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An aerial view of the Kemune palace from the west. Image credit: University of Tübingen / Kurdistan Archaeology Organization.

Archaeologists Find Ruins of Mitanni-Period Palace in Kurdistan

Jul 2, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of archaeologists from Germany and Kurdistan came upon a surprising discovery as the ruins of a 3,400-year-old palace emerge from...

The occasional use of stone tools as ‘strike-a-lights’ was a technocultural feature shared among Neanderthals in France.

Neanderthals Used Pine Resin as Glue to Haft Stone Tools into Handles

Jun 27, 2019 by News Staff

The hafting of stone tools was an important advance in the technological evolution of Paleolithic humans. Joining a handle to a knife or scraper and attaching...

This is an artist’s impression of Çatalhöyük. Image credit: Dan Lewandowski.

Neolithic Çatalhöyük Experienced Modern Urban Problems

Jun 18, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has found that the inhabitants of the Neolithic settlement Çatalhöyük (7100-5950 BCE) experienced overcrowding,...

A large rhyolite flake at the site of Bokol Dora 1, Ethiopia. Image credit: Braun et al, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1820177116.

Researchers Find 2.6-Million-Year-Old Oldowan Tools in Ethiopia

Jun 5, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has unearthed a collection of 2.6-million-year-old systematically flaked stone tools at the site of Bokol Dora 1 (BD1)...

An artist’s impression of the Pictish fort at Dunnicaer, Scotland. Image credit: University of Aberdeen.

New Video Illustrates How ‘Oldest Known Pictish Fort’ Could Have Looked

Jun 4, 2019 by News Staff

In 2015, a team of archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen investigated an eroded sea stack near the site of the ruined Dunnottar Castle in Scotland...

Inhabitants of Neolithic Çatalhöyük Suffered from Intestinal Parasites

May 31, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of archaeologists has found 8,000-year-old eggs of the whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) in coprolites (fossilized feces) from Çatalhöyük,...

Archaeologists Find 2,300-Year-Old Bark Shield in England

May 27, 2019 by News Staff

A unique bark shield from the Iron Age has been discovered by a team of archaeologists from the University of Leicester and elsewhere. Archaeologist Adam...

The beer-producing yeast strain EBEgT12 isolated from a vessel from the site of En-Besor, Israel. Image credit: Aouizerat et al, doi: 10.1128/mBio.00388-19.

Researchers Brew Beer with 5,000-Year-Old Yeasts

May 24, 2019 by News Staff

A multidisciplinary team of scientists has successfully isolated several yeast strains from ancient vessels excavated at archaeological sites in Israel....

Anatomically modern humans cooked and ate plant starches, such as those from tubers and rhizomes, as early as 120,000 years ago.

Early Modern Humans Cooked and Ate Starchy Food

May 23, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has found numerous fragments of charred starch plant tissues in 120,000-year-old hearths at the archaeological site...

The jadeite gouge after discovery. Image credit: Heather McKillop.

Archaeologists Find High-Quality Jadeite Tool at Ancient Maya Salt-Working Site in Belize

May 21, 2019 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists has found a jadeite gouge with a rosewood handle at Ek Way Nal, a Classic Maya salt-working site in Belize. The jadeite gouge...

In the Grotta della Basura, a preliminary survey of fossil traces is carried out on glossy sheets as a reference for more detailed analyses. Image credit: Isabella Salvador.

14,000-Year-Old Human Hand- and Footprints Found in Italian Cave

May 15, 2019 by News Staff

In Grotta della Basura, a deep cave near Toirano in northern Italy, a team of archaeologists has made a surprising discovery: a number of human hand- and...

Two of the artifacts from the 1,000-year-old ritual bundle from Cueva del Chileno, southwestern Bolivia: the impressive pouch constructed of three fox (Lycalopex culpaeus) snouts stitched together (foreground), and the colorful textile headband (background). Image credit: Jose Capriles / Penn State.

Scientists Find 1,000-Year-Old Shaman’s Bag in Bolivia

May 7, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of anthropologists and bioarchaeologists has found the primary ingredients of ayahuasca — a plant-based drink that is reported...

A 3D model created from a dog skull discovered at Cuween Hill chambered cairn, Orkney, Scotland. Image credit: Historic Environment Scotland.

Scientists Reconstruct Face of Neolithic Dog

Apr 22, 2019 by News Staff

The face of a 4,000-year-old dog has been brought back to life by a team of researchers and forensic artists. A 3D model created from a dog skull discovered...

Figurative painting in Romualdova Pećina, Croatia. Image credit: Aitor Ruiz-Redondo.

34,000-Year-Old Figurative Cave Paintings Found in Croatia

Apr 16, 2019 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists from the United States and Europe has revealed the first example of Paleolithic figurative cave art found in the Balkan region. Figurative...

View of Pit 1 of the Terracotta Army showing the hundreds of warriors once armed with bronze weapons. Image credit: Xia Juxian.

Archaeologists Solve Mystery of Terracotta Army’s Pristine Weapons

Apr 5, 2019 by News Staff

The world-famous Terracotta Army of Xi’an is an array of life-sized, realistic ceramic figures representing warriors, stationed in three large pits within...

Barley grains from the sites of the Pitted Ware culture. Image credit: Santeri Vanhanen.

Maritime Hunter-Gatherers in Northern Europe Were Growing Wheat and Barley 5,000 Years Ago

Apr 4, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of archaeologists has unearthed 5,000-year-old grains of barley and wheat at the sites of the Pitted Ware culture in Sweden and the...

Coldingham Priory. Image credit: DigVentures / Aerial Cam.

Archaeologists May Have Found Long-Lost Monastery of Princess Aebbe

Mar 20, 2019 by News Staff

A team of professional and amateur archaeologists believe they may have discovered the monastery of Aebbe (615-683 CE), a powerful Anglo-Saxon woman who...

The Sodré astrolabe in situ. Image credit: David Mearns.

World’s Oldest Mariner’s Astrolabe Found

Mar 19, 2019 by News Staff

A unique leaded-gunmetal disk with iconic Portuguese markings recovered from the Sodré shipwreck site in Al Hallaniyah, Oman, has been identified as an...

1,700-Year-Old Elusa Inscription Bears City’s Name

Mar 18, 2019 by News Staff

The ancient city of Elusa (Hebrew: Halutza) is located at the northern edge of the Negev desert and was established as a caravan station on the incense...