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How Colonialism Invented Food Insecurity in West Africa

Sapiens

Archaeological evidence and Oral Histories show people in what is today Ghana lived sustainably for millennia—until European colonial powers and the widespread trade of enslaved people changed everything. I felt compelled to share this story as an example of the power of archaeology to shift perspectives. It’s the year 2065.

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The Vanishing Traces of Our Earliest Ancestors in Indonesia

Sapiens

This site has thankfully been spared from destruction by the regional government when it was earmarked as a possible tourist attraction. While we were grateful that this impressive midden has been preserved, the government official accompanying us pointed out shells littering the landscape several hundred feet away.

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The Ancient Lifelines of Mesopotamia: How Newly Discovered Irrigation Canals Rewrite History

Anthropology.net

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.

History 86
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Uncovering Arabia's Slow Urban Evolution in the Bronze Age

Anthropology.net

Archaeology and the Role of Social Complexity in Early Arabian Towns The modest urban organization found at al-Natah and similar sites suggests that early Arabian communities functioned as social and trade centers without the hierarchical systems common in more complex urban societies. 1 Charloux, G., Depreux, B., Guadagnini, K., Guermont, F.,

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Ancient Human Habitation: New Discoveries from East Timor’s Laili Rock Shelter

Anthropology.net

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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Neanderthal Child with Down’s Syndrome Unveils Early Human Compassion

Anthropology.net

Photograph: Nikola Solic/Reuters Discovery and Significance The fossil in question was excavated in 1989 at the Cova Negra archaeological site in Valencia, Spain. These included abnormalities in the semicircular canals, which govern balance and sense of head position, and a reduction in the size of the cochlea, which is involved in hearing.

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Reflections on the “Historicity” of Child Death at Ireland’s Former Mother and Baby Homes

Anthropology News

They prioritized the singularity of a childs life and social relationships without losing sight of broader social-historical conditions by refusing to treat history as something entirely pastor, indeed, to see these events as falling under the remit of historical and archaeological sciences. Two examples will suffice.