Archaeologists Find 40 Beheaded Roman Skeletons With Skulls Between Their Legs (ScienceAlert 06/02/22)
About 40 beheaded skeletons were among 425 bodies found in a late Roman cemetery uncovered by archeologists in southern England
Prehistoric human vertebra discovered in the Jordan Valley tells the story of migration from Africa (Phys.org 02/02/22)
A new study led by researchers from Bar-Ilan University, Ono Academic College, The University of Tulsa and the Israel Antiquities Authority presents a 1.5 million-year-old human vertebra discovered in Israel’s Jordan Valley
Early humans placed hearth at optimal location in caves, for maximum benefit and minimum smoke exposure (Phys.org 01/02/22)
The researchers discovered that the early humans who occupied the cave had placed their hearth at the optimal location—enabling maximum utilization of the fire for their activities and needs while exposing them to a minimal amount of smoke
More than 18,000 pot sherds document life in ancient Egypt (Phys.org 31/01/22)
Egyptologists have recovered more than 18,000 inscribed sherds in ancient Athribis—the remains of vessels and jars that served as writing material some 2,000 years ago
Researchers discover locations of ancient Maya sacred groves of cacao trees (EurekAlert 31/01/22)
Findings show links among cacao cultivation, religion and power in region
Ice-age remains near Sea of Galilee show ancient residents thrived as ice melted (Phys.org 26/01/22)
A new article published today in PLOS ONE by a Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)’s Institute of Archaeology team and colleagues focused on the remains of a previously submerged fisher-hunter-gatherer camp on the shores of the Sea of Galilee from around 23,000 years ago
Human ancestor Homo erectus probably wasn’t the carnivore we thought (National History Museum, London 24/01/22)
The development of early human ancestors may not have been the result of a high meat diet
Lunch Break Science #38 | Brenda Bradley
Lunch Break Science is a weekly online series featuring short lectures or interviews with Leakey Foundation scientists Meet Leakey Foundation grantee Brenda Bradley
Tracing the origins of plants in West African cuisine (Phys.org 17/01/22)
A team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, in co-operation with colleagues from Goethe University, Frankfurt, has uncovered the first insights into the origins of West African plant-based cuisine, locked inside pottery fragments dating back some 3,500 years ago
Earliest-known Human Engineered Hybrid Animals Identified in Mesopotamia (Ancient Origins 15/01/22)
A super-powerful animal known as the ‘kunga’ was the first-known human-engineered hybrid of two animal species, reports a new study published in Science Advances . The researchers conducted a genome-sequencing study on equine skeletons found at a 4,500-year-old burial site at Umm el-Marra in northern Syria. The results of their study indicate the skeletons belonged to kungas, a…
European archaeologists back in Iraq after years of war (Phys.org 12/01/22)
After war and insurgency kept them away from Iraq for decades, European archaeologists are making an enthusiastic return in search of millennia-old cultural treasures
Ancient Mesopotamian discovery transforms knowledge of early farming (Phys.org 11/01/22)
Rutgers researchers have unearthed the earliest definitive evidence of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) in ancient Iraq, challenging our understanding of humanity’s earliest agricultural practices