberias. The road was eventually renovated during the Byzantine period. Pottery and coins from the Roman and Byzantine periods were also recovered. To read about a seventh-century mosque unearthed in ancient Tiberias, go to "Around the World: Israel."

Since 2014, a team of archaeologists investigating a 13,000-year-old hunting campsite at La Prele Creek, Wyoming, have uncovered an area larger than a football field. These images taken by Matt Stirn at the excavations during the summer of 2022 explore one of the most significant sites where people belonging to what archaeologists now call the Clovis Culture spent an extended period of time.

Enjoy these additional images of some of this year's Top 10 Discoveries. To read the full article, click here.

Enjoy these additional images from some of our January/February 2023 Digs & Discoveries. Image 1 is from “Storming the Castle,” image 2 is from “A Young Hercules,” image 3 is from “(Un)following the Recipe,” and image 4 is from “An Undersea Battlefield."

AUSTRALIA: Archaeologists working with Aboriginal communities obtained new information about the Marra Wonga rock shelter in central Queensland. The site contains 15,000 petroglyphs created over thousands of years. Researchers learned that one of the main scenes, which includes starlike designs, snake figures, and human feet, tells the Aboriginal Dreaming story of the Seven Sisters. According to the tale, an Ancestral Being known as Wattanuri pursued the sisters across the Australian landscape, and their altercations led to the creation of many prominent features existing today.

BORNEO: Evidence of the earliest known amputation was recovered from Liang Tebo Cave. The successful surgery was performed on a teenager 31,000 years ago, when the person’s lower left leg was skillfully removed. It is believed that the patient survived the procedure and lived for another 6 to 9 years before succumbing to an unknown cause of death. The individual also displayed signs of a healed neck fracture and clavicle trauma, both of which may have occurred during the same event in which the leg was injured.

INDIA: An archaeological survey covering 65 square miles of central India that had not been explored in almost a century documented hundreds of new sites dating to the 1st millennium A.D. Archaeologists even explored parts of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve—where they occasionally had to dodge wild beasts. The project identified dozens of ritual caves, stupas, inscriptions, and sculptures, along with Buddhist temples. Among the finds was a 20-foot-tall statue of Varaha, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, carved between the 9th and 13th centuries.

RUSSIA: The first known family of Neanderthals was identified by researchers who sequenced the DNA of 11 individuals from Chagyrskaya Cave in southern Siberia. The small group likely lived together 54,000 years ago. The genetic analysis determined that 2 of the cave’s inhabitants were a father and his teenage daughter, the first time such a relationship between Neanderthals has been established. The study also concluded that 2 other adult males, an adult female, and a small boy were part of their extended family.

SUDAN: Paintings created more than 1,000 years ago were unearthed at the site of Ga’ab El Lagia near the third cataract of the Nile River. The scenes were painted on the walls of a 50-foot-long mudbrick church between the 9th and 11th centuries. They depict Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the archangels Gabriel and Michael. The composition represents a flourishing period of Nubian art, when the area was an important Christian center ruled by the powerful Kingdom of Makuria.

BULGARIA: Much like today’s college students, Roman legionaries had small fridges in their dorms to store leftovers. Excavation of a barracks in the frontier fortress of Novae exposed a small ceramic-tile food storage unit along with fragments of dishware. Analysis of residues in the refrigerator showed that it contained traces of cooked meat. The soldiers even used small incense-burning vessels to repel unwelcome insects attracted to their fare.

SICILY: In 480 B.C., Greek colonists defeated an invading army of Carthaginians near Himera on Sicily’s northern coast. The victory was hailed by ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus as a triumph of the Greek spirit. However, a new study reveals that the Greeks had help. Genetic and isotope analysis of the remains of soldiers who perished in the conflict surprisingly indicated that a number were foreigners, recruited by the Greeks as mercenaries from as far away as the Baltic Sea region and the Eurasian steppe.

FINLAND: Very little ancient organic matter survives in Finland’s acidic soil. However, recent analysis of soil near an 8,000-year-old grave in Majoonsuo revealed tiny hair and feather fragments. The burial belonged to a child who died between the ages of 3 and 10. The microscopic feather particles suggest that the youth was laid to rest on a bed of down, while canid hairs imply that the child was wearing dog- or wolfskin footwear or was buried with a dog.

GUATEMALA: Something deadly was lurking beneath many Maya settlements—mercury. A geochemical survey of soil from 10 Maya sites across Central America revealed that 7 contain dangerous levels of the toxic element. This was likely caused by widespread use of cinnabar, which contains mercury, during the Classic period (A.D. 150–900). The bright red mineral was common in paint and decorations and was used in rituals. Mercury that seeped through soil into the water table would clearly have been hazardous to the health of those who lived at the sites.

PENNSYLVANIA: After a decades-long search, the location of Camp Security—a Revolutionary War POW camp—was finally pinpointed in York. Between 1781 and 1783, the Continental Army prison held around 1,200 British soldiers who had been captured at the Battles of Saratoga and Yorktown. Over the years, small Colonial-era artifacts had been retrieved from the area, but definitive proof of the camp’s whereabouts was lacking until a series of large postholes, denoting the position of the prison’s stockade fence, were recently uncovered.

DUNSCORE, SCOTLAND—A hoard of silver coins was discovered last year by metal detectorists in a field in southwestern Scotland, according to a Live Science report. The metal detectorists reported the find to the Treasure Trove Unit of National Museums Scotland, who sent archaeologists to investigate the site and then examine each of the more than 8,400 coins, which have been dated to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Many of them are “Edwardian pennies” minted during the reign of Edward I, from 1272 to 1307. The king invaded and conquered Scotland in 1296, leading to a period of rebellion until the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328. To read about a cache of Viking silver and Anglo-Saxon heirlooms unearthed in Scotland, go to "Secrets of Scotland's Viking Age Hoard."

HEFEI, CHINA—According to a statement released by the University of Science and Technology of China, Yang Yuzhang and his colleagues analyzed pottery fragments from the Neolithic site of Qujialing, which is located in the Yangtze River region of central China. Although rice dominated the diet, the researchers also detected traces of job’s tears, a type of millet; lotus roots; acorns; Chinese yam; and legumes on the sherds. Archaeological evidence also indicates that lotus roots were a staple food, and were likely collected from abundant local resources. As agriculture developed, however, and the practice of growing millet and other crops spread from northern China to the south, the reliance on gathered foods such as acorns decreased. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Frontiers in Plant Science. To read about the adoption of domesticated crops in the regional cuisines of Bronze Age China, go to "You Are How You Cook."

JUNEAU, ALASKA—The Anchorage Daily News reports that 25 items, including baskets woven of spruce root, ceremonial paddles, headdresses, and a wooden mask have been returned to the village of Kake, which is located in southeastern Alaska. The objects, taken from the village in the early twentieth century, were found at Oregon’s George Fox University by Tlingit researcher Frank Hughes, a Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act coordinator, and Lincoln Bean, vice chairman for the Organized Village of Kake. Most of the items are thought to have been taken by Quakers who built a mission in the village of Kake in 1891 and left when the building was handed over to the Kake Memorial Presbyterian Church in 1912. To read about a geophysical survey that identified the location of a Tlingit fort in Sitka, go to "Around the World: Alaska."

YANGSHAO, CHINA—According to a Xinhua report, the foundations of a dwelling estimated to be 5,000 years old have been uncovered in central China’s Yellow River basin. Excavations revealed that the building had rammed earth walls and covered about 1,400 square-feet. Four trenches and a jade tomahawk were also unearthed. Li Shiwei of the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology said that the defensive structures suggest that a large population belonging to the Yangshao Culture lived at the site. To read about bronze Buddha figurines found in central China's Shaanxi Province, go to "Made in China."

BISCAY, SPAIN—According to a statement released by the University of the Basque Country, analysis of a 17,000-year-old canid humerus unearthed in northern Spain’s Erralla Cave in 1985 has revealed that it belonged to Canis lupus familiaris, or a domesticated dog. Conchi de la Rúa and her colleagues said that the dog shares mitochondrial DNA, which is passed through the maternal line, with other known dogs that lived in Europe during the Magdalenian period of the Upper Paleolithic. Wolf domestication may have occurred earlier in western Europe than previously thought, de la Rúa added. Perhaps Paleolithic hunter-gatherers came into contact with wolves and other animals in areas of glacial refuge during the Last Glacial Maximum some 22,000 years ago, she surmised. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. To read about evidence for human consumption of dogs as far back as 7,200 years ago, go to "World Roundup: Spain."