ScienceDaily: Lost Treasure News

Modern humans did not settle in Asia before eruption of Sumatra volcano 74,000 years ago, study finds

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 08:41:41 EDT

When did modern humans settle in Asia and what route did they take from humankind's African homeland? New research refutes a recent theory that there is archaeological evidence for the presence of modern humans in southern Asia before the super-eruption of the Mount Toba volcano in Sumatra.

Mysterious monument found beneath the Sea of Galilee

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:30:30 EDT

Scientists have discovered a mysterious monument beneath the waves of the Sea of Galilee. The site resembles early burial sites in Europe and was likely built in the early Bronze Age.

Bone tumor in 120,000-year-old Neandertal discovered

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 19:01:01 EDT

The first-known definitive case of a benign bone tumor has been discovered in the rib of a young Neandertal who lived about 120,000 years ago in what is now present-day Croatia. The bone fragment, which comes from the famous archaeological cave site of Krapina, contains by far the earliest bone tumor ever identified in the archaeological record.

New biomolecular archaeological evidence points to the beginnings of viniculture in France

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:38:38 EDT

France is renowned the world over as a leader in the crafts of viticulture and winemaking -- but the beginnings of French viniculture have been largely unknown, until now. Imported ancient Etruscan amphoras and a limestone press platform, discovered at the ancient port site of Lattara in southern France, have provided the earliest known biomolecular archaeological evidence of winemaking -- and point to the beginnings of a Celtic or Gallic vinicultural industry in France circa 500-400 BCE.

King Richard III found in 'untidy lozenge-shaped grave'

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:37:37 EDT

A new article on the archaeology of the Search for Richard III reveals for the first time specific details of the grave dug for King Richard III and discovered under a car park in Leicester.

New archaeological 'high definition' sourcing sharpens understanding of the past

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:54:54 EDT

A new method of sourcing the origins of artefacts in high definition is set to improve our understanding of the past.

Archaeological genetics: It's not all as old as it at first seems

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:51:51 EDT

Genomic analyses suggest that patterns of genetic diversity which indicate population movement may not be as ancient as previously believed, but may be attributable to recent events.

Agriculture in China predates domesticated rice: Discovery of ancient diet shatters conventional ideas of how agriculture emerged

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:57:57 EDT

Archaeologists have made a discovery in southern subtropical China which could revolutionize thinking about how ancient humans lived in the region. They have uncovered evidence for the first time that people living in Xincun 5,000 years ago may have practiced agriculture -- before the arrival of domesticated rice in the region.

Light cast on lifestyle and diet of first New Zealanders

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:57:57 EDT

Scientists have shed new light on the diet, lifestyles and movements of the first New Zealanders by analyzing isotopes from their bones and teeth.

Earliest archaeological evidence of human ancestors hunting and scavenging

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:44:44 EDT

A recent research study has shed new light on the diet and food acquisition strategies of some the earliest human ancestors in Africa. Beginning around two million years ago, early stone tool-making humans, known scientifically as Oldowan hominin, started to exhibit a number of physiological and ecological adaptations that required greater daily energy expenditures, including an increase in brain and body size, heavier investment in their offspring and significant home-range expansion. Demonstrating how these early humans acquired the extra energy they needed to sustain these shifts has been the subject of much debate among researchers.

Secret streets of Britain's 'Atlantis' are revealed

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:11:11 EDT

Archeologists have carried out the most detailed analysis ever of the archaeological remains of the lost medieval town of Dunwich, dubbed ‘Britain’s Atlantis’. Using advanced underwater imaging techniques, the project has produced the most accurate map to date of the town’s streets, boundaries and major buildings, and revealed new ruins on the seabed.

In ancient China, sago palms were major plant food prior to rice cultivation

Wed, 08 May 2013 17:21:21 EDT

Before rice cultivation became prevalent, ancient populations on the southern coast of China likely relied on sago palms as staple plant foods, according to new research.

King Richard III archaeological unit discovers Roman cemetery under car park

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:41:41 EDT

The University of Leicester archaeological unit that discovered King Richard III has spearheaded another dig and discovered a 1,700-old- Roman cemetery -- under another car park in Leicester.

Prehistoric metalwork discovered at Iron Age site, along with gaming pieces

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:09:09 EDT

Archaeologists from the University of Leicester in the UK have uncovered one of the biggest groups of Iron Age metal artefacts to be found in the region -- in addition to finding dice and gaming pieces.

Ancient Roman man hidden beneath famous painting at the Louvre

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:46:46 EDT

In the latest achievement in efforts to see what may lie underneath the surface of great works of art, scientists today described the first use of an imaging technology like that used in airport whole-body security scanners to detect the face of an ancient Roman man hidden below the surface of a wall painting in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Research holds revelations about an ancient society's water conservation, purification

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:16:16 EDT

New research at the ancient Maya site of Medicinal Trail in northwestern Belize is revealing how populations in more remote areas -- the hinterland societies -- built reservoirs to conserve water and turned to nature to purify their water supply.

New light shed on ancient Egyptian port and ship graveyard

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 15:07:07 EDT

New research illuminates Thonis-Heracleion, a sunken port-city that served as the gateway to Egypt in the first millennium BC. This obligatory port of entry, known as 'Thonis' by the Egyptians and 'Heracleion' by the Greeks, was where seagoing ships probably unloaded their cargoes to have them assessed by temple officials and taxes extracted before transferring them to Egyptian ships that went upriver.

Research examines ancient Puebloans and the myth of maize

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:24:24 EDT

New research shows that perhaps the ancient Puebloans weren't as into the maize craze as once thought. Nikki Berkebile has been studying the subsistence habits of Puebloans, or Anasazi, who lived on the southern rim of the Grand Canyon in the late 11th century. Traditional ethnographic literature indicates these ancient American Indians were heavily dependent on maize as a food source, but Berkebile isn't so sure about that.

Stone ships show signs of maritime network in Baltic Sea region 3,000 years ago

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 08:23:23 EDT

In the middle of the Bronze Age, around 1000 BC, the amount of metal objects increased dramatically in the Baltic Sea region. Around the same time, a new type of stone monument, arranged in the form of ships, started to appear along the coasts. New research shows that the stone ships were built by maritime groups.

Earliest tobacco use in Pacific Northwest discovered

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:10:10 EDT

Native American hunter-gatherers living more than a thousand years ago in what is now northwestern California ate salmon, acorns and other foods, and now we know they also smoked tobacco -- the earliest known usage in the Pacific Northwest, according to a new study.

Last Neanderthals of southern Iberia may not have coexisted with modern humans, new data suggest

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:37:37 EST

The last Neanderthals had passed by southern Iberia quite earlier than previously thought, approximately 45,000 years ago and not 30,000 years ago as it has been estimated until recently. Researchers dated samples from two archaeological sites of central and southern Iberia. The new data casts doubt on the theory that sapiens and Neanderthals coexisted in Iberia during the Upper Pleistocene.

Discovery of remains of England's King Richard III confirmed

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 09:46:46 EST

The University of Leicester has confirmed that it has discovered the remains of England's King Richard III. At a specially convened media conference, experts unanimously identified the remains discovered in Leicester city center as being those of the last Plantagenet king who died in 1485. Rigorous scientific investigations confirmed the strong circumstantial evidence that the skeleton found at the site of the Grey Friars church in Leicester was indeed that of King Richard III.

Aztec conquest altered genetics among early Mexico inhabitants, new DNA study shows

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 09:52:52 EST

For centuries, the fate of the original Otomi inhabitants of Xaltocan, the capital of a pre-Aztec Mexican city-state, has remained unknown. Researchers have long wondered whether they assimilated with the Aztecs or abandoned the town altogether. According to new anthropological research, the answers may lie in DNA.

Ovarian tumor, with teeth and a bone fragment inside, found in a Roman-age skeleton

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:14:14 EST

A team of researchers has found the first ancient remains of a calcified ovarian teratoma, in the pelvis of the skeleton of a woman from the Roman era. The find confirms the presence in antiquity of this type of tumor -- formed by the remains of tissues or organs, which are difficult to locate during the examination of ancient remains. Inside the small round mass, four teeth and a small piece of bone were found.

4,000-year-old shaman's stones discovered near Boquete, Panama

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 15:35:35 EST

Archaeologists have discovered a cluster of 12 unusual stones in the back of a small, prehistoric rock-shelter near the town of Boquete in Panama. The cache represents the earliest material evidence of shamanistic practice in lower Central America.

The Teotihuacans exhumed their dead and dignified them with make-up

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:58:58 EST

Researchers have analyzed for the first time remains of cosmetics in the graves of prehispanic civilizations on the American continent. In the case of the Teotihuacans, these cosmetics were used as part of the after-death ritual to honor their city’s most important people.

Archaeologists unearth more than 300 prehistoric clay figurines in Greece

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 08:22:22 EST

Archaeologists studying a Neolithic archaeological site in central Greece have helped unearth over 300 clay figurines, one of the highest density for such finds in south-eastern Europe.

Terrace farming unearthed at ancient desert city of Petra

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:04:04 EST

New archaeological research dates the heyday of terrace farming at the ancient desert city of Petra to the first century. This development led to an explosion of agricultural activity, increasing the city's strategic significance as a military prize for the Roman Empire.

Archaeologists date world's oldest timber constructions

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 08:01:01 EST

A research team has succeeded in precisely dating four water wells built by the first Central European agricultural civilization with the help of dendrochronology or growth ring dating. The wells were excavated at settlements in the Greater Leipzig region and are the oldest known timber constructions in the world. They were built by the Linear Pottery culture, which existed from roughly 5600 to 4900 BC.

Study of pipestone artifacts overturns a century-old assumption

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 12:15:15 EST

In a new study, the first to actually test pipestone from quarries across the upper Midwest, researchers conclude that those who buried ceremonial pipes in a famous mound site in southeastern Ohio got the stone – and perhaps even the finished, carved pipes – from Illinois. The findings offer new insight into the Hopewell people, who lived in the region from about 100 B.C. to A.D. 400.

Crisis in Syria has Mesopotamian precedent, experts say

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 11:19:19 EST

New research has revealed intriguing parallels between modern day and Bronze-Age Syria as the Mesopotamian region underwent urban decline, government collapse, and drought.

Reconstructing the site of Richard III’s last 'resting place' before Bosworth

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 23:49:49 EST

A team of researchers in the UK has reconstructed models of the Blue Boar Inn -- reputed to have housed King Richard III before the battle of Bosworth -- following the discovery of a notebook in a private collection containing a measured survey of the iconic local timber framed building.

Tracing humanity's African ancestry may mean rewriting 'out of Africa' dates

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:23:23 EST

New research may lead to a rethinking of how, when and from where our ancestors left Africa. Explorations in the Iringa region of southern Tanzania yielded fossils and other evidence that records the beginnings of our own species, Homo sapiens. New research may be key to answering questions about early human occupation and the migration out of Africa about 60,000 to 50,000 years ago, which led to modern humans colonizing the globe.

Dead guts spill history of extinct microbes: Fecal samples from archeological sites reveal evolution of human gut microbes

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 20:56:56 EST

Extinct microbes in fecal samples from archaeological sites across the world resemble those found in present-day rural African communities more than they resemble the microbes found in the gut of cosmopolitan US adults, according to new research.

Chemical analysis reveals first cheese-making in Northern Europe 7,000 years ago

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:40:40 EST

Archeologists have the first unequivocal evidence that humans in prehistoric Northern Europe made cheese more than 7,000 years ago.

Roman settlement and possible prehistoric site uncovered in northern Italy

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:35:35 EST

Using archaeological expertise and modern technology, archeologists recently discovered a Roman settlement and possible prehistoric site in northern Italy.

Ancient drawings in Peruvian desert: New light on the Nazca Lines

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 10:14:14 EST

Archaeologists gain insight into ancient desert drawings – by walking them. Archaeologists have completed highly detailed research into the Nazca Lines – enigmatic drawings created between 2,100 and 1,300 years ago in the Peruvian desert.

Archaeologists discover shipwrecks, ancient harbor on coast of Israel

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:22:22 EST

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a fleet of early-19th century ships and ancient harbor structures from the Hellenistic period at the city of Akko, one of the major ancient ports of the eastern Mediterranean. The findings shed light on a period of history that is little known and point to how and where additional remains may be found.

Scientists improve dating of early human settlement

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:28:28 EST

Archaeologists have significantly narrowed down the time frame during which the last major chapter in human colonization, the Polynesian triangle, occurred.

Archaeologists identify spear tips used in hunting a half-million years ago

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:15:15 EST

Anthropologists have found evidence that human ancestors used stone-tipped weapons for hunting 500,000 years ago – 200,000 years earlier than previously thought. Hafted spear tips are common in Stone Age archaeological sites after 300,000 years ago. This new study shows that they were also used in the early Middle Pleistocene, a period associated with Homo heidelbergensis and the last common ancestor of Neandertals and modern humans.

Science of the search for Richard III

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:29:29 EST

The complexity of tests being performed on Grey Friars skeleton mean answers will not come overnight.

Researchers unlock ancient Maya secrets with modern soil science

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:07:07 EST

Soil scientists and archeologists have uncovered evidence that the Maya grew corn sustainably in the lowlands of Tikal, Guatemala, but that they may also have farmed erosion-prone slopes over time.

Grey Friars female skeleton is possibly of founder

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:14:14 EDT

Archaeologists leading the analysis of human remains found in the search for Richard III have commented on the second skeleton found at the Church of Grey Friars in Leicester.

Complete mitochondrial genome sequences of ancient New Zealanders

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:25:25 EDT

Scientists have sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes for members of what was likely to be one of the first groups of Polynesians to settle New Zealand and have revealed a surprising degree of genetic variation among these pioneering voyagers.

Archaeologists to mount new expedition to troy

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:15:15 EDT

Troy, the palatial city of prehistory, sacked by the Greeks through trickery and a fabled wooden horse, will be excavated anew beginning in 2013 by a cross-disciplinary team of archaeologists and other scientists, it was announced today (Monday, Oct. 15).

Grave thought to contain remains of King Richard III came within inches of being destroyed by Victorian builders

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 08:50:50 EDT

Archaeologists from the University of Leicester who uncovered a grave thought to contain the skeleton of King Richard III have revealed that the remains came within inches of being destroyed by Victorian builders.

Tomb of Maya queen K'abel discovered in Guatemala

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:14:14 EDT

Archaeologists in Guatemala have discovered the tomb of Lady K'abel, a seventh-century Maya Holy Snake Lord considered one of the great queens of Classic Maya civilization. The tomb was discovered during excavations of the royal Maya city of El Perú-Waka' in northwestern Petén, Guatemala.

Prehistoric builders reveal trade secrets: Long-overlooked museum fossil is clue to vanished skills of prehistoric animal architects

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:23:23 EDT

A fossil which has lain in a museum drawer for over a century has been recognized by a geologist as a unique clue to the long-lost skills of some of the most sophisticated animal architects that have ever lived on this planet.

La Bastida unearths 4,200-year-old fortification, unique in continental Europe

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 09:15:15 EDT

Archaeological excavations carried out this year at the site of La Bastida (Totana, Murcia) have shed light on an imposing fortification system, unique for its time. The discovery, together with all other discoveries made in recent years, reaffirm that the city was the most advanced settlement in Europe in political and military terms during the Bronze Age (ca. 4,200 years ago -- 2,200 BCE), and is comparable only to the Minoan civilization of Crete.

Oldest ivory workshop in the world discovered in Saxony-Anhalt

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:26:26 EDT

Excavations at the mammoth hunting site of Breitenbach near Zeitz have uncovered a 35,000-year-old ivory workshop.

Humans were already recycling 13,000 years ago, burnt artifacts show

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:25:25 EDT

A new study reveals that humans from the Upper Palaeolithic Age recycled their stone artefacts to be put to other uses. The study is based on burnt artifacts found in Tarragona, Spain.

Comet may have exploded over Canada 12,900 years ago after all

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:13:13 EDT

New evidence and support for a theory introduced in 2007 suggested a comet may have exploded over Canada 12,900 years ago (the Younger Dryas Boundary), killing off the Clovis people and large animals and sending the earth back into an ice age. It refutes a study in 2009 that failed to replicate the findings of the 2007 study. The key findings in this new study resulted from sampling done at an archaeological site known as Topper.

Crews uncover massive Roman mosaic in southern Turkey

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 08:39:39 EDT

An archaeological team has uncovered a massive Roman mosaic in southern Turkey -- a meticulously crafted, 1,600-square-foot work of decorative handiwork built during the region's imperial zenith. It's believed to be the largest mosaic of its type in the region and demonstrates the reach and cultural influence of the Roman Empire in the area in the third and fourth centuries A.D.

Skilled hunters 300,000 years ago

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 08:55:55 EDT

Finds from early stone age site in north-central Germany show that human ingenuity is nothing new -- and was probably shared by now-extinct species of humans. Archeologists have found eight extremely well-preserved spears -- an astonishing 300,000 years old, making them the oldest known weapons anywhere. The spears and other artifacts as well as animal remains found at the site demonstrate that their users were highly skilled craftsmen and hunters, well adapted to their environment -- with a capacity for abstract thought and complex planning comparable to our own.

Roman military camp dating back to the conquest of Gaul throws light on a part of world history

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 08:06:06 EDT

In the vicinity of Hermeskeil, a small town some 30 kilometers southeast of the city of Trier in the Hunsrueck region in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, archaeologists have confirmed the location of the oldest Roman military fortification known in Germany to date. These findings shed new light on the Roman conquest of Gaul. The camp was presumably built during Julius Caesars’ Gallic War in the late 50s B.C.

Search for King Richard III enters new phase after 'momentous discovery has potential to rewrite history'

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 09:34:34 EDT

Historic findings of human remains -- including a man with apparent battle wounds and curvature of the spine -- have been revealed by an archaeological team from the University of Leicester.

Human remains discovered in search for King Richard III

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 20:01:01 EDT

A team from the University of Leicester is announcing a dramatic development in the search for King Richard III.

Archaeological research exposes the funeral ritual in the Strait of Gibraltar

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 09:13:13 EDT

Set in the current municipality of Tarifa (Cádiz) and opposite the Moroccan coast, Baelo Claudia is one of the best preserved Roman cities in Spain. Researchers have been studying part of the remains since 2009. The archaeological work conducted at the site since the early twentieth century has uncovered what is probably the best preserved city from the high imperial Roman period of the Iberian Peninsula, though many elements link it to the Mauritanian-Punic African world, especially visible in certain architectural and structural features of the forum and the Templar area.

Archaeological dig inches 'tantalizingly closer' to possible burial place of King Richard III

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 11:17:17 EDT

The University of Leicester is announcing that the archaeological dig at Greyfriars will continue for a third week as archaeologists get 'tantalisingly close' in their search for King Richard III.

Archaeologists uncover 'lost garden' in quest for Richard III

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 08:20:20 EDT

Archaeologists from the UK who are leading the search for the lost grave of King Richard III announced that they have made a new advance in their quest. They have uncovered evidence of the lost garden of Robert Herrick -- where, historically, it is recorded there was a memorial to Richard III. Now the "time tomb team" as they have become to be known has discovered paving stones which they believe belong to the garden.