http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/cultures/ Cultures of the World. News and findings about early human cultures. Learn about trading, colonization, early language development and the showoff hypothesis. en-us Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:05:01 EST Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/cultures/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109173412.htm Researchers have shown that the brain regions that have long been recognized as a center in which spoken or written words are decoded are also important in interpreting wordless gestures. The findings suggest that these brain regions may play a much broader role in the interpretation of symbols than researchers have thought and, for this reason, could be the evolutionary starting point from which language originated. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109173412.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121119.htm The remains of a Minoan-style wall painting, recognizable by a blue background, the first of its kind to be found in Israel, was discovered in the course of the recent excavation season at Tel Kabri. This fresco joins others of Aegean style that have been uncovered during earlier seasons at the Canaanite palace in Kabri. "It was, without doubt, a conscious decision made by the city's rulers who wished to associate with Mediterranean culture." Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121119.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022122321.htm A new study of chimpanzees living in the wild adds to evidence that our closest primate relatives have cultural differences, too. The study shows that neighboring chimpanzee populations in Uganda use different tools to solve a novel problem: extracting honey trapped within a fallen log. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022122321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020203420.htm Researchers report the oldest archaeological evidence of early human activities in a grassland environment, dating to two million years ago. The article highlights new research and its implications concerning the environments in which human ancestors evolved. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020203420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016101809.htm Archaeologists surveying the world's oldest submerged town have found ceramics dating back to the Final Neolithic. Their discovery suggests that Pavlopetri, off the southern Laconia coast of Greece, was occupied some 5,000 years ago -- at least 1,200 years earlier than originally thought. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016101809.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014111547.htm New findings from the Qesem Cave archaeological dig in Israel indicate that during the Lower Paleolithic Period people prepared and shared meat differently than in earlier times, providing new clues into our evolutionary development, economics and social behaviors. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014111547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924141049.htm Today's Scandinavians are not descended from the people who came to Scandinavia at the conclusion of the last ice age but, apparently, from a population that arrived later, concurrently with the introduction of agriculture. This is one conclusion of a new study straddling the borderline between genetics and archaeology. Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924141049.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911134624.htm A giant African lake basin is providing information about possible migration routes and hunting practices of early humans in the Middle and Late Stone Age periods, between 150,000 and 10,000 years ago. Researchers have documented thousands of stone tools on the lake bed, which sheds new light on how humans in Africa adapted to several substantial climate change events during the period that coincided with the last Ice Age in Europe. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911134624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910142352.htm Scientists have discovered the oldest-known fiber materials that could have been used by humans for making clothing, shoes, and other items for domestic use. The fibers are flax, and are over 34,000 years old. The fibers were discovered in a cave in the Republic of Georgia. Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910142352.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903163902.htm Analysis of ancient DNA suggests that Europe's first farmers were not the descendants of the people who settled the area after the retreat of the ice sheets. Instead, the early farmers probably migrated into major areas of central and eastern Europe about 7,500 years ago, bringing domesticated plants and animals with them. DNA analysis reveals little evidence of a direct genetic link between the hunter-gatherers and the early farmers. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903163902.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901105144.htm Previous studies have indicated that East Asia is where the wolf was tamed and became the dog. It was not possible to be more precise than that. But now researchers in Sweden have managed to zero in on man's best friend. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901105144.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831212951.htm Central Asian ethnic groups are more defined by societal rules than ancestry. Researchers found that overall there are more genetic differences within ethnic groups than between them, indicating that separate "ethnic groups" exist in the mind more than the blood. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831212951.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827101204.htm Shell beads unearthed from four sites in Morocco confirm early humans were consistently wearing and even trading symbolic jewelery as early as 80,000 years ago. These beads add to similar finds dating back as far as 110,000 in Algeria, Morocco, Israel and South Africa, confirming these as the oldest form of personal ornaments. Together these shells -- all from the Nassarius genus -- indicate a shared tradition passed along through cultures over thousands of years. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827101204.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820161131.htm Recent archaeological discoveries from far-flung corners of China are forcing scientists to reconsider the origins of ancient Chinese civilization -- and a new crop of young archaeologists are delving into the modern nation's roots. Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820161131.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818083228.htm A prehistoric water-filled cave in the Dominican Republic has become a "treasure trove" with the announcement by archaeologists of the discovery of stone tools, a primate skull, and the claws, jawbone and other bones of several species of sloths. This rare find is expected to offer insight into both the earliest inhabitants of the Greater Antilles and an issue of worldwide concern -- the extinction of native birds and animals when humans arrive. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818083228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142506.htm An anthropologist has discovered that humans living at a Paleolithic cave site in central Israel between 400,000 and 250,000 years ago were as successful at big-game hunting as were later stone-age hunters at the site, but that the earlier humans shared meat differently. Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142506.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142137.htm New evidence has been found showing that early modern humans living on the southern coast of Africa 72,000 years ago employed pyrotechnology -- the controlled use of fire -- to increase the quality and efficiency of their stone tool manufacturing process. This technology required a novel association between fire, its heat, and a structural change in stone with consequent flaking benefits; findings ignite notion of complex cognition in these early engineers. Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727130600.htm The Cheddar Gorge in Somerset was one of the first sites to be inhabited by humans when they returned to Britain near the end of the last Ice Age. According to new radio carbon dating humans were living in Gough's Cave 14,700 years ago. Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727130600.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122133.htm Archaeological excavations at the site of a recently discovered temple in southeastern Turkey have uncovered a cache of cuneiform tablets dating back to the Iron Age period between 1200 and 600 BCE. Found in the temple's cella, or "holy of holies," the tablets are part of a possible archive that may provide insights into Assyrian imperial aspirations. Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122133.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090715131437.htm Archaeologists are now establishing a discipline devoted to the history of tool use in non-human primate species in order to better understand human evolution. Sun, 09 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090715131437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728223022.htm Genetic evidence is revealing that human populations began to expand in size in Africa during the Late Stone Age approximately 40,000 years ago. Scientists have found that sub-Saharan populations increased in size well before the development of agriculture. This research supports the hypothesis that population growth played a significant role in the evolution of human cultures in the Late Pleistocene. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728223022.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090722150825.htm Paleoethnobotanists have concluded that not only did the Maya people practice forest management, but when they abandoned their forest conservation practices it was to the detriment of the entire Maya culture. Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090722150825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721214628.htm Genetic research indicates that Australian Aborigines initially arrived via south Asia. Researchers have found telltale mutations in modern-day Indian populations that are exclusively shared by Aborigines. Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721214628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720163729.htm The wound that ultimately killed a Neandertal man between 50,000 and 75,000 years was most likely caused by a thrown spear, the kind modern humans used but Neandertals did not, according to new research. Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720163729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721135602.htm The party was over more than 4,000 years ago, but the remnants still remain in the gourds and squashes that served as dishware. For the first time, researchers have studied the residues from gourds and squash artifacts that date back to 2200 B.C. and recovered starch grains from manioc, potato, chili pepper, arrowroot and algarrobo. The starches provide clues about the foods consumed at feasts, and document the earliest evidence of the consumption of algarrobo and arrowroot in Peru. Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721135602.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090710092230.htm A British archaeologist has just returned from a period of fieldwork in Iran, working on the first archaeological project in the country to explore the very recent past. The project looks at the effects the Iranian White Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s had on the ancient ‘Landlord Villages’ of the early Islamic period of the country’s history. Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090710092230.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622152033.htm Archaeologists have used stone tools to answer many questions about human ancestors in both the distant and near past and now they are analyzing the origin of obsidian flakes to better understand how people settled and interacted in the inhospitable Kuril Islands. Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622152033.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630163529.htm People find it very easy to recognize a face, even under very different circumstances. For a computer, on the other hand, it is extremely difficult. Researchers have developed a new analytical technique which enables the computer to better interpret the content of photos and images, but also of data. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630163529.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624213346.htm Researchers in Germany have unearthed new evidence for Paleolithic music in the form of the remains of one nearly complete bone flute and isolated small fragments of three ivory flutes. The discovery suggests themusical tradition was well established when modern humans colonized Europe over 35,000 calendar years ago. Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624213346.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622152041.htm For the past 2 million years, the size of the human brain has tripled, growing much faster than other mammals. Examining the reasons for human brain expansion, researchers studied three common hypotheses for brain growth: climate change, ecological demands and social competition. The team found that social competition is the major cause of increased cranial capacity. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622152041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608182543.htm More than 100 feet deep in Lake Huron, on a wide stony ridge that 9,000 years ago was a land bridge, researchers have found the first archeological evidence of human activity preserved beneath the Great Lakes. Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608182543.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090604222534.htm Did animals teach us one of the oldest forms of human technology? Did this technology teach us to count? These are just two of the themes being explored during a conference on basketry. Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090604222534.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090604144324.htm Increasing population density, rather than boosts in human brain power, appears to have catalyzed the emergence of modern human behavior, according to a new study. High population density leads to greater exchange of ideas and skills and prevents the loss of new innovations. It is this skill maintenance, combined with a greater probability of useful innovations, that led to modern human behavior appearing at different times in different parts of the world. Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090604144324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528133423.htm Researchers have made a virtual reconstruction of a female Neanderthal pelvis found in Israel. Although the size of the reconstructed birth canal shows that Neanderthal childbirth was about as difficult as in present-day humans, the shape indicates that Neanderthals retained a more primitive birth mechanism than modern humans. Fri, 29 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528133423.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090527103528.htm Research suggests people today and in future generations should look to the past in order to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. The dangers of rising sea levels, crop failures and extreme weather were all faced by our ancestors who learnt to adapt and survive in the face of climate change. Fri, 29 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090527103528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526202805.htm Anthropologists have recently reported on the analysis of a 4000-year-old skeleton from India bearing evidence of leprosy. This skeleton represents both the earliest archaeological evidence for human infection with Mycobacterium leprae in the world and the first evidence for the disease in prehistoric India. Wed, 27 May 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526202805.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090514084115.htm Neandertals, the supposedly 'stupid' cousins of modern humans, were capable of capturing the most impressive animals. This indicates that Neandertals were anything but dim. An analysis of their daily forays for food revealed that the hunting was very knowledge intensive. Thu, 14 May 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090514084115.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429172224.htm For the past two years, a team of Egyptologists, digital modelers, web designers, staff and students has been building a three-dimensional virtual-reality model of the ancient Egyptian religious site known as Karnak, one of the largest temple complexes ever constructed. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429172224.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090423142316.htm Scholars have recently question whether ancient Indus inscriptions code for language. American and Indian scientists used statistics to show that the 4,500-year-old Indus symbols' pattern follows that of other spoken languages. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090423142316.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421111659.htm They're a firm part of our language and even speak to us of our national culture -- but some words aren't quite as English as we think. Terms such as ‘law’, ‘ugly’, ‘want’ and ‘take’ are all loanwords from Old Norse, brought to these shores by the Vikings, whose attacks on England started in AD 793. Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421111659.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090415162649.htm The discovery of a remarkably well-preserved monumental temple in Turkey -- thought to be constructed during the time of King Solomon in the 10th/9th-centuries BCE -- sheds light on the so-called Dark Age. Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090415162649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090415075150.htm The Neanderthals inhabited a vast geographical area extending from Europe to western Asia and the Middle East 30,000 to 100,000 years ago. Now, a group of researchers are questioning whether or not the Neanderthals constituted a homogenous group or separate sub-groups (between which slight differences could be observed). A new study may provide some answers. Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090415075150.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090410075110.htm All African Pygmies, inhabiting a large territory extending west-to-east along Central Africa, descend from a unique population who lived around 20,000 years ago, according to a new study. The research concludes that the ancestors of present-day African Pygmies and farmers separated ~60,000 years ago. Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090410075110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090406102600.htm "Foot-shaped" structures have been revealed in the Jordan valley and are among the earliest sites that archeologists believe were built by the ancient people of Israel. The structures are thought to be symbolic of the biblical concept of ownership. Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090406102600.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090316093629.htm A new dating method finally is allowing archaeologists to incorporate rock paintings -- some of the most mysterious and personalized remnants of ancient cultures -- into the tapestry of evidence used to study life in prehistoric times.  Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090316093629.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090305141627.htm Archaeologists have uncovered the earliest known evidence of horses being domesticated by humans. The discovery suggests that horses were both ridden and milked. The findings could point to the very beginnings of horse domestication and the origins of the horse breeds we know today. Sun, 08 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090305141627.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090225132355.htm More than 80 stone implements were discovered together in Boulder city limits by landscapers. A biochemical analysis of a rare Clovis-era stone tool cache recently unearthed in the city limits of Boulder, Colo., indicates some of the implements were used to butcher ice-age camels and horses that roamed North America until their extinction about 13,000 years ago, according to a new study. Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090225132355.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212150822.htm Diet -- and how it has shaped our genome -- occupies much of an evolutionary scientist's time. Scientist hav explored how diet holds keys to understanding who we are, how we live and form societies, and how we evolved from hunter-gatherers to agriculturists, all the way to modern urban dwellers. Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212150822.htm