Genome Study Investigates Origins of India’s Modern Population
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA—According to a Live Science report, Elise Kerdoncuff of the University of California, Berkeley, and her colleagues analyzed more than 2,700 genomes of modern Indians who live in 17 Indian states and represent speakers of the country’s major languages and tribal and caste groups. The study suggests that the population has three main ancestral groups, including Neolithic farmers from the area of Sarazm in what is now northwestern Tajikistan; pastoralists from the Eurasian steppe; and hunter-gatherers from South Asia. The study also determined that an influx of people to India from Africa some 50,000 years ago brought genetic variation to these three ancestral groups. A separate analysis of the genomes determined that like most non-Africans, Indians inherited between one and two percent of their DNA from Neanderthals and Denisovans. The researchers noted that almost 90 percent of all known Neanderthal genes found in modern humans today were detected in the genomes studied. It is not known if Neanderthals and Denisovans lived in the area, or if their genes were carried to India by modern humans after encounters with Neanderthals and Denisovans in Eurasia. To read more about the study of Denisovan DNA, go to "Denisovans at Altitude," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2019.
Possible Parthian Religious Site Found in Iraqi Kurdistan
HEIDELBERG, GERMANY—According to a statement released by Heidelberg University, a possible sanctuary dedicated to the ancient Persian water goddess Anahita has been found at Rabana-Merquly, the site of a Parthian Empire military fortress in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. Michael Brown of Heidelberg University and his colleagues uncovered traces of the possible temple, including a fire altar, near a seasonal waterfall. Brown explained that Anahita was described in the Avesta, a Zoroastrian manuscript, as a beautiful woman who can assume the form of a flowing stream or waterfall. “The proximity to the waterfall is significant because the association of fire and water elements played an important role in pre-Islamic Persian religion,” Brown added. The researchers also uncovered two burial vessels radiocarbon dated to the first century B.C. at the site. Brown noted that visitors entering the sanctuary would have passed under a relief depicting a man who may have been the local Parthian vassal king. “Even if the cult site cannot be definitively attributed to the water goddess Anahita due to the lack of similar archaeological finds for direct comparison, the Rabana sanctuary still provides us with a fascinating glimpse into the regional sacral and geopolitical interconnections during the Parthian era,” he concluded. For more on Rabana-Merquly, go to "Royal Mountain Fortress."
Hittite Cuneiform Tablet Translated
TOKYO, JAPAN—According to a Live Science report, a well-preserved cuneiform tablet unearthed last year by Kimiyoshi Matsumura of the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology at the site of Büklükale in central Turkey has been translated by Mark Weeden of University College London. The inscription, dated to the reign of the Hittite king Tudhaliya II some 3,300 years ago, includes texts written in both the Hittite and Hurrian languages. Previous research has indicated that the site was a major Hittite city, but the text, which appears to be a record of a ritual performed by a Hittite king, indicates that it may also have served as a royal residence. The Hittite inscription describes the outbreak of a war, while the inscription written in Hurrian, a language used by the Hittites for religious ceremonies, is a prayer to the storm god Teshub asking for divine advice and victory. “It indicates that, at the least, the Hittite king came to Büklükale … and performed the ritual,” Matsumura said. To read about 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets excavated at the Anatolian city of Kanesh, go to "Assyrian Women of Letters."
Giant Tomb Uncovered at Etruscan Necropolis in Italy
BARBARANO ROMANO, ITALY—According to an ArtNet News report, a large rock-cut tomb was uncovered in the San Giuliano Rock Necropolis during an effort to clear plant overgrowth. Burials in the Etruscan necropolis, which is located in central Italy, date from the seventh century to the third century B.C. This giant structure was dug into a rock wall so that only one side is open. It is located next to the so-called Queen’s Tomb, the largest in the necropolis. The Queen’s Tomb dates to the fifth century B.C. and features side stairs leading to an upper terrace. Two doors lead into twin funeral chambers with benches within the Queen’s Tomb. To read about the burials of an Etruscan noble family unearthed at the necropolis of Vulci, go to "The Tomb of the Silver Hands."
Rural Medieval Moat and Bridge Found in England
GLOUCESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that an excavation in western England at the site of Cowfield Farm has uncovered a medieval moat and bridge. Traces of wood from the bridge have been dated to the mid-fifteenth century through dendrochronology. The structure is thought to have been built by prosperous free farmers who were tenants of Tewkesbury Abbey, which is located about two miles from the site. “A moat was partly for security, as there was no police force; so there was a practical aspect,” said Jon Hart of Cotswold Archaeology. “This one was definitely filled with water, with the Christian symbolism of purity and the lady of the house, whose fidelity had to be protected, surrounded by a symbolic virtuous belt of water,” he added. The researchers also uncovered a pilgrim badge showing the archangel Michael defeating a dragon; a copper-alloy clasp from a leather-bound book that likely belonged to a monk; a bucket-shaped pottery vessel; and a leather shoe. To read about archaeological investigations of medieval castle fortifications in Scotland, go to "Storming the Castle."
Possible Neolithic Body Piercings Unearthed in Anatolia
ANKARA, TURKEY—According to a Newsweek report, more than 100 objects recovered from graves of adults in southeastern Anatolia at the site of Boncuklu Tarla are thought to have been worn as body piercings. The 11,000-year-old ornaments, made in various sizes and shapes of limestone, obsidian, and river pebbles, were found near the ears and chins of human remains, said archaeologist Emma Baysal of Ankara University, and could have been worn as earrings and labrets, or lower lip piercings. Wear on the lower incisors is consistent with wear produced by labret-wearing in modern people, she explained. “We think these are the earliest examples yet recorded in their original context on the skeletons of the people who used them,” Baysal said. “We have earlier indirect evidence of labret use from other sites—but this is through wear on teeth and not directly from ornaments on skeletons.” The new evidence could lead to the reidentification of hundreds of artifacts recovered from Neolithic sites across western Asia and eastern Europe, Baysal concluded. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Antiquity. To read about piercing among the Maya in Central America, go to "From Head to Toe in the Ancient Maya World: Earrings."
“Birthplace of Texas” Excavated
WASHINGTON COUNTY, TEXAS—Newsweek reports that an excavation conducted on the banks of the Brazos River in southeastern Texas has uncovered more than 10,000 artifacts from Washington-on-the-Brazos, the town where the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico was signed on March 2, 1836. The document was signed by 59 delegates, including Sam Houston, who became president of the Republic of Texas. Houston moved the capital of the republic to Washington-on-the-Brazos in 1842. The excavation has unearthed traces of the log cabin that served as Houston’s presidential office; a tavern’s brick fireplace and several coins; and several pieces of glass, ceramic, and nails. Texas joined the United States in 1845. The state plans to reconstruct republic-era buildings that will showcase archaeological features of the town. To read about excavations of a nineteenth-century ranch in the southern High Plains, go to "Letter from Texas: On the Range."
500-Year-Old Christian Artifacts Recovered in Sweden
KALMAR, SWEDEN—According to a Miami Herald report, a gold ring dated to the fifteenth century was discovered in a trash heap during a large-scale excavation in Kalmar, a city located on the coast of southeastern Sweden that dates back to the thirteenth century. The ring bears what is thought to be a Christian image of the face of Jesus Christ. The excellent condition of the small ring, thought to have been worn by a woman, suggests it had been nearly new when it was lost. Researchers also uncovered an alsengem, or pilgrim’s amulet, from the trash. Only the lower half of the glass object, which shows parts of three figures, was found. To read about an island where astronomer Tycho Brahe conducted his research, go to "Off the Grid: Ven, Sweden."
Survey Records Archaeological Sites in Southern Cyprus
LEICESTER, ENGLAND—According to a statement released by the University of Leicester, a survey conducted by Matt Beamish of the University of Leicester and his colleagues has rediscovered and recorded archaeological sites on the southern coast of Cyprus thought to have been lost to the development of a British military base at Dhekelia. Some 60 archaeological sites had been recorded in the region in the 1960s, prior to the development of an airstrip and garrison. Beamish and his team used this information to visit each site, which they then recorded with photography, GPS, and standardized forms. In all, the team members were able to relocate 51 of the sites, including five historic buildings, poorly preserved rock-cut tombs, and three ancient quarries where stone could be loaded onto boats. The sites range in age from the Bronze Age, beginning around 2500 B.C., through the Byzantine period, which ended in the twelfth century A.D. Beamish said that many of these sites were probably missed during a survey some 20 years ago because of inadequate record keeping and a lack of satellite location technologies. “We found that many of the sites could be re-found with a little bit of patience,” he concluded. To read about an ancient city on Cyprus that was a hub of the copper trade some 3,500 years ago, go to "In the Time of the Copper Kings."
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