Oldest human settlement in Aegean unearthed

The ruins of the oldest human settlement in the Aegean found so far have been unearthed in archaeological excavations by a team of Greek, Italian and American archaeologists on the island of Limnos (Greece), headed by Thessaloniki Aristotle University (AUTH) professor of Prehistoric Archaeology Nikos Efstratiou.
     The excavation began in early June and the finds brought to light so far, mainly stone tools of a high quality, are from the Epipaleolithic Period approximately 14,000 years ago. The finds indicate a settlement of hunters, food-collectors and fishermen of the 12th millennium BCE. Until now, it was believed that the oldest human presence in the Aegean had been located in the Archipelagos of the so-called Cyclops Cave on the rocky islet Yioura, north of the island of Alonissos, and at the Maroula site on Kythnos island, dating to circa 8,000 (8th millennium) BCE.
     The excavations are being conducted at the Ouriakos site on the Louri coast of Fyssini in Moudros municipality on Limnos, with the assistance of the municipality and funding by the Institute for Aegean Prehistory (INSTAP). Linmos is considered to be a region with signficant prehistoric archaeological finds, such as the Poliochne settlement that was inhabited from the middle of the 5th millennium BCE to the end of the 2nd millennium BCE, and the Koukonesi islet settlement dating approximately to the same chronological period, from the Early to the Late Bronze Ages.
 
Source: ANA-MPA (29 June 2009)

  Excavation of a Bulgarian Neolithic site

A team of Dutch anthropologists has arrived to the Bulgarian village of Dzhulyunitsa to research the Neolithic archaeological site there. The object of their research will be oldest funeral in the Balkans - a burial of a person at the age of 12-13, which dates back to 6300-6150 BCE. The early Neolithic burial was discovered in 2004 by Nedko Elenski, an archaeologist at the Regional History Museum of the nearby city of Veliko Tarnovo.
     The anthropologists from the Netherlands are taking samples from the bones of the buried child in order to conduct further research. They are going to use DNA analysis in order to reveal more information about the people who lived in central northern Bulgaria some 8000 years ago.
     The Neolithic settlement at Dzhulyunitsa existed between 6300 and 5700 BCE. The causes of its demise are still known, according to Elenski. Two other graves dating back to 4000 BCE have also been discovered nearby. In 2005, Nedko Elenski also discovered pieces of 8000 year-old corroded metal, which turned out to be copper. These finds have been sent to Germany in order to establish whether the metal had been worked up by humans.

Source: Novonite (27 June 2009)

  Models of earliest vehicles found in Turkmenistan

Some of the world's first farmers may have sped around in two-wheeled carts pulled by camels and bulls, suggests a new analysis on tiny models of these carts that date to 6,000-5,000 years ago. The cart models, which may have been ritual objects or children's toys, were found at Altyndepe, a Chalcolithic and Bronze Age settlement in Western Central Asia near Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
     'Horsepower' is a common term today, but the ancients had bull-power, followed by camel-power, researcher Lyubov Kircho explained. "I think that the carts pulled by bulls were mostly used in agriculture in the 4th millennium, when the climate was more humid," said Kircho, who is at the Institute for the History of Material Culture at the Russian Academy of Sciences. As time went on, he believes the carts carried heavy goods, such as metals, alabaster and the coveted, semi-precious stone, lapis lazuli, over long distances. He added, "Later this kind of long distance transport became impossible (due to the region becoming more arid), and the people began to use the camel in the middle of the third millennium BCE"
     The earliest of the cart models he studied had two wheels with shafts linked to a yoke. Visual representations of the associated harness suggest oxen were the primary draft animals. The carts at this stage were not driven chariot-style, but a person instead could have 'directed the bulls from the side,' which Kircho says would have been 'the easiest way' to control both the cart and its animal pullers.
     Carts dating to the second half of the third millennium BCE gained an additional two wheels. "The most common type had high walls and two shafts, drawn by a single animal - a camel or, less often, a bull," said Kircho. The design of the carts, and the behavior of camels, suggests just a single camel pulled each cart. "It is very difficult to use a pair of camels," he explained. "They are too malicious."
     Prehistoric little boys may have played with vehicles just as they do today, since at least one of the early model carts was found in the grave of a boy who died at age 11. The carts may help to explain apparent connections between the early residents of what is now Turkmenistan and the ancient people of south-eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan.
     The early camel and bull-drawn carts likely led to the emergence of some of the first dedicated 'freeways' for vehicles. David Christian, author of the book 'A History of Russia, Central Asia and Mongolia,' describes a 'huge monumental gateway' that was erected in Altyndepe around 3500 BCE. "It was 15 meters (over 49 feet) wide, and divided into two alleys: the narrower one for pedestrians, and a wider one paved with stones for carts and wheeled traffic," he explained.

Source: Discovery News (26 June 2009)

  Bronze Age finds during road construction in Ireland

Excavation as part of the upgrade of the A1 Belfast to Dublin road between Loughbrickland and Beech Hill (Co. Down, Northern Ireland) has uncovered a Bronze Age burial ground and a Neolithic settlement site dating back 6,500 years. Information about the archaeological discovery has been put on display on information boards at Loughbrickland lakeside, near to the site of the roads scheme. The Department of Regional Development (DRD) intends the display to offer a medium for members of the public and interested parties to discover more about the area's unique history.
     As part of its Strategic Road Improvement Programme, Roads Service is obliged to be sensitive to the environmental impact of its activities and carries out an environmental impact assessment ahead of any road construction. Minister Caitriona Ruane, standing in for the absent DRD Minister Conor Murphy at the event, said: "The display of these information boards marks the completion of the archaeological works associated with the A1 Loughbrickland to Beech Hill dual carriageway scheme.

Sources: BBC News (25 June 2009), Newsletter.co.uk (26 June 2009)

  Ancient well and body found in Cyprus

Archaeologists have found a group of water wells in western Cyprus that was built as long as 10,500 years ago, and the skeleton of a young woman at the bottom of of one shaft. Pavlos Flourentzos, the nation's top antiquities official, said the 16-foot (5-meter) deep cylindrical shaft was found last month at a construction site in Kissonerga, a village near the Mediterranean island nation's southwestern coast. After the well dried up it apparently was used to dispose trash, and the items found in it included the poorly preserved skeleton of the young woman, animal bone fragments, worked flints, stone beads and pendants from the island's early Neolithic period, Flourentzos said.
     The skeleton could be as old as the well itself, but archaeologists don't know how the girl died or when and why the skeleton was left there, he said. Radiocarbon dating found the well is between 9,000 to 10,500 years old, he said. That was around the time migrating humans started to build permanent settlements on the island. Before then, temporary settlements were inhabited by sea-borne migrants using Cyprus as a way station to other destinations. In addition to a poorly preserved young woman's skeleton the silted-up well contained animal bone fragments, worked flints and some stone jewellery.
     Thomas Davis, director of the Nicosia-based Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute, said the well - which he called 'among the earliest in the world' - offers proof of the 'high level of sophistication' of the island's early Neolithic farmers. "The fact that they were using wells and that they tapped into the island's water table shows heightened appreciation for the environment here," said Davis, who was not involved in the discovery. "This was a major investment."
     Cypriot archaeologists studied the well in collaboration with Edinburgh University. The university has excavated in the area over the last three decades, unearthing several settlements dating from the Chalcolithic Period (3800-2500 BCE).

Sources: Associated Press, BBC News (25 June 2009)

  Rare petroglyphs discovered in Cuban caves

Cuban archaeologists are studying the strange drawings found in caves in eastern Cuba. The petroglyphs, discovered in the Sierra del Rosario reserve located in Pinar del Rio province, have now motivated large-scale research in the area to establish the origin of the asymmetric carvings in the stalagmites. According to Cuba's renowned historian Luis Formigo, the carvings were made by pre-tribal aboriginal people who also carved stone to make fire, track time and follow the course of events between the years 5,000 and 3,000 BCE.
     The Cuban Anthropology Institute called the 2 cm X 7 cm discovery as extraordinary and linked it to the Banwari-Trace tradition of Trinidad, East Caribbean, leading cave stone carving sites in the area. The discoveries include caves used for housing and others used for ceremonies, plus several others considered graveyards, Formigo said. In La Lechuza, one of the largest caves, food remains, tools and pieces of human skeletons were also found.

Source: Thaindian News (25 June 2009)

  Prehistoric flute in Germany is oldest known

The wing bone of a griffon vulture with five precisely drilled holes in it is the oldest known musical instrument, a 35,000-year-old relic unearthed in a German cave that offers the latest evidence that early modern humans in Europe had established a complex and creative culture.
     A team led by University of Tuebingen archaeologist Nicholas Conard assembled the flute from 12 pieces of griffon vulture bone scattered in a small plot of the Hohle Fels cave in southern Germany. Together, the pieces comprise a 8.6-inch (22-centimeter) instrument with five holes and a notched end. Conard said the flute was 35,000 years old. "It's unambiguously the oldest instrument in the world," Conard said. Other archaeologists agreed with Conard's assessment. April Nowell, a Paleolithic archaeologist at the University of Victoria in Canada, said the flute predates previously discovered instruments "but the dates are not so much older that it's surprising or controversial." Nowell was not involved in Conard's research.
     The surfaces of the flute and the structure of the bone are in excellent condition and reveal many details about its manufacture. The maker carved two deep, V-shaped notches into one end of the instrument, presumably to form the end into which the musician blew, and four fine lines near the finger holes. The other end is broken off, but, based on the normal size of the vultures, Conard estimates the intact flute was probably 2 to 3 inches longer.
     The Hohle Fels flute is more complete and appears slightly older than bone and ivory fragments from seven other flutes recovered in southern German caves and documented by Conard and his colleagues in recent years. Another flute excavated in Austria is believed to be 19,000 years old, and a group of 22 flutes found in the French Pyrenees mountains has been dated at up to 30,000 years ago.
     Conard's team excavated the flute in September 2008, the same month they recovered six ivory fragments from the Hohle Fels cave that form a female figurine they believe is the oldest known sculpture of the human form. Together, the flute and the figure - found in the same layer of sediment - suggest that modern humans had established an advanced culture in Europe 35,000 years ago, said Wil Roebroeks, an archaeologist at Leiden University in the Netherlands who didn't participate in Conard's study. Neanderthals also lived in Europe around the time the flute and sculpture were made, and frequented the Hohle Fels cave. Both Conard and Roebroeks believe, however, that layered deposits left by both species over thousands of years suggest the artifacts were crafted by early modern humans.
     In 1995, archaeologist Ivan Turk excavated a bear bone artifact from a cave in Slovenia, known as the Divje Babe flute, that he has dated at around 43,000 years ago and suggested was made by Neanderthals. But other archaeologists, including Nowell, have challenged that theory, suggesting instead that the twin holes on the 4.3-inch-long (11-centimeter-long) bone were made by a carnivore's bite. Nowell said other researchers have hypothesized that early humans may have used spear points as wind chimes and that markings on some cave stalactites suggest they were used as percussive instruments. But there is no proof, she said, and the Hohle Fels flute is much more credible because it's the oldest specimen from an established style of bone and ivory flutes in Europe.

Sources: Associated Press, Yahoo! News (24 June 2009), Los Angeles Times (25 June 2009)

  Possible Bronze Age roundhouse found in Cornwall

The discovery of stones that are thought to date back to the Bronze Age have halted a multi-million pound sewage treatment project in Cornwall (England). South West Water has stopped work while Cornwall Council's archaeologists investigate the site at Trevalga, which lies between Boscastle and Tintagel. The stones encircle a dark circular stain in the ground and are thought to denote the location of a round house. Archaeologists believe the site could date back to about 1500 BCE.
     Senior archaeologist Andy Jones said his team was hoping to find traces of people's daily lives through controlled excavations of the site over the next few weeks. "Most of what we will find will probably be shards of pottery and maybe work stone implements," he said. "There is a dark, circular stain with darker soil in the middle of it and around the periphery there are smaller stones where the wall would have been around the edge of it. Based on its form, it's looking like it's Bronze Age - probably Middle Bronze Age."
     According to Mr Jones such discoveries are relatively frequent across the county. "We have excavated between 20 to 30 of these sites so it's giving us a chance to flash out the pattern of settlement in lowland Cornwall," he said. "Of course on the moors they are exceptionally common because there hasn't been later agriculture so on Bodmin Moor there are hundreds of them scattered about."

Source: BBC News (24 June 2009)

  The first Europeans were cannibals

The remains of the 'first Europeans' discovered at an archaeological site in northern Spain have revealed that these prehistoric men were cannibals who particularly liked the flesh of children. "We know that they practiced cannibalism," said Jose Maria Bermudez de Castro, one of the co-directors of the Atapuerca project, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
     A study of the remains revealed that they turned to cannibalism to feed themselves and not as part of a ritual, that they ate their rivals after killing them, mostly children and adolescents. "It is the first well-documented case of cannibalism in the history of humanity, which does not mean that it is the oldest," he said. The remains discovered in the caves "appeared scattered, broken, fragmented, mixed with other animals such as horses, deer, rhinoceroses, all kinds of animals caught in hunting" and eaten by humans, he said. "This gives us an idea of cannibalism as a type gastronomy, and not as a ritual."
     The Atapuerca caves were first discovered in the late 19th century, when a tunnel was blasted through the mountain for a railway line. "But at the time in Spain, there was not enough scientific knowledge to begin research," said the other co-director, Eudald Carbonell. The first excavations did not take place until 1978, then "in 1984, we found 150 human remains. In 1992, they found a complete intact skeleton, and two years later, they discovered remains dating back more than 800,000 years. Those remains probably correspond to the first humans who reached Europe, known as Homo antecessor, after the Latin word for pioneer or explorer.
     Homo antecessor, who lived before Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens, probably came to the caves of Atapuerca after a long migration from Africa and through the Middle East, northern Italy and France. It is a particularly good site for human settlement, at the confluence of two rivers with a comfortable climate and rich in fauna and flora, de Castro said. They found water and food in abundance, could hunt wild boar, horses, deer, "which means that they did not practice cannibalism through a lack of food. They killed their rivals and used the meat," he said. "We have also discovered two levels that contain cannibalised remains, which means that it was not a one-off thing, but continued through time," he said. "Another interesting aspect ... is that most of the 11 individuals that we have identified" as victims "were children or adolescents. We think that there are also two young adults including a female, which indicates that they killed the base of the demographic pyramid of the group."

Sources: AFP, Telegraph.co.uk (24 June 2009)

  Intact ancient tomb uncovered in Bethlehem

Workers renovating a house in Bethlehem (Palestinian territories) accidentally discovered an untouched ancient tomb containing clay pots, plates, beads and the bones of two humans, a Palestinian antiquities official said. The 4,000-year-old tomb provides a glimpse of the burial customs of the area's inhabitants during the Canaanite period, said Mohammed Ghayyada, director of the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
     Workers in a house near the Church of the Nativity uncovered a hole leading to the grave, which was about one meter (yard) below ground, he said. They contacted antiquities officials, who photographed the grave intact before removing its contents. They dated the grave to the Early Bronze Age, between 1,900 BCE and 2,200 BCE. Jerusalem-based archaeologist and historian Stephen Pfann called the find "an important reference to the life of the Canaanites," adding that it could give a glimpse into life in the area before the time when the Biblical patriarchs are said to have lived. While many artifacts exist from this period, intact graves are rare, mainly because of looting, he said.
     The findings will be housed in the Bethlehem Peace Center, a cultural center not far from where the tomb was discovered.

Sources: Associated Press, Yahoo! News (23 June 2009)