Recent headlines proclaimed Stonehenge a healing center built in 2300 B.C., but a second excavation conducted by the Stonehenge Riverside Project claims that Stonehenge was mainly a burial site built in 3000 B.C.   “Stonehenge was always about death and ancestors and burial and not healing,” said Mike Pitts, one of the authors of the new study, and editor of British Archaeology.

Scientists are trying to track down the volcanic ash used by Maya potters at El Pilar in the Late Classic period, between 600 and 900 A.D.  

The composition of soil samples taken from classical Greek temples reinforces the idea that the sanctuaries were built on sites that had long been significant to their cults. For example, temples dedicated to Demeter and Dionysus were built on fertile soils used for farming. “Religious sites precede temple construction by many centuries,” said geologist Gregory Retallack.  

The city of Waco, Texas, is suing American Archaeological Group for missing human bones during its survey at the Texas Ranger Museum. Michael Bradle, president of AAG, says the city misrepresented the project.  

Take this Indiana Jones trivia quiz.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Thursday, October 9, 2008. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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