From cowrie shells to native resources and animals, currency in some shape or form has long been a part of human history. A currency of sorts was first thought to emerge as trade and exchange, with trade being tracked through the archaeological record, starting in the Upper Palaeolithic, when groups of hunters traded the best flint … Continue reading The origins of money
Tag: Bronze Age
Bones were keepers in Bronze Age Britain
British researchers have uncovered a Bronze Age tradition of retaining and curating human remains as relics over several generations. It’s a first, they say, made possible by radiocarbon dating and CT scanning, and provides a clue to how communities drew upon memory and the past to create their own social identities. There already was evidence … Continue reading Bones were keepers in Bronze Age Britain
From trash to treasure
Scientists have unveiled what they say is the earliest known example of East Asian 3D art after quite literally rescuing it from a scrapheap. While investigating a Palaeolithic archaeological site at Lingjing in Henan, China, they noticed a layer of soil had been dug up to create a well, but the nearby refuse pile had … Continue reading From trash to treasure
Gene study reveals Bronze Age slavery
4000-year-old German graves indicate a much more complex society than previously thought. Barry Keily reports.
Bronze Age skeleton evidence contaminated
Isotope data showing ancient humans travelled long distances may be the result of farmers using lime. Andrew Masterson reports.
Plague hit Europe before Bronze Age migrations
Tests on 5000-year-old Swedish remains suggest a new story for one of history’s greatest killers. Nick Carne reports.
Getting to the point of ancient spears
A museum piece provides the basis for a new examination of ancient metallurgy, providing new glimpses into Bronze Age life. Andrew Masterson reports.
The Stonehenge dead tell their stories
Several different analyses reveal the lives of ancient skeletons buried near England’s most famous monument. Andrew Masterson reports.
A single artefact reveals life in the Bronze Age
Exploring the “micro-history” of a broken container yields surprising insight into life thousands of years ago. Andrew Masterson reports.
In ancient India, a river didn’t run through it
A cradle of Bronze Age civilisation thrived precisely because of the absence of a major water source. Andrew Masterson reports.
Bronze Age tsunamis driven by massive Santorini eruption
Huge waves generated by volcanic eruptions are thought to have washed up on neighbouring Crete – and helped wipe out the Minoan civilisation.