Study Compares Neanderthal and Modern Human Living Spaces

LIGURIA, ITALY—According to a statement released by the University of Montreal, a new study of the Riparo Bombrini rock shelter in northwestern Italy suggests that both Neanderthals and modern humans used the space in a structured way. Amélie Vallerand and Julien Riel-Salvatore of the University of Montreal and Fabio Negrino of the University of Genoa mapped the distribution of stone tools, animal bones, ocher, and marine shells on the surface of three layers at the site that were inhabited by Neanderthals or modern humans. The researchers were then able to identify and tally clusters of artifacts and materials, and determined that both Neanderthals and modern humans designated areas of the shelter for high and low activity. The locations of hearths and refuse pits were found to have been reused over thousands of years. “Like Homo sapiens, Neanderthals organized their living space in a structured way, according to the different tasks that took place there and to their needs,” Vallerand explained. Overall, however, Neanderthal occupation of the site showed fewer clusters of artifacts and lower artifact densities. Neanderthals also appear to have stayed at Riparo Bombrini sporadically, while modern humans used the site as a short-term or long-term base camp. No evidence for contact between the two groups was found. To read about a cave in France where Neanderthals lived 176,000 years ago, go to "Gimme Middle Paleolithic Shelter."

Sacred Road Uncovered in Vietnam’s My Son Sanctuary

QUANG NAM, VIETNAM—Vietnam+ reports that a road dated to the twelfth century has been found in central Vietnam’s My Son Sanctuary, a cluster of Hindu temples constructed between the fourth and fourteenth centuries by the Champa kingdoms. This section of road, made of packed earth, is about 30 feet wide and 500 feet long. Brick-lined walls supported the packed earth on both sides. The road connected temple tower K to the center of the sanctuary. Researchers suggest that kings and monks would have traveled the road to reach the sacred space of the tower. To read about a 2,000-year-old antler found in the Mekong Delta that may be part of an instrument, go to "Around the World: Vietnam."

Recycled Byzantine Silver Drove 7th-Century Trade

CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND—According to a report in Cosmos Magazine, lead isotope analysis of coins minted in what are now England, the Netherlands, and parts of France between A.D. 660 and 750 indicates that they were made from recycled Byzantine silver. The identification suggests that trade between northwestern Europe and the Byzantine Empire began earlier than previously thought. “Elites in England and Francia were almost certainly sitting on this silver already,” said Rory Naismith of Cambridge University. The objects were likely melted down when a king or lord needed cash, added Jane Kershaw of Oxford University. The resulting currency fueled trade around the North Sea in the seventh century, the researchers explained. However, coins minted in England in the mid-eighth century under Offa, the King of Mercia, were probably made of silver from the Melle mine in what is now France. As ruler of the Carolingian Empire, Charlemagne exported Melle silver throughout northwestern Europe. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Antiquity. To read about a hoard of Byzantine gold coins uncovered in Israel, go to "Artifact."

Sculpture of Apollo Found in Philippi

THESSALONIKI, GREECE—According to an ArtNet News report, a marble head depicting Apollo, the ancient Greek god of archery, music, dance, healing, and poetry, has been uncovered in northern Greece at the site of Philippi by a team of researchers led by Natalia Poulos of the University of Thessaloniki. The 2,000-year-old sculpture shows a young man with curly hair and a laurel crown. It is thought to have been reused during the medieval period as an adornment on a town square fountain situated near an intersection of the city’s main roads. Last year, the researchers unearthed an ancient statue of Hercules that had also likely been reused as part of the medieval fountain. To read about the Hercules sculpture, go to "A Young Hercules."    

Earthwork Henge Discovered in Eastern England

LINCOLNSHIRE, ENGLAND—Newsweek reports that an earthwork henge measuring nearly 250 feet across has been discovered in eastern England, on what was once a peninsula surrounded on three sides by water and marshes. Smaller henges have been found in the region, indicating that this one may have been a hub for ceremonial activity, according to Duncan Wright of Newcastle University and Hugh Willmott of the University of Sheffield. Based upon information in a medieval text, the researchers had been looking for a hermitage built by an Anglo-Saxon monk on a plundered burial mound when they found the earthwork. “In prehistoric times the henge would have formed a large circular enclosed space, with a huge bank and ditch running around the outside. It may have had one or more burial mounds built inside it during the Bronze Age,” Wright said. The excavation also uncovered pottery, two bone combs, fragments of a glass drinking vessel dated to the eighth century, and traces of an abbey hall and chapel later built on the site in the twelfth century. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Journal of Field Archaeology. To read about another henge monumen in England, go to "Stonehenge's New Neighbor."

Study Investigates Early Medieval Animal Burial in Hungary

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—According to a Live Science report, researchers have studied the intact skeletons of a lynx and four dogs that were discovered in a beehive-shaped pit in west-central Hungary, in an area where buildings, pits, wells, and ovens have been found. The small settlement site, known as Zamárdi-Kútvölgyi-dűlő, has been dated to the fifth or sixth century A.D. The male lynx (Lynx lynx) had been placed in an extended position at the bottom of the nearly five-foot-deep pit. The two female and two male dogs were then deposited in the pit one at a time on their right sides, and covered with eight to 16 inches of soil. “It is hard to summarize our interpretation of the lynx/dogs burial as no parallels (archaeological or ethnographic) are known,” said Lászlo Bartosiewicz of Stockholm University. He, Erika Gál of Hungary's Institute of Archaeology, and their colleagues suggest that the dogs may have been killed by the cornered lynx, noting that if the burial had had ritual significance, the placement of the animals in the pit is likely to have been completed with more care. “Unfortunately, the Migration Period population of a former Roman province may have represented almost any ideology given the chaotic history of the period,” Bartosiewicz added. Read the original scholarly article about this research in International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. For more on Hungarian archaeology, go to "Letter From Hungary: The Search for the Sultan's Tomb."

Germany’s Paleolithic Wooden Weapons Analyzed

GÖTTINGEN, GERMANY—According to a statement released by the University of Göttingen, the wooden hunting weapons discovered among animal bones in 300,000-year-old deposits on what had been a lakeshore in northwestern Germany’s Schöningen site have been studied by researchers from the University of Göttingen, the University of Reading, and the Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage (NLD). The wood objects were examined with 3-D microscopy and micro-CT scanners, which revealed that wood was split and sharpened using a wide variety of techniques and sophisticated work processes. The researchers think that the wooden hunting weapons were then carried to the Schöningen site, where evidence suggests that broken tools were repaired and recycled. “Wood was a crucial raw material for human evolution,” commented team leader Thomas Terberger of the University of Göttingen and the NLD, “but it is only in Schöningen that it has survived from the Paleolithic period in such quality," he concluded. For more on these weapons, go to "Weapons of the Ancient World: Hunting Equipment."

2,300-Year-Old Tomb Discovered in Greece

ATHENS, GREECE—Work on a sewerage system has unearthed a tomb in the ancient Macedonian city of Aegae in modern Vergina, Greece, according to an All That’s Interesting report. The tomb is thought to have belonged to a noble couple and date to the third century B.C., according to Angeliki Kottaridi, Honorary Superintendent of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Imathia. The doorway into the tomb, which measures about 12 feet long and nine feet wide, had been blocked by a pile of stones. Paintings on the tomb walls resemble gold ribbons with bows. The man was buried with a shield reinforced with iron parts and well-made weapons. A woman’s remains, thought to belong to his wife, may have been added to the burial at a later date. She was buried with beads, necklaces, and a golden myrtle wreath, Kottaridi explained. To read about the contested location of a Macedonian king's burial, go to "In Search of History's Greatest Rulers: Alexander the Great, King of Macedon."

Roman Wall Unearthed in Western Germany

AACHEN, GERMANY—Live Science reports that traces of a 1,700-year-old Roman fort have been found under a cobblestone street in western Germany’s city of Aachen. “The way the wall was built left no doubt it had to be of Roman origin,” said archaeologist Donata Kyritz. “The concrete-like mortar and the choice of rock was typical for the Roman period. Also, the dimensions and the way the foundation was built differed from the technique used in medieval times,” she explained. The section of surviving wall is about 23 feet long and 35 inches wide. The structure may have surrounded the city in the third century. For more on Roman Germany, go to "The Road Almost Taken."