In this week's Archaeology Porn, we visit the Nazca Lines in Peru, a series of hundreds of geoglyphs that likely constitute the largest archaeology site on the planet. We document how and when they were made, and by whom as well as how they survived until today, awaiting our visit!

In this week's Archaeology News, we cover 3 exciting stories:

1) West African DNA confirmed in Early Medieval England - Ancient DNA study from two cemeteries - one in Kent and the other in Dorset - confirm that people of African descent lived 1,500 years ago in England. I covered both of these sites in my own dissertation, so I love this story!

2) Middle-Class Khipu - Khipus are an ancient accounting and record-keeping device known from the Incan Empire. However, it pre and post-dates the empire, and some new scientific studies reveal it may not have been the elite item we thought it was, suggesting a wider-spread educational attainment in the Andean world.

3) Palace in Sardis, Turkey - New excavations at Sardis suggest monumental architecture there pre-dates Greek Antiquity, suggesting conventional wisdom that the Lydian kingdom was an offshoot of Greek culture might not be exactly correct.

Links & Resources

• Ancient genomes reveal cosmopolitan ancestry and maternal kinship patterns at post-Roman Worth Matravers, Dorset: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/ancient-genomes-reveal-cosmopolitan-ancestry-and-maternal-kinship-patterns-at-postroman-worth-matravers-dorset/9C48D0B3B23DB598ECA0576344025AF8
• West African ancestry in seventh-century England: two individuals from Kent and Dorset: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/west-african-ancestry-in-seventhcentury-england-two-individuals-from-kent-and-dorset/F00D6E3182A79B643ADC8994F2EA5818

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In this episode of Archaeology Crime, we are going on a wild goose chase to recover a pair of stolen cultural treasures which were literally ripped off a small early Medieval church in rural Spain. The case was taken up by the leading art detective, who located the stone carvings in an unlikely place: a garden in England! Along the way, we'll learn a bit about the Visigoths, little known today but an influential people in European history.

In this week's Archaeology News, we delve into 4 stories:

1. A new cache of creepy Mesoamerican puppets, called bolinas, have been found in context in a way never before seen. Some of the unique features of these specimens are providing further clues as to their meaning and function.

2. A gladiator grave has been discovered at Liternum, where we previously saw that newly uncovered "Tomb of Cerberus". Among a bunch of other finds, its publicity proves the enduring hold the concept of gladiators have on the popular imagination.

3. A new Linear A, the longest ever discovered other than on the Disc of Phaistos, has been discovered right next to Knossos. Could it hold the keys to cracking the code of this long-lost script?

4. A tourist beatdown in Mexico shows why we need to remember our etiquette for visiting archaeology sites!

Links & Resources

• Of puppets and puppeteers: Preclassic clay figurines from San Isidro, El Salvador: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/of-puppets-and-puppeteers-preclassic-clay-figurines-from-san-isidro-el-salvador/A6E2C8408DEAB88D1EBE4BCFDC1FCBAA

Related Episodes

• The Phaistos Disk, Greece: 4000 Year Old Lost Language - An Ancient Artifact | Archaeology Porn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAGUEm1FBZA
• The Tomb of Cerberus: Archaeology Reveals the Hell Hound's Secrets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McAJss9-Dck

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· Rating & Reviewing on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/into-the-dust-archaeology/id1726480019

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In today's site visit, we go to Kilmartin Glen County Argyll in Scotland, where thousands of years of archaeology are jam packed into a small glen between the hills. When it comes to stone, they've got it all - Neolithic stone circles, cairns, cist graves, Celtic crosses ... you name it! The indoor museum combined with the outdoor walk among the monuments creates a sublime archaeological experience in which you see the artefacts up close and personal in the excellent newly renovated exhibit and then outside where they were found. It't not a famous place and not easy to get to, but make sure to seek out this spot the next time you're in Scotland.

This week's archaeology news delves into a number of exciting recent headlines from the archaeology news, including:

1) The first unlooted Etruscan tomb ever excavated using the most modern archaeological techniques
2) A Roman wall painting from London that comprised the world's most insane jigsaw puzzle to reconstruct
3) A lost city discovered in Peru

Links & Resources

• Rare Intact Etruscan Tomb in Italy Discovered by International Baylor-led Archaeological Research Team: https://news.web.baylor.edu/news/story/2025/rare-intact-etruscan-tomb-italy-discovered-international-baylor-led-archaeological
• The ‘world’s most difficult jigsaw puzzle’: a once in a lifetime discovery from Roman Southwark: https://www.mola.org.uk/discoveries/news/worlds-most-difficult-jigsaw-puzzle-once-lifetime-discovery-roman-southwark
• Peñico: La nueva joya arqueológica de los valles de Supe y Huaura abre sus puertas al Perú y al mundo: https://www.gob.pe/institucion/caral/noticias/1203647-penico-la-nueva-joya-arqueologica-de-los-valles-de-supe-y-huaura-abre-sus-puertas-al-peru-y-al-mundo

Related Episodes

• Before Rome - The Eternal Etruscans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Xg4ib2Xoo
• Top 10 Most Underrated Archaeological Sites in the World (Part 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZktbt_3IcY

Help us by…

· Rating & Reviewing on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/into-the-dust-archaeology/id1726480019

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· Contributing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheDustArchaeology

· Visiting our website: https://www.intothedustarchaeology.com/