EurekAlert! News by Subject: Archaeology - News by Subject: Archaeology

Archaeology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 3-Jun-2025 11:09 ET (3-Jun-2025 15:09 GMT/UTC)

Early hominin toolmaking in Ethiopia sheds light on engineering ingenuity

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study published in PLOS ONE investigates how early hominins in Ethiopia, between 1.6- 1.0 million years ago, selected rocks for toolmaking, revealing their cognitive and adaptive capabilities. The study examined the engineering properties of raw materials at the Melka Wakena site using advanced imaging and robotic experiments. The findings demonstrate that early humans made informed decisions based on factors like durability and efficiency, providing new insights into the technological behaviors of early Pleistocene toolmakers.

Journal: PLOS One

When the past meets the future: Innovative drone mapping unlocks secrets of Bronze Age ‘mega fortress’ in the Caucasus

Cranfield University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A Cranfield University, UK, academic has used drone mapping to investigate a 3000-year-old ‘mega fortress’ in the Caucasus mountains, revealing details that re-shape understanding of the site and contribute to a global reassessment of ancient settlement growth and urbanism.

Journal: Antiquity

Breathing life into ancient texts: Unveiling Greco-Roman medicine through modern reenactments

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study has revolutionized the understanding of ancient medicine by combining modern science with hands-on historical reenactments. Supported by a European Research Council (ERC) grant, the research team recreated 2nd-century CE dissections described by Galen, uncovering new insights into Greco-Roman medical practices and resolving centuries-old mysteries hidden in ancient texts.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

New strontium isotope map of Sub-Saharan Africa is a powerful tool for archaeology, forensics, and wildlife conservation

University of California - Santa Cruz
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team of researchers led by UC Santa Cruz has mapped predicted bioavailable strontium isotope ratios across all of Sub-Saharan Africa. Archaeologists, conservation scientists, and forensics experts will now be able to match values from the map against those observed in artifacts and plant, animal, and human remains of unknown origin to identify where they likely came from within the continent.

Journal: Nature Communications

Geodynamic shifts in the Rujm el-Hiri area suggest the site’s ancient use as an observatory is unlikely

Tel-Aviv University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study by Tel Aviv University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev reveals groundbreaking findings about the famous Rujm el-Hiri site (known as the "Wheel of Ghosts") in the Golan Heights. Based on geomagnetic analysis and tectonic reconstruction, the researchers determined that geodynamic movement over 150 million years, at an average rate of 8–15 mm per year, caused significant shifts in the ground, rotating and reorienting it over millennia. This finding challenges the widely held theory that the structure was used as an astronomical observatory, as the original alignment of the walls and entrances does not correspond to celestial observations, as previously hypothesized.

Journal: Remote Sensing

Water and gruel – not bread: Discovering the diet of early Neolithic farmers in Scandinavia

Aarhus University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

At a Neolithic settlement on the Danish island Funen dating back 5,500 years, archaeologists have discovered both grinding stones and grains from early cereals. However, new research reveals that the inhabitants did not use the stones to grind the cereal grains. Instead of making bread, they likely prepared porridge or gruel from the grains.

Journal: Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
Funder: The Agency for Culture and Palaces of the Ministry of Culture Denmark, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

New computational method uncovers surprising variability in Neolithic building practices

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Peer-Reviewed Publication

This study reveals that the early architectural development in the Near East was far more complex than previously thought, challenging the traditional narrative of a straightforward transition from round to rectangular structures during the Neolithic period. The research introduces a novel computational approach to analyze architectural remains, providing an objective and repeatable method for examining building outlines. This methodology uncovers insights that qualitative methods might overlook, including quantification of defined angles in structures as early as the Natufian period, suggesting advanced building techniques were in use earlier than believed. The study also highlights the architectural diversity during the Natufian and early Neolithic period, suggesting that building codes and more standard practices had not yet emerged. These findings provide new insights into the social and technological changes accompanying the rise of permanent settlements and agricultural economies.

Journal: Archaeological Research in Asia

14
15
16
17
18