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A team of scientists are now suggesting that the Denisovans, an ancient human species that lived concurrent with Neanderthals and early modern humans, may have successfully crossed Wallaces Line, one of the world’s largest biogeographic marine barriers in Indonesia, subsequently interbreeding with early modern humans who were on their way to Australia and New Guinea.

In 2010, a small bone fragment of a finger bone was discovered in Denisova cave in the Altai Mountains of Asia. Later genetic analysis indicated that it belonged to a heretofore unknown ancient human species, named Denisovans, and that their DNA is still present in native populations of Australia, New Guinea and surrounding regions. There is a distinct, and puzzling, absence of the DNA in Asian populations.

Now, as published in a Science opinion article, Alan Cooper of the University of Adelaide in Australia and Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in the UK are suggesting that the DNA presence could be the result of the Denisovans crossing over the deep oceanic marine barrier of Wallaces Line, a biogeographic gap that is so significant that it defines the division between European and Asian mammals on its west and marsupial-dominated Australasia on its east.

“In mainland Asia, neither ancient human specimens, nor geographically isolated modern indigenous populations have Denisovan DNA of any note, indicating that there has never been a genetic signal of Denisovan interbreeding in the area,” says Professor Cooper, Director of the University of Adelaide’s Australian Centre for Ancient DNA. “The only place where such a genetic signal exists appears to be in areas east of Wallace’s Line and that is where we think interbreeding took place — even though it means that the Denisovans must have somehow made that marine crossing.”

“The conclusions we’ve drawn are very important for our knowledge of early human evolution and culture,” says Stringer. “Knowing that the Denisovans spread beyond this significant sea barrier opens up all sorts of questions about the behaviours and capabilities of this group, and how far they could have spread.”

“The key questions now are where and when the ancestors of current humans, who were on their way to colonise New Guinea and Australia around 50,000 years ago, met and interacted with the Denisovans,” says Professor Cooper.

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Source: Adapted and edited from a University of Adelaid Press Release.

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email [email protected] and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com. 

We may have to change some thinking about early human evolution in a major way, suggests researchers, after studying new fossil finds at the site of Dmanisi in the Republic of Georgia. What has previously been thought to be separate ancient human species – Homo erectus, Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, and Homo ergaster, for example, may actually be variations of one and the same species. This is the conclusion of a recent examination of fossil finds uncovered at this, the world’s earliest known hominid site outside of Africa.

The new report describes the analysis of a complete, approximately 1.8-million-year-old cranium that was discovered in 2005 by scientists who, 5 years earlier, uncovered its corresponding mandible (jaw) at the same location. Combined, these fossils now constitute the most complete adult ancient human ancestor skull known to be identified with the Early Pleistocene genus of Homo (the genus of great apes that includes modern humans and species closely related to them). The Early Pleistocene time period ranged between 2.588 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago) and 0.781 ± 0.005 Ma.

The cranium and mandible, together designated as Skull 5, combines a relatively small braincase with a long face and large teeth. These two fossils were discovered alongside the remains of four other early Homo fossil finds, animal fossils, and simple stone tools. The finds included associated fossils indicating modern human-like limb proportions and body size. What makes the discoveries unique is that all of the artifacts were found in context indicating the same time period and location, providing scientists the first and best opportunity to compare physical traits among multiple human fossil specimens representing what were previously thought to be members of different species living contemporaneously.

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This is the Dmanisi early Homo cranium in situ. Photo courtesy of Georgian National Museum

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The face of Dmanisi Skull 5 (cranium and mandible together). Photo courtesy of Malkhaz Machavariani, Georgian National Museum

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 Dmanisi Skulls 1-5 (left to right), and a Dmanisi landscape. Image courtesy of M. Ponce de León and Ch. Zollikofer, University of Zurich, Switzerland

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After examining the remains, the research team, consisting of Dr. David Lordkipanidze from the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi, Georgia, along with colleagues from Switzerland, Israel and the United States, concluded that the differences among these fossils vary no more than the differences between five modern humans or five chimpanzees.

“Thanks to the relatively large Dmanisi sample, we see a lot of variation,” said Christoph Zollikofer from the Anthropological Institute and Museum in Zurich, Switzerland—a co-author of the Science report. “But the amount of variation does not exceed that found in modern populations of our own species, nor in chimps and bonobos……Had the braincase and the face of Skull 5 been found as separate fossils at different sites in Africa, they might have been attributed to different species.”

Historically, variations among Homo fossil finds in Africa and Asia have also been found, but these differences have never been found within the same spatial and time period context, and thus scientists have classified the various finds as belonging to separate species. These new findings suggest that researchers need to re-adjust their thinking when determining how early Homo fossil discoveries are classified. 

In the larger picture, human evolutionists have theorized that the Homo fossils discovered at Dmanisi represent ancient human ancestors that diverged from Australopithecus and then soon after dispersed from Africa. The significance of Skull 5 suggests that, during the early Pleistocene, rather than several different Homo species, a single Homo species (Homo erectus), capable of coping with a variety of ecosystems, emerged from Africa. 

The report is published in the 18 October issue of Science.

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email [email protected] and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com. 

October 14th, 2013

Link to Oetzi the Iceman found in living Austrians

Austrian scientists have found that 19 Tyrolean men alive today are related to Oetzi the Iceman, whose 5,300-year-old frozen body was found in the Alps. Their relationship was established through DNA analysis by scientists from the Institute of Legal Medicine at Innsbruck Medical University. The men have not been told about their connection to Oetzi. The DNA tests were taken from blood donors in Tyrol. (BBC News)

Prehistoric Code Found In Clay Balls From Mesopotamia May Represent First Data Storage System

Researchers studying clay balls from Mesopotamia have discovered clues to a lost code that was used for record-keeping about 200 years before writing was invented. The clay balls may represent the world’s “very first data storage system,” at least the first that scientists know of, said Christopher Woods, a professor at the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute, in a lecture at Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum, where he presented initial findings. (Huffington Post)

European hunter-gatherers and immigrant farmers lived side-by-side for more than 2,000 years

Hunter-gatherers and immigrant farmers lived side-by-side for more than 2,000 years in Central Europe, before the hunter-gatherer communities died out or were absorbed into the farming population. In a paper published today in Science, researchers describe their analysis of DNA and isotopes from human bones found in the ‘Blätterhöhle’ cave near Hagen in Germany, where both hunter-gatherers and farmers were buried.  (EurekAlert)

Archaeologists discover rare 18th-century mission site in St. Augustine

The lot on Duero Street looks pretty much like any other slightly overgrown site to passers-by, but for archaeologists it’s a treasure trove. There is no gold or silver here, but lots of fragments of Native American pottery and some European pottery, signs this is the remains of a farmstead that was once part of an 18th-century mission site known as Pocotalaca. (Jacksonville.com)

Rare Second World War bunker unearthed in Hampshire by sewage workers

IT is a reminder of the days when the south was in the front line of defending the country from the Nazis. Thought to be one of just two in the country a rare Second World War bunker has been uncovered in Hampshire by sewage workers after being buried for half a century. (Southern Daily Echo)

Amesbury dig ‘could explain’ Stonehenge history

A group of archaeologists is undertaking a major dig in Wiltshire, which it is hoped could explain why Stonehenge was built where it was. The team, which consists of leading experts in the Mesolithic period, also hopes to confirm Amesbury as the oldest continuous settlement in the UK. (BBC News)

Discovery of a 2,700-Year-Old Portico in Greece

A 2,700-year-old portico was discovered this summer on the site of the ancient city of Argilos in northern Greece, following an archaeological excavation led by Jacques Perreault, Professor at the University of Montreal’s Centre of Classical Studies and Zisis Bonias, an archaeologist with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports. (Science Daily)

Half a million years ago, proto-men recycled, say Israeli scientists

If you thought recycling was just a modern phenomenon championed by environmentalists— think again. There is mounting evidence that hundreds of thousands of years ago, our prehistoric ancestors recycled objects they used in their daily lives, say researchers gathered at an international conference in Israel. (HAARETZ)

6,000-Year-Old Wine Found In Greece; Ancient Samples May Be Oldest Unearthed In Europe

Conventional wisdom agrees that a fine wine generally gets better with age — good news for the 6,200-year-old wine samples unearthed in Greece, huh? Researchers working at an ongoing dig site in northern Greece recently announced that the final results of residue analysis from ancient ceramics showed evidence of wine dating back to 4200 B.C., according to the Greek Reporter. The excavation, located at a prehistoric settlement known as Dikili Tash, is situated 1.2 miles from the ancient city of Philippi and has been inhabited since 6500 B.C., according to the researchers’ website. (Huffington Post)

It has often been suggested by human evolutionists that humans and apes shared a common ancenstry about 6 milion years ago, not surprising given the fact that humans and certain species of apes, such as chimpanzees and bonobos, share approximately 99% of the same genetic plan.   

Now, new additional clues to their linkage have been identified by researchers studying primate behavior in Africa.

Zanna Clay, PhD, and Frans de Waal, PhD, of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, recently conducted a study of bonobo emotional behavior at a sanctuary near Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This bonobo sanctuary includes many victims of bushmeat hunting. In the study, they found striking similarities between the emotional development of the bonobos and that of children, suggesting these great apes behaved emotionally in a human-like way.

By using video analysis techniques, they measured how well bonobos manage their own emotions as well as how they react to the emotions of others. Their observations indicated that young bonobos who were raised by their own mothers recovered more quickly and easily from their own emotional upheavals due to traumatic life events than those who were orphaned, and that those raised by their own mothers generally also showed more empathy toward their fellow bonobos when they suffered emotional upsets. The same pattern holds true for human children. For example, Clay noted that the bonobos who were raised by their original parents tended to give more body comfort, such as kissing, embracing, and touching, to those who were in distress, a type of behavior seen among human children, as well.

A similar pattern applies to the overall control of emotions. Bonobos who have been orphaned had greater difficulty managing their emotions as compared to their counterparts with stable original parents. This included the ability to temper strong emotions and avoid over-arousal. In human children, emotion regulation is considered critical to healthy social development. Socially competent children are able to maintain their emotions within bounds. A stable parent-child bond is essential for this, which is why human orphans typically have trouble managing their emotions.

Previous brain research has suggested that the bonobo (Pan paniscus), considered along with the chimpanzee as our closest primate relative, is the most empathic great ape. “This makes the species an ideal candidate for psychological comparisons,” says de Waal. “Any fundamental similarity between humans and bonobos probably traces back to their last common ancestor, which lived around six million years ago.” 

The results are published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email [email protected] and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com. 

The actual picture of human population origins may never have been as simple as traditional theories might have suggested. At least for Europeans, recent genetic studies seem to be hinting at mixtures and interactions resulting from multiple population migrations that formed the foundations of the modern populations we see today. To this end, international teams from a number of educational and research institutions worldwide have produced two major studies that show, through the analyses of isotopes and genetic material from archaeological sites in Germany, genetic changes that provide insight into human migration patterns during the transition from foraging to farming in Central Europe, including the persistence of hunting and gathering as a lifestyle even after farming was established.

In the first study, Guido Brandt and his colleagues researched ancient mitochondrial DNA of 364 individuals from nine different cultures that populated the Mittelelbe-Saale region of Germany over 4,000 years, spanning the period from about 5,500 to 1,550 BCE. This was during the time when Europeans were thought to be transitioning from hunting and gathering to farming and metallurgy. Their analysis suggested that, initially, Mesolithic hunter-gatherers were replaced by Neolithic farmers for about 2,500 years after the advent of agriculture in the region. These new farmers were introduced from the Near East, Anatolia and the Caucasus. This was then followed by an exchange of genetic material with hunter-gatherers from Scandinavia. The research also suggested two more subsequent population events during the Late Neolithic, when the genomes of a people with farming lifestyles were introduced from the east and west. Based on this genetic mix during the late Neolithic, they found that the population resulting from these successive migrations and associated genetic exchanges were the likely ancestors of the current modern European population. 

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Burials provide not only important insights into social and ritual life of prehistoric populations, but also biological information that can be used to reconstruct past population movements. A female of the Corded Ware culture was buried together with hundreds of shell sequins. Karsdorf, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. This image relates to the paper by Dr. Brandt et al. [Image courtesy of Juraj Lipták] 

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In the second study, Ruth Bollongino and colleagues sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of 25 individuals from the ancient Blätterhöhle archaeological site in Hagen, Germany, and also analyzed the sulfur, nitrogen and carbon isotopes contained in the specimens’ bones and teeth. The results suggest that, over time, three distinct populations inhabited the region: one initial population of hunter-gatherers and two later populations — one consisting of Neolithic farmers that were likely new migrants to the region, and another consisting of Neolithic hunter-gatherers that subsisted primarily on freshwater fish. The latter two cultures apparently lived side-by-side for about 2,000 years with little or no interbreeding, suggesting that hunter-gatherer cultures persisted alongside farming cultures for 2,000 years after the introduction of agriculture to the region.  

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Excavations inside the Blätterhöhle cave are impaired by its very narrow structure. This image relates to the paper by Dr. Bollongino et al.  [Image courtesy of H. Wippermann]

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The Palaeogenetics Laboratory in Mainz, Germany, offers high-standard cleanroom facilities necessary for contamination-free analyses of ancient DNA. This image relates to the paper by Dr. Bollongino et al.  [Image courtesy of R. Bollongino] 

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The details of the study reports have been published in the journal Science, a publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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Source: Adapted and edited from a Science magazine press release. 

Article #18: “Ancient DNA Reveals Key Stages in the Formation of Central European Mitochondrial Genetic Diversity,” by G. Brandt; C. Roth; A. Szécsényi-Nagy; S. Karimnia; S. Möller-Rieker; N. Nicklisch; K.W. Alt at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Mainz, Germany; W. Haak; A. Cooper at University of Adelaide in Adelaide, SA, Australia; C.J. Adler at University of Sydney in Sydney, NSW, Australia; H. Meller; R. Ganslmeier; S. Friederich; V. Dresely at State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt and Heritage Museum in Halle, Germany; J.K. Pickrell; D. Reich at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA; F. Sirocko at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Mainz, Germany; The Genographic Consortium.

Article #23: “2000 Years of Parallel Societies in Stone Age Central Europe,” by R. Bollongino; C. Sell; Z. Fajkošová; A. Powell; J. Burger at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany; O. Nehlich; M.P. Richards at University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, Canada; O. Nehlich; M.P. Richards at Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany; M.P. Richards at University of Durham in Durham, UK; J. Orschiedt at Free University Berlin in Berlin, Germany; M.G. Thomas at University College London in London, UK.

Cover Photo, Top Left: Burials provide not only important insights into social and ritual life of prehistoric populations, but also biological information that can be used to reconstruct past population movements. A  burial site of the Bell Beaker culture with enclosures of stone. Karsdorf, Rothen Schirmbach, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. This image relates to the paper by Dr. Brandt et al.  [Image courtesy of  State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt] 

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email [email protected] and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com. 

Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email [email protected] and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com. 

Most have heard of the treasures of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Tutankhamun, first discovered by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in 1922 when they uncovered his tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Few are familiar with his impeccably preserved brooch, recovered along with the numerous other artifacts within the tomb. Fewer still know about the striking yellow-brown scarab that is set at its center, and that it is made of a yellow silica glass stone procured from the sand of the Sahara and then shaped and polished by ancient craftsmen. The silica glass was originally formed 28 million years ago, when an ancient comet entered the earth’s atmosphere and exploded over Egypt, heating up the sand beneath it to a temperature of about 2,000 degrees Celsius and resulting in the formation of a huge amount of the yellow silica glass, which lies scattered over a 6,000 square kilometer area in the Sahara.

The silica glass was one of a number of clues that eventually led Professor Jan Kramers of the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, and colleagues to a remarkable new discovery. At the center of it all is a mysterious black pebble found years ago by an Egyptian geologist in the area of the silica glass. After conducting highly sophisticated chemical analyses on this pebble, Professor Jan Kramers of the University of Johannesburg and a team of colleagues came to the inescapable conclusion that it represented the very first known hand specimen of a comet nucleus, rather than simply an unusual type of meteorite.

Kramers describes this as a moment of career defining elation. “It’s a typical scientific euphoria when you eliminate all other options and come to the realisation of what it must be,” he said.

“Comets always visit our skies – they’re these dirty snowballs of ice mixed with dust – but never before in history has material from a comet ever been found on Earth,” says Professor David Block of Wits University, a key researcher on the team.

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An artist’s rendition of the comet exploding in Earth’s atmosphere above Egypt (credit: Terry Bakker)

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The impact of the explosion also produced microscopic diamonds found within the pebble. “Diamonds are produced from carbon bearing material. Normally they form deep in the earth, where the pressure is high, but you can also generate very high pressure with shock. Part of the comet impacted and the shock of the impact produced the diamonds,” says Kramers.

The team named the diamond-bearing pebble “Hypatia” in honour of the first well known female mathematician, astronomer and philosopher, Hypatia of Alexandria.

Comet material is very elusive. Comet fragments have not been found on Earth before except as microscopic sized dust particles in the upper atmosphere and some carbon-rich dust in the Antarctic ice. Space agencies have spent billions to secure the smallest amounts of pristine comet matter.

“NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) spend billions of dollars collecting a few micrograms of comet material and bringing it back to Earth, and now we’ve got a radical new approach of studying this material, without spending billions of dollars collecting it,” says Kramers.

The discovery has not only provided the first definitive proof of a comet striking Earth millions of years ago, but it could also help unlock, in the future, the secrets of the formation of our solar system.

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Source: Adapted and edited from a press release of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Cover Photo, Top Left: Tutankhamun’s brooch

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email [email protected] and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com. 

Researchers continue to squeeze new information from the sensational fossil finds that were uncovered at Dmanisi in the Republic of Georgia between 1991 and 2005. Considered the earliest known hominin remains outside of Africa and the earliest known human presence in the Caucasus, they have yielded a wealth of data about an early form of Homo erectus, an ancient human precursor and possibly one of the first early human species to have “gone global”, leaving their original African homelands. 

Now, researchers have found that normal wear and tooth picking could explain the apparent broad range of dental diversity and mandible (jaw) shape and orientation among the fossil remains at the Dmansi archaeological site. The ancient mandibles have been dated to nearly 1.8 million years ago, and displayed a puzzlingly wide range of variation that researchers have thus far been unable to explain. But using modern hunter-gatherer populations in Australia and Greenland as a reference, David Lordkipanidze and colleagues have studied denticular fossil finds at Dmanisi and the hominin fossil sites of Tighenif in North Africa, Koobi Fora in East Africa, and Sima de los Huesos in Spain to quantify the effects of tooth wear and wear-related bone remodeling using direct observations and data derived from computed tomography (CT) and scanning electron microscopy.

They found that progressive tooth wear substantially changed many key characteristics commonly used to characterize hominin mandibles, such as how the rows of teeth are shaped and the height and inclination of the mandible. Based on the data, the authors report, the Dmansi mandibles reflect normal within-population variation augmented by individual differences in wear-related reshaping of the jawbones. In addition, the authors identified clear evidence of localized periodontitis (inflammatory diseases affecting the tissues that surround and support the teeth) caused by the repeated use of a “toothpick.”

Their findings reveal that tooth wear needs to be accounted for when conducting comparative taxonomic analyses of hominin mandibles. 

Discovered beneath a medieval castle near the junction of the Masavera and Pinezaouri rivers, the Dmanisi fossil finds have informed the field of human Eurasian beginnings, and some key assumptions about human origins research. Four hominin fossils, including thousands of extinct faunal finds (animal bones and bone fragments) and over 1,000 lithic artifacts (stone tools) were found by excavators within 2-4.5 meters of alluvium. Two nearly complete hominin crania were uncovered, exhibiting features much like early Homo erectus. But Dmanisi’s collection of hominin fossils revealed a species that was smaller-brained, yet with both primitive and derived (more advanced) skeletal traits, and an assemblage of stone tools of the earliest and simplest (“Mode 1” or Oldowan) industry. They were securely dated to about 1.8 million years BP. However, more recent test excavations at Dmanisi recovered lithic artifacts of the Oldowan variety and fossil bones that have pushed back the chronology and revealed that the hominins may have occupied the area repeatedly between 1.85 and 1.78 million years ago, a time period that predated the appearance, according to the fossil record, of Homo erectus in East Africa.

This latest dental and mandible study has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences as Article #13-16052: “Tooth wear and dentoalveolar remodeling are key factors of morphological variation in the Dmanisi mandibles,” by Ann Margvelashvili, Christoph P.E. Zollikofer, David Lordkipanidze, Timo Peltomäki, and Marcia S. Ponce de León.

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Source: Adapted and edited from a press release and the related detailed published study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Cover Photo, Top Left: Restored cranium and mandible of fossil skull discovered at Dmanisi. Eduard Sola, Wikimedia Commons

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email [email protected] and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com. 

October 6th, 2013

Human brain boiled in its skull lasted 4000 years

SHAKEN, scorched and boiled in its own juices, this 4000-year-old human brain has been through a lot. It may look like nothing more than a bit of burnt log, but it is one of the oldest brains ever found. Its discovery, and the story now being pieced together of its owner’s last hours, offers the tantalising prospect that archaeological remains could harbour more ancient brain specimens than thought. If that’s the case, it potentially opens the way to studying the health of the brain in prehistoric times. (New Scientist)

London Dig Uncovers Roman-Era Skulls

Tunnelers expanding London’s Underground (Tube) stations have stumbled on a cache of more than two dozen Roman-era skulls. The skulls likely date from the first century A.D. and may possibly—just possibly—be victims of the famed Queen Boudicca’s troops, decapitated during her uprising against Roman rule in 61 A.D. The intriguing find was made some 20 feet below Liverpool Street as workers bored through ancient river sediments from the long-vanished Walbrook River, once a tributary of the Thames. (National Geographic)

Rats! Diet of Easter Islanders Revealed

The inhabitants of Easter Island consumed a diet that was lacking in seafood and was, literally, quite ratty. The island, also called Rapa Nui, first settled around A.D. 1200, is famous for its more than 1,000 “walking” Moai statues, most of which originally faced inland. Located in the South Pacific, Rapa Nui is the most isolated inhabited landmass on Earth; the closest inhabitants are located on the Pitcairn Islands about 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) to the west. (Live Science)

Long-Hidden Sites Discovered in the Southwest May Change Views of Ancient Migrations

A type of site never before described by archaeologists is shedding new light on the prehistory of the American Southwest and may change conventional thinking about the ancient migrations that shaped the region. The sites, discovered in the southern mountains of Arizona and New Mexico, are remote Apache encampments with some often “disguised” features that have eluded archaeologists for centuries. (WesternDigs.org)

Archaeologists unearth Sweden’s own Pompeii: Hundreds died in ‘brutal massacre’ at island fort 1,500 years ago

Swedish archeologists have uncovered the remains of a brutal fifth century massacre at a remote island fort, described as being ‘frozen in time’ like the ruins of the Roman city of Pompeii. Bodies of victims slaughtered in the violence on the island of Öland, just off the Swedish coast, have remained untouched for centuries, and were found to resemble a modern day crime scene. (DailyMail.co.uk)

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Arizona

Nearly 50 miles or so southeast of Phoenix, Arizona stands Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, built by the mysterious Hohokam civilization in the early 1300s. Archaeologists suggest that the “Great House” was an observatory of sorts, noting that the small round window on the west wall aligns perfectly with the setting sun on the annual summer solstice (June 21). Other openings line up with the sun and moon at significant dates throughout the year. (InfoLific)

Gamers take aim at ancient Pictish stone puzzle

ONLINE gaming fans are to be recruited by Scotland’s national museum to harness their technical skills to help piece together more than 3,000 recently discovered fragments depicting the Cross on a Pictish slab. The project, the first of its kind in the archaeological world, will see participants use a unique 3D programme developed by a Scottish technology firm to try to solve the mystery of the Hilton of Cadboll Stone. (The Scotsman)

Archaeologists excavating at Jamestown, Virginia, the site of America’s first successful English colony, have uncovered two deep posthole features 24 feet apart in the area of the 1607 James Fort, evidencing a possible structure that has not heretofore been discovered among the many finds and features that have already come to light at the historic excavation site.

A posthole in archaeology is a patch, usually circular, of darker or discolored earth that reveals the location of timber or a wood beam that was placed in the ground to support or define a structure that once existed at a site. Being organic, the timber or wood beam usually would have long decomposed, leaving a visible trace in the soil that archaeologists can recogize while excavating.   

Dr. William M. Kelso, head of archaeological research at Historic Jamestowne, believes the structure could be one of several possible constructions by early colonists at the Fort site: a blockhouse, a paling wall, or features of the corners of separate buildings. The archaeologists point out that historical accounts record the existence of a blockhouse and a paling wall.

Regarding the former, they state that the literature refers to the colonists taking refuge within a blockhouse near the end of the “starving time” winter of 1609-1610, when about two-thirds of the colonists died. Lord De La Warr is recorded to have arrived on a resupply ship in June 1610 to find the fort in a dilapidated condition. “Only the blockhouse,” wrote De La Warr, “somewhat regarded, was the safety of the remainder that lived, …” William Strachey, a writer-historian and short-term Jamestown colonist, in his account of that winter, also wrote “And it is true the Indian killed as fast without, if our men stirred but beyond the bounds of their blockhouse, …”

Strachey also described a wall, known as a paling, which was typically made of planks and posts, to the East of the original triangular palisade wall of the 1607 James Fort. Said Kelso, “having posts in that kind of wall that are 24 feet apart is a long distance, but it could be. Making trees into clapboards, flat and rough, means you can get more of a wall out of fewer trees.”*

The first posthole was found in August, 2013, in the vicinity of a visitor walkway. The second was found in September to the south of the first. In their attempt to further define the structure, they then opened a new excavation section to the east of the second to find a possible third posthole that they suspect may be 12 feet away. But there is still a lot more work ahead of them before they can draw any conclusions.

“We are speculating at this stage and we won’t know any time soon because we have a lot of dirt to move,” Kelso said.*

More information about this and the excavations at Jamestown can be obtained at the Jamestown Rediscovery website.

Image, Top Left: Credit Sarah Stierch (CC-BY-4.0), Wikimedia Commons

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* http://www.historicjamestowne.org/the_dig/

Cover Photo, Top Left: Archaeological dig at Jamestown. Sarah Stierch, Wikimedia Commons

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

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They are working hard at an underwater grave of an 18th century shipwreck. It is a delicate operation, requiring patient and methodical movement by a team of divers to extract a precious assembly of historic artifacts. It is colloquially named “The Pile”, a concretion of objects that consists of a large anchor lying over seven cannon, other artifacts, and a natural encrustation that has built up over nearly 300 years. This is the wreckage site of the famous pirate Blackbeard’s flagship Queen Anne’s Revenge (QAR), just off the coast near Beaufort, North Carolina. 

“The immense amount of iron concentrated in this area has provided a host of nutrients for sea life, which in turn has supplemented the amount of encrustation surrounding the artifacts, essentially turning eight separate iron objects into one giant mass,” reports Kimberly Kenyon, Conservator with the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resource’s Queen Anne’s Revenge (QAR) Project. “Excavation of the pile will require hammers and chisels used with the utmost care. It will be tedious and time-consuming, and will hopefully provide an array of objects trapped within the concretion. Additionally, new excavation units will be opened around the pile as well as north of it as work continues toward the bow of the ship.”*

To date, more than 280,000 artifacts have already been recovered since serious exploration began in 1996, including at least 15 cannon, ship timbers, 2 anchors, pewter flatware, medical instruments, gun parts, cannon shot, gold grains, glass wine bottles, and ceramic pieces, to name but a few of the types. And like “The Pile”, the focus of their current efforts, many of these finds were recovered together in groups in the form of concretions, hardened conglomerations of sand, shells, and coral which began to build up around artifacts, especially iron objects, soon after they were deposited on the seabed in 1718. Over 2,500 concretions have been recovered, each one containing a multitude of artifacts ranging from glass beads to rigging elements and cannon balls.

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A concretion with grenades and other artifacts, recovered from the Queen Anne’s Revenge. Credit: North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources

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One of two cannon raised in June 2013 and secured safely aboard ship after recovery. Credit: North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources

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Above: A portion of the hull of the Queen Anne’s Revenge, as it rested still in place on the sea floor. Credit: North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources

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For the QAR Project Director John “Billy Ray” Morris and colleagues, the work of excavating and conserving the finds has not been easy. Underwater archaeology presents a complexity and set of challenges that markedly differ from what an archaeologist might typically encounter on a more conventional dry surface, or “terrestrial” excavation. Weather and water conditions can profoundly affect the safety and feasibility of an underwater excavation, unlike the conditions that would be encountered with a dry surface excavation, and archaeologists must don wetsuits and scuba geer and plunge into watery depths to a place that is nothing like the world at the surface. The methodology and equipment are specially adapted, and even after the artifacts are recovered, often a long process of artifact protection, preparation and conservation must take place before they can be studied, further documented and displayed for public view.

But Morris makes clear that, while the artifacts themselves are very exciting and will provide a tangible image for scientists, historians and the public about a chapter in North America’s past, it is really ultimately about the information they will afford. 

“The investigation and interpretation of the QAR site will provide information on a variety of topics focused on early 18th century seafaring,” says Morris. “This includes the slave trade, vessel construction, privateering, vessel adaptation by functional necessity, and pirate practices and tactics from the “Golden Age of Piracy”. Additional venues for study and interpretation will encompass the history of North Carolina during the Proprietary Period (when ownership and management of land was granted to certain Lords on behalf of the King or Queen), and the complex relationship between the pirates, North Carolina, and her neighboring colonies.”

Blackbeard, variously known as Edward Teach or Edward Thatch, was among the most historically prominent pirates of the “Golden Age of Piracy”, a period from the 1650’s to the 1730’s when there was a relative profusion of capturing and plundering of cargo ships and commercial ports by private, independent maritime-based robbers. Blackbeard was a notorious English privateer-turned-pirate who operated in the Caribbean and the eastern coast of the American colonies. His best-known vessel was the Queen Anne’s Revenge, a captured and converted French slave ship. 

The archaeologists say this phase of the excavations began in early August and is expected to last about three months. 

Reports Kenyon, “we are always most hopeful to find the actual wooden structure of the hull of the ship beneath what we can now see, and with work continuing around the pile, it is very promising that hull remains may have been protected by the cannon lying on top……. Hopefully, we will also have an opportunity to raise two cannon and two large cask hoop concretions, which the un-cooperative June weather prevented us from collecting.”*

More detailed information about the QAR (Queen Anne’s Revenge) Project can be obtained at the project website. 

In addition, a free premium article about the project and the discoveries is also available in the September issue of Popular Archaeology Magazine.

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* http://nccultureblogger.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/introducing-the-2013-field-season/

Cover Photo, Top Left: Diver works at the underwater wreckage site of the Queen Anne’s Revenge. Credit: North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email [email protected] and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com. 

September 29th, 2013

New Finds Uncovered at Ancient Greek Site of Argilos

With a team of 50 students and additional help from workmen, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of structures at the site of ancient Argilos on the coast of Macedonia, reporting that the finds will help open an additional window on the development and economy of one of the earliest Greek colonies in an area that was previously settled by the Thracians. Among the discoveries was a large portico consisting of at least seven storerooms. (Popular Archaeology)

2500-Year-Old Horse Remains in Bulgaria Suggest Creatures Were Buried Upright

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a Thracian carriage and two horses that appear to have been buried upright. The chariot and horse skeletons are 2,500-years-old and were discovered in the village of Svestari in north-east Bulgaria. The two-wheeled carriage and carcasses of the horses were found in a Thracian tomb along with some decorations.  (www.novinite.com)

Mystery of the massive fire which ravaged St Louis – America’s most prosperous ancient city

A mysterious fire which destroyed North America’s greatest ancient civilization has led to fascinating discoveries about social tensions, violent tendencies and religious practices within the society. The city of Cahokia, whose secrets lie underneath where St Louis, Missouri now stands, was ruined by a huge blaze around the year 1170 CE. Following the disaster, the Native American city changed dramatically – defense walls were built, buildings fortified and a sun symbol incorporated into designs. (www.dailymail.co.uk)

Archaeologists search for West Texas village

As Indiana Jones once said, “X never, ever marks the spot.” That is what is making things difficult for an archaeology team as it examines the original Socorro Mission site for the remains of a Native American village, a lost cemetery or anything else that “belongs in a museum.” The Texas Historical Commission sent the team this week to Socorro to see if the old Socorro Mission site can be expanded, and protected, by any discovery the team can make. (Beaumontenterprise.com)

Discovery of sacred Roman well amazes archaeology team

It’s the most significant archaeological discovery in the Portsmouth area for many years. Buried a few feet under a garden in the centre of Havant, archaeologists stumbled upon a Roman well filled with coins and a bronze ring with a carving of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea. Perhaps most intriguing was the discovery of eight dog skeletons at the bottom of the well. (FreeRepublic.com)

Ancient Egypt: Misconceptions About the Pyramids

The pyramids are the most distinctive and best-known feature of ancient Egypt. The pyramids are the symbols of ancient Egyptian civilization and reflect the great power of the Egyptian kings, known today as pharaohs. Today there are at least 118 known pyramids, all of which were constructed during the Old Kingdom (2575 BCE to 2150 BCE). (Daily Kos)

With a team of 50 students and additional help from workmen, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of structures at the site of ancient Argilos on the coast of Macedonia, reporting that the finds will help open an additional window on the development and economy of one of the earliest Greek colonies in an area that was previously settled by the Thracians.

Among the discoveries was a large portico consisting of at least seven storerooms.

“The building is in a remarkable state of preservation, and five rooms have been partially excavated this year,” report excavation co-directors Zizis Bonias of Greece’s 18th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities and Jacques Perreault of the University of Montreal. “In its early state, the building probably dates back to the 6th century BC.”*

The portico is just one of a number of well-preserved finds at the site, colonized, according to the literary tradition, by Greeks during the 7th century, around 655/654 B.C., making Argilos “the earliest greek colony on the Thracian coast”.** Though the settlement was established in what at the time was territory inhabited by the ancient Thracians (a civilization of Indo-European tribes occupying a large region of Central and Southeastern Europe), archaeologists have thus far uncovered no clear signs of conflict between the two co-existing cultures at the site during that time, and one of the goals of the investigations is to explore the nature of the relationship between the Greeks and the Thracians at that location.

Four kilometers West of the Strymona river delta, the ancient city is set on a hill known as Palaiokastro. The site was first identified by P. Perdrizet in 1883 by referencing the writings of Herodotus, who wrote that the Persians encountered Argilos after crossing the Strymona river on their way to conquer Athens. The first limited excavations were conducted by the Greek archaeological service in the 70’s, uncovering several tombs of the ancient city’s necropolis. But the first serious systematic research did not begin until 1992 by a joint Greek-Canadian team. 

The current excavations are being conducted by the Greek-Canadian Archaeological Mission of Argilos, a collaborative effort between the Ephoria of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities of Kavala and the University of Montreal. The excavations have revealed a significant number of architectural structures, including a large 5-meter wide street leading from what has been identified as a port, to the acropolis on the hill. According to the archaeologists, buildings, both public and domestic, lined this street. “Some of these buildings are extremely well preserved, with walls up to 4 meters high,” report Bonias and Perreault. “This state of preservation helps us understand the way they were built and, thus, enables us to propose realistic reconstructions of the main buildings.”*** 

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View of excavations at Argilos. Credit: The Greek-Canadian Archaeological Mission of Argilos

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Small pottery finds uncovered at Argilos. Credit: The Greek-Canadian Archaeological Mission of Argilos

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But there is more beneath the structures.

“In the deepest levels, however, the excavators only found pottery of Thracian origin or vases which come from the chalcidiki peninsula,” the authors continue. “This tends to show that the site of Argilos was already occupied before the arrival of the Greeks. Since there is no trace of a violent destruction of this local habitat, it seems that Greeks and Thracians cohabited on the site, probably for about one century. These findings give us the opportunity to question some passages of ancient greek literature, that tend to present Greek colonists as brutal and not hesitating to chase off local inhabitants by force.”***

In 2014, archaeologists hope to continue excavating the portico and the area around the structure, including an area east of a Hellenistic mansion on the Acropolis, where they believe they have discovered evidence of the fortification wall of the city.

For more information about the excavations and how one can participate and support the project, see the project website. For more specific information about how one can donate to financially support the mission, please go to financing.

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* http://www.argilos.net/inscription-en/

** http://www.argilos.net/histoire-du-site-en/

*** http://www.argilos.net/fouille-en/

Cover Photo, Top Left: Aerial view of excavation area at Argilos. Credit: the Greek-Canadian Archaeological Mission of Argilos 

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email [email protected] and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com. 

Since 2011, a team of achaeologists have been uncovering some tantalizing new finds at the remains of a fourteenth century B.C. Egyptian fortress gate complex at the coastal city of Jaffa in Israel. It is today the only Egyptian gate ever excavated in Israel, and excavation co-directors Aaron A. Burke of the University of California, Los Angeles and Martin Peilstöcker of the Israel Antiquities Authority are convinced that the site may tell an important story about how an Egyptian enclave survived and persisted within Canaanite territory well over 3,000 years ago.

“New archaeological data combined with well-known historical texts of the Late Bronze Age are now shedding light on the nature of interactions between the Canaanite inhabitants of Jaffa and its environs and the Egyptian inhabitants of the New Kingdom fortress built atop the city’s earlier remains,” reports Burke and Peilstöcker. “The resulting picture is one colored by episodes of violence and peaceful social interactions in Jaffa over a period of more than 300 years, from ca. 1460 to 1130 BC.”* 

Excavations in 2012 revealed strong evidence of a violent destruction event, with clues to its extent indicated when excavators discovered a commemorative scarab of Amenhotep III dated to the mid-fourteenth century B.C., found within the upper destruction layers and apparently fallen from what the archaeologists interpreted as a second story administrative office floor. In 2013, they exposed the city gate’s passageway below more than 1.5 meters of destruction debris. The finds included arrowheads, a spearhead and lead weight, decorative ivory inlays, numerous charred seeds, a number of ceramic vessels, antlers from deer, and nearly two dozen cedar timbers thought to have once made up the gate’s roof and upper story. The seeds, identified as those of barley, olive pits, grape pips, and chick peas were a welcome find, as they provide an insight to the foods consumed at the site.

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Above: The Gate passageway and south tower following excavations in July 2013. Photo 2013-P0408, courtesy Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project. 

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The assortment of artifacts painted a picture of a city gate that functioned as something more than a purely defensive structure, a complex that housed administrators, storerooms, and other support facilities. Speaking of the antlers, for example, Burke and Peilstöcker noted that they “suggest that the gate was not a stark and utilitarian space as many reconstructions of Egyptian gates suggest. Instead, it would seem that Egyptian soldiers hung these items within the passageway as trophies of their hunting around Jaffa.”** 

The timbers, the earliest and largest such ancient timbers from that time period found in Israel to date, are thought to have been used in the construction of the gate’s second story and roof. Reported Burke and Peilstöcker in a recent press release: “They will provide not only important chronological data such as evidence for the date of the construction of the gate complex but also will contribute to refining our understanding of the evolution of Egyptian rule in Canaan since the gate is one in a sequence of gates providing evidence for the earliest Egyptian fortress in Canaan. As important proxies for climate change, the timbers also offer a unique opportunity for an improved study of Late Bronze Age environment.”**

The excavations are part of the The Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project (JCHP), a joint project of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the Johannes-Gutenberg Universitat, Mainz, and the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). For more information, visit the project website. A detailed article, entitled The Egyptian Fortress in Jaffa, can be read in the March 2013 issue of Popular Archaeology Magazine. 

The results from the 2013 excavations will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Schools of Oriental Research in Baltimore, MD on November 21, 2013.

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* https://popular-archaeology.com/issue/march-2013/article/the-egyptian-fortress-in-jaffa

** http://www.nelc.ucla.edu/jaffa/assets/2013_JCHP_Press_Release.pdf (2013 excavation summary)

Cover Photo, Top Left: Aerial view of the fiery destruction of the Amarna period gate complex. Photo courtesy of Zvi Lederman, Photo 2012-P1027, view to the northeast

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email [email protected] and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com. 

It seems there is no end these days to what genetics might be telling us about our past. To add to the profusion of new findings are the conclusions of another study that suggest an early human population boom around 60,000 – 80,000 years ago, marking perhaps the first great population expansion of human history, or pre-history, as the case would be.

The prevailing theory is that, as humans transitioned to domesticating plants and animals around 10,000 years ago, they developed a more sedentary lifestyle, leading to settlements, the development of new agricultural techniques, and relatively rapid population expansion from 4-6 million people to 60-70 million by 4,000 B.C.

But hold on, say the authors of a recently completed genetic study. Carla Aimé and her colleagues at Laboratoire Eco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, University of Paris, conducted a study using 20 different genomic regions and mitochondrial DNA of individuals from 66 African and Eurasian populations, and compared the genetic results with archaeological findings. They concluded that the first big expansion of human populations may be much older than the one associated with the emergence of farming and herding, and that it could date as far back as Paleolithic times, or 60,000-80,000 years ago. The humans who lived during this time period were hunter-gatherers. The authors hypothesize that the early population expansion could be associated with the emergence of new, more sophisticated hunting technologies, as evidenced in some archaeolocal findings. Moreover, they state, environmental changes could possibly have played a role. 

The researchers also showed that populations who adopted the farming lifestyle during the Neolithic Period (10,200 – 3,000 B.C.) had experienced the most robust Paleolithic expansions prior to the transition to agriculture.  “Human populations could have started to increase in Paleolithic times, and strong Paleolithic expansions in some populations may have ultimately favored their shift toward agriculture during the Neolithic,” said Aimé.

The details of the study have been published in the scientific journal, Molecular Biology and Evolution, by Oxford University Press.

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Source: Adapted and edited from a press release of the journal, Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Cover Photo, Top Left: Part of a DNA double helix. Ude, Wikimedia Commons

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email [email protected] and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com. 

Who would have predicted that conflict and destruction would beget the flowering of large scale ancient complex societies? Intuitively, for most people at least, they don’t seem to mix. But the recent development and testing of a mathematical model seems to support that otherwise unlikely paradigm.

The model was developed by an international team from the University of Connecticut, the University of Exeter in England, and the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS). By focusing on the interaction of ecology and geography as well as the spread of military innovations, the cultural evolutionary model predicts that selection for social organizations that facilitate cooperation in large groups of genetically unrelated individuals, leading to large-scale complex states, is greater where warfare is more intense. Amazingly, when the model was run as a simulation, it closely matched the actual record of how and when the largest-scale complex societies in the Old World arose in human history.

The model was simulated within a realistic landscape of the Afro-Eurasian landmass during 1,500 BCE to 1,500 CE, and it was able to explain two-thirds of the variations involved in the evolution of large-scale societies. When compared to actual history, for example, it predicted that horse-related military innovations, such as chariots and cavalry, dominated warfare within Afro-Eurasia and that nomads living in the Eurasian Steppe influenced agrarian societies nearby, resulting in the spread of intense warfare beyond the steppe. 

“What’s so exciting about this area of research is that instead of just telling stories or describing what occurred, we can now explain general historical patterns with quantitative accuracy,” said the study’s co-author Sergey Gavrilets, who is NIMBioS director for scientific activities. “Explaining historical events helps us better understand the present, and ultimately may help us predict the future.” 

Details of the study have been published as War, space, and the evolution of Old World complex societies n the open-access journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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Cover Photo, Top Left: Mongol horsemen

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email populararchaeology@gmail.com and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com. 

September 23rd, 2013

Warfare the Key to Evolution of Complex Society?

Who would have predicted that conflict and destruction would beget the flowering of large scale ancient complex societies? Intuitively, for most people at least, they don’t seem to mix. But the recent development and testing of a mathematical model seems to support that otherwise unlikely paradigm. The model was developed by an international team from the University of Connecticut, the University of Exeter in England, and the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS). By focusing on the interaction of ecology and geography as well as the spread of military innovations, the cultural evolutionary model predicts that selection for social organizations that facilitate cooperation in large groups of genetically unrelated individuals, leading to large-scale complex states, is greater where warfare is more intense.  (Popular Archaeology)

Skeleton of Ancient Prince Reveals Etruscan Life

The skeletonized body of an Etruscan prince, possibly a relative to Tarquinius Priscus, the legendary fifth king of Rome from 616 to 579 B.C., has been brought to light in an extraordinary finding that promises to reveal new insights on one of the ancient world’s most fascinating cultures. PLAY VIDEO An Etruscan house emerges from a hillside in Italy. ROSSELLA LORENZI Found in Tarquinia, a hill town about 50 miles northwest of Rome, famous for its Etruscan art treasures, the 2,600 year old intact burial site came complete with a full array of precious grave goods. (Discovery News)

Egyptian Dog Mummy Infested with Bloodsucking Parasites

A dog mummy has revealed the first archaeological evidence of bloodsucking parasites plaguing Fido’s ancestors in Egypt during the classical era of Roman rule. The preserved parasites discovered in the mummified young dog’s right ear and coat include the common brown tick and louse fly — tiny nuisances that may have carried diseases leading to the puppy’s early demise. French archaeologists found the infested dog mummy while studying hundreds of mummified dogs at the excavation site of El Deir in Egypt, during expeditions in 2010 and 2011. (Live Science)

Officials begin restoration of Oregon Trail

Federal officials along with a southern Idaho Boy Scout troop have started restoration efforts on a section of the Oregon Trail plundered by artifact hunters this summer. Last week, scouts working with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management began restoration work on stretches of the historic trail near Burley. (KiviTV.com)

Did your ancestors eat shrew? Consult the poo

Eating a parboiled rodent whole for the sake of science is dedication. It won scientists Brian D. Crandall and Peter W. Stahl the Ig Nobel prize for Archaeology. ‘Tis the season of red leaves in the north, spring in the south and of the Ig Nobel prizes everywhere. Intrepid member of one group of scientists ate a shrew, thereby teaching mankind a lesson in dedication to the job and winning an award for it, too. (Haaretz)

Climate change nothing new in Oz

While we grapple with the impact of climate change, archaeologists suggest we spare a thought for Aboriginal Australians who had to cope with the last ice age. “The period scientists call the Last Glacial Maximum, or LGM for short, is the most significant climatic event ever faced by humans on this continent,” Associate Professor Sean Ulm from James Cook University in Cairns said. (EurekAlert!)

Giant Prehistoric Elephant Slaughtered by Early Humans

Research by a University of Southampton archaeologist suggests that early humans, who lived thousands of years before Neanderthals, were able to work together in groups to hunt and slaughter animals as large as the prehistoric elephant. (Science Daily)

Bone dates ‘earliest northerner’, say archaeologists in Liverpool

Archaeologists have dated bones found in the 1990s as the earliest known human remains from northern Britain. Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Nottingham analysed a leg bone found in Cumbria and found it to be more than 10,000 years old. (BBC News)

A team of scientists from the Universities of Cantabria and Burgos in Spain and Toulouse in France have dated prehistoric wall paintings in the Altxerri cave system in the Gipuzkoa province of northern Spain to about 39,000 years BPE, making them among the earliest known cave paintings produced by humans in Europe.

It was in 2011 when Cantabria University members Aitor Ruiz and César González began to explore the upper gallery of the cave, designated Altxerri B, with the objective of coming up with some reliable dates for the less-explored wall paintings in this part of the cave system. These paintings appeared to have been done independently of other paintings found in a lower gallery, paintings already with known dates that fell within the 29,000 – 35,000 BPE range. The paintings in this upper gallery were figurative representations of a bison (the most common element among the Altxerri cave system paintings) a feline, a possible animal’s head, a bear and two groups of three finger marks, as well as other motifs. Ruiz and González also employed the help of Diego Garate, a specialist in Upper Paleolithic cave art from the University of Toulouse, to help them place and interpret the paintings and their findings within the context of current knowledge about Paleolithic art in Europe.

“Archaeological, geological and stylistic evidence, together with radiometric dates, suggest an Aurignacian chronology for this art,” reported the investigators. “The ensemble in Altxerri B can therefore be added to the small but growing number of sites dated in this period, corroborating the hypothesis of more complex and varied figurative art than had been supposed in the early Upper Palaeolithic.”*

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Wall painting in the Altxerri cave depicting bison. GipuzkoaKultura, Wikimedia Commons

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The Aurignacian culture is an archaeological culture of the Upper Palaeolithic (50,000 to 10,000 years ago), common to Europe and southwest Asia. It existed from ca. 45,000 to 35,000 years ago. Although the Altxerri cave system is somewhat less known to the public than other cave systems, such as the Altamira, also in Spain, and Chauvet in France, they are known to feature galleries of prehistoric paintings dated back to similar periods of time, and are still under investigation. They were first discovered in 1956 but archaeologists didn’t begin serious examination and study of the figures and markings in the caves until the early 1960’s. The Altxerri is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Who were the humans who created these paintings? Were they modern humans or Neanderthals? Thus far there is no evidence linking the paintings to any particular human species.

The detailed report of the findings have been published in the Journal of Human Evolution as Not only Chauvet: Dating Aurignacian rock art in Altxerri B Cave (northern Spain).

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* http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047248413001851#bib1

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

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The archaeological excavations being conducted at the site of ancient Gezer in northwestern Israel have recently revealed some tantalizing finds, one of which came as a surprise to excavators who just completed digging there during the summer of 2013.

“In this, the sixth season of excavation,” reports co-directors Steven Ortiz of the Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary and Samuel Wolff of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “one goal was to remove a portion of the city wall built in the Iron IIA period (10th century BCE) in order to investigate a Late Bronze age destruction level (ca. 1400 BCE) that lay below it. To the surprise of the team, in the process of excavating the city wall, an earlier wall system dating to the Iron Age I (1200-1000 BCE) was discovered.”*

The finding is significant in that it could provide possible new additional insight and evidential support for events recorded by the Biblical text relating to the king of Gezer organizing a Canaanite coalition against the Hebrew leader Joshua, and David’s battle with the Philistines where he pursued them “all the way to Gezer”, implying a close relationship between Canaanite Gezer and the Philistines during this period. 

Ortiz and Wolff went on to add that the earlier wall “was one meter thick with several rooms attached to it. These rooms were filled [with debris] by a massive destruction, nearly one meter in height, that included Canaanite storage jars, Philistine pottery and other items.”*

Digging further, the excavation team then encountered the anticipated Late Bronze Age destruction level. Among the finds were several pottery vessels, a cache of cylinder seals, and a large Egyptian scarab with the cartouche of Amenhotep III. Ortiz and Wolff suggest that this level constituted the remains of an earlier city destroyed during the Egyptian 18th Dynasty’s rule over the southern part of the Levant. Amenhotep III was the father of the heretic King Akhenaten and also grandfather to Tutankhamun, whose famous tomb and rich trove were discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon. 

“This destruction corresponds to other destructions of other cities in the region, a reflection of the internecine warfare that was occurring between the Canaanite cities as reflected in the well-known Tell el-Amarna correspondence”, reported the co-directors.*

Historically, Gezer was a major city located along the strategic coastal highway between Egypt and Mesopotamia. According to the Biblical account, Gezer was conquered by an Egyptian pharaoh and later given to Israel’s King Solomon as a wedding gift related to Solomon’s marriage to the pharaoh’s daughter. Solomon is also recorded in the Biblical account to have built walls around Gezer, as he did with Jerusalem, Hazor, and Megiddo, all sites that are currently under excavation. Excavations at Gezer have been regarded as a key to understanding and resolving the debate among Bibilical scholars and archaeologists regarding the appropriate chronology of events and ruling Israelite and Judahite kings. Gezer is also known for its massive ancient water tunnel system, which is also currently under excavation, and the famous so-called “Gezer Calendar”, a 10th-century BCE inscribed limestone tablet discovered in 1908 in excavations there by R.A.S. Macalister. The “calendar” is thought to record monthly or bi-monthly periods related to agricultural practices.

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The remains of the Iron Age City Gate at Gezer. Karmei Yosef, Creative Commons Attribution License

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Say Ortiz and Wolff: “The Gezer expedition is slowly stripping away layers of public and domestic structures of the 8th and 9th centuries BCE in order to reveal the 10th century city plan adjacent to the City Gate. This summer the tops of the 10th century walls began to poke out, making the archaeologists optimistic that in future seasons more of the Solomonic city will be exposed.”*

The dating of the Iron Age city gate complex and associated city structures at Gezer has been a part of the ongoing chronology debate.

More information about Gezer and the excavation project, and how one can participate, can be obtained at the project website.

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Cover Photo, Top Left: Iron Age City Gate at Gezer. Karmei Yosef, Creative Commons Attribution License

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email [email protected] and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com. 

It was a once-in-a-lifetime find for Israeli archaeologist Amnon Ben-Tor of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who also co-directs excavations at the world-renowned site of Hazor in northern Israel. While digging at this ancient Canaanite location during the summer of 2013, he and his excavation team unearthed a surprising find — beautifully carved paws of what was once a complete stone Egyptian sphinx statue. It was discovered near the entrance of the remains of an ancient city palace in a destruction layer dated to the 13th century B.C. 

“This is of extreme importance from many points of view,’ said Ben-Tor, “since it is the only sphinx of this king known in the world — even in Egypt. It is also the only monumental piece of Egyptian sculpture found anywhere in the Levant.” 

The Levant is the region of the eastern Mediterranean stretching between Anatolia and Egypt. Today it includes the modern states of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Cyprus and parts of southern Turkey.  Although many ancient Egyptian finds, including architecture, have been unearthed in archaeological excavations throughout the region, no monumental sculpture attributable to the Egyptians have been recovered in this region outside of Egypt. 

Inscribed in hieroglyphic in the stone between the paws of the large fragment was the name of the Egyptian Old Kingdom 4th dynasty pharaoh Menkaure (c. 2500 BC), also known by his Hellenized name as Mykerinos. Menkaure is thought to be the phaaraoh responsible for the construction of the smallest of the three great pyramids at Giza. 

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The lower (paws) portion of the sphinx found during the 2013 excavations at Tel Hazor. Photo courtesy Prof. Amnon Ben-Tor and Dr. Sharon Zuckerman, Hazor Excavations Project.

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What was the sphinx, or at least this portion of it, doing at Hazor? 

“Maybe this was a gift which the Egyptian king sent to the local [Canaanite] king of Hazor. Maybe. To prove it? Impossible,” said Ben-Tor.

Historically, Hazor was likely the largest of the ancient Canaanite cities, and for a time was among the largest cities of the Levant. Today, the archaeological remains encompass 200 acres. Its population in the second millennium BC is estimated to have been about 20,000 people, and was strategically located on the route connecting Egypt and Babylon, making it a dominant economic and trading power in the region. Dig co-directors Amnon Ben-Tor and Sharon Zuckerman lead the current excavations, which have thus far revealed no less than 21 superimposed cities, including temples, fortifications and a huge water system.

The archaeologists estimate that the complete sphinx was about one meter tall, weighing half a ton. Will they find the rest of it? That’s a goal of the continuing excavations.

Anyone interested in participating in the Hazor excavations may obtain more information about the site and how to apply at http://hazor.huji.ac.il/.

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Cover Photo, Top Left: View of the remains at Hazor. Qasinka, Wikimedia Commons

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Read about the most fascinating discoveries with a premium subscription to Popular Archaeology Magazine.  Find out what Popular Archaeology Magazine is all about.  AND MORE:

Popular Archaeology’s annual Discovery edition is a selection of the best stories published in Popular Archaeology Magazine in past issues, with an emphasis on some of the most significant, groundbreaking, or fascinating discoveries in the fields of archaeology and paleoanthropology and related fields. At least some of the articles have been updated or revised specifically for the Discovery edition.  We can confidently say that there is no other single issue of an archaeology-related magazine, paper print or online, that contains as much major feature article content as this one. The latest issue, volume 2, has just been released. Go to the Discovery edition page for more information.

Subscription Price: A very affordable $5.75 for those who are not already premium subscribers of Popular Archaeology Magazine (It is FREE for premium subscribers to Popular Archaeology). Premium subscribers should email populararchaeology@gmail.com and request the special coupon code. Or, for the e-Book version, it can be purchased for only $3.99 at Amazon.com.