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Even Neanderthals had distinct preferences when it came to making dinner, study suggests

Even Neanderthals had distinct preferences when it came to making dinner, study suggests

The Guardian7 days ago
Nothing turns up the heat in a kitchen quite like debating the best way to chop an onion. Now researchers have found even our prehistoric cousins had distinct preferences when it came to preparing food.
Archaeologists studying animal bones recovered from two caves in northern Israel have found different groups of Neanderthals, living around the same time, butchered the same animals in different ways.
'It means that within all the Neanderthal population, you have several distinct groups that have distinct ways of doing things, even for activities that are so related to survival,' said Anaëlle Jallon, the first author of the research, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Writing in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archeology, Jallon and colleagues report how they studied cut marks on 249 bone fragments from between 70,000 and 50,000 years ago from Amud cave, and 95 bone fragments dating to between 60,000 and 50,000 years ago from Kebara cave.
The caves are about 70km apart and both were occupied by Neanderthals during the winters. Both groups are known to have used similar flint-based tools.
The team's analysis of the bones fragments – which were recovered from the caves in the 1990s – confirmed previous findings that burned and fragmented samples were more common in Amud cave, and that both groups had a similar diet featuring animals including mountain gazelles and fallow deer.
But it also provided fresh insights, including that bones from larger animals such as aurochs were more commonly found at Kebara cave. However, Jallon noted it could be that the samples at Kebara were easier to identify, or that Neanderthals at Amud might have butchered such animals elsewhere.
Jallon and colleagues carried out a detailed analysis of the cut marks on 43 and 34 bone samples from Amud and Kebara caves respectively, finding a number of differences in the cut marks between the two sites.
While the researchers say some of the variation related to the type of animal – or body part – being butchered, these factors did not explain all of the differences.
'Even when we compare only the gazelles, and only the long bones of gazelles, we find a higher density of cut marks in [bones from] Amud, with more cut marks that are crossing each other, [and] less cut marks that are straight lines, but more [curved],' said Jallon.
The team suggest a number of possible explanations, including that different groups of Neanderthals had different butchery techniques, involved a different number of individuals when butchering a carcass, or butchered meat in different states of decay.
'It's either, like, food preferences that lead to different ways of preparing meat and then cutting it, or just differences in the way they learn how to cut meat,' said Jallon.
Dr Matt Pope, of University College London, who was not involved in the work, said the study added to research showing different Neanderthal groups had different ways of making tools, and sometimes used different toolkits.
'These aren't just cut marks being studied, these are the gestures and movements of the Neanderthal people themselves, as evocative to us as footprints or hand marks on a cave wall,' he said.
'Future research will help to discern between the alternative [explanations for the variations], but the study as it stands is a powerful reminder that there is no monolithic neanderthal culture and that the population contained multiple groups at different times and places, living in the same landscape, with perhaps quite different ways of life.'
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Gaps in what we know about ancient Romans could be filled by AI
Gaps in what we know about ancient Romans could be filled by AI

BBC News

time7 hours ago

  • BBC News

Gaps in what we know about ancient Romans could be filled by AI

A new AI tool has the potential to turbocharge our understanding of all human history, researchers intelligence has already been used to fill in gaps in ancient Roman scrolls, but a new system goes much can fill in missing words from ancient Roman inscriptions carved on monuments and everyday objects, as well as dating and placing them often introduces errors in its analysis of even simple modern texts, so there are concerns that relying too much on this technology might distort rather than enhance our understanding of history. But historian Prof Dame Mary Beard of Cambridge University has described the technology as potentially "transformative" to our study of past said that the system, called Aeneas, after a Greek and Roman mythological figure, could accelerate the rate at which historians piece together the past from ancient texts."Breakthroughs in this very difficult field have tended to rely on the memory, the subjective judgement and the hunch/guesswork of individual scholars, supported by traditional, encyclopaedic databases. Aeneas opens up entirely new horizons." Ancient inscriptions are usually incomplete, of unknown origin and date, and often all three. Historians and classicists attempt to fill in the blanks by drawing on texts that are similar in wording, grammar, appearance and cultural setting, known as 'parallels'. Ancient inscriptions tend to be formulaic so historians can often infer what the missing part of a sentence goes on to process is painstaking and can take months and years but opens new vistas in our understanding of the past, according to Dr Thea Sommerschield, an historian at Nottingham University, who co-led the research."Inscriptions are the earliest forms of writing. They are so precious to historians because they offer first-hand evidence for ancient histories, languages and societies."But they degrade over the centuries and interpreting them is like solving a gigantic jigsaw puzzle with tens of thousands of pieces, of which 90 per cent are lost." It's not the first time AI has been used to join up the missing dots in Roman this year, another team of scientists digitally "unwrapped" a badly burnt scroll from the Roman town of Herculaneum using a combination of X-ray imaging and AI, revealing rows and columns of Sommerschield developed Aeneas along with her co-research leader Dr Yannis Assael, an AI specialist at Google DeepMind. It automates the process of contextualising based on parallels, in the blink of an eye. Aeneas draws on a vast database of of 176,000 Roman inscriptions including images and uses a carefully designed AI system to pull up a range of relevant historical parallels, to support the work of historians, according to Dr Assael."What the historian can't do is assess these parallels in a matter of seconds across tens of thousands of inscriptions, and that is where AI can come in as an assistant."The team tested out the system in dating a famous Roman text at the Temple of Augustus in Ankara in Turkey, known as the queen of inscriptions because of its importance to our understanding of Roman history. The Res Gestae Divi Augusti was composed by the first Roman Emperor, Augustus, giving an account of his life and accomplishments. Its date is hotly contested among was able to narrow down the options to two possible ranges, the most likely being between 10 and 20 CE and a second slightly less likely range from 10 to 1 BCE. This showed the system's accuracy as most historians agree on these two as the most likely possibilities. In tests of the system with 23 historians the team found that an historian working with Aeneas came up with more accurate results than either Aeneas on its own or an historian on their own. "The feedback was that Aeneas was not only allowing the historians to accelerate their work but it also revealed parallels that they had previously not identified," according to Dr Sommerschield."And that is the future value of this work, not just to do what we do faster and better but also to do things we didn't think to do before."AI interpretation of even modern texts can be glitchy, so there is concern that mistakes could be made. But according to Dr Assael, Aeneas is a tool to guide historians, not a replacement for them."We acknowledge that AI might not be able to get everything right all the time and I don't think historians will work under that expectation," he said it would be down to human historians to weigh up Aeneus' predictions and decide which made more sense.

Stonehenge's biggest remaining mysteries: The 5 key unanswered questions – as scientists crack how enigmatic boulder was transported from Wales
Stonehenge's biggest remaining mysteries: The 5 key unanswered questions – as scientists crack how enigmatic boulder was transported from Wales

Daily Mail​

time12 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Stonehenge's biggest remaining mysteries: The 5 key unanswered questions – as scientists crack how enigmatic boulder was transported from Wales

It is one of ancient Britain's most iconic and puzzling landmarks. But scientists are now finally starting to solve some of Stonehenge's most baffling mysteries. This week, a group of leading experts announced that they had finally settled the debate over the origin of the landmark's iconic bluestones – the group of smaller stones that are dotted around the site. However, as much as we learn about this enigmatic structure, there are still many questions yet to be answered. Dr Rob Ixer, an archaeologist from UCL, told MailOnline: 'In some cases we know where they came from within 100 metres or even 10 metres. 'But, in a sense, that's trivial information compared to why did they bring the stones from the Preseli Hills in Wales to the centre of Wessex.' Likewise, scientists say we still have much to learn about the people who undertook this epic feat of engineering over 5,000 years ago. These are the five key unanswered questions that archaeologists need to finally solve this enduring puzzle. 1. How did they move the stones? Scientists believe that the stones which make up Stonehenge come from three distinct locations. First are the enormous standing stones, known as the sarsens, which make up the pillars and lintels of the structure. These sandstone blocks, weighing 10 to 30 tonnes and standing up to 23 feet (seven metres) tall, come from the West Woods, south-west of Marlborough - about 20 miles (32 km) from Stonehenge. Second are the bluestones - smaller stones dotting the site, which weigh between two and four tonnes. A team of researchers recently concluded that these stones came from a known neolithic quarry site at Craig Rhos-y-Felin in the Preseli Hills, Wales, about 125 (200km) away. Finally, the most mysterious of all of the rocks is the six-tonne Altar Stone, which researchers now believe came from the Orcadian Basin in the north-east of Scotland. This means the Altar Stone travelled at least 435 miles (700 km) before it became part of the site. Dr Ixer says: 'People used to think that the bluestones were brought along the coast, being rafted up through the Bristol Channel. 'We now think that the stones were transported overland, along what is now the A40 and that they were carried there.' We know from modern anthropological studies of traditional groups, such as those in Indonesia, that enormous stones can be moved without machinery, provided enough people work together. However, we don't know the exact method that the Stone Age people of Britain used to move these stones such great distances. To explain how the stones may have been moved, researchers at Newcastle University suggest that the Stonehenge builders could have used 'greased sledges'. Pottery found at the nearby Durrington Walls, near Stonehenge, was discovered to have strangely high residues of pig fat soaked into the clay. While it had been assumed that this grease was from cooking, the shape of the pottery suggests that these dishes were more like buckets than plates. The researchers argue that this could be evidence that the Stonehenge builders used greased wooden sleds rolled over logs, which would only require 20 people. What technology could have been used to move the bluestones? To reach Wiltshire each of the two to five-tonne stones would need to have been dragged around 140 miles over rough terrain. Some suggest the Neolithic builders could have used ropes and wooden rollers. This would take a large number of people but not as many as the 500 suggested by some calculations. To make things easier the builders may have used wooden sledges lubricated with pig fat. Or they may have used cricket ball-sized stones on wooden runners to act like ball bearings. However, any wooden sleds or rollers would have long since decayed, meaning the exact method will likely remain a mystery. 2. Why was Stonehenge constructed? Archaeologists are absolutely certain that Stonehenge was built so that it aligns with movement of the sun during the summer and winter solstices. However, this doesn't tell us why people would go to such enormous lengths to do this. 'We know that it does have this solar function, but it's an enormous effort for something that doesn't seem to be needed,' says Dr Ixer. 'The true answer is that nobody really knows why it was that they built it.' What makes Stonehenge so puzzling is that it is far more elaborate than it needs to be to perform its astrological function. Dr Ixer says that it is the neolithic equivalent of putting gold decoration on an astrolabe; it's vastly expensive and simply not necessary. Stonehenge is so over-complicated that some researchers think that its shape and function were not the real reason for its construction. Instead, the act of building this monument might have been much more important than the finished product. Recently, researchers have suggested that the construction of Stonehenge might have been intended to unify the different groups in Stone Age Britain. Professor Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeologist from UCL, suggests that the fact that the stones come from all the different regions of the UK means it had a political as well as spiritual purpose. Similarly, Dr Ixer says that the best modern analogy for Stonehenge is how the spaceship Endeavour was paraded through the streets of LA. He says: 'That really is what Stonehenge is about. It's about the ceremony, it's the taking part and the doing that's important.' 3. Why the Salisbury Plain? Scientists believe that the Salisbury Plain might have been used for sun worship for hundreds of years before the first stones were laid. In fact, Stonehenge would have once been at the heart of a bustling religious site. In 2016, archaeologists unearthed a large sacred complex just 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Stonehenge. This settlement is believed to be 1,000 years older than Stonehenge and was a sacred place where Neolithic people performed ceremonies, including feasting and the deliberate smashing of ceramic bowls. This 'enclosure' is one of about 70 found across England and the second in the Stonehenge landscape. The site is unique in a number of ways that ancient people might have recognised. For example, at this latitude, the sun rises directly in the East on the midsummer solstice and sets directly in the West during the midwinter solstice. Likewise, there are deep natural grooves in the landscape which run along this east-west axis, travelling in line with the direction of the sun during the solstice. However, archaeologists still aren't sure why the Salisbury Plain became important enough to bring stones from all over the country to it. Timothy Daw, co-author of the research into the Bluestones and Stonehenge expert, told MailOnline: 'There are things about the site that are special, but is it where the different west and east cultures and tribes came together? 'Or is it a centre for people from all over the Isles and that is why they brought their stones?' 4. Why did people keep changing Stonehenge? Perhaps one of the strangest things about Stonehenge is that it isn't one single completed structure. Instead, what we see today is the product of thousands of years of adjustments and alterations made by successive cultures living in the area. Dating back to around 3000 BC, the Stonehenge site was already one of the largest Neolithic burial complexes in Britain. This original complex was made of 56 holes surrounded by a bank that may have held stones or wooden posts. It wasn't until about 2500 BC that the sarsens and bluestones were erected at the site. However, even this monumental construction didn't last for long. Just 200 or 300 years afterwards, another group of people dug up all the bluestones and moved them from a circle into a large oval. Then, a few hundred years later, another group dug up the stones again and arranged them into a horseshoe shape. Dr Ixer says: 'They were time and time again changing the shape of it and, presumably, by changing the shape of it, they were also changing the meaning of it. 'Among the Stonehenge people, there must have been such a radical shift in belief systems that they actually pulled up all these stones and rearranged them; and we don't know why.' 5. Where are the missing stones? As archaeologists have excavated the area around Stonehenge, they have found more and more pits which seem to have once held large stones. Although we know that the stones had been moved, what is unusual is that there don't seem to be enough stones to fill all the holes. Professor Richard Bevins, a geologist from Aberystwyth University, told MailOnline: '. There are currently around 45 known bluestones. It is thought that the bluestones were brought to Stonehenge around 3000 BC and placed in a circle of holes known as the Aubrey Holes, of which there were 56. 'So potentially there might be some bluestones missing.' However, archaeologists currently have no idea where these missing stones might have gone. Many of the stones show extensive damage from tourists chipping away chunks to take as souvenirs. In fact, during the 19th century, visitors were said to be able to rent hammers from the nearby town of Amesbury for this specific purpose. But this doesn't seem to account for the absence of entire six-tonne stones. Nor do pieces of the stones show up in nearby farm walls and buildings as they do near other stone circles in the UK. So, until one is found, the whereabouts of those enormous stones remains a complete mystery. Britain began the move from 'hunter-gatherer' to farming and settlements about 7,000 years ago as part of the 'Neolithic Revolution' The Neolithic Revolution was the world's first verifiable revolution in agriculture. It began in Britain between about 5000 BC and 4500 BC but spread across Europe from origins in Syria and Iraq between about 11000 BC and 9000 BC. The period saw the widespread transition of many disparate human cultures from nomadic hunting and gathering practices to ones of farming and building small settlements. The revolution was responsible for turning small groups of travellers into settled communities who built villages and towns. Some cultures used irrigation and made forest clearings to better their farming techniques. Others stored food for times of hunger, and farming eventually created different roles and divisions of labour in societies as well as trading economies. In the UK, the period was triggered by a huge migration or folk-movement from across the Channel. Today, prehistoric monuments in the UK span from the time of the Neolithic farmers to the invasion of the Romans in AD 43. Many of them are looked after by English Heritage and range from standing stones to massive stone circles, and from burial mounds to hillforts. Stonehenge, the most famous prehistoric structure in Europe, possibly the world, was built by Neolithic people, and later finished during the Bronze Age. Neolithic structures were typically used for ceremonies, religious feasts and as centres for trade and social gatherings.

Archaeologists solve mystery of 250-year-old shipwreck found on Scottish island
Archaeologists solve mystery of 250-year-old shipwreck found on Scottish island

The Independent

time13 hours ago

  • The Independent

Archaeologists solve mystery of 250-year-old shipwreck found on Scottish island

A schoolboy's chance discovery of the ribs of a wooden ship poking through the dunes of a remote Scottish beach sparked an extensive hunt by archaeologists, scientists, and local historians. Their mission: to uncover the vessel's long-lost story. Now, through a blend of high-tech science and dedicated community research, an answer has finally emerged. Researchers announced on Wednesday that the wreck is very likely the Earl of Chatham, an 18th-century warship that saw action in the American War of Independence, before a second life hunting whales in the Arctic, and ultimately met a stormy demise. 'I would regard it as a lucky ship, which is a strange thing to say about a ship that's wrecked,' said Ben Saunders, senior marine archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology. 'I think if it had been found in many other places, it wouldn't necessarily have had that community drive, that desire to recover and study that material, and also the community spirit to do it.' Uncovered after 250 years The wreck was discovered in February 2024 after a storm swept away sand covering it on Sanday, one of the rugged Orkney Islands that lie off Scotland's northern tip. It excited interest on the island of 500 people, whose history is bound up with the sea and its dangers. Around 270 shipwrecks have been recorded around the 20-square-mile (50-square-kilometre) island since the 15th century. Local farmers used their tractors and trailers to haul the 12 tons of oak timbers off the beach before local researchers set to work trying to identify it. 'That was really good fun, and it was such a good feeling about the community – everybody pulling together to get it back,' said Sylvia Thorne, one of the island's community researchers. 'Quite a few people are really getting interested in it and becoming experts.' Dendrochronology — the science of dating wood from tree rings — showed the timber came from southern England in the middle of the 18th century. That was one bit of luck, Saunders said, because it coincides with 'the point where British bureaucracy's really starting to kick off' and detailed records were being kept. 'And so we can then start to look at the archive evidence that we have for the wrecks in Orkney,' Saunders said. 'It becomes a process of elimination. 'You remove ones that are Northern European as opposed to British, you remove wrecks that are too small or operating out of the north of England, and you really are down to two or three … and Earl of Chatham is the last one left.' Wars and whaling Further research found that before it was the Earl of Chatham, the ship was HMS Hind, a 24-gun Royal Navy frigate built in Chichester on England's south coast in 1749. Its military career saw it play a part in the expansion — and contraction — of the British Empire. It helped Britain wrest control of Canada from France during the sieges of Louisbourg and Quebec in the 1750s, and in the 1770s served as a convoy escort during Britain's failed effort to hold onto its American colonies. Sold off by the navy in 1784 and renamed, the vessel became a whaling ship, hunting the huge mammals in the Arctic waters off Greenland. Whale oil was an essential fuel of the Industrial Revolution, used to lubricate machinery, soften fabric and light city streets. Saunders said that in 1787, there were 120 London-based whaling ships in the Greenland Sea, the Earl of Chatham among them. A year later, while heading out to the whaling ground, it was wrecked in bad weather off Sanday. All 56 crew members survived — more evidence, Saunders says, that this was a vessel blessed with luck. Community effort The ship's timbers are being preserved in a freshwater tank at the Sanday Heritage Centre while plans are discussed to put it on permanent display. Saunders said that the project is a model of community involvement in archaeology. 'The community have been so keen, has been so desirous to be involved and to find out things to learn, and they're so proud of it. It's down to them it was discovered, it's down to them it was recovered and it's been stabilised and been protected,' he said. For locals, it's a link to the island's maritime past — and future. Finding long-buried wrecks could become more common as climate change alters the wind patterns around Britain and reshapes the coastline. 'One of the biggest things I've got out of this project is realising how much the past in Sanday is just constantly with you — either visible or just under the surface,' said Ruth Peace, another community researcher.

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