A painting found in a German family home has revealed how Nazi-era imagery may have been hidden beneath a more acceptable postwar scene. The work is linked to Erich Mercker, a Munich painter who lived from 1891 to 1973. Mercker had a successful career and painted several works during the Nazi period. Some included hidden Nazi symbols and political themes.

One of his known works, “Die Stätte des 9. November,” showed the Feldherrnhalle in Munich. The site carried strong meaning for the Nazi Party. It was tied to Adolf Hitler’s failed 1923 coup, also known as the Beer Hall Putsch.

Postwar versions removed Nazi symbols

After World War II, Mercker continued to paint the same Munich scene. But later versions appeared different. He removed soldiers, wreaths, and Nazi symbols. He also replaced the Nazi flag with the blue-and-white flag of Bavaria.

The works appeared under less politically charged titles, including “Feldherrnhalle” and “München am Odeonsplatz.”

Filmmaker and producer Dr. Thomas Schuhbauer found one version in his parents’ home. They had received it as a wedding gift in 1966.

At first, the painting looked like a postwar version of the scene. It showed the Bavarian flag and no clear Nazi symbols. But some details raised questions. The Nazi memorial at the Feldherrnhalle was still partly visible. That memorial was destroyed after Germany’s surrender in 1945. Reddish paint traces also appeared near the flag.

X-ray scans reveal hidden image

Schuhbauer contacted Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, known as HZB. He began working with Dr. Ioanna Mantouvalou, a physicist at TU Berlin and HZB. Mantouvalou specializes in X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, or XRF.

X-ray scans have revealed Nazi symbols hidden beneath a postwar painting linked to Munich artist Erich Mercker.

Researchers found a red Nazi flag, wreaths, soldiers and raised arms painted over beneath a later Bavarian scene. pic.twitter.com/qrkIfazLhm

— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 9, 2026

The method lets researchers identify chemical elements in materials without damaging them. It can also reveal paint layers beneath the surface.

The XRF scans showed that Nazi imagery had been painted over. A red Nazi flag lay beneath the Bavarian flag. Researchers also found covered wreaths on the monument, soldiers in the scene, and raised arms of passersby.

The overpainted areas contained high levels of titanium white. That pigment did not appear elsewhere in the painting. A tube of oil paint labeled “Titanium White 10103 Schmincke” was later found among Mercker’s paint tubes.

Evidence points to later alteration

Researchers said the evidence suggests that Mercker may have altered the painting himself. Some changes appeared rushed or careless.

The study, published in npj Heritage Science, also situates the painting within a broader postwar context. The authors noted that many artists faced little public criticism for their Nazi-era collaboration until well into the 1960s.

The painting now belongs to the Munich Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism. The case shows how science, art history, and family memory can work together. It also shows how political symbols can disappear from view without fully leaving the historical record.

Archaeologists in Denmark are recreating a puzzling Iron Age feature to understand better its purpose more than 2,500 years after it was built. Known as hulbælter in Iron Age, or “hole belts,” the structures consist of long rows of shallow pits that stretch across the landscape.

Dating to around 500–300 B.C., some extend for hundreds of meters, while others run for several kilometers. Researchers have identified nearly 50 examples across Denmark, particularly in central and western Jutland. Despite decades of study, archaeologists still do not know exactly why the pits were dug.

Hole belts remain one of Denmark’s oldest mysteries

The pits are not graves, ordinary postholes, or waste pits. Instead, they form organized belts three to six meters (9.8 to 19.6 feet) wide, with individual holes typically measuring only 30 to 40 centimeters (0.98 to 1.3 feet) deep.

Similar features have been reported in Sweden and the Netherlands, but they are far more common in Denmark. Their unusual layout suggests they were built for a specific purpose rather than as isolated features.

To investigate, researchers at the Saxo Institute at the University of Copenhagen have launched a large-scale experimental archaeology project.

Researchers rebuild an Iron Age landscape

Led by associate professor Henriette Lyngstrøm, the project brings together 30 archaeology students at Sagnlandet Lejre, an open-air research center and reconstructed Iron Age village.

The team is rebuilding a hole belt from scratch using reconstructed tools and ancient techniques. Researchers are measuring the time, effort, and coordination needed to create the features. The goal is to move beyond theory and test how the belts may have functioned in everyday life.

Digging reveals the scale of Iron Age labor

One part of the project focuses on reconstructed wooden spades based on Iron Age finds. Archaeologists once thought some of these tools may have been paddles. However, traces of soil, stones, and wear patterns suggest they were used for digging.

Archaeologists in Denmark are recreating mysterious 2,500-year-old Iron Age "hole belts" to uncover their purpose.

Were they defensive barriers, storage pits, boundary markers, or something else entirely?#Archaeology #IronAge #Denmark #AncientHistory pic.twitter.com/o3ZrDywejZ

— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 8, 2026

Tests showed that wooden spades could create the pits, but the work was slow and physically demanding. The tools also required frequent sharpening.

The findings indicate that constructing long hole belts would have required planning, organization, and coordinated labor. Researchers say such projects likely involved leadership and cooperation within Iron Age communities.

Food storage theory gets a real-world test

Researchers also examined whether some pits could have been used for storage. Graduate student Angelyn Sørensen placed a chicken inside a ceramic jar buried in a reconstructed pit. On a day when air temperatures reached about 20 degrees Celsius, the meat warmed only slightly, rising from around 10 to 12 degrees.

The results suggest that covered pits could help moderate temperatures, although the experiment does not prove a storage function.

Experiments test the defensive barrier theory

The strongest results came from tests of the defensive theory. Earlier studies showed that sheep and cattle could cross similar pit zones without difficulty. However, when researchers staged mock combat exercises, the pits made movement more difficult for attackers.

Participants struggled to maintain balance, move quickly, and fight while crossing the uneven terrain.

Researchers stress that no single explanation has been confirmed. Still, the experiments show that the hole belts were carefully planned features that required labor, organization, and a clear purpose. Their exact role remains uncertain, but the project is bringing archaeologists closer to understanding one of Denmark’s most enduring Iron Age mysteries.

A new study suggests that the carved symbols at Göbekli Tepe may have been part of a sophisticated belief system that connected timekeeping, sacred space, death, and the heavens.

Published in the International Journal of Culture and History, the research by Oleksandr Zavalii compares imagery from the famous Vulture Stone at Göbekli Tepe with ritual symbols from the later Trypillia culture of present-day Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania.

The study argues that both societies may have used similar symbolic frameworks to understand the cosmos and organize religious life.

Göbekli Tepe, in southeastern Türkiye, dates to roughly 9600-8200 BCE and is considered one of the world’s earliest monumental ritual centers. Zavalii focuses on several of its carved pillars, particularly Stele 43, known as the Vulture Stone.

Researchers interpret the Vulture Stone as a cosmological map

The monument features birds, snakes, a scorpion, geometric symbols, and a headless human figure. Zavalii argues that the arrangement was deliberate. The upper portion contains bird figures, circles, and abstract signs that may represent celestial forces.

The lower section contains animals and human imagery associated with the earthly world, death, or the underworld. Rather than viewing the carvings as isolated images, the study interprets them as parts of a broader symbolic language.

The Vulture Stone has attracted astronomical interpretations for years. In 2017, researchers Martin Sweatman and Dimitrios Tsikritsis proposed that some animal figures represented constellations and may have recorded events linked to the debated Younger Dryas impact hypothesis.

Did the builders of Göbekli Tepe share cosmological ideas with ancient farmers?

A new study compares the site's famous Vulture Stone with Trypillia ritual symbolism and suggests both cultures may have used same concepts to understand time, sacred space, death and the heavens. pic.twitter.com/hO1lHtUvYu

— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 8, 2026

A later study by Sweatman suggested that V-shaped marks on the pillar could represent a lunisolar calendar. However, these interpretations remain controversial.

Researchers associated with the German Archaeological Institute have argued that repeated rebuilding and possible roofing of the structures complicate claims that the site functioned as an open-air observatory.

Numerical patterns may reflect concepts of sacred time

According to Zavalii, Stele 43 contains eleven rectangular symbols, while some circular enclosures at Göbekli Tepe include eleven T-shaped pillars. The repeated appearance of the number may have marked divisions of the year or important intervals between solar events.

Stele 33 provides additional evidence for this interpretation. The pillar contains snake-like figures, animals, and abstract motifs. Zavalii highlights the recurring numbers two, three, eleven, and thirteen, suggesting they may have been associated with concepts such as duality, solar cycles, and lunar rhythms.

In this reading, thirteen snake heads could symbolize the lunar year, while eleven may relate to the organization of solar time. Rather than functioning as a precise calendar, the symbols may have formed part of a sacred system used to represent the passage of time.

Trypillia comparison reveals shared symbolic themes

The study’s most distinctive contribution is its comparison with the Trypillia culture, which flourished thousands of years later in Eastern Europe.

Zavalii points to similarities between Göbekli Tepe’s symbols and Trypillian ritual objects, temple layouts, and ceramic designs. Particular attention is given to the Nebelivka Temple and distinctive “binocular-shaped” ritual artifacts.

The study suggests these forms, along with circular and crescent motifs, may have expressed ideas about duality, seasonal cycles, and sacred time.

The research does not claim a direct cultural connection between the two societies. Instead, it proposes that early farming communities may have developed comparable symbolic solutions for understanding the relationship between the sky, ritual practice, and community life.

Debate over Göbekli Tepe’s meaning continues

Other interpretations of Göbekli Tepe remain influential. Archaeologist Klaus Schmidt and later researchers emphasized the site’s role as a ritual gathering place linked to ancestor veneration and communal ceremonies.

Additional studies have connected the site’s headless figures, vulture imagery, and human remains to funerary practices and beliefs about death and transformation. Meanwhile, archaeologist Giulio Magli proposed that some enclosures may have been aligned with the appearance of Sirius in the night sky.

Together, these theories highlight the complexity of Göbekli Tepe. Zavalii’s study adds a new perspective by suggesting that the site’s carvings formed part of a larger symbolic system in which architecture, ritual, memory, and celestial cycles were closely intertwined.

For more than 1,000 years, the Cerne Abbas Giant has stood on a hillside in Dorset, England, surviving wars, epidemics, and centuries of social change. Now, conservationists say increasingly unpredictable weather is threatening the famous chalk figure and forcing an earlier-than-usual restoration effort.

The 55-meter-tall (180-foot) giant, carved into a hillside above the village of Cerne Abbas, is one of Britain’s most recognizable landmarks. The figure depicts a naked man carrying a large club. For generations, residents helped maintain its bright white appearance by filling its outline with fresh chalk.

Today, the site is managed by the National Trust, which has traditionally re-chalked the giant about once every decade. However, conservation teams say changing weather conditions are making that increasingly difficult.

Weather speeds up restoration work

Around 300 staff members and volunteers are taking part in the latest restoration project. The effort involves carrying nearly 17 tons of fresh chalk up the steep hillside and packing it into the giant’s trenches by hand.

Workers first remove old and discolored material before mixing fresh chalk with water to create a paste. The new chalk is then pressed into the outline, helping restore the figure’s distinctive appearance.

The need for faster restoration became clear in 2019 when heavy autumn rainfall washed away much of the newly applied chalk shortly after conservation work had been completed.

England's famous Cerne Abbas Giant has survived for more than 1,000 years. Now, heavier rainfall, algae growth and erosion are forcing conservationists to restore the massive chalk figure earlier than planned. pic.twitter.com/0ShiLZzOYt

— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 8, 2026

Conservationists also have concerns about algae growth. Mild, damp winters and warmer summers can create conditions that allow algae to spread across the chalk surface, causing the giant’s bright white outline to appear green and faded.

“In recent years, we’ve noticed algae growth starting to dull the giant’s bright white outline,” National Trust ranger Luke Dawson said.

Dawson cautioned against directly linking the changes to climate trends at a single site. “It’s one of these things we cannot really prove,” he told BBC News. “It is more just observation of what we are seeing up there.”

Researchers continue to debate the Giant’s origins

The Giant’s origins remain one of England’s enduring archaeological mysteries. Over the years, researchers suggested it could represent a prehistoric fertility symbol, the Roman hero Hercules, or even a satirical image of Oliver Cromwell.

Scientific dating has narrowed the timeline considerably. Researchers believe the figure was likely created between 700 and 1100 CE during the late Saxon period.

The Saxon dating has renewed interest in the Hercules theory. In a 2021 study published in the journal Speculum, researchers from the University of Oxford argued that the giant was originally carved as an image of Hercules.

They suggested it may have served as a landmark and gathering point for West Saxon forces during Viking attacks in southern England.

Conservation efforts expand beyond the hillside

The National Trust is also working to protect the landscape surrounding the Giant. A recent fundraising campaign helped secure 130 hectares of nearby grassland containing rare wildlife and important archaeological remains.

“The Giant was never meant to exist in isolation,” National Trust archaeologist Steve Timms said in a press release. He said protecting the surrounding landscape will help researchers better understand how people used and understood the area over thousands of years.

Researchers studying a cave in South Africa have found evidence that could push the record of ancient fire use back hundreds of thousands of years.

The findings come from Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province, a site that has produced some of the oldest known evidence of human activity. The study was published in the journal PLOS One.

Researchers uncover evidence in a deeper cave layer

Previous excavations at Wonderwerk Cave revealed signs of fire use about one million years ago. Researchers based that conclusion on burnt animal bones, heat-altered stone tools, and burned sediments found in a layer known as Stratum 10.

In the new study, archaeologists examined an older layer called Stratum 11. There, they found small mammal bones that showed signs of exposure to heat.

To determine the age of the deposits, researchers analyzed cave sediments using magnetostratigraphy and cosmogenic burial dating. Together, the two methods indicated that the remains were deposited between 1.07 million and 1.79 million years ago.

If confirmed, the discovery could represent the oldest evidence yet found for the use of fire by early humans.

New technique helps identify burned bones

Researchers used a method known as bone luminescence to confirm that the fossils had been exposed to fire.

The technique involves shining high-energy blue light onto fossilized bones under a microscope. Burned bones respond by glowing bright red when viewed through a specialized filter. This allows scientists to detect evidence of heating that may not be visible through traditional examination methods.

Researchers at South Africa's Wonderwerk Cave have uncovered burned animal bones dating between 1.07 and 1.79 million years ago. If confirmed, the discovery could represent the oldest known evidence of fire use by early humans.#Archaeology #HumanEvolution #Anthropology #Science pic.twitter.com/PJX3doqUVa

— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) June 8, 2026

The analysis showed that several of the bones from Stratum 11 had been subjected to high temperatures.

Researchers also ruled out wildfires as the likely source of the burning. The fossils were discovered about 30 meters (98 feet) from the cave entrance, deep inside the cave, and beyond the reach of flames from natural fires outside.

Findings suggest repeated fire use

The study does not show that early humans could make fire whenever they wanted. It also does not provide evidence for routine cooking. Instead, the findings suggest that groups occupying the cave may have repeatedly carried fire into the site and managed it there.

Researchers said the pattern and distribution of burned bones in both Stratum 10 and Stratum 11 point to multiple combustion events rather than a single accidental fire.

Because evidence of ancient fire use is often difficult to distinguish from natural burning, the question of when humans first controlled fire remains one of archaeology’s most debated topics. The new findings add important evidence to that discussion and provide a deeper look into the behavior of some of humanity’s earliest ancestors.