NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 * VOLUME 77, NUMBER 6 CONTENTS 26 Mosaic depicting Medusa in the Anatolian city of Cibyra FEATURES 26 LET THE GAMES BEGIN How gladiators in ancient Anatolia lived to entertain the masses BY TOLGA ILDUN 34 EUROPE'S LOST BRONZE AGE CIVILIZATION Archaeologists have discovered more than 100 previously unknown megasites north of the Danube BY ERIC A. POWELL 38 THE MANY FACES OF THE KINGDOM OF SHU Thousands of fantastical bronzes are beginning to reveal the secrets of a legendary Chinese dynasty BY LING XIN 48 CHALICE OF SOULS A Maya jade heirloom embodies an enduring sacred tradition BY JARRETT A. LOBELL 50 EXPLORING ANCIENT PERSIA'S ROYAL FIRE TEMPLE At a remote lake in the mountains of Iran, archaeologists have identified the most revered Zoroastrian sanctuary BY BRIDGET ALEX Cover: A mosaic floor in a Roman villa in Nennig, Germany, depicts a contest between two gladiators overseen by a referee. PHOTO: Bernd J. Fiedler/AlAmy Stock Photo archaeology.org 7http://www.archaeology.org