THIS MONTH IN HISTORY

Prehistoric phenomenon

Made from chalk and decorated with intricate carvings, this 5,000-year-old artefact is on public display for the first time since its discovery in 2015.

The drum-shaped object – found alongside a chalk ball and bone pin in the grave of three children near Burton Agnes, East Yorkshire in 2015 – may have been used as sculptural art or as a talisman to protect the dead. Its markings, including three holes believed to represent the bodies, recall an artistic style