http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/archaeology/ Archaeology News. Read about the latest archaelogical finds including Roman coins, Egyptian pyramids and more. Articles and photos. en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:05:01 EDT Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/archaeology/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714145253.htm The site of the ancient hippodrome course in Olympia, where the emperor Nero competed for Olympian laurels, has been discovered. Pausanias, a travel writer of the ancient world, described this course for horse races, its starting mechanisms, turning points and altars in much detail in the 2nd century AD. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714145253.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715104932.htm A large-scale genetic study of native North Americans offers new insights into the migration of a small group of Athapaskan natives from their subarctic home in northwest North America to the southwestern United States. The migration, which left no known archaeological trace, is believed to have occurred about 500 years ago. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715104932.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080716140918.htm In the remote desert highlands of southern Yemen, a team of archaeologists have discovered new evidence of ancient transitions from hunting and herding to irrigation agriculture 5,200 years ago. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080716140918.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701193203.htm New research by a geography professor and his students on the creation of Kankakee Sand Islands of Northwest Indiana is lending support to evidence that the first humans to settle the Americas came from Europe, a discovery that overturns decades of classroom lessons that nomadic tribes from Asia crossed a Bering Strait land-ice bridge. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701193203.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714092622.htm Six-thousand year old bones excavated in Jericho may help a joint Israeli-Palestinian-German research group combat tuberculosis. The bones, which were all excavated between 50 and 70 years ago, will be tested for tuberculosis, leprosy, leishmania and malaria. However, the primary focus will be tuberculosis. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714092622.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080704130439.htm Thousands of years later, we can view stone-age art on cave walls, but we can't listen to the stone-age music that would have accompanied many of the pictures. Researchers report that the most acoustically resonant place in a cave -- where sounds linger or reverberate the most -- was also often the place where the pictures were densest. In many sites, flutes made of bone are to be found nearby. Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080704130439.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080702160950.htm Was the course of life on the planet altered 12,900 years ago by a giant comet exploding over Canada? New evidence suggests the answer is affirmative. The timing attached to this theory of about 12,900 years ago is consistent with the known disappearances in North America of the wooly mammoth population and the first distinct human society to inhabit the continent, known as the Clovis civilization. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080702160950.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701121838.htm An expedition at Tell Edfu in southern Egypt has unearthed a large administration building and silos that provide fresh clues about the emergence of urban life. The discovery provides new information about a little understood aspect of ancient Egypt -- the development of cities in a culture that is largely famous for its monumental architecture. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701121838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624124308.htm Chemical fingerprints of volcanic eruptions and numerous pumice lump finds from archaeological excavations illustrate relations between individual advanced civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean. Thanks to new tests and to the provenancing of the respective pumice samples to partially far-reaching volcanic eruptions, it became possible to redefine a piece of cultural history from the second millenium B.C. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624124308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619090739.htm A fortified village that pre-dates European arrival in Western Canada and is the only one of its kind discovered on the Canadian plains is yielding intriguing evidence of an unknown First Nations group settling on the prairies and is rekindling new ties between the Siksika Nation (Blackfoot) and aboriginal groups in the United States. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619090739.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610191910.htm Researchers have recently completed work on the results of three closely related Bronze Age round barrows excavated at Cossington, Leicestershire. Their excavations revealed a variety of burial practices from Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Anglo Saxon times, showing how the three barrows were used in repeated ceremonies to honor the dead. They offer the first definite example of an Anglo Saxon cemetery sited on an earlier monument to be found in Leicestershire. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610191910.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609172919.htm A team of forensic scientists at the University of Copenhagen has studied human remains found in two ancient Danish burial grounds dating back to the iron age, and discovered a man who appears to be of Arabian origin. The findings suggest that human beings were as genetically diverse 2,000 years ago as they are today and indicate greater mobility among the Danish iron age populations than was previously thought. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609172919.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610095001.htm A team of archaeologists has dated the Greater Stonehenge Cursus at about 3,500 years BC -- 500 years older than the circle itself. They were able to pinpoint its age after discovering an antler pick used to dig the Cursus -- the most significant find since it was discovered in 1723. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610095001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080527201804.htm Although "Viking" literally means "pirate," recent research has indicated that the Vikings were also traders to the fishmongers of Europe. Stereotypically, these Norsemen are usually pictured wearing a horned helmet but in a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen, investigated what went under the helmet; the scientists extracted authentic DNA from ancient Viking skeletons, avoiding many of the problems of contamination faced by past researchers. Wed, 28 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080527201804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080523163016.htm Two well-known crystal skulls, held in the British Museum and the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, did not come from ancient Mexico as was once thought. Modern scientific techniques suggest that the British skull is of 19th century origin, and the US of 20th century. Sun, 25 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080523163016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080522210025.htm A statistical approach to studying genetic variation promises to shed new light on the history of human migration. Application of the method has already turned up such surprising findings as a strong Mongolian contribution to the genes of the Native American Pima people and gene flow from the north of Europe to Eastern Siberia. Sat, 24 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080522210025.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080521131541.htm The description of an ancient amphibian that millions of years ago swam in quiet pools and caught mayflies on the surrounding land in Texas has set to rest one of the greatest current controversies in vertebrate evolution. Wed, 21 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080521131541.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143324.htm New evidence from the Monte Verde archaeological site in southern Chile confirms its status as the earliest known human settlement in the Americas and provides additional support for the theory that one early migration route followed the Pacific Coast more than 14,000 years ago. Fri, 09 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm Researchers at the University of Cincinnati and Florida State University have confirmed evidence of domesticated sunflower in Mexico -- 4,000 years before what had been previously believed. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416174634.htm The destruction and disappearance of ancient cultures mark the history of human civilization, making for fascinating stories and cautionary tales. The longevity of today's societies may depend upon separating fact from fiction, and archaeologists and seismologists are figuring out how to join forces to do just that with respect to ancient earthquakes. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416174634.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408112112.htm Archaeologists have reconstructed the history of the evolution of human population and answered questions about history, using DNA extracted from skeleton remains at the Aldaieta necropolis. It is clear that the genetic analysis of skeleton remains, despite the labor-intensive work involved and the problem of authenticity of the results, has provided an essential contribution in the reconstruction of the biological history of human populations. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408112112.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407162341.htm It is common for professional archaeologists and paleoanthropologists working in Africa to populate western museums with foreign artifacts by excavating and permanently removing them from history rich communities in Africa. The first museum of its kind has now been established in Mozambique and it will officially open in August. The Museu Local aims to be an interactive cultural heritage center. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407162341.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404131211.htm The discovery of a new genus of a tiny booklouse from a northern Arizona cave may lead to further protection for cave ecosystems. This is the third new genus of invertebrates found by the same two scientists since 2006. They discovered a new cricket genus and a new millipede genus in Grand Canyon region caves. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404131211.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402120504.htm Archaeologists find ancient Jerusalem may be a model for today's corporations. As today's corporations know well, the strategy was all about location. Where did they set up their branch offices? In the "suburbs." Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402120504.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401184955.htm The Y chromosome retains a remarkable record of human ancestry, passed directly from father to son. In an article in Genome Research, scientists have utilized recently described genetic variations on Y chromosome region that does not undergo recombination to significantly refine the Y chromosome haplogroup tree. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401184955.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403141109.htm DNA from dried human excrement recovered from Oregon's Paisley Caves is the oldest found yet in the New World -- dating to 14,300 years ago, some 1,200 years before Clovis culture -- and provides apparent genetic ties to Siberia or Asia, according to an international team of 13 scientists. Exactly who these people living in the Oregon caves were is not known. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403141109.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328104302.htm The Aztecs, Mayans and ancient Egyptians were three very different civilizations with one very large similarity: pyramids. However, of these three ancient cultures, the Egyptians set the standard for what most people recognize as classic pyramid design: massive monuments with a square base and four smooth-sided triangular sides, rising to a point. The Aztecs and Mayans built their pyramids with tiered steps and a flat top. Sat, 29 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328104302.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320205224.htm A recent molecular analysis of ancestry across Latin America has revealed a marked differentiation between regions and demonstrated a "genetic continuity" between pre-and post Columbian populations. This study provides the first broad description of how the genome diversity of populations from Latin America has been shaped by the colonial history of the region. Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320205224.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319114619.htm Oceangoing sailing rafts plied the waters of the equatorial Pacific long before Europeans arrived in the Americas, and carried trade goods for thousands of miles all the way from modern-day Chile to western Mexico, according to new findings by MIT researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Sat, 22 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319114619.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320120714.htm Anthropologists provide evidence that the first Americans came to this country 1,000 to 2,000 years earlier than the 13,500 years ago previously thought, which could shift historic timelines. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320120714.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080316124416.htm Archaeologists have found an amulet inscribed with a Jewish prayer in a Roman child's grave dating back to the 3rd century CE at a burial ground in the Austrian town of Halbturn. The 2.2-centimeter-long gold scroll represents the earliest sign of Jewish inhabitants in present-day Austria. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080316124416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311120621.htm Along an isolated, rocky stretch of Greek shoreline, researchers are unlocking the secrets of a partially submerged, "lost" harbor town believed to have been built by the ancient Mycenaeans nearly 3,500 years ago. Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311120621.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310170636.htm Researchers have found evidence for the earliest transport use of the donkey and the early phases of donkey domestication, suggesting the process of domestication may have been slower and less linear than previously thought. Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310170636.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311203247.htm An amazing haul of 28 flint hand-axes, dated by archaeologists to be around 100,000 years-old, have been unearthed in gravel from a licensed marine aggregate dredging area 13km off Great Yarmouth. The find was made by a Dutch amateur archaeologist, who regularly searches for mammoth bones and fossils in marine sand and gravel delivered by British construction materials supplier Hanson to a Dutch wharf at Flushing, south west Netherlands. Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311203247.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304191213.htm When most of us think of Ancient Egypt, visions of pyramids and mummies fill our imaginations. For a team of paleontologists interested in fossil mammals, the Fayum district of Egypt summons an even older and equally impressive history that extends much further back in time than the Sphinx. Six new bat species dating to around 35 million years ago, which sheds new light on the early evolution of bats, have just been discovered Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304191213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229101002.htm Archaeologists have discovered of one of the largest dinosaur-era marine reptiles ever found -- an enormous sea predator known as a pliosaur estimated to be almost 15 meters (50 feet) feet long. The 150 million year-old Jurassic fossil was discovered on the remote Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, at 78 degrees north latitude, approximately 1300 km (800 miles) from the North Pole. "Although we didn't get the entire skeleton, we found many of the most important parts, including portions of the skull, teeth, much of the neck and back, the shoulder girdle, and a nearly complete forelimb (paddle)" said one of the researchers, "Amazingly, the paddle alone is nearly 10 feet long." Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229101002.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080228150402.htm Western Expansion during the nineteenth century helped determine geographic distribution and economic activity in the United States today. Using economic modeling to understand a historical event, researchers examined which specific market forces were the most important drivers of the migration. He found that without a decrease in transportation costs, only 30 percent of the US population would have been in the West in 1900, compared to an actual historical figure of 60 percent. The new study reveals that the price of land was less important than technological innovation. Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080228150402.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226162953.htm Anthropologists have discovered how the ancient Maya produced an unusual, widely studied blue pigment that was used in offerings, pottery, murals and other contexts across Mesoamerica from A.D. 300 to 1500. Production of the renowned, extremely stable pigment was part of ritual sacrifices at Chichén Itzá. Thu, 28 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226162953.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080225101117.htm Vivid colors, flowing silk ribbons and glittering bits of mirrors -- the Vikings dressed with considerably more panache than we previously thought. The men were especially vain, and the women dressed provocatively, but with the advent of Christianity, fashions changed, according to a Swedish archaeologist. Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080225101117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218155534.htm New discoveries unearthed at an ancient frontier wall in Iran provide compelling evidence that the Persians matched the Romans for military might and engineering prowess. The 'Great Wall of Gorgan'in north-eastern Iran, a barrier of awesome scale and sophistication, including over 30 military forts, an aqueduct, and water channels along its route, is being explored by an international team of archaeologists. This vast Wall-also known as the 'Red Snake'-is more than 1000 years older than the Great Wall of China, and longer than Hadrian's Wall and the Antonine Wall put together. Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218155534.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220161704.htm Scientists have produced the largest and most detailed worldwide study of human genetic variation. Like astronomers who build ever-larger telescopes to peer deeper into space, population geneticists are using the latest genetic tools to probe DNA molecules in unprecedented detail, uncovering new clues to humanity's origins. The latest study characterizes more than 500,000 DNA markers in the human genome and examines variations across 29 populations on five continents. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220161704.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214130334.htm A pioneering new study in Current Anthropology finds that branding, and our attachment to them, far predates modern capitalism, and indeed modern Western society. Labels on ancient containers, which have long been assumed to be simple identifiers, as well as practices surrounding the production and distribution of commodities, actually functioned as branding strategies. Furthermore, these strategies have deep cultural origins and cognitive foundations, beginning in the civilizations of Egypt and Iraq thousands of years ago. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214130334.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212131300.htm Archaeologists have found the earliest evidence ever discovered of an ancient Egyptian agricultural settlement, including farmed grains, remains of domesticated animals, pits for cooking and even floors for what appear to be dwellings. The archaeological team also found a bracelet made of a type of shell only found along the Red Sea, suggesting a possible trade link with the cradle of agriculture in the Near East. In addition, they unearthed clay floors of what may have been simple structures -- possibly posts with some kind of matting overhead. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212131300.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213090524.htm The human journey from Asia to the New World was interrupted by a 20,000-year layover in Beringia. Furthermore, the New World was colonized by approximately 1,000 to 5,000 people -- a substantially higher number than the 100 individuals of previous estimates. The developments help shape understanding of how the Americas came to be populated -- not through a single expansion event but in three distinct stages separated by thousands of generations. Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213090524.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080208105851.htm The blood of the Vikings is still coursing through the veins of men living in the Northwest of England -- according to a new study which has been just published. The population in parts of northwest England carries up to 50 per cent male Norse origins. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080208105851.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080205202327.htm Archaeologists have discovered a Roman fort in South East Cornwall. Dating back to the first century AD, this is only the third Roman fort ever to have been found in the county. The team believes its location, close to a silver mine, may be significant in shedding light on the history of the Romans in Cornwall. Situated next to St Andrew's Church, Calstock, the site is on top of a hill in an area known to have been involved with silver mining in medieval times. Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080205202327.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080207120006.htm Lice from 1,000-year-old mummies in Peru may unravel important clues about a different sort of passage: the migration patterns of America's earliest humans, a new study suggests. DNA sequencing found the strain of lice to be genetically the same as the form of body lice that spawns several deadly diseases, including typhus, which was blamed for the loss of Napoleon's grand army and millions of other soldiers, one of the researchers said. Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080207120006.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080201093354.htm DNA of the common black rat has shed light on the ancient spread of rats, people and diseases around the globe. Studying the mitochondrial DNA of 165 black rat specimens from 32 countries around the world, a scientists have identified six distinct lineages in the black rat's family tree, each originating from a different part of Asia. Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080201093354.htm