Toppled Trees in Florida Reveal 19th-Century Fort where 270 escaped slaves died

ANTHROPOLOGY, ECOLOGY

Toppled Trees in Florida Reveal 19th-Century Fort where 270 escaped slaves died A post overlooking the Apalachicola River, 200 years ago, housed what historians say was North America’s largest community of freed slaves at the time. Hurricane Michael has given archaeologists an unprecedented opportunity to study its story, a significant tale of black resistance that …

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Mummified monk revealed inside 1,000-year-old Buddha statue

ARCHAEOLOGY

Mummified monk revealed inside 1,000-year-old Buddha statue Scientific tests have revealed that an ancient Buddhist statue contains a 1,000-year-old mummified monk’s perfectly preserved remains in what is thought to be the only such example in the world. The monk, who is sitting in the lotus position, is thought to have starved himself to death in …

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3000-year-old trousers discovered in Chinese grave oldest ever found

ARCHAEOLOGY

3000-year-old trousers discovered in Chinese grave oldest ever found That’s right–1000 years before Christ’s birth these were worn. Archaeologists say the two men whose remains have recently been excavated from tombs in western China put their pants on one leg at a time, just as the rest of us are doing today. With straight-fitting legs …

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Mass grave of Viking army contained slaughtered children to help dead reach afterlife, experts believe

ANTHROPOLOGY

Mass grave of Viking army contained slaughtered children to help dead reach afterlife, experts believe A mass grave of Viking warriors found in Derbyshire was accompanied by slaughtered children in a burial ritual enacted to help the dead reach the afterlife, archaeologists believe. Experts from the University of Bristol have reexamined a huge pit of bones uncovered …

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Scientists find a 25,000-year-old circular structure made of hundreds of mammoth bones

PALEONTOLOGY

Scientists find a 25,000-year-old circular structure made of hundreds of mammoth bones In Russia, an unusually large structure from the last ice age has been uncovered, built from the bones of dozens of woolly mammoths. It’s the oldest known structure of its kind, dating back some 25,000 years, but its purpose is not entirely clear. …

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50,000-Year-Old String Shows Neanderthals Were Technologically Advanced

ARCHAEOLOGY

50,000-Year-Old String Shows Neanderthals Were Technologically Advanced Tiny bits of twisted plant fibres found on an ancient stone tool indicate that sophisticated cords such as string and rope were able to be produced and used by Neanderthals. Cords made from twisted fibres are so ubiquitous today that it’s easy to take them for granted. But …

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An Astonishingly Small Stone Carving That Has the Power to Change Art History

GEOLOGY

An Astonishingly Small Stone Carving That Has the Power to Change Art History A new discovery at the University of Cincinnati by researchers is upending the way we think about Western Civilization’s development. More than a year after the 3,500-year-old tomb of a warrior from the Bronze Age in Greece was found, an amazing piece …

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