Anthropology.net

APRIL 16, 2025

Their three-dimensional models show a planet bathed in increased ultraviolet and cosmic radiation—especially across Europe and northern Africa—at precisely the moment when Homo sapiens was expanding and Homo neanderthalensis was fading from the archaeological record. 11 ,eadq7275(2025).DOI: PNAS , 115(20), 5111–5116.

Humanities 104

Humanities Archaeology Cultures History 104

Anthropology.net

MAY 7, 2025

Flint tools left behind at the site 1 tell a story of mobility, cultural identity, and the quiet ingenuity of Upper Paleolithic peoples who refused to be hemmed in by mountains or ice. Rather than barriers, the mountains became meeting places—seasonal hubs for trade, communication, and cultural exchange.

Archaeology 76

Archaeology Artifacts Humanities Cultures 76

Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 17, 2025

Recent analysis of artifacts from two Lusatian Culture cemeteries suggests that early metallurgists were not only working with iron from terrestrial sources but also incorporating metal from ataxite meteorites—an extremely rare form of nickel-rich iron that originates in space. Journal of Archaeological Science, 92 , 30-39.

Artifacts 70

Artifacts Archaeology Cultures Tradition 70

Anthropology.net

APRIL 12, 2025

Credit: Stepanchuk and Naumenko, 2025 That age alone would be noteworthy. This may be the earliest archaeological hint of social learning in technological contexts. “That would place culture, in its earliest form, hundreds of thousands of years deeper into our past.” International Journal of Evolutionary Biology.

Humanities 87

Humanities Archaeology Artifacts Cultures 87

Anthropology.net

APRIL 14, 2025

In a sweeping new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 1 , an international team analyzed the size of more than 47,000 houses across 1,100 archaeological sites. The archaeological record, stretching across six continents and 10 millennia, shows otherwise. link] Kohler, T. Princeton University Press.

Archaeology 62

Archaeology Economics History Humanities 62

Anthropology.net

JANUARY 19, 2025

It serves as a critical archaeological site for understanding the transition from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to Neolithic agriculturalists. This nuance suggests a more varied diet than previously thought, shaped by both ecological and cultural factors. The findings also raise broader questions about cultural practices.

Archaeology 97

Archaeology Humanities Cultures Tradition 97

Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

Found in different parts of Europe, these two industries have often been grouped together as “transitional industries,” implying that they might share a common technological or cultural origin. A new study published in the Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 1 has upended this assumption. But do they? 4a) blade-like. (4b)

Artifacts 95

Artifacts Archaeology Tradition Humanities 95

Anthropology.net

JANUARY 17, 2025

The Acheulian culture, which emerged around 1.75 Using experimental archaeology, advanced 3D scanning, and photogrammetry, they recreated and analyzed the wear patterns on stone tools from Melka Wakena. ” Melka Wakena’s archaeological record offers a glimpse into these capabilities. PLOS ONE, 11 (9), e0161322.

Archaeology 105

Archaeology Artifacts Humanities Tradition 105

Anthropology.net

JANUARY 23, 2025

Hussain from the University of Cologne, drew on a vast database of archaeological findings. The ROAD database, developed by the Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans (ROCEEH) project, contains data from over 2,400 prehistoric sites across Europe, Africa, and Asia. ” Journal of Archaeological Research. 1 Baumann, C.,

Humanities 97

Humanities Archaeology Anthropology Research 97

Anthropology.net

APRIL 30, 2025

These languages, many of which still survive today, are more than means of communication—they are archaeological strata encoded in speech. ” Broader implications for archaeology and evolution The gradient model has wide implications. “And migration reshapes both.” link] Reich, D. 1 Urban, M., & Naranjo, M.

Archaeology 75

Archaeology Ancestry Archiving Artifacts 75

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.

Anthropology 86

Anthropology Archaeology Tradition Humanities 86

Anthropology.net

APRIL 2, 2025

© Archaeological Mission in the Sahara, Sapienza University of Rome By analyzing DNA from two 7,000-year-old naturally mummified individuals found in the Takarkori rock shelter of southwestern Libya, researchers have identified a genetic signature distinct from both sub-Saharan and Eurasian populations. 1 Salem, N., Sümer, A.

Ancestry 70

Ancestry Archaeology Anthropology Humanities 70

Anthropology.net

MARCH 26, 2025

Using Bayesian chronological modeling and data from over 150 archaeological sites, the study examines how two major climatic events—the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR) and the Younger Dryas (YD)—influenced early human dispersal across the continent. The modelling work (e.g., <2,5000 masl = orange. ≥2,5000 masl = blue.

Humanities 72

Humanities Archaeology Cultures Tradition 72

Anthropology.net

APRIL 23, 2025

But beneath its cracked sediment and the shifting shoreline of long-vanished lakes, archaeologists are beginning to piece together a story not just of survival—but of deep cultural adaptation. Jórdeczka in Radiocarbon (2025) DOI:10.1017/RDC.2025.4 Pottery from FV 139 B - bottom of layer 1 (0–10 cm).

Archaeology 61

Archaeology Artifacts Cultures Humanities 61

Anthropology.net

APRIL 7, 2025

These instruments, linked to the Umm an-Nar culture, provide compelling evidence of a shared musical tradition between the ancient civilizations of the Arabian Peninsula and the Indus Valley.​ Al Rahbi Music has long served as a universal language, transcending geographical and cultural boundaries. S., & Douglas, K.

Archaeology 65

Archaeology Tradition Cultures Economics 65

Anthropology.net

MAY 1, 2025

The results hint at a Europe in flux: a continent repeatedly reshaped not just by migration but by the slow churn of diet, disease, and cultural transformation. BC, without cultural affiliation, Věstonice cluster). BC, Gravettian culture). BC, Gravettian culture). BC, Magdalenian culture).

Ancestry 75

Ancestry Archiving Archaeology Anthropology 75

Anthropology.net

MARCH 5, 2025

Bone tools found in Olduvai, photographed in the Pleistocene Archaeology Lab of CSIC. Credit: CSIC This finding changes the way we think about early human cognition, technological adaptability, and cultural innovation. Bone tools found in Olduvai, photographed in the Pleistocene Archaeology Lab of CSIC. Nature (2025).

Archaeology 75

Archaeology Artifacts Humanities Tradition 75

Anthropology.net

APRIL 4, 2025

But beyond their everyday function of fastening and securing, knots hold something deeper: a story about the evolution of human cognition, the flow of culture, and the quiet persistence of shared technique across continents and millennia. Encoding Entanglement—How Math Helped Map Knots Knots rarely survive in the archaeological record.

Humanities 65

Humanities History Archaeology Ancestry 65

Anthropology.net

APRIL 17, 2025

Credit: PLOS ONE (2025). “This is the first time we’ve been able to document half a millennium of continuous, large-scale production of mollusk-based purple dye in a single place,” said Golan Shalvi, lead author of the study and director of excavations at the University of Haifa’s Zinman Institute of Archaeology.

Archaeology 52

Archaeology Artifacts Economics Cultures 52

Anthropology.net

APRIL 14, 2025

A sweeping archaeological analysis 1 led by Gary Feinman of the Field Museum of Natural History offers a strikingly different view. “The idea that big populations or new technologies automatically lead to widening inequality simply doesn’t hold up in the archaeological record.” But what if that assumption is wrong?

Humanities 58

Humanities Archaeology Economics Museum 58

Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 18, 2025

One such discovery has emerged from the archaeological site of Jebel Faya, a rock shelter nestled in the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). What Comes Next?

Humanities 52

Humanities Archaeology Anthropology Artifacts 52

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., link] 1 Hardy, K.,

Artifacts 56

Artifacts Archaeology Humanities Tradition 56

Anthropology.net

APRIL 15, 2025

Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 1 , the study draws on data from over 47,000 houses spanning nearly 3,000 archaeological sites and 10,000 years of human history. It leverages a globally compiled dataset unprecedented in archaeological scope, allowing comparisons across regions, timespans, and social structures.

Humanities 52

Humanities Archaeology Economics History 52

Anthropology.net

MARCH 10, 2025

Unlike many other archaeological sites that have been repeatedly excavated over decades, this cave has only recently been investigated systematically. Journal of Archaeological Science, Reports , 63 (105064), 105064. The radiocarbon dating places these tools firmly within the Early Epigravettian, aligning with known sites across Italy.

Archaeology 79

Archaeology K-12 Artifacts Humanities 79

Anthropology.net

MAY 6, 2025

That paradox has haunted archaeology for decades. “This is the first commodity to be exported across the entire continent in British history,” said Dr. Benjamin Roberts, associate professor of archaeology at Durham University. A Mining Culture Without Cities What makes the story more astonishing is who was doing the mining.

Archaeology 65

Archaeology Artifacts Cultures History 65

Anthropology.net

MARCH 26, 2025

Archaeology often deals with what remains—the bones, the stone tools, the charred remnants of ancient hearths. These stone grinding surfaces, found alongside rock art panels and other cultural features, are yielding the first direct evidence of plant processing in this landscape. 1 Wilks, S. Louderback, L. Simper, H.

Archaeology 71

Archaeology Humanities Research History 71

Anthropology.net

MARCH 13, 2025

A new genetic and archaeological study 1 has revealed that leopard cats ( Prionailurus bengalensis ), small wild felines native to East Asia, lived alongside people in China’s early agrarian societies for at least 3,500 years—only to disappear from human settlements centuries before the arrival of domestic cats via the Silk Road.

Archaeology 59

Archaeology Humanities Museum Geography 59

Anthropology.net

APRIL 2, 2025

The presence of this distinctive technology so far from its previously known origins raises new questions about ancient human migrations, cultural exchange, and independent innovation. If Denisovans were responsible, this would provide the first material culture directly linked to them. Independent Invention or Cultural Transmission?

Archaeology 52

Archaeology Artifacts Humanities Cultures 52

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.”

Archaeology 53

Archaeology Artifacts Humanities History 53

Anthropology.net

MARCH 10, 2025

They were the remains of animals deeply intertwined with the histories and cultures of Indigenous communities. That’s a problem, says William Taylor, curator of archaeology at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History and co-author of the study. Are they places where we treat archaeological objects as inanimate things?

Museum 52

Museum Archaeology Artifacts Anthropology 52

Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

But was its use during the Upper Paleolithic purely practical, or did it hold deeper cultural significance? The research, published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 1 , presents compelling micro-archaeological evidence that fire was not just a survival tool but a defining cultural trait of the Gravettian tradition.

Archaeology 52

Archaeology Anthropology Group Identity Cultures 52

Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 24, 2025

The results paint a complex picture of migration, cultural blending, and long-distance connections. The Genetic Footprint of the Huns The study focused on 35 newly sequenced genomes from key archaeological sites, including a 3rd–4th century site in Kazakhstan and 5th–6th century burial contexts in the Carpathian Basin.

Ancestry 54

Ancestry Archaeology Museum Anthropology 54

Anthropology News

MARCH 5, 2025

We are currently accepting letters of interest from potential candidates, due April 21, 2025. To Apply: To apply for the position, please review the position description and fill out the interest form by April 21, 2025. Interviews with finalists will be conducted in September and October 2025.

Anthropology 111

Anthropology Archaeology Cultures 111

Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 7, 2025

A recent study published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 1 takes a significant step toward answering these questions. The Engraved Stones of the Levant The researchers focused on five artifacts from four archaeological sites: Manot Cave, Amud Cave, Qafzeh Cave, and Quneitra. But at what point did this transition occur?

Artifacts 52

Artifacts Archaeology Anthropology Ancestry 52

Anthropology News

JANUARY 17, 2025

Issued: January 17, 2025 Pitches due: rolling until February 7, 2025 First drafts due: 3 weeks after pitch decision Submit Here Anthropology News invites submissions on the theme of signal/noise.

Anthropology 83

Anthropology Cultures Archaeology 83

Anthropology.net

MARCH 17, 2025

Through a combination of archaeological surveys, petrographic analysis (studying the mineral composition of ceramics), and GIS-based spatial modeling, the research team identified distinct zones of pottery production and exchange. And in archaeology, they are often written in clay." In European Journal of Archaeology, 17(4), 602-633.

Archaeology 52

Archaeology Economics Anthropology Research 52

Anthropology.net

APRIL 16, 2025

A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers 1 one of the most detailed archaeological analyses to date of the roots of economic inequality. Despite their size, archaeological evidence suggests relatively even distribution of house sizes and public investment in civic infrastructure. "We Fochesato, M.,

Archaeology 52

Archaeology Civics Economics Government 52