Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 2, 2024

From Philosophy to Archaeology: The Capability Approach The HDI, widely used today to evaluate well-being through health, education, and living standards, traces its roots to the capability approach developed by philosopher and economist Amartya Sen. Philosophy of archaeology. Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

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DECEMBER 3, 2024

Archaeological specimens of semi-domesticated maize (corn) were found in baskets buried in caves in Peruaçu Valley. Archaeological evidence indicates that maize spread to southwestern Amazonia approximately 6,000 years ago before eventually arriving in Brazil’s Peruaçu Valley some 1,500 years ago.

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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. This discovery reshapes our understanding of early animal domestication and its cultural significance in Predynastic Egypt. Credit: Journal of Archaeological Science (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2024.106104

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Anthropology.net

APRIL 30, 2025

2025 In a new study published in Australian Archaeology 1 , Ana Paula Motta and colleagues, in partnership with the Balanggarra Aboriginal Corporation, have proposed that these figures represent a distinct rock art style they call the Linear Naturalistic Figures (LNF). "We The Archaeology of Rock Art in Western Arnhem Land, Australia.

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Anthropology for Beginners

DECEMBER 20, 2023

style='mso-element:field-begin'> TOC o "1-4" h z u Archaeology of power and identity: the political use of the discipline. style='mso-element:field-begin'> TOC o "1-4" h z u Archaeology of power and identity: the political use of the discipline.

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Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 19, 2024

Published in Archaeological Research in Asia 1 , the research introduces a computational approach that reveals unexpected complexity in the architectural development of Neolithic settlements. These sites span from the Natufian culture (15,000 years ago) to the early Neolithic period (8,500 years ago). Paléorient, 28(1), 5-13.

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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. .”

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Anthropology.net

JANUARY 18, 2025

In the 8th century CE, the Avars—an enigmatic group with roots in the East Asian steppes—settled in Central Europe, weaving a tapestry of cultural cohesion amid genetic diversity. Their findings reveal an intriguing story of cultural integration despite distinct genetic divides. ” Even weapons were rare in the graves.

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Anthropology.net

MAY 1, 2025

These stories speak of migration, of belonging, of origins tied to Chaco Canyon, one of the great ceremonial and cultural centers of the ancient Puebloan world. People cast shadows on the ancient Anasazi ruins of Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico on Nov. The interpretation was shaped by cultural context.

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Anthropology.net

MARCH 14, 2025

Genomic Clues: Tracing Language Through Population Splits Unlike previous studies that relied on archaeology or comparative anatomy, this research examines how human populations began to branch off from one another. What Came First: Language or Symbolic Thought? This challenges the long-held view that language and symbolism arose in tandem.

Humanities 95

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Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Such tasks likely involved collaboration and the transmission of knowledge within the group, suggesting that these skills were culturally shared over generations. This discovery supports growing evidence that Neanderthals possessed the cognitive abilities and social structures necessary for cultural innovation. Leierer, L., Knight, R.

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Anthropology.net

APRIL 14, 2025

And yet, the archaeological record for that period—from roughly 26,500 to 19,000 years ago—tells a strangely quiet story. Or has the archaeological record simply failed to preserve these ephemeral traces of life? Fire as Cultural Technology Fire is not merely a survival tool. Did hunter-gatherers abandon fire?

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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.

Humanities 106

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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.

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Anthropology.net

MAY 2, 2025

Reshaping the Narrative on Neanderthal Technology The projectile point was discovered by a team led by Liubov Golovanova, who has spent decades investigating the archaeological layers of Mezmaiskaya. Neandertal demise: An archaeological analysis. Fire in the Paleolithic: Socio-cultural uses and technological aspects.

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Anthropology.net

NOVEMBER 8, 2024

Their findings underscore the importance of Central Asia not only as a geographical way point but as a cultural and technological nexus where different human populations may have encountered each other over millennia. Artifacts suggest that the Zeravshan Valley was not only a migration route but potentially a place of cultural exchange.

Humanities 94

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Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 4, 2024

The Study of Ancient Alaskan Canids To explore this complex history, a team of archaeologists led by François Lanoë from the University of Arizona analyzed 111 sets of bones from canids unearthed at archaeological sites across interior Alaska. Journal : Journal of Anthropological Archaeology , 2019. lupus/familiaris ).

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Anthropology.net

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

Ochre’s Role in Early Human Society Ochre, valued across cultures and eras, was more than a mere pigment; it was a cornerstone of symbolic and ceremonial life. In Eswatini, ochre remains significant in various cultural rituals, such as wedding ceremonies where brides are adorned with red ochre as a symbol of transformation and unity.

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Anthropology.net

OCTOBER 31, 2024

While other Bronze Age cultures had advanced in terms of population density, specialized labor, and structured hierarchies, northern Arabian towns remained modest, indicating a more gradual cultural and social shift.

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Anthropology.net

APRIL 12, 2025

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.” “That would place culture, in its earliest form, hundreds of thousands of years deeper into our past.”

Humanities 89

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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.

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Anthropology.net

MAY 8, 2025

Across a wide range of Neolithic communities, archaeological evidence suggests that disparities in wealth—though present—were often kept in check. According to a new synthesis of archaeological, historical, and economic data published in the Journal of Economic Literature 1 , that change wasn’t just about economics.

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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)

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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.

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Teaching Anthropology

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024

It is also a point at which I want to remind students of core course concepts like cultural relativism and ethnocentrism. This is why evidence for diet was a big part of my archaeology flipped class activity , for example. References Han, D. (27 27 Feb 2023) Fast and Pluribus: Impacts of a Globalizing McDonald’s. JSTOR DAILY.

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Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 4, 2024

Discovering Emotion in Ancient Mesopotamia From the flutter of "butterflies in the stomach" to the weight of a "heavy heart," emotions are often tied to physical sensations in modern cultures. Towards a Universal Understanding of Emotions This study opens new doors to understanding whether emotions are universal or culturally specific.

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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. Princeton University Press. link] 1 Kohler, T.

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Anthropology.net

JANUARY 8, 2025

Wallacea, the sprawling chain of islands in eastern Indonesia that includes Timor-Leste, has long been a crossroads of cultures, languages, and genetics. Gludhug Ariyo Purnomo from the University of Adelaide, who led the research, noted that the findings emphasize the importance of West Papua as a bio-cultural hub.

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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. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006976

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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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Anthropology.net

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

Insights from 130,000 Years of Climate and Human Impact The study tracked vegetation changes in southeastern Australia over the past 130,000 years, analyzing fossil pollen and archaeological data to determine how climate and human land use shaped the region’s ecology.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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Sapiens

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

A multidisciplinary team of researchers explains historical, cultural, and ethical issues they considered while developing a 3D scan of a South African site to be shared with the world online. This has led to numerous archaeological and heritage sites appearing online in interactive 3D platforms, such as Sketchfab.

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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.

Humanities 97

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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.

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