Showing 20 articles starting at article 521
Categories: Archaeology: General, Ecology: Trees
Published Origins of the Black Death identified
(via sciencedaily.com) The Black Death, the biggest pandemic of our history, was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and lasted in Europe between the years 1346 and 1353. Despite the pandemic's immense demographic and societal impacts, its origins have long been elusive. Now, scientists have obtained and studied ancient Y. pestis genomes that trace the pandemic's origins to Central Asia.
Published Wreck of historic royal ship discovered off the English coast
(via sciencedaily.com) A royal shipwreck has been discovered off the English coast. The wreck is of one of the most famous ships of the 17th century -- The Gloucester -- which sank 340 years ago while carrying the future King of England, James Stuart. Since running aground on a sandbank on May 6, 1682, the wreck has lain half-buried on the seabed, its exact whereabouts unknown. It has now been found.
Published Bioarchaeological evidence of very early Islamic burials in the Levant
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study combining archaeological, historical and bioarchaeological data provides new insights into the early Islamic period in modern-day Syria. The research team was planning to focus on a much older time period but came across what they believe to be remains of early Muslims in the Syrian countryside.
Published Pre-historic Wallacea: A melting pot of human genetic ancestries
(via sciencedaily.com) The Wallacean islands of present-day Eastern Indonesia have a long history of occupation by modern humans. Notably, the maritime expansion of Austronesian speakers into Wallacea left archaeological traces of a Neolithic lifestyle and a genetic imprint still detectable in Eastern Indonesians today. To gain further insights into Wallacea's settlement history, scientists sequenced and analyzed sixteen ancient genomes from different islands of Wallacea, finding evidence for repeated genetic admixtures starting at least 3,000 years ago.
Published A 3400-year-old city emerges from the Tigris River
(via sciencedaily.com) Archaeologists have uncovered a 3400-year-old Mittani Empire-era city once located on the Tigris River. The settlement emerged from the waters of the Mosul reservoir early this year as water levels fell rapidly due to extreme drought in Iraq. The extensive city with a palace and several large buildings could be ancient Zakhiku -- believed to have been an important center in the Mittani Empire (ca. 1550-1350 BC).
Published Famous rock art cave in Spain was used by ancient humans for over 50,000 years
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A cave in southern Spain was used by ancient humans as a canvas for artwork and as a burial place for over 50,000 years, according to a new study.
Published Archaeologists reveal pre-Hispanic cities in Bolivia with laser technology
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Several hundred settlements from the time between 500 and 1400 AD lie in the Bolivian Llanos de Mojos savannah and have fascinated archaeologists for years. Researchers have now visualized the dimensions of the largest known settlement of the so-called Casarabe culture. Mapping with the laser technology LIDAR indicates that it is an early urbanism with a low population density -- the only known case so far from the Amazon lowlands. The results shed new light on how globally widespread and diverse early urban life was and how earlier societies lived in the Amazon.