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Mass horse burial in central France
The remains of 37 horses have been recovered from 14 pits in Villedieu-sur-Indre. The horses date back 2,000 years, and have all been identified as fully grown stallions. Archaeologists have made various suggestions as to the reason for the burials. All of the horses were placed lying on their right sides, with their heads facing south, and a ritual sacrifice is one potential explanation. Another suggestion is that they could be connected to the battles of the Gallic Wars. The horses are the only evidence from the Gallic period found during this excavation.
Centurions’ correspondence in Egypt
Several letters written by Roman centurions have been discovered by archaeologists working in Berenike, Egypt. The letters are written on papyrus, and were discovered with items such as amphorae for wineand garum, Roman coins, and oil lamps. They are thought to have come from the centurion’s office, close to the animal cemetery where excavations are taking place. The texts are currently undergoing analysis, but three names have already been picked out (Haosus, Lucinius, and Petronius), revealing the identities of three of the centurions between whom correspondence was being exchanged. The topics include questions about the price of goods and exchanges of money.
New analysis of Chichén Itzá mass grave
Analysis of human remains excavated from Chichén Itzá, Mexico, in 1967 has revealed new details about ancient Maya ritual practices and their genetic links to modern populations. Some 64 of the 100 children were recently analysed in a study published in Nature (http://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07509-7), and it was discovered that all of them were boys aged between three and six years old. A surprising number of the boys were found to be related, with more than 25% having a brother or cousin also buried in the mass grave. Two sets of identical twins were identified, which links to the importance of twins in Maya religion.
Text: Rebecca Preedy
