https://phys.org/science-news/archaeology-fossils/ en-us The latest news on archaeology, archaeological research and archaeological advancements. As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, researchers from 23andMe Research Institute, Harvard University, and the Smithsonian Institution have teamed up to study one of the country's founding settlements: St. Mary's City, Maryland. Established in 1634, St. Mary's City was the first English settlement in the colony of Maryland. Despite existing written records and the ability of many present-day Americans to trace their ancestry to the historic city, many gaps remain in our knowledge of this early founder population. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-historical-dna-million-17th-century.html Archaeology Thu, 14 May 2026 17:03:19 EDT news697996981 Horses were being ridden, worked, and traded long before anyone thought it possible. New research pushes back the accepted timeline of human use of horses by centuries, showing that humans used horses in organized ways as early as the 4th millennium BCE, if not earlier. The research is published in the journal Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-domesticated-horses-years-complex-story.html Archaeology Wed, 13 May 2026 15:26:02 EDT news697904274 We hardly give them a second thought, but everyday objects like bags and backpacks belong to a long technological tradition that may stretch back hundreds of thousands of years. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-history-ancient-technology-hundreds-thousands.html Archaeology Wed, 13 May 2026 14:40:02 EDT news697899984 Neanderthals had the know-how to identify a tooth infection and the motor skills to drill out the damage, according to a study published May 13, 2026, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Alisa Zubova of Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences (Kunstkamera), St. Petersburg, and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-neanderthal-dentists-stone-drills-cavities.html Archaeology Wed, 13 May 2026 14:00:05 EDT news697822120 Agriculture reached the coast of southern Denmark around 4000 BCE, but these prehistoric Scandinavians continued to fish and hunt too, according to a study published in PLOS One by Daniel Groß from the Museum Lolland-Falster, Denmark, Sofie Folsach Hellerøe from Aarhus University, Denmark, and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-prehistoric-danish-people-fish-agriculture.html Archaeology Wed, 13 May 2026 14:00:01 EDT news697886399 A recent study published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology documented skeletal changes linked to scurvy in Late Holocene archaeological sites in California (500 BCE–1834 CE). The change observed shows the cascading impacts of dietary practices on skeletal development, including in infants, which may have been affected during pregnancy or breastfeeding, highlighting the largely invisible impacts of pregnancy in the archaeological record. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scurvy-skeletal-fingerprint-california-late.html Archaeology Mon, 11 May 2026 21:20:01 EDT news697717776 Recent satellite remote sensing surveys have identified 280 stone structures spread across the Atbai desert in Sudan. Twenty of these structures were previously identified by fieldwork or informal surveys, but were not systematically studied as a regional tradition. Now, new research, published in the African Archaeological Review, takes a closer look at the purpose of these monuments and the unique, cattle-centered pastoralist culture behind them. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-sudan-vast-stone-circles-reveal.html Archaeology Mon, 11 May 2026 13:20:05 EDT news697722033 Having weathered nearly 1,500 years of time and exposure, the remains of Roman-Byzantine villages in Syria have been the subject of recent architectural investigations, which reveal remarkable design features, local construction techniques, and spatial layouts that could inform and be adapted for future restoration projects. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-advanced-techniques-domestic-layouts-roman.html Archaeology Mon, 11 May 2026 12:00:10 EDT news697716062 There is an old adage that goes, "you are what you eat," meaning that the food you consume helps build your body and fuel your mind. The same is true now as it ever was. When it comes to early humans, studying what they ate and how they obtained high-quality food, such as meat, can help us understand how their brains evolved and their social behaviors began to take shape. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-million-year-bones-reveal-early.html Archaeology Sun, 10 May 2026 11:20:01 EDT news697292329 A study published in the Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology has identified the earliest evidence of prehistoric occupation by island dwellers of northern Sri Lanka. Long thought to be unsuitable for human occupation due to its scarce stone resources and semi-arid landscape, the findings at Velanai Island challenge this long-held belief and offer insights into early raw-material exploitation, seafaring capabilities, and subsistence behavior. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-northern-sri-lanka-oldest-settlement.html Archaeology Fri, 08 May 2026 18:20:02 EDT news697453205 Millet has been an important crop in East Asia for much of the Holocene, a period beginning about 11,700 years ago. To better understand how environmental conditions may have shaped the development of millet agriculture, researchers from the Institute of Earth Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and their collaborators investigated loess deposits from the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ancient-soil-temperatures-millet-farming.html Archaeology Thu, 07 May 2026 17:10:07 EDT news697390681 Neanderthals may not only have feasted on rhinoceroses, they may also have used their exceptionally hard teeth as specialized tools for a range of tasks, such as retouching the edges of stone tools. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-modern-rhino-teeth-neanderthal-toolkits.html Archaeology Thu, 07 May 2026 14:40:03 EDT news697376945 A University of Calgary archaeologist has found evidence that the Classic Period Maya were trading live dogs over long distances between the northern Yucatan peninsula and central Chiapas regions. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-archaeologists-unearth-evidence-dogs-mayan.html Archaeology Thu, 07 May 2026 10:00:04 EDT news697364055 In central China, scientists have spent over a decade excavating and studying an archaeological site where ancient humans butchered animals. Amidst bones, archaeologists found complex stone tools that would have required a level of intelligence and creativity to make. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ice-age-butcher-tools-ancient.html Archaeology Thu, 07 May 2026 07:00:01 EDT news697275121 Researchers have identified four more members of Sir John Franklin's 1845 expedition, one of whom was the subject of great debate lasting for more than a century. Anthropologists from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo led the work that analyzed DNA samples extracted from skeletal remains and found matches with DNA donated by living descendants. These new discoveries bring the total number of identified sailors of the Franklin expedition to six. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-dna-sailors-franklin.html Archaeology Wed, 06 May 2026 15:20:17 EDT news697290661 A recent archaeological study has identified the earliest lithic heat treatment of chert in the world. Discovered in Australia, this discovery is nearly twice as old as any previously identified chert heat treatment in Eurasia. The study is published in the Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-arnhem-ancient-rewrite-early-stone.html Archaeology Wed, 06 May 2026 12:40:05 EDT news697280884 Without good dental care, teeth tend to suffer. An abundance of archaeological evidence has shown that poor oral health was common throughout history. And unsurprisingly, there have been many attempts at dental restoration throughout history, as well. Now, archaeologists have identified the earliest example of a dental bridge in Scotland. Their study, recently published in the British Dental Journal, describes the device found on the teeth of a man buried in Aberdeen during medieval times. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-medieval-jaw-reveals-scotland-dental.html Archaeology Tue, 05 May 2026 15:20:03 EDT news697200967 Languages and human DNA both capture aspects of human diversity. But how are they related? A new international study led by the University of Zurich finds a clear but counterintuitive pattern: regions with high genetic diversity tend to have more similar languages, while isolated populations with low genetic diversity show greater linguistic diversity. The research is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-isolated-human-groups-diverse-languages.html Archaeology Tue, 05 May 2026 15:00:01 EDT news697199450 Archaeologists from the University of Southampton have excavated and recorded a large timber platform hidden beneath what today appears to be a stone-built island, located in a Scottish loch. They used a technique called stereophotogrammetry to record the human-made island above and below the waterline as a single continuous structure, providing a perspective that wouldn't have been possible using land or underwater survey alone. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-archaeologists-reveal-secrets-prehistoric-human.html Archaeology Tue, 05 May 2026 10:20:02 EDT news697194182 In the past, scientists thought that prehistoric peoples only traveled briefly through high-altitude mountain areas, rather than staying to take advantage of their resources. But new evidence suggests that, starting about 5,500 years ago, a prehistoric community repeatedly climbed up to Cave 338, 2,235 meters above sea level in the Pyrenees, to collect and process malachite for copper—returning many times over thousands of years. Additional finds, including jewelry, suggest that much more remains to be found when excavations reopen this summer. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-stone-child-bones-lost-jewelry.html Archaeology Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:03 EDT news697099501 Excavations from 2015 to 2021 on the ancient site of Motza, just west of Jerusalem, revealed a sprawling settlement with some surprisingly advanced technology. The site dates back to 7100–6700 BCE during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) period. A new study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, describes plaster floors from the site made by a technique previously thought to have been first developed by the Romans 8,000 years later. The finding has archaeologists looking at Neolithic craftsmen in a new light. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-plaster-technique-previously-attributed-romans.html Archaeology Mon, 04 May 2026 16:30:01 EDT news697122781 A study published in the journal Britannia analyzed coins and metal items found in an early 5th-century AD burial in Oudenburg, Belgium. The burial occurred around the same time that base metal coins ceased arriving in northwestern Roman Provinces (ca. 400 AD). With no new currency introduced, it is plausible that people turned to other practices and materials when still-circulating coins may not have met demand. Burial A-104 may be one example of such practices, possibly representing a sort of "missing link" between the Late Roman and Merovingian monetary systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-5th-century-belgian-burial-scrap.html Archaeology Fri, 01 May 2026 12:40:03 EDT news696844530 Two infants buried in Roman York were laid to rest in costly purple cloth normally reserved for emperors and members of the aristocracy, new research reveals. The babies were wrapped in a fine textile of Tyrian purple embellished with gold thread—a cloth of the highest possible status and luxury known in the Roman world. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-rare-tyrian-purple-reveals-elite.html Archaeology Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:40:09 EDT news696766081 In cathedrals, such as Canterbury Cathedral in England, colorful stained glass and illustrated hagiographies tell the stories of saints through vivid visual narratives, inviting viewers into richly detailed scenes. Sometimes, this experience extends beyond sight, creating a deeper sense of immersion. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-medieval-images-triggered-soundscapes-reshaping.html Archaeology Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:20:07 EDT news696765901 Many of today's villages and towns in Central Europe trace their origins to settlements that emerged after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, often on former Roman territory or in the immediate vicinity of the Limes, the former imperial frontier. Since the nineteenth century, this period was often associated with the idea of large migrating groups of Germanic peoples. However, historical research has long since moved away from the concept of a unified Germanic identity and large-scale migration events. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-rome-genomic-insights-southern-germany.html Archaeology Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:20:06 EDT news696684302 Archaeologists recently analyzed a broken, decorative cup found unexpectedly on a Spanish farm. The cup appears to represent Hadrian's Wall—a place 2,000 miles away—and a time period almost 2,000 years ago. The new study, published in Britannia, links the cup to several other vessels with similar attributes and suggests it was brought to Spain by a soldier serving at Hadrian's Wall. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-roman-cup-unearthed-spain-keepsake.html Archaeology Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:20:07 EDT news696679667 An early ninth-century manuscript containing a text of the first known poem in the English language has been discovered in Rome by researchers from Trinity College Dublin. The newly-discovered manuscript in the National Central Library of Rome of Caedmon's Hymn dates from between the years 800 and 830, making it the third oldest surviving text of the poem. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-earliest-poem-english-language-rome.html Archaeology Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:20:06 EDT news696682021 In advance of the construction of the SuedOstLink high-voltage direct current transmission line, archaeological investigations were carried out in the Salzland district by the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) Saxony-Anhalt, in close coordination with the transmission system operator 50Hertz. A pit dating back to the early Neolithic period, already unearthed in 2024 near Alsleben, is now revealing its secrets: The find contains the remains of at least 12 beavers, which were likely hunted for their fur. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-neolithic-fur-production-year-pit.html Archaeology Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:20:02 EDT news696681545 The peopling of South America has long been debated, with various routes proposed for how they spread across the subcontinent. However, routes along the Atlantic coast were typically much younger than their Pacific counterparts, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of when and how early hunter-gatherers traveled along the South American Atlantic coast. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-oldest-burial-patagonia-reveals-early.html Archaeology Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:40:05 EDT news696675481 The exact origin of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is still a mystery, but researchers believe they are edging closer to the source of one of the most important food staples worldwide. Using genetic studies and ancient plant remains, an international team of scientists has narrowed the location and timeline to the Neolithic period(around 8,000 years ago) in Georgia, in the South Caucasus. They present their findings in a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-farming-clues-expose-humanity.html Archaeology Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:40:02 EDT news696602199