Scientists studying the remains of a Celtic tribe that lived during the Iron Age made a surprising discovery: The tribe was matrilocal, a rarity in the era. A matrilocal society is one in which a husband lives near or with the wife’s family. In ancient patriarchal societies, wives would move to live with their husband’s family. This discovery flipped the script, revealing women with the same bloodlines, and men from diverse backgrounds.

Archaeologists discovered 21 curse tablets—one of which was written in Gaulish, a dead language—in an ancient Roman-era cemetery. The burial site, which dates from the 1st century CE, was discovered in Orléans, France. Curse tablets were a way for Romans to talk to the gods. These inscribed lead sheets were buried deep in the ground, often in wells and graveyards, as a sort of prayer directing the gods to punish the author’s enemies.

A skeleton long believed to be that of Cleopatra’s half sister, Arsinoe IV, has been revealed as belonging to a young boy instead. The remains were discovered in 1929, buried in an elaborate sarcophagus under the ancient city of Ephesus (now in Turkey). Arsinoe IV infamously led a native uprising against her sister and Julius Caesar in 48 BCE. After her troops were defeated, Arsinoe found asylum in Ephesus out of fear that her sister would have her killed—which ended up happening, but not until 41 BCE.