This year has seen a number of exciting discoveries that shed light on ancient human history. A new archive cataloging over 4,400 preserved ancient brains reveals the surprising sturdiness of these organs due to their chemical makeup. In Argentina, the oldest rock art in the Americas has been discovered, dating back 8,200 years and providing insight into the cultural knowledge of hunter-gatherers. DNA evidence from over 1,600 ancient individuals reveals how Yamnaya herders from southwest Asia transformed Europe’s genetic history, leading to taller statures and lighter skin in northern Europeans.
In Egypt, skeletons of ancient scribes buried at the Abusir pyramid complex show signs of arthritis and damage from hunching over scrolls, revealing the occupational hazards faced by these individuals. The Altar Stone at Stonehenge is now believed to have originated from Scotland, rather than Wales as previously believed, based on its mineral makeup. Analysis of the destruction caused by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii in A.D. 79 shows that deadly earthquakes were triggered along with hot gases, ash, and rocks.
DNA evidence reveals that all of the young boys sacrificed in a Maya burial chamber on the Yucatán Peninsula between A.D. 500 and 900 were related, upending previous theories about the gender of sacrifice victims. Laser scans have unveiled the largest known urban complex in the Amazon in Ecuador, dating back to 500 B.C. and showing the sophistication of ancient Amazonian civilizations. A researcher identified part of a lost civilization’s alphabet in a photo posted to social media, shedding light on the Tartessos culture in Spain.
Analysis of human remains from a cave in Morocco challenges the traditional belief that agriculture was an inevitable result of a plant-based diet, as the Iberomaurusians thrived on wild plants without ever domesticating them. Contrary to popular belief, early Polynesian settlers on Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, may not have undergone a population boom that led to the destruction of their civilization and environment. Ground surveys and satellite data suggest that the population remained steady at less than 4,000 individuals until European arrival 300 years ago, challenging previous theories of an ecological disaster.
