Tag: Archaeology
New evidence from West Papua offers fresh clues about how and when humans first moved into the Pacific
New research provides direct evidence that seafarers travelled along the equator to reach islands off the coast of West Papua more than 50 millennia ago.
Archaeologists conduct first ‘space excavation’ on International Space Station – and discover surprising quirks of zero-gravity life
Where do astronauts keep their toiletries? What’s with all the velcro? Here’s what we learned from doing archaeology on the International Space Station.
What did Bronze Age people do with all that bronze? New research revives old arguments about the nature of money
Did Bronze Age Europe have a market economy? New research suggests “hoard piles” could be linked to the exchange of small pieces of metal – much like money changes hands today.
The first published results from Juukan Gorge show 47,000 years of Aboriginal heritage was destroyed in mining blast
The Juukan 2 rockshelter was blown up in 2020. The results of an archaeological dig carried out six years earlier are only now being published for the first time.
The secrets of Maya child sacrifice at Chichén Itzá uncovered using ancient DNA
At the heart of the Maya civilisation were sacred sites where ritual sacrifices took place. A new DNA analysis reveals more about this practice and Maya genetic legacy.
A rare find in ancient Timorese mud may rewrite the history of human settlement in Australasia
New evidence from Laili rockshelter on Timor hints at a rapid, large-scale human arrival 44,000 years ago.
We mapped a lost branch of the Nile River – which may be the key to a longstanding mystery of the pyramids
Why build pyramids in the desert? A centuries-old puzzle may be answered by the slow wandering of the Nile.
Ancient nomads you’ve probably never heard of disappeared from Europe 1,000 years ago. Now, DNA analysis reveals how they lived
The Avars dominated southeastern central Europe for hundreds of years, leaving one of the richest archaeological heritages in Europe. Now scientists are using DNA to reveal details of their societies.
New analysis unlocks the hidden meaning of 15,000-year-old rock art in Arnhem Land
Rock art directly represents how our ancestors saw the world. A new approach involving the history of the landscape brings fresh meaning to Arnhem Land rock art.
The strange story of the grave of Copernicus
A team of archaeologists discovered the remains of the 16th-century father of modern astronomy, who demonstrated that the Earth orbits the Sun.
People once lived in a vast region in north-western Australia – and it had an inland sea
Our new study reveals a mosaic of habitable landscapes – now submerged by the ocean – once supported up to 500,000 people living in Australia’s northwest.
Carved trees and burial sites: Wiradjuri Elders share the hidden stories of _marara_ and _dhabuganha_
A new study unlocks the mysteries of ancient burial marker trees made by Wiradjuri people in southeastern Australia.
Stone Age herders transported heavy rock tools to grind animal bones, plants and pigment
A close look at 7,000-year-old grinding stones left in ancient firepits shows wandering herders in northern Saudi Arabia carried heavy tools for working on bones, plants and rocks.
Who lived at Machu Picchu? DNA analysis shows surprising diversity at the ancient Inca palace
Machu Picchu is now an iconic tourist destination in Peru – but it was once a royal palace that pulled people from all corners of the Inca empire.
In a Stone Age cemetery, DNA reveals a treasured 'founding father' and a legacy of prosperity for his sons
In the largest study of its kind, researchers have used DNA from a 6,700-year-old cemetery in France to reconstruct the lives of everyday Neolithic people.
