The First Warriors Who Wore Animal Skins as Armor

Introduction:
Before the advent of metal armor, early warriors relied on animal hides, furs, bones, and even shells to protect themselves in battle. These materials were both practical and symbolic, linking warriors to the power of the animals they wore.

Practical Use:
Animal hides provided flexibility and some protection from weapons, while bones or scales reinforced key areas. Helmets sometimes featured horns or antlers to intimidate opponents, and warriors often dyed hides with natural pigments for camouflage or ritual purposes.

Symbolism:
Wearing animal skins connected the warrior to spiritual or totemic forces. In many cultures, hunters and warriors believed that the animal’s strength, speed, or ferocity transferred to them, offering both physical and psychological advantages.

Cultural Examples:

• Scythians and Nomadic Eurasia: Horse-mounted warriors adorned themselves with pelts of wolves, leopards, or bears.

• Indigenous Americas: Warriors incorporated feathers, pelts, and bones into ceremonial armor, signaling courage and social rank.

• Europe: Prehistoric cave paintings depict armed figures with animal attire, suggesting ritualistic and combative roles.

Conclusion:
Animal-skin armor illustrates the intersection of survival, warfare, and spirituality in ancient societies. These early warriors show humanity’s ability to harness nature not only for utility but also for symbolic power, shaping cultural identity through conflict and ceremony.

Ancient Ice Age Civilizations Beneath the Glaciers

Introduction:
During the Ice Age, much of the Earth was covered in glaciers. Recent studies suggest that humans may have lived, hunted, and traded beneath or near these ice sheets, adapting to extreme conditions and leaving traces still being discovered today.

Archaeological Evidence:

• Beringia (Alaska-Siberia): Land bridges exposed during glacial periods allowed migration and early settlements. Artifacts, tools, and animal bones indicate complex survival strategies.

• Scandinavian Glacial Sites: Preserved camps and tools show adaptation to cold climates, with clothing, shelters, and communal organization.

Adaptations and Technologies:
Humans developed sophisticated tools, insulated shelters, and hunting strategies. Ice-age populations mastered animal skins, fire, and seasonal migration. Some evidence suggests rudimentary social hierarchies, ceremonial practices, and long-distance trade.

Myths and Legends:
Many Ice Age myths, such as giants, frost beings, or primordial civilizations, may stem from memories of early glacial communities. Oral traditions could have preserved stories of survival in extreme environments.

Conclusion:
Exploring Ice Age civilizations beneath glaciers highlights humanity’s resilience and adaptability. These early communities laid the foundations for later settlements, showing that human ingenuity has always thrived even in the harshest conditions.

The Lost Gold Mines of Ancient Empires

Introduction:
Gold has always been a source of wealth, power, and legend. Ancient empires often based their economy, trade, and conquest on access to gold, leading to legendary mines—some real, some mythical—that shaped history.

Famous Ancient Mines:

• Nubia: Egypt prized Nubian gold for jewelry, temple offerings, and trade. The Nile facilitated transport, creating wealth central to pharaonic power.

• Wieliczka, Poland: Salt and gold mines from the Bronze Age reflect early European resource extraction techniques.

• Mythical Mines: Stories of King Solomon’s treasures or the “Gold of Ophir” inspired exploration and conquest, blending fact and legend.

Economic and Political Impact:
Gold fueled trade, diplomatic gifts, and tribute systems. Empires with access to gold could maintain armies, build monumental architecture, and display wealth as a symbol of divine favor or legitimacy. Control over mines often determined political stability and expansionist ambitions.

Mining Techniques:
Ancient miners used rudimentary tools, fire, and water channels to extract ore. Archaeological evidence shows extensive tunnels, crushing stones, and smelting techniques, highlighting ingenuity and labor organization.

Cultural Significance:
Gold also had symbolic meaning. It represented the sun, immortality, or divine favor. In Egypt, gold adorned tombs and sarcophagi; in Mesoamerica, it symbolized power and the sacred.

Conclusion:
Lost gold mines remind us that wealth has always been intertwined with human ambition, ingenuity, and myth. They reveal the economic foundations of empires and the enduring allure of treasure, which has driven trade, conquest, and culture for millennia.

The Sacred Fire Keepers of Prehistory

Introduction:
Long before written records, human communities revered fire as both a practical and spiritual force. Some clans or groups were designated as the eternal guardians of sacred flames, ensuring that the fire never went out. These “fire keepers” were vital to survival, ritual, and identity.

Roles and Duties:
Sacred fire keepers maintained flames for domestic use, warmth, cooking, and protection. More importantly, these fires were central to ritual and ceremony. They represented continuity, life, and divine presence. The fire itself was often considered sacred, embodying the gods’ power or the ancestors’ spirits. Extinguishing the flame accidentally could be catastrophic, symbolizing bad omens or divine displeasure.

Cultural Examples:

• Zoroastrian Atash Behrams (Persia): Priesthoods maintained fires for centuries, considering them eternal and purifying.

• Vedic India: Agni, the fire god, was central in ritual, with priests tending sacred flames to ensure correct offerings and cosmic order.

• Prehistoric Europe: Archaeological evidence suggests hearths were preserved in central locations, hinting at communal and ritual importance.

Social and Spiritual Significance:
The fire keepers often held elevated social status, acting as spiritual leaders, advisors, and mediators. They transmitted knowledge, controlled ritual calendars, and maintained the community’s link to the divine. Their role strengthened social cohesion and symbolized the community’s shared identity.

Conclusion:
Sacred fire keepers remind us of humanity’s early understanding of the interplay between natural forces and spiritual life. By preserving eternal flames, they preserved culture, memory, and faith, creating a legacy that influenced later religions and societies worldwide.

Buried Kingdoms Under Volcanos

Introduction:
Throughout history, volcanic eruptions have buried entire settlements, preserving them in astonishing detail. These buried kingdoms provide a unique snapshot of ancient life, culture, and disasters.

Pompeii and Herculaneum (Italy):
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE engulfed Pompeii and Herculaneum in ash and pumice, freezing daily life in time. Streets, houses, frescoes, tools, and even victims’ bodies provide an unparalleled archaeological record of Roman society.

Akrotiri (Santorini, Greece):
The Minoan city of Akrotiri was buried by the volcanic eruption on Thera (Santorini) around 1600 BCE. Remarkably preserved frescoes, buildings, and artifacts offer insights into Minoan culture, trade, and urban planning.

Cultural and Historical Impact:
These buried kingdoms show how natural disasters shaped civilizations. Ash and lava not only destroyed settlements but also preserved them, offering future generations a unique lens into daily life, religious practices, and architectural techniques.

Archaeological Significance:
Volcanic preservation allows researchers to study organic materials like wood, textiles, and food, which rarely survive in other contexts. Excavations reveal urban layouts, plumbing systems, and artistic expression, creating a holistic view of ancient society.

Conclusion:
Buried kingdoms beneath volcanoes are time capsules, revealing the delicate balance between human activity and natural forces. They underscore both the vulnerability of ancient societies and the remarkable ways in which catastrophic events can preserve history for millennia.

Ancient Languages That No One Has Ever Deciphered

Introduction:
Some ancient languages remain undeciphered, leaving entire civilizations partly shrouded in mystery. Scripts like Rongorongo of Easter Island, Linear A of the Minoans, and the Indus Valley script resist interpretation despite advances in linguistics, cryptography, and computational analysis.

Rongorongo (Easter Island):
Discovered on wooden tablets, Rongorongo features glyphs that may encode myth, genealogy, or astronomical data. Scholars speculate it was a mnemonic or symbolic script rather than a fully phonetic language. Its isolation on Easter Island complicates cross-referencing with related languages.

Linear A (Minoan Civilization):
Linear A predates Linear B, which was deciphered as an early form of Greek. However, Linear A may encode the Minoan language, which has no known relatives. Researchers debate whether it represents a full linguistic system or a symbolic, administrative shorthand for trade and record-keeping.

The Indus Valley Script:
Inscribed on seals, pottery, and tablets, the Indus script includes hundreds of symbols, often in short sequences. Attempts to decipher it face the challenge of missing bilingual texts, unknown phonetics, and limited inscriptions, making it one of archaeology’s greatest enigmas.

The Importance of Decipherment:
Decoding these scripts could illuminate aspects of trade, religion, governance, and daily life in ancient civilizations. Even partial understanding can reveal social structure, literacy levels, and intercultural connections.

Challenges and Future Prospects:
Advances in computational linguistics, AI pattern recognition, and cross-cultural comparison may eventually crack these codes. Until then, the undeciphered scripts remind us of the limits of modern knowledge and the mysteries of human expression preserved over millennia.

The Astral Temples Aligned to the Milky Way

Introduction:
Across the ancient world, many civilizations built temples, pyramids, and ceremonial structures aligned with celestial objects. Among these, some were specifically oriented to the Milky Way, the dense star cluster visible in the night sky. These alignments suggest a sophisticated understanding of astronomy and a spiritual connection between human society and the cosmos.

Examples of Astral Temples:

• Chichen Itza (Maya Civilization): The pyramid of El Castillo aligns with the sun and stars, including the Milky Way, marking equinoxes and solstices. Its design reflects a cosmological view in which celestial phenomena governed agricultural and ritual cycles.

• Giza Pyramids (Egypt): Some theories suggest that pyramids and temples along the Nile were placed to mirror constellations, including the Milky Way, reinforcing the Pharaohs’ divine association with the heavens.

• Megalithic Sites in Europe: Ancient stone circles like those in Carnac, France, and Callanish, Scotland, show alignment with star patterns that intersect the Milky Way, indicating ritual or calendrical purposes.

Cultural and Religious Significance:
For ancient civilizations, the Milky Way often represented a sacred river in the sky, a pathway of souls, or the dwelling place of deities. Aligning temples with this cosmic feature symbolized connection with divine forces, ensured harmony between humans and the universe, and guided agricultural, ceremonial, and political activities.

Engineering and Observational Skills:
Constructing these temples required detailed astronomical observation, careful planning, and precise engineering. Priests or astronomer-priests likely tracked star movements over decades to determine optimal orientation. The combination of geometry, astronomy, and ritual demonstrates that early societies had a deeply integrated approach to science, spirituality, and architecture.

Conclusion:
The astral temples aligned with the Milky Way reveal that ancient civilizations saw the cosmos not only as a navigational or calendrical tool but as an integral part of spiritual and cultural life. These monuments stand as lasting evidence of humanity’s enduring fascination with the stars.

Prehistoric Bridges That Connected Continents

Introduction:
During prehistoric times, land bridges connected continents, enabling the migration of humans, animals, and plants. These routes were crucial for the spread of populations, technology, and cultural practices long before modern transportation existed.

Examples of Prehistoric Bridges:

• Beringia: Connecting Siberia to Alaska, this land bridge allowed the first humans to enter the Americas.

• Doggerland: Once connecting Britain to mainland Europe, Doggerland supported Mesolithic hunter-gatherer societies before submergence by rising seas.

• Lemuria (Mythical): While largely speculative, some legends suggest a lost southern continent that may have influenced ancient myths of sunken lands.

Impact on Human History:
These land bridges facilitated early migration, trade, and cultural exchange. For example, Beringia enabled the peopling of the Americas, while Doggerland served as fertile hunting grounds and settlement areas. Animals that migrated across these bridges influenced ecosystems and shaped human survival strategies.

Archaeological and Geological Evidence:
Remnants of tools, fossils, and submerged landscapes provide evidence of these ancient bridges. Sediment analysis, underwater surveys, and paleoenvironmental reconstructions help scientists understand how sea level changes transformed geography and led to the disappearance of these vital connections.

Conclusion:
Prehistoric bridges were more than physical landforms; they were lifelines that shaped human history, biodiversity, and cultural evolution. Understanding them reveals the interconnectedness of ancient peoples and ecosystems across continents.

Forbidden Rituals from Lost Religions

Introduction:
Ancient civilizations often practiced religious rites that were secretive, restricted, or forbidden to outsiders. These rituals could involve initiation ceremonies, animal sacrifices, fertility rites, or even esoteric knowledge meant only for elite priests or initiates. Because most of these practices were intentionally hidden, knowledge of them has survived only through fragmentary texts, myths, or archaeological remnants.

Types of Forbidden Rituals:

• Initiation Rites: Many ancient societies, from Egyptian mystery schools to the Greek Eleusinian Mysteries, conducted complex initiations requiring secrecy and symbolic rebirth.

• Sacrificial Ceremonies: Some rituals involved offerings to gods, often of animals or symbolic items, believed to maintain cosmic balance or ensure divine favor.

• Mystical Knowledge: Certain ceremonies included chanting, meditation, or esoteric teachings that were considered too dangerous or sacred for ordinary people.

Cultural Significance:
These forbidden rites served multiple purposes. They reinforced social hierarchies, protected sacred knowledge, and maintained religious cohesion. For example, the secrecy surrounding the Eleusinian Mysteries in Greece strengthened civic unity while instilling awe and obedience. Similarly, in Mesoamerica, secret sacrificial rituals emphasized the divine power of rulers and priests.

Evidence and Interpretation:
Modern archaeology has uncovered temples, altars, and artifacts linked to these rites. Ancient texts, such as fragmentary Egyptian papyri or Greco-Roman accounts, provide insight, but interpretation is difficult due to deliberate secrecy. Scholars rely on cross-cultural comparisons, ethnographic studies, and symbolic analysis to reconstruct these lost practices.

Conclusion:
While the full details of these forbidden rituals remain elusive, their enduring traces highlight the complexity of ancient religious life. They remind us that much of human history lies hidden beneath layers of secrecy, myth, and ritual practice.

Gold rings and marble found underneath Roman city

A striking pair of interlinked Roman gold rings, along with almost 100 fragments of marble, has been uncovered during excavations in Britain’s oldest recorded city.

Archaeologists in Colchester also found a sizeable piece of Roman flue tile—typically used in bathhouses or other elite buildings—alongside extensive Roman structural remains. The Colchester Archaeological Trust said the discoveries beneath St Nicholas Square are “only the tip of the iceberg.”

“It’s a bit like keyhole surgery,” said Adam Wightman of the trust. “We get brief chances to dig down and glimpse these early structures.”

Status and grandeur

The archaeological work took place between October 2023 and June 2025, ahead of redevelopment plans for St Nicholas Square. The excavations were carried out by the Colchester Archaeological Trust on behalf of Colchester City Council, and the site had not been investigated since the mid-1950s.

Wightman told the BBC that the recent findings confirm the presence of “very large, substantial Roman buildings,” likely rising several storeys high.

Eight pieces of Roman marble, varying in size and colour—including red, blue, and yellow—were among the materials recovered.

Almost 100 pieces of marble were discovered, including some imported from Greece, Egypt and Turkey

The trust said the finds highlight the “status and grandeur” of certain buildings on the site.

Wightman explained that the large fragment of flue tile bears an inscribed surface with a “distinctive pattern” made using a roller stamp.

“This stamped decoration is an exact match for examples recovered from the Roman bathhouse at Billingsgate in London,” he told the BBC.

“While it doesn’t conclusively prove there was a bathhouse here, it strongly supports the idea that these were high-status buildings, equipped with underfloor heating systems that channelled warm air up through the walls.”

‘Intimate find’

In total, archaeologists recovered 98 pieces of marble, some of which had been imported from as far afield as Greece, Egypt and Turkey.

“If we were able to fully excavate the site, we would be finding thousands upon thousands of marble fragments,” Wightman said, noting that around 2,000 pieces were uncovered during excavations in the 1950s.

“What we’ve found so far is really just the tip of the iceberg,” he added.

“All of this points to a far more complex and intriguing story about the buildings of Roman Colchester, closely linked to the evidence emerging from this area.”

One of the conjoined rings is decorated with 25 tiny gold pellets, arranged in a diamond formation

The trust said the discovery of the linked gold rings—belonging to individuals of “considerable status”—was highly unusual and further supports the view that this area of Colchester was “a wealthy and important part of the city.”

The rings, likely made for a child based on their small size, are dated to between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD.

According to the trust, one ring is decorated with 25 tiny gold beads arranged in a diamond pattern, while the other features a flat, elongated bezel adorned with fine gold wire. The design forms a central circle flanked by drop-shaped motifs, possibly symbolising a flower.

Describing them as an “intimate find,” the trust said the rings serve as a reminder that Roman Colchester “was not only a place of buildings, but of people and families who lived within them.”

The discoveries were made during excavation work in Colchester's St Nicholas Square

Councillor Julie Young, deputy leader and cabinet member for housing at Colchester City Council, said she was “thrilled” by the discoveries, noting that they underscore “the city’s significance through the centuries and add greater richness to our story as Britain’s First City.”

She also thanked the Colchester Archaeological Trust for their careful and thorough work throughout the project.

“Their expertise ensures our heritage is properly respected and documented, while helping to create a vibrant public space for everyone to enjoy,” she said.

The council added that the redeveloped St Nicholas Square is “already proving to be extremely popular,” having hosted a Ferris wheel during the Christmas period, with monthly Sunday markets planned for the future.

Bronze Age Burial Uncovered in Greece

RAFINA, GREECE—According to La Brújula Verde, archaeologists have uncovered a Bronze Age grave and a large circular pit along the bank of a stream in eastern Attica. A team from Greece’s Ephorate of Antiquities of Eastern Attica discovered a pithos nearly six feet in length inside the tomb. The vessel was decorated with corded reliefs around its neck and handles and had been laid horizontally on its side. Its opening was sealed with a mock doorway formed from two large stones and smaller slabs, then enclosed by a semicircular wall built from river pebbles. Inside the jar, resting on sand and pebbles, were the bones of two individuals, which had been covered with large stones. The burial also contained a copper awl, an oval-shaped stone believed to have functioned as a plaque, obsidian points, and ceramic vessels.

About six feet from the burial, excavators identified a large circular pit showing evidence of fire and prolonged ritual activity. From the upper layers, they recovered a bull’s skull, pottery fragments, and copper coins. Near the base of the pit, they found a layer of ash and burned material, along with the bones of an equid and smaller animals. These animal remains are thought to be cremains, possibly from animals cooked as sacrificial offerings. Dating both the burial and the pit’s contents may clarify whether the two features are connected.

Hidden rock art dating back 5,000 years uncovered in Saudi Arabia

New discoveries in Soudah Peaks hint at early life, rituals and lost stories

Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission, working with the Soudah Development Company, has revealed the discovery of 20 rock formations engraved with ancient inscriptions inside the Soudah Peaks Project area—finds experts describe as among the oldest cultural traces ever identified in the region.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the carvings are thought to be between 4,000 and 5,000 years old, providing rare insight into the daily lives, beliefs, and surrounding environments of the early communities that once lived there.

The project area spans more than 636.5 square kilometres, covering Soudah and parts of Rijal Almaa Governorate in the Asir region. Researchers now say this dramatic landscape holds significant historical and cultural value, adding a new dimension to understanding the area’s deep past.

Among the most significant discoveries are Thamudic inscriptions, an early writing system linked to the Thamud tribe. The rock faces also display carvings of animals such as ibexes, hyenas, and ostriches, alongside depictions of hunters, dancers, palm trees, and weapons. Together, these images offer insight into everyday life, ritual activity, and environmental conditions in ancient times.

The commission said the finds confirm that Soudah and Rijal Almaa were long-established centres of human settlement and cultural activity, playing an important role in the area’s historical development. The discoveries resulted from a joint archaeological survey conducted under a memorandum of understanding between the Heritage Commission and the Soudah Development Company. The survey was completed in four scientific stages: data gathering, site analysis, documentation, and the identification of high-value archaeological sites, creating a basis for their long-term protection and integration into future development plans.

Rijal Almaa is a striking historic village and governorate in Saudi Arabia’s Asir region, dating back around 900 years. It is known for its distinctive stone, mud, and wood architecture, vibrant decorative patterns, and its historic role as a key trade centre connecting Yemen, Makkah, and the Levant.

The Archeological Menagerie: China Uncovers 3,000-Year-Old ‘Zoo’

The findings shed light on an ancient system of acquiring and keeping captive a variety of wild animals, likely for use as sacrifices by ancient elites.

Archaeologists in China have discovered what may be the country’s oldest known collection of captive wild animals at a site in central Henan province. The 3,000-year-old sacrificial pits contain remains of big cats, Asian water buffalo, and other species.

The find, announced on January 9 by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), comes from Yinxu, the last capital of the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 B.C.), a site already famous for royal tombs, oracle bones, and ritual artifacts.

Excavations conducted between 2023 and 2024 covered roughly 1,240 square meters, revealing 19 small and medium-sized sacrificial pits. Archaeologists recovered remains of mammals including deer, wolves, tigers, leopards, foxes, serows, and wild boars, along with birds such as swans, cranes, and geese. “What’s most unusual is that some animals were found with bronze bells hanging from their necks,” said Niu Shishan, a CASS researcher who has worked at Yinxu for over 20 years.

A total of 29 bronze bells were recovered. Niu explained that the presence of the bells indicates the animals were not hunted but kept alive as “exotic creatures” in enclosures managed by the Shang king or other elites.

“The concentration of wild animals and the standardized way they were handled point to a relatively advanced system for acquiring, raising, and managing wild animals during the Shang dynasty,” Niu added. He also noted that the variety of species could provide valuable insights into climate and ecological conditions during the late Shang period.

Similar pits containing captive animals have been found at later sites from the Warring States period (475–221 B.C.). One such pit, believed to belong to the grandmother of Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor known for the Terracotta Army, contained remains of an extinct gibbon species, leopards, Asiatic black bears, and lynxes.

Possible Anglo-Saxon Royal Burial Discovered in England News January 14, 2026

SUFFOLK, ENGLAND—Archaeologists have uncovered an Anglo-Saxon cemetery near the East England coast, about 15 miles from the famous Sutton Hoo ship burial site. The site, planned for a nuclear power plant, contains at least 11 burial mounds.

At the center of the cemetery, researchers found the poorly preserved remains of two people and a horse, buried with full tack. Artifacts recovered from the sixth- or seventh-century A.D. burial include weapons and items made of bronze, iron, copper, and amber.

Len Middleton of Oxford Cotswold Archaeology noted the similarities to Sutton Hoo: “We have two individuals here, whereas Sutton Hoo [mound 17] has just one, but the arrangement of grave goods and their placement in the mound suggest kinship groups. It’s almost as if those attending these burials might also have been present at the others. The layout is strikingly similar. Sutton Hoo is just a day’s ride by horse, and if important people were being buried, kinship groups would certainly visit each other during these ceremonies.”

The First Americans May Not Have Crossed Beringia at All — Hokkaido Could Be the Starting Point

For much of the past century, the arrival of the first humans in the Americas has been explained as an inland journey across the frozen landscapes of Beringia. Increasing archaeological and genetic evidence, however, is now calling that model into question. A new interdisciplinary study by Japanese and U.S. researchers suggests that the earliest ancestors of Native Americans may have originated in a coastal zone encompassing Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands—and that they likely reached the Americas by sea.

Published in Science Advances, the study argues that seafaring hunter-gatherers from Northeast Asia were central to what is often described as the final major migration of Homo sapiens.

Rethinking a Northeast Asian Homeland

Previous paleogenomic research indicates that the population ancestral to Native Americans emerged in Northeast Asia around 25,000 years ago. Genetic evidence also points to a lengthy period of isolation—lasting roughly 4,000 to 5,000 years—marked by population decline before these groups entered the Americas sometime after 20,000 years ago. Until now, the location of this “standstill” period has remained uncertain.

The new research proposes that this prolonged isolation most likely occurred not in inland Beringia, but in the Hokkaido–Sakhalin–Kuril (HSK) region. During the Last Glacial Maximum, this area formed a broad peninsula connected to the Asian mainland. Unlike glacial Beringia, which was a cold and resource-poor polar desert, the HSK region offered relatively stable access to both marine and land-based food sources.

Stone Tools as Evidence of Connection

A key pillar of the study is a detailed comparison of stone tool technologies. The researchers examined lithic assemblages from ten Upper Paleolithic sites in mainland North America, dated between 18,000 and 13,500 years ago. These sites contained projectile points and blades with highly consistent characteristics, including elliptical shapes, sharp edges on both sides, and cross-sections designed for strength and penetration.

Notably, nearly identical stone tool designs have been found at sites in Hokkaido and nearby islands, some dating back to around 20,000 years ago. In contrast, similar technologies appear in Beringian archaeological contexts only after about 14,000 years ago. This timing suggests that the technological tradition spread from Northeast Asia toward the Americas, rather than originating within Beringia itself.

These projectile points were efficient and versatile, suitable for hunting land animals as well as supporting coastal subsistence. Their distribution on both sides of the North Pacific points to a shared technological heritage, likely carried by highly mobile populations with sophisticated adaptations to diverse environments.

Map showing the locations of major physiographic regions discussed in the text (A). Map showing the location of AUP sites in North America discussed in the text (B).

Why the Coast Was Crucial

At the height of the last Ice Age, between about 29,000 and 18,000 years ago, vast ice sheets blanketed much of northern North America. Any inland journey across Beringia during this time would have been extraordinarily harsh, and notably, archaeologists have found no evidence of human occupation in the region from this period.

Coastal Asia, by contrast, tells a different story. Archaeological finds from the Japanese archipelago show that humans had developed seafaring skills as early as 35,000 years ago. Sites on islands in what are now Okinawa and southern Kyushu reveal repeated open-ocean crossings, demonstrating maritime abilities long before humans reached the Americas.

Drawing on this evidence, the researchers suggest that populations from the Hokkaido–Sakhalin–Kuril region moved eastward along a Pacific coastal corridor. Traveling via shorelines, river mouths, and kelp-rich marine zones, these groups could rely on consistent food resources. This scenario closely supports the “kelp highway” hypothesis, which proposes that productive coastal ecosystems enabled long-distance migration even during the coldest glacial phases.

A Missing Chapter in Human Migration

One striking conclusion of the study is that these coastal migrants were probably not direct ancestors of modern Japanese populations. Archaeological and genetic data indicate that the Jomon people—often linked to present-day Japanese ancestry—did not arrive in Hokkaido until around 10,000 years ago.

Instead, the earlier seafaring groups may represent what researchers call a “ghost population”: a community that played a pivotal role in humanity’s spread into the Americas but later vanished or was absorbed, leaving little to no clear genetic trace in contemporary Northeast Asian populations.

Comparison of stemmed points from Japan and North America. AUP points from Cooper’s Ferry/Nipéhe LU3 (A, C, D, and F to H) and bifacial stemmed points from Hokkaido (B, E, and I to K).

Rethinking the Final Stage of Human Migration

Masami Izuho, an associate professor of archaeology involved in the study, points out that Japanese archaeological discoveries have often been interpreted only in a local context. The new research, he argues, positions these findings within a broader, global framework.

Instead of seeing the settlement of the Americas as a straightforward inland expansion by land-based hunters, the study suggests a more complex story driven by island and coastal communities with advanced maritime skills. Knowledge of boats, coastal navigation, and marine resources may have been as important as land bridges and hunting large animals.

Rintaro Ono, a maritime archaeology specialist, notes that the proposed migration—slightly before 20,000 years ago—coincides with the coldest phase of the Ice Age. Scarcity of resources, changes in animal populations, and reliance on marine ecosystems likely encouraged these coastal groups to explore new lands along the Pacific Rim.

Implications for Archaeology and Future Research

While this hypothesis does not settle the debate on the first Americans’ origins, it strongly supports the idea of a coastal migration from Northeast Asia. Future archaeological work along now-submerged coastlines, hidden beneath post-glacial seas, may provide critical evidence to test this model.

If validated, the study would reshape our understanding of the final dispersal of Homo sapiens—not as a desperate trek across icy lands, but as a deliberate expansion by skilled coastal navigators who used the Pacific coastline as a migration route.

See a 157-Year-Old Great Lakes Shipwreck in Stunning Detail With This New 3D Scan

Last year, maritime archaeologists revisited the “Northerner” in Lake Michigan and captured hundreds of still images, which they stitched together to create a digital replica of the vessel

The Northerner sank in 1868 and has been resting upright on the lakebed of Lake Michigan off the coast of Wisconsin ever since.

On November 28, 1868, an American schooner named Northerner was taking on cargo near Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, when its hull was severely damaged. The following day, while being towed to Milwaukee for repairs, the vessel began taking on water and ultimately sank to the bottom of Lake Michigan. Although the crew survived, the ship was never salvaged.

More than 150 years later, specialists have created a highly detailed 3D digital model that allows people to virtually explore the wreck as it lies on the lakebed. The model was produced using 1,670 stitched photographs and even reveals the ship’s final cargo of cordwood still inside the hull.

The 81.1-foot schooner was built in Clayton, New York, in 1850 by veteran shipbuilder John Oades. It originally operated on Lake Ontario, transporting goods to settlements along both the American and Canadian shores, before later being used to carry lumber on Lake Michigan. During one of these lumber runs, the vessel suffered fatal damage. According to a November 1868 report in the Milwaukee Sentinel, the ship “pounded heavily upon the bottom” while loading cordwood at a pier in Amsterdam.

With the hull leaking badly, the captain sailed south to Port Washington and unloaded the deck cargo. The attempt failed to save the ship. While being towed by the vessel Cuyahoga, Northerner filled with water and capsized near Port Ulao, a historic harbor about 20 miles north of Milwaukee.

Divers first located the wreck in the early 1970s, but its position was officially documented by the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Maritime Preservation and Archaeology Program in 2009. The schooner was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 and became part of the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary in 2021.

The wreck remains largely intact today, resting upright about 135 feet below the surface, and has become a popular site for recreational divers. In 2024, crews installed buoys and permanent mooring lines at 19 of the sanctuary’s most visited wrecks, including Northerner, improving safety and accessibility while preventing damage to the lakebed from anchors and grappling equipment.

In the detailed scan, the Northerner's final load of cordwood is still visible in its hold.

Last year, maritime archaeologists and engineers set out on a weeklong mission to examine some of the deepest shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, many of which are quickly degrading due to invasive quagga mussels. Their first survey focused on the comparatively shallow Northerner, where they tested an autonomous underwater vehicle fitted with advanced imaging technology.

Using the Saab Sabertooth robotic system, the team recorded extremely detailed photographs of the wreck. These images were later combined to produce the new 3D digital model.

The visuals also led to new discoveries. For the first time, researchers identified the Northerner’s rigging, which lies about 60 feet away from the main body of the ship, as reported by Caitlin Looby for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We know less about Lake Michigan than we thought we did,” said sanctuary superintendent Russ Green. “As we explore deeper areas of Lake Michigan, autonomous technology is essential for understanding what’s happening below.”

Similar 3D reconstructions have been created for other historic vessels, including Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance. The ship sank on November 21, 1915, after becoming trapped in pack ice and has remained on the seabed near Antarctica ever since. In 2024, researchers released a 3D model built from more than 25,000 high-resolution images taken after the wreck was discovered in 2022. The scan is detailed enough to show everyday objects used by the crew, such as plates and a boot.

In addition, the public can explore 3D models of dozens of shipwrecks located within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, a protected 4,300-square-mile area of Lake Huron.

5,000-Year-Old Evidence of Whaling Found in Brazil News January 14, 2026

BARCELONA, SPAIN—A statement from the Autonomous University of Barcelona reports that communities living around 5,000 years ago in the Babitonga Bay region on Brazil’s southern coast actively hunted whales. An international research team led by Krista McGrath and André Colonese examined whale bones and bone tools recovered from sambaquis, or shell mounds, in the area. These materials are currently held at the Archaeological Museum of Sambaqui of Joinville.

The analysis identified remains from several species, including southern right whales, humpback whales, blue whales, sei whales, sperm whales, and dolphins. Many of the bones displayed clear cut marks consistent with butchering. The researchers also documented large harpoons made from whale bone, suggesting that these marine mammals were deliberately hunted rather than opportunistically scavenged.

According to McGrath, the findings show that these ancient communities possessed the expertise, equipment, and specialized methods needed to hunt large whales far earlier than previously believed.

K. Marinakos: The Peloponnese has everything, except the share of tourism it deserves

The Peloponnese is one of the country’s regions that brings together nearly all the elements of a complete and internationally competitive destination: history and mythology, world-renowned archaeological sites and monuments, rich natural landscapes, traditional settlements, modern tourism facilities, a strong agri-food identity, and a well-established gastronomic culture. Despite these advantages, its tourism performance remains well below that of Greece’s more developed tourist regions.

Speaking to Tornos News, Konstantinos Marinakos—Associate Professor of Tourism Business Development and Finance at the University of West Attica, President of the Peloponnese Tourism Organization, and Vice President of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers—notes that although the Peloponnese has shown positive momentum over the past two years in key tourism indicators from major international markets, its overall performance in terms of market share, arrivals, overnight stays, and revenues still lags far behind other tourism-driven regions. As he points out, this situation represents both a challenge and an opportunity for investors and for those responsible for shaping and implementing tourism policy.

While there have been occasional notable promotional efforts by regions, municipalities, and tourism bodies, the main weakness lies in the lack of coordination and continuity. For such initiatives to deliver meaningful results, Marinakos stresses that they must be incorporated into a unified Strategic Tourism Development Plan for the Peloponnese, with a medium- to long-term horizon of at least five years. This plan should emerge through close collaboration among all stakeholders, including regional authorities, local governments, institutional tourism bodies, chambers of commerce, universities, employers’ organizations, and trade unions, with the aim of creating a shared, inclusive, and realistic vision.

Central to this approach is a model of mild but multifaceted tourism development, aligned with the Peloponnese’s broader development profile. This model would integrate outdoor activities, links with the agri-food sector, and the use of technology and innovation, while maintaining a strong and consistent commitment to environmental protection and the well-being of local communities.

Equally critical is the diversification of the tourism offering. As Marinakos emphasizes, there is a clear need for innovative and differentiated tourism products that can reduce seasonality and attract more domestic and international visitors with higher-quality characteristics. Although funding tools are available—from the Recovery Fund and the NSRF to the Development Law and the Just Transition Fund—the missing element, he argues, is coherent planning and a shared strategic direction that would allow the Peloponnese to establish a stable and recognizable presence in global tourism markets.

Ultimately, the challenge extends beyond economics to institutional capacity. Marinakos concludes that European and national policies require local authorities and stakeholders to develop vision and appropriate skills, enabling them to move beyond simply implementing policies and instead actively shaping regional development strategies. For the Peloponnese, the goal is not just to increase visitor numbers, but to shift from fragmented promotion to a coordinated, collaborative, and long-term tourism development model that reflects its true potential.

2,500-Year-Old Iron Age Teeth Reveal How Ancient Childhoods and Diets Unfolded

Learn how growth patterns in tooth enamel and residues trapped in dental plaque were used to reconstruct childhood development and adult diets in an Iron Age Italian community.

Iron Age sampled teeth.

More than 2,500 years after their burial, the teeth of Iron Age Italians are still preserving detailed records of their lives. Microscopic markers embedded in dental enamel and plaque reveal periods of physical stress during childhood, changes in diet over time, and the foods adults commonly consumed—including fermented staples that continue to shape Mediterranean cuisine today.

In an in-depth study of teeth from the Iron Age site of Pontecagnano in southern Italy, researchers used multiple dental analysis methods to reconstruct individual life histories from early childhood into adulthood. By identifying growth interruptions in enamel and food residues trapped in dental calculus, the research—published in PLOS One—provides a close-up view of everyday life in the 7th and 6th centuries BC, capturing childhood experiences as well as sophisticated food practices influenced by broader Mediterranean connections.

“Teeth act like a kind of time machine, preserving minute yet remarkably powerful traces of daily life,” said Roberto Germano, an archaeologist at Sapienza University of Rome and the study’s lead author. “Through them, we can see how people grew up, what they ate, and how they responded to the challenges of their world. Perhaps most striking is how familiar their lives seem—these Iron Age individuals also went through sensitive stages of childhood and ate fermented foods that are still fundamental to Mediterranean culture today.”

Solved: the mystery of Monte Sierpe

This 1.5-kilometre, winding strip of more than 5,000 human-made pits—each roughly three feet across and two feet deep—on Monte Sierpe (Snake Mountain) in Peru resembles a vast, enigmatic puzzle.

For almost a century, it has baffled archaeologists. Proposed explanations for its Inca-era function have ranged from a burial ground to a system for storing water. Now, researchers from the University of Sydney believe they have identified its true purpose, arguing that it served as an early accounting system and centre for exchange.

Using aerial imagery, the team mapped the site and identified numerical arrangements that mirror Inca knotted-cord counting techniques. They also examined sediment samples and found traces of crops traditionally used for basket-making—plants that would not have grown there naturally—suggesting they were intentionally brought to the site.