🧐 Ancient Beat #95: The Gravettian culture(s), unique dolmens, and Alexander the Great's fam
Hi folks! Welcome to issue #95 of Ancient Beat - we’re just 5 issues away from #100! Time flies. 🙀
Quick shoutout: I covered Roman dodecahedrons last week, which are quite mysterious since experts don’t know what their purpose was. But a reader very kindly informed me that they can be used for knitting! Here’s a video. Who knows if this was the original purpose or not, but it seems like a satisfyingly practical explanation to me. A big thank you to this reader for educating me! I love hearing from you all.
Here’s the latest ancient news. 👇
🗞 Ancient News: Top 5
Ice Age Hunters in Europe Weren't One People but Multiple Cultures, Study Discovers — It was previously thought that folks living in Europe from 34,000 to 24,000 were all part of the so-called Gravettian culture. This was based on similarities in spearpoints, figurines, etc. But a study revealed that European hunter-gatherers of the time were actually comprised of multiple distinct cultures, rather than a single homogenous group. Analysis of 134 types of beads across 112 sites indicated at least 9 regional groups, with differences in artifact styles not solely attributed to material availability. This finding, confirmed by genetic data, highlights the cultural diversity in prehistoric Europe, even among communities that shared common art and tool-making practices. There also appears to have been exchange between the groups.
Neanderthals and Humans Lived Side by Side in Northern Europe 45,000 Years Ago — Genetic analysis of bone fragments in Germany dating to 45,000 years ago revealed that they’re actually from Homo sapiens. This is the earliest evidence of modern humans in Northern Europe, and the earliest evidence of Homo sapiens coexisting with Neanderthals. According to Jean-Jacque Hublin, “This fundamentally changes our previous knowledge about the period: Homo sapiens reached northwestern Europe long before Neanderthal disappearance in southwestern Europe.” The research also suggests that we created the leaf points of the Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ) culture. This article references a trio of papers, so there’s a lot to dive into if you’re so inclined. It’s well worth it.
Prehistoric Dolmen Excavated in Sweden — A dolmen dating back to 3500 BCE, was discovered in western Sweden. This stone burial chamber, which is the oldest ever found in Scandinavia, was missing parts of skeletons, including skulls and larger bones. When bones are missing from undisturbed burials, it’s usually the small ones, so this suggests possible ritualistic reasons behind their removal. The dolmen features unique niches at each end.
90,000-Year-Old Human Footprints Found on a Moroccan Beach Are Some of the Oldest and Best Preserved in the World — In Morocco, researchers discovered 85 human footprints dating back 90,000 years, forming one of the world's largest and best-preserved trackways. The prints were made by a multi-generational group of at least five early modern humans. The footprints' exceptional preservation is attributed to beach layout and clay sediments, which quickly buried them under tides. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, ichnites are cool. What were they up to? What was on their minds?
Alexander the Great's Father and Son Identified in 2,300-Year-Old Tombs — There has been a long-standing debate about whose remains are in the "Great Tumulus" at Vergina in northern Greece, dating back to the late 4th century BCE. Researchers have examined the skeletons further and now have strong evidence that the remains are those of Alexander the Great's father (Philip II), father’s wife (Cleopatra) and her newborn, half-brother (Arrhidaeus Philip III), half-brother’s wife (Adea Eurydice), and son (Alexander IV). The identification was based on skeletal analysis and historical evidence, such as a knee fusion consistent with Philip II's known lameness and the known assassination of Phillip’s wife and newborn. This discovery reshapes the understanding of Macedonian royal burial traditions and the ownership of artifacts found within these tombs.
That’s it for the free Top 5! If you’re a free subscriber, sign up for the paid plan for another 17 stories and 11 recommended pieces of content covering tsunamis in the UK, prehistoric trade in the UAE, “ritual” batons reclassified, treasure, atlatls, cute doggos, hand-sewn ships, and the drama unfolding around the restoring of the Pyramid of Menkaure.
Thanks, folks!
-James
Twitter: @jamesofthedrum
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