When bioarchaeologists excavate human remains, they are sometimes faced with burials that can be somewhat complicated. A ‘perfect’ burial for bioarchaeological analyses would contain a complete set of bones that are well preserved. Some archaeological sites, however, are of such great significance that we even work with poorly preserved and incomplete burials, using unconventional methods …
Continue reading “New study sheds light on the ancient pastoralists of Iran”
In the spring of last year, the media around the world circulated sensational information about the discovery of a fetus in a female mummy held at the National Museum in Warsaw. The authors of this discovery, from the Warsaw Mummy Project team, found that the woman died in the 26th–30th gestational week, i.e. at the …
Continue reading “The mummy with a pickled fetus: another example of wishful thinking”
The length of the period of breastfeeding depends on many factors, both individual and cultural or environmental ones. In human societies that have no access to easily digested food alternatives (this refers to foragers in particular) this period is usually longer, while in farming communities, where infants are fed with porridge or yoghurt, it can …
Continue reading “How long did women in the ancient Near East breastfeed?”
Sumerians are known as the founders of the urban civilization that dominated in southern Mesopotamia in the 4th and 3rd millennia BC. They developed a network of irrigation channels that made it possible to cultivate cereals in desert areas of the Lower Euphrates, introduced an ideographic script, initially pictographic and then simplified to the form …
Continue reading “1739 BC – year when the Sumerian civilization collapsed”
The latest issue of Antiquity published a paper presenting results of biochemical analyses of human bones from a few sites situated in north-eastern Syria, and showing on this basis that in the 22nd century BC, when the Akkadian Empire was declining, there was no change in the local economy which could be a response to …
Continue reading “Rapid change of climate did not cause the fall of the Akkadian Empire”
If you are interested in submitting text to us, please email the editorial team and refer to our post preparation policy. If you are interested in reprinting our news, please read the content use policy. EDITORIAL Julia M. Chyla Editor-in-Chief Author of posts for the Archaeowieści blog between 2010 and 2012. Archaeologist, GIS specialist. Employed …
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Kings of Mari controlled an important trade route in the valley of the Euphrates River in the 3rd and early 2nd millennium BCE. Although their country was situated in an area with unfavourable conditions for agriculture, the economy of the kingdom of Mari could support a big population. The key to understanding this paradox is …
Continue reading “Animal dung as a strategic resource in the kingdom of Mari”
The cruel commander Malek Ashraf attacked the town of Bavanat in 1342, during the civil war in Iran. The inhabitants of the town had hidden in a cave located nearby. Since their shelter was difficult to access the soldiers made a great fire at the entrance to the cave. The refugees could try to jump …
Continue reading “Suffocated with smoke. Massacre in Kan-Gohar Cave, Iran”
Nearly 15 years ago, in June 2006, I decided to experiment, set up a blog and published my first post on the just-announced probable location of an ancient Indian port reached by Roman traders. I assumed that I would publish some archaeological news every day and if, after a month, there were dozens of visits …
Continue reading “New opening”
