Archaeology

Archaeology

The oldest known grass beds from 200,000 years ago included insect repellents

Found in South Africa, 200,000-year-old bedding remnants included fossilized grass, bug-repelling ash and once aromatic camphor leaves.

Archaeology

A submerged Inca offering hints at Lake Titicaca’s sacred role

Divers found a stone box holding a figurine and a gold item, highlighting Lake Titicaca’s sacred status to the Inca.

Archaeology

Ancient DNA suggests Vikings may have been plagued by smallpox

Viral genetic material from human remains provides direct evidence that smallpox infected people dating back to the year 603.

Archaeology

Stone artifacts hint that humans reached the Americas surprisingly early

Finds uncovered in a Mexican cave suggest North America may have had human inhabitants more than 30,000 years ago — way before archaeologists thought.

Archaeology

This 1.4-million-year-old hand ax adds to Homo erectus’ known toolkit

A newly described East African find, among the oldest bone tools found, shows the ancient hominids crafted a range of simple and more complex tools.

Humans

Underwater caves once hosted the Americas’ oldest known ochre mines

Now-submerged chambers in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula contain ancient evidence of extensive red ochre removal as early as 12,000 years ago.

Genetics

DNA from a 5,200-year-old Irish tomb hints at ancient royal incest

Ruling families in Ireland may have organized a big tomb project, and inbred, more than 5,000 years ago, a new study suggests.

Archaeology

Clues to the earliest known bow-and-arrow hunting outside Africa have been found

Possible arrowheads at a rainforest site in Sri Lanka date to 48,000 years ago.

Humans

Lidar reveals the oldest and biggest Maya structure yet found

A previously unknown Maya site in Mexico, called Aguada Fénix, adds to evidence that massive public works may have preceded kings in the civilization.

Humans

The Dead Sea Scrolls contain genetic clues to their origins

Animal DNA is providing researchers with hints on how to assemble what amounts to a giant jigsaw puzzle of ancient manuscript fragments.

Archaeology

A biblical-era Israeli shrine shows signs of the earliest ritual use of marijuana

Chemical analyses reveal a residue of cannabis and animal dung on an altar from a biblical-era fortress in use more than 2,700 years ago.

Archaeology

50 years ago, explorer Thor Heyerdahl’s Atlantic crossing hit a snag

Explorer Thor Heyerdahl followed an aborted Atlantic voyage with a second trip that indicated ancient Egyptians could have traveled over long distances by sea.