Tag: archaeology

1.5-million-year-old Skull Reveals Homo erectus Did Not Evolve the Way Scientists Thought

Homo erectus has long occupied a special place in human evolution. It is a species often portrayed as a clean break from more primitive human ancestors, marked by bigger brains, modern body proportions, and the first great migrations out of Africa.

However, a newly reconstructed fossil from Ethiopia suggests that this evolutionary milestone was anything but tidy.

In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers report a detailed reconstruction of a 1.6–1.5 million-year-old skull from Gona, Ethiopia, known as DAN5/P1. The results reveal a striking mosaic of traits that blurs the boundary between early members of the genus Homo and classic Homo erectus. This challenges the traditional view that our ancestors underwent rapid transformation in clearly distinct stages, highlighting instead how overlapping features complicate a simple evolutionary narrative.

In the study, researchers argue that the emergence of Homo erectus was not a simple evolutionary handoff from smaller-brained ancestors to a more advanced, uniform species. Instead, multiple forms of Homo appear to have coexisted in Africa for hundreds of thousands of years, evolving along partially independent paths.

“We already knew that the DAN5 fossil had a small brain, but this new reconstruction shows that the face is also more primitive than classic African Homo erectus of the same antiquity,” lead-author and paleoanthropologist at Midwestern University in Arizona, Dr. Karen Baab, said in a press release.“One explanation is that the Gona population retained the anatomy of the population that originally migrated out of Africa approximately 300,000 years earlier.”

A rare and revealing skull

The DAN5/P1 fossil is unusually important because of its completeness and the location where it was found. The specimen was recovered from the DAN5 locality at Gona in northeastern Ethiopia, a region already well known for preserving some of the earliest stone tools and hominin remains in the archaeological record.

Excavated during systematic fieldwork in sediments dated to roughly 1.6 to 1.5 million years ago, the fossil was initially identified as a partial cranium. Crucially, fragments of the braincase, face, and dentition were preserved together rather than scattered across the landscape. That kind of association is rare for the Early Pleistocene, when erosion and geological processes typically leave researchers with isolated pieces rather than intact individuals.

In the case of DAN5/P1, the fragments came from a single individual and retained clear anatomical relationships. This enabled researchers to apply high-resolution micro-CT scanning and advanced virtual reconstruction techniques to digitally reassemble both the cranial vault and much of the face. The result is one of the most complete early Homo crania ever recovered from the Horn of Africa.

The timing of the fossil makes it especially significant. DAN5/P1 dates to a pivotal moment in human evolution, around 1.6 million years ago, when Homo erectus is thought to have firmly established itself in Africa and begun spreading beyond the continent.

Classic African Homo erectus fossils from Kenya—such as KNM-ER 3733 and the famous “Turkana Boy”—already display many hallmark traits by this period, including larger brains, prominent brow ridges, and reduced teeth.

However, DAN5/P1 reveals contrasts with this established story.

While parts of the skull, especially the brow ridge and overall cranial architecture, resemble Homo erectus, the face and teeth retain more primitive features associated with earlier species, such as Homo habilis. The brain size, estimated at about 36.5 cubic inches, is small, overlapping with early Homo and well below the average for African Homo erectus.

This combination makes DAN5/P1 one of the clearest examples yet of a morphological “in-between”—a single individual that preserves traits evolutionary textbooks often separate into neat categories.

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The moment the earliest known man-made fire was uncovered

A stunning discovery at an archaeological dig in the UK is rewriting the timeline of when humans first made fire.

Researchers have discovered the earliest known instance of human-created fire, which took place in the east of England 400,000 years ago.

The new discovery, in the village of Barnham, pushes the origin of human fire-making back by more than 350,000 years, far earlier than previously thought.

The ability to create fire was the moment that changed everything for humans. It provided warmth at will and enabled our ancestors to cook and eat meat, which made our brains grow. It meant we were no longer a group of animals struggling to survive – it gave us time to think and invent and become the advanced species we are today.

The team say they found baked earth together with the earliest Stone Age lighter – consisting of a flint that was bashed against a rock called pyrite, also known as fool’s gold, to create a spark.

BBC News has been given world exclusive access to the prehistoric site.

Under the treetops of Barnham Forest lies an archaeological treasure, buried a few metres beneath the Earth, that dates back to the furthest depths of human pre-history.

Around the edges of a clearing, tangled green branches frame the scene like a curtain, as if the forest itself were slowly revealing a long-buried chapter of its past. Prof Nick Ashton of the British Museum leads me through the trees and we both step into his astonishing story.

“This is where it happened,” he tells me in a reverent tone.

We walk down onto a dirt floor carved into deep, stepped hollows of raw earth and pale sand.

This was an ancient fireplace at the heart of a prehistoric “town hall”, around which early Stone Age people came together hundreds of thousands of years ago.

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“Bronze Age People Didn’t Do That”: English Team Unearths “Unprecedented” Evidence of 4500-Year-Old Ancient Monument

British archaeologists have made a discovery they believe points to an unusual ancient monument that once stood in Northwest England 4,500 years ago.

The unique find, made by avocational archaeologists with the Wigan Archaeological Society, was discovered on a farm in the Greater Manchester area, after aerial photography of the region revealed an unusual, dark circular area in a farmer’s field.

Initial excavations at the discovery site had revealed what the Wigan team believed to be a burial site near Aspull, a village in the greater Wigan area. However, further studies at the site have revealed that there may be more to this ancient English mystery.

“We think it’s been repurposed from an earlier monument,” said Bill Aldridge, a member of the Wigan Archaeological Society, in a statement. Aldridge and others say the unique evidence they have unearthed, which includes a massive, oval-shaped ring ditch encircling the area, points to the existence of “a neolithic henge” that once stood there.

Such structures were unique to the Neolithic period and were not associated with later groups that occupied the area.

“Bronze Age people didn’t do that,” Aldridge recently told the BBC about his team’s discovery.

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Hidden Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, a Tantalizing Discovery May Soon “Write a New Chapter in the History of the Pharaohs”

A remarkable discovery within the Great Pyramid of Giza could potentially reshape our understanding of ancient Egypt, one of the country’s most renowned Egyptologists has said.

The claims were made by Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, who recently hinted at a tantalizing discovery that will come to light sometime in 2026, adding that he expects it will “rewrite history” and offer new insights into the ancient history of Egypt and its rulers.

The 78-year-old Egyptologist made comments during an appearance at the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair, where he described the mysterious discovery as one that will “write a new chapter in the history of the Pharaohs.”

A New Discovery at Giza’s Great Pyramid

Hawass, Egypt’s former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, has conducted work at many of the country’s most renowned archaeological sites in the Western Desert and Nile Delta, among other locations.

During the recent event, Hawass offered additional clues about the forthcoming revelation, stating that “This great discovery is a new 30-meter-long passageway,” which he said had been “detected using advanced equipment,” and appears to lead to a concealed doorway within the Great Pyramid.

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The Rise and Mysterious Fall of Cahokia: Researchers Unearth New Secrets of America’s Greatest ‘Lost’ Ancient Megacity

For centuries, the sprawling earth mounds of Cahokia have stood as silent remnants of a massive, lost American city. Once the largest and most influential urban settlement north of Mexico, this pre-Columbian metropolis near modern-day St. Louis mysteriously flourished, and then vanished, hundreds of years before European colonists arrived. 

Now, a team of researchers has uncovered new clues about Cahokia’s rise and decline, thanks to a single massive wooden monument that once towered over the landscape.

In a study published in PLOS ONE, scientists from the University of Arizona and the University of Illinois used advanced tree-ring dating and isotope analysis to determine that a monumental wooden post known as the “Mitchell Log” was cut around 1124 CE, at the height of Cahokia’s power. 

The analysis also revealed something unexpected and fascinating. The enormous bald cypress tree was not local. It had been transported at least 110 miles (180 kilometers) to the site, likely from southern Illinois or even farther south along the Mississippi River.

This finding reshapes our understanding of Cahokia’s reach and organization. The massive log, originally part of a towering 60-foot (18-meter) ceremonial post, offers a rare and significant timestamp for when the city’s influence stretched across the Midwest and South.

“The date, provenance, and context of the Mitchell Log establish a historical datum for the peak influence of the Cahokia polity,” the researchers write. “[It also] prompts new questions about the long-distance transport of thousands of other such marker posts.”

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Subsurface Structures Detected at Göbekli Tepe

Archaeological investigations at Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Türkiye have revealed rectangular architectural features, possibly used as dwellings. These were found beside the site’s well-known circular enclosures. The discovery offers fresh insight into how ritual and daily life coexisted in one of the world’s earliest Neolithic settlements.

Survey Methods and Discovery

Under the umbrella of the Heritage for the Future and Stone Mounds (Taş Tepeler) initiatives, researchers from Istanbul University, the German Archaeological Institute, and Freie Universität Berlin carried out integrated geophysical surveys, including geomagnetic mapping, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and lidar scanning.
These subsurface investigations have identified not only the well-known circular pillars and enclosures but also rectangular structural traces that could represent early dwellings.

From Monumental to Domestic: Interpreting the New Structures

Project director Prof. Necmi Karul explained that the rectangular formations are concentrated primarily on the eastern and southern slopes of the mound. He described this phase as a shift toward documenting previously undisturbed zones.

Earlier this year, the removal of olive trees allowed full-scale measurements for the first time. This helped clarify the site’s boundaries and guide future excavations.

Geoarchaeology Reveals New Insights

Led by Prof. Barbara Horejs of the Austrian Archaeological Institute, geoarchaeological studies used high-resolution scans to identify a large building and several smaller house-like structures. Her team emphasized the importance of ongoing analysis in guiding future excavation strategies.

Highlights of the 2025 Excavation Season

  • Life-size human statue: Discovered between Enclosures B and D, the sculpture features a clearly defined head and torso. It complements earlier finds such as the wild boar statue.
  • Restoration of Enclosure C: Conservation teams stabilized the walls, repaired erosion damage, and re-erected columns to protect the monumental complex.

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The oldest mummies in the world may hail from southeastern Asia and date back 12,000 years

Scientists have discovered what’s thought to be the oldest known mummies in the world in southeastern Asia dating back up to 12,000 years.

Mummification prevents decay by preserving dead bodies. The process can happen naturally in places like the sands of Chile’s Atacama Desert or the bogs of Ireland where conditions can fend off decomposition. Humans across various cultures also mummified their ancestors through embalming to honor them or send their souls to the afterlife.

Egypt’s mummies may be the most well-known, but until now some of the oldest mummies were prepared by a fishing people called the Chinchorro about 7,000 years ago in what’s now Peru and Chile.

A new study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences pushes that timeline back.

Researchers found human remains that were buried in crouched or squatted positions with some cuts and burn marks in various archaeological sites across China and Vietnam and to a lesser extent, from the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Studying the bones further, scientists discovered the bodies were likely exposed to heat. That suggested the bodies had been smoke-dried over a fire and mummified by hunter-gatherer communities in the area.

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Archaeologist says his team has finally discovered lost city of Atlantis as they unveil compelling evidence

Joe Rogan was left speechless when his guest discussed the possible discovery of the lost city of Atlantis.

Plato’s writings describe an advanced civilization that built grand temples and massive harbor walls before being swallowed by the sea more than 11,000 years ago. 

Independent researcher Ben van Kerkwyk was a recent guest on the Joe Rogan Experience, where he discussed a discovery off the coast of Spain that could be the mythical city.

‘There’s a guy named Michael Donnellan…And he thinks he’s found, at least, if not Atlantis, a part of Atlantis off the coast of Spain. And they 100 percent found some s*** in the waters,’ van Kerkwyk said.

Rogan, looking stunned, could only respond with ‘Wow,’ mentioning Donnellan’s upcoming documentary ‘Atlantica’ that reveals massive linear structures and enormous concentric circular walls littering the seafloor. 

Donnellan, an independent archaeologist, told the Daily Mail that descriptions in Plato’s writings, which perfectly match their findings of ruins, prehistoric settlements and ancient mines in the region of Gades, are the strongest evidence for an Atlantic civilization. 

These discoveries, including underwater structures and sediment-covered sites indicating sudden destruction, align with Plato’s accounts of climate, societal structures, and ancient mythologies, providing a comprehensive context for their claims.

‘All those details align perfectly with the region we’re studying, as our investigations reflect Plato’s texts with extraordinary precision, truly to a perfect degree,’ Donnellan said.

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Archeologists discover 1.8 million-year-old human jawbone — possibly the oldest artifact of early humans outside Africa

A jaw-dropping discovery.

A 1.8 million-year-old human jawbone has been unearthed in the hills of Georgia — and scientists say the fossil could offer major clues into some of the earliest prehistoric human settlements in Eurasia.

The ancient mandible was uncovered by archaeologists at the Orozmoni site, roughly 62 miles southwest of the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, in a prehistoric goldmine smaller than two parking spaces.

Experts believe the bone may be one of the oldest remains of early humans excavated outside of Africa, offering clues to the patterns of Homo erectus, a hunter-gatherer species that scientists believe began migrating roughly two million years ago.

“The study of the early human and fossil animal remains from Orozmani will allow us to determine the lifestyle of the first colonizers of Eurasia,” said Giorgi Bidzinashvili, a professor of stone age archaeology at Ilia State University in Tbilisi.

“We think Orozmani can give us big information about humankind.”

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80,000-year-old stones in Uzbekistan may be the world’s oldest arrowheads — and they might have been made by Neanderthals

Tiny stone artifacts discovered in Uzbekistan may be the oldest known arrowheads, a new study suggests.

It remains unclear whether these stone tools were created by modern humans, Neanderthals or some other group.

Archaeologists found the tools at the site of Obi-Rakhmat in northeastern Uzbekistan. Previous excavations uncovered a variety of stone tools at the site, such as thin and wide blades, and smaller “bladelets.” But numerous small, triangular points — called “microliths” — were overlooked in prior work because they were broken.

Now, in a study published Aug. 11 in the journal PLOS One, the researchers argue that these “micropoints” are too narrow to have fit onto anything other than arrow-like shafts. The stones also display the kind of damage that would be expected from used arrowheads, study co-author Hugues Plisson, an associate scientist at the University of Bordeaux in France, told Live Science.

These micropoints, which are about 80,000 years old, may therefore be the oldest arrowheads in the world — around 6,000 years older than 74,000-year-old artifacts unearthed in Ethiopia, the researchers say.

The scientists expect their work to raise doubts.

“The bows themselves and the arrow shafts have not been preserved, so some skepticism from colleagues is expected,” study co-author Andrey Krivoshapkin, director of the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, told Live Science.

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