Tag

Archaeology

All articles tagged with #archaeology

science10 hours ago•90 min saved

600-year-old Ming dynasty tools reveal earliest topical anesthetic from wolfsbane

Researchers analyzing two Ming dynasty iron surgical tools from the Xia Quan tomb in Jiangyin found residue containing aconitine, a highly toxic alkaloid from wolfsbane, detected with Raman spectroscopy and linked to a topical anesthetic prepared for minor surgeries after detoxification (likely with urine, vinegar, or similar substances). This marks the first direct chemical evidence of an anesthetic on ancient surgical instruments in Ming China.

via Live Science|

#aconitine #archaeology #ming-dynasty

archaeology19 hours ago•26 min saved

Ancient 430,000-Year-Old Wooden Digging Stick Found in Greece Rewrites Prehistoric Tool History

Archaeologists at Marathousa 1 in southern Greece unearthed two wooden tools dating to about 430,000 years ago, including an 81 cm alder digging stick—the oldest handheld wooden tool known—suggesting Homo heidelbergensis or early Neanderthals used wood alongside stone tools in a glacial lakeshore habitat and expanding our view of early technology.

via ZME Science|

#archaeology #homo-heidelbergensis #neanderthal

archaeology1 day ago•5 min saved

2,300-Year-Old Qin Beer Survives in Sealed Bronze Bottle, Revealing Ancient Brewing

Archaeologists excavating Tomb M39 at the Shanjiabao cemetery near the Qin Great Wall found a sealed bronze bottle containing what appears to be beer dating 2,300–2,800 years old; chemical analysis revealed more than 2,400 organic compounds and thousands of yeast cells, suggesting a sophisticated beer recipe using proso millet, wheat or barley, and flavoring ingredients, produced by Qin brewers; the beverage was preserved by a double-layer sealing method, indicating advanced preservation as well as brewing accessible to non-elites.

via Indian Defence Review|

#ancient-brewing #archaeology #beer

archaeology1 day ago•15 min saved

Ancient Ethiopian bones hint at oldest known human cremation

Fossils from Ethiopia's Afar Rift show burning traces on Homo sapiens bones dating around 100,000 years ago, possibly the oldest evidence of cremation and suggesting varied postmortem practices among early humans.

via Archaeology News Online Magazine|

#afar-rift #archaeology #cremation

science3 days ago•8 min saved

Ice-Age Tools in China Reframe Early Human Creativity

At Lingjing in central China, researchers uncovered deliberately crafted stone cores used to butcher game, showing planning and complex tool design by Homo juluensis. New uranium-thorium dating of calcite crystals inside a deer bone pushes the site's age to about 146,000 years, roughly 20,000 years older than previous estimates. This places sophisticated East Asian technology in a harsh ice-age context and suggests creativity and cognitive planning were already present under severe conditions, challenging the view that such innovation only arose in warmer times.

via SciTechDaily|

#archaeology #humanevolution #iceage

archaeology4 days ago•59 min saved

Embrace in stone: ancient DNA confirms Poland's first medieval same-sex burial

DNA analysis of two 800-year-old skeletons from Opole Cathedral reveals both were female and not closely related, marking Poland's first genetically confirmed medieval same-sex double burial; their intertwined graves suggest simultaneous interment and raise questions about their relationship, with researchers noting that social bonds beyond marriage—perhaps kinship or shared life—could explain the burial while future studies may show whether such cases were rare or part of a broader pattern.

via Live Science|

#ancient-dna #archaeology #burial-practices

archaeology4 days ago•88 min saved

Arctic whalemen's bones reveal brutal life and scurvy at Corpse Point

Archaeologists studying 20 burials at Likneset (Corpse Point) on Svalbard uncover evidence that 17th–18th‑century Arctic whalers endured brutal manual labor and widespread scurvy, with pipe smoking possibly accelerating health decline; the site’s permafrost preservation is eroding due to climate warming, threatening future research.

via Live Science|

#archaeology #likneset #permafrost

history5 days ago•3 min saved

A 700-Year-Old Wax Notebook Emerges From a Paderborn Latrine, Still Legible

Archaeologists in Paderborn unearthed an exceptionally well-preserved 700–800-year-old leather notebook from a latrine. The tiny book uses wax-coated pages that could be etched and erased, making it a reusable record-keeping tool likely owned by a privileged 13th–14th-century individual, perhaps a merchant. The find came with silk scraps thought to be toilet paper, and researchers plan noninvasive scans to read its Latin contents, which promise insights into medieval life and writing practices.

via Gizmodo|

#archaeology #germany #history

archaeology5 days ago•7 min saved

High-Altitude Pyrenean Cave Reveals Early Copper Processing Across Millennia

Archaeologists excavating Cave 338 in the eastern Pyrenees uncovered 23 hearths with crushed green mineral fragments resembling malachite, indicating deliberate copper processing at a high-altitude site used repeatedly over about 2,000 years. The stratigraphy includes a 6,000-year-old oldest layer and layers dated roughly 5,500–4,000 years ago and ~3,000 years ago, along with human remains and pendants, suggesting possible burial or ritual use. The findings challenge the notion that high mountains were only marginal habitats for prehistoric peoples, and researchers plan further work to confirm malachite’s source and deepen the site’s chronology.

via SciTechDaily|

#archaeology #copper-processing #cova-338

archaeology6 days ago•5 min saved

Spain’s Intact Stegosaur Skull Forces a New Dawn in Dinosaur Evolution

Spanish paleontologists describe MAP-9029, the most complete stegosaur skull from Europe, attributed to Dacentrurus armatus, revealing a unique supraoccipital orientation and prompting a new Neostegosauria-based framework that reshapes stegosaur evolution across continents.

via Indian Defence Review|

#archaeology #dinosaurs #paleontology

archaeology6 days ago•5 min saved

Laos' Giant Jars Unveil Multigenerational Burials and Hidden Trade Links

Excavation of a large stone jar at Site 75 on Laos’ Plain of Jars uncovered the remains of about 37 individuals, dating to 9th–12th centuries, indicating secondary interment and multigenerational mortuary use rather than a single burial. The find included grave goods such as beads from South India and Mesopotamia, suggesting long-distance trading connections; some remains show signs of cremation. The research proposes that smaller jars housed initial decomposition before bones were moved to larger jars, hinting at a lifecycle of mortuary rites across generations, though researchers caution that practices varied locally across Laos.

via ScienceAlert|

#archaeology #laos #mortuary-practices

archaeology7 days ago•5 min saved

Ancient Mongolian Trackway Rediscovered, Revealing 31 Giant Dinosaur Footprints

Rediscovered in northern Mongolia, a 120-million-year-old tracksite in the Shinekhudag Formation preserves 31 footprints—two parallel sauropod trackways suggesting herd movement and five theropod tracks—indicating large predators converged at a drying lake edge; first noted in 1950 but lost for decades, the site could yield bones nearby and helps fill gaps in Mongolia’s early Cretaceous dinosaur record.

via Indian Defence Review|

#archaeology #dinosaurs #early-cretaceous

science8 days ago•7 min saved

Backroom Discoveries: Museums Unveil New Scientific Insights

A ScienceAlert feature shows how stored museum collections continue to fuel science, with discoveries like 19,000–14,000-year-old whale-bone tools from Magdalenian Europe; the Villena Treasure’s meteoritic iron pieces; interior Alaska bones revealing two whales rather than a mammoth; Darwin specimens’ fluids being identified with laser analysis; opalized fossils from Australia revealing a multi-species dinosaur assemblage named Fostoria dhimbangunmal; and the Burgess Shale Stanleycaris hirpex brain preserving new details about arthropod evolution—proving that revisiting old collections with modern techniques can yield new knowledge.

via ScienceAlert|

#archaeology #meteoritic-iron #museums

science8 days ago•6 min saved

2,200-Year-Old Celtic Trade Hub Unearthed Under Czech Highway

Construction workers near Hradec Králové uncovered a 2,200-year-old Celtic settlement along the Amber Trail during a highway survey, revealing hundreds of gold and silver coins, jewelry, amber beads, and production workshops across about 62 acres. Archaeologists say it was a major supra-regional trade and production center, not a fortified site, dating to the La Tène period and declining in the 1st century B.C. with no signs of violent destruction. The find is among the Czech Republic’s largest Celtic discoveries and will be studied by the University of Hradec Králové and partners.

via Indian Defence Review|

#archaeology #baltic-amber #celts

culture8 days ago•10 min saved

Muck uncovers 800-year-old merchant’s notebook in a German latrine

Archaeologists in Paderborn, Germany recovered a 700–800-year-old leather-bound notebook preserved in damp soil inside a latrine. The Latin text on ten pages, written as a wax tablet, suggests it was used as a reusable notebook by a literate merchant to record transactions; eight pages are double-sided, and a transcription is underway.

via Interesting Engineering|

#archaeology #culture #germany