Archaeology isn’t all about sifting through dirt at excavation sites. A lot of work also happens in labs as scientists analyze found objects.
For Herridge, a highlight of 2022 was the renewed analysis of footprints in Tanzania that turned out to be the oldest evidence of bipedal walking.
Another find was an inscription identifying Hezekiah as king of Judah. It’s the first known such inscription in Israel and Judea.
A 31,000-Year-Old Leg Amputation
The fossilized remains of a young hunter-gatherer are missing a bit of their left leg, which archaeologists have unearthed and say is the earliest evidence of a successful major limb amputation. This is a lot earlier than the previous oldest-known amputation, which happened some 7,000 years ago, and it suggests that medical skills were much more advanced in prehistory than researchers had previously believed.
The archaeology news, from Griffith University in Australia and Indonesian institutions, discovered the skeleton inside a cave on the island of Borneo. When they examined it, they found that the lower third of the young person’s left leg had been skillfully removed—not a casual injury or the result of a battle or animal attack, the researchers report today in the journal Nature. The youth’s shin bones had fused at the bottom, indicating that the limb was cut away deliberately. The scientists think a sharp stone tool was used and that the surgery likely occurred when the person was a child. The person survived the amputation and lived for about a decade afterwards, they add.
This find shows that hunter-gatherers possessed detailed knowledge of anatomy and hygiene to perform the operation without fatal blood loss or infection, the team says. They had probably also learned that some of the plant life around them could be used for medicinal purposes, they add. The young survivor’s survival in the rainforest of Borneo, with its rugged terrain and dense vegetation, also suggests a high degree of care and medical skill among his or her community.
The scientists haven’t figured out why the limb was removed, but they hope to do more excavations at the site in order to learn more. (They’re heading back early next year, despite a global lockdown on digs.) Meanwhile, other recent finds include a 3,400-year-old palace door threshold and a stash of mummy-embalming tools. These are just a few of the many interesting archaeological discoveries made in 2021. Click through the gallery to see what other treasures were uncovered this year.
New Research Into Ancient Poop
Despite what most people think, archaeology isn’t all about digging through dirt and finding artifacts. In fact, a lot of the work happens in laboratories, where scientists use the objects they find to learn more about the past.
One important way that they do that is by analyzing ancient poop. While some might think that examining a thousand-year-old poo sample wouldn’t be the most exciting part of a scientist’s day, it’s actually pretty neat.
For one thing, it allows researchers to see what kinds of microbes were in our ancestors’ digestive systems. These microbes—a combination of fungi, bacteria, and viruses—are crucial for digestion, fighting disease, and regulating the immune system. And while studies have found a link between modern, industrialized diets and lower diversity of gut microbes, researchers still weren’t sure what it was like for our ancient ancestors.
That’s until now. An international team of researchers analyzed eight ancient coprolites—the fossilized remains of feces—from rock shelters in Mexico and the southwestern United States. The samples were exceptionally well-preserved thanks to the dry, stable environment in the rock shelters.
The team used a technique called shotgun metagenomics to analyze the DNA in each sample. They also analyzed the fatty acids and organic compounds in each sample, known as fecal lipids and sterols. These molecules are less likely to degrade over time than DNA, so they can provide more reliable evidence of the microbes that inhabited a person’s gut.
Using a computer program they developed themselves, which is able to identify microbes by their fecal lipid and sterol fingerprints, the researchers determined that the ancestors in these samples had different gut microbiomes than those of modern people. In particular, the ancient ancestors had a greater variety of bacteria that break down starches, which suggests they consumed a more varied diet than those of most people today.
The research could help inform future medical treatments for conditions like diabetes, which has also been linked to a lack of diversity in the gut microbiome. But for now, the team is more interested in understanding how our ancestors plowed their way through life.
A Shipwreck In The Mediterranean
As you’re probably aware, it was a rough year for archaeologists in terms of getting out to dig sites. But they weren’t completely idle—this year brought the discovery of a 3,600-year-old shipwreck near Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. Described as “the Gobeklitepe of maritime archaeology,” it was carrying copper ingots, according to Antalya Governor Munir Karaloglu and Akdeniz University Underwater Research Center teams. The team believes that this is the oldest shipwreck found so far in the Mediterranean, and it may have sparked a new shipping route for silk, spices, and other goods from Asia to the West.
Using multibeam sonar and Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles, the team mapped the seafloor near Keith Reef, a treacherous region of the Skerki Bank that borders Sicily and Tunisia in the Mediterranean Sea. Several anomalies on the seafloor turned out to be archaeological remains, including several shipwrecks.
One of the finds was Eregli E, a well-preserved Classical Greek shipwreck dating to about 200 BCE. It’s the best-preserved ship from antiquity ever discovered, and it provides important insight into the lives of sailors in this era. The other shipwreck, Point Iria, dates back to about 1200 BCE and carried pottery, stone, and other goods from the region.
The team also examined three Roman wrecks that sank in the area, as well as two approximately 1st-century BCE merchant ships laden with amphorae and common wares. The discovery of the hull planks is particularly valuable because it shows how Etruscan vessels were constructed, giving researchers a better sense of their size and design.
A Stash Of Mummy-Embalming Tools
The ancient Egyptians mummified the dead to preserve them forever. They had a whole lot of ingredients to work with, including oils and balms imported from across the known world. Now, a team of researchers has unwrapped long-sought details of their secret recipes for preserving bodies using chemistry and a unique collection of workshop vessels.
The jars were found in a subterranean embalming workshop and burial chamber at Saqqara, an ancient necropolis near modern Cairo, Egypt. Writing on the outsides of the ceramic vessels named embalming substances or provided embalming instructions, such as “to put on his head.”
By matching chemical traces on the inside of the jars to the names and descriptions written on the outside, the researchers were able to decipher what exactly was in each mixture. They found that a bowl labelled antiu contained a mix of cedar oil and juniper or cypress oil, castor oil, pistachio resin, animal fats, heated beeswax, elemi (a plant gum that contains a sap) and bitumen (the black stuff in asphalt).
Some of the other jars held a mixture of ingredients for washing the body, treating the liver and stomach, and preparing linen mummy bandages. Still others contained oils or tars, a substance called gilseed, a powder called nepheline, and a clay-like material made from plants in the Monocotyledon group, which also includes bamboo and palm trees. Then there were the tools. A standout was a brain hook, a tool that resembles a crochet needle and was used to remove the corpse’s brain.
Scientists are hoping to learn more about the actual embalming process from the jars and other archaeological remains at the site. They are also planning to take samples from actual mummies, to see if the jars’ ingredients match up with what actually went into making each one.
The jars were dated to the 26th Dynasty, a time of great economic expansion and warfare for Egypt. The mummies were probably of people from that period, and their bones show that they died in their 20s or 30s. The mummy of Whaibre-mery-Neith was particularly well preserved. A skeleton epiphyseal union, a measurement of the distance between the joints of the skull and the spine, estimated the person was 14 to 15 years old at the time of death.
Conclusion
Archaeology continues to uncover fascinating insights into our ancient past. From newly discovered ancient civilizations to groundbreaking techniques, the field remains at the forefront of historical research. As technology advances, we can expect even more exciting discoveries that will enrich our understanding of human history and shape our future knowledge.
FAQs:
- What is archaeology? Archaeology is a scientific discipline that studies human history and prehistory through the excavation and analysis of artifacts, structures, and other physical remains left behind by past cultures. It helps us understand how ancient societies lived, interacted, and evolved over time.
- How do archaeologists determine the age of artifacts and sites? Archaeologists use various dating methods to determine the age of artifacts and archaeological sites. These methods include radiocarbon dating, which measures the decay of carbon isotopes in organic materials, and dendrochronology, which analyzes tree-ring patterns to establish precise dates for wooden structures and objects. Other techniques, like thermoluminescence and potassium-argon dating, are also used depending on the context and materials involved.
