New Technique Applied to Ancient Genome Database

LONDON, ENGLAND—According to a Live Science report, Kyriaki Anastasiadou of the Francis Crick Institute and her colleagues developed a computational method that allowed them to identify six individuals with sex chromosomal conditions in the Thousand Ancient British Genomes database. The first person, who was between the ages of 18 and 22 at the time of death some 2,500 years ago, had mosaic Turner syndrome, in which some of the body’s cells had just one X chromosome, while others had two. Turner syndrome can lead to shorter-than-average height, cardiac problems, and small or missing ovaries. Three of the individuals likely had Klinefelter syndrome, in which a person carries XXY sex chromosomes. One of them lived in the Iron Age, between 750 B.C. and A.D. 43; one lived in the medieval period, between A.D. 1050 and 1290; and the third lived in the nineteenth century. Klinefelter syndrome can cause stunted growth of the testicles, lower testosterone levels, lower muscle mass, less body hair, and larger breast tissue than individuals with typical XY chromosomes. Another person with XYY chromosomes may have been taller than average. Finally, an infant who lived during the Iron Age was found to have Down syndrome, a condition caused by extra genetic material from chromosome 21. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Communications Biology. For more on ancient DNA, go to "Worlds Within Us."

Roman Civil War Sling Bullet Found in Spain

ANDALUSIA, SPAIN—ZME Science reports that a moulded lead sling bullet bearing the letters CAES, the abbreviated name of Julius Caesar, has been uncovered in southern Spain. The opposite side of the projectile bears the letters IPSCA, thought to represent an unknown Roman town in the region. The ammunition has been dated to around 45 B.C., and Caesar’s final victory over Pompey at the Battle of Munda. The inscription suggests that the town may have supplied Caesar with ammunition, and possibly troops to sling the bullets. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Zephyrus. To read about slingshot bullets unearthed at Pompeii, go to "Weapons of the Ancient World: Siege Weapons."

World War II–Era Ammunition Uncovered in Romania

RÂMNICU SĂRAT, ROMANIA—Romania-Insider reports that some 3,500 World War II–era projectiles were found during excavation work in southeastern Romania and removed by the bomb disposal team from the Buzău County Emergency Inspectorate. Once the underground ammunition depot was emptied, the ammunition was taken to a storage facility where it will be stored until it can be safely destroyed. To read about using satellite surveillance photographs to spot archaeological sites in eastern Romania, go to "Spying the Past from the Sky."

Fortification Wall Found at Bronze Age Village Site in Italy

USTICA, ITALY—Researchers from Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) have found a fortification system beneath Villaggio dei Faraglioni, a village site on an island north of Sicily inhabited between 1400 and 1200 B.C., according to a Live Science report. Employing ground-penetrating radar and electrical tomography, the scientists found remnants of a buried wall measuring about 820 feet long and 13 to 16 feet tall. “Thanks to [the instruments], it was possible to locate accurately and in a totally non-invasive way the deep foundations of the [structure] as long as the wall, which performed the functions of the first defensive barrier,” said applied geophysicist Vincenzo Sapia of the INGV. The village’s Bronze Age defenses were clearly more complex than previously thought, explained Franco Foresta Martin of the Earth Science Museum Laboratory of Ustica. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Journal of Applied Geophysics. To read about other archaeological research in Sicily, go to "Sicily's Lost Theater."

Site Offers Clues to Brazil’s Long Prehistory

SAO LUIS, BRAZIL—According to a CBS News report, multiple layers of human occupation, including human bones, pottery fragments, stone tools, and decorated shells, were uncovered during an investigation conducted ahead of a construction project in northeastern Brazil. The most recent artifacts have been attributed to the Tupinamba people who lived in the region when Europeans arrived in 1612. Underneath this layer, the researchers uncovered a sambaqui, a mound of pottery, shells, and bones. The earliest layer has been dated to between 8,000 and 9,000 years ago, or some 1,400 years older than the earliest known pre-sambaqui site in the region. “This could completely change the history of not just the region but of all Brazil,” said archaeologist Wellington Lage. Researchers from Brazil’s Institute of National Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) said that in all, more than 100,000 artifacts and 43 sets of human remains have been unearthed. Dating and analysis of the artifacts continues. For more on the archaeology of northern Brazil, go to "Dark Earth in the Amazon."

Medieval Gauntlet Excavated in Switzerland

KYBURG, SWITZERLAND—Swissinfo.ch reports that the well-preserved pieces of a fourteenth-century gauntlet have been unearthed in northern Switzerland, at a site thought to have been a blacksmith’s shop. A mould, hammers, keys, and projectile points were also recovered. The 25 metal gauntlet parts would have once been attached to each other and riveted to a leather glove to form a flexible form of protection. Only four other gauntlets from the period have been found in Switzerland, but researchers do not know if armored gloves were rare objects, or if the metal was routinely melted down and reused. To read about a mid-second millennium B.C. bronze hand uncovered in Prêles, Switzerland, go to "An Eccentric Artifact," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2018.

Silver Coins Uncovered in Greece

ATHENS, GREECE—The Miami Herald reports that 29 silver coins were unearthed in southeastern Greece, in the village of Chiliomodi. The coins, dated to between the sixth and fourth centuries B.C., were found near a clay altar, a vase, and a horse figurine. They bear images of human faces, animals, and mythological figures, including the demigod Hercules, who is shown strangling snakes with his hands. The image refers to a story in which the goddess Hera sent two snakes to kill the infant Hercules, who killed them in a display of his great strength. Three of the coins have been identified as staters minted in Olympia during the times of ancient Olympic games. To read more about ancient Olympia, go to "A New View of the Birthplace of the Olympics."

Network of Ancient Amazonian Cities Identified in Ecuador

QUITO, ECUADOR—According to a Science Magazine report, a lidar survey of the jungles of Ecuador’s Upano Valley has mapped a network of interconnected cities dated to at least 2,500 years ago. Stéphen Rostain of the French National Center for Scientific Research and his colleagues had been excavating mounds from the ancient settlements of Sangay and Kilamope for decades, but they wanted a complete overview of the region. Using the lidar data, they identified five additional large settlements, and 10 smaller ones in the Upano Valley. All of these densely packed sites had residential and ceremonial structures. The survey also spotted agricultural fields and hillside terraces where corn, manioc, and sweet potato were grown; wide, straight roads that connected the cities; and smaller streets that connected neighborhoods within each city. The presence of the roads suggests that these cities all existed at the same time, some 1,000 years earlier than other known complex Amazonian societies, Rostain added. “We’re talking about urbanism,” explained team member Fernando Mejía of Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador. For more on ancient Ecuador, go to "Ancient Amazonian Chocolatiers."

Anglo-Saxon Cemetery Unearthed in Eastern England

LINCOLNSHIRE, ENGLAND—According to an ABC News report, an Anglo-Saxon cemetery containing the remains of more than 20 people was discovered in northeastern England by researchers from Wessex Archaeology, who investigated the region ahead of a large-scale construction project. The cemetery, which had been placed within an earlier Bronze Age ring ditch, was in use in the sixth and seventh centuries A.D. One of the burials contained the remains of a teenaged girl and a child, who were placed in the grave on their sides. The child was tucked in behind the older girl. Two small gold pendants set with garnets, a silver pendant with an amber mount, two small blue glass beads, and an annular brooch were found near the teen’s head and chest. DNA analysis of those who were buried in the cemetery may reveal if any of them were related to one other. Isotopic analysis of the bones may also offer more information about their origins and health status. “This will give us a far better understanding of the population, from their mobility to their genetic background and even their diet,” explained osteoarchaeologist Jacqueline McKinley. For more on the Anglo-Saxons, go to "The Ongoing Saga of Sutton Hoo."

2,700-Year-Old Temple Discovered on Greek Island of Evia

EVIA, GREECE—A 2,700-year-old temple with a horseshoe-shaped altar has been discovered on the Greek island of Evia, which is also known as Euboea, according to a Live Science report. This temple measures 100 feet long and sits next to another temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis. Several hearths were found in the newly discovered temple’s nave, one of which had an ash-caked altar holding pieces of charred bone; pottery; vases; items made of alabaster; jewelry made of gold, silver, coral, and amber; amulets; and bronze and iron fittings. Some of the pottery is thought to be older than the temple. Brick partitions were added to the structure for support in the sixth century B.C., perhaps because the temple had been damaged in a fire. Several stone walls from an earlier building, and bronze figurines shaped like bulls and a ram, were found beneath the temple. To read about the discovery of a temple on the Peloponnese that researchers think was dedicated to Poseidon, go to "The Sea God's Sanctuary."