🧐 Ancient Beat #98: Lipstick, caravanserais, and complex Neanderthal adhesives

Hi folks! Welcome to issue #98 of Ancient Beat.

I launched a new newsletter that aggregates micro-SaaS acquisition opportunities from around the web! If you’re interested in buying a small ($0-$100k) online business instead of building one, you can find opportunities here. Pretty far afield, I know, but quite a few of you are entrepreneurs.

If you couldn’t care less about that and you want to hear about the ancient world, read on! 😀

Here’s the latest ancient news. 👇

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🗞 Ancient News: Top 5

• Neanderthals' Usage of Complex Adhesives Reveals Higher Cognitive Abilities, Scientists Discover — According to a new study, Neanderthals used multi-component adhesives to create stone tools, demonstrating advanced cognitive abilities similar to modern humans. This discovery, based on tools from Le Moustier, France from 120,000 and 40,000 years ago, showed that they used a mixture of ocher and bitumen on their stone tools. The mixture was just the right ratio to stick to the stone but not the hand, making it a good grip. Fascinating. And as a side note, it’s crazy that Neanderthal capabilities are still in question. If you need proof of their ingenuity, head to issue #63 where I covered subterranean structures used by Neanderthals 200,000 years ago to limit airflow for chemical processes. There was also a follow-up study covered in issue #80 that discussed the necessary cognitive abilities not only for the understanding of this chemical process, but also for the transmission of it. Impressive stuff.

• Tube of Ancient Red Lipstick Unearthed in Iran — In Iran, a 4,000-year-old vial of deep red pigment possibly used as lipstick has been discovered, dating back to between 1936 BCE and 1687 BCE. The decorated stone tube suggests early cosmetic use in ancient Iran. And the mixture's components closely match those of modern lipsticks, indicating a sophisticated understanding of cosmetology. According to Massimo Vidale, “The scarce attention paid to this ancient Bronze Age industry, I believe, is due to the fact that it has been considered a secondary ‘women’s matter. In contrast, it was a costly expression of luxury that played a crucial role in shaping social interaction in the hierarchies of the early cities.”

Image credit: Massimo Vidale via Scientific Reports

• Traces of Khan al-Tujjar Caravanserais Found at Foot of Mount Tabor — Archaeologists in Israel have uncovered remnants of Khan al-Tujjar, a historic caravanserai (roadside inn) near Mount Tabor, dating back to the late 16th century. This site was a critical commerce hub on ancient trade routes, featuring a market, mosque, and fortifications. Excavations revealed artifacts from the Mamluk and Ottoman periods, including animal bones and ceramic smoking pipes, providing insight into the vibrant trade and cultural exchange that occurred there.

• Archaeologists Find 4,000-Year-Old Snake Artifact Possibly Used in Rituals — In Taiwan, researchers unearthed a 4,000-year-old artifact resembling a snake, likely the handle of a pottery vessel used in rituals. Found at a coastal site rich in artifacts, this discovery adds to our understanding of ancient societies' symbolic use of animal imagery, particularly snakes, which were seen as symbols of life, death, and transition, as well as bridges between heaven and earth.

• Traces of Marketplace from Viking Age Found on Klosterøy — Ground-penetrating radar has revealed evidence of what appears to be a Viking Age marketplace on Klosterøy, Norway. Metal detectorists have found a number of artifacts associated with trade over the years, such as weights and coins. And now ground-penetrating radar has revealed pit houses, which may have been used by craftspeople, and the foundations of a boathouse. Excavations uncovered burial mounds, cooking pits, soil layers indicating agriculture, and settlement traces, bolstering the likelihood of this site being a vibrant trading hub in the Viking Age and early Middle Ages.

That’s it for the free Top 5! If you’re a free subscriber, sign up for the paid plan for another 16 stories and 10 recommended pieces of content covering labyrinths, tonsil hockey, birds, religious structures, ancient laws, cliodynamics, and Welsh folklore.

Until next time, thanks for joining me!

-James
Twitter: @jamesofthedrum

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🗞 Ancient News: Deep Dive