Archaeology
Beginnings of human civilization started after the last Ice Age, which ended around 9,600 BC. All human ancestors prior to this time were recognized as primitive, uncivilized hunter-gatherers who were incapable of communal organization and architectural design. It was only after the Ice Age, when huge 2-mile deep ice caps that covered much of Europe and North America melted, that our human ancestors started to develop and perfect agriculture, forming more-complex economic and social structures around 4000 BC.
Stonehenge stood at the heart of a sprawling landscape of chapels, burial mounds, massive pits and ritual shrines, according to an unprecedented survey of the ancient grounds.
Archaeologists in Japan have discovered that a large mound in the village of Asuka in Nara Prefecture contains a pyramid-shaped tomb underneath, according to a news release in the Japan Times.
The mystery surrounding Stonehenge has suddenly deepened — literally. A first-of-its-kind study suggests that 15 previously undiscovered or poorly understood monuments lie hidden under the ancient stone monument and its surroundings.
Ancient Egypt is just one example of a society in which everyone had been more or less equal began to schism into classes, with clear leaders emerging. In many cases, these leaders held absolute power.
The “out of Africa at 60,000 years ago” scenario remains the majority view. But the orthodoxy is slowly being challenged as ancient bones are uncovered in the east.
10,000-year-old rock paintings depicting aliens and UFOs have been found in Chhattisgarh (India). According to archaeologist JR Bhagat, these paintings have depicted aliens like those shown in Hollywood and Bollywood flicks.
The ‘Plague of Cyprian’ seriously weakened the Roman Empire, hastening its fall. Newly unearthed remains at Luxor underscore the plague’s potency.
Just a few weeks from now, scientists from across the globe will gather in the town of Les Eyzies in the Dordogne to commemorate one of the most important – and fortuitous – events in the study of human origins. They will congregate to mark the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the Madeleine mammoth, a small piece of ancient art that provided unequivocal proof of the deep antiquity of Homo sapiens.
New carbon dating that determined the age of the oldest known camel bones has challenged Biblical accuracy. Camels are described in the Old Testament stories of Abraham, Joseph and Jacob as pack animals. The latest findings, published in the journal Tel Aviv, reveal that camels were most likely domesticated around 900 BC – centuries after the biblical stories are believed to have taken place.
Until recently, archaeologists believed that there were only two species of humans in existence over 400,000 years ago. But, new findings, as well as the recent discovery of the “hobbit” bones in Indonesia, make it clear that it’s far more likely the world of ancient Earth was nowhere near as simple as scientists thought.
