Ancient DNA Hub

Runes found in Canadian wilderness baffle archaeologists 'Why was it carved here? Why this text? There are no answers.'

A tree falls in Canada and reveals a 4x5 foot stone slab with the Lord's Prayer carved in Futhark, possibly carved by an employee of Hudson's Bay Company 200 years ago.

www.popsci.com/science/rune...

News - Lidar Survey Reveals Intensive Farming by Ancestral Native Americans - Archaeology Magazine SIXTY ISLANDS, MICHIGAN—A new lidar survey of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula revealed evidence of extensive farming […]

Archaeologists discover evidence of ancient raised garden beds used by the ancestors of the Menominee Tribe in Michigan's UP, prompting experts to reconsider what they thought they knew about farming in the region.
#Archaeolgy
archaeology.org/news/2025/06...

'Lost Colony' of Roanoke may have assimilated into Indigenous society, archaeologist claims — but not everyone is convinced The recent discovery of copious amounts of iron trash on North Carolina's Hatteras Island may reveal the fate of a 16th-century "Lost Colony."

Recent discoveries of hammerscale gives some support to the theory that the lost colony of Roanoke went to live with the Croatoan tribe.
#Archaeology
www.livescience.com/archaeology/...

9 Ancient Roman Roads That Still Exist Today | TheCollector Roman-era cities, forts, gates, and forums still stand today, alongside the ancient roads that connected them, some of which remain visible, walkable, and in daily use.

9 Ancient Roman Roads That Still Exist Today | TheCollector

🏺 #ClassicsBluesky #BlueskyClassics #AncientBluesky 🏛️

Parthenon Was Illuminated in Ancient Greece, Study Shows | TheCollector The study combines archaeological evidence with optical and 3D technology to recreate the Athenian temple’s ancient lighting effects.

Parthenon Was Illuminated in Ancient Greece, Study Shows | TheCollector

🏺 #ClassicsBluesky #BlueskyClassics #AncientBluesky 🏛️

Korea's Haenyeo women divers developed genetic superpower – DW – 05/06/2025 A generations-long culture of deep-diving among women on a South Korean Island may have changed their genetic evolution. A study shows potential for medical discoveries.

Fascinating article about Korea's "sea women," the Haenyeo, who, in short, evolved to dive.

www.dw.com/en/koreas-ha...

A vanished kingdom comes alive in the songs of griots and a new archaeological dig The legendary west African kingdom of Kaabu has long been memorialized in the songs and stories of griots. That's inspired archaeologists to excavate the kingdom's capital.

Oral histories passed down by griots--west African storytellers--inspire archaeologists and lead to the discovery of the 500 year old Kingdom of Kaabu in modern Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.

www.npr.org/sections/goa...

Cornish tin was sold all over Europe 3,000 years ago, say archaeologists British team says new study ‘radically transforms’ understanding of bronze age trade networks

Archaeologists learn tin from Cornwall spread throughout the Mediterranean more than 3000 years ago, "radically transform[ing]" understanding Britain role in the bronze age world.
#AncientBlueSky
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Archaeologists discover secret behind why we keep cats as pets Temples dedicated to Egyptian goddess Bastet have been found around vast ancient arable lands

The cult of Bastet may have lead to the domestication of cats...well, of the ones who weren't sacrificed.

www.independent.co.uk/news/science...

Historians discover 200-year-old notes from students hidden in school walls While renovating a 200-year-old academy building, workers found a treasure trove of secret notes and doodles from students in the early 1800s.

200 year old notes from students found while renovating an old school in Maine. The notes show the student's social lives (a sort of old fashioned analog equivalent to snapchat...plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose) and funny doodles of their teachers.

local12.com/news/offbeat...

The Medieval Manuscript That Features “Yoda”, Killer Snails, Savage Rabbits & More: Discover The Smithfield Decretals As much as you may enjoy a night in with a book, you might not look so eagerly forward to it if that book comprised 314 folios of 1,971 papal letters and other documents relating to ecclesiastical law...

An illustration in a medieval manuscript looks like Yoda. The illustration--like the illustrations of giant snails and a rabbit decapitating a beheading an armless man--"Bear[] no direct relation to the text."
#MedievalBlueSky
www.openculture.com/2025/04/the-...

Ancient tools from a South African cave reveal connections between prehistoric people In a cave overlooking the ocean on the southern coast of South Africa, archaeologists discovered thousands of stone tools, created by ancient humans roughly 20,000 years ago. By examining tiny details...

Thousands of stone tools found in a cave in South Africa show us about the spread of ideas. Repetition of the same practices "at multiple sites across the landscape [tells us] that these people were sharing ideas with one another," says archaeologist Sara Watson.

phys.org/news/2025-04...

Archaeologists Uncover a 'Monumental' Hunting Kit in Texas That May Be the Oldest Found in North America Yet The artifacts discovered in a cave—which include dart tips, a boomerang and a spear-throwing tool—were dated to as far back as 7,000 years ago

Prehistoric hunting kit found in Texas may be "the oldest intact weapon system found in North America."
#PrehistoricBlueSky
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a...

Archaeology breakthrough as 'Britain's Tutankhamun' has surprising origin previously unknown to scientists A small metal stamp turfed up by a detectorist could rewrite the history of the Sutton Hoo helmet

Recent discovery of a metal stamp presents a new theory on England's Sutton Hoo helmet.
#AncientBlueSky
www.gbnews.com/science/arch...

44,000-Year-Old Cave Painting Found In Indonesia Could Be 'The World's Oldest Story' Scientists have determined the reddish-brown rock art found in a cave on Indonesia's Sulawesi Island is more than 44,000 years old.

What is thought to be the world's oldest story discovered in Indonesia. The rock art shows a hunting scene, but the human hunters have tails and snouts, giving insight into early human's imagination.
#AncientBlueSky
allthatsinteresting.com/indonesia-ol...

Scientists Claim to Have Brought Back the Dire Wolf Startup Colossal Biosciences has edited the DNA of a gray wolf to produce what it says is a de-extincted animal. Does that make it a true dire wolf?

Scientists brought the dire wolf back from extinction by editing the genes of their modern relatives. Here I am wondering how much more use I can get out of that Ian Malcolm quote.

www.wired.com/story/scient...

King Tut breakthrough after DNA results reveal likely cause of death For more than a century, Egyptologists have debated King Tut's cause of death. But a DNA analysis has brought them closer to understanding what killed the boy king.

A look into King Tut's DNA reveals he may have died of malaria.
#AncientEgypt #AncientBlueSky
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/...

Archaeologists Found 23,000-Year-Old Footprints That Rewrite the Story of Humans in America New Mexico’s ancient sands reveal the oldest-known traces of early inhabitants.

23,000 year old footprint rewrites the story of the earliest humans in America.
#AncientBlueSky #Archaeology
www.popularmechanics.com/science/arch...

condescending Wonka meme. "Oh, you made a DNA test to compare uses to 10,000 year old human remains? You must be the first ones to have done that"

@myheritageofficial.bsky.social
#AncientDNA

Revealed: first DNA profiles of ancient people who roamed a lush Sahara The genomes of two women who lived 7,000 years ago in the Sahara when it was a green savannah reveal a remarkably isolated population.

The DNA of two ancient women of the Sahara shed light on the prehistory of North Africa.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Disrupting a Feather Gene Recreates Dinosaur-Like Patterns in Chickens Chickens treated to inhibit the sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway during development grow feathers that resemble ancient protofeathers—unbranched and underdeveloped. While some recovery occurs after hatchi...

A chicken, but make it look like a dinosaur. Those scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
#DNA #Genetics
scitechdaily.com/disrupting-a...

Ancient DNA from the Green Sahara Reveals a Lost North African Lineage A Genetic Window into the Vanished Green Sahara

🧬 Ancient DNA from the Green Sahara reveals a lost North African lineage that remained isolated for millennia. What does this mean for our understanding of early human migration? 🌍 #Archaeology #HumanEvolution #AncientDNA #Sahara

Skerry West Standing Stone, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
Photo:2013, digital infrared
#IrishArchaeology #Archaeology #Megalithic #Infrared #Black&White #Monochrome #Photography #Art #BlueSky #BlueSkyArt #Antrim

New study challenges the story of humanity's shift from prehistoric hunting to farming A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has turned traditional thinking on its head by highlighting the role of human interactions during the shift from hunting and ga...

New study changes how we understand human's shift to farming, suggesting that humans weren't just "passive" participants responding to climate change but "played an active and crucial role in the transition."
#AncientBlueSky
phys.org/news/2025-03...

Quest for the Historical Arthur: A Kalamazoo Story Quest for the Historical Arthur: A Kalamazoo Story [McLaughlin, Tiggy] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Quest for the Historical Arthur: A Kalamazoo Story

Looks like fun! I can't wait to read it! For anyone else curious: www.amazon.com/Quest-Histor...

Where can I read it?

4,000-year-old tablets found in Iraq reveal ancient red tape Archaeologists from the British Museum and Iraq have uncovered over 200 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets at Girsu, shedding light on the earliest known empire's complex bureaucracy.

A look into the ancient world of red tape, noting even the death of sheep in the far flung regions of the empire. Also shows the role of women in state offices in the Akkadian empire.
#AncientBlueSky
www.euronews.com/culture/2025...

Two near lifesize sculptures found during excavations of Pompeii tomb The detailed relics were found in a necropolis and experts believe the woman depicted could have been an important priestess

“Two almost lifesize sculptures of a man and woman, who was believed to have been a priestess, have been found during the excavations of a huge tomb in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.” #AncientBluesky

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

The First Roman Aqueduct Ever Found in Slovakia Sports an Ancient Manufacturer’s Stamp and a Paw Print Researchers found the channel on historic grounds near the country's capital, Bratislava

Aqueduct in Slovakia is notable for being the oldest in the country and for a dog's pawprint on a brick. The print is more likely to have been made by a dog running across the clay as it dried than the stamp of it's manufacturer.
#AncientBlueSky #AncientRome
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/t...

A New Cat Color Is Defying Genetic Expectations From roots to tips, this fur tells a tale of evolutionary wonder.

New cat fur color discovered! Scientists sequenced the genome of "salty licorice" colored cats and found a mutation to explain this new look.

www.popularmechanics.com/science/a643...