Siena, and Bologna analyzed the cultural remains left by groups of early Homo sapiens at Grotta di Castelcivita in southern Italy, dating back to before the major eruption known as the Campanian Ignimbrite.

This explosive event, originating in the still-active Phlegraean Fields about 40,000 years ago, is considered the most powerful volcanic eruption ever recorded in the Mediterranean. Crucially, Grotta di Castelcivita is one of the rare archaeological sites where volcanic ash has sealed a high-resolution archaeological sequence.

By employing a set of cutting-edge methodologies to meticulously reconstruct the methods used in crafting stone tools—the most enduring artifacts unearthed in prehistoric excavations—the researchers demonstrated that cultural development at Castelcivita predates both the deposition of the volcanic layers and the sub-contemporaneous cold climate phase known as Heinrich Stadial 4, which lasted for about 2 millennia.

Examples of material culture remains discovered in the uppermost layers of Grotta di Castelcivita, before the definitive sealing of the archaeological sequence by the volcanic eruption. The micro-points (a) were extracted from cores (b) that bear the negatives of these removals. In addition to stone tools, over a hundred marine shells of different species were collected from the Mediterranean shores and perforated for decorative purposes (c). On the right, one of the micro-points is shown on top of a fingertip. Credit: University of Tübingen

The most remarkable cultural innovation recorded at the site is the production of miniaturized stone points from rocks collected near the cave with the most suitable fracture properties. These micro-tools were likely intended to be hafted into multi-component projectile weapons.

This discovery challenges long-held speculations that natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions and cooling events, were crucial drivers of major changes in the lifeways of hunter-gatherers throughout human prehistory.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, hypothesizes instead that cultural innovations among early Homo sapiens originated from mechanisms of cultural transmission and the establishment of large-scale networks that extended beyond the Alps.

Overall, this research represents a significant step towards understanding how Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer societies developed sophisticated strategies to thrive in changing environments.

Grotta di Castelcivita is one of the most important prehistoric deposits in Europe, containing a high-resolution stratigraphic sequence with evidence for the replacement of Neanderthals by early Homo sapiens groups about 43,000 years ago.

Excavations and research at this site are conducted with permission from the Italian Ministry of Culture by the Research Unit of Prehistory and Anthropology, Department of Physical Sciences, Earth, and Environment at the University of Siena, under the direction of Adriana Moroni.

Journal information: Scientific Reports 

Provided by University of Tübingen 

To date, little has been known about people living in north-western Saudi Arabia during the Neolithic—the period traditionally defined by the shift to humans controlling food production and settling into communities with agriculture and domesticated animals.

The piecemeal evidence available hinted traditional ideas—of small struggling groups constantly on the move across the barren lands—needed to be revisited.

Now, an Australian-led team has released new research in the journal Levant on monumental buildings we call “standing stone circles.” The findings are helping to rewrite what we know about the people who lived on this land between 6,500 and 8,000 years ago.

Our evidence reveals what they ate, what tools they used and even the jewelry they wore. It leads us to think these people weren’t struggling so much after all, but rather had found complex and strategic ways to thrive on the land for millennia.

The project

Over the past five years, our team of researchers has studied 431 standing stone circles in the AlUla and Khaybar regions of north-west Saudi Arabia, as part of an ongoing project sponsored by the Royal Commission for AlUla. Of the 431 structures, 52 have been surveyed in detail and 11 excavated.

Our latest findings come from a selection of buildings found on the Harrat ‘Uwayrid—a volcanic plateau formed over millennia. The dense clusters of standing stone circles on the harrat show us how complex these mobile pastoralist communities actually were. We also recovered remnants left behind by the people who lived in these buildings for more than 1,000 years.

We used a range of modern and traditional techniques to tackle the practical limitations of working in such a remote and rugged landscape. Aerial survey by helicopter helped us identify examples of the dwellings across 40,000 square kilometers of basalt and sandy desert. Drones were also used to make plans of the sites, some almost three hectares in size.

ROME, ITALY—Wanted in Rome reports that traces of a garden thought to have belonged to the emperor Caligula, who ruled from A.D. 37 to 41, were uncovered in Rome’s Piazza Pia during a construction project. The traces include a travertine wall, the foundations of a colonnaded portico overlooking the right bank of the Tiber River, and a lead water pipe inscribed with the name of the emperor. Caligula’s garden was described by Philo of Alexandria, a first-century Jewish leader and philosopher who wrote of a meeting between Caligula and a legation of Alexandrian Jews in a garden with a monumental portico overlooking the Tiber River. Other inscribed lead pipes uncovered in the area suggest that the residence passed from Livia Drusilla, second wife of the emperor Augustus and grandmother of Germanicus

ATHENS, GREECE—ABC News reports that traces of a round building estimated to be 4,000 years old were discovered on a hilltop on the island of Crete during an investigation conducted ahead of the construction of a radar station to serve a new airport. No other Minoan structures like it have been found, according to archaeologist and Culture Minister Lina Mendoni. The entire structure covers about 19,000 square feet, and consists of eight stepped stone walls measuring up to more than five feet tall surrounding an inner circle split into smaller, interconnecting spaces. Researchers think that these rooms would have been covered by a conical roof, similar to early Minoan beehive tombs. Many animal bones were recovered inside, suggesting that the building may have been used for communal ceremonies and offerings involving the consumption of food and wine. Mendoni said that a new location for the radar station will be found.

KUTNÁ HORA, CZECH REPUBLIC—According to a Live Science report, a hiker has discovered a hoard of more than 2,150 silver coins in a field in the central Czech Republic. Researchers from the Czech Academy of Sciences identified the coins as medieval versions of the denarius, a standard silver coin minted by the Roman Empire. The coins had been stored in a pottery jar, but only the bottom of it has survived years of plowing. Examination of the coins has shown that they were minted in Prague in the eleventh century during the reigns of the Přemyslid kings Vratislav II, Břetislav II, and Bořivoj II. The coins are thought to have been buried in Bohemia sometime in the first quarter of the twelfth century. “At that time, there were disputes in the country between members of the Přemyslid dynasty over the princely throne in Prague,” said archaeologist Filip Velímský. The scientists plan to analyze the composition of the coins to try to determine the origin of the silver.

ROME, ITALY—According to a report in The Art Newspaper, well-preserved pottery, burned animal bones, a wooden chalice or funnel, peach pits, oil lamps, and marble fragments have been recovered from waterlogged soil in an ancient well at the Temple of Hercules in Ostia Antica, the site of ancient Rome’s port at the mouth of the Tiber River. The objects found in the 10-foot-deep shaft have been dated to the first and second centuries B.C. Burn marks on the bones suggest that the animals may have been sacrificed, cooked, and eaten during temple banquets. “These finds are a direct testament of the ritual activity that took place at the sanctuary,” said Alessandro D’Alessio of Ostia Antica Archaeological Park. He thinks that the carved wooden chalice or funnel may have been used as a pipe or musical instrument. “Refined objects like this are rare given that wood usually deteriorates,” D’Alessio explained. The objects will be restored and displayed at the site museum.

 

Plants are life – we depend on them for 80 percent of the food we eat and 98 percent of the oxygen we breathe. But international travel and trade have been associated with the introduction and spread of plant pests. Invasive pest species are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss and threaten the delicate web of life that sustains our planet. Pests and diseases have also been associated with rising temperatures which create new niches for pests to populate and spread. In response, the use of pesticides could increase, which harms pollinators, natural pest enemies and organisms crucial for a healthy environment. Protecting plant health is essential by promoting environmentally friendly practices such as integrated pest management. International standards for phytosanitary measures (ISPMs) in trade also help prevent the introduction and spread of plant pests across borders.  

International Day of Plant Health 2024: Plant health, safe trade and digital technology 

Each year, over 240 million containers move between countries, carrying goods including plant products, posing biosecurity risks. In addition, about 80 percent of international trade consignments include wood packaging material, providing a pathway for pest transmission. As a result, damages from invasive pest species incur global economic losses of approximately USD 220 billion annually. Protecting plant health across borders is essential by promoting global collaboration and international standards, such as the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs). Innovative solutions like electronic phytosanitary certification (ePhyto) streamline the process, making trade quicker and more secure. 

The International Day of Plant Health 2024 calls on everyone to raise awareness and take action to keep our plants healthy and ensure food safety and safe trade for sustainable economies and livelihoods.  

https://www.fao.org/plant-health-day/en

CÓRDOBA, SPAIN—According to a statement released by the University of Córdoba, recent analysis of three first-century A.D. lead ingots recovered from southern Spain’s site of Los Escoriales de Doña Rama in the twentieth century suggests that ancient Córdoba, the capital of the Roman region of Baetica, was a center for smelting lead. The Romans used the metal to make spoons, tiles, pipes, and other everyday objects. Each ingot is about 18 inches long, triangular in shape, and weighs more than 50 pounds. One of them is broken in half, and two of them still bear the identification mark, “S S,” for Societas Sisaponensis, a mining company. The mark and the shape of the ingots indicates that they had been intended for export, while chemical analysis of the ingots shows that they came from a mining area that includes the site where they were recovered. “This information demonstrates that, in antiquity, these northern regions of Córdoba boasted major metallurgical networks of great commercial and economic importance in the Mediterranean,” said Antonio Monterroso Checa of the University of Córdoba. He thinks Los Escoriales de Doña Rama may have been the site of a mining town with a foundry, a processing area, and maybe even a fortress. 

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA—According to an IFL Science report, researchers led by Eric Klingelhofer of the First Colony Foundation have uncovered evidence for a palisade and nine houses at the possible site of an Algonquian village within Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Explorers Phillip Amadas and Arthur Barlow wrote of their visit to an Algonquian village in 1584, and described it as having “nine houses, built of cedar, and fortified round with sharp trees.” The possible village site was identified last year through Algonquian pottery dated to the sixteenth century, and a ring of copper wire thought to have been made in England that could indicate contact with the English, Klingelhofer explained. The researchers suggest that elite members of the Algonquian community lived within the palisaded walls, and ruled a territory that included present-day Dare County, Roanoke Island, and parts of mainland North Carolina. The rest of the Algonquian population lived outside the walls and raised crops, he concluded. Some scholars think the English colonists who went missing from their settlement at Roanoke may have integrated into this Algonquian community.