Ancient DNA evidence shows hunter-gatherers and farmers were intimately linked
In human history, the transition from hunting and gathering to farming is a significant one. As such, hunter-gatherers and farmers are usually thought about as two entirely different sets of people....
View ArticleAncient grain tells the tale of our ancestors' cities
Archaeological digs in the Middle East have revealed the remains of ancient harvests that record how some of the world's earliest cities grew and developed.
View ArticleSkeletal tests suggest sacrificial victims during Shang Dynasty were held for...
(Phys.org)—A team of researchers from Canada and China has found skeletal evidence of sacrificial victims during the Shang Dynasty being held for a period of time before being killed. In their paper...
View ArticleAncient city found in Ethiopia sheds new light on country's history
Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient, forgotten city in Ethiopia once thought to be the home of giants.
View ArticleAncient DNA reveals role of Near East and Egypt in cat domestication
DNA found at archaeological sites reveals that the origins of our domestic cat are in the Near East and ancient Egypt. Cats were domesticated by the first farmers some 10,000 years ago. They later...
View ArticleArchaeological sites in Athens to shut for strike
All archaeological sites and most museums in the Greek capital, including Athens' famed Acropolis, will remain shut Thursday morning due to a strike by site guards demanding the payment of overtime and...
View ArticleWhich native animals should Australians eat?
This story contains imagery of butchered animals. All shown samples were collected as road-kill and used for research with the relevant permissions.
View ArticleGreece: Heatwave closes Acropolis, ancient sites
Greek authorities closed the ancient Acropolis in Athens to visitors for several hours Wednesday along with other popular archaeological sites around the country due to a heatwave.
View ArticleTraces of adaptation and cultural diversification found among early North...
Using new methods to analyze stone projectile points crafted by North America's earliest human inhabitants, Smithsonian scientists have found that these tools show evidence of a shift toward more...
View ArticlePrecision breeding needed to adapt corn to climate change
The US Corn Belt and European maize owe their existence to a historic change: the ability of this plant, originally from the tropics, to flower early enough to avoid winter. Research led by Cornell...
View ArticleAncient dog bones hint at male initiation rituals during Bronze Age
(Phys.org)—A pair of researchers with Hartwick College in the U.S. has found evidence of young male humans eating dog meat as part of initiation rituals during the Bronze Age. In their paper published...
View Article'Rare' Byzantine mosaic revealed in Jerusalem's Old City
Israeli archaeologists on Wednesday unveiled a 1,500-year-old portion of mosaic floor bearing the names of Byzantine Emperor Justinian and a senior Orthodox priest.
View ArticleRussian archaeological find solves 13th-century mystery
Rescue archaeology work conducted in the city centre of Yaroslavl prior to installing a new sewer system has turned up an ancient leaden seal from the turn of the 13th century. It once belonged to the...
View ArticleFour US monuments to be scaled back hold artifacts, key habitat
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's recommendation to shrink four sprawling national monuments in the U.S. West jeopardizes protections for ancient cliff dwellings, scenic canyons and habitat for...
View ArticleHow aerial thermal imagery is revolutionizing archaeology
A Dartmouth-led study has demonstrated how the latest aerial thermal imagery is transforming archaeology due to advancements in technology. Today's thermal cameras, commercial drones and...
View ArticleEarliest evidence for a native African cultigen discovered in Eastern Sudan
Archaeologists examining plant impressions within broken pottery have discovered the earliest evidence for domesticated sorghum in Africa. The evidence comes from an archaeological site (known as KG23)...
View ArticleMorbidity and mortality of leprosy in the Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, nearly everyone in Europe was exposed to the disfiguring, painful and ostracizing disease of leprosy. But did contracting the disease necessarily increase a person's chances of...
View ArticleNewfoundland populated multiple times by distinct groups, DNA evidence shows
Indigenous people have been on the far northeastern edge of Canada for most of the last 10,000 years, moving in shortly after the ice retreated from the Last Glacial Maximum. Archaeological evidence...
View ArticleWas agriculture the greatest blunder in human history?
Twelve thousand years ago everybody lived as hunters and gatherers. But by 5,000 years ago most people lived as farmers.
View ArticleGoogle Earth reveals ancient stone gates in Saudi Arabia
A researcher at The University of Western Australia has used Google Earth imagery to identify almost 400 previously undocumented stone structures known as 'Gates' in Saudi Arabia.
View ArticleArchaeologists study how lead poisoning affected the Roman Empire
Archaeologists at the University of Sheffield are investigating how lead poisoning affected human health in the Roman Empire.
View ArticleAnthropologist group suggests first humans to the Americas arrived via the...
(Phys.org)—A team of anthropologists from several institutions in the U.S. has offered a Perspective piece in the journal Science outlining current theories regarding the first humans to populate the...
View ArticleWall carvings in Saudi Arabia appear to offer earliest depiction of dogs
(Phys.org)—A combined team of researchers from Max Planck University and the Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage has documented what might be the oldest depictions of dogs by human...
View ArticleArcheologists find Roman shipwrecks off Egypt's north coast
Egypt says archaeologists have discovered three sunken shipwrecks dating back more than 2,000 years to Roman times off the coast of the city of Alexandria.
View ArticleSea-level rise predicted to threaten >13,000 archaeological sites in...
Sea-level rise may impact vast numbers of archaeological and historic sites, cemeteries, and landscapes on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the southeastern United States, according to a study published...
View ArticleNew study proposes greater sharing of data between farmers and archaeologists
A Bristol-led study suggests that developments in precision farming could yield data of great use to archaeological research, and that archaeological data could be valuable for modern farming systems.
View ArticleHow virtual reality is opening up some of the world's most inaccessible...
We often associate virtual reality (VR) with thrilling experiences we may never be able to have in real life – such as flying a jet fighter, exploring the oceans or going on a spacewalk. But...
View ArticleAncient feces reveal parasites described in earliest Greek medical texts
Ancient faeces from prehistoric burials on the Greek island of Kea have provided the first archaeological evidence for the parasitic worms described 2,500 years ago in the writings of Hippocrates - the...
View ArticleCoastal erosion threatens archaeological sites along Greenland's fjords
Hundreds of archaeology sites lie along the shores of Greenland's fjords and coasts, revealing the entirety of the country's ancestral cultures from as many as four thousand years ago.
View ArticleEaster Island had a cooperative community, analysis of giant hats reveals
Analysis of giant stone hats found on Rapa Nui, Chile (Easter Island) provides evidence contrary to the widely held belief that the ancient civilization had a warrior culture. According to a new study...
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