First burials: Neanderthal and Homo sapiens interactions in the Mid-Middle Palaeolithic Levant discovered at Tinshemet Cave
Iberian nailed head ritual was more complex than expected at the sites of Puig Castellar and Ullastret, according to a new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Volcanic eruption caused Neolithic people at Vasagård, on the Danish island Bornholm, to sacrifice unique “sun stones”
The skull-shaped body of the Aztec death whistle may represent Mictlantecuhtli, and might have been used in sacrifice rituals
Evidence of hallucinogens found in an Egyptian Bes mug, validating written records and centuries-old myths of ancient Egyptian rituals and practices
Plant seed and fruit analysis from Tell es-Safi/Gath, the biblical home of Goliath, sheds unprecedented light on Philistine ritual practices
Researchers find indications of a patrilineal descent system for western Eurasian Bell Beaker communities: family relationships that link Britain to Altwies ‘Op dem Boesch’, Luxembourg
Blood, sacrifice and drunkenness: how Christmas was celebrated in the Viking Age, with the transition to the Christian era, the celebration took on a new meaning
Detailed analysis reveals rituals of mass sacrifice of horses and other animals at Casas del Turuñuelo, in Iron Age Spain
The paper Cannibalism and burial in the late upper Palaeolithic: Combining archaeological and genetic evidence has been published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews
