UCLA research on Easter Island finds meaning

We have degrees in looking good in bikinis!

Scientists believe they’ve uncovered the meaning of some of the Moai stone monoliths found on Rapa Nui, better known to Westerners as "Easter Island." Here’s the truth [so far].

Here’s what readers will learn when reading this story: Scientists believe they’ve uncovered the meaning of some of the Moai (giant stone statues) stone monoliths found on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

• The scientists analyzed soil in the vicinity of two of the Moai statues and found traces of banana, taro, and sweet potato, according to research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
• These traces indicate the statues could have been used to celebrate the crop fertility of soils in the region.
• The famed stone monoliths that tower over the island of Rapa Nui—colloquially known as Easter Island—have puzzled scientists for centuries.
• But archeologists and soil scientists studying the ancient Moai now believe they’ve uncovered the meaning of the famous statues.
• Clues in nearby soils suggest the statues may have been placed there to celebrate the fertility of crops in the area.

Remote island research is the best kind of work

For more than three decades, Jo Ann Van Tilburg of UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) has studied the origins of the Moai along with Rapanui artist Cristián Arévalo Pakarati and other members of the local community.

They recruited soil scientist Sarah Sherwood, of the University of the South in Tennessee, to analyze the soil the base of two statues found peculiarly perched upright in the Rano Raraku quarry on the eastern part of the island, where most of the more than 1,000 Moai statues originated.

Moai create energy field around Easter Island

(The scientists suspect that work in the quarry began around A.D. 1455). The team analyzed soils at the foot of two of the structures, which archeologists believe were erected by or before A.D. 1510 to A.D. 1645, and found chemical evidence of common food crops.

The soils revealed traces of foods like taro, banana, and sweet potato, according to research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science. More

• Archaeologists found Ramesses II statue in part

Angkor Wat: LiDAR finds underworld? (PBS)

Naga city under ancient architecture?

(The Sealed Scroll) Scientists just opened a vault underneath Angkor Wat that changes everything

Angkor: Hidden Jungle Empire | NOVA | PBS

WATCH FREE NOW: "Angkor: Hidden Jungle Empire" | full documentary | NOVA | PBS

The Khmer "Leper King"

(NOVA PBS Official) Premiered Jan. 28, 2026: New evidence sheds light on the remarkable life – and mysterious collapse – of the ancient Buddhist/Hindu jungle city (150+ square miles in size like Denver).

Uncover the lost secrets of a once-mighty empire. The massive capital City of Angkor [aka Yaśodharapura, City of Yasovarman I (or Yasodhara?), with more than one million inhabitants in ancient times], the seat of the great Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia for 500 years, was once the biggest city in the world.

• Buddhism in Cambodia
• Hire a guide or go for a ride - what's the best way to visit Angkor Wat? (globetrottergirls.com)

Khmer Empire (Wiki)

For centuries, this incredible civilization flourished, building the largest religious monument on Earth, Angkor Wat (one square kilometer wat "Angkor Temple"), and mastering urban engineering in a challenging landscape. But then it was mysteriously abandoned, swallowed by the jungle.

Now, cutting-edge technology and new discoveries are finally revealing how this astounding empire rose to global prominence – and what likely led to its devastating collapse.

Follow a scientific detective story that is challenging everything we thought we knew about this ancient Buddhist-Hindu metropolis.

CHAPTERS

• 

  Angkor Wat (globetrottergirls.com)

  00:00 Introduction
• 04:03 True size of Angkor Wat revealed by LiDAR
• 15:45 Engineering a massive temple on a flood plain
• 26:26 The kings of the Khmer Empire
• 35:30 Why was Angkor and Angkor Wat abandoned?
• 50:01 Conclusion

Danger: Russian tourist attacks

(The Country Collectors) White entitlement, violent Russian attacks tourists

Official website: to.pbs.org/4bfXd12 | #novapbs. © 2026 WGBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved. This program was produced by GBH, which is solely responsible for its content. This program is made possible by viewers. Support local PBS stations here: pbs.org/donate. Enjoy full episodes of favorite PBS shows anytime, anywhere with the free PBS app:  to.pbs.org/2QbtzhR. 📰 Stay up to date on the latest science discoveries, full episodes, articles, videos, and more by signing up for NOVA's newsletter here: to.pbs.org/4brCC7Y. 🛍️ Shop official NOVA 50th anniversary merch: nova-shop.org 🎙️ Watch NOVA PBS podcast, Particles of Thought, or listen wherever there are podcasts. TAGS: Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana, Hinduism, Khmer Empire, Cambodia, Asian Buddhist temple, LiDAR technology, water, rice agriculture, Angkor Thom, bubonic plague. Follow on social media for more NOVA content:

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• LiDAR reveals more to ancient City of Angkor | Electronics Weekly
• Angkor: Hidden Jungle Empire | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Mexico: Zapotec 'Cloud People' tomb found

(NewzTech20) The "Cloud People" (Be'ena'a) of Mexico [AI podcast mode starts at ]

• IN THIS STORY: Mexican officials are calling the discovery of a Zapotec (Be’ena’a) tomb one of the country’s greatest archeological discoveries of the last decade.
• The tomb, dated to 600 C.E., features colorful murals that experts hope they can soon decipher.
• Other architectural highlights within the tomb include friezes and carvings in doorposts.

(WDRB News - Official) Mexico unveils 1,400-year-old Zapotec tomb and colorful mural

Tomb features colorful murals that experts hope they can soon decipher (Lelia Valduga/Getty)

.

Mexican Pres. Lopez Obrador and Sheinbaum

Officials are lauding a newly unearthed tomb, tucked into the Central Valley of Oaxaca [pronounced \wah-hah-kah\] in Mexico [Mesoamerica], as the greatest archeological find made in the country in the last decade.

 

Dated to 600 C.E.—a pre-Hispanic [Pre-Columbian era, pre-arrival of Spain and European Conquistadors] period during which the Zapotec culture ruled the region—experts believe the architectural and cultural meanings they can extract from the find will reveal unknown elements of Zapotec life 1,400 years ago.

Claudi Curiel de Icaza (INAH)

“This is an exceptional discovery due to its level of preservation and what it reveals about Zapotec culture: its social organization, its funerary rituals, and its worldview, preserved in the architecture, and mural paintings,” Mexico’s Secretary of Culture Claudi Curiel de Icaza said in a translated statement from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

The tomb features sculptural elements and mural paintings that contain symbols often associated with power and death, while friezes and tombstones bear inscriptions which appear to reference calendars.

Pres. Claudia Sheinbaum in front of MX flag

“This is the most important archeological discovery in Mexico in the last decade due to its level of preservation and the information it provides,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo said at a press conference, according to INAH.

The murals and architecture start at the entrance to the antechamber. An owl, which symbolized night and death for the Zapotec people, covers the painted face of a lord. Experts with INAH believe that the portrait may be of the ancestor to whom the tomb was dedicated. His descendants may have hoped that he would serve as an intercessor with deities. More

• What is fragrant copal (resin) incense?

Who are the "Zapotecs," the "Cloud People," how did they build underground?

Zapotec civilization funerary art

The Zapotec civilization (the Be'ena'a or "The people who came from the clouds," circa 700 BC–1521 AD) is an advanced indigenous pre-European (pre-Columbian, pre-Hispanic, pre-invasion) civilization that flourished in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca in Mesoamerica (part of North America above Central America, mostly comprised of modern Mexico). Archaeological evidence shows that their culture, now replaced by Mixtec culture, originated at least 2,500 years ago. The Zapotec archaeological site at the ancient City of Monte Albán has pyramids, monumental buildings, ball courts, tombs, and grave goods, including finely worked gold jewelry. Monte Albán was one of the first major cities in Mesoamerica. It was the center of a Zapotec state that dominated much of the territory which today is known as the Mexican state of Oaxaca [1, 2]. The Zapotecs are their modern Mexican descendants. More

• Mitla, Oaxaca, Southern Mexico

Mitla: the Sacred Underworld, Mexico

(Pyramid Review) Mitla: The Sacred Zapotec City of the Underworld, American, 2023

• Tim Newcomb, popularmechanics.com, Jan. 29, 2026, via MSN; Crystal Quintero, Pfc. Sandoval, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Pyramid Review: Exploring Mexican sites

(Pyramid Review) Yaxchilan: The most inaccessible archeological site in Mexico, Jan. 29, 2026

Yaxchilan necropolis ruins (Wikipedia)

Yaxchilan (yacht-chee-lan) is an ancient Maya city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico, near Guatemala (named after the Buddha Gautama plus the word mala or religious beads*). In the Late Classic Period, Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya states along the course of the Usumacinta River, with Piedras Negras ("Black Rocks") as its major rival [1]. Architectural styles in subordinate sites in the Usumacinta region demonstrate clear differences that mark a clear boundary between the two kingdoms [1]. More: Yaxchilan, Mexico

• The world's largest pyramid is in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico
• (EverythingPlayaDelCarmen.com) What to expect from a visit to Ek Balam Maya ruins, Yucatan Peninsula (and cenotes)

Mexico built world's largest pyramid

(Pyramid Review) Cholula: The Largest Pyramid on Earth

• *How the Swans Came to the Lake: A Narrative History of Buddhism in America (Rick Fields)

Buddhists came to California and Mexico BEFORE Christianity? Yes, according to American Edward Payson in a miraculous book published more than a century ago:

• An Inglorious Columbus; or, Evidence that Hwui Shan and a party of Buddhist monks from Afghanistan discovered America in the fifth century, A.D. (Edward Payson Vining, 1847-1920)

(Pyramid Review) Ek' Balam: City of the Black Jaguar

Cave 5K years older than Gobekli Tepe

• VIDEO: Homo sapiens may be older than we thought
• Homo erectus wasn't the first human species to leave Africa 1.8 million years ago, fossils suggest
• 15 historical figures who may not have existed

Strangest Hindu temple in the world

Huge underground city found in Mexico?

(Mysteries Uncovered Files) Scientists used AI on Olmec heads: results terrified archaeologists

Skull rack of sacrificial victims? (Cavan/Alamy)

(BBC) Hidden mere meters under Mexico's modern capital, a series of temples, royal palaces, and mysterious artifacts from an ancient kingdom are being unearthed.

As we descended 7 meters (21 feet) below Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral, I could feel my heart race. I had heard whisperings about the temples buried under this iconic cathedral – one of the largest and oldest in Latin America ­– but since their discovery in the 1970s, it had not been possible to see them.

We the Mexica [of Mexico] are not "Aztecs"

Now, I was part of a public tour that lets visitors explore the ancient secrets that lie just below this [Catholic] church’s depths.

Nearly 500 years after Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés toppled the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán [the "Place of Nopal Cactuses"], the remains of the ancient metropolis continue to lay hidden mere meters under modern-day Mexico City.

The Spanish [invaders from Spain] started building the Metropolitan [Catholic] Cathedral in 1573 above on top of the sacred Aztec (the “Mexica” as they called themselves) temples as a symbol of conquest. More

• Mexico City’s secret underground world (BBC)
• A long-lost city found in the Americas (BBC)

Ireland's prehistoric site, Europe's largest?

We've more and older archeology than England?

It seems that ancient Irish tales of "hollow hills" (underground caverns in mountains, as in Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" where ogres and supernatural beings dwell) are true. There are hillforts throughout the Emerald Isle. And the largest ever found in Northern Europe has just been uncovered, and it's massive.

Ireland discovery: the largest site ever

What, our pre-Christian roots go way back?

A vast prehistoric settlement hidden in the hills of County Wicklow is forcing archaeologists to rethink how people lived in Ireland more than 2,700 years ago.

What began as a closer look at a single hillfort has revealed a sprawling complex of ramparts, houses, and enclosures that specialists now say may be the largest clustered village ever identified in Ireland and Britain.

The scale of the discovery, and the suggestion that it could be the biggest prehistoric site of its kind in Northern Europe, is already reshaping debates about when urban-style living first emerged on the Atlantic edge of the continent.

We Irish Paddies stand with Palestinians!

The Wicklow hill that turned into a mega‑site

Baltinglass hillfort archeological site (monumentalireland.ie)

The story starts with a familiar landmark in the Irish landscape, a hillfort in Baltinglass that locals have long known as a dramatic feature above the County Wicklow countryside.

Archaeologists had catalogued it as one of several prominent fortified sites in the region, but new survey work has shown that the hilltop is only the core of a much larger complex.

What once looked like a single enclosure now appears to sit within a dense cluster of prehistoric houses and additional earthworks that extend across the slopes and surrounding ridges. More

• Cassian Holt, Morning Overview via MSN (msn.com/AA1Ts3), Jan. 2, 2026; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Oldest pyramid site in Asia: Koh Ker

Exploring the enigmatic Koh Ker Pyramid: Cambodia's hidden architectural marvel

Buddhist pyramids like the Maya of Mexico?

Koh Ker (Khmer ប្រាសាទកោះកេរ្ដិ៍, Brasat Kaôh Kértĕ) is a remote Buddhist archeological site in northern Cambodia about 75 miles (120 kms) from Siem Reap and the ancient site of Angkor (and Angkor Wat). It is a jungle-filled region that is sparsely populated. More than 180 sanctuaries have been found in a protected area of 31 square miles (81 square kms) [1]: 13. Only about two dozen monuments can be visited by tourists because most of the sanctuaries are hidden in the forest and the whole area is not fully de-mined. Koh Ker is the modern name for an important city of the Khmer Empire. In inscriptions the town is mentioned as Lingapura ("City of Lingams") or Chok Gargyar [2]: 70 (translated as "City of Glance" [3] or as Iron Tree Forest) [1]: 8–9. More

• Archaeologists found a smoking gun behind the end of the Maya kingdom’s reign

The Enigmatic Koh Ker Pyramid of Cambodia | Ancient Architects

Archeological marvels of Benghazi, Libya (Northern Africa)

Major discoveries at Gobekli Tepe

(MegalithomaniaUK) Taş Tepeler ("Stone Mounds") sites

Shattered megaliths in Buddhist Laos

Vat Phou's shattered megaliths: Clues to an ancient catastrophe in Laos

Secrets in Stone Podcast

(Secrets in Stone) Nov. 26, 2025: Secrets in Stone Podcast. Join me on a solo adventure to Vat Phou, a remote UNESCO site in southern Laos. This isn't your typical temple— it’s a lost megalithic sanctuary with serpent carvings and a peculiar crocodile stone, precision stonework, evidence of lost technology and signs of an ancient catastrophe that tilted boulders and reshaped the landscape. I'll walk you through the site's terraces, barays, and scattered ruins, sharing firsthand observations. Could this site predate the inscriptions by centuries or more, built by a lost ancient culture? From lathe-marked spindles to LiDAR, we'll explore why Vat Phou feels out of sync with other ancient sites in the region.

• Buddhism in Laos

Tesla knew pyramids weren't 'tombs'

(The InBetween) Genius contactee Nikola Tesla knew the pyramids were not tombs. They were...

(Archaeology with Flint Dibble) Dear Joe Rogan, the Great

Pyramid is a tomb (featuring crooked Zahi Hawass)

Egypt's Area 51 pyramids hidden by military

Zawyet El Aryan (زاویة العریان) is a town in the Giza Governorate of Egypt, located between Giza and Abusir [1]. To the west of the town, just in the desert area, is a necropolis [examined by Egyptologist and Italian architect Alessandro Barsanti], referred to by the same name. Almost directly east across the Nile is Memphis. In Zawyet El Aryan, there are two pyramid complexes and five mastaba cemeteries. More

(Ancient Architects) Secret mission to explore Great Pyramid of Giza: Yersh 1

• Michael Button, YouTube, Nov. 19, 2025; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

There were GIANTS: Baal, Asuras, Tiwanaku

The MEGALITHIC mystery of Baalbek — Massive stones no one can explain

(Uncharted Mysteries) Nov. 1, 2025: Something about Baalbek (ancient Heliopolis) doesn’t make sense — an ancient platform in Lebanon [next to modern Israel] built from stone blocks so massive that no known method could have moved them.

One of these blocks weighs over 1,500 tons, yet it was somehow carved, transported, and stacked with perfect precision thousands of years ago. The mystery of how and why it was built has divided historians, engineers, and archeologists for decades.

In this short documentary, we’ll explore the origins of Baalbek, who might have built it, and the incredible techniques that made it possible.

• Baal [6][7][8] or Baʿal [9][a] was a title with the honorific meaning "lord" or "owner" in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity. From its use among people, it came to be applied to gods [11]. Scholars previously associated the theonym ("name of god") with solar cults and with a variety of unrelated patron deities, but inscriptions have shown that the name Baal was particularly associated with the storm and fertility god Hadad and his local manifestations [12]. The Ugaritic god Baal (𐎁𐎓𐎍) is the protagonist of one of the lengthiest surviving epics from the ancient Near East, the Baal Cycle. Known by epithets like “rider of the clouds” and “Victorious Baal,” he [like India's Indra/Sakra and ancient Greece's Zeus] was associated with rain, lightning, wind, fertility, and kingship, and was often depicted in opposition to sea and death deities like Yammu and Mot. More

From the colossal Trilithon stones to the legends of gods and giants, this investigation reveals why Baalbek remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the ancient world.

Helios (Sun) City: Is Sun conscious? (Sheldrake)

The Asuras (Titans) of Buddhism and Hinduism

Asuras (Sanskrit असुर) are a class of beings in Dharmic religions [1]. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism.

• If Suras are "gods" then A-suras are "anti-gods." In Buddhism, they came to earth when Sakka (Indra), King of the Devas, through them out of his heaven (the Realm of the Thirty-Three), but as proof that Suras and Asuras very closely related, Sakka's wife is said to be an Asuran princess.

In a Buddhist context, the word Asura is translated as "titan," "demigod," and "antigod" [2]. According to Hindu texts, the Asuras are in constant fear of the Devas [3]: 2–6.

Asuras are described in Indian texts as powerful superhuman demigods with good or bad qualities. In early Vedic literature, the good Asuras are called Adityas and are led by Varuna, while the malevolent ones are called Danavas and are led by Vritra [4]: 4.

In the earliest layer of Vedic texts, Agni, Indra, and other gods (Devas) are also called Asuras, in the sense of their being "lords" of their respective domains, knowledge, and abilities.

In later Vedic and post-Vedic texts, the benevolent gods are called Devas, while malevolent Asuras compete against these Devas and are considered "enemy of the gods" [4][5].

Asuras are part of Hinduism along with Yakshas (ogres, shapeshifting nature protectors, monsters, spirits), Rakshasas (fierce man-eating ogres, ghouls, demons), Bhutas (ghosts), and many more.

Asuras have been featured in many cosmological theories and legends in Hinduism and Buddhism [6][7][8]. More

Older mother of all civilizations? Scientists now think Tiwanaku was first civilization

(Origins Explained) Scientists think Tiwanaku, Peru, is actually the first ever civilization

Scientists think Tiwanaku was the first civilization

(Origins Explained) Nov. 18, 2025: Origins Explained Daily. I’ve wanted to tell this story for ages because Tiwanaku feels like a secret the mountains kept to themselves. High above Lake Titicaca is Bolivia’s megalithic heartland to see laser-like stonework, the Akapana pyramid, Kalasasaya, and new DNA clues that change what we think we know. Then we’ll step into Pumapunku’s mind-bending blocks, lake-buried offerings to Viracocha, and a newly found temple at Palaspata that ties the whole network together. Love ancient engineering, origin myths, and real science challenging wild theories? Then this is a great episode.

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:30 TIWANAKU
• 16:59 Puma Punku
• 22:38 Tiwanaku’s mystery, now with DNA
• 28:41 The sunken altar

Step into the forgotten world of ancient civilizations and lost cities: Lost Cities and Ancient Civilizations

• ►Channel membership: @theunchartedmysteries
• Uncharted Mysteries, the MEGALITHIC Mystery of Baalbek — Massive Stones No One Can Explain

Rock-cut Buddhist temple cave: Karla

Carved Straight from the Bedrock: The Great Chaitya Cave of India

(Ancient Architects) Oct. 7, 2025: There are a number of famous examples of enigmatic rock-cut architecture in the world. India is one place in particular that is famous for its manmade (deva-made) caves.

There are the famous Buddhist Ellora Caves that date back to 600-1000 AD, which includes the breathtaking and seemingly impossible Kailasa Temple, the Ajanta caves, which are even older, but there are also the lesser-known Karla Caves.

They are not all as elaborate as the others, but it is a site that should certainly be on everyone's radar. The Karla Caves are located near Lonavala, Maharashtra, a complex of amazing ancient Buddhist Indian temples carved directly from bedrock, dating back from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD.

Maharashtra has many larger examples of artificial (human-made) cave networks, but Cave 8 at Karla, known as The Grand Chaitya Cave, is the largest and most completely preserved chaitya hall of the period with beautiful, ornate architecture, featuring many examples of fine sculpture. Watch this video to find out more about this human wonder of the world.

Subscribe to Ancient Architects, like the video, and leave a comment. All images were Googled and are used for educational purposes only. #AncientIndia #AncientArchitects #India #Buddhism

Buddhism's Karla Caves, India

Magnificent rock-cut hollow hall with stupa

The Karla Caves (also Karli Caves, Karle Caves, Karla Cells) are a complex of ancient Buddhist Indian rock-cut caves at Karli near Lonavala, Maharashtra State.

The site is 10.9 kms from Lonavala. Others in the area include Bhaja Caves, Patan Buddhist Cave, Bedse Caves, and Nasik Caves.

The shrines were developed over the period from the 2nd century BCE to the 5th century CE. The oldest of the cave shrines is believed to date back to 160 BCE, having arisen near a major ancient trade route, running eastward from the Arabian Sea into the Deccan.

The group at Karla is one of the older and smaller of the many rock-cut Buddhist sites in Maharashtra, India.

It is one of the best-known because of the famous "Grand Chaitya" (Cave 8), the largest and most completely preserved chaitya hall of the period, containing unusual quantities of fine sculpture on a large scale [1].

Cross section of Grand Hall with stupa (Karla)

Many traders, Western Satraps of Saka [aka Shakyian, Scythian] origin and Satavahana rulers made grants for construction and support of these caves.

Karla's location in Maharashtra places it in a region that marks the division between North India and South India [2].

Buddhists, having become identified with commerce and manufacturing through their early association with traders, tended to locate their monastic establishments in natural geographic formations close to major trade routes so as to provide lodging houses for travelling traders [3].

Today, the cave complex is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India [4]. More