For many years, scholars assumed that the rates of violence in Viking Age Norway and Denmark were relatively similar. However, a recent study led by University of South Florida sociologist David Jacobson, along with researchers from Norway and Germany, challenges this notion. The research reveals that interpersonal violence—violent acts not sanctioned by the authorities—was significantly … Read more
Genetic analysis of a pre-Norman skull unearthed in a garden in Hoxne, Suffolk, has added to a growing body of evidence that East Anglia may have been the epicentre of an epidemic of leprosy that spread through medieval England. A strain of the disease may have been brought to East Anglia’s coast line through contact … Read more
A long-held archaeological mystery in Wels, Austria, has finally been unraveled thanks to advancements in bioarchaeology and archaeogenetics. A grave initially thought to be an early medieval double burial of a couple and a horse has been re-dated and reinterpreted, revealing a far more fascinating story. The unusual grave, discovered in 2004, depicted two individuals … Read more
In the most recent whole-genome study of ancient remains from the Near East, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute scientists and their collaborators sequenced the entire genomes of 4,000-year-old Canaanite individuals who inhabited the region during the Bronze Age, and compared these to other ancient and present-day populations. The results, published today (27 July) in the American … Read more
New genetic evidence is rewriting our understanding of the first European civilizations. A groundbreaking study published in Cell journal reveals a surprising level of genetic homogeneity among the Minoan, Helladic, and Cycladic cultures – the architects of Europe’s first monumental palaces and urban centers around the Aegean Sea 5,000 years ago. This finding challenges previous … Read more
In recent years, archaeological research has unveiled intriguing evidence of permanent body modification practices among the Norse and Vikings of the Viking Age. Among the latest discoveries is the investigation into three Viking Age women from the Baltic Sea island of Gotland who underwent skull elongation, shedding new light on the fascinating tradition of body … Read more
Recent research conducted by a team of anthropologists at University College London (UCL) has provided fresh insights into the divergence between Neanderthals and modern humans. Contrary to previous DNA-based estimates, which proposed a relatively recent split between the two lineages, this study indicates that Neanderthals and modern humans may have diverged much earlier—potentially more than … Read more
A new study, led by researchers from Bar-Ilan University, Ono Academic College, The University of Tulsa, and the Israel Antiquities Authority, presents a 1.5 million-year-old human vertebra discovered in Israel’s Jordan Valley. According to the research published today (Wednesday, February 2) in the journal Scientific Reports, ancient human migration from Africa to Eurasia was not a … Read more
History often remembers emperors for their deeds, but rarely for their faces. Now, thanks to a remarkable scientific feat, researchers have peered into the past and reconstructed the visage of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou, who ruled China over 1,500 years ago. Published in the journal Current Biology, this groundbreaking study not only offers a … Read more
New research from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP) sheds light on the dietary habits of our extinct cousins, the Neanderthals. The study, published in the journals Journal of Human Evolution and Quaternary International, reveals a surprising mix of meat and plant matter on the Neanderthal menu. For years, scientists assumed Neanderthals … Read more