Archaeology is a constantly evolving field with new discoveries, methods, and studies emerging every year. In 2020, several groundbreaking prehistoric discoveries were made, including a lavish burial of a woman known as the "Ivory Prince" at the Monumental Iberian Megasite of Valencina, suggesting that women held powerful positions in Iberian society.
Studies also challenged the Clovis first hypothesis and provided evidence of early human presence in the Americas, with the discovery of modified giant sloth bones and fossilized footprints dating back 21,500 years in White Sands, New Mexico.
In France, the oldest evidence of European archery was uncovered with the discovery of small flint arrowheads dating back 54,000 years ago. In China, the discovery of the HLD 6 skull proposed the existence of a new human lineage.
Finally, in Zambia, a wooden structure dating back 476,000 years was found, providing the oldest example of structural engineering. These discoveries offer new insights into prehistoric societies and the evolution of humans.
