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Ancient History

A Russian-backed 'city' is emerging over the back fence of Bali's Eat Pray Love house

This patch of dirt was once a lush jungle that locals say was home to ancient spirits. Now, luxury villas, bars and restaurants are being built here instead to bring in foreign investors.
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A man and woman in traditional Balinese dress stand outside a temple

Combat, testicles and history — the meaning behind Australia's modern-day medieval heraldry

Heraldry was once used to tell armies apart on the battlefield. Today's modern re-enactments of medieval battles follow a rich European tradition — with a twist.
Two re-enactors in medieval armour fighting.

'So special': 3,000 years of pharaohs, rulers, and everyday life on display in Canberra

Have you ever wondered what the hook used to pull a brain through the nostrils of a person being mummified looks like? Or an actual mummified body, itself? Now's your chance to see both those things — and over 200 other ancient Egyptian artefacts, right here in Australia.
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A preserved, painted coffin from ancient egypt

analysis:It was once so easy to become an international art thief that I nearly joined in — but now there's no excuse

You could make the argument, as unpopular as it might be, that some colonial looters and their buyers did the world a favour by keeping precious works locked away. But that only flies if you now give them back, writes Virginia Trioli. 
Two people look at an engraved stone slab.

Visible underpants are in on the catwalk – and fashion is safe and well

Why do I find the more absurd fashion trends so beguiling? I think it's their very absurdity, and the alternative reality they promise, when all else is grim, writes Virginia Trioli.
Female models walking down a fashion catwalk

The treasures of Pharaoh Ramses II arrive in Australia

There's been a flurry of excitement at the Australian Museum recently where the ancient artefacts of Egyptian pharaoh, Ramses II, have found a temporary new home.
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ABC News Current
Duration: 5 minutes 7 seconds

Ancient statue among discovery in new ruins unearthed at Chellah, Morocco

Thermal baths, working class neighbourhoods and a headless statue are some gems archaeologists have uncovered in Rabat as excavation work continues.
A headless status in a open casket held upright

There are no emus on Kangaroo Island, so why is there an Emu Bay?

Kangaroo Island, off mainland South Australia, has an Emu Bay but no emus after they died out — twice.
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An emu stares into the lens of a camera

Phallus and the boar: Türkiye digs yield clues to human history

The dry expanses of south-eastern Türkiye, home to some of humanity's most ancient sites, have yielded fresh discoveries in the form of a stone phallus and a coloured boar.
A stone statue of a seated found in found at a dig site.

'Very peculiar' 3,000-year-old priestly tomb unearthed in northern Peru

The tomb, which would have been buried around 1200 BC, was found with several artefacts which indicate it was for a priest.
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A view from above of a large flat piece of land with several rock walls and areas on top of a green mountain

Spain's 'Ivory Lady' challenges assumptions of prehistoric gender roles

A new scientific technique identifies a body interred in an impressive 5,000-year-old tomb on Spain's Iberian peninsula as a woman, giving new insights into gender roles we know "preciously little about".
A drawing showing a pre-historic group of men, women and a baby, listening to a woman with red body-paint.

Hajj pilgrimage numbers are set to hit a post-COVID record. Here's what the ritual means to Muslims

More than 2 million people are expected to complete the Hajj pilgrimage, an annual ritual Muslims have kept up over centuries. Here's how the tradition lives on, even through wars and plagues.
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Muslim pilgrims at the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca

analysis:China's prepared for battle over the Dalai Lama's reincarnation — and survival is at stake

Tibetan Buddhists may face a future of duelling Dalai Lamas: one born in exile who will receive traditional religious training, the other a mouthpiece of the Communist Party, writes John Powers.
Dalai Lama

Archaeologists discover 4,000-year-old temple in western Peru

Experts believe people carried out religious ceremonies in the U-shaped temple after discovery a carving of an ancient cross symbol. 
A stone temple buried underneath rocks

Ancient Egypt excavation uncovers 2,000 mummified ram heads at Abydos

Mummified animals dating from the Ptolemaic period and a palatial Old Kingdom structure are uncovered at the temple of Ramses II in the ancient city of Abydos in southern Egypt.
Many Mummified ram heads are shown lined up next to each other on top of sand

New 'Moai' statue uncovered on Easter Island

A new "Moai," one of the stone statues that adorn the postcards of Chile's tourist destination Easter Island, has been found buried in a dry lake.
ABC News Current
Duration: 1 minute 16 seconds

Untouched ancient tombs discovered in Mexico

Well-preserved murals and hundreds of objects are found in the tombs, which experts say may date back 2,000 years.
A red, yellow and orange painting on the wall of a tomb depicticing stylised humans and animals.

Christian monastery — possibly pre-dating Islam — found off UAE's coast

The discovery marks the second such monastery found in the UAE that dates back more than 1,400 years
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Aerial shot of an island where building marks are visible

Centuries ago, this foul-smelling weapon was one of the most powerful tools citizens had

The power of smell is undeniable, but the reasons why remain mysterious. To better understand how smell works, this expert traces the use of scents from ancient empires to today.
Close-up photo of man covering his nose and face with his hand and screwing up his face as if smelling something terrible.

President Xi has his eye on China's faithful

China is a communist and atheist state but religious belief and practice continue under the watchful eye of President Xi Jinping and the Party.
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China's President Xi Jinping speaking with raised hand

How faith fits into modern China

A United Nations report says China may have committed 'crimes against humanity' in its treatments of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The report also raises questions about China's relationship with religious freedom.
ABC News Current
Duration: 5 minutes 3 seconds

Stargazers gather to watch meteor shower from atop ancient tomb in Turkey

Meteor-watchers took in the sights from Turkey's Mount Nemrut while surrounded by statues of giant heads on the tomb of Antiochus.
A crowd of people in colourful clothing and warm blankets huddle together on a rocky mountain top as stars twinkle in the sky.

Archaeologists uncover 250 coffins containing ancient Egyptian mummies in Cairo

More than 250 ancient Egyptian coffins and 150 statues are uncovered at a cemetery near Cairo. 
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A man takes a selfie next to displayed sarcophaguses that are around 2500 years old,.

If this is a hand grenade, it backs up a long-debated theory about the Crusades

For decades scientists have speculated about various uses for hundreds of ancient conical vessels unearthed throughout the Middle East. Australian researchers believe at least one of them was a hand grenade.
A small sphero-conical clay vessel showing signs of damage

Naked tree-hugger Instagram tourist to be deported from Bali

A yogi influencer from Russia will be deported alongside her husband for posting images of herself posing naked on a centuries-old sacred tree.
ABC News Current
Duration: 5 minutes 4 seconds