A recent investigation has placed Orce (Baza basin, Granada, Spain) as the oldest human site in Europe, thanks to an innovative dating study based on paleomagnetism analysis. This method has been applied in a previously unsampled area of the region, protected from the erosion that has affected the basin for millennia. The technique, which is […]
Stone Age Archaeology
By exploring caves, rock shelters, open-air camps, and later permanent settlements, Stone Age archaeologists gain valuable insights into how hunter-gatherer and early farming communities organized themselves and adapted to various environments and climate changes over thousands of years. The gradual developments from simple Oldowan stone tools to complex multilayered Upper Paleolithic sites reveal the cultural and technological progress of our earliest human ancestors.
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Ancient Aboriginal Wooden Artifacts Reveal the Oldest Known Ritual, Dating Back 12,000 Years to the End of the Last Ice Age
In a historic collaboration, the GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) and researchers from Monash University have discovered evidence of ancient rituals dating back 500 generations. These findings, published in the esteemed journal Nature Human Behaviour, provide profound insights into the rich heritage of one of the world’s oldest living cultures. The archaeological excavations […]
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Neolithic Artisans of the Iberian Peninsula Created Beads That Simulated Amber
Researchers have revealed that the prehistoric communities of the Iberian Peninsula developed advanced technology to create beads that imitated amber, a precious and scarce material in antiquity. This finding, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, highlights the skill and creativity of the Iberian artisans who managed to replicate the characteristics of amber using composite […]
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Despite the Harsh Ecological Conditions, Modern Humans Occupied the Center of the Iberian Peninsula During the Upper Paleolithic
An international team of researchers, including the Institute of Archaeology of Mérida (IAM), the Archaeobotany Laboratory of the Institute of Heritage Sciences (INCIPIT-CSIC), and other institutions, has revealed new data on the settlement conditions of modern humans, known as Cro-Magnons, in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula during the Upper Paleolithic. The results of this […]
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Archaeological Discoveries in Northern Iraq Evidence the Rise of Private Property and the First City-States
Since 2015, a team of researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) has been carrying out an ambitious international archaeological research project in the historic region of Northern Mesopotamia, currently known as Iraqi Kurdistan. This area, which has been closed to international archaeological research due to complex geopolitical situations, has recently opened, allowing the […]
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Fewer than 1000 People Lived in Çatalhöyük: Researchers Reassess the Population of Neolithic Villages
A recent interdisciplinary study combining archaeology and ethnography has cast doubt on historical population estimates for Neolithic villages, specifically in Çatalhöyük, Turkey. Historically, it has been claimed that this settlement housed between 3,500 and 10,000 people. However, new research suggests that these numbers are a significant overestimation. Using a review of the distribution of residential […]
Posted inScience, Stone Age Archaeology
For 300,000 Years, Humans Dressed in Cave Bear Skins and Competed with Them for the Same Caves… Until there were None Left
Humans started using cave bear skins 320,000 years ago, and with the appearance of Homo sapiens in Europe 45,000 years ago, hunting pressure on the animal intensified until Ursus spelaeus became extinct 24,000 years ago. Standing 1.70 meters tall at the shoulder and up to 3.5 meters in length, the cave bear was much larger […]
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The Great Solar Storm of 5259 BC Precisely Dates the Prehistoric Settlement of Dispilio in Greece
Researchers from the University of Bern have achieved a groundbreaking feat by precisely dating a prehistoric agricultural settlement in northern Greece, which is over 7,000 years old. Utilizing a combination of annual growth ring measurements in wooden construction elements and a sudden spike in cosmogenic radiocarbon dating back to 5259 BC, they have provided a […]
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Archaeologists Discover Threshing Sledges were already Used in Neolithic Greece in 6500 B.C., about 3000 Years Earlier than Previously Thought
Used until a few decades ago to separate straw from grain in many Mediterranean countries, from Turkey to Spain, the threshing sledge may have appeared in Greece as early as 6500 B.C. This is affirmed by a recent study conducted by an international team of researchers, led by the University of Pisa, which, by applying […]
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Liangzhu was Built in the Late Neolithic Period with Advanced Techniques such as “Grass-wrapped Clay Blocks” and a Novel Organization of Labor
The majestic Forbidden City in Beijing astonishes its visitors with its colorful roofs and intricate wood carvings, along with its tall walls of red brick. However, beyond its impressive appearance, traditional Chinese architecture is distinguished by the predominant use of earth as the main building material and the application of various earth construction technologies. Since […]