Archaeology News

Neanderthals Capable of Incorporating Symbolic Objects into Their Culture, Discovery Suggests

‘Clam-shell’ view of Side A (top) and B showing black dendrites against the background of the brown mudstone. The flake, only shown re-attached on Side A, is the result of a post-excavation fracture of the specimen. Arrows point to large inclusion visible on Sides A and B. Image credit: Davorka Radovčić et al, doi: 10.1016/j.crpv.2016.04.013.
Jan 18, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

An unusual limestone rock found at an archaeological site in Croatia indicates that Neanderthals were capable of incorporating symbolic objects into their culture. ‘Clam-shell’ view of Side A (top) and B showing black dendrites against the background of the brown mudstone. The flake, only shown re-attached on Side A, is the result of a post-excavation fracture of the specimen. Arrows point to large inclusion visible on Sides A and B. Image credit:...

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Top: cut marks on a horse mandible from Bluefish Cave II; the specimen is dated to 19,650 years before present; the bone surface is a bit weathered and altered by root etching but the cut marks are well preserved; they are located on the medial side, under the third and second molars, and are associated with the removal of the tongue using a stone tool. Bottom: cut marks on a caribou coxal bone from Bluefish Cave II; the specimen is dated to 18,570 years before present and shows straight and parallel marks resulting from filleting activity. Image credit: L. Bourgeon et al, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169486.

Humans Arrived in North America around 24,000 Years Ago

Jan 16, 2017 by News Staff

Humans first arrived in North America 10,000 years earlier than previously thought, according to an analysis of ancient animal bones found in northern...

The Anglo-Saxon claw beaker. Image credit: Oxford Archaeology.

Archaeologists Unearth 1,500-Year-Old Settlement, Precious Jewelry in England

Jan 13, 2017 by News Staff

Archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology working at Cherry Hinton in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, have uncovered a wealth of Roman and Anglo-Saxon...

These fossilized human footprints near Chusang, Tibet, were made between 13,000-7,400 years ago, according to a new analysis. Image credit: Mark Aldenderfer / M.C. Meyer et al.

Study Sheds New Light on Peopling of Tibet

Jan 6, 2017 by News Staff

A new analysis of Chusang, an archeological site on the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau, suggests that permanent residents may have set up camp thousands...

Pueblo Bonito, the largest great house in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. Image credit: National Register of Historic Places / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Study: Ancient Inhabitants of Chaco Canyon Likely Relied on Imported Corn

Dec 30, 2016 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, the ancient inhabitants of Chaco Canyon likely had to import corn...

The fragment of the 2,100-year-old stone bowl, which is engraved with the name Hyrcanus. Image credit: Clara Amit / Israel Antiquities Authority.

Israeli Archaeologists Find Fragment of 2,100-Year-Old Engraved Stone Bowl

Dec 29, 2016 by News Staff

Archaeologists digging at a site in the City of David, in the Jerusalem Walls National Park, have found a fragment of a rare ancient bowl. The fragment...

The 3,800-year-old jug, which was broken when it was found, being restored in the laboratories of the Israel Antiquities Authority in Jerusalem, Israel. Image credit: Clara Amit / Israel Antiquities Authority.

Israeli Archaeologists Find Unique 3,800-Year-Old Ceramic Vessel

Dec 26, 2016 by News Staff

Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists working at Yehud in the Central District of Israel have uncovered an ancient ceramic jug, about 3,800 years...

The newly-discovered ancient wall at Qubbet el-Hawa, Aswan. Image credit: University of Birmingham.

Archaeologists Find Compelling Evidence for New Pharaonic Tombs in Egypt

Dec 22, 2016 by News Staff

Archaeologists from the University of Birmingham and the Egypt Exploration Society (EES) Qubbet el-Hawa Research Project (QHRP) yesterday announced the...

Exceptionally preserved archaeobotanical remains from the Takarkori rock shelter, Tadrart Acacus, Libya, dating from 7500 to 4200 BC: a - inflorescence of Typha (Late Acacus 3, c. 6800 BC); b - syconium of Ficus sp. (Late Acacus 2, 7500 BC); c - galbulus of Cupressus (Middle Pastoral 2); d - spikelet of Tragus (Middle Pastoral 2, 4200 BC); e - legumes of Cassia (Early Pastoral 1, 6350 BC); f - fruit of Balanites aegyptica (Late Acacus 3, 6800 BC); g - spikelet of Dactyloctenium aegyptium and a detailed image of the grain (Middle Pastoral 2, 4200 BC). Image credit: Julie Dunne et al, doi: 10.1038/nplants.2016.194.

Oldest Evidence for Plant Processing in Pottery Found

Dec 21, 2016 by News Staff

An international team of archaeologists has discovered the earliest evidence of humans processing plants for food found anywhere in the world. The findings...

Aboriginal rock art from western Arnhem Land depicts style known as Northern Running Figures. Image credit: Tristen Jones.

Researchers Obtain First Reliable Radiocarbon Dates for Australian Aboriginal Rock Art

Dec 19, 2016 by News Staff

A novel technique developed by a team of researchers in Australia has made it possible to produce some of the first reliable radiocarbon dates for Australian...

The city’s acropolis is barely visible during a cloudy day on the Thessalian plains. Image credit: Swedish Institute at Athens / Ephorate of Antiquities of Karditsa / Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports.

Archaeologists Find Previously Unknown Ancient City in Greece

Dec 13, 2016 by News Staff

An international team of archaeologists from Sweden, Greece and the United Kingdom is exploring the ruins of a previously unknown ancient city at the village...

Wadi Faynan, where J.P. Grattan et al found evidence of ancient pollution caused by bead making and/or repeated combustion of copper ores in hot fires. Image credit: University of Waterloo.

World’s Very First Polluted River? Scientists Find Evidence of Ancient Metallurgical Activity in Jordan

Dec 6, 2016 by News Staff

A research team led by Liverpool John Moores University scientists has discovered what could be the world’s very first polluted river, contaminated 7,000...

Egyptian Queen Nefertari playing senet, one of the world’s earliest known board games; a painted depiction in the tomb of Nefertari, the Valley of the Queens, Thebes, Egypt.

Mummified Remains Identified as Queen Nefertari, Pharaoh Ramesses II’s Royal Spouse

Dec 5, 2016 by News Staff

A pair of mummified knees on display in the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy, belongs to Egyptian Queen Nefertari, the favorite wife of Pharaoh Ramesses...

Model of the Sutton Hoo ship-burial. The placement of the burial chamber is marked white. Image credit: Steven J. Plunkett / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Middle Eastern Bitumen Found in Early Medieval Buried Ship in UK

Dec 2, 2016 by News Staff

Bitumen — a rare, tar-like material — from the Middle East is present in the 7th century Anglo-Saxon ship-burial at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, UK,...

A flood-prone rice field being plowed by a farmer using water buffaloes. Image credit: International Rice Research Institute / CC BY 2.0.

Indus Civilization Farmers Cultivated Rice Over 4,000 Years Ago, Archaeological Evidence Suggests

Nov 27, 2016 by News Staff

New research on three archaeological sites of the famed Indus Valley civilization (3000-1500 BC) in north-west India has revealed that domesticated rice...

A wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo). Image credit: Vince Pahkala / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Turkeys Were Part of Native American Life Centuries before First Thanksgiving

Nov 24, 2016 by News Staff

According to a new study by Florida State University researchers, Native Americans were keeping eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) as...

A 5,310-year-old maize cob from Tehuacan, Mexico. Image credit: Bruce Smith.

Ancient DNA Provides New Insights into Early Stages of Maize Domestication

Nov 23, 2016 by News Staff

According to an international team of scientists who have sequenced the genome of a 5,310-year-old maize cob from the Tehuacan Valley, the maize (Zea mays)...

Female wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) with young, from Birds of America by John James Audubon.

Ancient Zapotecs Kept and Bred Turkeys for Meat, Eggs, Religious Purposes

Nov 22, 2016 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists excavating the Mitla Fortress, a Zapotec site in Oaxaca, Mexico, dating to the Classic to Early Postclassic period (300-1200 CE),...

C.D. Spiteri et al discovered widespread evidence of prehistoric milk production in southern Europe. Image credit: Samuel Daniell.

Early Evidence of Dairying Discovered along Mediterranean Coast

Nov 16, 2016 by News Staff

An international research group has found evidence that humans have been utilizing milk and dairy products across the northern Mediterranean region from...

Sampling of a pine trunk with a hand-powered saw; the tree protrudes from the organic-rich sediment ridge seen to the left and is partly covered by sand. Image credit: Arne Sjöström.

Swedish Researchers Find Submerged Mesolithic Settlement

Nov 15, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of researchers headed by Lund University’s Professor Dan Hammarlund has uncovered an exceptionally well-preserved Mesolithic site off the Baltic...

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