The domestication of dogs is one of the few universal domestication events – everywhere that you find humans, you find dogs. Human beings have inarguably benefited from the domesticated of canines. Dogs are used as: hunting aids, herding animals, guards, pest control, beasts of burden, companionship, and even food. However, it looks like it hasn’t been only humans that have benefited from the relationship. Apparently, domesticated dogs (as opposed to their wild, wolf counter-parts) use human beings as beneficial tools.
Human beings provide their canine companions with food, shelter, and even socialization. After generations of selective breeding, dogs have developed a keen eye to observe human body language – especially the practice of “pointing.” Domesticated dogs will begin to follow human pointing gestures as early as four weeks. Wolves, even those raised by humans, never develop this skill. Additionally, when presented with a need to overcome a problem to reach a goal (usually food), dogs will ‘give up’ and look to humans for aid fairly quickly.
To learn more about the research, see the article in Scientific American.
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Tags: Anthropology, Archaeology, dogs, Domestication, History
Archaeologists in Skye have uncovered the remnants of a lyre on the Isle of Skye. The artifacts looks to be around 2,300 years old and served as a bridge to the musical instrument. While lyre’s existed in the Eastern World more than 5,000 years ago, this piece represents the earliest example uncovered in the Western World. This find is especially rare, considering the material from which it is made:
“Stringed instruments, being usually made of wood, rarely survive in the archaeological record, but they are referred to in the very earliest literature, and, in various forms, were to feature on many stone carvings in Scotland and Ireland, and to become emblematic in both countries.”
To lean more about this find, see the article in BBC News.
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Tags: Anthropology, Archaeology, Isle of Skye, Musical Instruments, Scotland
© Science Daily
During the Iron-Age, ‘competitive feasting’ (essentially throwing the biggest, best, and most exciting party) was a key element in developing political and social connections. Archaeologists working Germany for the past ten years have uncovered key feasting elements in graves dating to 2,600 BP (Before Present). The contents of the grave emphasize not only ‘feasting’ but drinking – large cauldrons used to hold alcoholic beverages.
To the upper-class, the quantity of alcohol consumed was as important as the quality. Arnold excavated at least one fully intact cauldron used for serving alcoholic beverages in one of the graves at Heuneburg. But it’s hard to top the recovery of nine drinking horns — including one that held 10 pints — at a single chieftain’s grave in nearby Hochdorf in the 1970s.
The burial pits excavated contain objects belonging to men, women, and even children. To learn more about the excavations and these finds, feet the article in Science Daily.
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Tags: Alcohol, Anthropology, Archaeology, Beer, Celtic, Feasting, mead, Viking, Wine
© BBC News
Archaeologists from St. Alban’s are using CT Scanners to examine the contents of five Roman burial urns found in Hertfordshire.
“Two of the urns contained bones which could be human. An osteoarchaeologist will now examine the bones and help provide even more detail.” – Kelly Abbott
The completion of the examination will include removing the cremated remains, cleaning, and studying the bones for further conclusions – age, sex, and potentially cause of death.
To learn more about the archaeological inquiry into these burial urns, see the article at BBC News.
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Tags: Ancient Rome, Anthropology, Archaeology, BioArchaeology, Burial Urns, Classics, History, Mortuary Analysis, Roman Britain
A mass grave recently uncovered in Mexico has, fortunately, been identified as more than 1,000 years old – putting to rest fears that they were victims of modern violence.
The grave contains more than 160 people (men and women) who were likely ritually sacrificed. The bones demonstrated markings of body modification ocular amongst the Ancient native inhabitants.
To learn more about this discovery, see the article at MSNBC.
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Tags: Anthropology, Archaeology, Human Sacrifice, mass grave, Maya, mess-america, Mexico, New World
Although the Romans never actually went to ireland, confining themselves to the Big Island (and only making a brief foray into Scotland), it turns out that the Irish occupants did in fact interact with the Romans.
A new Irish Archaeological organization called the Discovery Programme is beginning to research how much of the Romans impacted and interacted with the Irish (including investigations into the possibility of a Roman invasion). While Irish archaeologists have uncovered Roman goods (ceramic-ware, beads, jewelry, etc), until now there has been little investigation into Ireland’s “Roman heritage.”
To read more about new archaeological investigations and the new Discovery Programme, see this article in the Irish Times: “So What Have the Romans Ever Done for US?“
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Tags: Ancient Rome, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Classics, Ireland, Roman Britain, Rome
Today, Discovery news highlighted that the fact that, contrary to the assertions of scientists a decade ago, human beings are not ‘naturally nasty.’ In fact, humans regularly engage in cooperate behavior
“… human children — and most higher animals — are “moral” in a scientific sense, because they need to cooperate with each other to reproduce and pass on their genes,” he said.
“Human morality is unthinkable without empathy.”
So, mean girls (and boys) of the world – sorry, you weren’t just born that way. Human begins are inherently cooperative and social. If you don’t believe me, check out the article in Discovery News.
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Tags: Anthropology, behavioral evolution, cooperation, discovery news, human behavior, human morality, human nature, mean girls
Archaeologists working on the Orkney Islands, one of the northernmost regions of Scotland, have uncovered a stone-age complex that they believe to be a precursor to Stonehenge.
The ritual center called the “Ness of Brodgar” predates Stonehenge by at least a few centuries (early radiocarbon dating suggests that it was first occupied by 3200 BCE). The site hosted several stone age rituals that appear similar to those hosted in Salisbury more than 500 years later.
To learn more about this discovery, see the article in National Geographic or the Orkney Jar Dig Diary.
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Tags: Anthropology, Archaeology, Ness, Ness of Brodgar, Orkney, Pre-historic, prehistoric, Scotland, Stonehenge, UK, United Kingdom
This month’s Scientific American highlights the forensic lab of Dr. Ann Helen Ross, whose lab specializes in identifying the remains, cause of death, or obtaining evidence from murder cases that boggle typical investigations.
Using what, to the lay person, might appear gruesome techniques (including removing soft tissue with harsh chemicals), Dr. Ross and her time help to provide evidence to investigators pertaining to unsolved murder cases (a disturbing number involving children).
To read more about the how forensic anthropology helps solve real life crime, read the short article at Scientific American blog or the longer version in October’s issue (requires a subscription).
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Tags: Anthropology, CSI, Forensic, Forensic Anthropology, Physical Anthropology
2012 – it’s been the subject of conspiracy theories, catastrophic predictions, and terrible, terrible films. People frequently cite the ‘ancient wisdom’ of the Maya that the end of the world is nigh. However, the 2012 phenomenon is one of the greatest fallacies of history. The Maya, in fact, never predicted the world would end in 2012
While it is true that the Mayan calendrical cycle, which spans approximately 5,125 years and begins with their creation event (in 3114 BCE) ends December 21, 2012 it does not mean dire and catastrophic world’s end. In fact, it simply means that the clock will start over (much like when the odometer goes from 999,999 it starts back over at 0).
So, don’t get all your crazy partying out now, plan for 2013. If you want to learn more about the Mayan Calendar and the consequences of 2012, see the article in National Geographic.
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Tags: 2012, Anthropology, Archaeology, doomsday, Maya, Meso America, New World, new world archaeology
The domestication of dogs is one of the few universal domestication events – everywhere that you find humans, you find dogs. Human beings have inarguably benefited from the domesticated of canines. Dogs are used as: hunting aids, herding animals, guards, pest control, beasts of burden, companionship, and even food. However, it looks like it hasn’t been only humans that have benefited from the relationship. Apparently, domesticated dogs (as opposed to their wild, wolf counter-parts) use human beings as beneficial tools.
