A new archaeology for the Anthropocene era
Indiana Jones and Lara Croft have a lot to answer for. Public perceptions of archaeology are often thoroughly outdated, and these characterisations do little to help. Archaeology as practiced today bears virtually no resemblance to the tomb raiding p.....»»
Simulation study explores how gift giving drives social change
New findings provide quantitative criteria for classifying social organizations in human history, together with potential explanatory variables that can be empirically measured for anthropology, history and archaeology, according to a study published.....»»
Unique Iron- and Viking-age mortuary houses unearthed in Norway
Recent work published by Dr. Raymond Sauvage and Dr. Richard Macphail in Medieval Archaeology describes the excavation and interpretation of three Iron- and Viking-Age mortuary houses in central Norway, Skeiet, in the village of Vinjeøra......»»
How is the Anthropocene helping to rethink the contemporary issue of environmental degradation?
The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch whereby humans are deemed to be the primary drivers of ecological and environmental change, through activities that lead to environmental degradation. This theory that human activity poses more of a thr.....»»
New nature writing genre brings wild and tricky aspects of climate crisis to life
We live in an age of climate emergency and eco-anxiety. This is, after all, the Anthropocene—a geological period defined by the bootprint of humans on Earth. Bearing witness to our place in the world is critical now more than ever but writing about.....»»
Digital archaeology: New LEP data now available to all
Unlike letters carved on the Rosetta stone, digital data is not written on a virtually immutable support. Just a few years after it is written, its format becomes obsolete, the readout analysis tools can't run on computers and the visualization code.....»»
Anthropocene activities dramatically alter deep underground fluid flux, researchers find
Much of Earth's water is hidden hundreds of meters beneath our feet, among soil particles and deep within rock pores and fractures......»»
Lynx found at bottom of Roman era pit, along with four dogs, mystifies archaeologists
A team of archaeologists at the Institute of Archaeology, HUN-REN Research Center for the Humanities, in Hungary, working with a colleague from Stockholm University, has revisited a mystery: a Roman era lynx skeleton buried in a pit with four dog ske.....»»
Prehistoric henge reveals centuries-old sacred site in Lincolnshire
Archaeologists from Newcastle University have unearthed evidence for an evolving sacred landscape spanning centuries in Crowland, Lincolnshire. The study is published in the Journal of Field Archaeology......»»
The Anthropocene epoch that isn"t—what the decision not to label a new geological epoch means for Earth"s future
For almost 15 years, scientists have debated whether the Anthropocene should be an official geological epoch marking the profound influence of humans on the planet. Then in March, an international panel of scientists formally rejected the proposal fo.....»»
The Anthropocene already exists in our heads, even if it"s now officially not a geological epoch
An international subcommittee of geologists recently voted to reject a proposal to make the Anthropocene an official new geological epoch, defined by humanity's enormous impact on the planet. Assuming some protests do not overturn the ruling, it will.....»»
Viewpoint: What the Anthropocene"s critics overlook, and why it really should be a new geological epoch
Geologists on an international subcommission recently voted down a proposal to formally recognize that we have entered the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch representing the time when massive, unrelenting human impacts began to overwhelm the Earth.....»»
Nigeria"s ancient Ilorin city: Archaeologist uncovers more than 1,000 years of history
Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, is a Nigerian city with a long and rich history. However, much of its distant past is not well known. Archaeology is now uncovering more of this history and the relationships of Ilorin to other ancient parts of the.....»»
Stickiness in glacial space and time
Rising temperatures and melting ice play a central role in the unfolding Anthropocene—i.e., the most recent geologic period in Earth's history. What distinguishes the Anthropocene from prehistoric human impacts on the environment, mainly those caus.....»»
The bog is where forensics and archaeology meet to solve "cold cases"
Occasionally, police investigators find themselves announcing archaeological discoveries, rather than criminal findings. In 1984, for example, police oversaw the recovery of the Iron Age bog body (a naturally mummified corpse found in a peat bog) lat.....»»
New approach to carbon-14 dating corrects the age of a prehistoric burial site
How old are these bones? This standard question in archaeology can be answered quite precisely in many cases with the help of the carbon isotope 14C. But there are exceptions. Certain living habits, such as that of prehistoric hunter-gatherer-fisher.....»»
Archaeologists discover oldest known bead in the Americas
University of Wyoming archaeology Professor Todd Surovell and his team of collaborators have discovered a tube-shaped bead made of bone that is about 12,940 years old. The bead, found at the La Prele Mammoth site in Converse County, is the oldest kno.....»»
Cognitive archaeology and the psychological assessment of extinct minds
This week, Emiliano Bruner, a paleoneurologist at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), has published a wide-ranging review in the Journal of Comparative Neurology that describes the relationship between fossils a.....»»
First prehistoric person with Turner syndrome identified from ancient DNA
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, working with University of Oxford, University of York and Oxford Archaeology, have developed a new technique to measure the number of chromosomes in ancient genomes more precisely, using it to identify the.....»»
Ancient cities provide key datasets for urban planning, policy and predictions in the Anthropocene
Cities play a key role in climate change and biodiversity and are one of the most recognizable features of the Anthropocene. They also accelerate innovation and shape social networks, while perpetuating and intensifying inequalities. Today over half.....»»
Researchers prove human influence on large herbivore diets during Anthropocene
The human population explosion, soaring from 1.6 billion to more than 6 billion during the 20th century, has had a profound impact on global environments and biodiversity. However, large mammalian herbivores, including species such as elephants and d.....»»