Archaeology
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ArchaeologyThe Nazareth Inscription’s origins may refute ties to Jesus’ resurrection
Chemical analysis shows the tablet’s marble came from a Greek island, challenging the idea the decree concerned early Christianity in the Middle East.
By Bruce Bower -
ArchaeologyThis is one of the largest Ice Age structures made of mammoth bones
A massive ring of mammoth bones, built by hunter-gatherers during the Ice Age, offers a peek at life 25,000 years ago.
By Bruce Bower -
ArchaeologyAn ancient ball court sheds light on a game made famous by the Aztecs
A 3,400-year-old ball court in the southern mountains of Mexico suggests many societies contributed to the development of an ancient, well-known Mesoamerican ball game.
By Bruce Bower -
AnthropologyAn ancient social safety net in Africa was built on beads
A Stone Age network of communities across southern Africans was established using ostrich shell beads by around 33,000 years ago.
By Bruce Bower -
AnthropologyNew fossils and artifacts show Homo erectus crafted a diverse toolkit
Ancient hominid made stone tools demanding a range of skills and planning, a study finds.
By Bruce Bower -
ArchaeologySouth Asian toolmaking withstood the biggest volcanic blast in 2 million years
Toolmakers continued to strike sharp-edged flakes as usual after a volcano’s colossal eruption around 74,000 years ago on what’s now Sumatra Island.
By Bruce Bower -
ArchaeologyAncient ‘megasites’ may reshape the history of the first cities
At least two ancient paths to urban development existed, some archaeologists argue.
By Bruce Bower -
ArchaeologyNew cave fossils have revived the debate over Neandertal burials
Part of a Neandertal’s skeleton was found in a hole dug in the same cave in Iraqi Kurdistan where the “flower burial” was found in 1960.
By Bruce Bower -
ArchaeologyFood residues offer a taste of pottery’s diverse origins in East Asia
Clay pots emerged in different places and for different reasons, starting at least 16,000 years ago, a study suggests.
By Bruce Bower -
ArchaeologyAn ancient skeleton from an underwater Mexican cave sheds light on early Americans
A nearly 10,000-year-old skeleton discovered in a submerged Mexican cave provides more clues to how and when people settled the Americas.
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ArchaeologyWasp nests provide the key to dating 12,000-year-old Aboriginal rock art
Dating wasp nest remnants found beneath and atop painted rock art in Australia suggests the pictures were made some 5,000 years later than thought.
By Bruce Bower -
ArchaeologyA Siberian cave contains clues about two epic Neandertal treks
Stone tools and DNA illuminate an earlier and a later journey eastward across Asia.
By Bruce Bower