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New archaeological research reveals insights into the first-known seafarers to brave ocean crossings from Asia to the Pacific Islands more than 50,000 years ago. In the deep human past , highly skilled seafarers made daring crossings from Asia to the Pacific Islands.
A team of archaeologists working in Southeast Asia is pushing toward a deeper understanding of history that amplifies Indigenous and local perspectives to challenge traditional archaeological timelines. Humans huddled in caves. When you think of “prehistory,” what images come to mind? Dinosaurs roaming ancient landscapes?
High in the Zeravshan Valley of Tajikistan, the Soii Havzak rock-shelter has provided researchers with an invaluable glimpse into early human migration routes and daily life in Central Asia. It contains layers of human occupation spanning the Middle and Upper Paleolithic periods, approximately 150,000 to 20,000 years ago.
Few traits define humanity as clearly as language. Yet, despite its central role in human evolution, determining when and how language first emerged remains a challenge. Every human society on Earth has language, and all human languages share core structural features. But we don’t.
However, the journey to this unique bond between humans and canines was far from straightforward. A new study 1 suggests that in prehistoric Alaska, humans repeatedly domesticated and lived alongside not just dogs but also wolves, wolf-dog hybrids, and even coyotes. Selected terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene specimens ( C.
The Ox and the Origins of Unequal Societies Long before hedge funds, private property, or multinational tax havens, human societies were surprisingly equal. Across a wide range of Neolithic communities, archaeological evidence suggests that disparities in wealth—though present—were often kept in check.
Between 45,000 and 29,000 years ago, early human activity not only altered landscapes but also reshaped the complex web of interactions between scavengers and prey. Large predators, such as hyenas and cave lions, were gradually displaced, while smaller scavengers like foxes and birds thrived in human-dominated environments.
According to new research, it may have also reshaped the evolutionary story of humans in Europe and beyond. Caves, Clothes, and Ochre: A Human Strategy for Survival As the magnetic field declined, the effects on Earth’s surface intensified. The map also shows areas of human activity on a global scale.
The early human settlement of South America stands as one of the last great migrations in human history, yet the environmental conditions that shaped this journey remain debated. 2 ) takes different cultural components and specific lithic traditions/categories into account. . The modelling work (e.g., ≥2,5000 masl = blue.
Eleven of them bore unmistakable marks of human manipulation: flake scars, trimmed edges, and signs of deliberate shaping using techniques otherwise seen in lithic technology. The notion that these early humans were experimenting with ivory also implies something else: that knowledge was being shared. link] Backwell, L.,
Application of ArchaeologyArchaeology is the study of human past through material remains. archaeologists study past humans and societies primarily through their material remains – the buildings, tools, and other artifacts that constitute what is known as the material culture left over from former societies.
This suggests that children may have recognized and elaborated upon the figurative potential of their own creations, blending play and representation in a uniquely human way. Children, Metaphorical Thinking, and Upper Paleolithic Visual Cultures Author : Nowell, A. Journal : Cambridge Archaeological Journal , 2015.
Domestication as a Turning Point in Human Evolution The domestication of plants and animals is often framed as a cornerstone of civilization. Excavations at the Vardhanze archaeological site in Uzbekistan, under the directorship of Silvia Pozzi and the Italian/Uzbek Expeditions. ” But what if this story gets it backwards?
This diffuse and varied culture inhabited a vast area from Yunnan, China, to Sumatra, Indonesia, from about 40,000 to 2,000 years ago. Sadly, these examples of a once widespread but still poorly known culture had been ploughed back into the earth. In addition to forests, these practices have destroyed archaeological evidence.
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.
An Ancient Practice, Revisited Through Code Knots are one of humanity’s oldest tools—so ancient, in fact, that they predate agriculture, metallurgy, and written language. By analyzing 338 distinct knots from archaeological archives and museum collections, they discovered a surprisingly stable repertoire.
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.
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.
For decades, archaeologists have described the architectural evolution of early human settlements as a transition from circular to rectangular structures—a shift thought to reflect deeper societal changes. These sites span from the Natufian culture (15,000 years ago) to the early Neolithic period (8,500 years ago).
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
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. They were hand-selected, transported, and exchanged—signifiers of distant homelands and enduring human ties. Montlleó was one such hub.
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. A., & Langejans, G.
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.
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.
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. .”
From the sprawling villas of Roman elites to the thatched huts of the poor in medieval Europe, textbook history often presents wealth disparity as a consequence of human progress. A sweeping archaeological analysis 1 led by Gary Feinman of the Field Museum of Natural History offers a strikingly different view.
“The archaeological record shows shifts in empires and cultures. Instead, it is a portrait of long-term continuity—one that stretches over 3,000 years of human occupation, from the Copper Age through the rule of the Sassanid Empire. Present-day Iran is highlighted, with the archaeological sites mentioned in the text.
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)
The Puzzle of the Missing Fires In the bleak cold of the Last Glacial Maximum, it seems obvious that fire would have been essential for human survival. And yet, the archaeological record for that period—from roughly 26,500 to 19,000 years ago—tells a strangely quiet story. Journal of Human Evolution , 69, 44–54.
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.
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. But how did ancient humans experience and describe these feelings? PDF Link : Academia.edu Sadness and Grief in Akkadian Texts Author : I.
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.
These languages, many of which still survive today, are more than means of communication—they are archaeological strata encoded in speech. A new study in Scientific Reports 1 argues that their grammar preserves a faint but measurable imprint of the first humans to populate the continent. “And migration reshapes both.”
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. 1 Charloux, G., Depreux, B., Guadagnini, K., Guermont, F., Bec Drelon, N., Poulmarc’h, M., Albukaai, D.,
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. Researchers focused on key historical periods: pre-human Australia, periods of Indigenous habitation, and the era following British colonization.
A Discovery in the Desert The story of human migration is often told in sweeping arcs—great waves of Homo sapiens leaving Africa, moving into Eurasia, and eventually populating the entire planet. Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025).
An Ancient Cave with Modern Questions Franchthi Cave, nestled in the Peloponnesian peninsula of Greece, has been a silent witness to 40,000 years of human history. It serves as a critical archaeological site for understanding the transition from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to Neolithic agriculturalists. Read more 1 Martinoia, V.,
Nearly two million years ago, in the high-altitude landscape of the Ethiopian Highlands, early human ancestors at the Acheulian site of Melka Wakena weren’t simply grabbing the nearest stones to use as tools. Some of the bones display telltale anthropogenic marks, suggesting that early humans had a significant presence here.
A Discovery That Reshapes the Story of Human Innovation For over a century, Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania has been the stage for some of the most profound discoveries in human evolution. Bone tools found in Olduvai, photographed in the Pleistocene Archaeology Lab of CSIC. ” The implications of this are profound.
The narrative of human technological advancement has long positioned metallurgy as a hallmark of settled agricultural societies. a) Location of early metallurgical activities in Anatolia and Gre Fılla archaeological site. b) The context where the vitrified material (GRE-VRF) was found.
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.
In the long arc of human history, what makes a settlement persist? 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. Nature, 551(7682), 619–622. Ortman, S. 1 Lawrence, D., Bogaard, A.,
Wallacea, the sprawling chain of islands in eastern Indonesia that includes Timor-Leste, has long been a crossroads of cultures, languages, and genetics. 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.
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