New archaeological findings along a little-known medieval wall in eastern Mongolia reveal that frontier life was more complex than previously believed. Excavations show evidence of permanent habitation, agriculture, and cultural exchange, suggesting that these walls were not solely defensive structures but part of a broader system of regional control and interaction during the Jin dynasty.

A new method developed by researchers at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, could soon unlock the vast repository of biological information held in the proteins of ancient soft tissues. The findings, which could open up a new era for palaeobiological discovery, have been published today (28 May) in PLOS ONE.

New research brings together 7,000 years of history in South Arabia to show how ancient pastoralists changed placement and construction of monuments over time in the face of environmental and cultural forces.

Llamas may have been domesticated in the semi-arid North of Chile prior to the Incas, according to multi-proxy analysis of early camelid remains

Humans were making tools from whale bones as far back as 20,000 years ago, according to a study conducted by scientists from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and the University of British Columbia. This discovery broadens our understanding of early human use of whale remains and offers valuable insight into the marine ecology of the time. 

New study reveals that the Gobi Wall—an extensive, little-understood structure in the Mongolian desert—was not merely a defensive barrier but a sophisticated tool of imperial strategy during the Xi Xia dynasty (1038–1227 CE). Constructed primarily from rammed earth, stone, and wood, the wall and its associated garrisons were deliberately placed to manage frontier movement, regulate trade, and assert territorial control, all while adapting to the harsh ecological and geographic realities of the region. This research reframes the Gobi Wall as a multifunctional infrastructure that played a central role in the geopolitical and environmental landscape of medieval Inner Asia.

A new study by archaeologists at Bournemouth University has revealed that bodies recovered from a ‘war-cemetery’, previously attributed to the Roman Conquest of Britain at Maiden Castle Iron Age hillfort in Dorset, did not die in a single dramatic event.