Coca leaves were chewed by people living in northwestern Peru 8,000 years ago, according to Tom Dillehay of Vanderbilt University. That’s 3,000 years earlier than previously thought. Calcium-rich rocks that had been burned were uncovered along with the leaves. The resulting lime would have boosted the medicinal effects of the coca leaves.

Here’s more information on the bronze gun barrel fragments and lead shot that were discovered on a War of the Roses battlefield. The artifacts could have been left behind at the 1461 Battle of Towton, fought between King Henry VI and Edward IV. “As far as we know there are no parallels for any such finds, on certainly a British Medieval battlefield, but probably a European one as well,” said Tim Sutherland of the University of York.  

Could the Stonehenge slabs been moved by rolling them in giant wicker baskets? Engineer Garry Lavin thinks so.  

The remains of at least eight people have now been recovered from an intact Neolithic tomb in Orkney.  

One last hearing is scheduled on the fate of a 900-year-old village site in Narragansett. Rhode Island’s state archaeologist would like the village to be reconstructed for visitors, but a developer is ready to build more than 50 houses on the property. “This [site] turned New England archaeology on its head. It’s something we didn’t expect,” said Paul A. Robinson of the state historic commission.  

A layer of toxic sludge prevented archaeologists from examining the eighteenth-century timber frame of Coombs Wharf, unearthed in Massachusetts during the excavation of a sewer system. “We can’t get a good look because of the hazardous water. It’s breaking my heart that these timbers can’t be adequately documented,” said Tim Barker of the University of Massachusetts.  

A team from UNESCO has arrived in Italy to examine the damage at Pompeii. “We can give advice and we can work with them but ultimately responsibility for the site rests with the Italian authorities,” said spokeswoman Sue Williams.  

There’s more on Egypt’s Queen Arsinoë II, who lived from 316 to 270 B.C. “She was no ordinary woman. She fought in battles, and even participated in the Olympics, where she won three events for harnessed horses,” said Maria Nilsson of the University of Gothenburg.

Heavy rains triggered the collapse of two ancient walls at Pompeii this morning.

Archaeologists are still looking for evidence of cannibalism among the travelers of the infamous Donner Party. The Donner Party was traveling west when snow storms trapped them at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1846.  

Here’s more information on the Hawaiian Archaeological Survey database, which has been made available to the public by the Bishop Museum.  

Two-hundred five years ago, Scottish immigrants brought a family heirloom to Nova Scotia. It turns out that the heirloom is a one-of-a-kind, seventeenth-century chanter, or the part of a bagpipe that creates melody. The last private owners of the artifacts have donated it to a Scottish museum, but some Canadians think the chanter should stay put. “Should we go up to Quebec and clear out all the silver made for New France? It doesn’t make much sense,” said bagpiping expert Barry Shears.