Crossroads Roundup: Bronze Age Artifacts in the Mail, an Ancient Plague, and Mona Lisa’s Villa

Our favorite stories on art, archaeology, folklore, and more from this past week.

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Two 4,000-year-old axeheads were mailed to the National Museum of Ireland by an anonymous donor.

A Bronze Age mystery in Ireland… 

The National Museum of Ireland in Dublin made an intriguing announcement this past week:

The Irish Antiquities Division of the National Museum of Ireland are reaching out to the public for information regarding two Early Bronze Age axeheads, dating from around 2150-2000 BC, which were sent anonymously to the museum at the end of June.

The anonymous donor mailed the axeheads to the museum in packing foam, and hilariously, you can see where they outlined the shape of the axes in the foam to secure them in the box. (See the above photo.) Amusement aside, the museum shared in the statement that the axes were thoughtfully packed and arrived safely to the museum; they are in excellent condition. 

The accompanying note in the package claims that the donor found the axes using a metal detector in County Westmeath, and that he or she wished for them to be kept at NMI for future conservation and studies.

While this is an extraordinary discovery and a wonderful addition to the museum’s collection, there’s just one problem: in order to conduct a full study on the axes, researchers need to know the exact location where they were found. NMI asks that the donor or anyone with information regarding the find contact them at antiquitiesdo@museum.ie or call 01-6777444. 

Could a plague be the reason behind Europe’s Neolithic population collapse?