Reconstruction Shows Teen Who Died in Norway 8,300 Years Ago
Reconstruction Shows Teen Who Died in Norway 8,300 Years Ago About 8,300 years ago, a teenage boy with an unusual skull and short stature may have scampered along the rocky coast of what is now Norway, pausing to regain his balance as he clutched a fishing rod. Now, a new full-body reconstruction of the Stone …
Rare Inca Tunic Unearthed in Chile
Rare Inca Tunic Unearthed in Chile A new study co-authored by a George Washington University research professor examines the Inka Empire’s (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inca Empire) instruments of culture and control through a well-preserved article of clothing discovered in a centuries-old Chilean cemetery. Researchers excavating the burial site along Caleta …
Roman soldier’s 1,900-year-old payslip uncovered in Masada
Roman soldier’s 1,900-year-old payslip uncovered in Masada During excavations at Masada, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities (IAA) uncovered a papyrus payslip dated to 72 BC belonging to a Roman soldier. Masada is a rugged crag in the Judean Desert overlooking the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Sea. Herod, the first-century BCE Judean king best known for constructing Jerusalem’s Temple …
Climate Model Suggests Timeline for Migration to North America
Climate Model Suggests Timeline for Migration to North America During the last ice age, the coastal route from Asia to North America was so treacherous, humans likely crossed over only during two-time windows, when environmental factors were more favorable for the long and dangerous journey, a new study finds. The first window lasted from 24,500 …
An unlucky medieval woman underwent at least two skull surgeries in Longobard Italy
An unlucky medieval woman underwent at least two skull surgeries in Longobard Italy A detailed examination of the skull of a woman who lived at the medieval settlement of Castel Trosino in central Italy more than 1,300 years ago revealed that this middle-aged woman had undergone not once, but at least twice, invasive surgical procedures. …
Archaeologists in northern Mexico shed new light on ancient Huastec burial and construction practices
Archaeologists in northern Mexico shed new light on ancient Huastec burial and construction practices Recent excavations at a site in the state of Tamaulipas included analysis of large earthen mounds that were used for burials and everyday activities. Archaeologists in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, have identified remnants of a human settlement active more …
Extinct Human Cousins May Have Also Used Tools
Extinct Human Cousins May Have Also Used Tools Archaeologists in Kenya have dug up some of the oldest stone tools ever used by ancient humans, dating back around 2.9 million years. It is evidence that the tools were used by other branches of early humans, not just the ancestors of Homo Sapiens. The tools were …
Lasers reveal ruins of 5th-century fortress in Spanish forest
Lasers reveal ruins of the 5th-century fortress in the Spanish forest Archaeologists in Spain got the surprise of a lifetime when they discovered the ruins of a powerful fifth-century fortress surrounded by a huge defensive wall in a dense forest, instead of the Iron Age fort they had been looking for, they reported in a …
A trove of spices from around the world found on sunken fifteenth-century Norse ship
A trove of spices from around the world found on sunken fifteenth-century Norse ship A pair of archaeologists with Lund University in Sweden has found “a treasure trove” of plants aboard a sunken 15th-century Norse ship. Mikael Larsson and Brendan Foley describe their findings in PLOS ONE. In 1495, Danish King Hans docked his ship …
1,800-Year-Old Sanctuary to Mithras discovered in Spain
1,800-Year-Old Sanctuary to Mithras discovered in Spain Archaeologists excavating at Villa del Mitra in Cabra, Spain, have uncovered a sanctuary dedicated to the god Mithras, along with the remains of ritual banquets. Mithraism rose to prominence as a cult religion that became popular in the Roman Empire in the late 1st century AD. Worship was a …