A medieval gold ring set with a deep blue stone has been unearthed in Norway’s oldest town, revealing not only exquisite craftsmanship but long-held beliefs in sapphire’s power to heal illness, cool “inner heat,” and guard the soul.
Living
Pilgrimages: Britain’s Holy Wells and Baths
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Siobhan Ball invites readers on a tour of three sacred waters in the United Kingdom: the Aquae Arnemetiae of Buxton, Aquae Sulis of Bath, and the Red and White Springs of Glastonbury.
Culture
New Research Rethinks Cold-Pressed Assumptions About Ancient Olive Oil
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Olive oil has nourished kitchens, temples, and rituals for thousands of years. A new archaeological study, however, presses long-held assumptions, suggesting that some residues once identified as olive oil may be a little slippery—and hide unexpected pitfalls in the ancient record.
Arts & Culture
New York’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit returns looted Roman artifacts to Turkey
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The New York County District Attorney repatriated several artifacts to Turkey this week, including a marble head of the Athenian orator Demosthenes and a larger than life bronze statue of an emperor.
Indigenous Land
Earliest Astronomical Architecture in the Americas Uncovered: A Place Where Warriors Watched the Sun
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ew excavations at Chankillo uncovered an early astronomical structure and a ritual vessel of warrior-astronomers, revealing that ancient Andean elites linked cosmology, political authority, and martial power long before the famed Thirteen Towers were built.
Culture
A New Mystery Emerges from Ancient Norway: A Viking Woman Buried with Shells and Wings
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A Viking woman’s grave in Trøndelag has stunned archaeologists: scallop shells laid over her mouth and bird-wing bones nearby reveal a burial practice unknown in pre-Christian Norway, raising new questions about ritual, belief, and symbolism.