NOVOSIBIRSK, RUSSIA—According to a report in The Siberian Times,
a figurine that appears to be wearing a feathered headdress has been
discovered at an approximately 5,000-year-old site near the Ob River in
western Siberia. Archaeologist Natalia Basova said the unusual artifact
was found along with a bird carved from bone that was probably sewn onto
clothing or worn as a pendant, and several anthropomorphic figurines,
also equipped with holes, made of mammoth tusk, sandstone, birch burl,
and an organic material that has not yet been identified. A moose
figurine, made of shale, was also recovered. The site was disturbed by
an earthquake and tsunami wave some 4,000 years ago, and by a potato
farm in the modern era.
Prehistoric teeth fossils dating back 9.7 million years 'could rewrite human history'
'This is a tremendous stroke of luck, but also a great mystery'
A canine tooth dating back 9.7 million years found in an old riverbed near Mainz Mainz Natural History Museum
Archaeologists in Germany have discovered a 9.7 million-year-old set of fossilised teeth they say could trigger the “rewriting" of human history.
The dental remains were found by scientists sifting through gravel
and sand in a former bed of the Rhine river near the town of Eppelsheim.
They resemble those belonging to “Lucy”, a 3.2 million-year-old skeleton of a human ancestor found in Ethiopia.
However, they do not resemble those of any other species found in Europe or Asia, raising questions about the “out-of-Africa” theory of human origins.
Scientists were so confused by the find they held off from publishing their research for the past year, Die Welt reports.
Herbert Lutz, director at the Mainz Natural History Museum and head of the research team, told local media:
"They are clearly ape teeth. Their characteristics resemble African
finds that are four to five million years younger than the fossils
excavated in Eppelsheim.
“This is a tremendous stroke of luck, but also a great mystery."
At a press conference announcing the discovery, the mayor of Mainz
suggested the find could force scientists to reassess the history of
early humans.
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Ancient mystery of how the Egyptians built the Great Pyramid of Giza solved
"I don't want to over-dramatise it, but I would hypothesise that we
shall have to start rewriting the history of mankind after today," he
said.
Axel von Berg, a local archaeologist, said the new findings would “amaze experts”.
With the first paper on the research to be published next week, the
“real work” to unlock the mystery is only just beginning, Dr Lutz said.
Although there is abundant fossil evidence that great apes were
roaming Europe millions of years ago, there has been no confirmed cases
of hominins – species closely related to humans – on the continent
By PAMELA GRANT
Cove Leader-Press Fort
Hood has a plethora of ancient artifacts that can help teach us more
about the past, and for the rest of this month, several of those
artifacts will be on display. The Fort Hood Cultural Management Office joined Texas A&M University - Central Texas (TAMUCT) to hold their 3rd Archaeology Fair on Thursday at the TAMUCT campus in Killeen. The event began at 10 a.m. and ran until 1 p.m. October
is Texas Archaeology Month, and in addition to Thursday’s fair, the
college will be holding an open house for the rest of October in
Building 1938 near the Sportsmen’s Center on Fort Hood Monday through
Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. where
they will have historical artifacts on display. Both
the fair and the display are intended to give the public a better
understanding about this area’s history. Event hosts hope that this
might kindle a desire to protect and preserve historical sites and
artifacts. Christine Jones, PhD, TAMUCT’s Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Criminal Justice, oversaw Thursday’s event. “We’re
educating the public about archaeology in Central Texas,” said Jones.
“Hopefully some of the kids visiting will think ‘Oh wow, this is part of
our education. It’s part of our history and pre-history.’” Thursday’s
Archaeology Fair included various hands-on activities and interactive
demonstrations that were both fun and informative. Both children and
adults could practice flint knapping to try to make an arrowhead, take
the opportunity to throw a spear using an atlatl, learn about Native
American history and the history of this area, dig for fossils, check
out historic and pre-historic items from Fort Hood, and more. “It
was really neat for the kids be able to see and to be able to come out
and get hands-on,” said Candace Frank, who brought her daughter and two
sons to the event. The
spear throwing was one of the most popular events at the Archaeology
Fair. Event-goers could throw spears using an atlatl which is an ancient
spear-throwing device that was used before bows and arrows. “A
lot of people have been commenting on how much easier it is than bow
and arrow,” said Jones. “It’s easier to just immediately pick it up and
do it. The kids have been doing really well.” In order to share her culture, Mildred Todd set up a table with several Navajo and Hopi items.
Her table displayed books, pictures, toys, games, and more. Todd said
that the children were especially excited by the games. She allowed
event-goers to touch and interact with the items on display. Todd
said that it was important to her to share her heritage. She said that
children tend to assume that the Native Americans live and act like they
are depicted in movies. Todd said she wanted to show people that, in
reality, they are just like everyone else. Many parents brought their young children to the family-friendly event. “They’re
enjoying it. It’s great to be able to have the local stuff that was
found and to be able to talk about all these local artifacts,” said
Eileen Fredette, who brought her sons to the event. “That also exposes
them to how people had to live.” Anyone
who missed the event—or those that want to check out the artifacts
again—are welcome to check out the college’s open house which will be
available for the rest of the month.
NOVOSIBIRSK, RUSSIA—According to a report in The Siberian Times,
a figurine that appears to be wearing a feathered headdress has been
discovered at an approximately 5,000-year-old site near the Ob River in
western Siberia. Archaeologist Natalia Basova said the unusual artifact
was found along with a bird carved from bone that was probably sewn onto
clothing or worn as a pendant, and several anthropomorphic figurines,
also equipped with holes, made of mammoth tusk, sandstone, birch burl,
and an organic material that has not yet been identified. A moose
figurine, made of shale, was also recovered. The site was disturbed by
an earthquake and tsunami wave some 4,000 years ago, and by a potato
farm in the modern era.
