A submerged limestone bridge found in a cave on the Spanish island of Mallorca has been dated to be 6,000 years old, revealing human presence on the island 1,600 years earlier than previously thought. This discovery significantly impacts the understanding of early human settlement patterns in the Mediterranean.
The Lion Man, a 40,000-year-old ivory statuette found in Germany, was once considered the oldest known depiction of a therianthrope, a part-human, part-animal figure. However, newly discovered rock art in Indonesia has pushed back the origins of this concept by over 10,000 years, suggesting that humans were engaging in complex religious practices much earlier than previously thought.
A cave painting in Indonesia, depicting three human-like figures and a wild pig, has been confirmed as the oldest example of a ‘picture story’ in the world, dating back at least 51,200 years. This discovery pushes back the timeline of storytelling and provides insights into the abstract thinking abilities of early humans.
A groundbreaking linguistic model reveals that Indigenous peoples entered North America in four distinct waves between 12,000 and 24,000 years ago, bringing their diverse languages with them. This model aligns with archaeological, climatological, and genetic evidence, supporting the notion of dynamic and diverse populations in early North America. By analyzing structural features of 60 languages from across the U.S. and Canada, researchers have identified two main language groups that entered North America in multiple waves, providing insights into the peopling of the continent.
Retired geologist Dr. Andrew Beckly has made an extraordinary discovery in his back garden, uncovering a hoard of Bronze Age artifacts that has the potential to rewrite the history of the region. Originally inspired by the popular TV program Time Team, Beckly’s chance find of an arrowhead sparked a larger investigation that has yielded over 2,500 artifacts, including blades and axes. His findings challenge conventional assumptions about the distribution of Bronze Age settlements in Britain, hinting at a previously overlooked Atlantic province and continuous occupation of the area for nearly 10,000 years.
