Throughout the course of human history, cultures around the world have used all manner of substances derived from plants to induce hallucinations and altered states of consciousness. But while we have ...

Rock paintings near the Rio Grande reveal a mysterious 4,000-year-old religion. Archaeologist Carolyn Boyd decodes these ancient secrets with help from the Huichol people. Carolyn Boyd guides her ...

A REMARKABLY well-preserved 4,400-year-old carving of a snake has been unearthed in Finland. The wooden artefact measures half a metre (20 inches) long and is shaped like a serpent – possibly a viper ...

Eighty-six tortoise shells, an eagle’s wing, and the pelvis of a leopard are some of the bizarre objects placed under, around, or on the body of a petite woman, likely a shaman, buried 12,000 years ...

A tracing of the earthen vessel piece with a drawing of a possible female shaman. TAWARAMOTO, Nara -- An earthenware piece with a drawing of a possible female shaman has been unearthed during ...

A small pouch, made from three fox snouts neatly sewn together, may contain the world’s earliest archaeological evidence for the consumption of ayahuasca, a psychoactive plant preparation indigenous ...

An ancient 'birdman' has been unearthed in Siberia who was buried wearing a costume made of as many as 50 beaks — believed to be from herons or cranes. It is believed the ancient man was a shaman who ...

Prehistoric leftovers of a feast 12,000 years ago at an apparent shaman's gravesite have been unearthed in what is now Israel. Archaeologists say the ritual might be the first clear evidence of ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...