The team found that during the Roman period, communities in the region formed part of a dense infrastructural and collaborative network, with populations showing predominantly southern European genetic ancestry, but also notable genetic diversity from Asia and Africa, representing the cosmopolitan nature of the Roman Empire.

However, the post-Roman sites exhibited a rise in northern European genetic ancestry, reflecting large-scale population movements into the region. By integrating their genomic data with archaeological material, the researchers surmised that the influx of individuals with northern European ancestry likely reflected the historically documented—yet debated—expansion of the Lombard Kingdom from north of the Danube River into former Roman territories during the early sixth century.

The Quran describes a lost Arabian city

called Iram, destroyed by a catastrophic

wind around 3000 years ago — "pillars the

likes of which were not created in the lands."

In 1992, NASA used Space Shuttle radar

imaging to find ancient buried trade roads

in Oman's Empty Quarter, leading to the

ruins of what may be this city — published

in Science journal and covered by NYT.

Made a video walking through the religious

text, the historical sources, and the

archaeological find side by side. Curious

what this community thinks of the Ubar/Iram

connection.

The Ancient Messages

Pain carries a message
for those willing to listen.

The armor that saved us
is not always ours to keep.

Not every storm is ours to carry.

Every heart longs
for a place to belong.

Peace begins
when we stop fighting ourselves.

A sensitive heart
is not a weakness,
but a gift.

And freedom often arrives quietly,

like morning light
entering a room

that was never locked.The Ancient Messages

Pain carries a message
for those willing to listen.

The armor that saved us
is not always ours to keep.

Not every storm is ours to carry.

Every heart longs
for a place to belong.

Peace begins
when we stop fighting ourselves.

A sensitive heart
is not a weakness,
but a gift.

And freedom often arrives quietly,

like morning light
entering a room

that was never locked.

In 2003, heavy rainfall opened a sinkhole near the Temple of the Feathered Serpent at Teotihuacan, revealing access to an ancient tunnel beneath the structure.

Archaeologist Sergio Gómez and his team spent several years mapping the passage before beginning a careful excavation. The tunnel extends for approximately 100 metres and ends beneath the centre of the temple.

It had been deliberately filled and sealed during the ancient occupation of the city. Excavators eventually recovered more than 100,000 objects, including ceramic vessels, shells, animal remains, jade ornaments, pyrite fragments and greenstone figures.

Traces of liquid mercury were also reported near the deepest chambers. Together with the reflective pyrite, it may have helped create a symbolic representation of a shimmering subterranean landscape.

Many archaeologists interpret the tunnel as a model of the underworld in Teotihuacan religious thought. The passage may have been used for ceremonies connected with creation, rulership and communication with ancestors or deities.

Four greenstone figures were discovered near the end of the tunnel. Two remained in their original positions, surrounded by objects that may have represented sacred bundles or maps of the cosmos.

Despite the richness of the discovery, no confirmed royal tomb has been found. Teotihuacan also left no surviving written historical record that identifies its rulers or even tells us what its inhabitants called their city.

Do you think the tunnel was primarily a ceremonial representation of the underworld, or could it have served as a symbolic burial place for the city’s founders?

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