Ancient History

Snippet: The Egyptian-American archaeological mission has made a remarkable discovery in the South Asasif necropolis near Luxor, uncovering the first tomb from Egypt's Middle Kingdom era in the Asasif region and an array of artefacts and sealed burials dating back nearly 4,000 years.

Abstract

Stratified Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sites in Central Asia are rare. The recently discovered Soii Havzak rockshelter, in the Zeravshan Valley in northern Tajikistan, is a stratified site that contains several phases of Palaeolithic occupation rich in lithic, faunal and charcoal remains that help establish chronology of the region.

Abstract

Administrative innovations in South-west Asia during the fourth millennium BC, including the cylinder seals that were rolled on the earliest clay tablets, laid the foundations for proto-cuneiform script, one of the first writing systems. Seals were rich in iconography, but little research has focused on the potential influence of specific motifs on the development of the sign-based proto-cuneiform script. Here, the authors identify symbolic precursors to fundamental proto-cuneiform signs among late pre-literate seal motifs that describe the transportation of vessels and textiles, highlighting the synergy of early systems of clay-based communication.

Summary

This paper studies ancient fingerprints to produce an estimate of the age and sex of the makers of several terracotta figurines found at Thonis-Heracleion in Egypt, dated to the Late and Ptolemaic periods (seventh–second centuries BC). This is only the second study of its kind to discuss the use of ancient fingerprint impressions from Ancient Egypt and the first to apply this method to Late Period/Ptolemaic material using RTI (reflectance transformation imaging) to obtain measurements. Albeit at a preliminary stage, the findings suggest the involvement of men, women, and children in figurine production, both for locally produced wares and imported Greek figurines, contrary to the image of figurine-makers presented in ancient Greek literary sources, which portray figurine production as a predominantly male profession. The results also allow insight into questions of training and apprenticeship of ancient figurine production, with various stages of training being represented in the data.

Abstract

The Caucasus and surrounding areas, with their rich metal resources, became a crucible of the Bronze Age1 and the birthplace of the earliest steppe pastoralist societies2. Yet, despite this region having a large influence on the subsequent development of Europe and Asia, questions remain regarding its hunter-gatherer past and its formation of expansionist mobile steppe societies3,4,5. Here we present new genome-wide data for 131 individuals from 38 archaeological sites spanning 6,000 years. We find a strong genetic differentiation between populations north and south of the Caucasus mountains during the Mesolithic, with Eastern hunter-gatherer ancestry4,6 in the north, and a distinct Caucasus hunter-gatherer ancestry7 with increasing East Anatolian farmer admixture in the south. During the subsequent Eneolithic period, we observe the formation of the characteristic West Eurasian steppe ancestry and heightened interaction between the mountain and steppe regions, facilitated by technological developments of the Maykop cultural complex8. By contrast, the peak of pastoralist activities and territorial expansions during the Early and Middle Bronze Age is characterized by long-term genetic stability. The Late Bronze Age marks another period of gene flow from multiple distinct sources that coincides with a decline of steppe cultures, followed by a transformation and absorption of the steppe ancestry into highland populations.

Abstract

Recent exploration of the Khaybar oasis by the Khaybar Longue Durée Archaeological Project (AFALULA-RCU-CNRS) has led to the discovery of an exceptional Bronze Age fortified site called al-Natah. For the first time in Northwestern Arabia, the characteristics of a third/second-millennium-BCE settlement can be assessed over a large area. Preliminary archaeological survey and soundings have revealed a fortified 2.6-hectares town built around 2400–2000 BCE which lasted until at least 1500 BCE and possibly 1300 BCE−but with possible interruptions−, functionally subdivided into a residential area, a probable decision-making zone and a necropolis. The nucleated dwellings were constructed following a standard plan and were connected by small streets. By comparison with neighboring oasis centers, we suggest that Northwestern Arabia during the Bronze Age−largely dominated by pastoral nomadic groups and already integrated into long-distance trade networks−was dotted with interconnected monumental walled oases centered around small fortified towns. And by comparison with the contemporary situation in the Southern Levant, we also envisage that the archaeological record bears witness to a ‘low urbanization’ (or ‘slow urbanism’), indigenous to North Arabia, evidencing weak but increasing social complexity through the Early and Middle Bronze Ages.

Abstract

Prehistoric Polynesian voyaging into high latitudes with landfall in Antarctica remains a widely credited proposition. We examine it through archaeological and environmental evidence from the Subantarctic region of the southwest Pacific, focussing upon an extensive archaeological site at Sandy Bay on Enderby Island. Combining a new set of radiocarbon ages with former, older, ages we show that the site is now within the same rapid expansion phase in which South Polynesia was first colonised. Radiocarbon ages across the site indicate a single continuous settlement, probably of some decades. Consideration of limiting factors in Subantarctic settlement, including of seafaring capability and critical resources, suggests that the site was about as far south as prehistoric habitation could be sustained and was probably vacated at the onset of the Little Ice age (LIA) in the late 14th century. An absence of prehistoric remains on islands further south also suggests that Polynesian exploration reached a boundary 2000 km short of Antarctica. The southern case is discussed briefly in the wider context of Polynesian expansion.

Abstract

As airborne lidar surveys reveal a growing sample of urbanised tropical landscapes, questions linger about the sampling bias of such research leading to inflated estimates of urban extent and population magnitude. ‘Found’ datasets from remote sensing conducted for non-archaeological purposes and thus not subject to archaeological site bias, provide an opportunity to address these concerns through pseudorandom sampling. Here, the authors present their analysis of an environmental lidar dataset from Campeche, Mexico, which reveals previously unrecorded urbanism and dense regional-scale settlement. Both characteristics, the authors argue, are therefore demonstrably ubiquitous across the central Maya Lowlands.

Significance

Giant meteorite impacts during Earth’s early history likely had significant effects on early life. We studied the effects on the surface environment and life of a Paleoarchean impactor ~50 to 200× larger than the famous K-Pg impactor. The impact caused a tsunami, partial ocean evaporation, and darkness that likely harmed shallow-water photosynthetic microbes in the short-term, while life in the deeper oceans and hyperthermophiles were less impacted. The impact also released phosphorus into the environment, and the tsunami brought iron-rich deep-water to the surface. As a consequence, there was a temporary bloom of iron-cycling microbes. Giant impacts were not just agents of destruction but also conferred transient benefits on early life.

Abstract

Large meteorite impacts must have strongly affected the habitability of the early Earth. Rocks of the Archean Eon record at least 16 major impact events, involving bolides larger than 10 km in diameter. These impacts probably had severe, albeit temporary, consequences for surface environments. However, their effect on early life is not well understood. Here, we analyze the sedimentology, petrography, and carbon isotope geochemistry of sedimentary rocks across the S2 impact event (37 to 58 km carbonaceous chondrite) forming part of the 3.26 Ga Fig Tree Group, South Africa, to evaluate its environmental effects and biological consequences. The impact initiated 1) a giant tsunami that mixed Fe2+-rich deep waters into the Fe2+-poor shallow waters and washed debris into coastal areas, 2) heating that caused partial evaporation of surface ocean waters and likely a short-term increase in weathering and erosion on land, and 3) injection of P from vaporization of the S2 bolide. Strata immediately above the S2 impact event contain abundant siderites, which are associated with organic matter and exhibit light and variable δ13Ccarbvalues. This is consistent with microbial iron cycling in the wake of the impact event. Thus, the S2 impact likely had regional, if not global, positive and negative effects on life. The tsunami, atmospheric heating, and darkness would likely have decimated phototrophic microbes in the shallow water column. However, the biosphere likely recovered rapidly, and, in the medium term, the increase in nutrients and iron likely facilitated microbial blooms, especially of iron-cycling microbes.

Images and details of the discovery were published in Nature. Not open access.

Abstract

Fossil evidence for some of the earliest Homo sapiens presence in mainland Southeast Asia have been recovered from Tam Pà Ling (TPL) cave, northeastern Laos. Taphonomic indicators suggest that these human fossils washed into TPL via gradual colluviation at varying times between MIS 5–3, yet no attempt has been made to situate them within the depositional environments of the cave within these periods. This has precluded a deeper appreciation of their presence there and in the surrounding landscape. In this first microstratigraphic study of TPL, we primarily use sediment micromorphology to reconstruct the depositional environments of the cave, relate these environments with the taphonomic history of the human fossils recovered from the upper 4 m of the excavated sequence, and explore how the sediments can better explain the presence of these humans in the area during MIS 3–1 (52–10 ka). Our results demonstrate changes in local ambient conditions from being temperate to arid, with ground conditions often wet during MIS 3 and becoming increasingly seasonal (wet-dry) during MIS 2–1. The changing cave conditions impacted its interior topography and influenced the way sediments (and fossils) were deposited. Preserved combustion biproducts identified in the sediments suggest two possible scenarios, one where small forest fires may have occurred during periods of regional aridity and/or another where humans visited the cave.

Abstract

The island of Sicily is considered to be among the first occupied by humans in the European Upper Paleolithic. Studies to understand early occupation of the island are mostly concentrated on the northern shores. Our project, Early Occupation of Sicily (EOS), focuses on southeastern Sicily so to address questions regarding dispersal to Mediterranean islands and Late Pleistocene landscapes and environments. Here, we present the initial results of our terrestrial and underwater surveys in combination with archival work and analyses of museum collections. In SE Sicily very few Upper Paleolithic sites have been excavated and analyzed using scientific methods. We have relocated and assessed ~20 caves and rock shelters identified between the 1870s and 1990s, studied museum collections, and collected raw material to reconstruct procurement patterns. To identify new sites, we conducted land and underwater surveys to reconstruct paleo-shorelines and past environments. We have identified three sites, two on land and one partially submerged, that still contain unexplored archaeological sediments, demonstrated in one instance through seismic tomography. This work shows the potential of re-examining minimally studied sites and materials to reconstruct mobility patterns and environmental impact of the first inhabitants of the island.

Abstract

The Neonatal Line (NNL) of the tooth serves as a unique identifier, allowing us to distinguish whether a child survived birth. This line is essential for assessing the age at death of infants from skeletal remains found in archaeological contexts. Our primary objective is to accurately determine the age of infant intramural inhumations from the Iberian Iron Age (8th-1st centuries BC) by analyzing histological sections of tooth germs. Due to their fragility and high susceptibility to taphonomic factors, these samples are challenging to handle. By accurately assessing their age, we aim to classify individuals into various stages of infant mortality, which will help reconstruct infant mortality patterns in these populations.

We analyze unerupted and still-forming crown deciduous teeth from 45 infant burials. By calculating Crown Formation Time (CFT) and identifying the NNL, we determine both gestational and chronological ages. We further validate the reliability of NNL identification through Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence (SXRF) elemental analysis (Ca, Zn, Cu) on two contemporary and two archaeological samples.

Our histological study reveals the chronological age of 38 infants from Iberian settlements, ranging from the 30th week of gestation to the 2nd postnatal month. The age distribution shows an attritional mortality pattern, with nearly half experiencing perinatal mortality, including preterm births. These findings support the hypothesis that mortality was primarily attributed to natural causes. Our research enhances the understanding of infant life history events in prehistory by combining histological analysis of tooth NNL and CFT, highlighting the technique's potential and limitations.

English: The first "long house" from the early Neolithic period was discovered by archaeologists in Sandomierz-Mokoszyn (Świętokrzyskie) in the Sandomierz Upland. The find, dated to the years 5300-4900 BC, was discovered during rescue archaeological research conducted in connection with the construction of a complex of single-family houses.

The research, carried out by the Three Epochs studio from Klimontów, was initially supposed to confirm the existence of the population of the funnel cup culture (3700-3200 BC), traces of which were already known. As explained in an interview with PAP, dr hab. Marek Florek from the Sandomierz delegation of the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments, research indeed confirmed the presence of the settlement, discovering large cavities - cellars intended for food storage. Fragments of clay vessels, flint tools, stone mills and animal bones were found in them.

The most surprising discovery, however, was the remains of an older, Neolithic settlement of the carved ribbon ceramics culture, attributed to the first farmers who came to these areas from the Transcarpathian areas. Fragments of a "long house" were discovered, based on a column structure, oriented along the north-south axis. It was determined that the building was about 6 meters wide and over 20 meters long.

"The discovery of a long house is the first find of this type on the Sandomierz Upland" - emphasized dr hab. Florek Houses of this type were previously known from Kujawy, Podkarpacie and Małopolska.

"This is an interesting discovery that indicates that in the early Neolithic period there was a permanent settlement in this place, not a makeshift camp. What's more, it also confirms the continuation of settlement in this area over several thousand years," he said.

Traces of farm pits were also found around the building, including the so-called clay, from which the material for building walls was selected.

In addition to ceramics decorated with engraved lines and flint tools, two cavities were found in volcanic glaze (obsidian) products that were imported from the areas of present-day Slovakia or Hungary. A fragment of a Neolithic vessel of the Lublin-Volhynia culture was also found, which indicates further traces of settlement.

All discovered monuments will be transferred to the Castle Museum in Sandomierz after scientific study.

The engraved ribbon culture is one of the early Neolithic cultures that developed in Central and Eastern Europe from about 5500 to 4500 BC. Its name comes from the characteristic decorations of ceramic vessels - ornaments in the form of engraved ribbons, often filled with white paste or other materials. The population of this culture was engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. Traces of the culture of engraved ribbon ceramics can be found in the areas of today's Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Ukraine.( PAP)

Science in Poland

wdz/ bear/

Abstract

For the first time in the Indian subcontinent, a series of royal burials with chariots have been recovered from the Chalcolithic period at the archaeological site Sinauli (29°8′28″N; 77°13′1″E), Baghpat district, western Uttar Pradesh, India. Eight burials were excavated from the site; among them a royal burial with copper decorated legged coffin (lid with a series of anthropomorphic figures) and headgear has also been recovered. Among these remarkable discoveries, three full-sized chariots made of wood and copper, and a sword with a wooden hilt, made this site unique at historical ground. These cultural findings signify that the ancients from this place were involved in warfare. All these recovered exclusive antiquities also proved the sophistication and the high degree of craftsmanship of the artisans. According to the 14C radiocarbon dating and recovered material culture, the site date back to 4000 yr BP (∼2000 BCE) and is thought to belong to Ochre-Coloured Pottery (OCP)/Copper Hoard culture. This culture was believed to develop in the Ganga-Yamuna Doab and was contemporary to the late phase of the Indus civilization. Altogether, the findings indicate that the time period of this culture is plausibly contemporary to Late Indus, Mesopotamian and Greece civilizations.

Conclusion

Sinauli is the first archaeological site in the Indian subcontinent which provides evidence of chariots, royal burials with the warfare elements during OCP/ Copper Hoard culture in Ganga-Yamuna doab. The set of 14C dates presented in this study authenticates the chronology of the site which date back to ∼4000 yr BP (∼2000 BC) and identified OCP occupation in northern India. The recovered material culture at the site indicate that the Sinaulians were involved in warfare activities. The recovered antiquities indicates their high degree of sophistication in wood and copper craftsmanship. Besides establishing chronology, the present study proposes the idea of utilising scientific analytical methods to address key questions arising from the burial sites such as exploitation of raw materials for rituals practices, subsistence, material culture, ancestry etc. This study provides a platform for the researchers to evaluate evidence of royal burials, the use of chariots and other warfare elements in relation to contemporary civilizations in other part of the world.

Abstract: Horses began to feature prominently in funerary contexts in southern Siberia in the mid-second millennium BC, yet little is known about the use of these animals prior to the emergence of vibrant horse-riding groups in the first millennium BC. Here, the authors present the results of excavations at the late-ninth-century BC tomb of Tunnug 1 in Tuva, where the deposition of the remains of at least 18 horses and one human is reminiscent of sacrificial spectral riders described in fifth-century Scythian funerary rituals by Herodotus. The discovery of items of tack further reveals connections to the earliest horse cultures of Mongolia.

Cenotes in the Yucatán Peninsula are time capsules preserving remnants of Maya culture and fossils of extinct megafauna

Highlights

• 3500 BP Lactobacillus genomes shed light on the origin of kefir in inland East Asia

•Bacterial-fungal dynamics reinforce resistance to exogenous microbes in ancient dairy

•Human-microbial interactions contribute to the adaptation of domesticated lactobacilli

•Goat DNA from dairy suggests communication between Xiaohe and the steppe populations

Summary

Despite the long history of consumption of fermented dairy, little is known about how the fermented microbes were utilized and evolved over human history. Here, by retrieving ancient DNA of Bronze Age kefir cheese (∼3,500 years ago) from the Xiaohe cemetery, we explored past human-microbial interactions. Although it was previously suggested that kefir was spread from the Northern Caucasus to Europe and other regions, we found an additional spreading route of kefir from Xinjiang to inland East Asia. Over evolutionary history, the East Asian strains gained multiple gene clusters with defensive roles against environmental stressors, which can be a result of the adaptation of Lactobacillus strains to various environmental niches and human selection. Overall, our results highlight the role of past human activities in shaping the evolution of human-related microbes, and such insights can, in turn, provide a better understanding of past human behaviors.

Abstract: “The American sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a globally important comestible crop that features prominently in Polynesian lore; however, the timing and mode of its Oceanic transplantation remain obscure. New research from the Māori cultivation site M24/11 in Aotearoa/New Zealand, presented here, offers a re-evaluation of evidence for the early use and distribution of the sweet potato in southern Polynesia. Consideration of plant microparticles from fourteenth-century archaeological contexts at the site indicates local cultivation of sweet potato, taro and yam. Of these, only sweet potato persisted through a post-1650 climatic downturn it seems, underscoring the enduring southern-Polynesian appeal of this hardy crop.“

Abstract: “Walrus ivory was a prized commodity in medieval Europe and was supplied by Norse intermediaries who expanded across the North Atlantic, establishing settlements in Iceland and Greenland. However, the precise sources of the traded ivory have long remained unclear, raising important questions about the sustainability of commercial walrus harvesting, the extent to which Greenland Norse were able to continue mounting their own long-range hunting expeditions, and the degree to which they relied on trading ivory with the various Arctic Indigenous peoples that they were starting to encounter. We use high-resolution genomic sourcing methods to track walrus artifacts back to specific hunting grounds, demonstrating that Greenland Norse obtained ivory from High Arctic waters, especially the North Water Polynya, and possibly from the interior Canadian Arctic. These results substantially expand the assumed range of Greenland Norse ivory harvesting activities and support intriguing archaeological evidence for substantive interactions with Thule Inuit, plus possible encounters with Tuniit (Late Dorset Pre-Inuit).”

Abstract: “Uncertainties regarding traditional osteological methods in biological sex estimation can often be overcome with genomic and proteomic analyses. The combination of the three methodologies has been used for a better understanding of the gender-related funerary rituals at the Iberian megalithic cemetery of Panoría. As a result, 44 individuals have been sexed including, for the first time, non-adults. Contrary to the male bias found in many Iberian and European megalithic monuments, the Panoría population shows a clear sex ratio imbalance in favour of females, with twice as many females as males. Furthermore, this imbalance is found regardless of the criterion considered: sex ratio by tomb, chronological period, method of sex estimation, or age group. Biological relatedness was considered as possible sociocultural explanations for this female-related bias. However, the current results obtained for Panoría are indicative of a female-centred social structure potentially influencing rites and cultural traditions.”

Abstract: The Maghreb (north-west Africa) played an important role during the Palaeolithic and later in connecting the western Mediterranean from the Phoenician to Islamic periods. Yet, knowledge of its later prehistory is limited, particularly between c. 4000 and 1000 BC. Here, the authors present the first results of investigations at Oued Beht, Morocco, revealing a hitherto unknown farming society dated to c. 3400–2900 BC. This is currently the earliest and largest agricultural complex in Africa beyond the Nile corridor. Pottery and lithics, together with numerous pits, point to a community that brings the Maghreb into dialogue with contemporaneous wider western Mediterranean developments.

Pocket link

Snippet: Near the coast of Peru lies the ancient city of Caral, which was in existence at the same time as the Egyptians were still building the pyramids. Caral is said to be the first ancient city of the Americas.

Caral was the central city on Peru’s coastline from 3000 to 1800 BC. Today, it is remembered for the massive stone complex its people left behind. The Stone City spans over 150 square miles of desert and contains many plazas, houses for both the elite and residents, and a 60-foot temple.

Abstract: “Southern Africa has one of the longest records of fossil hominins and harbours the largest human genetic diversity in the world. Yet, despite its relevance for human origins and spread around the globe, the formation and processes of its gene pool in the past are still largely unknown. Here, we present a time transect of genome-wide sequences from nine individuals recovered from a single site in South Africa, Oakhurst Rockshelter. Spanning the whole Holocene, the ancient DNA of these individuals allows us to reconstruct the demographic trajectories of the indigenous San population and their ancestors during the last 10,000 years. We show that, in contrast to most regions around the world, the population history of southernmost Africa was not characterized by several waves of migration, replacement and admixture but by long-lasting genetic continuity from the early Holocene to the end of the Later Stone Age. Although the advent of pastoralism and farming substantially transformed the gene pool in most parts of southern Africa after 1,300 BP, we demonstrate using allele-frequency and identity-by-descent segment-based methods that the ‡Khomani San and Karretjiemense from South Africa still show direct signs of relatedness to the Oakhurst hunter-gatherers, a pattern obscured by recent, extensive non-Southern African admixture. Yet, some southern San in South Africa still preserve this ancient, Pleistocene-derived genetic signature, extending the period of genetic continuity until today.”