The so-called Aztec “death whistle” is an instrument distinguished by producing a chilling sound, comparable to a person’s blood-curdling scream, and has been the subject of study for its possible ritual uses and psychological effects on listeners. A recent analysis by the University of Zurich has revealed that these whistles can trigger an intense response […]
Sacrifices
Posted inArchaeology
The Mass Offering of Children to Tlaloc Coincided with the Great Drought of 1454 in Mexico
In a context marked by water scarcity and collective despair, the mass offering of children sacrificed to the god of rain, Tlaloc, carried out in the 15th century, emerged as a response to the drought that devastated the population and crops between 1452 and 1454, when rains failed to come and fields lay barren. Through […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
18 Horses Found in an Iron Age Tomb in Siberia Reveal the Possible Origin of Scythians
A team of archaeologists has discovered evidence of funerary rituals involving sacrifices at the burial mound of Tunnug 1, located in the Republic of Tuva, southern Siberia. This finding suggests that the Scythians, primarily known for their presence in Eastern Europe, may have originated much further east than previously thought. The Scythians, a nomadic people […]
Posted inArchaeology
The Origin of the Inca Girl Sacrificed on the Quehuar Volcano, and that She Fed on Seaweed, Revealed by Analysis
The discovery of an Inca mummy on the Quehuar Volcano, located in the Salta region of Argentina in 1975, was a significant archaeological finding that allowed for a deeper understanding of Inca ritual practices and the dynamics of Capacocha, a ritual sacrifice of children in honor of their deities. The discovery, which was initially impacted […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Scandinavian Horses Imported a Thousand Years Ago for the Last Equestrian Sacrifices in Europe
The study, which focused on horse remains found in ancient burial sites in Russia and Lithuania, was published in the journal Science Advances. It reveals that these horses were imported from Scandinavia through extensive trade networks connecting the Viking world with the Byzantine and Arab empires. Previously, researchers believed that sacrificial horses were always local […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Evidence of Ritual Human Sacrifices, Mainly of Women, Found in the European Neolithic Era
Recent archaeological findings in Europe have shed new light on the practice of ritual human sacrifice during the Neolithic period. Researchers have identified multiple cases of what appears to be ligature strangulation or positional asphyxia at ritual sites from approximately 5500 to 3500 BCE. Analysis of these findings suggests that human sacrifice was an integral […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Vittrup Man, Found in a Bog in Denmark, Went from Gatherer to Farmer Before Being Sacrificed in 3200 BC
Scientists have created a detailed biography of a Stone Age man’s life through new scientific methods. A Swedish-Danish research team from the University of Gothenburg can now say they have traced where the “Vittrup Man”, a bog body found in Denmark, traveled during his lifetime. The Vittrup Man was discovered in 1915. His skull had […]
Posted inHistory
Ximen Bao, the Hydraulic Engineer who Created China’s First Irrigation Canal System and Abolished Human Sacrifices
Ximen Bao was a politician and philosopher who lived in the state of Wei between the 4th and 5th centuries BCE, during Ancient China’s Antiquity. He gained fame for two things: abolishing human sacrifices made in honor of Hebo (god of the Yellow River) and being considered the country’s first hydraulic engineer. He achieved the […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
Ritual of the Largest Animal Sacrifice in the Western Mediterranean Revealed at an Iron Age Tartessian Site in Spain
Approximately 2500 years ago, the ancient inhabitants of the area currently occupied by the municipality of Guareña, in Badajoz (Spain), carried out a peculiar ritual in the courtyard of an enclave known today as Casas del Turuñuelo. This site, discovered in 2017, has provided new information about the Tartessian culture that populated those lands in […]
