From the late prehistoric Jōmon culture in Japan, which extends approximately from 14,000 to 400 BCE, numerous small humanoid figurines have been found, known as dogū (literally, clay figure). They have been discovered throughout the country except in Okinawa Prefecture, and they all share a similar style, ranging in size from 10 to 30 centimeters, […]
Prehistory
Posted inPrehistory, Stone Age Archaeology
A Matriarchal Society Existed in Çatalhöyük During the Neolithic More Than 10,000 Years Ago, Researchers Find
On the Anatolian plains, more than ten thousand years ago, one of humanity’s first major farming communities flourished, burying its dead beneath the floors of its homes. Now, two recently published studies based on the genetic analysis of 131 individuals and the skeletal remains of 395 reveal that this Neolithic society, which thrived between 9000 […]
Posted inArt, Prehistory
The Prehistoric Stepped Pyramid of Monte d’Accoddi in Sardinia, Built a Millennium Before Egypt’s Pyramids
In 1954, a curious structure was discovered in the northwest of the island of Sardinia, near the town of Porto Torres: a massive stone platform whose oldest parts date from around 4000–3650 BCE, that is, earlier than, for example, Stonehenge, and approximately a thousand years older than the pyramids of Egypt. Not surprisingly, it is […]
Posted inPrehistory, Science
The longest prehistoric journey undertaken by humans lasted thousands of years and spanned several generations
An international team of scientists has managed to reconstruct the longest prehistoric journey ever undertaken by humans, carried out by the first Asians as they embarked on a journey of more than 20,000 kilometers on foot that took them from northern Asia to the southernmost tip of South America. The research, published in the journal […]
Posted inArt, Prehistory
New Dating Confirms That Realistic Figures and Abstract Symbols Coexisted in Altamira from Very Early Stages
A recent study on the cave paintings of the Altamira Cave in Santillana del Mar, Cantabria (Spain) has concluded that some of the artworks it contains could be much older than previously believed, dating back more than 30,000 years. Although the cave was discovered more than 140 years ago, the exact chronology of the artworks […]
Posted inPrehistory, Science
Dry storms triggered by changes in solar radiation caused massive wildfires 8,200 years ago that spurred the birth of agriculture
A study led by Professor Amos Frumkin of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem sheds new light on one of humanity’s most significant turning points: the Neolithic Revolution. Published in the Journal of Soils and Sediments, the research presents compelling evidence that catastrophic wildfires and soil erosion, driven by natural climate changes, may have triggered the […]
Posted inPrehistory, Science
How European Hunter-Gatherers Survived Climate Change 12,000 Years Ago
A new archaeological investigation led by the University of Cologne has revealed how hunter-gatherer populations in Europe faced an extreme climate event over twelve millennia ago. And what scientists found could change our understanding of human adaptation in times of crisis. During the Late Paleolithic, a period that spans approximately from 14,000 to 11,600 years […]
Posted inArt, Prehistory
The Adorant: The Ice Age Sculpture That Is the Oldest Figurative Representation of a Constellation
In the Geißenklösterle cave, located in the Swabian Jura near Blaubeuren, Germany, an exceptional piece of prehistoric art was discovered in 1979: a carved mammoth ivory plaque, dated between 35,000 and 32,000 years ago. Known as The Adorant (Der Adorant), this small work of art from the Upper Paleolithic is one of the most striking […]
Posted inPrehistory, Science
A Human Lineage Lived Isolated in the Center of the Sahara When It Was a Green Area 7,000 Years Ago
Recent research has revealed surprising details about the prehistoric population of North Africa thanks to the genetic analysis of two individuals naturally mummified more than 7,000 years ago in the Takarkori rock shelter, in present-day southern Libya. During the African Humid Period, also known as the Green Sahara, this region was inhabited by a human […]
Posted inArt, Prehistory
Messengers Between Worlds in the Depths of Caves: Children Also Participated in the Creation of Prehistoric Art
Rock art is one of the most fascinating legacies of prehistoric societies. In caves in France and Spain, paintings up to 40,000 years old have been discovered, many of them in hard-to-reach areas and in conditions that we would today consider extreme. However, one aspect that has intrigued researchers is the presence of children in […]
