Genetic Analysis Offers Clues to Occupants of Mass Burial

LONDON, ENGLAND—Nature News reports that a new genetic analysis of the remains of six adults and 11 children discovered in an ancient well in the East of England in 2004 suggests that the dead were closely related to today’s Ashkenazi Jewish populations. Evolutionary geneticist Mark Thomas of University College London and his colleagues compared the DNA of six of these individuals with more than a dozen modern western Eurasian groups to make the identification. They also used computer simulations to determine that the number of genetic disease variants carried by the six individuals was consistent with what is observed in today’s Ashkenazi Jewish populations. It had been previously suggested that this rise in rare genetic variants was due to a sharp drop in the Ashkenazi Jewish population between 500 and 800 years ago. This new data will push that timeline back, Thomas explained, since the rise in genetic variants was detected in these bones, which have been radiocarbon dated to between 1161 and 1216. This time span encompasses an anti-Semitic massacre that took place in the Norwich area in 1190, he added. Finally, Thomas noted that in 2013, the remains were reburied by the modern Norwich Jewish community, based upon a previous, less conclusive genetic analysis. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Current Biology. To read about Jewish families who kept kosher in medieval Oxford, England, go to "Laws of the Land."

9,000-Year-Old Settlement Discovered in Turkey

NIGDE, TURKEY—The Anadolu Agency reports that traces of a settlement radiocarbon dated to 9,300 years ago have been uncovered at the site of the Sircalitepe Mound, which is located in central Turkey. Archaeologist Semra Balci of Istanbul University and her colleagues have recovered bone and obsidian tools, beads, and other ornaments from the mound. The team members also identified an area where obsidian, probably sourced in the nearby volcanic Cappadocia region, was shaped into tools. “No other site has so far been excavated with an obsidian working area and settlement together,” she claimed. To read about the 11,000-year-old stone circles of Göbekli Tepe, go to "Last Stand of the Hunter-Gatherers?"

Rare Genetic Condition Identified in 1,000-Year-Old Remains

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA—According to a statement released by Australian National University, an international team of researchers led by João Teixeira of Australian National University has determined that a skeleton unearthed in northeastern Portugal belonged to a man who had Klinefelter syndrome. While analyzing a genetic sample obtained from the man’s remains, the researchers found an extra X chromosome, which characterizes the condition. Klinefelter syndrome is not inherited, but is the result of a random genetic error after conception. People born with Klinefelter syndrome may experience low levels of testosterone, and the condition can also affect physical and intellectual development. The discovery of an ancient case of Klinefelter syndrome could help researchers establish a history of the condition and understand how frequently it may have occurred through time, Teixeira explained. Read the original scholarly article about this research in The Lancet. To read about 350-year-old human remains that were buried in an 8,000-year-old shell midden in the Tagus Valley, go to "Around the World: Portugal."

Early Medieval Folding Chair Uncovered in Germany

MUNICH, GERMANY—DW reports that a 1,400-year-old iron folding chair has been discovered in a woman’s grave in southeastern Germany. The chair, which measures about 28 inches by 18 inches, had been placed at the woman’s feet. It is the second such chair to be unearthed in Germany. Many of the 29 similar chairs that have been unearthed in Europe were found in women’s graves, added Mathias Pfeil, director of the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments. This woman was also buried with a necklace of colored glass beads, and a belt with a pendant made of brooches and a large pearl. A bronze buckle and weapons were also recovered from a man’s grave at the site. To read about a gold ribbon buried with a woman near Tübingen 2,800 years ago, go to "Around the World: Germany."

Dendrochronology Applied to Shipwreck Off Argentina’s Coast

NEW YORK, NEW YORK—According to a statement released by Columbia University, a shipwreck found off the coast of southern Argentina could be the Dolphin, a whaling ship from Rhode Island that was lost in 1859. Historic records indicate that the fast, square-rigged ship measured 111 feet long, weighed 325 tons, and was completed in October of 1850. The ship’s last voyage began in 1858, when the Dolphin left Warren, Rhode Island, and ended, according to a letter written by her captain, when she was destroyed on the rocks in “New Bay,” which may refer to Golfo Nuevo, a natural harbor in Patagonia. Ignacio Mundo of Argentina’s Laboratory of Dendrochronology and Environmental History and Mukund Rao of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University compared tree rings from the wreckage with a database of North American trees, and identified its timbers as oak felled in New England in 1849 and pine grown in the southeastern United States. Artifacts recovered near the wreck, including brass nails, a leather shoe, iron cauldrons, and bricks, also support the identification of a whaler, the researchers explained. To read about the discovery of two famous shipwrecks, go to "The Wrecks of Erebus and Terror," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of the Decade.

Greece’s Griffin Warrior Was Likely a Local Aristocrat

CINCINNATI, OHIO—According to a statement released by the University of Cincinnati, a team of scientists has analyzed the DNA of more than 700 people, including that of the so-called Griffin Warrior, whose 3,500-year-old remains were recovered from a Mycenaean tomb that also contained weapons, armor, and an ivory plaque bearing the image of a half-eagle, half-lion griffin. Archaeologist Sharon Stocker, who discovered the tomb with colleague Jack Davis in 2015, explained that the wealthy young man was one of the first kings of Mycenaean Pylos. The new genetic study indicates that southern Greece’s Bronze Age population arose from a mix of local people and people who migrated to the region from Eastern Europe some 5,000 years ago. The Griffin Warrior was also determined to have been a member of this local population. Some scholars had suggested that he might have been a member of an invading force. “We’ve always been skeptical about that theory but weren’t able to prove it except through DNA analysis,” Davis concluded. For more on the Griffin Warrior's tomb, go to "World of the Griffin Warrior."

Large Bronze Sculpture Removed from Pit at Sanxingdui Ruins

SICHUAN, CHINA—CGTN reports that a 3,000-year-old bronze sculpture weighing more than 300 pounds has been removed from sacrificial pit Number 8 at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwestern China. In all, more than 14,000 artifacts have been recovered from the pits at the site. This sculpture is said to depict a mythical beast with a horn on its head standing about three feet tall and three feet long. A thin man wearing a long robe is shown standing on the horn. An image of a tree was found engraved on the beast’s chest. “The tree is engraved directly on it and can be seen as Sanxingdui people’s worship of the sacred tree, or has taken the sacred tree as a kind of divine presence,” said archaeologist and team member Zhao Hao. He added that most of the bronzes removed from this pit are less than one foot long. To read more about the Sanxingdui pits, go to "Seismic Shift."

Anglo-Saxon Trade Hub Found at Monastery Site in England

BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that the remains of an early medieval hub of trade and production have been found at a well-preserved monastery site near southern England’s village of Cookham by a team of researchers led by Gabor Thomas of the University of Reading. The monastery thrived under the control of the Anglo-Saxon queen Cynethryth, wife of King Offa, who ruled Mercia until his death in A.D. 796. The infrastructure at the site includes traces of a waterside loading area on the banks of the Thames River, streets, industrial workshops, and bread ovens. “The discoveries at Cookham will enable us to build a detailed picture of daily life within a monastery of this period, including Cookham’s role as an economic hub for the Middle Thames region,” Thomas said. The monastery was abandoned in the late ninth century A.D. For more on the monastery's discovery, go to "Around the World: England."

Burials in Indonesia Offer Clues to Migration

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA—Cosmos Magazine reports that burials on Indonesia’s Alor Island offer hints to human migrations across Southeast Asia between 7,500 and 13,000 years ago. Sofia Samper Carro of The Australian National University said that three of the burials among the 250 bones unearthed are examples of three different mortuary practices: the extremities of the first person had been removed; the second had been buried in a seated position; and the third had been placed on its side. “Burials are a unique cultural manifestation to investigate waves of migration,” Carro explained, and can complement data on genetic diversity. Additional research in the areas of biomolecular anthropology, diet practices, and the types of tools used in burial rites will help clarify if any of these burial practices developed locally, she added. Read the original scholarly article about this research in PLOS ONE. For more on Alor Island burials, go to "World Roundup: Indonesia."

Viking-Era Arrowhead Discovered in Norway

OSLO, NORWAY—Science Norway reports that a three-bladed arrowhead made of iron was discovered by researchers from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo who were surveying areas of melting ice in the Jotunheimen Mountains. The arrow has been dated to the Viking Age based upon its shape, explained Secrets of the Ice Project codirector Lars Pilø. “This type of arrowhead is known, but it is rare,” he said. The blade is thought to have been designed as a weapon of war, even though it was recovered from a reindeer hunting site. To read about another Viking arrowhead and other objects that have emerged from the ice in the Jotunheimen Mountains, go to "Melting Season."

Phallus Sculpture Unearthed in Spain

CORDOBA, SPAIN—El País reports that a bas-relief sculpture of a phallus has been found on the corner of a monumental building at the Roman site of El Higuerón in southern Spain. “It was common to put them on the facades of houses, and soldiers carried small phallic amulets as symbols of virility,” said Andrés Roldán of the University of Extremadura and the Historical Museum of Nueva Carteya. This carving, larger than most, is about 18 inches long, he added. The Romans are thought to have built the structure, which features perimeter walls six feet thick and underground storerooms, on top of fortifications that may date back to the fifth century B.C. The building was then renovated by invading Moors in the eighth century, and abandoned in the thirteenth century. To read about the discovery of phallic symbols and other ancient graffiti at an English site where stone was quarried for repairs to Hadrian's Wall, go to "Roman Soldier Scribbles."