Cahokian culture spread across eastern North America 1,000 years ago in an early example of diaspora
Five centuries before Columbus arrived, migrants were spreading across North America, carrying their culture with them and mixing with those they encountered in new places.
today • ~11 min
Tags: anthropology archaeology native-americans human-migration diaspora pre-columbian
Turbulent environment set the stage for leaps in human evolution and technology 320,000 years ago
A new environmental record for a prehistoric site in Kenya helped researchers figure out how external conditions influenced which of our ancient ancestors lived there, with what way of life.
Oct. 21, 2020 • ~11 min
Tags: anthropology human-evolution archaeology fossils homo-sapiens paleoanthropology stone-tools human-origins middle-stone-age ancient-sediments human-fossils sediment sediment-cores
Archaeologists determined the step-by-step path taken by the first people to settle the Caribbean islands
Did people settle these islands by traveling north from South America, or in the other direction? Reanalyzing data from artifacts discovered decades ago provides a definitive answer.
Sept. 29, 2020 • ~10 min
Tags: archaeology caribbean cuba radiocarbon-dating jamaica islands human-migration trinidad human-settlements artifacts human-settlement
Ancient DNA is revealing the genetic landscape of people who first settled East Asia
By studying the DNA of people who lived in East Asia thousands of years ago, scientists are starting to untangle how the region was populated.
Sept. 15, 2020 • ~11 min
Tags: ancient-dna hunter-gatherers china agriculture archaeology genes genomics southeast-asia rice adna siberia paleoanthropology human-migration east-asia hunter-gatherer start-of-agriculture paleogenomics
When did we become fully human? What fossils and DNA tell us about the evolution of modern intelligence
Artefacts suggest a ‘great leap’, a recent evolution of modern intelligence. Fossils and DNA argue that’s an illusion.
Sept. 9, 2020 • ~9 min
Tags: evolution anthropology human-evolution archaeology fossils intelligence
Brewing Mesopotamian beer brings a sip of this vibrant ancient drinking culture back to life
Beer was extremely popular in ancient Mesopotamia. Sipped through straws, it differed from today’s beer and was enjoyed by people from all walks of life.
Aug. 24, 2020 • ~8 min
Tags: alcohol archaeology poetry pandemic university-of-chicago epidemics beer iraq wine mesopotamia brewing gilgamesh bars alcohol-use babylonians sumerians ancient-mesopotamia
Boxgrove: how we found Europe's oldest bone tools – and what we learned about their makers
The Boxgrove people, like all other human species, were capable of sharing time, care and knowledge in all parts of their life.
Aug. 12, 2020 • ~6 min
Tags: archaeology britain stone-age stone-tools
New Stonehenge discovery: how we found a prehistoric monument hidden in data
Archaeologists reveal two-kilometre ring of pits around the neolithic Durrington Walls by studying old geophysical surveys.
June 26, 2020 • ~7 min
Tags: archaeology stonehenge stone-age neolithic
Did a volcanic eruption in Alaska help end the Roman republic?
New research suggests ancient climate change shaped the fate of western civilisation.
June 22, 2020 • ~7 min
Tags: climate-change archaeology roman-empire ancient-history ice-cores global-cooling julius-caesar ancient-rome roman-republic
Did a volcanic eruption in Alaska end the Roman republic?
New research suggests ancient climate change shaped the fate of western civilisation.
June 22, 2020 • ~7 min
Tags: climate-change archaeology roman-empire ancient-history ice-cores global-cooling julius-caesar ancient-rome roman-republic
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