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The Aztec Tizoc Stone made in the 1480s CE. Because of a depression carved in the center of the top surface, it may have been a cuauhxicalli used in sacrificial ceremonies for holding human hearts or possibly a temalacatl, a platform on which gladiatorial victims fought to the death

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The Aztec Tizoc Stone made in the 1480s CE. Because of a depression carved in the center of the top surface, it may have been a cuauhxicalli used in sacrificial ceremonies for holding human hearts or possibly a temalacatl, a platform on which gladiatorial victims fought to the death

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Eagle-shaped cuauhxicalli, for holding the hearts of human sacrifice victims. Mexico, Aztec civilization, 14th century

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Eagle-shaped cuauhxicalli, for holding the hearts of human sacrifice victims. Mexico, Aztec civilization, 14th century

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Actun Tunichil Muknal, a ceremonial Maya cave in Belize, is home to the famous "Crystal Maiden", the 1100-year-old skeleton of a 17-year-old boy, possibly a sacrifice victim, whose bones have been calcified to a sparkling, crystallized appearance

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Actun Tunichil Muknal, a ceremonial Maya cave in Belize, is home to the famous "Crystal Maiden", the 1100-year-old skeleton of a 17-year-old boy, possibly a sacrifice victim, whose bones have been calcified to a sparkling, crystallized appearance

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A jaguar-shaped cuauhxicalli in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. This altar-like stone vessel was used to hold the hearts of sacrificial victims.

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A jaguar-shaped cuauhxicalli in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. This altar-like stone vessel was used to hold the hearts of sacrificial victims.

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The "Malone Hoard", consisting of 19 finely polished stone axes found at Danesfort in Northern Ireland. The axes, which are made from a stone called porcellanite, are too large and heavy for practical use, so they are thought to have had a ceremonial purpose. 4000-2000 BCE, Ulster Museum

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The "Malone Hoard", consisting of 19 finely polished stone axes found at Danesfort in Northern Ireland. The axes, which are made from a stone called porcellanite, are too large and heavy for practical use, so they are thought to have had a ceremonial purpose. 4000-2000 BCE, Ulster Museum

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In 2017, during construction work at an IKEA parking garage near the Via Tiburtina, in Rome, archaeologists uncovered the remains of a Roman road, believed to have been used between the 2nd-4th centuries CE, and which still bore the marks of wagon wheels carved into its stone surface

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In 2017, during construction work at an IKEA parking garage near the Via Tiburtina, in Rome, archaeologists uncovered the remains of a Roman road, believed to have been used between the 2nd-4th centuries CE, and which still bore the marks of wagon wheels carved into its stone surface

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The ornate carved top of a 15th century CE stone aztec box, known as tepetlacalli, with a depiction of the God Tlaltecuhtli. Now housed at the Cortes Palace Museum in Mexico

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The ornate carved top of a 15th century CE stone aztec box, known as tepetlacalli, with a depiction of the God Tlaltecuhtli. Now housed at the Cortes Palace Museum in Mexico

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The 5000-year-old archaeological site of Montegrande, in Peru, is a spiral enclosure that is believed to have been a ceremonial temple, with a tomb beneath it of someone important, possibly a healer or a priest, if it follows the pattern of the sites in Palanda and San Isidro

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The 5000-year-old archaeological site of Montegrande, in Peru, is a spiral enclosure that is believed to have been a ceremonial temple, with a tomb beneath it of someone important, possibly a healer or a priest, if it follows the pattern of the sites in Palanda and San Isidro

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Batu Larung is a large cylindrical stone that has a relief in the form of a human. It's one of the megaliths scattered in the Merangin district, in Indonesia, and which are strongly suspected to have been used for religious activities by the local residents, around thousands of years ago

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Batu Larung is a large cylindrical stone that has a relief in the form of a human. It's one of the megaliths scattered in the Merangin district, in Indonesia, and which are strongly suspected to have been used for religious activities by the local residents, around thousands of years ago

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An Ivory wheel from Sungir, Russia, possibly originally mounted on a spear. It may have had feathers or other decorations attached using the beautifully carved holes in the disk. 30,500-30,000 BCE

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An Ivory wheel from Sungir, Russia, possibly originally mounted on a spear. It may have had feathers or other decorations attached using the beautifully carved holes in the disk. 30,500-30,000 BCE

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A finely carved double seat monolith is found on the upper platform of the Vilcashuamán Usnu in Peru. According to the chronicles, it was used by the Inca and his colla , to pray. 15th-16th century CE

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A finely carved double seat monolith is found on the upper platform of the Vilcashuamán Usnu in Peru. According to the chronicles, it was used by the Inca and his colla , to pray. 15th-16th century CE

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Archaeologists in Greece have uncovered the grave of an ousted noblewoman whom they are calling "The Lady with the Inverted Diadem." The 7th century BCE burial is notable for the bronze crown placed upside down on the woman's head, which may have signified a final end to her power

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Archaeologists in Greece have uncovered the grave of an ousted noblewoman whom they are calling "The Lady with the Inverted Diadem." The 7th century BCE burial is notable for the bronze crown placed upside down on the woman's head, which may have signified a final end to her power

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The Green Stone lying in one of the storerooms of the Temple complex in Hattusa, which was the capital of the Hittite Empire until it was destroyed around 1200 BC. The stone, which is thought to have been made from serpentinite, may have played a role in some religious cult

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The Green Stone lying in one of the storerooms of the Temple complex in Hattusa, which was the capital of the Hittite Empire until it was destroyed around 1200 BC. The stone, which is thought to have been made from serpentinite, may have played a role in some religious cult

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Palace Tomb, Petra, Jordan, 40-70 AD. One of the four "Royal Tombs", monumental sepulchers carved into the pink sandstone cliff overlooking the city center. Its heavily weathered facade was supposedly designed following the Roman palace design popularized by Nero's Golden House...

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Palace Tomb, Petra, Jordan, 40-70 AD. One of the four "Royal Tombs", monumental sepulchers carved into the pink sandstone cliff overlooking the city center. Its heavily weathered facade was supposedly designed following the Roman palace design popularized by Nero's Golden House...

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Vimy Memorial detail, The Spirit of Sacrifice and The Passing of the Torch. Vimy, France. This site is dedicated to the men of the Canadian Expeditionary Force killed during the Great War and serves as the place of commemoration for the WWI Canadian soldiers who have no known grave

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Vimy Memorial detail, The Spirit of Sacrifice and The Passing of the Torch. Vimy, France. This site is dedicated to the men of the Canadian Expeditionary Force killed during the Great War and serves as the place of commemoration for the WWI Canadian soldiers who have no known grave

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A bear body made from clay with a bear skull in between its paws, made during the Upper Paleolithic and found in the Montespan cave in France. Riddled with holes from spear points, it was possibly used to teach hunting, or perhaps used for a ritual

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A bear body made from clay with a bear skull in between its paws, made during the Upper Paleolithic and found in the Montespan cave in France. Riddled with holes from spear points, it was possibly used to teach hunting, or perhaps used for a ritual

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At the prehistoric village of Hamin Mangha in China, the remains of 97 human bodies have been found stuffed into a small 5,000-year-old house before it burnt down. Anthropologists who studied the remains say a "prehistoric disaster," possibly an epidemic of some sort, killed these people

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At the prehistoric village of Hamin Mangha in China, the remains of 97 human bodies have been found stuffed into a small 5,000-year-old house before it burnt down. Anthropologists who studied the remains say a "prehistoric disaster," possibly an epidemic of some sort, killed these people

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Beethoven kept his hearing loss a secret. He once wrote this letter to his brothers confessing it and explained that people mistakenly thought he was antisocial: he longed for human contact but became a recluse out of shame for his condition and all this made him contemplate suicide

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Beethoven kept his hearing loss a secret. He once wrote this letter to his brothers confessing it and explained that people mistakenly thought he was antisocial: he longed for human contact but became a recluse out of shame for his condition and all this made him contemplate suicide

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A 16th century travelling communion set. The set is important because it was made and used at the time when Henry VIII had broken with Rome but still adhered, with his own modifications, to the medieval doctrine of the sacraments.

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A 16th century travelling communion set. The set is important because it was made and used at the time when Henry VIII had broken with Rome but still adhered, with his own modifications, to the medieval doctrine of the sacraments.

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An ancient bronze griffin head dating back to the 7th century BC, has been repatriated to Greece from US after it was stolen nearly a century ago, marking the latest repatriation in a broader shift of the museum world to return stolen artifacts to their places of origin.

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An ancient bronze griffin head dating back to the 7th century BC, has been repatriated to Greece from US after it was stolen nearly a century ago, marking the latest repatriation in a broader shift of the museum world to return stolen artifacts to their places of origin.

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