Archaeology News - SciTechDaily

Unearthing History: Ancient Potatoes Reveal Indigenous Agricultural Genius

Lisa Potter and Margaret Chamberlain, University of Utah — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 06:26:36 +0000

Research confirms the Four Corners potato was historically cultivated by Indigenous groups in the Southwest, showing advanced agricultural techniques and the potato’s role in trade networks, significantly impacting plant diversity. A study reveals that a native potato species, Solanum jamesii, was historically transported and cultivated by Indigenous peoples across the Southwestern U.S., contributing to the [...]

Ancient Ruins Reveal the Engineering Marvels of 1800-Year-Old Roman Mills

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 13:18:50 +0000

Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University have decoded the history of the Roman mill complex of Barbegal in France using calcium carbonate deposits from the site. These findings reveal the mills’ operational life and the adaptations in water management needed over time, offering a rare insight into ancient industrial engineering. Archaeologists face a major challenge when [...]

Researchers Uncover Hidden Elements in Mysterious Renaissance-Era Alchemy Lab

Birgitte Svennevig, University of Southern Denmark — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 23:39:59 +0000

Discoveries at medieval alchemist Tycho Brahe’s former laboratory indicate he experimented with rare elements like tungsten, unknown in his time, while developing medicinal concoctions for diseases like the plague. Medieval alchemists were notoriously secretive and didn’t share their knowledge with others. Danish astronomer and alchemist Tycho Brahe was no exception. Consequently, we don’t know precisely [...]

Cooking Like Cavemen: What Neanderthal Food Tells Us About Their Lives

Frontiers — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 15:04:09 +0000

Experiments on Neanderthal cooking techniques revealed challenges in butchering birds with flint tools and the impact of cooking methods on bone traceability in archaeological findings. Understanding Neanderthal diets is crucial to understanding how these incredibly adaptable hominins lived and thrived for hundreds of thousands of years in wildly varied environments. However, it is difficult to [...]

12,000 Years Old: World’s Oldest Solar Calendar Discovered on Ancient Turkish Pillar

University of Edinburgh — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 08:21:30 +0000

Research at Turkey’s 12,000-year-old Göbekli Tepe site indicates that carvings on ancient pillars likely represent the world’s oldest solar calendar, potentially created to commemorate a catastrophic comet strike that may have spurred the development of civilization. Experts suggest that markings on a stone pillar at a 12,000-year-old archaeological site in Turkey likely represent the world’s [...]

Lost Treasures of Rome: Lead Ingots Unearthed in Cordoba’s Ancient Mines

University of Córdoba — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 19:22:24 +0000

Three lead ingots unearthed at Los Escoriales de Doña Rama (Belmez), dating back to the Roman period, highlight the significance of lead production and export in northern Cordoba. Measuring approximately 45 centimeters in length and weighing between 24 and 32 kilograms, these triangular-shaped ingots resemble a Toblerone bar. There are only three of them, with [...]

Space Archaeology: Astronauts’ Secret Habits Caught on Camera

PLOS — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 18:00:31 +0000

Discrepancies found between intended and actual use of certain areas aboard the space station. Using daily photos to study the International Space Station, researchers have discovered that astronauts use the space differently from its intended design. The study highlights areas where everyday items are repurposed, providing valuable lessons for designing future space habitats. An archaeological [...]

The Real-Life “Hobbits” of Flores: Smallest Arm Bone in Human History Sheds Light on Mysterious Hominin Species

Griffith University — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 15:00:37 +0000

Researchers have uncovered early human fossils on Flores Island, Indonesia, revealing insights into the mysterious ‘Hobbits’ of Flores, Homo floresiensis. Dated 700,000 years ago, the new findings from the Mata Menge site include the smallest humerus ever found, supporting theories of significant body size reduction in early hominins isolated on the island. Discovery of Early [...]

Ancient Engineering: Hydraulic Technology May Have Helped Build Egypt’s Step Pyramid of Djoser

PLOS — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 18:00:21 +0000

A new study proposes that the construction of the Pyramid of Djoser involved a hydraulic lift system, where water from a nearby dam helped elevate building materials. This innovative method suggests a sophisticated use of water technology in ancient Egypt. The Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest of Egypt’s iconic pyramids, may have been built with [...]

Revising History: Scientists Unearth Prehistoric Market Economy

University of Göttingen — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 20:04:10 +0000

Researchers, including those from Göttingen University, suggest that modern behavior influences ancient economies. A study by the Universities of Göttingen and Salento reveals that Bronze Age Europeans may have operated under a market economy, challenging the notion that such systems only arose with modern states and coinage. What would it be like if a ‘Market [...]

Ancient Mystery Deepens With Discovery of Denisovan Remains in Tibetan Cave

University of Reading — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 22:16:12 +0000

Research reveals that Denisovans, an ancient human species, occupied Tibet’s Baishiya Karst Cave for over 160,000 years, adapting to harsh climates and utilizing diverse animal resources. Newly discovered fossils and innovative analysis of bone fragments highlight their survival strategies during ice ages and interglacial periods. According to a new study published in Nature, bone remains [...]

900 Years Ago, One of the Largest Civilizations in the World Was Abandoned – Archaeologists Have Now Discovered New Clues

Washington University in St. Louis — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 09:31:16 +0000

The Cahokia Mounds, once a thriving settlement near present-day St. Louis, was abandoned by 1400, leaving behind a mystery. Recent research challenges the long-held belief of drought-induced crop failure as the cause. Instead, evidence suggests the Cahokians may have had the skills to mitigate such environmental challenges, and their departure was likely influenced by social [...]

11,000-Year-Old Housekeeping: New Study Reveals That Hunter-Gatherer Homes Were Surprisingly Organized

University of York — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 18:26:00 +0000

Research at the Mesolithic site of Star Carr in North Yorkshire shows that ancient hunter-gatherers organized their homes into specific activity zones, suggesting a structured approach to domestic life similar to modern home organization, despite their nomadic nature. Archaeological findings at the renowned Mesolithic site of Star Carr in North Yorkshire suggest that hunter-gatherers maintained [...]

Against All Odds: Scientists Unravel Secrets of 8200-Year-Old Neolithic Village That Defied a Climate Crisis

University of California - San Diego — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 22:13:52 +0000

An underwater excavation has uncovered evidence of human resilience during the climate changes of the Neolithic period. Around 6,200 BCE, the climate underwent significant changes. Global temperatures fell, sea levels rose, and the southern Levant—comprising present-day Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, southern Syria, and the Sinai desert—experienced a prolonged drought. Previously, archaeologists believed that [...]

7,000-Year-Old Deer Bones Reveal Secrets of Ancient Neolithic Tool Manufacturing

Universitat Autonoma De Barcelona — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 06:02:53 +0000

Neolithic societies at Coro Trasito favored deer for making projectile tips, indicating a nuanced approach to species selection in their toolmaking practices. New research led by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and CSIC reveals that the earliest Neolithic groups to settle in the Pyrenean site of Coro Trasito used species selection strategies to manufacture [...]

New Research Uncovers Hidden Role of Earthquakes in Pompeii’s Demise

Frontiers — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 23:34:05 +0000

New research shows earthquakes significantly contributed to Pompeii’s devastation during Vesuvius’s 79CE eruption. Nearly 2,000 years ago, Pliny the Younger wrote letters describing a shaking ground as Vesuvius erupted. Now, researchers from the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and Pompeii Archaeological Park have provided new insights into the effects of seismicity associated with [...]

New Clues on Early Human Migration: 42,000-Year-Old Site Discovered in Southeast Indonesia

Australian National University — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 04:30:18 +0000

A study by ANU highlights a 42,000-year-old human settlement in Indonesia’s Tanimbar islands, offering insights into the advanced maritime technology and migration strategies of early humans in Southeast Asia. New research reveals that humans occupied Southeast Indonesia as early as 42,000 years ago, providing new insights into the migration paths of the region’s earliest settlers. [...]

Ancient Pacific City Discovered: Urbanization Began 700 Years Earlier Than Thought

Australian National University — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 21:55:54 +0000

Recent research reveals that Pacific cities like those on Tongatapu in Tonga were founded around AD 300, much earlier than thought, demonstrating that Pacific urbanization was an indigenous innovation. The study highlights the significant role of technology in archaeological discoveries and the impact of European colonization on these early cities. New findings from the Australian [...]

Challenging Current Timelines: New Fossil Finds Suggest Early Humans in South America Over 20,000 Years Ago

PLOS — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 02:53:37 +0000

Tool marks might represent some of the earliest known signs of human presence in southern South America. Recent findings from Argentina indicate human presence and exploitation of large mammals over 20,000 years ago, challenging previous beliefs about when humans first settled in the Americas. According to a study recently published in the open-access journal PLOS [...]

The Dawn of Fashion: How Eyed Needles Tailored the Evolution of Dress

University of Sydney — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 20:05:37 +0000

From stone tools that prepared animal skins for humans to use as thermal insulation, to the advent of bone awls and eyed needles to create fitted and adorned garments, why did we start to dress to express ourselves and to impress others? Researchers explore the transformation of clothing from mere protection to a symbol of [...]

Globally Renowned Ancient Rock Art in the Negev Desert Faces Imminent Destruction

Frontiers — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 17:20:48 +0000

Fungi and lichens threaten Negev Desert’s petroglyphs, eroding ancient artworks through chemical and mechanical means. Southern Israel’s Negev desert is famous for its ancient rock art. Since at least the third millennium BCE, the hunters, shepherds, and merchants who roamed the Negev have left thousands of carvings, known as ‘petroglyphs’, on the rocks. Many represent [...]

1.4 Million-Year-Old Human Activity Unearthed at Orce’s Quicksand Trap

University of Malaga — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 15:16:49 +0000

Located at Fuente Nueva-3, this Early Pleistocene archaeological site hosts some of the oldest traces of human habitation in Western Europe. Researchers at the University of Malaga have revealed, in an unprecedented manner, that the Early Pleistocene archaeological site of Orce, often referred to as the ‘elephant graveyard’ due to the abundance of remains from [...]

New Study Unveils Millennia of Human Histories in Canada’s Arctic

University of Ottawa — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 12:24:24 +0000

Recent findings indicate that Thule-Inuit settlements in Nunavut may date back earlier than previously believed. A new study sheds light on the ancient cultures of the Paleo-Inuit and Thule-Inuit peoples in Canada’s Arctic, spanning thousands of years. Led by Jules Blais, a biology professor at the University of Ottawa, researchers uncovered evidence of human settlements [...]

Rewriting Hominin History: New Discoveries Unveil Ancient Human-Neanderthal Connections

Princeton University — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 03:25:47 +0000

Geneticist Joshua Akey states that modern humans and Neanderthals interacted for a period of 200,000 years. New genetic research reveals extensive interbreeding and longstanding interactions between Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern humans, suggesting a more integrated history than previously understood and supporting theories of Neanderthal assimilation into modern human populations. Since the discovery of the first [...]