JAPAN: Radiocarbon dating of peach pits from the site of Makimuku in Sakurai has added to speculation that the legendary lost kingdom of Yamataikoku may have been located there. The peaches were ritually buried sometime between A.D. 135 and 230 near a large ancient building, alongside other artifacts. Yamataikoku, which flourished under Queen Himiko in the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D., is mentioned only in ancient Chinese texts. Scholars have long debated its whereabouts, and Nara Prefecture, where Makimuku is sited, has been considered one possible location.