While scientists and historians have long surmised that etchings on stones and bones have been used as a form of symbolism dating back as early as the Middle Paleolithic period (250,000-45,000 BCE), findings to support that theory are extremely rare.
Ancient tools that once belonged to prehistoric civilizations have been found all over the world, but a discovery in Spain is unlike those traditionally made of stone or flint.
Sometime toward the end of the last ice age, a group of humans armed with stone-tipped spears stalked their prey in the bitter cold of northeastern Siberia, tracking bison and woolly mammoths across a vast, grassy landscape.
Elk teeth pendants may have been the jewelry of choice for at least one Stone Age group that lived 8,200 years ago.
Lunch Break Science is a weekly online series featuring short lectures or interviews with Leakey Foundation scientists Lunch Break Science #18| Amy Lu Meet Leakey Foundation grantee Amy Lu and learn about the effect of takeovers on gelada health and fitness
Tel Aviv University researchers solve mystery of sharp-edged devices, found in many areas and known to have been in use for over 2 million years.
Early Bronze Age cultures traded in bronze objects of standardized weight.
The dog, outfitted in a collar with a bell, was placed next to the 1-year-old’s feet.
Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities has revealed details of the latest landmark discoveries to emerge from the Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo. The vast burial grounds sit in what was once Memphis, the capital of ancient Egypt. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to more than a dozen pyramids, including Egypt’s oldest, the Pyramid of Djoser.
Archaeologists have discovered the world’s oldest known animal cave painting in Indonesia – a wild pig – believed to be drawn 45,500 years ago.
Fieldwork led by Dr. Eleanor Scerri, head of the Pan-African Evolution Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany and Dr. Khady Niang of the University of Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal, has documented the youngest known occurrence of the Middle Stone Age.
The ability to adapt to changing environments has deep roots. In a technology-driven world, people tend to conflate adaptability with technological change, especially when it comes to navigating adverse climates and places. But not every technological revolution is a result of environmental change.