Archaeologists, in collaboration with experts from National Museums Scotland (NMS) and Cardiff University, have revealed the existence of a Neolithic site in Holm on the main Orkney island. Remarkably, despite extensive damage inflicted by Victorian antiquarians more than a century ago, fragments of human bones have been successfully identified. Additionally, the dedicated efforts of local volunteers, in conjunction with students from the University of Central Lancashire, led to the discovery of pottery, stone tools, and a bone pin meticulously carved.

According to The BBC, these ruins are of an “incredibly rare” 5,000-year-old tomb. Despite the damage, the archaeologists have found 14 skeletons of men, women, and children. Archaeologists said the bodies had been carefully set out, and DNA and isotope analysis would show if they were relatives and where they were from.

The news portal further mentioned that the three-week excavation led by Dr Hugo Anderson-Whymark of NMS and Cardiff’s Professor Vicki Cummings has revealed traces of a stone cairn 15m (49ft) in diameter, which had contained a 7 m-long (23ft) passage. The archaeologists said a stone chamber lay at the centre of the cairn, and this was surrounded by six smaller cells.

Dr Anderson-Whymark told The BBC, “This find is extremely exciting. Orkney is exceptionally rich in archaeology, but we never expected to find a tomb of this size in such a small-scale excavation.”

“It’s incredible to think this once impressive monument was nearly lost without record, but fortunately just enough stonework has survived for us to be able to understand the size, form, and construction of this tomb.”

Ancient human faces and other figures carved into stone have emerged from the Amazon River as a historic drought in the Brazilian region has brought water levels to record lows. The rock carvings depicting animals and other natural forms have been uncovered on the shores of the Rio Negro at an archaeological site called Ponto das Lajes, which means “Place of Slabs.” Researchers estimate that the markings are between 1,000 and 2,000 years old.

“The engravings are prehistoric, or precolonial. We cannot date them exactly, but based on evidence of human occupation of the area, we believe they are about 1,000 to 2,000 years old,” archaeologist Jaime de Santana Oliveira said in an interview on Monday.

“Some rock carvings had been sighted before, but now there is a greater variety that will help researchers establish their origins,” he added.

One area shows smooth grooves in the rock, thought to be where Indigenous inhabitants once sharpened their arrows and spears long before Europeans arrived.

Mr Oliveira said the carvings were first seen there in 2010, but this year’s drought has been more severe, with the Rio Negro dropping 15 metres (49.2 feet) since July, exposing vast expanses of rocks and sand where there had been no beaches.

“This time we found not just more carvings but the sculpture of a human face cut into the rock,” said Oliveira, who works for the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN), which oversees the preservation of historic sites.

(With inputs from Reuters)