Tag: lost civilizations

DNA study of nearly 200 Indigenous genomes reveals unknown Asian ‘ghost’ population contributed to American ancestry

Humans migrated to South America in three distinct waves over the course of thousands of years, a new large-scale analysis of Indigenous Americans’ DNA reveals. The investigation also found that genes related to fertility, metabolism and the immune response helped people adapt to their unique environment in the “final frontier” of human migration, the researchers said.

In a study published Wednesday (April 22) in the journal Nature, an international team of scientists detailed findings from the Indigenous American Genomic Diversity Project, which analyzed 128 genomes from people living in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru — an investigation that included 45 populations and 28 language families. The researchers’ goal was to better understand how and when people arrived on the continent and the factors that shaped these populations’ genetics.

“Until now, only two Amazonian Indigenous populations had been genetically characterized, and due to the particularity of their environment and their isolation, they were not very representative,” study first author Marcos Araújo Castro e Silva, a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council’s Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) and Pompeu Fabra University in Spain, said in a translated statement. The research team worked in collaboration with Indigenous communities to develop the study and integrate the findings into Indigenous history, study co-author Tábita Hünemeier, head of the Human Population Genomics Lab at IBE, said in the statement.

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Evidence Found in Ethiopia That Homo sapiens Cremated Their Dead 100,000 Years Ago, 60,000 Before the Oldest Known Record

The discovery, made at one of the best-preserved open-air sites of early Homo sapiens communities, includes bones burned at high temperatures alongside evidence of predation and sudden burial.

An international research team, which includes Ferhat Kaya, a researcher at the Academy of Finland at the University of Oulu, has discovered what could be the earliest evidence of human cremation. The findings were made in the Afar Rift in Ethiopia, a region recognized for hosting one of the best-preserved open-air archaeological concentrations corresponding to the earliest Homo sapiens communities.

Research in this area has been ongoing since 1981, and the new data offer a detailed view of how early humans lived, moved, and adapted to their environment 100,000 years ago.

Among the significant fossils found in the area are remains of Homo sapiens individuals, some of which show bones that had been exposed to high temperatures. This phenomenon, according to the researchers, could indicate the practice of cremation and, if confirmed, would represent the oldest known evidence of this funerary rite among humans.

However, the same bone remains also showed predator bite marks and signs of having undergone sudden burial, which adds a layer of complexity to interpreting the circumstances of their death and subsequent treatment.

The study published by the team emphasizes that local hydrological factors—particularly the flood cycles of the ancient Awash River—had a more decisive influence on the lives of these humans than global climate fluctuations. This conclusion is supported by the analysis of thousands of stone tools documented at the site, which indicate that human groups repeatedly returned to this area for short periods, taking advantage of a seasonal floodplain.

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Stone Age humans built complex grass beds at Border Cave 200,000 years ago, study finds

Border Cave sits high in the Lebombo Mountains along the border of present-day South Africa and Eswatini. Archaeologists have excavated the rock shelter since the 1930s, though recent work has revealed unusual preservation of organic materials, including ancient grass bedding. Researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand examined the deposits at a microscopic level and identified six different bedding microfacies, or microscopic sediment patterns linked to different types of bed construction and maintenance.

Only a few African Stone Age sites have produced bedding remains studied in such detail. Earlier microscopic work at Sibhudu Cave and Diepkloof Rock Shelter provided much of the current understanding of ancient bedding practices. The new study greatly expands the sample from Border Cave and shows a wider range of preserved bedding structures than previously known.

Some of the newly identified microfacies closely resemble bedding types from the other South African sites. Others appear unique to Border Cave. The differences include variations in ash content, the arrangement of plant remains, and signs of trampling or burning. Researchers suggest these patterns reflect differences in how people maintained their living spaces or the types of plants selected for bedding.

The study found repeated evidence that people often built beds on layers of ash. In many cases, bedding materials rested directly above ash deposits or mixed with ash-rich sediments. Researchers believe ash may have helped keep sleeping areas dry and warm while also discouraging insects. Earlier studies at Border Cave proposed a similar function.

The evidence does not always show whether people intentionally spread fresh ash before laying down bedding or reused ash already present on the cave floor. Some ash deposits appear thick and concentrated, while others form thinner scattered layers. Still, the repeated association between ash and bedding suggests this practice formed a regular part of cave life for thousands of years.

Microscopic analysis also revealed signs of repeated maintenance. Some bedding layers had been refreshed with new plant material, trampled by human activity, and partially burned several times. One especially well-preserved “grass mat” from younger deposits contained several overlapping layers of dried and charred plant remains. Researchers describe this as the first detailed microscopic study of such a preserved Stone Age grass mat.

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14,500-Year-Old Evidence of Human Presence in South America? Experts Fire Back at Controversial Study Challenging Age of Chile’s Monte Verde Site

Experts have responded sharply to a controversial study published earlier this year that sought to challenge the dating of archaeological features at Chile’s famous Monte Verde site.

Excavations that began at Monte Verde decades ago, led by archaeologist Tom Dillehay, established evidence of a human presence at the site as early as 14,500 years ago. The discovery was significant, as it marked the first unequivocal evidence of human presence in the Americas that predates the cultural manifestation known as Clovis, which had long been assumed to be the earliest human presence in the New World.

Those findings, supported by ongoing investigations Dillehay and his colleagues have conducted over the last several decades at Monte Verde, were challenged in March in a study led by archaeologist Todd Surovell, Ph.D., who, along with his colleagues, argued that a fresh analysis of features located near the Monte Verde site suggested it could be younger than previous estimates by as much as several thousand years.

Now Dillehay, who is currently the Rebecca Webb Wilson University Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Religion, and Culture at Vanderbilt University, and more than two dozen other experts in the archaeology of the early Americas have responded in a series of eLetters published in Science, which argue that Surovell and his colleagues’ findings are not strongly supported by existing evidence.

Pre-Clovis in Southern Chile

Following its discovery in 1976 and Dillehay’s subsequent excavations, Monte Verde has long been considered a cornerstone of early American archaeology. With its array of well-preserved artifacts that include stone tools, as well as wooden structures, botanical remains, and even a human footprint, radiocarbon dating has periodically been undertaken at the site, which consistently places its occupation at an estimated 14,500 years ago.

At the time these discoveries were made, Monte Verde became one of the earliest securely dated human settlements in the Americas. Not only that, it became one of the first major challenges to the then-dominant “Clovis First” paradigm, which insisted that evidence showed the earliest arrivals in North America occurred no earlier than around 13,000 years ago.

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Hall of Records theories explode as CIA doc mentioning ‘temple under Sphinx’ found

The location of an ancient library believed to lie beneath Egypt‘s Great Sphinx has long been one of archaeology’s greatest mysteries.

Now, a resurfaced CIA document from 1952 is reigniting speculation surrounding the legendary Hall of Records after a cryptic reference to a ‘temple under Sphinx’ was found inside a Cold War-era photographic inventory.

The Hall of Records legend has fascinated the public for nearly a century, with some claiming the mythical archive contains ancient texts, maps and evidence of a lost civilization that predated recorded history. 

The 10-page CIA file, dated November 20, 1952, is titled ‘Presentation Form for Graphic Material’ and appears to catalog 11 rolls of black-and-white photographic negatives taken between July and December 1950.

Rather than an intelligence briefing, the document appears to be a simple archival inventory. 

But believers say the phrase ‘Temple under Sphinx’ stands out because it is not a standard archaeological description commonly used today.

One X user posted: ‘So the CIA knows about the temple UNDER THE SPHINX. Still want to call BS on the Hall of Records?’

While no hidden temple has ever been confirmed beneath the Great Sphinx, archaeologists have long known about the ancient Sphinx Temple, a structure located directly in front of the monument on the Giza Plateau. 

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Ancient Settlement Older Than The Pyramids Discovered; Rewrites North American History

An ancient Indigenous settlement unearthed near Sturgeon Lake in Saskatchewan is challenging long-held views about early human presence in North America.

Dating to around 11,000 years ago and predating Egypt’s Great Pyramid by more than 6,000 years, according to the official timeline, the site provides evidence of long-term habitation rather than temporary camps.

Archaeologists working with Sturgeon Lake First Nation uncovered stone tools, fire pits, toolmaking materials, and remains of the extinct Bison antiquus. Charcoal layers point to controlled fire management, aligning with oral traditions. The findings suggest a sophisticated society with advanced hunting strategies, including buffalo jumps.

The site, known as Âsowanânihk (“a place to cross” in Cree), lies about five kilometres north of Prince Albert along the North Saskatchewan River. It was first spotted by avocational archaeologist Dave Rondeau through riverbank erosion exposing artifacts.

Rondeau said: “The moment I saw the layers of history peeking through the soil, I felt the weight of generations staring back at me. Now that the evidence has proven my first instincts, this site is shaking up everything we thought we knew and could change the narrative of early Indigenous civilizations in North America.”

Dr. Glenn Stuart of the University of Saskatchewan added: “This discovery challenges the outdated idea that early Indigenous peoples were solely nomadic. The evidence of long-term settlement and land stewardship suggests a deep-rooted presence. It also raises questions about the Bering Strait Theory, supporting oral histories that Indigenous communities have lived here for countless generations.”

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Neanderthals may have hunted and eaten outsiders, chilling cannibalism study finds

A new study of Neanderthal remains from a cave in Belgium is shedding light on a disturbing aspect of prehistoric life. Researchers analyzing human bones from the Troisième caverne of Goyet (Belgium) found evidence that Neanderthals engaged in selective cannibalism between 41,000 and 45,000 years ago. The remains show that adult women and children were the primary victims.

For the first time, scientists were able to build a biological profile of the individuals whose bones were found at the site. Their findings suggest these people did not belong to the local Neanderthal group living in the area. Instead, they likely came from elsewhere and were brought to the cave.

Evidence of Butchering and Consumption

The condition of the bones provides key clues about what happened. Many show marks consistent with cutting, breaking, and processing, similar to the way animals were hunted and prepared for food. In particular, the lower limbs appear to have been selected, and the bones were deliberately broken open to extract nutrient-rich marrow.

This pattern strongly suggests the bodies were not treated in a ceremonial or ritual way. Instead, the evidence points to cannibalism for food. The same techniques used on animal prey were applied to these human victims, indicating they were processed as a source of nutrition.

The research, published in Scientific Reports, was carried out by an international team that included scientists from the CNRS (Culture, Environment and Anthropology unit), l’Université de Bordeaux, and l’Université d’Aix-Marseille, along with researchers from the Environmental Geosciences Research and Teaching Centre (Aix-Marseille Univ/CNRS/INRAE/IRD).

A Violent Time in the Late Middle Paleolithic

These findings come from a period known as the late Middle Paleolithic (a prehistoric era spanning roughly from 300,000 to 40,000 years ago, most commonly associated in Europe with Neanderthals). During this time, Neanderthal groups in Northern Europe displayed a wide range of cultural behaviors, and early Homo sapiens were beginning to appear in nearby regions.

In this context, the targeted nature of the cannibalism is especially striking. The fact that the victims appear to have been outsiders suggests that different groups may have come into conflict. Researchers propose that this behavior could reflect territorial tensions between Neanderthal communities, possibly linked to competition for resources or space.

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A 2000-Year-Old ‘Lost Script’ Has Been Deciphered—Now It May Help Solve the Enduring Mystery of Ancient Teotihuacan

At the height of its power, the ancient city of Teotihuacan was a marvel of grandeur and magnificence in ancient Mesoamerica, having ascended to become its largest city, as well as being one of its most culturally significant.

Yet by 900 A.D., Teotihuacan had fallen under the might of the invading Toltecs, and knowledge of who had assembled one of the leading cultural centers of the early Americas was erased. Little was left for modern archaeologists beyond the culture’s imposing architecture, which include the famous Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon.

However, these impressive structural remnants were not all that the inhabitants of Teotihuacan left behind. Amid the site’s ruins, ancient murals, and the artifacts that have weathered Mesoamerican climates for millennia, archaeologists have also found symbols left by the city’s ancient inhabitants, which to this day have remained undeciphered.

That is, until now. In a new research effort, led by Magnus Pharao Hansen and Christopher Helmke of the University of Copenhagen, the meaning behind Teotihuacan’s enigmatic symbols is finally coming to light, revealing new evidence of an early Uto-Aztecan writing system.

The discovery, detailed in a study that appeared in the journal Current Anthropology, could potentially reshape theories about the ancient city and its inhabitants, and opens a window to more deeply understanding the lives and beliefs of those who once thrived at Teotihuacan before its fall.

This ancient Uto-Aztecan writing system, the researchers say, appears to have evolved over time into the Cora, Huichol, and ultimately the Nahuatl languages, the latter being associated with the Aztecs.

After studying symbols found in Teotihuacan’s murals and artifacts, the researchers concluded that these markings form a true writing system. They suggest it represents an early Uto-Aztecan language, which later evolved into Cora, Huichol, and Nahuatl, the language associated with the Aztecs.

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What a piece of 15,0000-year-old jewellery found in a Devon cave tells us about this prehistoric ‘civilization’

A piece of prehistoric jewellery, discovered in a West Country cave, is helping to shed new light on Stone Age Europe’s most spectacular culture.

Known as the Magdalenian, that 21,000 to 13,000 year old prehistoric ‘civilization’ dominated much of Western Europe, particularly southwest France, northern Spain and parts of Britain and Germany for most of the final 10,000 years of the Ice Age. A detailed scientific analysis of the British Magdalenian jewellery item, carried out at University College London and the Natural History Museum, has now revealed that it was a polished pendant made from a seal’s tooth.

It’s the first such artefact identified in Britain – and only the fourth anywhere in Europe.

The discovery adds to the substantial evidence showing that Stone Age Magdalenians were extremely fashion-conscious – and that they had a particularly strong preference for maritime-originating jewellery.

For, as well as the four seal-tooth pendants, many sites across Europe, often located far from the sea, have yielded literally thousands of marine shells, virtually all of which would have been used as personal adornments (as pendants, like the seal tooth – but also to beautify clothing and for use in necklaces, bracelets, anklets and headwear).

The scientific investigation into the British artifact (found in Kent’s Cavern, Torquay, Devon) has identified it as a premolar tooth of a grey seal, that had been polished and perforated by a Magdalenian artisan, using a handheld flint boring tool. Microscopic analysis of the wear pattern in the hole has revealed that the tooth had been worn as a pendant, suspended on some sort of cord. The wear, caused by the cord, was so substantial that the pendant appears to have been worn for many years or even decades.

Indeed, it’s conceivable that it may have been a valued heirloom, worn successively by several generations of the same family. Its value and significance to the Kent’s Cavern Magdalenian community – probably an extended family living there seasonally for many generations – is underlined by the fact that the seal tooth would have had to have initially been imported from the seashore which in Magdalenian times was between 50 and 100 miles away.

However, there would have been a direct river connection between the Kent’s Cavern area and the sea – along the river Teign’s prehistoric lower course (now submerged under the English Channel) and then along a now long-vanished major prehistoric waterway, dubbed the Channel River by archaeologists, to the Atlantic. In Magdalenian times, the Thames, the Rhine and the Seine were merely that Channel River’s major tributaries.

Even when living hundreds of miles from the sea, Magdalenian people had a strong cultural connection to it.

Via the Channel River and its many tributaries, they had an easy and direct connection to the Atlantic. They used large numbers of periwinkle, European cowrie and so-called ‘tusk’ shells as well as fossilised molluscs, sea urchin spines and sharks’ teeth to make jewellery and other adornments.

Like ordinary Atlantic seashells, these fossils must have been highly valued because they were often imported from hundreds of miles away. Shells were also imported to inland Magdalenian sites in France, Spain, Germany and Czechia from the Mediterranean. Some had travelled up to 600 miles.

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Early humans in South Africa were quarrying stone as far back as 220,000 years ago

As long as 220,000 years ago—far earlier than previously thought—people quarried rocks for their tools in places they specifically sought out. An international research team led by the University of Tübingen has demonstrated this behavior at the Jojosi site in South Africa, challenging the prevailing view that Paleolithic hunter–gatherers collected their raw materials incidentally during other activities. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Evidence of deliberate rock quarrying

“At Jojosi, we found numerous traces of the quarrying of hornfels—a metamorphic shale—including blocks that were tested for their quality, flakes of various sizes, thousands of millimeter-sized pieces of production waste and hammerstones,” says Dr. Manuel Will from the Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology at the University of Tübingen. Hornfels is a fine-grained rock that was frequently used to produce tools in the Stone Age. “People worked cobbles on site here and knapped the material until they had achieved the desired shape from the rock—probably to make tools from it later.”

The researchers almost exclusively found “production waste” here. The absence of both the end products and other traces of activity and settlement indicate that the people of Stone Age Jojosi were solely and deliberately seeking to extract the coveted raw material. Remarkably, they were doing this for tens of thousands of years, at least until 110,000 BCE, as can be seen from the luminescence dating of the finds. Given its great age and long period of use, Jojosi adds new facets to the image of early Homo sapiens, indicating that they planned the long-term acquisition of resources much earlier than previously thought.

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