The imperfect science/art of archaeology has a centuries-old history in itself, told with objects of disputed provenance unearthed by humans as inclined to error as any. This thoughtful list considers the controversial artifacts’ narrative of discovery, as well as the contentious theories put forth both by skeptic archaeologists and faithful fraudsters alike. The author covers both the Old World and New, covering diverse infamous artifacts such as apocryphal Mayan codices and the sarcophagus of the legendary Hellenic hero, Hercules, treating the reader to fun game of “fact or fiction?” Elsewhere, we learn that the Mystery behind vast mounds spanning South America’s wetlands [have been} solved by the University of Exeter and it involves the humblest of earth movers–the common earthworm. These regularly spaced, densely packed mounds of earth rise out of swamps across the continent, a spectacle that has puzzled ecologists since the 1940s. Now, a satellite imagery-aided study has determined that large piles of worm excrement, or castings, are responsible for generating the mounds, reminding us that even the smallest of players can profoundly alter the landscape in mysterious ways. (MS)

_{— Delivered by Feed43 service}