Blurs

In 1950, two brothers cutting peat in a bog near Silkeborg, Denmark, made an extraordinary discovery. At first, they believed they had found the body of someone recently murdered. The man's face was remarkably well preserved. His eyes were closed, his expression peaceful, and around his neck was a leather cord. But this was no modern crime scene. The body was more than 2,000 years old. Known today as the Tollund Man, he is one of the best-preserved human remains ever discovered from prehistoric Europe.  His body survived because of an unusual combination of acidic water, low oxygen and the chemical conditions found inside peat bogs. Yet preservation is only part of the mystery. The question that has fascinated archaeologists for decades is much darker: Why was he killed and placed in the bog? A man frozen in time Tollund Man probably lived during the 4th century BCE, during Europe's Iron Age. When discovered, much of his body was still astonishingly intact. His face retained re...

For more than two decades, a small stone-lined grave on the Isles of Scilly posed an unusual archaeological puzzle. Inside were the possessions of someone who appeared to occupy two very different worlds. There was a sword and shield, objects strongly associated with warfare and traditionally linked to male burials. But there was also a beautifully made bronze mirror, an object much more commonly found in Iron Age graves associated with women. Only one person had been buried there. So who was this mysterious individual? When the grave was discovered on the island of Bryher in 1999, archaeologists could not answer the question. It would take more than 20 years — and a sophisticated scientific technique — to finally reveal the identity of the person buried there. A Discovery in a Cornish Field The discovery happened almost by accident. In 1999, archaeological investigations began after a farmer uncovered an Iron Age sword while working at Hillside Farm on Bryher. The excavation revealed ...

Deep in a remote Norwegian valley, strange lights have been appearing for decades. They can glow for seconds or remain visible for much longer. Some have apparently hovered, others moved slowly through the valley, while a small number of observations have been associated with unusually rapid movement.  They have been photographed, filmed and, importantly, detected by scientific instruments. Yet after more than 40 years of investigation, there is still no generally accepted explanation for what produces them. This is the mystery of the Hessdalen Lights. A valley with an unusual history Hessdalen is a valley in central Norway, approximately 30 kilometres northwest of Røros. It is around 12 kilometres long and is surrounded by mountainous terrain. Reports of unusual lights in the area predate modern investigations, but something changed dramatically in 1981. Residents began reporting strange luminous objects with increasing frequency. During the peak period, reports could reach approx...

Scattered across museums and archaeological collections are hundreds of small stone objects that look almost deceptively simple. They are usually about the size of a tennis ball, although some are smaller or considerably larger.  Many are almost perfectly rounded. Others have been carved into elaborate geometric shapes, with raised knobs, grooves and carefully arranged patterns. They are the Neolithic stone balls of Scotland. Most date from roughly 3200 to 2500 BCE, making them more than 4,500 years old. But despite their age, craftsmanship and sheer variety, archaeologists still cannot say with certainty what they were actually used for. Were they weapons? Tools? Symbols of status? Ritual objects? Or perhaps something else entirely? Hundreds Have Been Found More than 400 examples are known, with the vast majority coming from Scotland. They have been discovered in different archaeological contexts, including settlements, graves and other sites. Most are made from stone, although th...

Across the hills of central Laos sit thousands of enormous stone jars. They were deliberately carved and transported by people whose culture remains only partly understood.  They are associated with ancient funerary practices, yet their precise purpose and the society that created them still contain unanswered questions. But something rather unexpected has happened to these ancient monuments. For roughly two thousand years, some of the jars have been collecting rainwater. Leaves have fallen into them. Organic matter has decomposed. Algae and microorganisms have colonised them. Nutrients have accumulated. Oxygen levels have changed. In effect, the ancient jars have become miniature ecosystems. And scientists now think they can be used as something even more unusual: a set of natural experiments that have been running for around 2,000 years. A monument hiding an experiment The Plain of Jars is one of Southeast Asia's great archaeological mysteries. Thousands of large stone vessels ar...