All archaeology articles
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NewsRich medieval Danes bought graves ‘closer to God’ despite leprosy stigma, archaeologists find
Researchers used gravesites to investigate social exclusion based on illness, by studying whether people with leprosy or tuberculosis were kept out of the higher-status areas. Unexpectedly, they found that people who were ill with stigmatized diseases were buried just as prominently as their peers.
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NewsPaper sheds light on human impact of first known ancient pandemic
A new paper examines the Plague of Justinian and its consequences for ancient Jordan. Focusing on the first-known outbreak of bubonic plague in the Mediterranean world, it adds to the historical record on what caused the devastating outbreak that killed millions within the Byzantine Empire.
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News1,000-year-old gut microbiome revealed for young man who lived in pre-Hispanic Mexico
Analysis of preserved feces and intestinal tissue has revealed specific types of bacteria that were present in the microbiome of a young adult man who lived in Mexico about 1,000 years ago, prior to Spanish colonization.
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NewsStudy reveals isolation, endogamy and pathogens in early medieval Spanish community
An archaeogenetic study sheds new light on the isolated medieval community Las Gobas in northern Spain. The researchers have identified the variola virus which can offer a new explanation on how smallpox entered Iberia.
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NewsThe plague may have caused the downfall of the Stone Age farmers
Ancient DNA from bones and teeth hints at a role of the plague in Stone Age population collapse. Contrary to previous beliefs, the plague may have diminished Europe’s populations long before the major plague outbreaks of the Middle Ages.
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NewsDesert-loving fungi and lichens pose deadly threat to 5,000-year-old rock art
A study has revealed that the petroglyphs of the Negev desert are home to a community of uncommon specialist fungi and lichens. Unfortunately, these species may pose a serious threat to the rock art in the long term.