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From 3 million years ago to the dawn of our era: archaeological discoveries, palaeogenetics, cave art and the great transformations of human societies.

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Archeologie · 07/10/2026

Homo naledi: Were All Rising Star Cave Individuals Female?

Ancient proteomics analysis of 23 teeth from Rising Star Cave reveals no trace of amelogenin Y. Does this mean all individuals buried in the Dinaledi Chamber were female?

Archaeology · 06/10/2026

Merneith: a digitally enhanced photograph confirms a woman ruled Egypt 5,000 years ago

A digitally reprocessed photograph reveals that Merneith, a figure of Egypt's First Dynasty, did indeed bear the royal serekh title. She may be the second ruler in ancient Egyptian history to have her name inscribed in this royal emblem.

Archaeology · 06/10/2026

A 3,000-4,000-year-old polychrome mural discovered at Huaca Yolanda: "nothing like it had ever been recorded in the region"

At the Huaca Yolanda site in Peru's Chao Valley, a polychrome mural more than five metres long has been uncovered. Dated to the Formative Period, its motifs -- stars, fish, fishing nets -- are unprecedented in the region.

Archaeology

Archaeology · 06/10/2026

Saqqarah: 4,350-year-old tomb of the royal "keeper of secrets" discovered in Egypt

At Saqqarah, Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered the tomb of Sekhentio-Ptah, an Old Kingdom official bearing the title "keeper of the secrets of royal decrees", dated to the late Fifth or early Sixth Dynasty.

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· 05/10/2026

Bronze Age cooking was already an art form, study reveals

A Danish study of pottery from Hama, Syria, shows that 4,500 years ago Near Eastern communities were already using different vessels for different ingredients. Goat, gazelle, and cereals each had their own dedicated pot, revealing a level of culinary sophistication far beyond what was previously assumed.

· 04/10/2026

Japan's Jomon People Developed Unique Genetic Cold Adaptations, Science Advances Reveals

A comparative genomics study in Science Advances reveals that the Jomon, a prehistoric culture of the Japanese archipelago, developed cold adaptations genetically distinct from those of Inuits and Siberians, illustrating evolutionary convergence.

· 04/10/2026

Fair Skin in Europeans Emerged Far More Recently Than Thought, Ancient DNA Reveals

A palaeogenomics study of 1,237 ancient individuals shows that genetic variants associated with light pigmentation only reached high prevalence in Western Europe during the Bronze Age, just 3,500 to 4,000 years ago.

· 04/10/2026

An Egyptian Tomb Reused for Seven Centuries in the Theban Necropolis

The tomb of royal scribe Nisemro, created under Thutmose III, was continuously reused for seven centuries by at least twelve distinct individuals -- an exceptional example of funerary reuse in ancient Egypt.

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· 03/10/2026

Gobekli Tepe's Handbags May Be the World's Oldest Architectural Plans

Mysterious handbag symbols carved on the pillars of the 11,600-year-old Turkish site of Gobekli Tepe may represent a bird's-eye view of the site itself, making them the earliest known architectural drawings in human history.

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