A scientific discovery has unveiled one of history’s greatest enigmas: the origin of Italo-Celtic and Graeco-Armenian languages, fundamental pillars of Mediterranean civilizations. An international team of geneticists and archaeologists has reconstructed the migration patterns and cultural blending that gave rise to these significant linguistic families. The research, recently published on the preprint server bioRxiv, sequenced […]
Europe
Posted inArchaeology, Prehistory
Genome of the Oldest Modern Humans in Europe Reveals They Belonged to the Same Family and Had Dark Skin and Hair
An international team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology has sequenced the oldest known genomes of modern humans. These belong to seven individuals who lived between 42,000 and 49,000 years ago in the regions of Ranis, Germany, and Zlatý kůň, Czechia. The findings offer a unique insight into early human migrations […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Remains of a Family from the Enigmatic Prehistoric Culture That Left No Tombs and Burned Their Cities Reveal They Ate Cereals and Practiced Dental Hygiene
Between 4200 and 3600 BC, in the territories that today correspond to Moldova and Ukraine, the impressive mega-settlements of the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture emerged, considered among the earliest and largest urban concentrations of prehistoric Europe. These settlements, which could house up to 15,000 inhabitants, have intrigued archaeologists for decades, especially because of their habit of cyclically […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
A New Archaeological Approach Explains the Rise of the Enigmatic Prehistoric Culture That Cyclically Burned Its Villages
Archaeology, the discipline that deciphers the remnants of human history, often focuses on interpreting material objects such as ceramic fragments, structural remains, and bones. However, understanding the complex social dynamics, ideas, and emotions of ancient peoples requires more abstract tools. This is where philosophical concepts come into play. While traditionally confined to theoretical debates, they […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Neolithic Societies of Central Europe Had a Surprising Degree of Social Equality and Individual Freedom
The most recent genetic research has revolutionized our understanding of Neolithic societies, revealing a more complex and diverse landscape than traditionally conceived. Studies conducted by an interdisciplinary team from the universities of York, Vienna, and Harvard have shown that these communities were not only marked by mobility and interconnectedness but also by a surprising degree […]
Posted inPrehistory
Enigmatic Tablets: The Small Artifacts from the Bronze Age Found Across Central Europe That No One Knows the Purpose Of
The enigmatic tablets, the subject of intense study by archaeologists throughout Europe, are small artifacts made of terracotta or stone dating back to the Bronze Age, specifically between 2100 and 1400 BCE. These mysterious objects have been found since the second half of the 19th century at various archaeological sites across the continent, primarily in […]
Posted inModern Era
The Spread of Ideas Thanks to the Printing Press Boosted the Witch Hunt in Central Europe
A recent historical study, published in the journal Theory and Society, seeks to explain one of the darkest and most enigmatic episodes of early modern Europe: the great witch hunt. Researchers have discovered that the expansion of persecutions between the 15th and 17th centuries was closely linked to the spread of ideas through the printing […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Genetic Analysis Reveals Post-Roman Elites United to Form Lineages and Power Groups across Europe
Recent genetic research led by Krishna Veeramah, an associate professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University, has shed new light on the social dynamics and community formation in post-Roman Europe. This international study of ancient DNA provides vital insights into how early medieval elites in Europe, composed initially of several […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
Market economy has existed for at least 3500 years, and predates any form of state
Market economies have been a driving force in human society for at least 3,500 years, predating even the earliest forms of state governance. A recent study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour by archaeologists from the universities of Göttingen and Salento challenges the conventional notion that market economies are a modern innovation. By examining […]
Posted inModern Era
Latin Monetary Union, the First Attempt to Create a Supranational Currency, which Operated until after World War I
We all remember the night of December 31, 2001, because at the stroke of midnight, we not only entered another year but also adopted a new currency, the euro, and some rushed to ATMs to see and touch the freshly printed bills from the European Central Bank. The idea of an international currency unification was […]
