Anthropology.net

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

Tools as a Catalyst for Evolution The ability to create and use tools is a hallmark of human evolution. A groundbreaking study by researchers from the University of Tübingen, led by Dr. Alexandros Karakostis, provides fresh insights into how changes in brain function enabled early humans to wield tools with precision.

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Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Researchers from the ROOTS Cluster of Excellence at Kiel University have introduced a groundbreaking way 1 to apply modern philosophical concepts, like the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI), to ancient societies, offering fresh perspectives on how and why these communities thrived.

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Anthropology.net

NOVEMBER 23, 2024

This discovery not only predates the arrival of modern humans ( Homo sapiens ) in the region by 20,000 years but also highlights the Neanderthals' sophisticated engineering and teamwork. Evidence of Experimental Archaeology To confirm their hypotheses, the researchers recreated the Neanderthal hearth. inches deep. . 1 Ochando, J.,

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Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 19, 2024

But recent archaeological findings reveal that even domestic livestock were transformed to project power and control. Credit: Journal of Archaeological Science (2024). Journal of African Archaeology , 13(2), 187-206. Journal of Archaeological Science , 172 (106104), 106104. DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2024.106104

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Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Moreover, this finding contributes to a broader narrative that places Neanderthals as active participants in the cultural evolution of early humans. Their ability to develop and share complex technologies like tar-making illustrates their pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of human development. A., & Langejans, G. Leierer, L.,

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Anthropology.net

OCTOBER 31, 2024

Reprinted under a CC BY license, with permission from AFALULA-RCU-CNRS, 2024. 2024, PLOS ONE , CC-BY 4.0 Future archaeological work may reveal more about the timing and extent of urbanization in this region and its unique trajectory. 3D virtual reconstruction of the Bronze Age site of al-Natah. Credit: Charloux et al.,

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Anthropology.net

OCTOBER 29, 2024

Photo by Marcello Canuto) The Power of Lidar in Archaeology Lidar, a laser-based detection system, allows archaeologists to scan landscapes by sending thousands of laser pulses per second and mapping the terrain based on how these pulses reflect off surfaces. 1 Auld-Thomas, L., Canuto, M. Morlet, A. Estrada-Belli, F., Chatelain, D.,

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Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 4, 2024

But how did ancient humans experience and describe these feelings? By analyzing one million words of Akkadian cuneiform, researchers unearthed fascinating connections between emotional states and specific body parts, offering fresh insights into human emotional experience through time. Credit: Modern/PNAS: Lauri Nummenmaa et al.,

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Anthropology.net

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

The Ancient Artistry of Ochre Mining in Eswatini The Lion Cavern at Ngwenya, Eswatini, holds groundbreaking evidence 1 of humanity's earliest intensive ochre mining practices, dating back 48,000 years. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating methods confirmed its use as the world’s oldest ochre mine.

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Anthropology.net

APRIL 3, 2025

The end of the last Ice Age, spanning approximately 14,000 to 11,600 years ago, was a period of significant climatic fluctuations that profoundly influenced human populations in Europe. Humans during the Final Paleolithic apparently responded by migrating to more favorable areas."​ DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310942

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Anthropology.net

JULY 30, 2024

The deserts of northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula have long been the focus of archaeological research, revealing their roles as cradles of early human civilization and migration routes through so-called “green corridors.” The Narabeb site showing location of former lake. Middle Stone Age lithics from Narabeb.

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Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

A new study published in the Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 1 has upended this assumption. Neanderthals vs. Modern Humans: Who Made What? Meanwhile, the Uluzzian industry has long been associated with modern humans. This has implications for how we view the spread of modern human culture. But do they? 4b) Core. (5,

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Anthropology.net

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

Although some archaeological studies propose that spindle whorls made of bone or antler existed around 20,000 years ago, they were likely decorative rather than functional for spinning. “It really changes the way you think about your archaeological finds.” “Whorls probably helped lead to those inventions.”

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Anthropology.net

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

Credit: Science (2024). In contrast, modern shrub density in some forests is now higher than it was 130,000–115,000 years ago—a period with a similar climate to today’s but without human intervention. ladder fuels). 1 Mariani, M., Herbert, A., Adeleye, M., Florin, S. Kershaw, P., Theuerkauf, M., Stevenson, J.,

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Anthropology.net

MAY 1, 2025

in April 2024. ” The Collapse That Wasn’t Archaeological theories have long held that Chaco Canyon’s abandonment around 1150 CE led to the region being vacated. Pueblo Bonito, the largest archaeological site at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, is seen in northwestern New Mexico, on Aug. 28, 2021.

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Anthropology.net

MARCH 6, 2025

For centuries, our understanding of early irrigation in Mesopotamia has relied largely on indirect evidence, such as cuneiform texts and archaeological remains of later canal networks. This is a rare case where nature has preserved a vital piece of human history. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 31 , 1062–101.

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Anthropology.net

JANUARY 8, 2025

A recent study sheds new light on its human history, highlighting the deep impact of migrations from New Guinea into this region approximately 3,500 years ago. Challenges of Deciphering Human Migrations Studying Wallacea’s genetic history isn’t without its challenges. Human Biology , 83(4), 587–607. Kealy, S.,

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Anthropology.net

MAY 2, 2025

Tracing Human Movement Across the Iranian Heartland In the northern reaches of Iran’s Central Desert, nestled between the rugged Alborz Mountains and the flat, wind-worn claylands to the south, archaeologists have uncovered eight scattered landscapes rich in Paleolithic stone tools. However, the archaeological material is surface-level.

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Anthropology.net

MARCH 25, 2025

The results challenge long-held assumptions about how early humans controlled tool shape and suggest that the differences in Levallois core designs may be more influenced by cultural traditions than previously thought​ Why Levallois Technology Matters Levallois technology represents a milestone in human cognitive and technological evolution.

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Society for Classical Studies

OCTOBER 1, 2024

NEH Grantees: August 2024 kskordal Tue, 10/01/2024 - 14:52 Image Congratulations to the following National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Grantees, announced in August 2024, for their project in classical studies and adjacent fields: Caitlín Barrett and Kathryn Gleason (Cornell University): Toward an Archaeology of Lived Experience: Modeling Embodied (..)

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Anthropology.net

SEPTEMBER 7, 2024

The interbreeding of Homo sapiens and Neanderthals is a well-established fact, revealing a fascinating chapter in human evolution. This research has pinpointed the Zagros Mountains, a significant mountain range on the Persian Plateau, as a key region where these two human species overlapped.

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Anthropology.net

JULY 18, 2024

Cut marks on ancient fossils have been identified as evidence of human exploitation of large mammals in Argentina more than 20,000 years ago, according to a study published on July 17, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE 1 by Mariano Del Papa of the National University of La Plata, Argentina, and his colleagues.

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APRIL 23, 2025

I was trying to understand how humans and wildlifeparticularly javelinaslive together in messy, contested landscapes, shaped as much by perception and politics as by biology. Instead, Jon turned his deep grounding in genetics into a sharp critique of how science makes claims about human difference. By the time I left for a Ph.D.

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Anthropology.net

SEPTEMBER 21, 2024

A new study 1 challenges long-held beliefs about the origins of horseback riding, casting doubt on the Kurgan hypothesis, which claims that humans first began domesticating horses as early as the fourth millennium B.C. Horseback riding can indeed leave subtle marks on the human body. Can Horseback Riding Change Your Skeleton?

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Anthropology.net

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

A groundbreaking study 1 of ancient human DNA from the Oakhurst rock shelter in South Africa is shedding new light on population history in one of the world’s earliest regions of modern human activity. It contained more than 40 human graves and preserved layers of human artifacts, such as stone tools, going back 12,000 years.”

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Anthropology.net

MAY 1, 2025

The Bone Archive of Human History If genes are blueprints, skulls are blueprints weathered by time. Yet the ancient record, preserved in bone, reminds us that the human face has always been a product of history—a moving target shaped by who we are, what we eat, and where we go. Related Research Olalde, I., link] Lazaridis, I.,

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Anthropology.net

AUGUST 26, 2024

Recent archaeological findings 1 in West Papua have unveiled new insights into one of the most significant migrations in human history—the journey of early Homo sapiens into the Pacific Islands. This site, rich in archaeological deposits, provided a window into the lives of the early humans who inhabited the region.

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Anthropology.net

APRIL 29, 2025

While the southern lowlands began to host reindeer hunters and mobile foragers, the highlands and islands of Scotland remained largely uncharted in the archaeological record. Evidence has trickled in from sites in Yorkshire and Kent, but Skye, until now, was off the archaeological map. Hardy et al., Hardy et al.,

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Anthropology.net

JANUARY 28, 2024

Reassessing long-standing assumptions about early human diets, recent archaeological findings 1 from burial sites in the Peruvian Andes between 9,000 and 6,500 years ago suggest a surprising narrative. Human remains from Peru's Wilamaya Patjxa site reveal that ancient Andean diets were predominantly plant-based. 1 Chen, J.

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Anthropology.net

SEPTEMBER 4, 2024

Researchers have developed an innovative population model 1 that sheds new light on the complex dynamics of human dispersal across Europe during the Aurignacian period, approximately 43,000 to 32,000 years ago. By examining these factors, the researchers have identified four distinct phases in the process of human settlement across Europe.

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Anthropology.net

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Archaeological discoveries in East Timor’s Laili rock shelter have unveiled evidence 1 of ancient human habitation dating back approximately 44,000 years. Excavations revealed thousands of stone artifacts and animal bones, indicating human presence approximately 44,000 years ago.

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Anthropology.net

OCTOBER 11, 2024

Recent archaeological studies in Sicily reveal crucial information about early human migration into the Mediterranean islands. This research offers fresh perspectives on the expansion routes and adaptive behaviors of early human communities. These sites are believed to contain sediments with significant archaeological potential.

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Anthropology.net

MAY 2, 2025

Rethinking the Archaeology of Contact For decades, the presence or absence of European trade goods—glass beads, iron knives, brass kettles—has guided archaeologists in determining whether a North American Indigenous site was occupied before or after European contact. If European objects were found, the site was “historic.”

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Anthropology.net

MARCH 10, 2025

“Even when they pass on, you still respect and honor them as non-human relatives. In a new paper published in Advances in Archaeological Practice 1 , Ward and his colleagues are calling for museums to take a more ethical, culturally informed approach to caring for the bones of animals, particularly those tied to Indigenous traditions.

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Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

The Ancient Hearths of Fuente del Salín Fire has long been a cornerstone of human existence, providing warmth, protection, and a means to cook food. The Gravettian mastery of fire provides a glimpse into the complexity of their cultural traditions, reshaping our understanding of how early humans structured their lives.

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Anthropology.net

MAY 6, 2025

In a recent study presented at the Society for American Archaeology’s 2024 annual meeting and detailed in the newly published book Maya Blue (University Press of Colorado), anthropologist Dean Arnold proposes a second, previously undocumented method. Related Research Arnold, D. University Press of Colorado. link] Chiari, G.,

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Anthropology.net

JUNE 28, 2024

Photograph: Nikola Solic/Reuters Discovery and Significance The fossil in question was excavated in 1989 at the Cova Negra archaeological site in Valencia, Spain. This finding underscores the importance of understanding the compassionate and collaborative nature of Neanderthal societies, shedding light on the broader story of human evolution.

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