The Mesoamerican ballgame was one of the most important cultural practices across Mesoamerica and was also one of the first recorded team sports in history. It was played by commoners and kings alike on ballcourts all over Mesoamerica. In this episode, we'll explore the meanings behind the ballgame, how it developed and how it's still being played by people today!
Moving Megaliths - How the experts are pushing the narrative.
Of all the mysteries involving ancient megalithic structures, made with large blocks of stone, the most puzzling is often: -“How” the primitive builders could move around massive rocks, without the benefit of powerful machinery. But that is only so because the experts are pushing dogmas that make this question relevant. The solution might be quite simple, and surprising. Hope you like the new video
There's a few that transport megaliths today. Please check out the video on this archaic practice in Nagaland, India and Nias Island, Sumatra Island, Indonesia ( 8:13 - 9:24 and 15:27 - 15:56 ).
Around 2000 years ago, Romans transported 450 tons ( 9:27 - 9:44 )
The entire video is worth watching also.
Naga people
Nias people
The Malagasy people of Madagascar brought the construction methods from Nias Island or Sumba Island of Indonesia to Madagascar Island. They are among the few people in the world that practice megalithic construction today.
Around the world, in such very remote places like Montana - USA, South Island - NZ, the Amazon in Brazil or even Siberia, people have been finding some amazing stone structures that excite very controversial opinions. Taking a closer look at probably the most unknown and man made of those cases, to try and find out who could have built it and why they are impossible to make. Hope you like the new video
Roman silver coins hoard. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Birmingham Museums Trust, Benedict Pond CC BY-SA 4.0
Archaeologists in Croatia have unearthed a rare medievalsilver coin hoardlinked to the era of the First Crusade, a discovery scholars describe as one of Europe’s most significant numismatic finds. The hoard surfaced during excavations at the Batina site in the Baranja region, a location long known for its Iron Age layers and its role along the Roman frontier.
Researchers did not anticipate uncovering medieval material at all, yet the dig revealed an extraordinary cluster of early silver coins.
Experts say coins from the FirstCrusade periodseldom appear so far inland. The find has captured immediate attention from medieval historians and numismatists across Europe, who believe it could reshape understanding of currency movement and travel routes during the late 11th and early 12th centuries.
Archaeologists are surprised by material far outside the expected time period
Archaeological work at Batina has been underway since 2008, largely focused onancient fortifications,Roman military structures, and prehistoric deposits. Because of these deep ancient layers, researchers were not expecting artifacts from the medieval world. Curator and archaeologist Domagoj Dujmić said the discovery came without warning. The team was examining Roman-era deposits when they encountered items that were clearly out of place.
“We did not expect to find anything medieval here, especially not silver coins of such rarity,” Dujmić said. He added that even in France, where these coins were minted, examples are scarce due to a continent-wide shortage of silver during that era.
Coins minted in France surface far from their origins
The hoard includes 56 medieval French silver coins minted in Limoges, Toulouse, Albi, and the diocese of Le Puy. Researchers date the pieces between the late 9th and mid-13th centuries, a range that overlaps the First Crusade from 1096 to 1099. Their appearance in northern Croatia points to unexpected connections between Western Europe and the Danube basin.
Severe medieval silver shortage makes the find even rarer
The period represented by the hoard was marked by widespread silver scarcity. Declining mining output, disrupted trade routes, and political instability limited production across French mints. Many coin types from this era survive only in single examples or extremely small numbers. Several coins fromBatinarepresent more than 10 percent of all known specimens of their type worldwide, a concentration experts call exceptional.
Potential links to the crusader and the pilgrim movement
Because the coins originate from regions involved in mobilizing crusaders, scholars believe the hoard may be connected to groups traveling toward the Holy Land. Croatia’s geographic position made it a natural corridor for crusaders or pilgrims moving through the Balkans toward Constantinople and the Levant.
The discovery provides physical evidence that Western European travelers may have passed through the area and opens the possibility of mapping lesser-known medieval routes.
Evidence raises new historical questions
The location adds to the mystery. Thecoinswere found at a site not previously associated with medieval settlement or activity. Researchers are now asking how such valuable currency ended up in Batina—whether it was hidden intentionally, lost during travel, or stored for protection during conflict. Continued analysis may offer answers.
A national milestone now open to the public
The Ministry of Culture and Media, which has supported Batina excavations for more than 15 years, praised the discovery as proof of the long-term scientific value of archaeological research. Officials note that medieval numismatic finds of this scale are exceptionally rare in Croatia.
The hoard is now on public display at the Archaeological Museum in Osijek. Carefully conserved and presented with historical context, the First Crusade–era coins are already drawing national and international visitors and reinforcing Osijek’s growing role as a center for medieval archaeological research.
Silver coins from the era of the First Crusade have been discovered in Croatia.
Arkeonews: archaeologists have discovered coins from the era of the First Crusade
Thu, 12/04/2025 - 12:13
Photo: Arheološki Muzej Osijek
In northern Croatia, archaeologists have discovered a rare hoard of medieval silver coins associated with the era of the First Crusade. The unexpected find was made at the Batina site in the Baranya region, where previously only the layers of the Iron Age and the Roman border had been explored. This was reported on December 4 in Arkeonews magazine.
The research in Batin, traditionally focused on Roman fortifications and monuments of the Iron Age, led to an unexpected result. In the layers belonging to ancient cultures, archaeologists came across objects that could not belong to these eras. Among them was a unique treasure trove of 56 silver French coins from the XI–XIII centuries, a time that overlaps with the period of the First Crusade.
According to the curator and archaeologist Domogoy Duimich, the find was a complete surprise. He noted that even in France, where these coins were minted, they are rare. There was an acute shortage of silver in Europe at that time: mining was declining, trade routes were disrupted, and political crises reduced the issue of coins. Therefore, many varieties have been preserved only in single copies.
It is precisely because of this rarity that the Croatian find was so highly appreciated. Some types of coins from the hoard account for more than 10% of all known specimens worldwide, an indicator that is considered unique in numismatics. Thanks to this discovery, Croatia now occupies a place among the centers of the most important medieval numismatic finds in Europe.
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The treasure's connection with the First Crusade is considered the most likely. French coins of the XI–XII centuries could belong to crusaders or pilgrims who moved through the Balkan lands to Constantinople. There were indeed less documented routes of small groups, families, and individual travelers through the north of Croatia.
The treasure is now on display at the Osijek Archaeological Museum, where it has already attracted the attention of researchers and visitors. The exhibition is accompanied by materials about the origin of coins and their historical role, which allows the audience to see one of the most significant numismatic exhibits in Europe.
