Category: Arch/ Anthro
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Oldest ever Homo sapiens footprint is found, pushing the record back by 30,000 years
The oldest known footprint of our species, lightly ringed with chalk. It appears long and narrow because the trackmaker dragged their heel. Credit: Charles Helm Just over two decades ago, as the new millennium began, it seemed that tracks left by our ancient human ancestors dating back more than about 50,000 years were excessively rare.…
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A rare glimpse of our first ancestors in mainland Southeast Asia
Looking back at the entrance of Tam Pà Ling cave from the cave floor. The excavation pit is to the left of this location. Credit: Copyright Kira Westaway (Macquarie University) What connects a fossil found in a cave in northern Laos with stone tools made in north Australia? The answer is, we do. When our…
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Using high-tech laser gear, UN-backed team scans Ukraine historical sites to preserve them amid war
Volunteers Emmanuel Durand, left, and Serhii Revenko set up a high-tech scanner at the All Saints Church at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, June 11, 2023. Using high-tech laser gear, a United Nations-backed team is scanning Ukraine historical sites to preserve them amid Russia’s war on the country. Credit: AP Photo/Jon Gambrell Under…
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Using AI apps to find Nasca geoglyphs
Four new Nasca geoglyphs identified by Deep Learning. (A) A humanoid, relief-type. (B) A pair of legs, line-type. (C) A fish, relief-type. (D) A bird, line-type. (B to D) are presented to the public for the first time in this paper. Credit: Journal of Archaeological Science (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2023.105777 A team of archaeologists from Yamagata…
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Walls along River Nile reveal ancient form of hydraulic engineering
Credit: University of Manchester An international team of researchers who discovered a vast network of stone walls along the River Nile in Egypt and Sudan say these massive “river groins” reveal an exceptionally long-lived form of hydraulic engineering in the Nile Valley, and shed light on connections between ancient Nubia and Egypt. The findings of…
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Golden eagle pin found in Bronze Age burial | HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from Cotswold archaeology have uncovered a pin made from a golden eagle’s phalanx during excavations of a Bronze Age burial in Oxfordshire, England. The discovery was made during excavations on the site of the A40 Science Transit park & ride at Eynsham for Balfour Beatty, acting on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council. The team…
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Microscopic evidence of malaria in the Medici era
Tissue from one of the Medici embalming vessels was subjected to microscopic and molecular analysis. Credit: Eurac Research Malaria was common in Renaissance Italy. The disease was known as “Febbre terzana” at the time as an onset of the fever occurred in intervals of two to three days. A research team led by Eurac Research…
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Viking Age phallic stone found in Sweden | HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from Uppdrag Arkeologi have uncovered a phallic stone during excavations of Viking Age burials and dwellings from the Iron Age. The discovery was made during preliminary excavations for the construction of the Ostlänken Railway Project in Tystberga, Södermanland County, Sweden. According to Rebecka Jonsson, an archaeologist from Uppdrag Arkeologi, many similar examples have been…
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Small-brained ancient human cousins may have buried their dead, according to a surprising study
In this photo provided by National Geographic, researchers lay out fossils of Homo naledi at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Evolutionary Studies Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2014. The new species of human relative was discovered by a team led by National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Lee Berger of the University of the Witwatersrand deep inside…
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An old perfume bottle reveals what some ancient Romans smelled like
A surprisingly well-preserved perfume bottle is providing a rare olfactory window to ancient Rome — and letting in a familiar smell. Chemical analyses of the contents of a 2,000-year-old bottle reveal that one of its ingredients was patchouli, researchers report May 23 in Heritage. The earthy scent is a staple in modern perfumes, but its…