Episode 55 - Theft of the Visigothic Reliefs and Archaeology News

In this episode of Archaeology Crime, we are going on a wild goose chase to recover a pair of stolen cultural treasures which were literally ripped off a small early Medieval church in rural Spain. The case was taken up by the leading art detective, who located the stone carvings in an unlikely place: a garden in England! Along the way, we'll learn a bit about the Visigoths, little known today but an influential people in European history.

In this week's Archaeology News, we delve into 4 stories:

1. A new cache of creepy Mesoamerican puppets, called bolinas, have been found in context in a way never before seen. Some of the unique features of these specimens are providing further clues as to their meaning and function.

2. A gladiator grave has been discovered at Liternum, where we previously saw that newly uncovered "Tomb of Cerberus". Among a bunch of other finds, its publicity proves the enduring hold the concept of gladiators have on the popular imagination.

3. A new Linear A, the longest ever discovered other than on the Disc of Phaistos, has been discovered right next to Knossos. Could it hold the keys to cracking the code of this long-lost script?

4. A tourist beatdown in Mexico shows why we need to remember our etiquette for visiting archaeology sites!

Links & Resources 

• Of puppets and puppeteers: Preclassic clay figurines from San Isidro, El Salvador: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/of-puppets-and-puppeteers-preclassic-clay-figurines-from-san-isidro-el-salvador/A6E2C8408DEAB88D1EBE4BCFDC1FCBAA

Related Episodes 

• The Phaistos Disk, Greece: 4000 Year Old Lost Language - An Ancient Artifact | Archaeology Porn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAGUEm1FBZA
• The Tomb of Cerberus: Archaeology Reveals the Hell Hound's Secrets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McAJss9-Dck