For Those Interested in Archaeology

"The oldest surviving footprint of humans in the Americas has been found, scientists claim in a new study.
A single footprint, discovered in Chile, was found which dates back 15,600 years.
Originally excavated in 2010, researchers have now ruled out animals and have confirmed that it belongs to an male adult human.
Scientists say the fossil could provide new insights into the human colonisation of Patagonia, the sparsely populated region shared by Chile and Argentina.
The footprint was found at the Pilauco excavation site in the city of Osorno in south-central Chile where scientists have been digging since 2007.
Scientists think it is a straight down imprint that belongs to a barefooted adult human who was of 'light body weight'.
It was discovered alongside fossil bones and tools and its date was established by using radiocarbon dating of organic plant material also present.
To establish whether its owner was human or animal, scientists performed foot printing test by stepping into similar soil - with moisture added back in - at different angles and pressures.
The reconstruction used three different human barefoot print-makers with similar foot size but different height and weight."
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6971283/Human-footprint-Chile-oldest-Americas.html

 

Fossil jawbone found in cave on Tibetan Plateau may be Denisovan

 

Ta. Tried to post that link but me laptop's playing up.

 

"The Roman conquest of Britain 2,000 years ago is one of the most important events recorded in history - but exactly where Julius Caesar landed, and the precise route he then took, has remained a mystery.
All that could change after the discovery of four military camps in Kent and Essex - which form a straight line from his landing zone to the point of combat with a Celtic chieftain.
Many historians believe the Roman army first set foot on British soil in 55BC at Walmer; and that the second invasion, in 54BC, began at nearby Deal - both on the south-east coast, halfway between Ramsgate and Dover. From there, it was assumed Caesar crossed the Thames at Brentford.
But new evidence suggests that, for his first invasion, Caesar crossed the river at East Tilbury after landing at Dover - in a manoeuvre that followed a line through temporary 'marching camps' at Denge Wood, Kemsley, East Tilbury and Loughton.
These camps would accommodate personnel, along with their equipment, animals, and a headquarters. They could be used defensively - as a secure base to which an army could retreat; and offensively - as a staging area for assaults."
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6994203/Julius-Caesar-landed-Dover-crossed-Thames-East-Tilbury-Roman-invasion.html

 

"A royal burial site found beneath a roadside verge in Essex has been named one of the most significant archaeological finds ever made in England.
Discovered between a pub and an Aldi supermarket, it is thought to be the burial chamber of the brother of Anglo-Saxon King Saebert.
Despite its unglamorous location, inside the chamber are 40 artefacts thought to have belonged to the ancient Essex prince Saexa.
These include gold foil crosses placed on his eyes when he died, as well as coins and weapons.
The Anglo-Saxons were Pagans, but the Christian items found in the chamber suggest the religion was still important in England 1,400 years ago.
Experts are fascinated by this time in English history as Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were emerging, with separate royal families in different parts of the country.
The name Essex comes from the East Saxon families which ruled over this part of England.
Researchers behind the find have hailed it as the 'British equivalent of Tutankhamun's tomb' - despite little similarities in appearance.
Just like Tutankhamun's famous tomb in Egypt, however, it is completely intact, with looters and 19th Century amateur archaeologists having been unable to find it as the mound on top of it collapsed."
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7006809/Ancient-royal-burial-site-Anglo-Saxon-King-Saebert-discovered.html

 

"Ancient DNA has been recovered from rudimentary chewing gum spat out by a Stone Age human who lived in Sweden around 10,000 years ago.
The gum — which still bears the mark of its chewers' teeth - was made from tar created from the bark of birch trees.
The DNA the people left behind in their gum is the oldest known human DNA from Scandinavia, a region that has produced few human skeletal remains so far.
Analysis suggests that, despite using tools of eastern hunter-gatherer origin, the gum chewers were related to more western populations.
'This supports the theory that culture and genetic imports into Scandinavia came from two distinct routes — one from western Europe and the other from the east, in what is today Russia.
The lumps of ancient chewing gum were unearthed from an archaeological site called Huseby-Klev, located on the west coast of Sweden, which has been dated back to around 10,000 years ago
The early Mesolithic hunter-fisher peoples that lived at Huseby-Klev made the chewing gum from birch bar tar.
Along with being chewed, this material was also used by Stone Age peoples as a glue for the production of tools and other technologies.
Researchers from the University of Oslo and Stockholm University found that the DNA in the gum had been left behind by three individuals, specifically two women and a man.
Imprints of the three chewers' teeth can still be seen in some of the gum pieces."
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7035605/Oldest-Scandinavian-human-DNA-CHEWING-GUM-birch-tar-10-000-years-ago-Sweden.html

 

Back when I was in school I remember (70's) I read about a skull form South Africa that looked like a Neanderthal. Current theory is that they weren't in Africa though. Not sure how they account for said skull.

 

"A 2,300-year-old Iron Age shield has been revealed by archaeologists.
Found during a dig near Leicester in 2015 and dated to between 395 and 255BC, the shield was made of painted bark, backed by wooden spars.
Analysis showed it had been badly damaged, probably by spears and edged weapons, before being left in a pit.
Experts said the shield gave an "unparalleled" insight into prehistoric technology.
The shield, which measured 670 x 370mm ( 26" x15") , was found on the Everards Meadows site near the M1 by University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) archaeologists.
The bark used was from either alder, willow, poplar, hazel or spindle and the stiffening spars were made of apple, pear, quince or hawthorn.
The shield had a rim of split hazel rod and a boss, to protect the hand, woven from a willow core."
www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-leicestershire-48377927?__twitter_impression=true&fbclid=IwAR14PKrHTVqTIkdysxRFSEOcfL2TTLOf-ptfiZ47AxQOO8zq6ycxApz99sk

 

"A Montana man’s DNA has been traced back 55 generations with 99 percent accuracy, according to the ancestry company, CRI Genetics, that tested him. This means that the man’s ancestors were in North America 17,000 years ago.
Darrell “Dusty” Crawford, who is Native American, has said he was taught in school that his ancestors, the Blackfeet Native Americans, used the Bering Land Bridge during the Ice Age to reach the Americas. However, his DNA testing contained another surprise: It seems that Crawford’s ancestors are from the Pacific Islands. From there they presumably traveled along the coast of South America into what is now North America, data suggests.
The length of Crawford’s lineage is so rare that the company told Crawford’s family that this kind of success was “like finding Big Foot.” The DNA test focused on mitachondrial DNA and Crawford’s line of female ancestors."
www.thevintagenews.com/2019/05/23/oldest-dna-in-america/

And more on the Romans in Scotland-
"ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered fresh evidence of a Roman invasion of Scotland under an Ayrshire playing field.
A marching camp used by the Legions as they made their way along the coast was found by a team carrying out work prior to the building of the new Ayr Academy.
It is thought to date back to the first century AD, when an army under Agricola, the Roman Governor of Britain, fought its way up to Aberdeenshire and defeated an army of Caledonians at the battle of Mons Grampius.
It was previously thought the only two known routes for the Roman invasion were further to the east; the present-day M74 and A68 roads follow these same courses.
But the new marching camp at Ayr reveals another route down the west coast towards the south-west tip of Scotland, from where Ireland is readily visible.
The discovery was made during archaeological excavations undertaken by GUARD Archaeology, but only became apparent upon post-excavation analyses and radiocarbon dating."
www.heraldscotland.com/news/17663920.archaeologists-find-remains-of-the-roman-invasion-of-ayrshire/