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LATNIJA, MALTA—According to a statement released by the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, researchers have found evidence that hunter-gatherers from mainland Europe traveled to Malta around 1,000 years earlier than previously believed. Archaeologists recovered stone tools, hearths, and food waste at a cave site in Latnija that indicated humans have been living on the island for 8,500 years. This means that they arrived there even before the widespread adoption of agriculture, which contradicts long-held assumptions. Experts theorize that they made the journey in simple dugout canoes, making this new discovery the oldest evidence of long-distance seafaring in the Mediterranean prior to the invention of boats with sails. The voyagers would have relied on surface currents to cross about 60 miles of open sea. At a top speed of 2.5 miles an hour, this would have forced the intrepid seafarers to endure several hours of darkness on their journey. “The results add a thousand years to Maltese prehistory and force a re-evaluation of the seafaring abilities of Europe’s last hunter-gatherers, as well as their connections and ecosystem impacts,” said Max Planck archaeological scientist Eleanor Scerri. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Nature.

Budgerigars, small and colorful parrots, are known for their ability to mimic human speech. Scientists have now discovered that these parrots may have the same brain mechanism for speech as humans.

A study published Wednesday in Nature reveals that budgerigars use brain structures similar to those humans rely on for speech.

The Department of Culture, Education, and Historical Heritage reports the discovery of graphic designs on a stone block that could be more than 200,000 years old, as part of an archaeological excavation at the Coto Correa site in Las Chapas. This area, known in specialized studies for housing the oldest remains in the city, is protected archaeologically, as some stone tools were accidentally discovered in the 1950s, dating back to the early Paleolithic.

The work and its subsequent analysis have provided insight into the geological evolution of the site, as well as the archaeological discovery of a set of stone tools carved into one of its strata. Of this set, discovered in 2022, a block of gabbro stands out, marked with lines, giving it an exceptional character. The significance of this discovery is twofold: on the one hand, it confirms the presence of settlers in Marbella during the Early Middle Paleolithic, a period little known in Spain and unprecedented in the province of Malaga. Furthermore, it provides this unique stone, which contains a set of graphic representations of human origin that could be 100,000 years older than the oldest cave art depictions.

A new study by Dr. Margherita Mussi, publishedin Quaternary International, highlights how naturally occurring basalt spheres may have been used by hominin species as a type of tool for more than 1 million years.

Abstract

Recent evidence indicates that the emergence of stone tool technology occurred before the appearance of the genus Homo1 and may potentially be traced back deep into the primate evolutionary line2. Conversely, osseous technologies are apparently exclusive of later hominins from approximately 2 million years ago (Ma)3,4, whereas the earliest systematic production of bone tools is currently restricted to European Acheulean sites 400–250 thousand years ago5,6. Here we document an assemblage of bone tools shaped by knapping found within a single stratigraphic horizon at Olduvai Gorge dated to 1.5 Ma. Large mammal limb bone fragments, mostly from hippopotamus and elephant, were shaped to produce various tools, including massive elongated implements. Before our discovery, bone artefact production in pre-Middle Stone Age African contexts was widely considered as episodic, expedient and unrepresentative of early Homo toolkits. However, our results demonstrate that at the transition between the Oldowan and the early Acheulean, East African hominins developed an original cultural innovation that entailed a transfer and adaptation of knapping skills from stone to bone. By producing technologically and morphologically standardized bone tools, early Acheulean toolmakers unravelled technological repertoires that were previously thought to have appeared routinely more than 1 million years later.

Abstract

During the fourth millennium BC, public institutions developed at several large settlements across greater Mesopotamia. These are widely acknowledged as the first cities and states, yet surprisingly little is known about their emergence, functioning and demise. Here, the authors present new evidence of public institutions at the site of Shakhi Kora in the lower Sirwan/upper Diyala river valley of north-east Iraq. A sequence of four Late Chalcolithic institutional households precedes population dispersal and the apparent regional rejection of centralised social forms of organisation that were not then revisited for almost 1500 years.

Vesthimmerlands Museum is thrilled to announce the discovery of a significant timber circle in Vesthimmerland, Northern Denmark. The excavation, led by Curator Sidsel Wåhlin and Excavation Manager Andreas Bo Nielsen, has revealed a remarkable structure dating back to the late Neolithic/early Bronze Age (2600-1600 B.C.)

The timber circle, with a diameter of approximately 30 meters, consists of at least 45 wooden posts spaced roughly 2 meters apart. This discovery is particularly exciting due to its connection to the Bell Beaker phenomenon, a cultural complex that spread across Europe during the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age.

"This is an extraordinary find," remarks Sidsel Wåhlin, curator at Vesthimmerlands Museum. "The timber circle provides valuable insights into the ritual practices and social structures of this internationally connected prehistoric society. It is a testament to the rich archaeological heritage of Denmark."

Andreas Bo Nielsen, Excavation Manager, adds, "The excavation is a a meticulous process, and we are delighted with the discovery and look forward to dig in. The timber circle is not only a significant archaeological discovery but also a window into the past, offering us a glimpse of the ceremonial and ritual activities of our ancestors."

The timber circle is situated in a ritual landscape at Stenild that includes one of Denmarks few registered small wood henges located some two kilometers away, a significant necropolis from the late Neolithic period, and several settlements from the same era. This context enhances the importance of the discovery, suggesting a complex and interconnected ritual and social environment.

Excavation of the circle's postholes and other features will commence on the 24th of February this year. Vesthimmerlands Museum will continue to study this important discovery, ensuring that it contributes to our understanding of prehistoric societies. The museum plans to share more details about the excavation and its findings in the coming months.

So long and goodbya-eee