Africa
The discovery of a rare bone artefact near the Lower Murray River casts more light on the rich archaeological record on Ngarrindjeri country in southern Australia. Details of the Murrawong bone point, dated between c. 5,300-3,800 years old, has have been described by Flinders University, Griffith University ...
Ancient skeletal hand could reveal evolutionary secrets
A 4.4 million-year-old skeleton could show how early humans moved and began to walk upright, according to new research led by a Texas A&M anthropology professor Evolutionary expert Charles Darwin and others recognized a close evolutionary relationship between humans, chimps and gorillas based on their shared anatomies, raising some big questions: how are humans related to other primates, and exactly how did early humans move around? Research by a Texas A&M University professor may provide some answers. Thomas Cody Pran...
A 4.4 million-year-old skeleton could show how early humans moved and began to walk upright, according to new research led by a Texas A&M anthropology professor Evolutionary expert Charles Darwin and others recognized a close evolutionary relationship between humans, chimps and gorillas based on their shared anatomies, raising some big questions: how are humans related to other primates, and exactly how did early humans move around? Research by a Texas A&M University professor may provide some answers. Thomas Cody Pran...
In June 2019, an international team brought the complete skull of the 3.67-million-year-old Little Foot Australopithecus skeleton, from South Africa to the UK and achieved unprecedented imaging resolution of its bony structures and dentition in an X-ray synchrotron-based investigation at the UK's national synchrotron, Diamond Light Source. The X-ray work is highlighted in a new paper in *e-Life,...
A new study published in the journal *Science Advances* shows that Bantu-speaking communities in the Congo rainforest underwent a major population collapse from 1600 to 1400 years ago, probably due to a prolonged disease epidemic, and that significant resettlement did not restart until around 1000 years ago. These findings revise the population history of no less than seven present-day African countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, an...
Asia
Roof-tiles in imperial China: Creating Ximing Temple's lotus-pattern tile ends
Researchers from Kanazawa University and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences cast light on the production of roof tiles during the Tang dynasty through a study of variations in lotus-pattern tile ends recovered from the Ximing Temple in Xi'an K- Any visitor to China will have noticed the spectacular roofs on...
New bioarchaeological research shows malaria has threatened human communities for more than 7000 years, earlier than when the onset of farming was thought to have sparked its devastating arrival. Lead author Dr Melandri Vlok from the Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, says this ground-breaking research, published today in *Scientific Reports*, changes the entire understanding of the relationship humans have had with malaria, still one of the deadliest diseases in the world. "Until now we've believed malaria became a global threat to humans when we turned to farming, but ...
New research conducted at the UNESCO World Heritage listed 'Plain of Jars' in Laos has established the stone jars were likely placed in their final resting position from as early as 1240 to 660 BCE....
Research highlights importance of social resilience in Bronze Age China
Climate alone is not a driver for human behavior. The choices that people make in the face of changing conditions take place in a larger human context. And studies that combine insights from archaeologists and environmental scientists can offer more nuanced lessons about how people have responded -- sometimes successfully -- to long-term environmental changes. One such study, from researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, shows that aridification in the central ...
Climate alone is not a driver for human behavior. The choices that people make in the face of changing conditions take place in a larger human context. And studies that combine insights from archaeologists and environmental scientists can offer more nuanced lessons about how people have responded -- sometimes successfully -- to long-term environmental changes. One such study, from researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, shows that aridification in the central ...
Megadroughts in arid central Asia delayed the cultural exchange along the proto-Silk Road
[image: IMAGE] IMAGE: HISTORICAL SILK ROAD TRADE ROUTES ARE ILLUSTRATED IN RED, AND THE WHITE STAR MARKS THE STUDIED CAVE IN CENTRAL ASIA The Silk Road was the most elaborate network of trade routes in the ancient world, linking ancient populations in East Asia to those in southwest Asia, via Central Asia. These trade routes fostered the spread of ideas, religions, and technologies over the past 2,000 years. Before the establishment of organized exchange, starting around the time of the Chinese Han Dynasty (2,223 years ag...
Genomic insights into the origin of pre-historic populations in East Asia
Integrating evidence from genetics and archaeology resarchers shed light into East Asia's population history MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY Research News SHARE PRINT E-MAIL [image: IMAGE] IMAGE: MONGOLIAN YURT IN A LANDSCAPE ON NORTHERN MONGOLIA. view more CREDIT: © KAIRI AUN | 123RF.COM Diverse East Asians derive ancestry from a coastal expansion tens of thousands of years ago Researchers have long debated whether the peopling of East Asia by modern humans occurred mainly via a coastal or interior route. The answer is probably both. "Indigenous And...
Israel
Bible scroll fragments among dazzling artifacts found in Dead Sea Cave
Complete article with pictures *Parts of books of Nahum and Zechariah, world’s oldest woven basket, 6,000-year-old mummified child, Bar Kochba Revolt coins among stunning finds from daring Judean Desert rescue op* In a stunningly rare discovery, dozens of 2,000-year-old biblical scroll fragments have been excavated from Judean Desert caves during a daring rescue operation. Most of the newly discovered scroll fragments — the first such finds in 60 years — are Greek translations of the books of Zechariah and Nahum from the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets, and are written in two s...
The Ben-David family from Beersheba was on a trip to HaBesor Creek in the northern Negev when one of their children, 11-year-old Zvi, caught sight of an unusual object. It turned out to be a rare archeological find, the Israel Antiquities Authority reported. Archeologists estimate that the figurine dates back to the First Temple period | Courtesy: Israel Antiquities Authority The figurine, which is in a shape of a woman, turned out to be so rare that the National Treasures Department possesses only one such example in its collection. Archeologists at the IAA estimate that the ...
Europe
In previous research, ancient massacre sites found men who died while pitted in battle or discovered executions of targeted families. At other sites, evidence showed killing of members of a migrant community in conflict with previously established communities, and even murders of those who were part of religious rituals. But a more recent discovery by a research team -- that includes ...
Scythians, once considered nomadic, stayed local
As far back as the Greek historian Herodotus, a group of people called the Scythians were considered highly mobile warrior nomads. Scythian-era people lived across Eurasia from about 700 BCE to 200 BCE, and have long been considered highly mobile warriors who ranged widely across the steppe grasslands. Herodotus describes Scythian populations as living in wagons and engaging in raiding and warfare, and this view has persisted throughout history--supported by archeologists' observations of similar styles of horse harnesses, weapons, burial mounds and animal style motifs throughout wh...
Ancient DNA reveals clues about how tuberculosis shaped the human immune system
COVID-19 is only the latest infectious disease to have had an outsized impact on human life. A new study employing ancient human DNA reveals how tuberculosis has affected European populations over the past 2,000 years, specifically the impact that disease has had on the human genome. This work, which publishes March 4 in the *American Journal of Human Genetics*, has implications for studying not only evolutionary genetics, but also how genetics can influence the immune system. "Present-day humans are the descendants of those who have survived many things--climate changes and big ...
COVID-19 is only the latest infectious disease to have had an outsized impact on human life. A new study employing ancient human DNA reveals how tuberculosis has affected European populations over the past 2,000 years, specifically the impact that disease has had on the human genome. This work, which publishes March 4 in the *American Journal of Human Genetics*, has implications for studying not only evolutionary genetics, but also how genetics can influence the immune system. "Present-day humans are the descendants of those who have survived many things--climate changes and big ...
How a single human cranium wound up alone in a cave in Italy
Rare evidence from Eneolithic cranium suggests funerary treatment of corpse PLOS Research News A lone cranium in an Italian cave wound up there after being washed away from its original burial site, according to a study published March 3, 2021 in the open-access...
Mediterranean migration trends over 8,000 years
A team of international researchers led by a Florida State University assistant professor has analyzed reams of data from the Neolithic to Late Roman period looking at migration patterns across the Mediterranean and found that despite evidence of cultural connections, there's little evidence of massive migration across the region. "Because of the prevailing scholarly attitude of the 'connected' Mediterranean -- one with high degrees of mobility and migration that drive the archaeological patterns we see -- we'd imagined we'd see comparatively high levels of migration reflected in...
A team of international researchers led by a Florida State University assistant professor has analyzed reams of data from the Neolithic to Late Roman period looking at migration patterns across the Mediterranean and found that despite evidence of cultural connections, there's little evidence of massive migration across the region. "Because of the prevailing scholarly attitude of the 'connected' Mediterranean -- one with high degrees of mobility and migration that drive the archaeological patterns we see -- we'd imagined we'd see comparatively high levels of migration reflected in...
Earliest known conch shell horn plays its tune for the first time in 17,000 years
For the first time in more than 17,000 years, three mellifluous musical notes - close in tone to C, D, and C sharp - have reverberated from a conch shell modified to serve as a wind instrument. The specimen, archaeologists have now determined, is the earliest conch shell horn yet known, and stands out as a unique find among European Upper Paleolithic artifacts. First found in 1931 in the cave of Marsoulas, nestled in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, the discoverers initially suspected the shell served as a ceremonial drinking cup, and noted no discernable modifications by hum...
For the first time in more than 17,000 years, three mellifluous musical notes - close in tone to C, D, and C sharp - have reverberated from a conch shell modified to serve as a wind instrument. The specimen, archaeologists have now determined, is the earliest conch shell horn yet known, and stands out as a unique find among European Upper Paleolithic artifacts. First found in 1931 in the cave of Marsoulas, nestled in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, the discoverers initially suspected the shell served as a ceremonial drinking cup, and noted no discernable modifications by hum...
Medieval containers hint at thriving wine trade in Islamic Sicily
Researchers at the University of York have found chemical residues of grapes in medieval containers indicating a prosperous wine trade in Islamic Sicily. They found that a type of container from the 9-11th century, called amphorae, traditionally used for transporting wine contained chemical traces of grapes and were found as far away as Sardinia and Pisa, suggesting that the wine was exported across the Mediterranean. Working with rese...
Researchers at the University of York have found chemical residues of grapes in medieval containers indicating a prosperous wine trade in Islamic Sicily. They found that a type of container from the 9-11th century, called amphorae, traditionally used for transporting wine contained chemical traces of grapes and were found as far away as Sardinia and Pisa, suggesting that the wine was exported across the Mediterranean. Working with rese...
Changing livestock in ancient Europe reflect political shifts
Archaeology shows that politics and economics played a major impact in choosing livestockIMAGE: SUMMARY IMAGE SHOWING INFLUENCE OF POLITICAL SYSTEMS ON LIVESTOCK view more CREDIT: ARIADNA NIETO-ESPINET In ancient European settlements, livestock use was likely primarily determined by political structure and market demands, according to a study published February 17, 2021 in the open-access journal *PLOS ONE*by Ariadna Nieto-Espinet and colleagues of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Barcelona. Zooa...
Archaeology shows that politics and economics played a major impact in choosing livestockIMAGE: SUMMARY IMAGE SHOWING INFLUENCE OF POLITICAL SYSTEMS ON LIVESTOCK view more CREDIT: ARIADNA NIETO-ESPINET In ancient European settlements, livestock use was likely primarily determined by political structure and market demands, according to a study published February 17, 2021 in the open-access journal *PLOS ONE*by Ariadna Nieto-Espinet and colleagues of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Barcelona. Zooa...
An important Maya man buried nearly 1,300 years ago led a privileged yet difficult life. The man, a diplomat named Ajpach' Waal, suffered malnutrition or illness as a child, but as an adult he helped negotiate an alliance between two powerful dynasties that ultimately failed. The ensuing political instability left him in reduced economic circumstances, and he probably died in relative obscurity. During excavations at El Palmar, a small plaza compound in Mexic...
Researchers trace the age of a rib fragment of the Mount Holly mammoth Woolly mammoths may have walked the landscape at the same time as the earliest humans in what is now New E...
It's believed early settlers to the islands eventually changed the landscape of the Bahamas PRINT E-MAIL Humans were present in Florida by 14,000 years ago, and until recently, it was believed the Bahamas - located only a few miles away - were not colonized until about 1,000 years ago. But new findings from a team including a Texas A&M University at Galveston researcher prove that the area was colonized earlier, and the new settlers dramatically changed the landscape. Peter van Hengstum, associate professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Environment Science at T...
Ancient Amazonian communities fortified valuable land they had spent years making fertile to protect it from conflict, excavations show. Farmers in Bolivia constructed wooden defences around previously nutrient-poor tropical soils they had enriched over generations to keep them safe during times of social unrest. These long-term soil management strategies allowed Amazonians to grow nutrient demanding crops, such as maize and manioc and fruiting trees,...
The history of dogs has been intertwined, since ancient times, with that of the humans who domesticated them. But how far back does that history go in the Americas, and which route did dogs use to enter this part of the world? A new study led by the University at Buffalo provides insight into these questions. The research reports that a bone fragment found in Southeast Alaska belongs to a dog that lived in the region a...
Neandertals
Neandertals -- the closest ancestor to modern humans -- possessed the ability to perceive and produce human speech, according to a new study published by an international multidisciplinary team of researchers including Binghamton University anthropology professor Rolf Quam and graduate student Alex Velez. "This is one of the most important studies I have...
Neandertal gene variants both increase and decrease the risk for severe COVID-19
Last year, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany showed that a major genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19 is inherited from Neandertals. Now the same researchers show, in a study published in *PNAS*, that Neandertals also contributed a protective variant. Half of all people outside Africa carry a Neandertal gene variant that reduces the risk of needing intensive care for COVID-19 by 20 percent. Some people become seriously ill when infected with SARS-CoV-2 while others get only mild or no s..
Long held in a private collection, the newly analysed tooth of an approximately 9-year-old Neanderthal child marks the hominin's southernmost known range. Analysis of the associated archaeological assemblage suggests Neanderthals used Nubian Levallois technology, previously thought to be restricted to Homo sapiens. CAPTION The view from Shukbah Cave CREDIT Amos Frumkin With a high concentration of cave sites harbouring evidence of past populations and their behaviour, the Levant is a major centre for human origins research....
Egypt
Based on a manual recently discovered in a 3,500-year-old medical papyrus, University of Copenhagen Egyptologist Sofie Schiødt has been able to help reconstruct the embalming process used to prepare ancient Egyptians for the afterlife. It is the oldes...
CT scans of Egyptian mummy reveal new details about the death of a pivotal pharaoh
New interpretations based on medical imaging suggest Seqenenre-Taa-II was executed by multiple attackers and embalmers had skillfully concealed some head wounds MAGE: DR SAHAR SALEEM PLACING THE MUMMY IN THE CT SCANNER view more CREDIT: SAHAR SALEEM Modern medical technology is helping scholars tell a more nuanced story about the fate of an ancient king whose violent death indirectly led to the reunification of Egypt in the 16th century BC. The research was published in *Frontiers in Medicine*. Pharaoh Seqenen...
Australia
New dating techniques reveal Australia's oldest known rock painting
A two-metre-long painting of a kangaroo in Western Australia's Kimberley region has been identified as Australia's oldest intact rock painting. Using the radiocarbon dating of 27 mud wasp nests, collected from over and under 16 similar paintings, a University of Melbourne collaboration has put the painting at 17,500 and 17,100 years old. "This makes the painting Australia's oldest known in-situ painting," said Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Damien Finch who pion...
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