10 Stone Age Mysteries

More than 98% of our recorded history can be attributed to the Stone Age, which lasted from roughly 2.6 million years ago until 3000 BC. The time period is so distant that it includes the dawn of human man and several ice ages. It's vital to remember that during this time, nine different human species coexisted on Earth at one point (about 300,000 years ago), with just Homo sapiens remaining today.

The period is cloaked in mystery, and fresh archeological findings keep expanding the bounds of what we currently believe and understand about the cultural progress, technological advancements, and other achievements of mankind. But with each new discovery, we seem to unearth a plethora of mysteries that force us to reevaluate both our current worldviews and our capacity as a society.

10 The Red Deer Cave People

The scientific community was electrified in 2012 by the discovery of bones dating back 14,000 years that belonged to several members of an odd pre-modern human species in China's Maludong (Red Deer Cave). When the bones were discovered, archaeologists postulated that they might be those of a previously unknown new species or a very early and primitive-appearing population of modern humans that had come to the region more than 100,000 years earlier. Since it was previously believed that the earliest pre-modern humans on mainland Eurasia—the Denisovans of Siberia and the Neanderthals of Europe and West Asia—died out around 40,000 years ago, shortly after modern humans arrived in the region, their mystery, known as the "Red Deer Cave People," continues to this day.

This finding raises the possibility that current humans and an ancient species formerly coexisted on the continent of East Asia. Given that these ancient humans, or more precisely, their remains, are so close to us but so physically different from our Neanderthal forebears, it begs some crucial concerns. They appeared to be a distinct human species, nevertheless. If so, what happened to them after that? What caused them to go extinct? What did they actually do for a living? How did they interact with our forefathers?

9 The Shigir Idol

The Shigir Idol was discovered in 1894 in Russia's Ural Mountains, where it had been hidden deep below a peat swamp. It is twice as old as Egypt's well-known pyramids, dating to the early Holocene period, sometimes known as the "Age of Man," and is 12,500 years old. The idol's preservation alone is a marvel. It was discovered in pieces and, after being rebuilt, stood around 9 feet (2.75 meters) tall. It was carved from a 156-year-old Larch tree. Drawings by the archaeologist Vladimir Tolmachev reveal that it was once more than twice that tall.

The enormous work of art features seven faces—one of which is three-dimensional and six of which are carved on the idol's torso. Alongside the meticulously carved faces are a series of abstract shapes, such as chevrons, herringbone, and diagonal and horizontal lines. The inscription that was so painstakingly carved into the sculpture's surface remains a mystery to specialists. The geometric patterns created by the sculptor are said to have had a very clear purpose, nevertheless. According to certain interpretations, the lines mark the boundaries between the spiritual and material worlds, and they may resemble a visual map or bear some connection to the gods of the time.

8 Stonehenge

The Stone Age engineering marvel Stonehenge, built before the pyramids, has endured the test of time for millennia. Each of the 80 megaliths weights more than 20 tons, and some of them are over 23 feet (7 meters) tall. Around 3100 BC, work on Stonehenge's construction began. Only a small portion of Stonehenge's original site is visible today. But why did the ancient inhabitants of the United Kingdom choose to create these enormous boulders in the midst of nowhere? Up to 10% of the population of what is now the island of Great Britain visited the location to worship the gods, said London archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson. This idea is supported by the discovery of 80,000 animal bones that may have been utilized as sustenance or perhaps as sacrifices to the gods.

There are a number of theories, but the one that has gained the most traction is the idea that Stonehenge served as an observatory, with the rising sun shining directly through the center of the complex at equinox. Others assert that it served as a burial place and a site for paganic ceremonies. But the only thing we can be certain of is that this was a place of immense importance. The enormous amount of work that went into building the magnificent structure can simply not be explained by any other means.

7 The Carnac Stones

The region surrounding Carnac, which is located on the southern coast of Brittany, France, is home to hundreds of megalithic structures. These megaliths were first built by locals in the Carnac region around 5000 BC. They did so over the following 2000 years, which led archaeologists to surmise that the region must have been home to a massive, prosperous, and well-organized civilisation based on the size and quantity of stones. It was shielded by the Quiberon Peninsula and had multiple fresh-water springs, making it the ideal place to hunt, fish, and harvest shellfish and berries. The emergence of agriculture, which included tending to domestic animals and growing crops, is supposed to have liberated people and given them the leisure to construct these enormous complexes. However, why did they build it?

Megaliths, dolmen (stone tunnels), tumuli (dolmen buried by huge mounds), as well as single-standing stones (menhirs), have all been identified as burials or may be related with graves. However, the lengthy stone lines (alignments), stone circles (cromlechs), and the majority of menhirs have lost their significance through time. Some people think these were ancient farmers' observatories or calendars, used to determine when to plant or harvest crops based on the seasons. Priests may have also utilized them to foretell awful occurrences like solar and lunar eclipses.

6 The Megalithic Menhirs of Mzora

In a remote and unwelcoming region of Morocco, close to the Atlantic coast, far from popular tourist attractions and good highways, is a mysterious and intriguing megalithic building. The largest stone ellipse in the entire globe is the Mzora stone ring, also called Msoura or Mezorah. It is around 6.7 miles (27 kilometers) from the spectacular, overgrown ruins of ancient Lixus and 6.8 miles (11 kilometers) from Asilah. Though Plutarch may have mentioned Mzora in his Life of Sertorius in the first century A.D., it is essentially unknown in historical accounts.

There are 168 still standing stones at the 10,000-year-old site, compared to the 175 that were initially believed to remain. One of these stones is nearly 16.5 feet (5 meters) tall, which is the tallest. The only professional assessment of the location was conducted in the 1970s by the Massachusetts-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. In addition to being unusual in and of itself, Mzora was found to have implications for the history of megalithic sites in Britain as a result of that survey.

Surprisingly, Mzora seems to have been constructed by the same civilisation that created the megalithic monuments in Ireland, France, and Britain because it is aligned with the stones in Stonehenge and Carnac and has a strong European feel to it. The ellipse was made using a Pythagorean right-angled triangle with the ratio 12-35-37. The Sands of Forvie and the Daviot rings, two of the 30 well-preserved British stone ellipses, were both made using the same method.

5 Malta’s Megalithic Mysteries

Around 7,000 years ago, people first came to the Maltese islands, perhaps from Sicily. The travels of prehistoric peoples in and around the Mediterranean, however, are little understood. Then, at about 3,400 BC, megalithic temple construction that predates both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid began. These temples are unlike any other in the world. Thirty sites still exist from the over a thousand years that the temples were constructed, each with distinct stylistic stages.

Malta is also home to the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, one of the best preserved in the world. An underground chamber network made of rock is called a hypogeum. There may have been such buildings beneath some of the temples, but they haven't yet been found. There are three primary strata of underground chambers, pits, and galleries in the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum. There are rough-hewn parts and finely finished exteriors, depending on the quality of the rock-cutting.

The hypogeum also possesses peculiar acoustic characteristics, as sound echoes rebound throughout the entire building for a remarkable length of time. Over the years, a number of acoustic investigations have been focused on the "oracle room," which has an oval wall niche that emits a very loud echoing sound. It's interesting to note that as one walks deeper into the oracle room, the painted "disks" get bigger and reach their largest size at the wall niche, where the ceiling painting abruptly terminates. This is likely evidence that chanting was used during the site's ancient ceremonies, but it is still a mystery from Malta's prehistoric past.

4 The Tower of Jericho

Since its discovery by archaeologists some 60 years ago, one of the first stone structures in human history—a tower discovered within the ancient city of Tel Jericho—has given rise to a number of theories regarding why it was built. The Tower of Jericho was built near to the Wall of Jericho around 8000 BC. While the wall was found in 1907, it took until 1952 to find the tower.

This tower was built by established hunter-gatherers who were about to switch to agriculture about 11,000 years ago. In times of trouble or uncertainty, they couldn't simply pack up and leave like their forebears could. Some archaeologists suggest that the tower's construction may have been motivated by the people' prehistoric worries and cosmic ideas. Others have speculated that the tower and the wall next to it were constructed as fortifications, a topographical landmark, or even a sign of affluence.

Recently, two Tel Aviv University archaeologists proposed a brand-new hypothesis. After analyzing how the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, sunset interacts with the tower and the surroundings, they come to the conclusion that the 28-foot (8.5-meter) tower represents power and might. The Jericho Tower was perfectly shaded by a hill to the west as the solstice sun sunk before swallowing the town, suggesting a connection between the monument and the onset of longer nights.

3 Nabta Playa

In the Nubian Desert, some 62 miles (100 kilometers) west of Abu Simbel in southern Egypt, is a special location known as Nabta Playa. There are hundreds of megalithic and prehistoric tumuli, stelae, and other structures there. These are the ruins of a sophisticated urban settlement that first appeared some 11,000 years ago. In addition to underground tombs, stone circles, enormous stone slabs, and extended rows of stelae measuring 8,200 feet (2,500 meters), the community constructed a series of megalithic monuments. The megalithic structures at Nabta Playa are among the oldest in the world, dating back several millennia before Stonehenge.

One of Nabta Playa's most significant structures is a stone circle, which researchers have determined to be the earliest megalithic astronomical alignment in existence. The prehistoric stone circle, which is at least 7,000 years old, was erected as a calendar to commemorate two important celestial occurrences: the summer solstice, which is connected to the beginning of the summer rains, and the constellations in the night sky, which they used to navigate through the desert.

It is still unknown what happened to the residents of Nabta Playa. Some individuals think that the local environment's changing climate is what drove the inhabitants of Nabta Playa to disperse. They probably moved north into Egypt and south into Nubia, which is modern-day Sudan. In light of the fact that their migration would have taken place in the years before to the ascent of the first pharaohs, some have proposed Nabta Playa as the actual birthplace of Ancient Egyptian civilisation.

2 The Age of the Great Sphinx

Egypt's national symbol and one of the most famous sights in the world is the Great Sphinx of Giza, a huge statue made of stone that has the body of a lion and the head of a man wearing the pharaoh's crown. Egyptologists, archeologists, geologists, and many others continue to discuss the Sphinx's enduring "riddle" despite its fame: How old is it exactly? The monolith, which is said to be 4,500 years old, was built for Khafre, a Fourth Dynasty pharaoh who ruled between 2603 and 2578 BC, according to common mythology.

But not everyone agrees that Khafre was the intended recipient of the Sphinx. Even though the Sphinx is located inside the pyramid complex that is traditionally thought to belong to Khafre, several Egyptologists have recognized as early as the middle of the eighteenth century that there are no modern inscriptions that link him to the statue. Over time, numerous scholars have credited Khafre's father Khufu and another of Khufu's sons, Djedefre, with creating the Sphinx. Recently, a fresh notion that dates the statue's beginnings to roughly 9,000 years ago has surfaced. According to proponents of this idea, the last time the area had enough rainfall to cause this level of damage was 7000 BC. They point to the significant limestone erosion near the top of the Great Sphinx as evidence.

1 Göbekli Tepe

Without at least one mention of Göbekli Tepe, commonly regarded as the world's first temple, no list of the Stone Age would be complete. Southeast Turkey's Göbekli Tepe is situated 88 kilometers (55 miles) east of the upper Euphrates. A long-held belief that organized religion didn't emerge until societies had adopted agriculture was called into question by the 1994 discovery of the 12,000-year-old site. Early investigations led archaeologists to believe that the location was a ceremonial hub, possibly a complex for a burial or death cult, rather than a community.

Recent finds, however, are once again rewriting prehistory. These include evidence of homes, a sizable container and canals for collecting rainfall, and hundreds of milling tools. A computer method was developed by researchers to trace the site's architectural layout, in particular the three incredibly large spherical structures that make up the complex. They discovered that the pillars' precise locations were chosen on purpose. They especially found that the design of the site is defined by symbolic and geographical hierarchical levels that correspond to shifts in the social structures of the time as well as the spiritual realm.

This finding is significant since it was previously believed that architectural design concepts like floor layouts and geometry were relatively recent inventions. For context, it should be noted that Göbleki Tepe was built 6,000 years before Stonehenge, and it is still unknown what its sculptures, architecture, and final function actually represent. Naturally, this heightens the mystery and appeal of the Göbekli Tepe. Every new discovery modifies how we view the location and the evolution of humanity.

Source: https://listverse.com/2022/09/21/10-stone-...

Everything You Have To Know About Ancient Greece: Unknown History

Are you ready for adventures in the past? Then join us to learn twelve interesting facts about Ancient Greece! And after you learn about the emergence of the states of ancient Greece, the holidays of the ancient Greeks, the life of the ancient Greeks, be sure to like and subscribe to our channel right now, because we are working hard to please you.

When Authorities Drained This 200 Year Old Canal, What They Found At The Bottom Was Extraordinary

Canals are a seriously underrated piece of technology and what about reservoirs we had to actually learn about how to build those at some point then part of that process is figuring out how to drain them later so we can clean them up now almost all minor bodies of water can be drained or diverted and when the water's gone you better believe there's some very weird things left lying around on the bottom from the ancient shipwreck to the entire submerged Village here's 20 bizarre discoveries found in drained water bodies

20 Mythical Creatures That Existed In Real Life

Throughout history, humans have created countless myths and legends about strange and wondrous creatures, from dragons to unicorns. But what if some of these creatures actually existed in real life? In this video, we'll explore 20 animals from around the world that are so unusual and fantastical, they seem almost mythical. From giant sloths to sea serpents, we'll delve into the stories and science behind these fascinating creatures and discover the truth behind the legends. So, join us on this journey into the realm of myth and reality! These are 20 mythical creatures that existed in real life!

How the Greco-Persian Wars changed the way Athenians drank their wine

The Greco-Persian wars are some of the most famous battles in history. The 300 Spartans at Thermopylae. The Greek phalanx at Marathon. The naval victory at Salamis. The end result? Athenian domination of the eastern Mediterranean, and the end of Persian aspirations to control Greece. But the failed invasion attempt by Persia wasn't entirely unsuccessful. While they didn't politically conquer Greece, culturally they were far more successful.

Join curator Jamie Fraser as he walks you through the Persian way of drinking wine with an Achaemenid rhyton, and how this very eastern way of drinking made it's way into the Athenian symposium (albeit in a different physical form).

Most Incredible Ancient Weapons

The history of mankind has been inevitably accompanied by wars. It is hard to think of a single year in the last ten thousand years when at least one civilization has not fought another. And as awful as it may sound, humans are very good at waging war. From the birth of ancient Greece to the present day, men have come up with more ways to kill and maim their fellow human beings than devices to cure them.

And sometimes, military engineers have come up with mechanisms that shock even modern engineers. We are now going to tell you how the first arrow machine gun was invented in ancient Korea, why the entire Roman army was afraid of Archimedes, and why they used to strap missiles to cats in the Middle Ages.

What Happens When Non-Native Animals are Introduced to Africa?

The wildlife of Africa is diverse and abundant. No other continent has the diversity of wildlife found in Africa, which spans the entire climatic spectrum from scorching heat to freezing cold. Mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and insects have all been attracted to the area's diverse vegetation. More than 40 primate species, ranging from tiny galagos to massive gorillas, a wide range of antelopes, gazelles, and other hoofed animals, and 70 carnivore species are among them. The birdlife is also abundant, with over 1,500 species found in the south of the Sahara. Africa also has the world's fastest land animal, the cheetah, the world's largest bird, the ostrich, and the world's largest land animal, the elephant.

Throughout history, animals have been introduced to new environments for various reasons, such as for economic, recreational, or ecological purposes. However, the introduction of non-native species can have significant consequences on the local ecosystems, leading to changes in biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and potentially causing harm to the native flora and fauna.

In this video, we will be focusing on the potential introduction of non-native animals to Africa and examining the factors that determine whether they can adapt and thrive or fail to survive in this new environment. We will be exploring the complex interplay between climate, habitat, diet, and the presence of predators, as well as other ecological and environmental factors that may influence the success or failure of non-native species.

The dreadful talons of an extinct 10-foot-long eagle could lift kangaroos

An eagle relative with a wingspan of almost 10 feet roamed the skies over southern Australia more than 60,000 years ago. Gaff's mighty eagle, Dynatoaetus gaffae, has talons strong enough to snag a koala or a baby kangaroo for food. The enormous raptor was probably the biggest continental eagle ever observed in history.

A newly discovered bird from the Pleistocene Epoch was nearly twice the size of the modern Wedge-tailed Eagle, pictured here. DEPOSIT PHOTOS

The biography of this bird was pieced together by a group of Australian fossil hunters from Flinders University, according to a paper that was released on March 16 in the Journal of Ornithology. Between 1956 and 1969, four sizable fossilized bones were discovered at Mairs Cave in the Flinders Ranges of southern Australia. The authors discovered an additional 28 bones strewn among the site's stones, which helped them improve their understanding of this enormous extinct bird.

The Old World vultures that roamed Africa and Asia throughout the Pleistocene are connected to this extinct raptor. Its nearest living relative is probably the severely endangered Philippine Eagle, a monkey-eating bird. Dynatoaetus was probably the greatest avian predator on the earth during the late Pleistocene Epoch, when massive megafauna like the mammoth roamed the planet and ice sheets and glaciers were expanding.

Dynatoaetus fills a void left by the absence of huge terrestrial predators in prehistoric Australia, according to research author and Flinders University paleontologist Ellen Mather. This finding shows that Australia's magnificent family of birds used to be considerably more diverse and that raptors were also affected by the cataclysmic extinction that wiped off the majority of Australia's megafauna.

A new genus of raptors that is exclusive to Australia is represented by Dynatoaetus and the smaller bird Cryptogyps, which was just recently described.

"Dynatoaetus was extremely large. a statement from Trevor Worthy, a study co-author and paleontologist at Flinders University, stated that the eagle was "larger than any other eagle from other continents, and almost as large as the world's largest eagles once found on the islands of New Zealand and Cuba, including the whopping extinct 13kg [28 pound] Haast's eagle of New Zealand."

Additionally, Dynatoaetus coexisted with the Australian species known as the Wedge-tailed Eagle. This has interesting ramifications, according to the team.

Given that Australian birds of prey used to be more diversified, it is possible that the Wedge-tailed Eagle's previous range and diet were more constrained, according to Mather. If not, it would have been directly vying for those resources with the enormous Dynatoaetus.

Most of the megafauna on the continent, including the majority of Australia's eagles and vultures like the Dynatoaetus, went extinct about 50,000 years ago. Extreme environmental change and degradation (water loss, greater burning of trees and grass, etc.) that wiped off at least 13 super-sized megafauna species, including the largest wombats and kangaroos in the world, was suggested as a potential reason in a 2020 study.

Source: https://www.popsci.com/environment/austral...

DNA from Million-Year-Old People Reveals Huge Surprises

A decades-old Siberian tooth sample has shown a hitherto undiscovered mammoth lineage as well as some unexpected modifications in a probable ancestor.

Woolly mammoths are famous from the Pleistocene era. Between 700,000 and 10,000 years ago, these enormous, shaggy creatures roamed a large portion of the Northern Hemisphere, prospering in the chilly eras when glaciers grew and huge, icy grasslands flourished. However, according to a study published in 2021 in Nature, the characteristics that allowed woolly mammoths to withstand the cold were not specific to these fuzzy elephants. According to a recent discovery made possible by million-year-old DNA, woolly mammoths acquired many of their characteristics that allowed them to survive in frigid climates from even older mammoth species.

Tom van der Valk and his team at Sweden's Science for Life Laboratory conducted the investigation, which was based on ancient DNA extracted from three mammoth teeth discovered in northeastern Siberia in the 1970s. The oldest relic, known as the Krestovka mammoth, is more than 1.2 million years old. Other fossils include the Adycha mammoth, which is thought to be approximately a million years old, and the Chukochya mammoth, which lived between 800,000 and 500,000 years ago. The goal of studying these extinct mammoths was to discover genetic hints about when woolly mammoths evolved their shaggy coats and physiological adjustments to their cold surroundings.

However, the DNA evidence did not match what was predicted by paleontology. The earlier mammoths that predated the woollies have genetic markers for cold-adapted characteristics. This indicates that the traits traditionally believed to be specific to woolly mammoths really evolved much earlier and were present in the steppe mammoth, who is assumed to be its presumed ancestor.

Paleontologist Chris Widga, of the Gray Fossil Site and Museum, who was not involved with the current work, claims that paleogenomics is demonstrating how constrained our understanding of evolution was when we were just given morphological evidence. Nearly all of the information we had on mammoths for more than a century came from bones, tracks, and the rare cadaver. According to Widga, however, relatively recent methods for analyzing ancient DNA in Pleistocene animals other than mammoths are swiftly refuting conventional wisdom.

Another surprise was provided by the DNA data, which revealed that the Krestovka mammoth belonged to a brand-new, previously undiscovered lineage of mammoths. These might have mated with early woolly mammoths to give rise to the Columbian mammoth, a massive North American species. In other words, the Columbian mammoths were probably hybrids and didn't evolve through adaptation. Paleontologists may now view these powerful creatures in a completely different way because this is the first instance of it that has been recorded in ancient DNA.

Source: https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-scien...

An Unknown Human Ancestor Gets a New Face in a 3.8-Million-Year-Old Skull

One of the earliest hominins to walk on two legs, Australopithecus anamensis, a near relative of Lucy, is shown by the male's cranium.

The remarkably complete skull of a human ancestor of the genus Australopithecus fills in some of the gaps in the human evolutionary tree. Dale Omori / Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Paleoanthropologist Yohannes Haile-Selassie physically jumped for delight when he discovered the entire Australopithecus skull in the Ethiopian sand. Despite seeing many skull fossils, he remarks, "I'd never seen anything like it before."

A 3.8 million year old face has been captured in a stunning photograph thanks to a serendipitous finding by Haile-Selassie and an Ethiopian shepherd. This discovery offers a previously unattainable glimpse at a hominid species from a crucial period in human evolution. The unique fossil, according to experts, can help redraw the evolutionary branches of humans at a time when they were only beginning to develop effective upright walking techniques.

According to Fred Spoor, a specialist in human evolution at the Natural History Museum in London, "This cranium looks set to become another celebrated icon of human evolution," in a News & Views article that was published with Haile-Selassie and colleagues' most recent paper in the journal Nature.

In 2016, the astonishingly complete skull was discovered at Woranso-Mille in Ethiopia's Afar region. But it has taken three and a half years of arduous work to respond to the initial query—exactly what type of skull is it?

Composite image of human hands holding “MRD” by Jennifer Taylor. Photography by Dale Omori and Liz Russell / Cleveland Museum of Natural History

The skull, known as MRD after a portion of its collection ID number, was examined by Haile-Selassie and colleagues with a wide range of hominin fossils from all around Africa. To determine what species the skull represents and where it fits in the interwoven lineages of our family tree, they evaluated various morphological traits. The findings show that a male Australopithecus anamensis was the owner of the skull. According to theory, the hominid species went extinct somewhat earlier than 3.8 million years ago after giving rise to Australopithecus afarensis, a subsequent branch that includes the famous specimen Lucy. A. anamensis possesses characteristics that are shared by both apes and humans, such as climbing arms and wrists and altered ankle and knee joints that allow for two-footed walking.

The majority of A. anamensis fossil specimens previously discovered have only been little fragments of bone, such a tooth, a portion of a jaw, or an arm or shin piece. The chance to examine a virtually intact braincase and face verifies the existence of a distinct species known as the "southern ape" and sheds light on the distinctions between A. anamensis and A. afarensis, two of the most prehistoric hominin progenitors.

The majority of A. anamensis' own characteristics, according to Haile-Selassie, are relatively primitive, including the creature's small brain, projecting face, and huge canine teeth. "Some characteristics, such as the orbital zone in the frontal area, are shared only with A. afarensis. However, everything else is incredibly archaic. It resembles an ape when viewed from the back. I never anticipated to see something like this in a species that is thought to be the ancestor of A. afarensis. Therefore, it altered a wide range of conceptions regarding their relationship.

The skull also challenges common beliefs that the older lineage gave rise to the younger one directly by indicating that the two may have coexisted for at least 100,000 years. However, the authors of the study emphasize that it's still very likely that early populations of A. anamensis gave rise to A. afarensis around 4 million years ago—they just didn't disappear right away.

A reconstruction of the facial morphology of the 3.8 million-year-old 'MRD' specimen of Australopithecus anamensis. Photograph by Matt Crow / Facial reconstruction by John Gurche made possible through generous contribution by Susan and George Klein / Cleveland Museum of Natural History

"It is likely that a small population of A. anamensis separated from the dominant population, suffered significant modifications, and gradually separated itself from the parent species of A. anamensis. That is most likely how A. afarensis emerged", according to Haile-Selassie.

The research team contends that the relationship between the two extinct hominin species, thought to be the ancestors of our own genus Homo, may be an excellent illustration of a nonlinear evolutionary process typical of other non-human animals. Our family tree's branches did not diverge primarily due to anagenesis, which occurs when one species transforms into another so completely that its parent vanishes.

"Just because one species gave rise to another, it doesn't mean that the source species (ancestor) disappeared," writes Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program, via email from a dig in Kenya. Potts was not involved in the new study. "Like the evolutionary trees of nearly all other species, we have long known that the human family tree is branching and diversified. The new cranium is important because it demonstrates this pattern of variety in a little-known stage of hominin evolution, at the same time as our forebears became increasingly committed to standing up straight."

According to research by paleoanthropologist Meave Leakey and colleagues, A. anamensis was the first species to develop an enlarged knee joint that allowed each of its legs to momentarily support the entire weight of the animal during bipedal locomotion. With the ability to walk on two legs, ancient hominins were able to exploit a larger variety of habitats than those accessible to tree climbers, setting them distinct from the apes.

The 3.8 million-year-old cranium of the 'MRD' specimen of Australopithecus anamensis. Dale Omori / Cleveland Museum of Natural History

By examining the minerals and volcanic layers where the cranium fossil was discovered, a second, related study was able to more precisely date it. A. anamensis and his ancestors' long-gone environment was also described in the paper.

On the banks of an old lake, the skull was buried in sand that had been deposited in a river delta. Additionally, the sediment deposits contained evidence of plants, showing that a variety of other local ecosystems coexisted with the dry shrubland that made up the area around the old lake.

According to Beverly Saylor, a geologist at Case Western Reserve University and the principal author of the second research, "the area was dry with few trees, but there were forests around the shores of the lake and along the river that flowed into it." The data points to the male hominin presumably consuming a hard, ape-like diet of seeds, grasses, and similar foods, like contemporaries from other sites.

For fifteen years, Haile-Selassie and colleagues have worked in the Ethiopian region of Woranso-Mille. Haile-Selassie was dubious when a local shepherd announced to the camp that he had discovered some intriguing fossils, especially considering how frequently locals had brought him to alleged fossil locations just because they needed a ride somewhere. He requested that the shepherd accompany him on an hour-long trek to the location of his find from Habib Wogris, the regional leader who coordinates fieldwork in the area each year.

According to Haile-Selassie, "The chief has seen a lot of hominin teeth from the site and he realized that this tooth looked like a hominin tooth." I questioned where he had found the tooth as soon as he returned and opened his palm. Let us go, and we will show you, they said.

Yohannes Haile-Selassiewith “MRD” cranium. Cleveland Museum of Natural History

The shepherd had relocated his flock to the fossil site in the region's high terrain in order to avoid seasonal flooding in lower areas. Haile-Selassie explains that the man had been living there with his goats for around three months when he discovered the fossil while he was creating a shelter for the young goats from jackals and hyenas.

The shepherd led him to the spot where the tooth had been, and Haile-Selassie looked around for further pieces.

Haile-Selassie says, "Three meters from where I was standing there was this round thing, just like a rock, and I said oh my goodness." He literally started bouncing up and down in response, which led the shepherd to remark that the doctor had gone insane. I told them, in their language, that the doctor was not crazy. Haile-Selassie chuckles, "He is just excited.

Since the rare fossil was first discovered three years ago, scientists have been eager to put a human, or hominin, face on our distant relatives. With its official unveiling today, the enthusiasm has extended around the scientific community.

Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nat...

The Impeccably Preserved 2000-year-old Ancient Roman City of Timgad in Algeria

The ruins of Timgad lie on the slopes of the Aures Massif, about 35 km east of the town of Batna, in modern-day Algeria. Built nearly 2,000 years ago, by the Roman Emperor Trajan, the city is laid out in great precision and is one of the best surviving examples of the grid plan used by the ancient Roman city planners.

Timgad is one of the best surviving examples of the grid plan used by the ancient Roman city planners.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Timgad was abandoned and forgotten. It wasn’t until 1,000 years later that its ruins, primarily preserved by the desert, were rediscovered. Indeed, the ruins of Timgad are so well-preserved that some visitors call it the Algerian Pompeii.

The city’s original design was a perfect square, 355 meters long on each side, with an orthogonal design highlighted by the decumanus maximus (east-west-oriented street) and the cardo (north–south-oriented street) lined by a partially restored Corinthian colonnade. The plan was to provide space for 15,000 residents, but the city quickly outgrew that number and spilled beyond the orthogonal grid in a more loosely but organized fashion. The city grew for the next 300 years as new quarters were added to the original ground plan leading to a quadrupling of the original size.

The ruins of Timgad are so well-preserved that some visitors call it the Algerian Pompeii.

Timgad’s construction served two purposes. First, the Roman colony housed veterans of Trajan’s mighty armed forces. Secondly, it functioned as a show of Roman power against the Indigenous Berber tribes that populated the northern and western regions of the continent. After its founding, Timgad quickly became an important center of commerce and trade. Its residents enjoyed peace and prosperity for several centuries.

All these centuries lying under the sand of the Sahara, Timgad remained exceptionally well preserved. At the west end of the decumanus maximus still stands a 12-meters-high triumphal arch, called the Arch of Trajan, which was partially restored in 1900. There is a temple dedicated to Jupiter that is of approximately the exact dimensions as the Pantheon in Rome. A large Byzantine citadel stands to the southeast of the city. There are also a 3,500-seat theater in good condition, a library, a basilica, and four public bathhouses.

Subsequent excavations of the city led to its designation as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Many Timgad ruins still stand today, including its signature arch known as the “Arch of Trajan” and its theater, which still hosts the occasional concert.

10,000 Rare Artifacts from Gobeklitepe to Amazon Women are Being Discovered

From Göbeklitepe to Amazon Women, rare artifacts of Şanlıurfa Archeology Museum are being discovered.

The Sanlıurfa Archaeology Museum building involves many main attributes, such as the largest enclosed space and exhibition hall museum in Turkey, the largest museum in Turkey, and among the known museums in the world as Number of Animations. It has the longest promenade route in Turkey and a 4.5 km long Promenade route.

Opened in 2015, Unique historical artifacts and mosaics, including those unearthed from the UNESCO heritage ancient site of Göbeklitepe, are carefully being cleaned by expert teams at the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.

The finds unearthed during the excavations in many parts of the city, including, Göbeklitepe, and the unique mosaics depicting amazon women are being examined by restorers.

Visitors to the museum will be able to see the world’s oldest statue in Şanlıurfa, the imitation Göbeklitepe D temple, the original Nevali Çori temple, numerous regular animations, animations of the Prophet Abraham, and the world’s most beautiful mosaic museum.

About 10.000 artifacts are being exhibited at Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.

Gobekli Tepe & the Younger Dryas: why did we start farming?

Why did humans, after thousands of years of nomadic existence, hunting and gathering, decide to settle down and begin farming? This is perhaps one of, if not the, greatest question that archaeologists have been attempting to answer for the past century and a half. Going along with the development of agriculture and the Neolithic Revolution, there is another mystery. Watch the video for more!

English Knights Vs French Knights (The battle of Crecy)

Join us as we delve into the history of one of the most significant battles of the Hundred Years' War - the Battle of Crécy. Witness the tactics and strategies employed by King Edward III of England as he faced off against the superior French army and learn about the role of the longbow and the impact it had on the outcome of the battle. Enjoy!