https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/ancient_civilizations/ Archaeology news. Articles on ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, ancient Greece and other civilizations. en-us Tue, 04 Nov 2025 11:31:44 EST Tue, 04 Nov 2025 11:31:44 EST 60 https://www.sciencedaily.com/images/scidaily-logo-rss.png https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/ancient_civilizations/ For more science news, visit ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251104094150.htm After the collapse of the Chalcolithic culture around 3500 BCE, people in Jordan’s Murayghat transformed their way of life, shifting from domestic settlements to ritual landscapes filled with dolmens, standing stones, and megalithic monuments. Archaeologists from the University of Copenhagen believe these changes reflected a creative social response to climate and societal upheaval. Tue, 04 Nov 2025 10:32:20 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251104094150.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251027023809.htm New research shows that the rise of Sumer was deeply tied to the tidal and sedimentary dynamics of ancient Mesopotamia. Early communities harnessed predictable tides for irrigation, but when deltas cut off the Gulf’s tides, they faced crisis and reinvented their society. This interplay of environment and culture shaped Sumer’s myths, politics, and innovations, marking the dawn of civilization. Mon, 27 Oct 2025 02:38:09 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251027023809.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251011105529.htm New research along Turkey’s Ayvalık coast reveals a once-submerged land bridge that may have helped early humans cross from Anatolia into Europe. Archaeologists uncovered 138 Paleolithic tools across 10 sites, indicating the region was a crucial migration corridor during the Ice Age. The findings challenge traditional migration theories centered on the Balkans and Levant, suggesting instead that humans used now-vanished pathways across the Aegean. Sun, 12 Oct 2025 09:04:36 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251011105529.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251010091557.htm Archaeologists in Saudi Arabia discovered over 170 ancient rock engravings that may be among the earliest monumental artworks in the region. Created between 12,800 and 11,400 years ago, the massive figures were carved when water and life returned to the desert. The art likely marked territories and migration routes, revealing social and symbolic sophistication. Artifacts found nearby show early Arabian peoples connected to distant Neolithic communities. Fri, 10 Oct 2025 09:15:57 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251010091557.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251008030938.htm Researchers confirmed that Rapa Nui’s moai statues could “walk” upright using a rocking motion, aided by rope and just a few people. Experiments with replicas and 3D models revealed design features like a forward lean and curved bases that made movement possible. Concave roads across the island further supported this transport method. The findings celebrate the innovation and intelligence of the ancient islanders. Wed, 08 Oct 2025 03:09:38 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251008030938.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251006051107.htm A sweeping new geoarchaeological study has revealed how Egypt’s famed Karnak Temple complex rose from an island amid Nile floods to become one of the ancient world’s most enduring sacred centers. By analyzing sediments and pottery fragments, researchers traced its transformation across three millennia and uncovered evidence that its placement may have mirrored the ancient Egyptian creation myth—where the first land emerged from primeval waters. Mon, 06 Oct 2025 05:11:07 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251006051107.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250927031245.htm Ancient copper smelters may have accidentally set the stage for the Iron Age. At a 3,000-year-old workshop in Georgia, researchers discovered that metalworkers were using iron oxide not to smelt iron but to improve copper yields. This experimentation shows how curiosity with materials could have sparked one of history’s greatest technological leaps, turning iron from a rare celestial metal into the backbone of empires and industry. Sun, 28 Sep 2025 09:45:34 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250927031245.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250924012246.htm Æthelstan, crowned in 925, was the first true king of England but remains overshadowed by Alfred the Great and later rulers. A new biography highlights his military triumphs, legal innovations, and cultural patronage that shaped England’s identity. From the decisive Battle of Brunanburh to his reforms in governance and learning, Æthelstan’s legacy is finally being revived after centuries of neglect. Wed, 24 Sep 2025 11:12:27 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250924012246.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250919085232.htm From the wreck of the royal Danish-Norwegian flagship Gribshunden, archaeologists have uncovered a rare glimpse into the naval power of the late Middle Ages. This warship, lost in 1495, carried an arsenal of small guns designed for close-range combat, symbolizing the technological leap that allowed European nations to dominate the seas. More than just a vessel, it served as King Hans’ floating castle, projecting both diplomatic influence and military might. Fri, 19 Sep 2025 20:06:01 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250919085232.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250911073143.htm Archaeologists studying the vast Zvejnieki cemetery in Latvia have uncovered surprising truths about Stone Age life. Stone tools, long thought to symbolize male hunters, were actually buried just as often with women, children, and elders. Some were deliberately crafted and broken as part of funerary rituals, revealing a symbolic and emotional dimension to these objects. The research overturns stereotypes about gender roles in prehistory and shows how simple tools carried profound meaning in life and death. Thu, 11 Sep 2025 20:57:06 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250911073143.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250828002415.htm Scientists have finally uncovered direct genetic evidence of Yersinia pestis — the bacterium behind the Plague of Justinian — in a mass grave in Jerash, Jordan. This long-sought discovery resolves a centuries-old debate, confirming that the plague that devastated the Byzantine Empire truly was caused by the same pathogen behind later outbreaks like the Black Death. Sat, 30 Aug 2025 04:47:37 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250828002415.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250821094434.htm Scientists have uncovered the world s earliest fossil showing both Neanderthal and Homo sapiens features: a five-year-old child from Israel s Skhul Cave dating back 140,000 years. This discovery pushes back the timeline of human interbreeding, proving that Neanderthals and modern humans were already mixing long before Europe s later encounters. Thu, 21 Aug 2025 09:44:34 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250821094434.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250814094654.htm Chemical evidence from a stalagmite in Mexico has revealed that the Classic Maya civilization’s decline coincided with repeated severe wet-season droughts, including one that lasted 13 years. These prolonged droughts corresponded with halted monument construction and political disruption at key Maya sites, suggesting that climate stress played a major role in the collapse. The findings demonstrate how stalagmites offer unmatched precision for linking environmental change to historical events. Sat, 16 Aug 2025 00:44:53 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250814094654.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250812234532.htm Advanced computer modeling suggests that by 2080, waves driven by sea level rise could flood Ahu Tongariki and up to 51 cultural treasures on Rapa Nui. The findings emphasize the urgent need for protective measures to preserve the island’s identity, traditions, and tourism economy. Wed, 13 Aug 2025 01:44:06 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250812234532.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250801020102.htm Scientists have discovered the oldest direct evidence of betel nut chewing in Southeast Asia by analyzing 4,000-year-old dental plaque from a burial in Thailand. This breakthrough method reveals invisible traces of ancient plant use, suggesting psychoactive rituals were part of daily life long before written records. Fri, 01 Aug 2025 03:12:17 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250801020102.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/07/250716000855.htm After baffling scholars for over a century, Cambridge researchers have reinterpreted the long-lost Song of Wade, revealing it to be a chivalric romance rather than a monster-filled myth. The twist came when “elves” in a medieval sermon were correctly identified as “wolves,” dramatically altering the legend’s tone and context. Wed, 16 Jul 2025 10:10:37 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/07/250716000855.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/07/250711224326.htm A major breakthrough in Maya archaeology has emerged from Caracol, Belize, where the University of Houston team uncovered the tomb of Te K'ab Chaak—Caracol’s first known ruler. Buried with elaborate jade, ceramics, and symbolic artifacts, the tomb offers unprecedented insight into early Maya royalty and their ties to the powerful Mexican city of Teotihuacan. Sat, 12 Jul 2025 10:20:24 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/07/250711224326.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/06/250623233320.htm DNA from a skull found at Newgrange once sparked theories of a royal incestuous elite in ancient Ireland, but new research reveals no signs of such a hierarchy. Instead, evidence suggests a surprisingly egalitarian farming society that valued collective living and ritual. Mon, 23 Jun 2025 23:33:20 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/06/250623233320.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/06/250607231844.htm In the dense forests of Michigan s Upper Peninsula, archaeologists have uncovered a massive ancient agricultural system that rewrites what we thought we knew about Native American farming. Dating back as far as the 10th century, the raised ridged fields built by the ancestors of the Menominee Indian Tribe covered a vast area and were used for cultivating staple crops like corn and squash. Using drone-mounted lidar and excavations, researchers found evidence of a complex and labor-intensive system, defying the stereotype that small, egalitarian societies lacked such agricultural sophistication. Alongside farming ridges, they also discovered burial mounds, dance rings, and possible colonial-era foundations, hinting at a once-thriving cultural landscape previously obscured by forest. Sat, 07 Jun 2025 23:18:44 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/06/250607231844.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/06/250606171248.htm Bronze Age life changed radically around 1500 BC in Central Europe. New research reveals diets narrowed, millet was introduced, migration slowed, and social systems became looser challenging old ideas about nomadic Tumulus culture herders. Fri, 06 Jun 2025 17:12:48 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/06/250606171248.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/06/250602154907.htm Researchers have recreated the world's oldest synthetic pigment, called Egyptian blue, which was used in ancient Egypt about 5,000 years ago. Mon, 02 Jun 2025 15:49:07 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/06/250602154907.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250526150359.htm Contrary to widespread assumptions, the largest shark that ever lived -- Otodus megalodon -- fed on marine creatures at various levels of the food pyramid and not just the top. Scientists analyzed the zinc content of a large sample of fossilized megalodon teeth, which had been unearthed above all in Sigmaringen and Passau, and compared them with fossil teeth found elsewhere and the teeth of animals that inhabit our planet today. Mon, 26 May 2025 15:03:59 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250526150359.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250523120501.htm A new study uses metabolic profiling to uncover ancient knowledge systems behind therapeutic and psychoactive plant use in ancient Arabia. Fri, 23 May 2025 12:05:01 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250523120501.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250522162551.htm Researchers have analyzed ancient DNA from Borrelia recurrentis, a type of bacteria that causes relapsing fever, pinpointing when it evolved to spread through lice rather than ticks, and how it gained and lost genes in the process. Thu, 22 May 2025 16:25:51 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250522162551.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250512153346.htm Researchers analyzed 788 obsidian artifacts from Tenochtitlan, revealing that the Mexica (Aztec) Empire sourced this important material from at least eight different locations, including regions outside their political control. While 90% of artifacts were made from green obsidian from Sierra de Pachuca (especially for ceremonial purposes), the diversity of obsidian sources suggests sophisticated trade networks rather than just conquest-based acquisition. The study tracked changes in obsidian use from 1375-1520 CE, showing how the Mexica standardized ritual obsidian sources after consolidating power around 1430 CE, providing insights into the empire's economic networks and political influence. Mon, 12 May 2025 15:33:46 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250512153346.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250505170814.htm Snuff tubes uncovered at Chavin de Huantar in Peru reveal how leaders used mystical experiences to cement their power. Mon, 05 May 2025 17:08:14 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250505170814.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250423164221.htm Bite marks found on a skeleton discovered in a Roman cemetery in York have revealed the first archaeological evidence of gladiatorial combat between a human and a lion. Wed, 23 Apr 2025 16:42:21 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250423164221.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250423111750.htm Ancient DNA analysis challenges our understanding of the ancient Phoenician-Punic civilization. An international team of researchers analyzing genome-wide data from 210 ancient individuals has found that Levantine Phoenician towns contributed little genetically to Punic populations in the central and western Mediterranean despite their deep cultural, economic, and linguistic connections. Wed, 23 Apr 2025 11:17:50 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250423111750.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250417145258.htm Three consecutive years of drought contributed to the 'Barbarian Conspiracy', a pivotal moment in the history of Roman Britain, a new study reveals. Researchers argue that Picts, Scotti and Saxons took advantage of famine and societal breakdown caused by an extreme period of drought to inflict crushing blows on weakened Roman defenses in 367 CE. While Rome eventually restored order, some historians argue that the province never fully recovered. Thu, 17 Apr 2025 14:52:58 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250417145258.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250416151919.htm A study suggests that Homo sapiens may have benefited from the use of ochre and tailored clothing during a period of increased UV light 41,000 years ago, during the Laschamps excursion. Wed, 16 Apr 2025 15:19:19 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250416151919.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250414162044.htm Wealth inequality began shaping human societies more than 10,000 years ago, long before the rise of ancient empires or the invention of writing. That's according to a new study that challenges traditional views that disparities in wealth emerged suddenly with large civilizations like Egypt or Mesopotamia. Mon, 14 Apr 2025 16:20:44 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250414162044.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250414124705.htm Whether for cooking, heating, as a light source or for making tools -- it is assumed that fire was essential for the survival of people in the Ice Age. However, it is puzzling that hardly any well-preserved evidence of fireplaces from the coldest period of the Ice Age in Europe has been found so far. A group of scientists has now been able to shed some light on the mystery of Ice Age fire. Their analysis of three hearths at a prehistoric site in Ukraine shows that people of the last Ice Age built different types of hearths and used mainly wood, but possibly also bones and fat, to fuel their fires. Mon, 14 Apr 2025 12:47:05 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250414124705.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250409212539.htm In a cave overlooking the ocean on the southern coast of South Africa, archaeologists discovered thousands of stone tools, created by ancient humans roughly 20,000 years ago. By examining tiny details in the chipped edges of the blades and stones, archaeologists are able to tell how the tools were made -- which revealed that people were sharing crafting techniques over wide distances. Wed, 09 Apr 2025 21:25:39 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250409212539.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250409114653.htm A new study reveals the modern arid desert between Africa and Saudi Arabia was once regularly lush and green with rivers and lakes over a period of 8 million years, allowing for the occupation and movements of both animals and hominins. Wed, 09 Apr 2025 11:46:53 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250409114653.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250408121700.htm Just steps from the center of Tikal, a 2,400-year-old Maya city in the heart of modern-day Guatemala, a global team of researchers has unearthed a buried altar that could unlock the secrets of a mysterious time of upheaval in the ancient world. The altar, built around the late 300s A.D., is decorated with four painted panels of red, black and yellow depicting a person wearing a feathered headdress and flanked by shields or regalia. The face has almond-shaped eyes, a nose bar and a double earspool. It closely resembles other depictions of a deity dubbed the 'Storm God' in central Mexico. Tue, 08 Apr 2025 12:17:00 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250408121700.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250403143947.htm An archaeological study of human settlement during the Final Palaeolithic revealed that populations in Europe did not decrease homogenously during the last cold phase of the Ice Age. Significant variation in regional population sizes indicate differentiated reactions nested in an overall shift of settlement areas towards the east. Thu, 03 Apr 2025 14:39:47 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250403143947.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250402160701.htm People living in Bronze Age-era Denmark may have been able to travel to Norway directly over the open sea, according to a new study. To complete this study, the research team developed a new computer modeling tool that could help other scientists better understand how ancient peoples traversed the sea. Wed, 02 Apr 2025 16:07:01 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250402160701.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250326123733.htm Major milestone reached in digital Cuneiform studies: Researchers present an innovative tool that offers many new possibilities. Wed, 26 Mar 2025 12:37:33 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250326123733.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250324152445.htm A storm, even once it has passed, can leave traces in the ocean that last for thousands of years. These consist of sediment layers composed of coarse particles, which are different from the finer sediments associated with good weather. In the Caribbean, an international research team has now examined such sediments using a 30 m long core from a 'blue hole' offshore Belize. The analysis shows that over the past 5,700 years, the frequency of tropical storms and hurricanes in the region has steadily increased. For the 21st century, the research team predicts a significant rise in regional storm frequency as a result of climate change. Mon, 24 Mar 2025 15:24:45 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250324152445.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250317164048.htm Researchers have identified the economic and political borders separating El Argar, considered to be the first state-society in the Iberian Peninsula, from its La Mancha and Valencia Bronze Age neighbors some 4,000 years ago. These communities, with less centralized social structures, maintained complex relations with the Argaric culture. The study, based on an innovative analysis of pottery production and circulation, opens the door to identifying similar border dynamics in other European societies contemporary to El Argar, and understand how the first states were formed in prehistory. Mon, 17 Mar 2025 16:40:48 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250317164048.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250305134707.htm The oldest collection of mass-produced prehistoric bone tools reveal that human ancestors were likely capable of more advanced abstract reasoning one million years earlier than thought, finds a new study. Wed, 05 Mar 2025 13:47:07 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250305134707.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250224155101.htm A multidisciplinary and international research project has brought fresh insights into the origins and diversity of the populations that lived under and after the Hun empire between the late 4th and 6th century CE in Central Europe. Combining forefront archaeogenomic analyses with archaeological and historical investigation, the study connects some of the European Hun-period individuals directly to some high-status elite of the earlier Xiongnu Empire -- a powerful nomadic empire centered in the Mongolian steppe centuries before the Huns emerged north and west of the Black Sea. It also shows that only few Hun-period individuals carried East-Asian ancestry, and that the newcomers of the Hun period were of rather mixed origin. Thus, it sheds light on the much-discussed population dynamics that shaped Eurasian history during Late Antiquity. Mon, 24 Feb 2025 15:51:01 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250224155101.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250221125648.htm Sweden's Viking Age population appears to have suffered from severe oral and maxillofacial disease, sinus and ear infections, osteoarthritis, and much more. This is shown in a study in which Viking skulls were examined using modern X-ray techniques. Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:56:48 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250221125648.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250221125547.htm The nailed heads ritual did not correspond to the same symbolic expression among the Iberian communities of the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, but rather a practice that differed in each settlement. In some, external individuals were used as symbols of power and intimidation, while other settlements could have given priority to the veneration of members of the local community. Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:47 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250221125547.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250220192143.htm Research on the vanishing coastlines of Alexandria, Egypt, offers nature-based solutions for protecting coastal cities globally, including those in California. Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:21:43 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250220192143.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250211134308.htm An international research team has gained new insights into the burial rituals of Late Ice Age societies in Central Europe. Signs of human remains from the Maszycka Cave in southern Poland being manipulated indicate systematic dissection of the deceased, as well as cannibalism. Tue, 11 Feb 2025 13:43:08 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250211134308.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250211134303.htm Researchers have uncovered the origins and genetic diversity of the Fulani, one of Africa's largest pastoral populations. The study reveals a complex genetic ancestry with influences from both North and West Africa, shaped by historical migrations that have left a lasting impact on their genetic landscape. Tue, 11 Feb 2025 13:43:03 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250211134303.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250205142759.htm An international team of scientists has tentatively found some of the earliest indications of alcoholic drink production in the Patos Lagoon region of Brazil. State-of-the-art analysis of pottery fragments showed traces of beverages made from vegetables, likely to have been tubers, sweetcorn, and palm. Wed, 05 Feb 2025 14:27:59 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250205142759.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250131194426.htm A 13th-century fresco rediscovered in Ferrara, Italy, provides unique evidence of medieval churches using Islamic tents to conceal their high altars. The 700-year-old fresco is thought to be the only surviving image of its kind, offering precious evidence of a little-known Christian practice. Fri, 31 Jan 2025 19:44:26 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250131194426.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250130172809.htm The rise of pastoralist peoples in the Eurasian steppes and their westward spread some 5,000 years ago may have been fueled by sheep herding and people exploiting their milk. As early as 8,000 years ago the team found evidence that farmers were deliberately selecting their flocks -- for example, for the genes coding for coat color. Sheep have been intertwined with human livelihoods for over 11,000 years. As well as meat, their domestication led to humans being nourished by their protein-rich milk and clothed by warm, water-resistant fabrics made from their wool. Now, a team of geneticists has deciphered the prehistoric cultural trajectory of this species by analyzing 118 genomes recovered from archaeological bones dating across 12 millennia and stretching from Mongolia to Ireland. Thu, 30 Jan 2025 17:28:09 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250130172809.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250130135513.htm Studies of sediment cores from the sea floor and the coastal regions surrounding the Aegean Sea show that humans contaminated the environment with lead early on in antiquity. Geoscientists conducted the analyses, which revealed that human activity in the region resulted in lead contamination of the environment approximately 5,200 years ago -- much earlier than previously known. Combined with the results of pollen analyses from the sediment cores, this contamination also offers insights into socioeconomic change in the Aegean. Thu, 30 Jan 2025 13:55:13 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250130135513.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250127201031.htm Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that a house in England is the site of a lost residence of Harold, the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, and shown in the Bayeux Tapestry. By reinterpreting previous excavations and conducting new surveys, the team believe they have located a power center belonging to Harold Godwinson, who was killed in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Mon, 27 Jan 2025 20:10:31 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250127201031.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250116134101.htm 4,900 years ago, a Neolithic people on the Danish island Bornholm sacrificed hundreds of stones engraved with sun and field motifs. Archaeologists and climate scientists can now show that these ritual sacrifices coincided with a large volcanic eruption that made the sun disappear throughout Northern Europe. Thu, 16 Jan 2025 13:41:01 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250116134101.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250116133607.htm Researchers carried out an archeogenetic study of human remains from more than 700 individuals from the Early Middle Ages. Two large burial sites, Modling and Leobersdorf, have been genetically analyzed in their entirety. The surprising result was that the individuals from Leobersdorf were mostly of East Asian origin, while those buried in Modling mostly had European ancestry. Both communities lived next to each other for at least six generations. Thu, 16 Jan 2025 13:36:07 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250116133607.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250115124453.htm A groundbreaking study finds evidence that land was inherited through the female line in Iron Age Britain, with husbands moving to live with their wife's community. This is believed to be the first time such a system has been documented in European prehistory. Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:44:53 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250115124453.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250114181723.htm Researchers made the new discoveries during field work at the Bronze Age site of Kurd Qaburstan. The research provides insights into regional heritage and fills gaps in knowledge about how ancient humans lived and advanced. Tue, 14 Jan 2025 18:17:23 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250114181723.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250110121908.htm anthropologists have analyzed a skull that was found in the ruins of Ephesos (Turkey) in 1929. It was long speculated that it could be the remains of Arsino IV, the sister of the famous Cleopatra. However, the latest anthropological analyses show that the remains are those of a boy between the ages of 11 and 14 who suffered from pathological developmental disorders. His genes point to an origin in Italy or Sardinia. Fri, 10 Jan 2025 12:19:08 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250110121908.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250109141117.htm Prehistoric kangaroos in southern Australia had a more general diet than previously assumed, giving rise to new ideas about their survival and resilience to climate change, and the final extinction of the megafauna, a new study has found. The new research used advanced dental analysis techniques to study microscopic wear patterns on fossilized kangaroo teeth. Thu, 09 Jan 2025 14:11:17 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250109141117.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250106195701.htm Lead exposure is responsible for a range of human health impacts, with even relatively low levels impacting the cognitive development of children. Scientists have previously used atmospheric pollution records preserved in Arctic ice cores to identify periods of lead pollution throughout the Roman Empire, and now new research expands on this finding to identify how this pollution may have affected the European population. Mon, 06 Jan 2025 19:57:01 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250106195701.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250106195635.htm A team of researchers has mapped predicted bioavailable strontium isotope ratios across all of Sub-Saharan Africa. Archaeologists, conservation scientists, and forensics experts will now be able to match values from the map against those observed in artifacts and plant, animal, and human remains of unknown origin to identify where they likely came from within the continent. Mon, 06 Jan 2025 19:56:35 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250106195635.htm