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The article focuses on the discovery of the world's oldest known fortresses in central Siberia, built 8000 years ago by hunter-gatherers. Topics discussed include the forts' sophisticated architecture, their early construction predating monumental structures in the Middle East, and the broader implications for understanding the complexity of societies without relying on agriculture.

In the 1970s, archaeologist Peter Bogucki was excavating a Stone Age site in the fertile plains of central Poland when he came across an assortment of odd artefacts. The people [...]

The mastodon was old, its teeth worn to nubs. It was perfect prey for a band of hunters, wielding spears tipped with needle-sharp points made from bone. Sensing an easy [...]

ROME: A Cultural, Visual, and Personal History. By Robert Hughes. Knopf. 498pp. $35 ROME HAS HAD AN INFLUENCE like that of no other city. Its 2,500 years of unbroken history [...]

The carbon dating research of archaeologist and chemist Shin'ichiro Fujio and Mineo Imamura show that the Yayoi culture's shift to agriculture happened at least 500 years earlier than previously believed. This has forced archaeologists to re-interpret how the chronology of the shift from the Jomon to Yayoi culture in Japan.

A recent study published in Science Advances reveals that the horses used by medieval English knights in jousting tournaments were not all locally bred. The analysis of horse remains found in an open field near Buckingham Palace suggests the existence of a European horse trading network, with some horses originating from as far away as northern Italy. The findings shed light on the lives of medieval English elites and their passion for jousting. The study used isotopic analysis of the horses' teeth to determine their origins and hopes to expand the research to other horse remains in England to gain a better understanding of medieval life. [Extracted from the article]

A recent study published in Nature Communications has revealed that four out of 35 infants buried in an Iron Age Spanish village over 2,600 years ago had chromosomal abnormalities, including Down syndrome and Edwards syndrome. This is the first time Edwards syndrome has been identified in the archaeological record. The study highlights the care and value that prehistoric societies placed on individuals with disabilities and demonstrates the power of paleogenomics in uncovering genetic disorders from the past. The findings offer a comforting reminder that people with Down syndrome have been valued members of society throughout history. [Extracted from the article]

The Huenul Cave in northern Patagonia, Argentina, contains nearly 900 rock art paintings that date back 8,200 years, making them the oldest directly dated rock art paintings in South America. The paintings include comb-shaped motifs that were traced in reddish black pigment and are believed to have been created by small bands of people who periodically visited the cave. The paintings were likely used as a way to maintain ties and exchange information between far-flung groups in the harsh desert landscape. The use of the same pigment recipe and motif over thousands of years suggests the transmission of knowledge over a long term. [Extracted from the article]

A recent discovery in the Baltic Sea has revealed a wall of stones that was built by humans around 8500 years ago. The structure, which stretches for nearly 1 kilometer, was likely used to help ancient hunters herd reindeer. The wall, submerged by rising sea levels, has been preserved for millennia and is believed to be the earliest and largest structure of its kind in Europe. This finding challenges previous assumptions about the mobility of Paleolithic hunters in Northern Europe and highlights the complex ways in which early hunter-gatherers shaped their environments. Further research and diving expeditions are planned to gather more evidence and artifacts from the site. [Extracted from the article]

Researchers have discovered a cache of black henbane seeds in a Roman-era bone container in the Netherlands. Black henbane was a poisonous plant that could act as a mild narcotic and relieve pain. The find suggests that the medicinal properties of black henbane were known even on the fringes of the Roman Empire. The bone container, along with other artifacts found nearby, indicates some sort of purposeful deposit or ritual. This discovery highlights the spread of medical knowledge in antiquity, even in remote areas. [Extracted from the article]

New evidence suggests that modern humans and Neanderthals coexisted in Europe for thousands of years. Archaeologists have discovered fragments of hominin bone in a cave in Germany that are at least 45,000 years old and have been identified as the remains of Homo sapiens. These bones were found alongside stone tools that were previously attributed to Neanderthals, indicating that early humans were more widespread and present in Europe earlier than previously thought. Genetic evidence also confirms that modern humans and Neanderthals interacted and sometimes interbred. However, it appears that a new wave of modern humans arrived about 40,000 years ago and eventually replaced Neanderthals. [Extracted from the article]

Archaeologists have discovered that prehistoric artifacts previously thought to be ritual objects were actually used for ropemaking. The artifacts, made from mammoth ivory or antler, date back over 35,000 years to the last ice age. The researchers found that the artifacts had multiple holes with spiraling grooves, which they believe were used to feed plant fibers through and create rope. This discovery sheds light on the practical skills and innovative capacities of ancient humans. [Extracted from the article]

New research using ancient DNA has found a link between the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) and the migration of the Yamnaya people from the steppes near the Black Sea to central and Northern Europe around 5000 years ago. The study, led by University of Copenhagen paleogeneticist Eske Willerslev, analyzed the genomes of over 1000 ancient individuals and compared them with modern British DNA. The researchers found that the proportion of ancestry from ancient populations predicted differences in disease risk and physical attributes in present-day Europeans. The findings suggest that the legacy of ancient populations still has a significant impact on modern people. [Extracted from the article]