13,000-year-old human footprints found off Canada's Pacific coast

Human footprints found off Canada's Pacific coast may be 13,000 years old, according to a study published March 28, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Duncan McLaren and colleagues from the Hakai Institute and University of Victoria, Canada.

Previous research suggests that, during the last ice age (which ended around 11,700 years ago), humans moved into the Americas from Asia across what was then a land bridge to North America, eventually reaching what is now the west coast of British Columbia, Canada as well as coastal regions to the south. Along the pacific coast of Canada, much of this shoreline is today covered by dense forest and only accessible by boat, making it difficult to look for the archaeological evidence which might support this hypothesis.

In this study, the research team excavated intertidal beach sediments on the shoreline of Calvert Island, British Columbia, where the sea level was two to three meters lower than it is today at the end of the last ice age.

The researchers uncovered 29 human footprints of at least three different sizes in these sediments, which radiocarbon dating estimated to be around 13,000 years old. Measurements and digital photographic analyses revealed that the footprints probably belonged to two adults and a child, all barefoot. The findings suggest that humans were present on the west coast of British Columbia about 13,000 years ago, as it emerged from the most recent ice age.

This finding adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the hypothesis that humans used a coastal route to move from Asia to North America during the last ice age. The authors suggest that further excavations with more advanced methods are likely to uncover more human footprints in the area and would help to piece together the patterns of early human settlement on the coast of North America.

Inner ear provides clues to human dispersal

IMAGE: Slight differences can be found in the inner ear of different populations of modern humans. view more 

Credit: ©Marcia Ponce de León, Christoph Zollikofer

The early migration of humans out of Africa and across the world can be proven using genetic and morphological analyses. However, morphological data from the skull and skeleton often only allow limited conclusions to be drawn about the geographical dispersal pattern, especially because of the many ways in which the human skeleton adapts to local environmental conditions. Now, an international team of researchers led by paleoanthropologists from the University of Zurich has shown that the morphology of the inner ear is a good indicator for population history and human dispersal.
Differences within a population greater than between populations
The hearing and balance system in humans, as in all vertebrates, is housed in a cavity system in the base of the skull -- the bony labyrinth of the inner ear. The researchers analyzed the labyrinth structures in human populations from southern and northern Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and America, including as far south as Patagonia, using computed tomography to obtain high-resolution 3-D data of the bony labyrinth.
The data showed that the shape of the labyrinth varied greatly, with the variation within a population being considerably greater that the variation between populations. "This typically human variation pattern is also known from comparative genetic data. It shows that all humans are very closely related and have their roots in Africa," explains UZH anthropologist Marcia Ponce de León.
Morphology of the labyrinth correlates with dispersal distance from Africa
The team further discovered that the 3-D shape of the labyrinth contained important information about the global dispersal of humans from the African continent. The further away a population is geographically from South Africa, the more the shape of the labyrinth differs from that of the South African population. Moreover, the labyrinth data confirm the findings from DNA analyses which show that the genetic distance increases in correlation with the geographical distance from Africa.
Conclusions about inner-continental dispersal history can be drawn
The labyrinth data also indicate population movements within the continents. For example, the labyrinth shapes of prehistoric populations on the Sunda Islands (Indonesia) are similar to those of the indigenous people of Papua and Australia, while today's population mainly migrated from the Malay archipelago. On the other hand, the labyrinth data also reveals that today's Europeans and Japanese mainly have their roots in the respective local populations of the Neolithic Period.
Incidental genetic changes do not have functional effect
The new results are surprising because it was previously assumed that the shape of the labyrinth was mainly determined by its function. It has now been shown that despite the very high functional requirements for balance and hearing, nature tolerates an astonishingly wide variation in the labyrinth structure. "This is probably due to random changes in the genetic material. Such changes may have few or no functional consequences, but the associated structural changes provide a record of human dispersal and evolution history," summarizes the paper's last author Christoph Zollikofer, professor of anthropology at UZH.
Computed tomography data should be acquired before DNA extraction
The compact bone that surrounds the labyrinth is also interesting for paleogenetics as it contains a large amount of DNA. This gives rise to an acute conflict of interests: While computed tomographic investigations are non-invasive, the process of DNA collection damages the labyrinth. "Paleogenetics is a rapidly growing research field and hundreds of labyrinths from archaeological skeleton collections have already been milled to dust without first being documented," says Christoph Zollikofer. The research team therefore wants to ensure that computed tomographic data is routinely obtained before bones are released for DNA extraction. "These data form an invaluable archive of the history of fossil hominid and modern human populations," concludes Marcia Ponce de León.

Spear points prove early inhabitants liked to travel

Careful examination of numerous fluted spear points found in Alaska and western Canada prove that the Ice Age peopling of the Americas was much more complex than previously believed, according to a study done by two Texas A&M University researchers.

Heather Smith and Ted Goebel both were involved with the study that was associated with the Center for the Study of the First Americans, part of the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M. Smith is now an assistant professor at Eastern New Mexico University.

Their work has been published in the current issue of PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).

Smith, who worked on the study as part of her Ph.D. at Texas A&M, and Goebel, professor of anthropology at Texas A&M, believe the findings could change how we view the traveling patterns and routes of early humans from 14,000 to 12,000 years ago as they settled in numerous parts of North America.

Using new digital methods of analyses utilized for the first time in such a study of these artifacts, the researchers found that early settlers in the emerging ice-free corridor of interior western Canada "were travelling north to Alaska, not south from Alaska, as previously interpreted," says Goebel.

"Although during the late Ice Age there were two possible routes for the first Americans to follow on their migration from the Bering Land Bridge area southward to temperate North America, it now looks like only the Pacific coastal route was used, while the interior Canadian route may not have been fully explored until millennia later, and when it was, primarily from the south.

"The findings of these fluted spear points provide archaeological evidence supporting new genetic models explaining how humans colonized the New World."

Traditional interpretations of the peopling of the Americas have predicted that early inhabitants migrated from Siberia through Alaska, and then followed the ice-free corridor that gradually opened in western Canada to reach the Great Plains of the western U.S. But newer genetic studies of ancient Siberians, Alaskans, and Americans, as well as the discovery of new sites south of the Canadian ice sheets predating the opening of the ice-free corridor, suggest instead that the first Americans passed along the Pacific coast.

"The key is that the projectile points are related in their technology and morphology, and the way in which some of these characteristics vary forms the pattern of an ancestral-descendent relationship. This suggests that the people who carried the artifacts to these locations were related as well." adds Smith.

"It shows that these early people in western Canada and Alaska were descendent of Clovis (the first settlers of North America) and they used the same type of weapons to hunt for food, especially bison. These makers of fluted points were not just all over mid-continent North America but were also migrating northward back to the Arctic."

These artifacts can be used to document migration patterns of prehistoric peoples, she says.
"The spear points prove that the peopling of the Americas was much more complex than we had believed and that these early settlers went in a lot of different directions, not just south. We now have a better picture of what weapons they used to hunt and where their travels took them."

"This is tangible evidence of a connection between people in the Arctic and the Mid-continent 12,000 years ago, a connection which may be either genetic or social, but ultimately, speaks volumes of the capability and adaptability of early cultures in North America," she notes.

Eight Luwian hieroglyphic inscriptions each more than 3,000 years old

Eight Luwian hieroglyphic inscriptions each more than 3,000 years old have been published for the first time, doubling at one stroke the number of transmitted signs dating to the Bronze Age from this long-forgotten script. The Swiss geoarchaeologist Eberhard Zangger and the Dutch linguist Fred Woudhuizen published the documents in an online article made available by Talanta - Proceedings of the Dutch Archaeological and Historical Society (https://luwianstudies.academia.edu/EZangger ).
 
The documents were acquired in June 2017 from the estate of the English prehistorian James Mellaart (1925-2012). According to Mellaart's notes, the inscriptions had been discovered in western Turkey back in the 19^th century. At the time, nobody could read the signs. Nevertheless, archaeologists produced careful drawings of the documents. They were meant to be published in the course of an international research project that ran from 1956 to 1984, but ultimately all the participating scholars died before any such publication had appeared.

Among the documents is a 29-meter long, 30-cm tall limestone frieze that was found back in 1878 in the village of Beyköy, approximately 34 kilometers north of Afyonkarahisar in modern Turkey. It is the longest thus far discovered document from Bronze Age Anatolia, and as such sheds more light on the use of the Luwian language and the hieroglyphic script, which was widespread for about 1,400 years.

The documents illuminate the end of the Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean, including the demise of the Hittite kingdom and the Sea Peoples' invasions. A few hundred place names are listed in the inscriptions, making it possible to establish the political geography of western Asia Minor at around 1200 BCE. Scholars have been arguing about this for almost a century.
 

Further information:  https://luwianstudies.org/
 
Book on the subject (in German):
https://ofv.ch/sachbuch/detail/die-luwier-und-der-trojanische-krieg/102956/

"Dead Sea Scrolls" Coming To Denver

"Dead Sea Scrolls," the exhibition that has captivated millions around the world, opened at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on March 16. The presenting sponsor is the Sturm Family Foundation, with major support from Henry and Lorie Gordon, and GHP Investment Advisors. 

The regional premiere of this exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see authentic Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient manuscripts that include the oldest known biblical documents dating back over 2,000 years. Ten scrolls will be displayed when the exhibition opens. Due to strict preservation
requirements, 10 different scrolls will arrive halfway through the run to replace the 10 initial scrolls. This will make it possible to see a total of 20 scrolls while the exhibition is in Denver. Each rotation includes a scroll that has never before been on public display.

In addition, more than 600 authentic artifacts from the ancient Middle East will immerse guests in historic traditions and beliefs that continue to impact world cultures today. The authentic objects include inscriptions and seals, weapons, stone carvings, terra cotta figurines, coins, shoes, textiles, mosaics, ceramics, jewelry and a three-ton stone from the Western Wall in Jerusalem, believed to have fallen in 70 CE. The exhibition is organized by the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA).

The Dead Sea Scrolls represent one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of all time. As the story goes, in 1947 young Bedouin goatherders wandered into a cave along the shore of the Dead Sea, near the site of the ancient settlement of Qumran, perhaps in search of a stray goat. Whatever the reason, they made a remarkable discovery: an assortment of clay jars containing scrolls wrapped in linen. Over the next nine years, archaeologists and Bedouins searched the surrounding caves. Around 900 remarkably preserved scrolls were recovered, leading to decades of extraordinary scrutiny, preservation, debate and awe, providing an incredible window to the past. 

Timed tickets for "Dead Sea Scrolls" will be required and advance reservations are strongly encouraged. For tickets and information, visit dmns.org/deadseascrolls or call 303-370-6000.

The IMAX 3D film "Jerusalem," now showing in Phipps IMAX Theater at the Museum, is the perfect complement to "Dead Sea Scrolls." IMAX tickets and schedule are available at dmns.org/imax.

A hoard of rare bronze Jewish Revolt coins has been discovered

 

A hoard of rare bronze Jewish Revolt coins has been discovered at the recently renewed Ophel excavations. The trove of dozens of bronze coins minted during the last years of the ill-fated four-year rebellion of the Jews against Roman rule was uncovered in a cave just south of the Temple Mount by Hebrew University archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar.

The Ophel excavations, located below the Temple Mount’s southern wall, were relaunched in early 2018 after a four-year hiatus. They garnered international headlines after the publication of the recent “Prophet Isaiah” seal impression, which was discovered in the lead-up to the current dig season.

Isaiah bulla, a 2,700-year-old clay seal impression which may have belonged to the biblical prophet Isaiah. (Ouria Tadmor/© Eilat Mazar)

Some 50 years ago, another hoard of Year Four coins was discovered by Prof. Benjamin Mazar, Eilat Mazar’s grandfather, who conducted the Temple Mount excavations near Robinson’s Arch abutting the Western Wall following the 1967 Six Day War.

The recently discovered bronze coins are remnants left by hidden Jewish residents of besieged Second Temple Jerusalem, who sought refuge in the 7×14 meter cave in 66-70 CE, according to a press release from the Hebrew University.

The majority of the bronze coin hoard dates to the revolt’s final year, or Year Four (69-70 CE). They are decorated with Jewish symbols, including the four plant species associated with the holiday of Sukkot — palm, myrtle, citron and willow — and a chalice that may have been used by priests in the Temple.

At the Ophel archaeological dig outside the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, a hoard of rare bronze coins from the Jewish Revolt were recently discovered, dating to circa 66-70CE. (Eilat Mazar)

The coins display a paleo-Hebrew inscription, which shifted — arguably reflecting the mood of the rebels — during the revolt from earlier years’ “For the Freedom of Zion,” to Year Four’s “For the Redemption of Zion.”

“A discovery like this — ancient coins bearing the words “Freedom” and “Redemption” — found right before the Jewish Festival of Freedom — Passover — begins is incredibly moving,” said Mazar in the press release.

The coins were found alongside broken pottery vessels, including jars and cooking pots. A Hasmonean Period layer is found at the base of the cave and these finds were uncovered directly above.

The cave, said Mazar, was undisturbed since the Second Temple period, creating a “time capsule” of Jewish life during the revolt.

Map of the Ophel excavations in the context of Jerusalem’s Old City. (The Key to David’s City)

Mazar stated in a promotional film about the renewed excavation that the cave was most likely used in the last days of the rebellion, just ahead of the destruction of the temple. Part of the current excavation’s goal is to further understand the use of the cave, which shows habitation from the First Temple period and perhaps before.

“This is an opportunity that doesn’t occur every day, to investigate a completely untouched cave at that important area of Jerusalem, just to the south of the Temple Mount in the area of the Ophel. It’s not going to be dull,” said Mazar.

A rare find of Year Four bronze coins

The Ophel bronze coin find is remarkable in that until today, most of the Jewish Revolt coin finds have dated to Year Two, when the Romans made great strides against the Jewish rebels. In fact, “the small amount of coins minted in the third year, and almost a complete lack of coins from the fourth year, indicates that most of the country was re-conquered by the Roman army fairly soon after the beginning of the revolt,” writes Robert Deutsch in his 2017 “The Coinage of the First Jewish Revolt against Rome, 66-73 C.E.”

According to Deutsch, the bronze coins of the second and third years “are abundant and negligently manufactured.” The fourth year coins, however, “are of a slightly higher quality.”

A trove of coins from the Jewish Revolt found outside Jerusalem by IAA archaeologists in 2014. (photo credit: Vladimir Neichin, IAA)

A recently published essay in the journal Israel Numismatic Research, “The Coin Finds from the 1968–1969 Excavations at Herodium,” points out that the Year Four bronze coins also bear different letter forms in that the letters bet and tsade “have some varieties and the shin is sometimes rounded and sometimes angular,” whereas the silver shekels have only an angular shin.

First-Ever Archaeological Evidence of Prophet Isaiah Possibly Discovered in Jerusalem

The recent discovery in Jerusalem of a 2,700-year-old stamped clay seal potentially belonging to the Biblical prophet Isaiah is being published by a prominent Israeli archaeologist on February 22, 2018. Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem is breaking this find in her new article, "Is This the Prophet Isaiah's Signature?", which is part of a special double issue of Biblical Archaeology Review (March/April–May/June 2018).

"We appear to have discovered a seal impression, which may have belonged to the prophet Isaiah, in a scientific, archaeological excavation," says Mazar, whose team made the discovery in the Ophel Excavations at the foot of the southern wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The excavation is sponsored by Daniel Mintz and Meredith Berkman of New York. "We found the eighth-century B.C.E. seal mark that may have been made by the prophet Isaiah himself only 10 feet away from where we earlier discovered the highly-publicized bulla of King Hezekiah of Judah." The clay seal impression—known as a bulla—was found right outside the royal bakery in undisturbed Iron Age remains.

"If it is the case that this bulla is indeed that of the prophet Isaiah, then it should not come as a surprise to discover this bulla next to one bearing King Hezekiah's name given the symbiotic relationship of the prophet Isaiah and King Hezekiah described in the Bible," says Mazar, who reveals her find in the special issue of Biblical Archaeology Review honoring its recently-retired founder, Hershel Shanks.

At about a half-inch wide, the oval-shaped bulla is inscribed in ancient Hebrew script with the name Yesha'yah (the Hebrew name of Isaiah), followed by the word nvy. "Because the bulla has been slightly damaged at end of the word nvy, it is not known if it originally ended with the Hebrew letter aleph," says Mazar, "which would have resulted in the Hebrew word for 'prophet' and would have definitively identified the seal as the signature of the prophet Isaiah. The absence of this final letter, however, requires that we leave open the possibility that it could just be the name Navi." Mazar concludes, "The name of Isaiah, however, is clear."

The fantastic discovery of the possible Isaiah seal impression brings to life some of the Biblical narratives of Jerusalem's First Temple period. The Bible records in 2 Kings 18–19 that King Hezekiah trusted the prophet Isaiah's counsel to protect Jerusalem from the Assyrian siege. No other figure was closer to Hezekiah, who reigned from about 727 to 698 B.C.E., than the prophet Isaiah.

For more information about this extraordinary discovery, please contact Dr. Robert Cargill or visit https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/isaiah. For general inquiries, email info@bib-arch.org.
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