In the ruins of Tell es-Sâfi/Gath, an ancient Canaanite city located in what is now Israel, archaeologists have discovered something surprising: four complete skeletons of young female donkeys carefully buried beneath the floors of houses built around 4,500 years ago (between 2900 and 2550 BCE). These animals, all young and healthy females, were sacrificed and […]
Sacrifices
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Two Sisters and a Newborn with Their Dog Were Sacrificed in a Neolithic Flint Mine More Than 6,000 Years Ago
A team of Czech researchers discovered the skeletons of two women and a newborn buried more than 6,000 years ago in a flint mine in the Krumlov Forest, in southern Moravia in the Czech Republic. The study, published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, reveals that the women were probably sisters and had suffered […]
Posted inAntiquity, Archaeology
A finding reveals that the Etruscans practiced human sacrifices in foundation rituals
A team of Italian and German researchers has discovered in the ancient city of Kainua (present-day Marzabotto, near Bologna) the remains of a newborn baby that may be the first solid evidence of the practice of human sacrifices in Etruscan civilization. The skeleton has been dated to between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE and […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
Human Sacrifices of Teenagers in a Site in Türkiye Reveal the Origins of Inequality in the Bronze Age
At the threshold of written history, when the first civilizations began to consolidate in Mesopotamia and Anatolia, the world experienced radical changes in social structure, economy, and culture. One of the most revealing findings about this process is Basur Höyük, an ancient royal cemetery discovered in eastern Turkey. A recent study reveals that this archaeological […]
Posted inPre-Columbian Era
How the Aztec “Death Whistles” Worked, the Terrifying Sound They Used in Sacrifice Rituals, Discovered
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 […]
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 […]
