A day of entertainment at the Colosseum in ancient Rome involved hours of shows ranging from hunting games to gladiatorial fights, and, wait for it, a variety of public executions, each more gruesome than the last.

When a medieval ring was uncovered by Bulgarian archaeologists excavating the remains of the medieval fortress on Cape Kaliakra, near the town of Kavarna on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, they were surprised to discover that it was not a simply a decorative piece but looked to have been designed for the far more sinister use of murder.

The White Monument at Tell Banat in Syria has long been thought to be a mound piled with the corpses of enemies. But a study just published completely turns that belief on its head, with new analysis claiming it to be oldest known war memorial in the world.