 A new examination of skulls from the royal cemetery at Ur, discovered in Iraq almost a century ago, appears to support a more grisly interpretation of human sacrifices associated with elite burials in ancient Mesopotamia than had previously been recognized, say archaeologists.Palace attendants, as part of royal mortuary ritual, were not dosed with poison to meet death serenely.Instead, they were put to death by having a sharp instrument, such as a pike, driven into their heads.