Vesthimmerlands Museum is thrilled to announce the discovery of a significant timber circle in Vesthimmerland, Northern Denmark. The excavation, led by Curator Sidsel Wåhlin and Excavation Manager Andreas Bo Nielsen, has revealed a remarkable structure dating back to the late Neolithic/early Bronze Age (2600-1600 B.C.)

The timber circle, with a diameter of approximately 30 meters, consists of at least 45 wooden posts spaced roughly 2 meters apart. This discovery is particularly exciting due to its connection to the Bell Beaker phenomenon, a cultural complex that spread across Europe during the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age.

"This is an extraordinary find," remarks Sidsel Wåhlin, curator at Vesthimmerlands Museum. "The timber circle provides valuable insights into the ritual practices and social structures of this internationally connected prehistoric society. It is a testament to the rich archaeological heritage of Denmark."

Andreas Bo Nielsen, Excavation Manager, adds, "The e

Abstract

During the fourth millennium BC, public institutions developed at several large settlements across greater Mesopotamia. These are widely acknowledged as the first cities and states, yet surprisingly little is known about their emergence, functioning and demise. Here, the authors present new evidence of public institutions at the site of Shakhi Kora in the lower Sirwan/upper Diyala river valley of north-east Iraq. A sequence of four Late Chalcolithic institutional households precedes population dispersal and the apparent regional rejection of centralised social forms of organisation that were not then revisited for almost 1500 years.

Research article [Open Access]

Abstract: The European shores of the Mediterranean are characterised by well-known sociocultural and economic dynamics during the Bronze and Early Iron Ages (2200–550 BC), but our understanding of the African shores is comparatively vague. Here, the authors present results from excavations at Kach Kouch, Morocco, revealing an occupation phase from 2200–2000 cal BC, followed by a stable settlement from c. 1300–600 BC characterised by wattle and daub architecture, a farming economy, distinctive cultural practices and extensive connections. Kach Kouch underscores the agency of local communities, challenging the notion of north-western Africa as terra nullius prior to Phoenician arrival.

Link to open access research article

Abstract

The Huns appeared in Europe in the 370s, establishing an Empire that reshaped West Eurasian history. Yet until today their origins remain a matter of extensive debate. Traditional theories link them to the Xiongnu, the founders of the first nomadic empire of the Mongolian steppe. The Xiongnu empire dissolved, however, 300 y before the Huns appeared in Europe, and there is little archaeological and historical evidence of Huns in the steppe during this time gap. Furthermore, despite the rich 5th to 6th centuries current era (CE) archaeological record of the Carpathian Basin, the cultural elements of connections with the steppe are limited to few findings and even fewer solitary eastern-type burials. In this study, we coanalyze archaeological evidence with 35 newly sequenced and published genomic data for a total of 370 individuals—from 5th to 6th century CE contexts in the Carpathian

Siver's team identified fossilized phytoliths—microscopic silica structures formed in plant tissues—from palm trees in ancient lakebed sediments extracted from the Giraffe kimberlite pipe locality in Canada's Northwest Territories. These fossils, alongside preserved remains of warm-water aquatic organisms, indicate a climate far warmer than previously thought, challenging assumptions about when and where ice first formed in the Northern Hemisphere.

A rare discovery of a nearly complete skull in the Egyptian desert has led scientists to the “dream” revelation of a new 30-million-year-old species of the ancient apex predatory carnivore, Hyaenodonta.

Bearing sharp teeth and powerful jaw muscles, suggesting a strong bite, the newly-identified‘Bastetodon’ was a leopard-sized “fearsome” mammal. It would have been at the top of all carnivores and the food chain when our own monkey-like ancestors were evolving.

Findings, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, detail how this ferocious creature would have likely preyed on primates, early hippos, early elephants, and hyraxes in the lush forest of Fayum, Egypt, which is now home to a desert.

Abstract

The manipulation of human corpses started to become commonplace during the Upper Paleolithic. This well-documented behavior among Magdalenian peoples consists of perimortem manipulation and the removal of soft tissues and has been understood as forming part of the cultural repertoire of mortuary actions. The study of these practices has given rise to several interpretations with the consumption of human flesh (cannibalism) occupying a central position. The human assemblage of Maszycka Cave (18,000 cal. BP) is part of this ongoing debate. Although initial research in the 1990s suggested cannibalism, more recent studies challenge this interpretation arguing that the low incidence of human activity rule out the likelihood of processing for the purpose of consumption and proposing skull selection as a funerary practice. This study reviews the assemblage and presents previously unpublished postcranial skeletal specimens along with evidence of whole-body manipulation for consump

These lost rainforest cities may seem to have little in common with today’s steel and asphalt behemoths but according to experts, early Amazonian metropolises are remarkable for what they tell us about the way ancestral urbanites lived off the land without trampling it. The new scientific tools have helped to uncover a pre-colonial landscape marked by ancient practices with implications for contemporary environmental management.

Abstract

Reconstructing past herd mobility, reproduction, and diet is crucial for understanding animal management practices among the first sedentary farming communities. It can also shed light on how domestic animals were integrated into the existing exchange networks of goods, products, and raw materials, and how they contributed to broader economic and social changes during the Neolithic. Despite the longstanding importance of cattle (Bos taurus) to herders, the role of cattle in the daily, seasonal, and annual cycle of activities of early farming communities remains relatively poorly understood. This study focuses on the Middle Neolithic site of Cova de les Pixarelles (3942–3632 cal. BCE) one of the few sites in the Iberian Peninsula from this period with a substantial collection of faunal remains. The site is particularly notable for its high proportion of cattle remains. Previous research on the cattle bone assemblage from Cova de les Pixarelles has included comprehensive a

Snippet: Egberts collected over 850 artifacts, ranging from very old hand axes from the Early or Old Paleolithic to Levallois reduction flakes from the Middle Paleolithic, all surface material. "The other sites also deserve equally thorough systematic investigation, which will undoubtedly yield similar quantities of lithic material."

"Based on the distribution of the sites and the advancing understanding of the region's geomorphological history, there are emerging clues of early human landscape use. In the future, I hope to expand my research to a larger area, systematically sample all the sites, and conduct in-depth technological and typological artifact analysis. The new insights we bring from Iraq will then be integrated into the broader understanding of human evolution and behavior on the Arabian Peninsula."

Research article (open access)

Introduction to press release: Studies of sediment cores from the sea floor and the coastal regions surrounding the Aegean Sea show that humans contaminated the environment with lead early on in antiquity. A research team led by geoscientists from Heidelberg University conducted the analyses, which revealed that human activity in the region resulted in lead contamination of the environment approximately 5,200 years ago – much earlier than previously known. Combined with the results of pollen analyses from the sediment cores, this contamination also offers insights into socioeconomic change in the Aegean, even reflecting historical events such as the conquest of Greece by the Romans.

Abstract

This study explores how major climatic shifts, together with socioeconomic factors over the past two millennia, influenced buffer crop selection, focusing on five crops: rye, millet, buckwheat, oat, and hemp. For this study, we analyzed archaeobotanical data from 135 archaeological contexts and historical data from 242 manor inventories across the northeastern Baltic region, spanning the period from 100 to 1800 AD. Our findings revealed that rye remained a main staple crop throughout the studied periods reflecting environmental adaptation to northern latitudes. The drought-tolerant and thermophilic millet crop exhibited resilience during the adverse dry climatic conditions of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly while showing a significant decline during the Little Ice Age. During the period of post-1500 AD, a significant shift towards cold-resilient summer crops such as buckwheat and hemp is recorded. This study enhances our understanding of how historical agricultural systems r

English translation

Snippet: The multidisciplinary team of the Caral Archaeological Zone , Executive Unit 003 of the Ministry of Culture, has discovered a new pyramidal building in the so-called "Sector F" of the Chupacigarro archaeological settlement , located one kilometer west of the Sacred City of Caral-Supe , World Heritage, in the Supe valley, province of Barranca, Lima Region.

Recent archaeological explorations have allowed us to identify this new building, which was covered by a small group of dry huarango trees and undergr

Abstract

Resilience—the ability of socio-ecological systems to withstand and recover from shocks—is a key research and policy focus. Definitions of resilience differ between disciplines, however, and the term remains inadequately operationalized. Resilience is the outcome of variable behavioral decisions, yet the process itself and the strategies behind it have rarely been addressed quantitatively. We present an agent-based model integrating four common risk management strategies, observed in past and present societies. Model outcomes under different environmental regimes, and in relation to key case studies, provide a mapping between the efficacy (success in harm prevention) and efficiency (cost of harm prevention) of different behavioral strategies. This formalization unravels the historical contingency of dynamic socio-natural processes in the context of crises. In discriminating between successful and failed risk management strategies deployed in the past—the emergent outcome o

Going to try posting the initial link to more laymen friendly press releases when available!

Link to open access research article

Abstract

One debated scenario for the termination of the Messinian salinity crisis 5.33 million years ago is cataclysmic refilling of the Mediterranean Sea through the Zanclean megaflood. Here we present a clear line of onshore-to-offshore evidence for this megaflood spilling over a shallow-water marine corridor in south-east Sicily into the nearby subaqueous Noto Canyon: (i) >300 asymmetric and streamlined erosional ridges aligned with the megaflood direction, (ii) poorly-sorted breccia deposited between the Messinian and Lower Zanclean Trubi Formations, (iii) soft-sediment deformation structures and clastic injections in the breccia and underlying units, and (iv) a 20 kilometre wide erosional shelf channel connecting the ridges with Noto Canyon. Numerical modelling results support the modulation of flow v

Research article [Closed access]

Abstract

Incorporation of animal-based foods into early hominin diets has been hypothesized to be a major catalyst of many important evolutionary events, including brain expansion. However, direct evidence of the onset and evolution of animal resource consumption in hominins remains elusive. The nitrogen-15 to nitrogen-14 ratio of collagen provides trophic information about individuals in modern and geologically recent ecosystems (<200,000 years ago), but diagenetic loss of this organic matter precludes studies of greater age. By contrast, nitrogen in tooth enamel is preserved for millions of years. We report enamel-bound organic nitrogen and carbonate carbon isotope measurements of Sterkfontein Member 4 mammalian fauna, including seven Australopithecus specimens. Our results suggest a variable but plant-based diet (largely C3) for these hominins. Therefore, we argue that Australopithecus at Sterkfonte

Editorialized article on this topic due to the closed access status. Recommend reader mode.

Abstract

The Silk Road, an ancient trade route connecting China with the West, facilitated the exchanges of goods, ideas, and cultural practices among diverse civilizations. The Sogdians were prominent merchants along the Silk Road, renowned for their roles as traders, artisans, and entertainers. They migrated to China, forming enduring communities that produced multiple generations of descendants. Despite their historical importance, primary written records detailing the origins of the Sogdians and their interactions with local populations are limited. In this study, we generated genome-wide data for two ancient individuals from a joint burial (M1401) in the Guyuan cemetery dating to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). To our knowledge, this represents the first ancient genomic data obtained from the Sogdian po

Abstract

Questions about when early members of the genus Homo adapted to extreme environments like deserts and rainforests have traditionally focused on Homo sapiens. Here, we present multidisciplinary evidence from Engaji Nanyori in Tanzania’s Oldupai Gorge, revealing that Homo erectus thrived in hyperarid landscapes one million years ago. Using biogeochemical analyses, precise chronometric dating, palaeoclimate simulations, biome modeling, fire history reconstructions, palaeobotanical studies, faunal assemblages, and archeological evidence, we reconstruct an environment dominated by semidesert shrubland. Despite these challenges, Homo erectusrepeatedly occupied fluvial landscapes, leveraging water sources and ecological focal points to mitigate risk. These findings suggest archaic humans possessed an ecological flexibility previously attributed only to later hominins. This adaptability likely facilitated the expansion of Homo erectus into the arid regions of Africa and