Posted inMedieval Archaeology

Enigmatic Rock-Cut Architecture of Zoroastrian Origin Discovered in Madagascar

An international team of researchers has made a surprising archaeological discovery in the heart of Madagascar that could rewrite the history of the island’s settlement and its connections with distant civilizations. In Teniky, a site located in the remote Isalo Massif in southern Madagascar, they have found an enigmatic rock-cut architecture that has no parallels […]

Posted inStone Age Archaeology

The Zagros Mountains were the place where Neanderthals and modern humans interbred

An international team of researchers has used innovative ecological modeling techniques to identify, for the first time, the possible geographical areas where Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans might have encountered and interbred tens of thousands of years ago. The study, recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, highlights the crucial role played by certain geographical […]

Posted inBronze Age Archaeology

Oldest Lipstick Discovered in a Small Bronze Age Vial

A small vial of red cosmetic preparation was found among numerous looted and recovered artifacts in the Jiroft region of Kerman province, southeast Iran. It contains a dark red preparation that is likely a lipstick or lip paste. Analysis identified the mineral components of the reddish substance as hematite, darkened with manganite and braunite, and […]

Posted inStone Age Archaeology

Early Paleolithic humans ate roasted tortoises, among other things

Recent archaeological discoveries are providing new insights into what early humans ate thousands of years ago. Scientists have found evidence that Middle Paleolithic humans, who lived between 81,000-45,000 years ago, had a more varied diet than previously thought. Analysis of a site in the Zagros Mountains of Iran reveals they hunted not just large grazing […]