lunes, 31 de agosto de 2015

Investigadores analizarán si hubo ocupación humana del Neolítico en cinco enclaves extremeños


1/2. Una de las pinturas rupestre que se estudiarán en los próximos días
 
Estudiarán las zonas de La Zarza, Llerena, Hornachos, Fuentes de León y Cabeza del Buey. En el proyecto colaborarán geólogos, físicos, químicos, botánicos y arqueólogos

Extremadura se prepara para vivir, en poco menos de dos meses, uno de los estudios más intensos de arte rupestre que se ha llevado a cabo en la región.

Arqueólogos y profesionales de diferentes sectores colaborarán en sintonía en el proyecto ‘Contextos del Arte Rupestre Esquemático en la provincia de Badajoz’, subvencionado por la Diputación de Badajoz.

Este estudio tratará de analizar, mediante tecnologías de última generación, dataciones cronológicas y hacer sondeos valorativos en abrigos (cuevas naturales de pequeña profundidad) que indiquen si ha habido ocupación humana

Los investigadores utilizarán maquinarias de pigmentos de espectrometría Raman para tratar de conseguir analizar líquenes en los enclaves de La Zarza, Llerena, Hornachos, Fuentes de León y Cabeza del Buey, grandes focos del arte rupestre en Extremadura. [...]  eldiario.es

Escavações em Proença-a-Nova revelam técnicas de construção inovadoras


Mamoa do Cabeço da Anta. megalithic.co.uk
 
As escavações no campo arqueológico de Proença-a-Nova, no distrito de Castelo Branco, estão a revelar técnicas de construção em sepulturas megalíticas até agora desconhecidas, com recurso a argamassa, disse hoje à agência Lusa o arqueólogo João Caninas.

28/08/15. "Temos aqui uma construção completa que combina argilas com vários tipos de composição e estruturas em pedra. Podemos estar perante o protótipo do primeiro muro de dois paramentos e enchimento interno, o que mais tarde, no Calcolítico, surge em povoados fortificados", disse João Caninas.

O arqueólogo falava hoje durante uma conferência de imprensa realizada no campo arqueológico de Proença-a-Nova, cuja quarta edição das escavações se iniciou a 03 de agosto e termina este sábado.

Este responsável realçou que é preciso aguardar pelos resultados laboratoriais finais.

Contudo, adiantou que da análise química preliminar feita aos materiais encontrados na mamoa do Cabeço da Anta, "provavelmente, surge aqui a primeira argamassa" utilizada na construção deste tipo de monumentos. [...] Noticias ao Minuto

Archaeologists make surprise find in north-east Poland


1/2. Cinerary urn unearthed by archaeologists at Supraśl [Credit: PAP/Artur Reszko]

Radio Poland [August 12, 2015]. Archaeologists have discovered traces of so-called Bell Beaker culture in the Podlaskie region dating back several thousand years.

"It's quite a sensational discovery," Dariusz Manasterski, of the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, said. It had previously been thought that the culture reached no further than what is now southern Poland.

Excavations were carried out over a week at an archaeological site in Supraśl, near Białystok in north-east Poland. Fragments of pottery, human bones and stone tools, for example a hatchet, have been found.

The dig is being led by archaeologists from the University of Warsaw and the Museum of Podlasie in Białystok.

The emergence of the Bell Beaker culture is dated to about 4-5,000 years ago. It evolved in Western Europe, on the Iberian Peninsula, and its name is associated with characteristic dishes in the shape of an inverted bell.  Thenews.pl   /   Link 2

Grotte d'El Castillo : Inventaire de l'art pariétal


Monte Castillo. marcgroenen-castillo.be
 
Par Marc & Marie-Christine Groenen

Mise en ligne progressive de l'inventaire de l'art pariétal de la grotte d'El Castillo (Puente Viesgo, Cantabrie, Espagne)

Visiter le site
http://www.marcgroenen-castillo.be
Vía LAMPEA (B&W4)

Remains of newborn child who died 5000 years ago found in Orkney


1/6.
 
The remains of a newborn child who died 5000 years ago have been found by archaeologists in Orkney.

August 25, 2015. The bones were discovered earlier this week during a dig at the Ness of Brodgar, a prehistoric site near the town of Stromess.

Experts described their condition as “remarkable” but could not say whether they belonged to a boy or a girl.

They added that the “careful” burial the newborn was given was unusual for an era when so many children died at a young age.

A spokesman for the Ness of Brodgar excavation said: “Five thousand years ago, a child who died at or near birth was buried [there].

"The discovery was made by Andy Boyar, an experienced excavator who was digging at the south end of a building.

“The fragile skeleton was lying on its side in a flexed position and Andy excavated them with exquisite care. They have been gently cleaned and laid out to see how much of the skeleton has survived.

“The preservation of the bones is remarkable. Even with adult skeletons on archaeological sites it is very easy to miss the small bones of the hands and feet. [...] stv.tv

'Ötzi-Walk:' Hike like in the Stone Age


1/4.
 
Three hikers, two weeks, one rule: use Stone Age appropriate equipment only. To promote an exhibition, a museum sent two men and one woman on the "Ötzi-Walk." But they didn't plan with a stint of bad summer weather. 

The "Ötzi-Walkers" are not actually walking. They are huddled in a miserable little hut without walls in the woods just off a main road somewhere in North-Rhine Westphalia. They are staring at the rain that seems to be coming down heavier by the minute - which is good in so far as the louder it gets, the less you can hear the white noise coming from the autobahn that bothered them all night.

That's right - All night. The trio, clad in linen and leather, slept in the hut as well, even though it got pretty chilly. But that's part of the deal.

During the 15-day "Ötzi-Walk," Lukas Heinen, Marco Hocke and his wife Veronika Hocke were to hike from Detmold to Bonn. It's an usual promotion project for the "Revolution New Stone Age" exhibition that the LVR Museum Bonn will display in its three locations in Bonn, Herne and Detmold starting September 5. [...] DW.COM

Prehistoric climate variability a key factor in human evolution, say scientists

In a newly published paper, Smithsonian anthropologist Richard Potts and anthropologist J. Tyler Faith of the University of Queensland, Australia, relate in detail the results of years of study defining a predictive model of climate and environmental variability correlated with key changes or stages in human evolution in East Africa and China. The study, in concert with previous studies, challenges some long-held theories about what has driven the mechanisms of human evolution.

The model, say the authors, predicts eight long periods of environmental instability in East Africa correlated with times of hominin evolutionary innovations as a result of natural selection resulting from the variability. The research also included data derived from palynological study in the Nihewan Basin of China, where evidence suggests that early humans survived and successfully adapted to a new, radically changed environment. [...] Popular Archaeology

Plea made to save last remains of oldest bog road


1/2
 
Conservationists are pleading for emergency action to stop destruction of the country’s oldest known bog road.

Much of the 3,000-year-old wooden roadway or togher, discovered intact at Mayne Bog in Co Westmeath in 2005, was destroyed during commercial peat extraction over the summer.

An Taisce has criticised the National Monuments Service for failing to secure a preservation order for the Bronze Age site and is now calling on Heather Humphreys, the arts and heritage minister who has responsibility for the service, to make an urgent order on what’s left of it.

An Taisce’s calls have the backing of the recently retired director of the National Museum of Ireland, Patrick Wallace, who said of the road: “Its possible destruction would be an international calamity.”
The road was first spotted in 2005 and it was inspected that year by the National Monuments Service which arranged for a partial excavation the following year.

Those limited investigations found the road dated back to 1200BC-820BC and was made of planks of oak some 4.4m wide, running for at least 675m. [...]  Irish Examiner

Buried treasure - 3,500 year old urn found buried in the Peak District National Park


Remains of the rescued 3,500 year old pot (height 22cm)

August 27, 2015. An ancient earthen ware pot containing cremated human remains has been discovered by a worker repairing a footpath in the Peak District National Park.

The urn, believed to date back about 3500 years, was found on the Roaches nature reserve, near Leek, by contractor Kieran Fogarty whilst digging a trench to reinforce a popular footpath.

Ken Smith, cultural heritage manager for the Peak District National Park, said: "Kieran did exactly the right thing – by contacting us so quickly we were able to get out to the site and identify what he had uncovered.

"From the type and style of the pot, and its contents, we identified it as a Bronze Age cremation urn and knew we needed to move quickly to conserve the remains."[...] Ashbourne News Telegraph / Link 2 

viernes, 28 de agosto de 2015

Un experto cuestiona la clasificación del homo habilis por los Leaky en 1964


1/2. Three mandibles accepted as representing Homo habilis. Note that each mandible presents a different configuration from the first molar (M1) to the last (M3). The dart (>) points to the part of the molar (anterior or posterior) that is narrower. The asterisk (*) denotes that the M3 of OH13 (Homo habilis) is ovoid. Fossils not to scale. Credit: © Jeffrey H. Schwartz

El registro fósil humano --género Homo, especie sapiens-- está bastante mal categorizado, según considera el antropólogo de la Universidad de Pittsburgh Jeffrey Schwartz.

A su juicio, esto conduce a una visión limitada de lo que este experto considera una historia evolutiva más compleja y amplia de lo que la mayoría de los antropólogos reconocen, informa la Universidad de Pittsburgh en un comunicado.

En el último número de la revista Science, Schwartz, profesor de Antropología y de Historia y Filosofía de la Ciencia, sostiene que "los límites de especie y género siguen siendo tan difusos como siempre, y que nuevos fósiles habrían sido asignados al azar a las especies de Homo, con una mínima atención a la morfología".

Por esto, Schwartz significa que la forma y estructura de los fósiles de homínidos (un grupo formado por los seres humanos modernos, las especies humana extintas, y todos nuestros antepasados inmediatos) son demasiado a menudo ignorados por respeto a la tradición sobre la objetividad.

Como ejemplo, Schwartz cita el descubrimiento en 1960 por Jonathan y Mary Leakey de fósiles de 1,8 millones de años de edad, en el barranco de Olduvai, en Tanzania. Cuando la pareja publicó sus resultados en 1964, alegaron que los fósiles representaban una nueva especie, el Homo habilis.

"Había justificación morfológica escasa para la inclusión de este antiquísimo material como Homo", escribe Schwartz. "En efecto, la motivación principal parece haber sido el deseo de los Leakey de identificar este homínido como el fabricante de las herramientas de piedra simples que se encuentran en las capas más bajas de la quebrada..."

Según Schwartz, incluir estos fósiles como Homo, cuando su edad y apariencia dictan lo contrario, "amplían la morfología del género de forma que otros homínidos de otros sitios podrían colarse en ella casi sin tener en cuenta su apariencia física. Como resultado, la definición en gran medida no examinada de Homo se hizo aún más turbia". europapress.es  /  Link 2 (English) / Link 3

Semillas de "trascendencia mundial" en la cueva del Ángel




Vídeo por TvCentro Andalucia añadido a Paleo Vídeos > Prehistoria de España y Portugal > L.R.1.10 nº 40.

Los arqueólogos hallan en la Cueva del Ángel restos de huesos y grano de 200.000 años, los más antiguos encontrados que acreditarían el consumo por parte de homínidos

La Cueva del Ángel de Lucena continúa arrojando descubrimientos "de trascendencia mundial". Así lo destacó ayer el arqueólogo Cecilio Barroso, que compareció en el Ayuntamiento para abordar el resultado de las excavaciones desarrolladas durante el verano en el yacimiento. De entre todos los descubrimientos, Barroso destacó el hallazgo de más de 15 variedades de semillas, "muchas de ellas comestibles", de entre 200.000 y 300.000 años de antigüedad y que supondrían los primeros vestigios de consumo por parte de homínidos que los expertos, por el momento, han sido capaces de catalogar en todo el mundo. Algunos de estos restos pertenecían a variedades de aceituna.

Hasta el momento, la semilla más antigua datada posee 20.000 años y, fundamentalmente, atestigua el consumo de piñones. [...] eldiadecordoba.es  /  Link 2 

jueves, 27 de agosto de 2015

Fossilised remains of Ice Age top predator dated with radiocarbon


The 61,000 year old lion’s claw, successfully carbon dated by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.Credit: ANSTO

ANSTO researchers using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) capabilities have assisted Russian palaeobiologists in dating rare fossils from an extinct cave lion that had been preserved in permafrost.

In collaborative research reported in the 17 August edition of Cosmos, research scientist Vladimir Levchenko and chemist Fiona Bertuch dated a fossilised bone, claw and hair found among the remnants of a near-complete skeleton of Panthera leo spelaea from a site in northeastern Russia.

Using ANSTO's ultrasensitive dating techniques, Levchenko determined the age of the bone to be over 61,000 years. "Because this sample came from permafrost and was relatively well preserved, there was enough good quality collagen to work with," said Levchenko.

Carbon extracted from animal hair was dated to 28,700 years but the inconsistency with the bone may be explained by contaminants in the fur.

Russian researchers led by I Kirillova of the Ice Age Museum in Moscow published their study in Quaternary Science Reviews following the discovery of 67 individual fossils in the Bilibino District of the Chukchi Autonomous Region in northeastern Russia. [...] phys.org

Las mujeres son responsales del lenguaje primitivo

Agencia EFE– Las mujeres son las responsables del lenguaje primitivo, según determinó Enrique Burunat, profesor del área de Psicobiología de la Universidad de La Laguna de Tenerife España, en su libro Amor y origen de la Humanidad. Según Burunat en “el amor materno-filial está en el origen del lenguaje humano”, ya que, las madres, motivadas por el amor hacia sus hijos, “fueron las responsables del origen y mantenimiento durante cientos de miles de años de un protolenguaje en sucesivas especies de homínidos”.

Según el científico todo esto inició hace un millón de años previos a nuestra especie, comenzó a incrementarse la duración de la niñez, un periodo de dependencia de las crías hacia sus madres.

Además, en torno a esa época, también se reorganizó el aparato fonador, aproximándose al que tenemos en la actualidad, expuso Burunat.

El especialista subrayó que la niñez solo fue posible con una absoluta dedicación de las madres "a la alimentación, el transporte y el cuidado de sus hijos".

Asimismo, señala que en esta etapa vital, nueva en la naturaleza “las madres se comunicaban con sus hijos mediante un protolenguaje, un lenguaje primitivo, en el que los componentes emocionales tenían una gran importancia”.

“Por eso, hoy las niñas sacan mejores notas en lenguaje que los niños, pues las mujeres llevan mucho más tiempo practicando que los hombres”, explicó.

Sobre el surgimiento del lenguaje, el profesor Burunat ha escrito un artículo titulado Language Genesis, que puede interpretarse como un apoyo científico a las descripciones bíblicas del origen de la humanidad.

En este trabajo, publicado en la revista “Advances in Anthropology”, Burunat defiende que más de 100.000 años después de la aparición del Homo sapiens, la mujer transmitió el amor y el lenguaje al hombre. [...] Diario Extra

Prehistoric elk carving found in Arctic Circle


3/5. A carving of an elk (or is it a reindeer?) found last Monday. Photo: Tromsø Museum
 
A set of 7,000-year old rock carvings have been found deep inside the Arctic Circle in a sensational discovery that is being compared to the Unesco-protected Alta petroglyphs found 40 years ago.

Erik Kjellman found the carvings of elk and reindeer last Monday as he was doing field work at Tømmerneset, just outside Kirkenes on Norway’s Northeastern border with Russia. 
 
“I am 29 years old and can not really retire now. I will never be involved in anything like this again. It is unique in an archaeological context,” he told Norway’s NRK channel. 
 
He said that he had stumbled on the carvings while travelling between two separate digs run by Tromsø University. 
 
“It was quite by chance that I went past the place at a time when the light made it possible to to glimpse a petroglyph,” he told the channel. 
 
The rock carvings in Alta, a six hour drive west of where the latest carvings were found, were discovered in 1973 by Professor Knut Helskog from the University of Tromsø. 
 
They was placed on the Unesco list of World Heritage Sites in 1985, becoming Norway’s only prehistoric World Heritage Site. 
 
Tømmerneset was being surveyed by the archeologist as part of preparations for a major oil and gas development in the area, but Kjellman said he saw little reason why protecting his find would cause delay or block the scheme. The Local  /  Link 2 

miércoles, 26 de agosto de 2015

Where bread began: Ancient tools used to reconstruct -- and taste -- prehistoric cuisine


Fig 2. Steps of the experimental procedure using the Natufian utensils.

Team including researchers from Bar-Ilan University and Harvard University unravel the mystery of 12,500-year-old rock-cut mortars found throughout Southwestern Asia

Bar-Ilan University. A group of intrepid Israeli researchers recently went back to the dawn of the Stone Age to make lunch.

Using 12,500-year-old conical mortars carved into bedrock, they reconstructed how their ancient ancestors processed wild barley to produce groat meals, as well as a delicacy that might be termed "proto-pita" - small loaves of coal-baked, unleavened bread. In so doing, they re-enacted a critical moment in the rise of civilization: the emergence of wild-grain-based nutrition, some 2,000 to 3,000 years before our hunter-gatherer forebears would establish the sedentary farming communities which were the hallmark of the "Neolithic Revolution".

The research team, consisting of independent researchers as well as faculty members from Bar-Ilan and Harvard Universities, conducted their study in the Late Natufian site of Huzuq Musa, located in Israel's Jordan Valley. Their findings were published in the journal Plos One on July 31, 2015. [...]  EurekAlert!

martes, 25 de agosto de 2015

Los vándalos se ceban con dos petroglifos de Rianxo haciendo numerosas pintadas


1/3. Foto difundida por el programa Galicia por Diante. Radio Galega
 
Los petroglifos de Os Mouchos, en la parroquia rianxeira de Leiro, ya tienen la huella de los vándalos, que realizaron diferentes pintadas en varias partes del yacimiento. Personal de Concello tuvo ayer conocimiento del acto vandálico y ahora está estudiando cuál es la mejor forma de restablecer la normalidad. El ejecutivo local tiene previsto, además, denunciar lo ocurrido ante el Seprona para que lo investigue. Las pintadas realizadas, que son numerosas, tienen, en su mayoría, la forma de una palma de la mano, aunque también hay otras que responden a chorros de pintura lanzados aleatoriamente sobre la piedra. lavozdegalicia.es/ / Link 2 


Actualización 26-8-15: Patrimonio descarta que las pintadas dañen los petroglifos de Os Mouchos
Una empresa de restauración, que costeará el Concello, se encargará de limpiar la pintura con la supervisión de arqueólogos de Patrimonio...

Foto:


Actualización 28-8-15: El Concello de Rianxo asume la limpieza de los petroglifos de Os Mouchos
Policía Local y Guardia Civil apelan a la colaboración ciudadana para tratar de localizar a los autores del atentado patrimonial...


Actualización: Los petroglifos de Os Mouchos cobran nueva vida con las tareas de limpieza
Unas pintadas que aparecieron el pasado verano obligaron a una intervención de urgencia que ahora se está completando...

. Begoña Albertos limpia desde hace días las dos piedras en las que ya se había intervenido.