UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK —Ancient hunter-gatherers began to systemically affect the evolution of crops up to thirty thousand years ago – around ten millennia before experts previously thought – according to new research by the University of Warwick.

Professor Robin Allaby, in Warwick’s School of Life Sciences, has discovered that human crop gathering was so extensive, as long ago as the last Ice Age, that it started to have an effect on the evolution of rice, wheat and barley – triggering the process which turned these plants from wild to domesticated.

In Tell Qaramel, an area of modern day northern Syria, the research demonstrates evidence of einkorn being affected up to thirty thousand years ago, and rice has been shown to be affected more than thirteen thousand years ago in South, East and South-East Asia.

Furthermore, emmer wheat is proved to have been affected twenty-five thousand years ago in the Southern Levant – and barley in the same geographical region over twenty-one thousand years ago.

The researchers traced the timeline of crop evolution in these areas by analysing the evolving gene frequencies of archaeologically uncovered plant remains.

Wild plants contain a gene which enables them to spread or shatter their seeds widely. When a plant begins to be gathered on a large scale, human activity alters its evolution, changing this gene and causing the plant to retain its seeds instead of spreading them – thus adapting it to the human environment, and eventually agriculture.

Professor Allaby and his colleagues made calculations from archaeobotanical remains of crops mentioned above that contained ‘non-shattering’ genes – the genes which caused them to retain their seeds – and found that human gathering had already started to alter their evolution millennia before previously accepted dates.

The study shows that crop plants adapted to domestication exponentially around eight thousand years ago, with the emergence of sickle farming technology, but also that selection changed over time. It pinpoints the origins of the selective pressures leading to crop domestication much earlier, and in geological eras considered inhospitable to farming.

Demonstrating that crops were being gathered to the extent of being pushed towards domestication up to thirty thousand years ago proves the existence of dense populations of people at this time.

Professor Robin Allaby commented:

“This study changes the nature of the debate about the origins of agriculture, showing that very long term natural processes seem to lead to domestication – putting us on a par with the natural world, where we have species like ants that have domesticated fungi, for instance.”

Popular archaeology

The UNESCO Heritage division extended its condolences to the residents of the Caribbean islands struck by hurricane Irma between 5 and 11 September 2017, for the loss of human lives and the hardship resulting from the devastation.  UNESCO also acknowledges that the first priority after such a disaster is always rescuing people and providing humanitarian aid. Following that, UNESCO has been in close contact with local authorities, assisting with efforts to assess damage to cultural heritage in the region and supporting initial recovery efforts.

The areas affected by Irma include Cape Verde, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin and the Virgin Islands, the countries of the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, and Florida (USA).

Some of the heritage sites affected by the Hurricanes (including Irma) so far in this year’s hurricane season include:  Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park (Saint Kitts and Nevis), Old San Juan (La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico), Old Havana and its Fortifications (Cuba) to just name a few.  These islands’ environment and landscape have been greatly impacted by the hurricanes as reported by the news outlets and it will take many years for the infrastructure and tourism industries to be built again.

According to the UNESCO and other news outlets, on 21 September, UNESCO was informed by several sources that military action is intensifying within and around the Archaeological Site of Sabratha in Libya, inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1982. According to these reports, military action has been growing within and around the site and therefore, UNESCO is expressing concerns on the matter.  UNESCO has now called on all parties to cease violence and ensure the protection of Sabratha’s invaluable cultural heritage, including its archaeological museum. The UNESCO’s Director-General underscored the need to protect cultural heritage in times of conflict, as recently urged by the UN Security Council in its Resolution 2347.

The World Heritage Archaeological Site of Sabratha, once a Phoenician trading-post that served as an outlet for the products of the African hinterland, was part of the short-lived Numidian Kingdom of Massinissa before being Romanized and rebuilt in the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D.

UNESCO has also reiterated its commitment to work with all Libyan cultural professionals to reinforce emergency measures for cultural heritage protection, and enable the rapid assessment, documentation and monitoring of heritage.

Earlier this year, in July 2017 when UNESCO met to discuss the World Heritage designation, the Britain’s Lake District was one of the 33 sites discussed. The great beautiful destination that attracts millions of visitors every year – long before it was awarded the Heritage Site in July, has now been put on an international level according to many in UK.

In order to celebrate and mark the year for the Lake District and millions of fans, the Royal mail is now allowing a special postmark in celebration of the new World Heritage Site status.

It has been reported that millions of items of stamped mail sent Second Class and First Class in late September will have the greeting: ‘Celebrating the Lake District World Heritage Site #WeAreTheLakes’.

According to the news, the Lake District National Park, said that this postmark will spread the word even further about the Lake District’s special badge of international recognition.

LAKE District fans across the UK are being urged to head to the post-box to secure a special postmark in celebration of the new World Heritage Site status.
The Lake District National Park became the UK’s 31st UNESCO World Heritage Site in July, 2017, and a marketing campaign, “We Are The Lakes”, was launched to capitalize on the new status.

Archeologists have rolled up their sleeves to find the Temple of Athena, in the 2,800-year-old ancient city of Aigai, which appeared in 19th-century excavation research by German archeologists.

The excavation works are being conducted under the supervision of Yusuf Sezgin, assistant professor of archeology at

Manisa Celal Bayar University (Turkey) . The Temple of Athena is expected to be erected in at least two months after the definite localization of the temple.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Yusuf Sezgin indicated this was the first time since 2004 that there was excavation work for the discovery of the temple and they are trying to understand whether the temple was dedicated to Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom. Sezgin remarked that the region on which they were continuing the excavations signaled a carefully selected location for a temple.

“It is not known whether there are Temples of Athena in all of the 12 cities built by the people of Aiol south of İzmir during ancient times. On the other hand, Goddess Athena’s head was depicted on the coins from the Hellenistic-period in Aigai. In this respect, it can be deduced that she was one of the most important and protective goddesses of the city,” he said.

Emphasizing “pagan” beliefs in ancient times, Sezgin stated the discovery of the temple was key in understanding their beliefs. “That is the reason why we seek to understand what kind of a temple and belief Athena had. We think we will gain important information about the beliefs held in the region.