Every year were fortunate to glean new insights about the history of the worlds people through archaeologists.
Birds notwithstanding, humans missed dinosaurs by about 65 million years.
Its a reminder that even ancient sports fans and players were more than a little stitious.
From left the right: A geoglyph of a bird, seen from the air; RMS Titanic railing; remains of a man thrown into a well.Credits: Luis Rosendo/Heritage Images/Getty Images | NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island | Åge Hojem NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet
Chief among them were the above doodles, apparently of gladiators and a hunting scene.
Shackleton boughtQuestfor a little under $650,000 in todays currency and outfitted it as an expedition vessel.
First identified in 2004,H.
Photo:Troiano et al., Scientific Reports 2024
This summers paper dated the presence ofH.
floresiensisback to 700,000 years ago.
The team estimated that the individualan adultwas just 3.28 feet (one meter) tall.
Photo:Wikimedia Commons
The team further suggested thatH.
floresiensisdescended fromHomo erectus, based on the similar teeth between the two species.
Archaeological Surveys…in Space?!
Photo:Kåre Thor Olsen
In August, a team of researchers published an archaeological survey unlike all others.
It was done about 254 miles (408 kilometers) above our planet, on the International Space Station.
The team investigated how spaces aboard the station were used.
Photo: Parco archeologico di Pompei
And heyspace archaeology has a really cool ring to it.
Mystery group of Neanderthals
In September, a team of researchersdescribed the genomeof a 45,000-year-old Neanderthal.
Its a reminder that even in proximity with one another, early human groups didnt necessarily interact.
Photo:Royal Canadian Geographic Society / X
The research also showed off the remarkable amount of information researchers can extract from ancient genomic data.
The research showcased how AI can lend itself to archaeological research and preservation.
Other structures revealed in the survey included a ballcourt, terraces, and a dam.
The humerus fragment (left) compared to another H. floresiensis humerus. Photo: Yousuke Kaifu
800-year-old story about guy thrown in well proven true
This ones my personal favorite.
The team is unsure of the mans identity.
The result: the number of known geoglyphs in the areadoubledin just six months.
One of the sample locations in a maintenance space aboard the ISS. Image: Walsh et al., 2024, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0
Until this study, there were about 430 known geoglyphs in Nazca, Peru.
The work is a fantastic example of how AI is changing the field of archaeology.
The ancient interaction occurred about 45,000 years ago, the team found.
The bow of RMS Titanic, as seen in 2004. Photo: NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island
News from the future, delivered to your present.
Neanderthal Faces Were Bigger Than Ours.
Fossilized teeth of the Neanderthal ‘Thorin.’ Photo: Ludovik Slimak
A depth map of the temple relief. Image: Pan et al. 2024
A lidar image of previously unknown Maya structures in Mexico. Image: Auld-Thomas et al., Antiquity 2024
The remains of a man thrown in a well about eight centuries ago. Image: Åge Hojem NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet
A geoglyph of a bird, seen from the air. Photo: Luis Rosendo/Heritage Images/Getty Images
A skullcap from the Tollense Valley perforated by an arrowhead. Photo: Volker Minkus
An intact Greek philosophical text, carbonized by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79. Image: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images/Gizmodo
A mummy from the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang. Photo: Wenying Li
An illustration of anatomically modern humans about 45,000 years ago. Illustration: Tom Björklund
