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Neolithic

One of the stone structures of the Shubayqa 1 site. The fireplace, where the bread was found, is in the middle.

14,400-year-old Bread Causes Major Re-think on the Birth of Agriculture

At an archaeological site in northeastern Jordan, researchers have discovered the charred remains of a flatbread baked by hunter-gatherers 14,400 years ago. It is the oldest direct evidence of bread...
L-R: Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan; Dr. Cliodhna Ni Lionain, Devenish’s lead archaeologist; Devenish executive chairman Owen Brennan; and his wife Prof. Alice Stanton and one of the decorated kerb stones.

Startling new find of a 5500-year-old Megalithic Passage Tomb in Ireland is, “The Most Important Find for Half a Century”

It has been an exciting time for Irish archaeology as many ancient finds have been uncovered in recent months. The latest discovery is one of the most thrilling of all according to local experts...
Some of the many paintings inside the Laas Geel caves, near Hargeisa in Somaliland, Somalia.

Laas Geel Complex and The Magnificent Ancient Rock Art of Somaliland

Thousands of years ago, humans from the Neolithic age, decorated the walls of rock shelters with paintings of animals and humans at a site called Laas Geel in Somaliland. Their work would last 5,000...
The hide constructed on top of the Neolithic cairn.

Scotland’s Longest Neolithic Cairn Destroyed by Bird Watchers

A 5000-year-old stone burial structure in northern Scotland has been deliberately ripped apart to make way for an unsightly red-neck bird hide, constructed from a wooden pallet and the canopy for a...
Stonehenge Sunset impression.

Stonehenge Builders Had Ancient Knowledge of Pythagorean Geometry

A new book, Megalith , claims ancient Britons built Stonehenge “and other stone circles with a knowledge of Pythagoras' theorem, 2,000 years before the Greek philosopher formalized geometry.”...
The Cochno stone, Faifley. Some think the Cochno Stone is a map showing the other settlements in the Clyde Valley.

Archaeologists in Scotland Unearth a Neolithic “Network” of Ancient Sites

Scientists analyzing “ancient rock art sites” around the city of Glasgow on the west coast of Scotland have concluded that prehistoric man was likely to have lived “in a ring” of settlements around...
Prehistoric Man Hunting Bears by Emmanuel Benner the Younger.

Neolithic Male Genetic Diversity Plummeted – Here’s Why

Starting about 7,000 years ago, something weird seems to have happened to men: Over the next two millennia, recent studies suggest, their genetic diversity - specifically, the diversity of their Y...
European badger (Meles meles)

Stone Age Spaniards ate domestic dogs and badgers

Human bite marks on the fossilized bones of domestic dogs and wild cats, foxes and badgers show people in Spain thousands of years ago ate carnivorous animals if they became hungry enough...
Decorations placed around a coffin at a home funeral in Da Nang, Vietnam. At left, placed in front of the coffin, is an altar featuring a framed photo of the deceased and a pot for offering joss sticks. At right are a number of flower bouquets with attached condolences, and in the background are a number of vertical banners, also offering condolences.

Traditional Funerary Rites Provide a Glimpse at Mystery Neolithic Vietnamese Culture

3,000 years ago, a small community on a Vietnamese island disappeared. No one is certain why, but even their very existence is a surprise. Luckily for archaeologists, it seems that their traditional...
Solar gods were worshiped in prehistoric Ireland.

Was Prayer to the Ancient Solar Gods enough to Change the Renowned Irish Weather?

Ireland’s history is rich in dramatic myth and mysterious legends. The significance of the natural world, and most importantly the sun, was obvious in the daily lives of the pre-Christian Irish...
Last auction of Stonehenge, 1915.

Cecil Chubb: The Man Who Bought Stonehenge

Stonehenge is arguably the best known prehistoric monument in England, and perhaps even in the world. Today, this ancient monument is under the care of English Heritage, a registered charity that...
Ġgantija temple.

The Ġgantija Temples of Gozo: A Mysterious Megalithic Complex of Maltese Giants and Dwarfs

The Ġgantija temples of the megalithic complex in Xaghra, Gozo, are one of the most important and mysterious archaeological sites in the world. Gozo is one of three Maltese islands; Malta, Gozo, and...
An ancient skull (public domain). Note: This image is representational only, and is not a photo of one of the skulls recently-discovered in Mayo, Ireland. Photos have not yet been released of the Neolithic Mayo bones.

5,000-Year-Old Human Remains with Smashed Skulls Discovered in Ireland

The remains of at least ten adults, adolescents and children that were positioned in a 5,500-year-old cave-like structure over the course of 1,200 years during the Neolithic Period, have been found...
Aerial photo of woodhenge discovered at Little Catwick Quarry, Yorkshire.

Yorkshire’s First Woodhenge May have Served as an Ancient Sauna

A team of archaeologists from Yorkshire have uncovered a 4,000-year-old “woodhenge,” thus a wooden circle that some now believe might have been used as a sauna. East Yorkshire’s First Woodhenge...
Externsteine, north-eastern face, across Wiembecke pond.

Worship? Meditation? Sacrifice? What Ancient Ritual Activities Were Held at the Externsteine Sacred Stone Formation?

Externsteine is an unusual sandstone rock formation near Ostwestfalen-Lippe in the northwest of Germany. It is unique among other monolithic sites in Europe because it is a natural formation that has...
Rock art in central Northumberland, northern England. (Author provided)

What Neolithic Rock Art Can Tell Us About the Way Our Ancestors Lived 6,000 Years Ago

The British and Irish countryside is often celebrated for its wealth of unique places of heritage, significance and interest. But not many people know that this heritage includes thousands of ancient...
Left, A stone piece bearing the painting of a human face and found in Kikonai, Hokkaido (Yoshinori Toyomane) Right. A Sketch of the impression.

4,300-Year-Old First Face Offers a Glimpse of Ancient Japanese Culture

Archaeologists in Japan have discovered what appears to be the first piece of stone painted that depicts a human face dating from the mid-Jomon Pottery Culture (2500–1500 BC). Experts describe the...
A painting of Stone Age Man

Stone Age Men Could Kill with One Swing of Their Club

Did war exist in Neolithic times? There is some controversy surrounding this idea, however it is known that violence took place. Archaeologists debate on exactly how much this happened, the nature...
A Liangzhu period structure of the Meirendi bank with wooden planks still standing upright.

5,100-year-old Hydraulic System Found in China is the Oldest in the World

Four years of excavations have unearthed an immense water engineering project created in China about 5,100 years ago. This predates the oldest known comparable system; which is from Mesopotamia and...
Ötzi or Kelab as portrayed by Jürgen Vogel in Der Mann aus dem Eis (Iceman).

Ötzi the Iceman Becomes a Movie

Inspired by Ötzi’s fascinating story for survival, German filmmaker Felix Randau attempts to revive the life of the most famous natural mummy in history though a feature film. Der Mann aus dem Eis (...
Top image: Archaeologists looking at aerial photography found what they thought to be a hidden long barrow, or Neolithic burial chamber, hidden beneath a wheat field.

No Bones Provides a New Perspective for ‘House of the Dead’

This summer, the University of Reading Archaeology Field School excavated one of the most extraordinary sites we have ever had the pleasure of investigating. The site is an Early Neolithic long...
This is base of Neolithic jar being prepared for sampling for residue analysis.

Discovery of 8,000-year-old Residue in the Middle East is the Earliest Evidence Yet of Winemaking

Gadachrili Gora Regional Archaeological Project Expedition (GRAPE), a joint undertaking between the University of Toronto (U of T) and the Georgian National Museum, have uncovered evidence of the...
The Chavola of the Sorceress, Dolmen in Alava, Spain

Neolithic Bones Reveal Socio-economic and Cultural Differences are Nothing New For Spain

The researcher Teresa Fernández-Crespo, lead author of this study, had in a previous piece of work found demographic differences between the people buried in dolmens and those buried in caves: while...
Western passage at the megalithic site of Knowth with decorated orthostat on left. Co. Meath, Ireland.

Mystifying Megaliths: Knowth, Keeper of Ancient Tombs

The rolling green hills outside of Ireland hold more history than can be seen. Legend blends into folklore, and folklore transforms into history. Knowth, located not far from Dublin, is part of a...

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