ArchPoints

New study maps where wheat, barley and rye grew before the first farmers found them Using advanced machine learning and climate models, researchers have shown that the ancestors of crops like wheat, barley, and rye probably were much less widespread in the Middle East 12,000 years ag...

New study maps where wheat, barley and rye grew before the first farmers found them. #Archaeology
phys.org/news/2026-02...

Call for Contributions: A Sourcebook for Histories of Weather and Weathering
eseh.org/call-for-con...
#EnvHist #EnvHum

Cyalume(R) lightsticks come in a variety of colours, intensities, lasting times, impact- or snap-and-shake activation, infra-red for specialist use, and adhesive options. Used for illumination and as markers for people/routes and signalling. #archaeology

Primary refuse is discarded where it was used, secondary refuse is discarded away from where it was used (image is Schiffer's flow model). #archaeology

High altitude environments are more fragile than those lower down. Slow natural processes and thin soils mean that damage will take longer to resolve. Consider water, food, fuel supply and waste/sewage disposal needs to minimize impact. #archaeology #mountains #altitude #Aztec #Inca

Lessons learned. Can remember someone coming onto site once in brogues and shorts, vowing to show the young trainees how it was done, and then sticking a pickaxe in his leg.

Pre-fieldwork questions:
(1) How long will I be gone?
(2) How much food and drink do I need?
(3) Have I got the right clothing/footwear?
(4) Do I take back-up items?
(5) Will I need any special equipment?
(6) What medical/first aid kit do I need? #Archaeology #anthropology #palaeontology

Different forms of Japanese shuriken ("ninja stars") are named after everyday items they resemble or were made from. The hole in the centre of hira-shuriken (flat plate form) are often from source items that had holes such as coins or tools. #archaeology #ninja

When using public internet connections in hotels, internet cafes, hostels, and airports, etcetera, select all the text of an e-mail or electronic message and copy it to the clipboard before sending in case the connection fails and the message is lost. #archaeology

One car wheel nut may be different from the others as an anti-theft precaution, check you have the right socket head or adapter. #archaeology #anthropology #palaeontology

Japanese shuriken (ninja stars) come in 2 types, bō-shuriken and hira-shuriken (aka shaken/kurumaken). Bō- are pointed spikes, hira- are flat plates. The art of throwing these is shurikenjutsu. #archaeology #japan #medieval

The caganer is a small figurine of a defecating peasant, part of Catalan culture, originating in the late C17 or earlier. A highly popular character in the nativity scene, since the 1940s there are now contemporary versions. #archaeology #anthropology

Car wheel nuts should be tightened diagonally, not by going round in a circle. Imagining the five nuts are the points of a star- top, bottom left, right, left, bottom right. #archaeology #anthropology

There's a last ditch, middle-of-nowhere, at your own risk, method of getting a stuck wheel off, but we're in two minds about putting it on here in case it goes wrong.

The Romans employed pictures of deities and religious emblems on the walls of public toilets to discourage graffiti. #Roman #archaeology

Unbolted car wheels are often stuck on by corrosion and deposits, something not covered in handbooks/instructions. Kicking or hammering are usual solutions. If not lower the jack and turn the wheels side-to-side. #archaeology

Happy to share the new virtual collection of comparative anatomy, SKELETONS ONLINE (cor.iphes.cat).

The specimens come from the comparative anatomy collection of @iphes-cerca.bsky.social , in Tarragona (Spain).

Please, use it and share!!!

This is going to get named after Jordan Pickford, I can see it coming.

Q-pits, round depressions c4m across with a small channel, were used to make white coal in the post-medieval period. They are too small to be quarry pits but may be confused with bomb craters. #archaeology

In Britain many artificial fox earths were first made in the early 19th century to encourage foxes to breed, ensuring sufficient numbers to hunt. An example from Stanton Park, near Chippenham, has a circular tunnel with two entrances and a cross-tunnel leading to a fox den. #archaeology

16 years of ArchPoints today! Our first post was on Facebook on 5 November 2009, we joined Twitter/X in October 2016, and Bluesky in 2024. In 2021 we produced our first ArchPoints Guide, Asbestos In Archaeology. #archaeology

When flying or driving straight into Andean cities such as Cusco and La Paz there is no period of acclimatization to the high altitudes and it is recommended to rest for the first few hours and take the first few days easy. #archaeology

Check this out.

Africanized "killer" honey bees have a sting no more potent and less venomous than other bees but are aggressively hyper-defensive and will attack relentlessly in a swarm stinging 100s of times. They will attack targets a quarter of a mile from the hive and pursue them for over a mile. #archaeology

A pinfold was used to hold stray animals until their owners paid a fine for their release or used as an overnight pen by drovers. The terms ‘pinfold’ and ‘pound’ are Saxon in origin. Size varies from only a few square metres to over half a hectare. Usually found near village greens. #archaeology

En Gerío, in Girona, Catalonia, is possibly the most extreme tourist road train in the world. The 3-carriage train, named after the monster that founded the city, climbs and descends the steep, narrow, winding medieval streets like a rollercoaster which has to be experienced to be believed.

When a car gearbox is broken it is possible to pull away in second gear if you can get enough acceleration, and if you can make it go fast enough go straight from second to fifth gear. #archaeology

Clay, the smallest soil particle (under 0.002mm) can remain suspended on moderate wind for very long distances and only settles slowly in still air. Once a clay has been blown away it will never be a pure clay again as it mixes with other grades as it is blown far from its origin. #archaeology

Does that make you a Rottweiler?

We are just expanding the boundaries of knowledge.