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farmers

Representation of hunter-gatherers in Scandinavia. Source: HaiderShah/Adobe Stock

Scandinavia's First Farmers Slaughtered the Hunter-gatherer Population

Lund University Following the arrival of the first farmers in Scandinavia 5,900 years ago, the hunter-gatherer population was wiped out within a few generations, according to a new study from Lund...
The medieval peasant off to work in the fields. Source: Demian / Adobe Stock

The Hard and Dirty Life of a Medieval Peasant

The daily life of a medieval peasant in England and elsewhere was extremely difficult, long, and busy. They faced endless days of manual labor working on farmland starting as early as three in the...
High-impact shocks to the face and skull. Source: Standen et al. / Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

Neolithic Atacama Desert Farmers Battled Violently Over Resources

It wouldn’t be unfair to say that human history has been a continuum of violence, bloodshed, and gore. This phenomenon has been captured today in virtual simulations, games, and other forms of...
A  Farmer with a drink.

Switchel: The Energy Drink of Colonial America

Before Americans had sports drinks, switchel was the beverage of choice for rehydration. Also known as haymaker’s punch, harvest drink, harvest beer, and swanky, this is a refreshing drink that was...
The Afro-Bolivians And Their Monarchy In Bolivia: An Enigmatic Kingdom

The Afro-Bolivians And Their Monarchy In Bolivia: An Enigmatic Kingdom

Bolivia is a land full of wonders and little-known facts. The majestic nature of the mountainous Andes and the adjacent tropical forests, and the illustrious capital city of La Paz, nestled high...
A piece of the Viking silver treasure hoardbeing cleaned by a conservator.      Source: Acta Konserveringscentrum AB

Highly Unusual Glistening Hoard Of Viking Silver Discovered In Sweden

A hoard of Viking silver has been discovered in an ancient building in Sweden, and the discovery is being described as “highly unusual.” The trove of silver necklaces, bracelets and coins was...
Milking a cow. Credit: stanislavss / Adobe Stock

Humans Have Been Drinking Animal Milk for At Least 6,000 Years

Researchers have found the earliest direct evidence of milk consumption anywhere in the world in the teeth of prehistoric British farmers . The research team, led by archaeologists at the University...
Representation of discovery of the skeleton at the Rakhigarhi archaeological site. Source: Elena / Adobe Stock.

DNA of 5,000-Year-Old Woman Links Modern Indians to Ancient Indus Valley Civilization

Ancient DNA from India’s Rakhigarhi archaeological site is telling volumes about the destiny of the mysterious Indus Valley Civilization. Around 3000 BC, Neolithic hunters in northern Scotland began...
Painted side of sarcophagus from Agia Triada, Crete, around 1400 BC. Painted plaster on limestone. Shows the relationship between the Minoans and Egyptians.

Ancient DNA Analysis Reveals the ‘Mythical’ Heritage of Modern Greeks

Phys Org reports that a recent analysis of ancient DNA suggests that Ancient Minoans and Mycenaeans were genetically identical, with both peoples descending from early Neolithic farmers. The study...
Example of a modified skull

Tiller the Hun? Farmers in Roman Empire Converted to Hun Lifestyle

Marauding hordes of barbarian Huns, under their ferocious leader Attila, are often credited with triggering the fall of one of history's greatest empires: Rome . Historians believe Hunnic incursions...
Engravings, Passageways, and Intriguing Stone Monuments: The Astronomical Temples of Loughcrew

Engravings, Passageways, and Intriguing Stone Monuments: The Astronomical Temples of Loughcrew

It is probably not possible to tell when humans first began to wonder about the stars, the sun, and the moon or try to understand their motion, though there is evidence of a lunar calendar being used...
An Illustration of ancient farmers. Copyright Nicholls (2008)

Ancient Skeletons Change History: Farming Invented Multiple Times Across the Globe

An international research team led by Mainz palaeogeneticists demonstrates that populations in the ancient Fertile Crescent are the ancestors of modern day South Asians but not of Europeans...
Basque women in Bayonne (1852)

Scientists Believe they Have Found the Origins of the Unique Basque Culture

The Basque people have been an enigma to anthropologists for years. With a unique language, traditions, and customs, Basque origins have long been a mystery. Researchers now believe they have finally...
Left:  tooth which has had its genome sequenced, discovered in a Spanish cave. It belonged to a Neolithic farmer from 7400 years ago. Right: Cardium Pottery typical of the culture to which the Neolithic farmer is believed to have belonged.

4,700-Year-Old Tooth Provides Insight on the First Farmers of the Iberian Peninsula

Eight thousand years ago, the first farmer groups from the Middle East crossed the area currently known as Turkey and entered into Europe before branching out to follow two different routes: one...
An artist’s impression of the crannog at Monmouth by Peter Bere.

Prehistoric fortress island discovered on English-Welsh border

Archaeologists excavating a modern housing estate on the English-Welsh border in Monmouth, UK, have discovered an ancient fortress consisting of a wooden island with a fortified farmhouse elevated...
This skull was unearthed from a lake bed in central Sweden

New study reveals third group of ancient ancestors of modern Europeans

It has long been thought that modern Europeans descended from both indigenous hunters and Middle Eastern farmers. However, a new study published in the journal Nature , shows that a third population...
Neolithic Farmers

Neolithic farmers assimilated local hunter-gatherers

A new study published in the journal Science has revealed that Neolithic farmers assimilated local hunter-gatherers into their communities in Scandinavia, according to a new report in Phys Org . The...
Human Body and Skeleton

From farming to sedentary lifestyles - how 6,000 years has transformed the human body

New research conducted by the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge University, has examined human bones over the course of 6,000 years to determine how changes in lifestyle have...
6,500-year-old wooden paddle

Archaeologists unearth a 6,500-year-old wooden paddle

Archaeologists investigating a site in Northern England have discovered a prehistoric wetland which was a hive of human activity at least 6,500 years ago during the Neolithic period. The site in...
Farmers and Hunter-Gatherers

Farmers and Hunter-Gatherers coexisted but did not mix for two millenia

New research published in the Journal Science has revealed that European hunter-gatherers and farmers lived alongside each other for more than 2,000 years but there was very little contact and mixing...
Famine in Ancient Greece

New Study shows it was Feast or Famine for Europe’s First Farmers

A new study based on a catalogue of radiocarbon dates has shown that populations plummeted after periods of agricultural booms in Europe, a finding that contradicts previous beliefs that agriculture...
stone age domesticated pigs

Stone Age Hunters Brought Home the Bacon

New research published in the journal Nature Communications has suggested that Stone Age hunter-gatherers in Europe may have been trading pigs with settled farmers as early as 5,000 BC. It is the...