Latest Archaeology News - Europe

‘Digging’ into early medieval Europe with big data
Print Email App During the middle of the sixth century CE a dramatic transformation began in how the people of western Europe buried their dead. The transition from ‘furnished’ inhumation (those with grave goods to include jewellery, dress accessories, tools and personal items etc) to ‘unfurnished’ (those without grave goods) was widespread and by the early eighth century an unfurnished inhumation was by far the favoured method of burial. This relatively swift change – spreading across almost the entirety of western Europe in c. 150 years – points to the interconnectedness of ea... read more

Weapon grave of Suontaka, Hattula in Finland reveals flexible gender roles in the early middle ages
[image: Weapon Grave of Suontaka] IMAGE: A RECONSTRUCTION DRAWING OF THE SUONTAKA GRAVE. view more CREDIT: DRAWING: VERONIKA PASCHENKO. *The modern re-analysis of a weapon grave found in Suontaka, Hattula in Finland over 50 years ago challenges the traditional beliefs about gender roles in the Iron Age and Early Medieval communities and reveals information about the gender expressions of the period. The grave also functions as a proof of how non-binary people could have been valued and respected members of their communities.* In 1968, a sword with a bronze handle was found a... read more

Bronze Age cemetery reveals history of a high-status woman and her twins
And migration patterns within her Vatya community Peer-Reviewed Publication PLOS PrintEmail App [image: Bronze Age cemetery reveals history of a high-status woman and her twins] IMAGE: LEFT: BONE ASSEMBLAGE FROM BURIAL N. 241A (ADULT FEMALE INDIVIDUAL). RIGHT: BONES ATTRIBUTABLE TO BOTH FOETUSES (N. 241B AND 241C). view more CREDIT: CAVAZZUTI ET AL, 2021, PLOS ONE (CC-BY 4.0, HTTPS://CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/LICENSES/BY/4.0/) Ancient urn graves contain a wealth of information about a high-ranking woman and her Bronze Age Vatya community, according to a study published July 28, 2021... read more

Thomas Cromwell's Tudor London mansion revealed in unprecedented detail
New insights come on anniversary of Cromwell's death and ahead of the final part of the 'Wolf Hall' trilogy which hits West End later this year Peer-Reviewed Publication TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP PrintEmail App [image: Cromwell's Home] IMAGE: HTTPS://NEWSROOM.TAYLORANDFRANCISGROUP.COM/JOURNALIST-APPLICATION/ view more CREDIT: PETER URMSTON The magnificent London mansion of Thomas Cromwell has been revealed for the first time in an artist's impression, following a new study which examines the building in unprecedented detail. Dr Nick Holder, a historian and research fellow at Engl... read more

Roman road discovered in the Venice lagoon
PRINT E-MAIL The discovery of a Roman road submerged in the Venice Lagoon is reported in *Scientific Reports* this week. The findings suggest that extensive settlements may have been present in the Venice Lagoon centuries before the founding of Venice began in the fifth century. During the Roman era, large areas of the Venice Lagoon which are now submerged were accessible by land. Roman artefacts have been found in lagoon islands and waterways, but the extent of human occupation of the lagoon during Roman times has been unclear. Mapping the lagoon floor using sonar, Fantina Ma... read more

Leonardo Da Vinci: New family tree spans 21 generations, 690 years, finds 14 living male descendants

Paper offers foundation to advance search for Leonardo's DNA HUMAN EVOLUTION Research News SHARE PRINT E-MAIL [image: IMAGE] IMAGE: RESEARCHERS ALESSANDRO VEZZOSI AND AGNESE SABATO HAVE DOCUMENTED 21 GENERATIONS OF LEONARDO DA VINCI'S FAMILY COVERING 690 YEARS AND IDENTIFIED 14 LIVING MALE FAMILY DESCENDANTS. view more CREDIT: ALESSANDRO VEZZOSI AND AGNESE SABATO The surprising results of a decade-long investigation by Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato provide a strong basis for advancing a project researching Leonardo da Vinci's DNA. Their extensive study, published ... read more

First genetic evidence from medieval plague victims suggests Black Death reached Southern Italy
Graves containing the remains of two men (aged between 30 and 45 years) are the first evidence of Yersinia pestis infection, the bacteria responsible for plague, in 14th-century Southern Italy, according to new research being presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). "The retrieval of plague ancient DNA from the teeth of two adults buried at the Abbey of San Leonardo in Siponto is a discovery of national importance, as it is the first related to the second plague pandemic (Black Death) in Southern Italy", says Dr Donato Raele from... read more

Scientists reconstruct Mediterranean silver trade, from Trojan War to Roman Republic

PRINT E-MAIL [image: IMAGE] IMAGE: A HACKSILBER HOARD DATED TO THE MIDDLE OF THE ELEVENTH CENTURY BCE FOUND BY THE LEON LEVY EXPEDITION TO ASHKELON.view more CREDIT: WE ARE GRATEFUL TO L. E. STAGER AND D. MASTER, DIRECTORS OF THE LEON LEVY EXPEDITION TO ASHKELON, AND TO D. T. ARIEL, FOR ALLOWING US TO PUBLISH THESE PHOTOGRAPHS.... Scientists have reconstructed the Eastern Mediterranean silver trade, over a period including the traditional dates of the Trojan War, the founding of Rome, and the destruction of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. The team of French, Israeli and Aus... read more

Bronze Age: how the market began - Spread of weighing systems across Western Eurasia 4,000 years ago
Knowing the weight of a commodity provides an objective way to value goods in the marketplace. But did a self-regulating market even exist in the Bronze Age? And what can weight systems tell us about this? A team of researchers from the University of Göttingen researched this by investigating the dissemination of weight systems throughout Western Eurasia. Their new simulation indicates that the interaction of merchants, even without substantial intervention from governments or institutions, is likely to explain the spread of Bronze Age technology to weigh goods. The results were ... read more

Domestic burning of wood and dung fuels in Neolithic homes would have exposed inhabitants to unsafe levels of particulates
Working with environmental engineers, archaeologists at Newcastle University, UK, used modern air quality monitoring methods to assess the impact of domestic fuel burning inside buildings at Çatalhöyük, in Turkey, one of the world's earliest settlements. A typical house at Çatalhöyük, a UNESCO World Heritage site, had a domed oven set against the south wall, located beneath an opening in the roof. In the 1990s, a replica of one of these houses was built at Çatalhöyük to show visitors what they may have looked like during the time of occupation. Although previous studies have show... read more

This 5,000-year-old man had the earliest known strain of plague

CELL PRESS Research News SHARE PRINT E-MAIL [image: IMAGE] IMAGE: THIS IMAGE SHOWS THE SKULL BONES OF THE MAN BURIED IN RI??UKALNS, LATVIA, AROUND 5,000 YEARS AGO. view more CREDIT: DOMINIK GÖLDNER, BGAEU, BERLIN The oldest strain of *Yersinia pestis*--the bacteria behind the plague that caused the Black Death, which may have killed as much as half of Europe's population in the 1300s--has been found in the remains of a 5,000-year-old hunter-gatherer. A genetic analysis publishing June 29 in the journal *Cell Reports* reveals that this ancient strain was likely less contag... read more

How lead (maybe) caused the downfall of ancient Rome (video)
CREDIT: THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY Ancient Rome's emperors did some pretty bizarre stuff -- bursting into uncontrollable fits of laughter, appointing a horse as a priest, dressing in animal skins and attacking people ... the list goes on. Why were they acting that way? Well, it might have been lead poisoning. In this week's episode, we unwrap the possibility that lead caused the Roman Empire's collapse: https://youtu.be/4k7CvSiomlA. read more

Being Anglo-Saxon was a matter of language and culture, not genetics

New evidence to answer the question 'who exactly were the Anglo-Saxons?' UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY Research News SHARE PRINT E-MAIL [image: IMAGE] IMAGE: THE FAMOUS ANGLO-SAXON SUTTON HOO HELMET FROM ABOUT 625 CE, PART OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM COLLECTION. PHOTO: ELISSA BLAKE/UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY view more CREDIT: PHOTO: ELISSA BLAKE/UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY A new study from archaeologists at University of Sydney and Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, has provided important new evidence to answer the question "Who exactly were the Anglo-Saxons?" New findings based on studying skel... read more

Bronze Age Scandinavia's trading networks for copper settled

Crossing the North Sea before crossing the Alps! AARHUS UNIVERSITY Research News SHARE PRINT E-MAIL [image: IMAGE] IMAGE: SHAFTHOLE AXE TYPE FÅRDRUP. THIS AXE IS OF NORDIC CRAFTSMANSHIP AND HIDES INFORMATION ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH TRADING NETWORKS WITH SOCIETIES ACROSS THE ALPS. A SMALL GROUP OF... view more CREDIT: PHOTO: HEIDE W. NØRGAARD, BY PERMISSION OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM, COPENHAGEN. New research presents over 300 new analyses of bronze objects, raising the total number to 550 in 'the archaeological fingerprint project'. This is roughly two thirds of th... read more

First evidence that medieval plague victims were buried individually with 'considerable care'

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Research News SHARE PRINT E-MAIL [image: IMAGE] IMAGE: RECONSTRUCTION OF PLAGUE VICTIM FROM ALL SAINTS, CAMBRIDGE view more CREDIT: MARK GRIDLEY In the mid-14th century Europe was devastated by a major pandemic - the Black Death - which killed between 40 and 60 per cent of the population. Later waves of plague then continued to strike regularly over several centuries. Plague kills so rapidly it leaves no visible traces on the skeleton, so archaeologists have previously been unable to identify individuals who died of plague unless they were buried ... read more

Researchers link ancient wooden structure to water ritual
Research News The Noceto Vasca Votiva is a unique wood structure that was unearthed on a small hill in northern Italy in 2005. Built primarily of oak and slightly larger than a backyard swimming pool, the exact purpose of the in-ground structure has remained a mystery, as has the date of its construction. Italian researchers estimated its origins go back to the late Middle Bronze Age, sometime between 1600 and 1300 B.C. While that gap might not seem huge, in archeological terms it's like comparing the culture that invented the steam engine with the one that produced the iPad. A... read more

Stone Age raves to the beat of elk tooth rattles?
UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI Research News SHARE PRINT E-MAIL Volume 90% VIDEO: HYPOTHETICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF TOOTH ORNAMENTS FOUND IN THE LATE MESOLITHIC GRAVES OF YUZHNIY OLENIY OSTROV: 94 EURASIAN ELK TEETH SEWN ON AN APRON HIT AND BOUNCE OFF THE SUBSTRATUM AND... view more CREDIT: JULIA SHPINITSKAYA "Ornaments composed of elk teeth suspended from or sown on to clothing emit a loud rattling noise when moving," says auditory archaeologist and Academy of Finland Research Fellow Riitta Rainio from the University of Helsinki. "Wearing such rattlers while dancing makes it easi... read more

The DNA of three aurochs found next to the Elba shepherdess opens up a new enigma for palaeontology

FECYT - SPANISH FOUNDATION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Research News SHARE PRINT E-MAIL [image: IMAGE] IMAGE: ARTISTIC RECONSTRUCTION OF THE ELBA SHEPHERDESS, ACCOMPANIED BY THE THREE AUROCHS FOUND AT THE SITE, WHOSE MITOCHONDRIAL DNA HAS BEEN ANALYSED. view more CREDIT: JOSÉ ANTONIO PEÑAS (SINC) Research involving scientists from the University of A Coruña has succeeded in sequencing the oldest mitochondrial genome of the immediate ancestor of modern cows that has been analysed to date. The remains, some 9,000 years old, were found next to a woman. Why were they with her ... read more