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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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

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In today's episode, we are going to delve into the Etruscan society. Whenever you hear about Antiquity, it's all GREECE, GREECE, GREECE, ROME, ROME, ROME. Well what if I told you before Rome was a powerhouse, the Italian peninsula and indeed the western Mediterranean was dominated by the Etruscan civilisation. Though their language has not been fully decoded, the archaeology they left behind tells us a lot of their story. Let's get a deep look into this lost culture, which survives in traces today - you just don't know it yet.

In today's archaeology news, we examine some recent archaeological discoveries involving ancient coins which have given important clues to deciphering the past. We'll cover three stories:

1) Coins confirm the identity of the San Jose, the lost Spanish treasure galleon
2) An Anglo-Saxon coin gives insight into early Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England
3) Viking silver hoard reveals early Medieval globalization

Links & Resources

• The cobs in the archaeological context of the San José
  Galleon shipwreck: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/cobs-in-the-archaeological-context-of-the-san-jose-galleon-shipwreck/66532DCA302A8C08A1EBFE4AC7E4E6C1
• New report on a Viking-era farm, graves and unique silver treasure in Täby: https://arkeologerna.com/bloggar/undefined/pm-ny-rapport-om-en-vikingatida-gard-gravar-och-unik-silverskatt-i-taby/
• One of a kind 7th Century gold coin found in field: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yg85nd5r9o

Related Episodes

• The Best of Viking Archaeology - Myths, Legends, and Navigation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV0JKcA-EIE
• Archaeology News Edition #1: Multi-Billion Treasure Ship, Drone Discoveries & Ancient Carpenter!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTI-xvXaZz8

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In this week's episode of Archaeology Porn, we explore the Derveni Krater, an ancient Greek - or more accurately, Macedonian - drinking vessel, which would have been the center of a symposium...basically a raging keg party to our ancient ancestors. However, contrary to its sheen, this krater is actually made of Bronze, not gold. However, its incredible imagery, with inlaid metals and reliefs depicting Dionysus and other characters - both familiar and mysterious - more than make up for this! It likely belonged to a member of the Macedonian court, meaning they would have likely have lived just after Alexander the Great's life. It was discovered in a tomb just outside the ancient city of Thessaloniki.

Next, we move onto Archaeology News, we explore recent archaeological excavations at Jamestown, site of the first English colony in North America. When researchers came across the original 1608 church at Jamestown, they discovered human remains. A mixture of bone analysis, DNA analysis, and historical research revealed the identities of the bodies and a scandalous paternity mystery involving the leading aristocratic family in those early colonial days...

Links & Resources

• Historical and archaeogenomic identification of high-status Englishmen at Jamestown, Virginia: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/historical-and-archaeogenomic-identification-of-highstatus-englishmen-at-jamestown-virginia/E04D83E224FA5C15B5CC08D0703FE9B0

Related Episodes

• Secrets Of Slavery: Archaeological Finds At Mount Vernon & Charleston | Into The Dust: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjoHJTEFBdo
• Y Chromosome - How A Single Chromosome Reveals Our Past! (Archaeology): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkmZcWyIeDQ

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In this week's episode of Archaeology Crime, Jason takes you through the looting of the Iraq Museum in the wake of the US-led invasion of 2003. As Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime was crumbling, international antiquities traffickers were already at work selecting their targets from among the Iraq Museum's many treasures. Though many of the looters were just normal Iraqis looking to make a buck or simply attack a symbol of the hated regime, professionals were definitely involved, and they knew what they were doing. Through hard work and determination by the Iraqis, Americans, and others, many of the cultural treasures have been recovered, but much is left to be done.

Next, we move onto Archaeology News. This week, we have 3 exciting stories:

1) The police are called in to resolve a Neanderthal archaeology mystery, identifying the world's oldest fingerprints
2) Ancient canal system discovered in Iraq, near the world's oldest city
3) Ancient population discovered in Colombia

Links & Resources

• A 6000-year-long genomic transect from the Bogotá Altiplano reveals multiple genetic shifts in the demographic history of Colombia: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ads6284
• Identifying the preserved network of irrigation canals in the Eridu region, southern Mesopotamia: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/identifying-the-preserved-network-of-irrigation-canals-in-the-eridu-region-southern-mesopotamia/2B2BE82BACA8A2BEFCB4C43A140419C5

Related Episodes

• Easter Island Wine Mystery & Ancient Bear Bone Discovery! Archaeology News Edition 8 | Into The Dust: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH3RBgywOEM
• The Best of Neanderthal Archaeology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogu-JmwLjgU

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Episode Summary

In this episode, Jason finishes his list of the (now Top 15) most Underrated Archaeological Sites. We visit:

1) Merv, Turkmenistan
2) Çatalhöyük, Turkey
3) Sanxingdui, Sichuan, China
4) Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe
5) Hegra, Saudi Arabia

Then, we do a rundown of recent archaeology news. The stories featured are:

1) Ancient footprint patterns and drag marks in New Mexico's White Sands National Park which suggest the oldest transportation technology ever found and a means of transporting little kids
2) The discovery beneath Lake Bolsena of some prehistoric artefacts related to a Bronze Age site. The official story is that these were votive offerings, but they sound like childrens' toys to me! One clay figurine still bore the fingerprints of the person who made it!
3) A Pharaonic tomb founds in Abydos - remarkably the second royal tomb found this year alone! However, was the other one found a few months ago really the first to be discovered since King Tut...?

Links & Resources:

The ichnology of White Sands (New Mexico): Linear traces and human footprints, evidence of transport technology?: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666033425000103

Related Episodes

• Top 10 Most Underrated Archaeological Sites in the World (Part I): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtNIVekY4ws
• Top 10 Most Underrated Archaeological Sites in the World (Part II): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtNIVekY4ws

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Episode Summary

In this episode, Jason continues taking you to some seriously underrated sites where you can nevertheless make some amazing archaeological discoveries. We cover sites in South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania:

1) Timgad, Algeria

2) Caral, Peru

3) Meroë, Sudan

4) Plain of Jars, Laos

5) Nan Madol, Micronesia

Next, Archaeology News delves into the intriguing findings from North Africa, particularly the Maghreb region. It highlights the genetic distinctions between Eastern and Western Maghreb populations through ancient DNA analysis and old-fashioned archaeology, revealing a successful hunter-gatherer lifestyle that persisted in the East. The next story then shifts to the Phoenician settlements in the Western Maghreb, uncovering evidence of earlier civilizations that thrived before the Phoenicians arrived, challenging previous historical narratives that the area was unpopulated at the outset of Antiquity.

Links & Resources

• High continuity of forager ancestry in the Neolithic period of the eastern Maghreb: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08699-4
• Rethinking late prehistoric Mediterranean Africa: architecture, farming and materiality at Kach Kouch, Morocco: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/rethinking-late-prehistoric-mediterranean-africa-architecture-farming-and-materiality-at-kach-kouch-morocco/62D5077593941A815BA6B1C14E9185BB

Related Episodes

• Top 10 Most Underrated Archaeological Sites in the World (Part I): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtNIVekY4ws
• Archaeology Smackdown Over Supposed Indo-European Ethnolinguistic Homeland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRSfsER_MH4

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