Tag

Prehistoric Europe

All articles tagged with #prehistoric europe

science1 month ago•6 min saved

Paris-Area Megalithic Tomb Reveals 5,000-Year Population Turnover

Ancient DNA from 132 individuals buried in a Paris-area megalith shows a near-total population replacement around 3000 BC, with earlier Stone Age farming ancestry replaced by newcomers linked to southern France and Iberia. Pathogen signals (including plague and relapsing fever) suggest disease pressures contributed, but were not the sole cause; environmental stress and other disruptions likely played a role. The finding fits a broader European pattern of decline and corresponds to shifts in social organization and migrations across prehistoric Europe.

via Indian Defence Review|

#ancient-dna #megalithic-tomb #paris-region

archaeology2 years ago•4 min saved

"Rewriting Early Human History: Coexistence of Modern Humans and Neanderthals Revealed"

Researchers in Germany discovered bones and artifacts in a cave, leading to a reevaluation of early human history. Analysis of bone fragments revealed that Homo sapiens were present in the region 47,500 years ago, much earlier than previously thought. This challenges the belief that they only entered Europe during warmer periods. The findings also suggest that Homo sapiens coexisted with Neanderthals for thousands of years before their extinction, painting a different picture of prehistoric human migration and adaptation to cold climates.

via Business Insider|

#ancient-artifacts #archaeology #homo-sapiens

archaeology3 years ago•2 min saved

Copper Artifacts Uncover Prehistoric Global Connections.

A study by Kiel University researchers analyzed 45 copper objects from various sites dating to the 4th and 3rd millennia BC of Northern Central Europe and Southern Scandinavia. The lead isotopic signature of the copper objects was examined to link them to previously sampled sources of ore around the European continent. The data indicate that artifacts from before 3500 BC derived exclusively from mines in southeast Europe, especially Serbian mining areas, while later artifacts include ores from the eastern Alps and Slovak Mountains and, much later, potentially the British Isles. These changes in the origins and availability of copper likely reflect differences in distribution networks through time, probably influenced by changing economies, social structures, communication networks, and technologies across prehistoric Europe.

via Phys.org|

#archaeology #copper-artifacts #distribution-networks