Tag: Archaeology and Anthropology

At Long Last, a Donkey Family Tree

The donkey is a key, if increasingly marginalized, character in human history. Once venerated, the animal has been an object of ridicule for so long that the word “asinine” — derived from the Latin asinus, meaning “like an ass or a donkey” — means “stupid.” Donkeys and donkey work are essential to the livelihoods of […]

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Ancient DNA Reveals History of Hunter-Gatherers in Europe

That genetic gulf led Dr. Posth and his colleagues to argue that the Fournol and Vestonice belonged to two waves that migrated into Europe separately. After they arrived, they lived for several thousand years sharing the Gravettian culture but remaining genetically distinct. “This result is, in my opinion, groundbreaking,” said Anaïs Luiza Vignoles, an archaeologist […]

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Neanderthal Crab Roast Leftovers Are Found in a Portuguese Cave

A number of cities vie for the unofficial title of “seafood capital of the world,” and Lisbon has a good claim. The city, Portugal’s coastal capital, is famous for its salted cod, sardines and stuffed brown crab. A study published Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology reveals that these brown crabs have been […]

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These Extinct Elephants Were Neanderthals’ ‘Biggest Calorie Bombs’

In his 1931 book, “How to Tell Your Friends From the Apes,” the American satirist Will Cuppy noted that Neanderthals had fires, caves, marrow bones, mosquitoes, love and arthritis. “What more can you ask?” he mused. If you answered “bush meat block parties,” you might be on to something. That is essentially the conclusion of […]

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