Sapiens

DECEMBER 3, 2024

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. However, our research revealed that these iconic terraces are actually only 400 years old.

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Sapiens

NOVEMBER 12, 2024

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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Anthropology.net

JANUARY 23, 2025

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.

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NOVEMBER 9, 2024

One of the most intriguing chapters in human evolution is the story of the Denisovans, a mysterious, now-extinct hominin group that left a significant genetic footprint in the DNA of modern humans. Overview of the distinct Denisovan populations that introgressed into modern humans.

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MARCH 11, 2025

Over 100,000 years ago, Neanderthals and Homo sapiens roamed the Levant, a region that would become a crossroads of human migration. For decades, researchers have debated the nature of their interactions. Stone Tools and Technology Transfer In addition to burials, researchers examined the stone tools found at the site.

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Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 3, 2024

By integrating insights from developmental psychology, researchers have identified playful and imaginative marks made by young artists, fundamentally rethinking prehistoric creativity. This new research confronts that narrative, positioning children as active creators whose unique contributions have long been overlooked.

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Anthropology.net

NOVEMBER 30, 2024

Discovery of a Potential New Human Species A groundbreaking study published in Nature Communications 1 has proposed the existence of a new human species, Homo juluensis. This ancient hominin, believed to have lived in eastern Asia between 300,000 and 50,000 years ago, is a significant addition to our understanding of human evolution.

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Sapiens

JANUARY 29, 2025

In addition to forests, these practices have destroyed archaeological evidence. In Southeast Asia, researchers have suggested some dental remains and putative tools associated with H. We knew our chances were slimmost of the spectacular discoveries in human evolutionary research in Southeast Asia have been made in limestone caves.

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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

NOVEMBER 30, 2024

The LaPrele Mammoth Site: A Window into Early North American Life Archaeological discoveries at the LaPrele mammoth site in Wyoming continue to shed light on the ingenuity and adaptability of Early North Americans, who lived in North America nearly 13,000 years ago.

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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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MARCH 6, 2025

New research published in Antiquity 1 by geoarchaeologist Jaafar Jotheri and his team reveals a massive, intricate irrigation system in the Eridu region—one that predates the first millennium BCE. This is a rare case where nature has preserved a vital piece of human history. Credit: Antiquity (2025). DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2025.19

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Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 19, 2024

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. By digitizing and analyzing architectural remains, researchers can uncover patterns that qualitative approaches often miss.

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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.

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Sapiens

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

A scientific study with important implications for archaeology in Britain and France was published in January. leading research excavations, the Durotriges project of the University of Bournemouth. While some of the press coverage about the new research portrayed the findings as a surprise, archaeologists were far from shocked.

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Anthropology.net

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

A collection of 15 marine fossils, deliberately transported to the cave over 39,800 to 54,600 years ago, reveals that Neanderthals may have been the first fossil collectors in human evolutionary history. Interestingly, parallels can be drawn with modern human behavior. Marine fossils from the Prado Vargas Cave in Spain.

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Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 4, 2024

A recent study, published in the European Journal of Archaeology 1 , suggests these plaques may represent one of humanity's earliest attempts at recording genealogy—a non-verbal precursor to modern ancestry documentation. Journal : European Journal of Archaeology , 2004. Journal : Cambridge Archaeological Journal , 2009.

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DECEMBER 17, 2024

This new analysis, published in the journal Antiquity 1 , sheds unsettling light on the darker side of prehistoric human behavior. ” The Scene of the Massacre The story begins in the 1970s, when excavators first uncovered over 3,000 human bones and fragments deep within the Charterhouse Warren shaft. Examples of cranial trauma.

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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.

Archaeology 98

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Anthropology.net

MARCH 28, 2025

The human brain stands apart in the animal kingdom, not just in sheer size but in its remarkable cognitive abilities. For decades, researchers have sought to understand what genetic changes fueled the expansion of our neocortex, the region responsible for higher-order thinking, reasoning, and language.

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Anthropology.net

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

The Origins of Burial Practices in Human Evolution Around 120,000 years ago, both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals began practicing intentional burial in the Levant region, shaping a complex cultural narrative in human evolution. Been et al.,

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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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MARCH 5, 2025

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. Researchers have uncovered a collection of systematically shaped bone tools at Olduvai Gorge, dating back to 1.5

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Anthropology.net

OCTOBER 29, 2024

Recent groundbreaking research in Antiquity 1 has revolutionized the understanding of ancient Maya civilization. Utilizing cutting-edge lidar technology, researchers from Tulane University and Northern Arizona University have uncovered more than 6,500 structures hidden beneath the dense forests of Campeche, Mexico.

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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). ” How Horn Modification Was Achieved Using advanced analysis, the researchers determined that the horn deformations were not natural. DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2024.106104

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MARCH 26, 2025

Archaeology often deals with what remains—the bones, the stone tools, the charred remnants of ancient hearths. But in the upland regions of Warner Valley, Oregon, a different kind of evidence is telling the story of early human diets: microscopic starch granules trapped in the cracks of bedrock metates.

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Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 15, 2025

The Mystery of the First Dogs Dogs, our oldest animal companions, have walked beside humans for tens of thousands of years. Could natural selection alone turn wolves into early dogs quickly enough to match the archaeological record? But how did this ancient partnership begin?

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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. That lack of disturbance makes it an exceptional place to study how humans occupied the region during the final millennia of the Upper Paleolithic.

Archaeology 97

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Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 2, 2024

. “The structure aligns with theoretical models predicting the use of specialized heating techniques for birch tar production, a hallmark of Neanderthal ingenuity,” the researchers note. Journal of Human Evolution, 137 , 102671. Journal of Archaeological Science, 117 , 105116. How Did Neanderthals Make Tar?

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Anthropology.net

MARCH 27, 2025

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.

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Anthropology.net

JANUARY 17, 2025

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.

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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

JANUARY 18, 2025

New research, published in Nature 1 by an international team of researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, delves into the lives of two neighboring Avar communities in Lower Austria. Such results hold a lot of potential for future research in various disciplines." Related Research **Pohl, W.

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FEBRUARY 18, 2025

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).

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Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 7, 2025

A new study published in Scientific Reports 1 takes another look at human remains from Maszycka Cave in Poland, and the findings reignite a long-standing debate. Human induced modifications on cranial and postcranial remains. Disarticulation marks on a humerus (k, r) and peeling (green) on a clavicle (m).

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Anthropology.net

OCTOBER 30, 2024

Collaborating with the team behind First Weapons , a television series aired by ABC, researchers employed state-of-the-art biomechanical tools to measure the energy, speed, and overall efficiency of these tools in combat. While weapon design plays a critical role in efficiency, the ultimate factor remains the human behind the tool.

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Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

Soldevilla, LDA A recent study, led by Erik Zamzow and his colleagues, explores the grinding stone deposits of the Linear Pottery Culture (LBK) in Central Europe, revealing a deeply symbolic connection between these objects and human life cycles. ” This variation in wear suggests a metaphorical link to human existence.

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