Genetic Study Offers Hint to the Origin of an Autoimmune Disorder
PERTH, AUSTRALIA—Science News reports that an analysis of the genomes of more than 1,600 Europeans and western Asians by evolutionary biologist Morten Allentoft of Curtin University and his colleagues suggests that Yamnaya herders originated with hunter-gatherers who lived near western Russia’s Don River some 7,300 years ago. Yamnaya people then migrated from southwest Asia and mixed with populations in Eastern Europe before moving into Northern Europe, where they again produced a hybrid population. Computational biologist William Barrie of the University of Cambridge then compared ancient Eurasian DNA to a database of DNA from more than 400,000 modern British individuals, and determined that a specific gene change now linked to a higher risk for multiple sclerosis, or MS, developed in Yamnaya herders some 5,000 years ago. These gene variants, which perhaps boosted Yamnaya herders’ immune defenses against diseases carried by their livestock, were therefore introduced into northern European populations. How genes, environmental factors, and viruses bring about the disease is not well understood, but today’s northwestern Europeans are diagnosed with MS at about twice the rate of southern Europeans. “This is the first evidence of this [evolutionary process] in an autoimmune disorder,” Barrie explained. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Nature. For more on the Yamnaya, go to "Around the World: Bulgaria."
Weapons and Cargo Found on 500-Year-Old Baltic Shipwreck
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—According to a Miami Herald report, weapons that may have been used to repel pirates have been found in a medieval shipwreck in the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Maderö Island. Although the wreckage was explored in 1969, a systematic study of it was not conducted until 2022. “Not so much is known about the architecture of these ships so every new wreck that is surveyed increases our knowledge a lot,” said research team member Niklas Eriksson of Stockholm University. Dendrochronological analysis of wood samples from the vessel indicates that at least some of the wood came from a tree felled in 1467. The variety of wood in the construction suggests that the Maderö ship was built at a shipyard that brought in and imported material from a larger area, rather than relying on locally grown wood, he added. Chemical analysis of samples of the cargo, including rectangular bricks, specialty bricks for lining windows and doors, and roof tiles, shows that they were made in northeastern Germany. The ship may therefore have been linked to the organized northern German merchant communities known as the Hanseatic League. A coating of sulfur on a cannonball at the site suggests that it may have been loaded in a cannon with gunpowder when the vessel sank. “During the fourteenth to fifteenth century, there [was] a lot of piracy on the Baltic Sea,” Eriksson explained. Read the original scholarly article about this research in International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. To read about investigations of the wreckage of a sixteenth-century Swedish warship, go to "Mars Explored."
Small Neolithic Vessel Excavated in Central China
HENAN PROVINCE, CHINA—According to a Xinhua report, a 7,700-year-old bottle has been unearthed in central China at the 8,000-year-old Peiligang site. With its small mouth and a pointed bottom, the vessel resembles those made by the Yangshao culture. Li Yongqiang of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said that the bottle measures about four inches long, making it smaller than those made by the Yangshao culture, which inhabited the region to the north. “This discovery provides fresh and crucial material evidence for exploring the origin and development relationship between the Peiligang culture and Yangshao culture,” Li said. Such vessels are thought to have been used to collect water, for brewing, or as grave goods. Previous research at the Peiligang site has shown that its Neolithic residents made wine, so the researchers suggest that this vessel may have been used to collect yeast. Stone artifacts dated to the late Paleolithic period, fragments of ostrich eggshells, and pieces of red iron ore were also recovered from the site. To read about the Peiligang culture's practice of aquaculture, go to "China's Carp Catchers."
Maya Funerary Urns Uncovered in Mexico
CAMPECHE, MEXICO—Riviera Maya News reports that two funeral urns were discovered in the foundations of a Maya building in southeastern Mexico during an investigation on the route of the Maya Train. The first urn features a figurine of a deity in the form of a growing maize cob; the Maya symbol ik, which refers to the wind and the divine breath; and on the lid, an image of an owl, known to have been a symbol of war among the ancient Maya of the region. The second vessel also has an image of an owl on its lid, while its sides were adorned with appliques depicting the thorns of the sacred ceiba tree. Diego Prieto Hernández of Mexico’s National Institute of History and Anthropology (INAH) said that the unfired pots contain human remains and may have been placed in the foundation as an offering. To read about a Maya pectoral whose shape and decoration refer to the ik symbol, go to "Artifact."
Medieval Longsword Found in Nobleman's Grave in Sweden
HALMSTED, SWEDEN—According to a Live Science report, the remains of a man who stood about six feet, three inches tall, and an iron sword measuring more than four feet long, have been uncovered within the boundaries of a church at a medieval friary in southwestern Sweden. Archaeologist Johan Klange of Cultural Environment Halland said that the weapon is a late medieval longsword with an iron blade inlaid with small Christian crosses made from another metal. The blade was snapped at the hilt, perhaps during roadwork at the site in the 1930s. Klange thinks the man may have been a nobleman at the turn of the sixteenth century who supported the Kalmar Union, an agreement in which Sweden, Denmark, and Norway were ruled by a single king between about 1397 and 1523. “We hypothesize that he was part of the high nobility of the Kalmar Union, and may have owned property in both Sweden and Denmark,” Klange said. “These people became very, very powerful.” The Kalmar Union ended in 1520 when Sweden’s King Christian II executed nearly 100 of his enemies. DNA analysis of two burials found near the tall man’s grave may reveal if the three were related. To read about sword hilts that were found protruding from the earth in a Viking cemetery in southern Sweden, go to "Standing Swords."
Old Dongola’s Historic Fabrics Analyzed
WARSAW, POLAND—Science in Poland reports that Magdalena M. Woźniak of the University of Warsaw analyzed 17 fabric samples recovered from the site of Old Dongola, the capital of the Nubian Kingdom of Makuria (ca. A.D. 400–1400), which is located in what is now Sudan. The fabrics were recovered from residential areas and garbage dumps of the city and dated to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Most of the samples were wool, but because the sheep were likely raised for milk and meat, the wool was not of high quality. Such wool fabrics were usually worn by women, Woźniak said. Cotton fabrics, usually worn by men, likely came from plants grown in the Nile Valley. Very little linen was recovered, while the one silk sample is thought to have come from the home of a local ruler. Woźniak explained that the fabrics recovered from Old Dongola were very worn, and were probably first used as clothing; then for patches, rags, or blankets; and eventually may have been used to plug structural cracks. Most of the scraps that have survived, she added, came from the edges of fabric, since they were thicker and reinforced with an extra strip of fabric decorated in patterns of yellow, blue, and red that made the edges more durable. To read about medieval wall paintings found in a room beneath a sixteenth-century house at Old Dongola, go to "A Painted Prayer," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2023.
Ancient Fortified Oasis Discovered in Saudi Arabia
KHAYBAR OASIS, SAUDI ARABIA—A fortification that surrounded the Khaybar Oasis some 4,000 years ago has been found in the North Arabian Desert by researchers from the French National Center for Scientific Research and Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Al-‘Ula, according to a Cosmos Magazine report. The nine miles of walls, which were between five and eight feet thick, enclosed more than 2,700 acres. Remains of more than 70 bastions set into the walls for the defense of the oasis settlement have been identified. This fortress was one of a network of walled oases in the region. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. To read about 7,000-year-old rectangular complexes found in the northwest deserts of Saudi Arabia, go to "Around the World: Saudi Arabia."
Lost Records of Nubia’s Ancient Cemeteries Found
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND—According to a Newsweek report, a set of excavation records thought to have been lost during World War II has been found in an archive at the University of Cambridge by biomedical Egyptologist Jenny Metcalfe of the University of Manchester. The excavations, conducted in lower Nubia between 1907 and 1911, unearthed more than 7,000 sets of human remains from more than 150 Nubian cemeteries. The 495 recovered record cards are mostly from the second excavation season, although there are a few from the first season. These cards include information on each individual’s historical age, age at the time of death, sex, long bone and skull measurements, teeth present, evidence of illness or trauma, and evidence of healing from serious illness and injury. “The oldest cemeteries excavated in this survey belong to the ‘A-group’ Nubian population, which began around 3800 B.C., although there is evidence of human occupation in the region before this,” Metcalfe said. “The recording cards cover individuals from the A-group period through to the Christian-period cemeteries dating to around A.D. 500 to 1100,” she added. The information will make a significant contribution to understanding the lives of ancient Nubians, she concluded. To read about excavations of an ancient Nubian capital city on the Nile, go to "A Nubian Kingdom Rises."
Hidden Tudor Paintings Revealed at Cambridge College
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that wall paintings dated to the early sixteenth century were discovered during restoration work in a roof space at Christ’s College, Cambridge. The images cover a 20-foot-wide space, and are thought to have decorated the school’s original library. The paintings include a red Lancastrian rose, a portcullis, and a possible fleur-de-lis. In 1505, Lady Margaret Beaufort, a member of the House of Lancaster, became the college’s patron. Her son, Henry VII, became the first Tudor king of England in 1485 after his victory over Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field and the end of the Wars of the Roses. The portcullis is the badge of the Beaufort family. “A powerful and pious woman, with a keen interest in scholarship, Lady Margaret left her indelible mark on the college,” commented art historian Christina Faraday of Cambridge University. “The motifs continue to be tied up with the college’s identity to this day,” she added. The paintings will receive some basic restoration work before they are recovered. For more on the Battle of Bosworth Field and Henry's accession to the throne, go to "The Rehabilitation of Richard III."
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