Big brains, no fur, sinuses … are these clues to our ancestors' lives as 'aquatic apes'?

Controversial theory that seeks to explain one of the great leaps of human evolution finds new support but still divides scientists

A female western lowland gorilla walks through a river. Some scientists believe our ancestors lived an aquatic lifestyle. Photograph: Getty

It is one of the most unusual evolutionary ideas ever proposed: humans are amphibious apes who lost their fur, started to walk upright and developed big brains because they took to living the good life by the water's edge.

This is the aquatic ape theory and although treated with derision by some academics over the past 50 years, it is still backed by a small, but committed group of scientists. Next week they will hold a major London conference when several speakers, including David Attenborough, will voice support for the theory.

"Humans are very different from other apes," said Peter Rhys Evans, an organiser of Human Evolution: Past, Present and Future. "We lack fur, walk upright, have big brains and subcutaneous fat and have a descended larynx, a feature common among aquatic animals but not apes."

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Online Courses in Archaeology

University of Oxford Online Courses in Archaeology

Cave paintings, castles and pyramids, Neanderthals, Romans and Vikings - archaeology is about the excitement of discovery, finding out about our ancestors, exploring landscape through time, piecing together puzzles of the past from material remains.

These courses enable you to experience all this through online archaeological resources based on primary evidence from excavations and artefacts and from complex scientific processes and current thinking. Together with guided reading, discussion and activities you can experience how archaeologists work today to increase our knowledge of people and societies from the past.

The following courses are available:

• Archaeology in Practice


• Archaeology of the Bible Lands


• Exploring Roman Britain


• Greek Mythology


• Origins of Human Behaviour


• Pompeii and the Cities of the Roman World


• Ritual and Religion in Prehistory


• Vikings: Raiders, Traders and Settlers

Beaker reconstructions by Karen Nichols

The two artist’s reconstructions are an impression of how the person may have looked during their life, and when placed in the grave. We know that the skeleton was that of an adult aged 35 or over and that they were placed in a crouched position, resting on their right side, facing east with their head towards the south – a rite that tends to be reserved for females at this time. Although the skull could be lifted in a soil block the bone was too degraded to attempt any form of accurate facial reconstruction – the face is that of the female artist! 

We have made the decision that the beads, along with an absence of more typical male grave goods, indicate a probable female burial. However, this assumption could be wrong as a number of beads have been found with men. This issue is further complicated as such items could represent gender and/or could be gifts from female mourners.  

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Extracting the Past

Phil Harding flint knapping

Have you been reading about rare Neolithic houses and a Beaker burial containing a ‘prehistoric princess’ recently? These discoveries were made during our excavations at Kingsmead Quarry, Horton. 

 

Saturday 27th April 2013, we are holding a FREE open day to showcase some of the amazing finds from these excavations. The event will be held in Wraysbury Village Hall, Berkshire (TW19 5NA) 10.30 am to 3.30 pm. 

 

The exhibition is open to all and explores the discoveries from the site as we present the hidden past beneath Horton’s landscape and uncover the imprints left by farming and ritual activity.

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Bronze Age treasure returns to Milford Haven

A Bronze Age treasure, unearthed in Steynton seven years ago, is set to return to its rightful place in Milford Haven Museum this summer.

The 3,400-year-old wooden trough, discovered by workmen laying a gas pipeline near St Botolphs in August 2006, will finally return to Milford Haven following years of preservation by the York Archaeological Trust.

Work on the site was suspended for weeks in 2006 when the Bronze Age relic, at first believed to be a canoe, was recovered from land in Tierson Farm. At the time, a fragment of the oak structure was radiocarbon-dated at about 1420 BC.

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Sewer workers in Bath reveal part of Roman city's walls

Tool marks on the stone found in Burton Street suggest it was worked in Roman times

Engineers carrying out sewer repairs in Bath have uncovered part of the Roman city walls.

The discovery in Burton Street was made when a large stone block was uncovered nearly 3ft (90cm) below the pavement, a Wessex Water spokesman said.

Further investigations revealed the block was part of the stone wall which dates back to the 4th Century.

"This is a very significant discovery," said Natalie Doran, an environmental scientist with Wessex Water.

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7 more skeletons found near Old Town knight grave

A CITY car park has been hailed a “real treasure trove of archaeology” after seven more skeletons were unearthed from the grave of a medieval knight.

Archaeologists working on the site now believe they have uncovered the remains of a family crypt having found bones from three fully grown adults, four infants and a skull.

The exciting discovery comes one month after experts ­excavated the burial site of a medieval knight – affectionately christened Sir Eck – within the grounds of the new Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation (ECCI) at High School Yards, off Infirmary Street.

Carvings of the Calvary Cross on an elaborate sandstone tomb and an ornate sword found beside the remains led archaeologists to believe it was the burial plot of a high-status individual such as a knight or nobleman.

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More skeletons found near grave of medieval knight

A city car park has been hailed a “real treasure trove of archaeology” after seven more skeletons were unearthed from the grave of a medieval knight.

Two of the skeletons unearthed from the grave of a medieval knoght
discovered under a car park in Edinburgh [Credit: Scotsman]

Archaeologists working on the site now believe they have uncovered the remains of a family crypt having found bones from three fully grown adults, four infants and a skull.

The exciting discovery comes one month after experts ­excavated the burial site of a medieval knight – affectionately christened Sir Eck – within the grounds of the new Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation (ECCI) at High School Yards, off Infirmary Street.

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Urgeschichte zum Anfassen

Innenhof des neuen Archäoparks Vogelherd (Abb.: Archäopark Vogelherd)

Nachdem die ältesten bekannten Kunstwerke der Menschheit durch Wissenschaftler der Tübinger Universität entdeckt wurden, ist es der Universität Tübingen ein Anliegen, die interessierte Öffentlichkeit an den daraus resultierenden Erkenntnissen und Einblicken in die Urgeschichte teilhaben zu lassen. Dem entsprechend hat sich Professor Nicholas Conard seit seinen faszinierenden Entdeckungen in der Vogelherdhöhle im Lonetal um eine auch populärwissenschaftliche Aufbereitung und Präsentation der Funde bemüht.

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Ancient Europeans Mysteriously Vanished 4,500 Years Ago

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DNA taken from ancient European skeletons reveals that the genetic makeup of Europe mysteriously transformed about 4,500 years ago, new research suggests. Here, a skeleton, not used in the study, but from the same time period, that was excavated from a grave in Sweden. CREDIT: Göran Burenhult View full size image

The genetic lineage of Europe mysteriously transformed about 4,500 years ago, new research suggests.

The findings, detailed today (April 23) in the journal Nature Communications, were drawn from several skeletons unearthed in central Europe that were up to 7,500 years old.

"What is intriguing is that the genetic markers of this first pan-European culture, which was clearly very successful, were then suddenly replaced around 4,500 years ago, and we don't know why," said study co-author Alan Cooper, of the University of Adelaide Australian Center for Ancient DNA, in a statement. "Something major happened, and the hunt is now on to find out what that was."

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Posted with Blogsy

The birth of Rome celebrated across the city - in pictures

Romans march in front of the Colosseum during a parade to mark the anniversary of the foundation of the city in 753 BC

Men belonging to historical groups march, dressed as ancient Romans, in front of the Colosseum to mark the anniversary of the legendary foundation of the eternal city in 753 B.C

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Beaker burial

Archaeological excavations at CEMEX’s Kingsmead Quarry in Berkshire not far from Windsor have revealed a rare 'Beaker' burial of 'Copper Age' date (2500-2200 BC). Found within the grave were some of Britain’s earliest gold ornaments (five tubular beads), along with 29 bead fragments of amber and 30 beads of black lignite.

The burial contained the possible remains of a woman who was at least 35 years old. At the time of her burial, she wore a necklace containing small tubular sheet gold beads and black disc beads of lignite - a material similar to jet. A number of larger perforated amber buttons/fasteners were also found in a row along her body, which may indicate that she was wearing clothing, perhaps of patterned woven wool, at the time of her burial. Further lignite beads from near her hands suggest that she wore a bracelet. 

The woman’s burial represents an unusual and important find as only a small number of Beaker burials from Britain contain gold ornaments, and most are associated with male skeletons. It would appear that their religious beliefs dictate that most men were buried in a crouched position with the head resting to the north and facing east. With women the body position is often reversed with the head to the south.

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Prehistoric Metalwork Discovered at Iron Age Site, Along With Gaming Pieces

Archaeologists from the University of Leicester in the UK have uncovered one of the biggest groups of Iron Age metal artefacts to be found in the region -- in addition to finding dice and gaming pieces.

A dig at a prehistoric monument, an Iron Age hillfort at Burrough Hill, near Melton Mowbray, has given archaeologists a remarkable insight into the people who lived there over 2000 years ago.

Both staff and students from the University's School of Archaeology and Ancient History and University of Leicester Archaeological Services are involved in the project, now in its fourth year.

About 100 pieces, including iron spearheads, knives, brooches and a reaping hook, as well as decorative bronze fittings from buckets and trim from an Iron Age shield, have been found.

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Tracing our footsteps: archaeology in the digital age

Human ancestors that walked the earth left few traces of their passage. Some of their footprints have lithified, or turned to stone, but some survive to this day, unlithified, in soft sediment such as silt. These fragile records of ancient footprints pose a sizable challenge to archaeologists today: how do you preserve the ephemeral? According to new research published in PLOS ONE, the answer may be to “record and digitally rescue” these footprint sites.

The authors explored two methods in this study: digital photogrammetry, where researchers strategically photograph an object in order to derive measurements; and optical laser scanning, where light is used to measure the object’s physical properties. To begin, the authors filled trays with mixtures of sand, cement, and plaster and instructed a participant to walk through these samples. Four wooden 1 cm cubes were then placed beside a select number of footprints and photographs were taken. A laser scanner was then used to measure the same footprints. This simple procedure was also replicated outside of the lab, at a beach in North West England.

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The Latest Threat to Pompeii’s Treasures: Italy’s Red Tape

Pompeii Falling From Grace: Pompeii’s ruins are a Unesco World Heritage site, but despite money from the European Union, the Italian government is struggling to maintain them.

POMPEII, Italy — Destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, Pompeii survived excavation starting in the 18th century and has stoically borne the wear and tear of millions of modern-day tourists.

But now, its deep-hued frescoes, brick walls and elegant tile mosaics appear to be at risk from an even greater threat: the bureaucracy of the Italian state.

In recent years, collapses at the site have alarmed conservationists, who warn that this ancient Roman city is dangerously exposed to the elements — and is poorly served by the red tape, the lack of strategic planning and the limited personnel of the site’s troubled management.

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Rescue digs in Portugal ahead of dam construction

Archaeological works that have been going on for two years in the region of the Lower Sabor River in north-eastern Portugal have turned up unique finds dating back millions of years, a source told Lusa News Agency.

Archaeologists have documented over 100 sites dating from the Upper Palaeolithic
to the present day in the Sabor valley [Credit: Portugal News]

“We are finishing the field work at more than 100 sites dating from the Stone Age to modern day, said archaeologist Rita Gaspar.

Gaspar told reporters there were three exceptional sites in the Sabor valley, where works would continue for a few more months and others that were already closing down.

At one of the sites, archaeologists found thousands of stones with graven images belonging to what they called “moveable rock art”.

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4,000 year old gold-adorned skeleton found near Windsor

Archaeologists, excavating near the Royal Borough, have discovered the 4400 year old gold-adorned skeleton of an upper class woman who was almost certainly a member of the local ruling elite. She is the earliest known woman adorned with such treasures ever found in Britain.

Excavations at Kingsmead Quarry [Credit: Wessex Archaeology]

The individual, aged around 40, was buried, wearing a necklace of folded sheet gold, amber and lignite beads, just a century or two after the construction of Stonehenge some 60 miles to the south-west. Even the buttons, thought to have been used to secure the upper part of her now long-vanished burial garment, were made of amber. She also appears to have worn a bracelet of lignite beads.

The archaeologist in charge of the excavation, Gareth Chaffey of Wessex Archaeology, believes that she may have been a person of power – perhaps even the prehistoric equivalent of a princess or queen.

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Didcot dig: Petition calls for history trail

More than 300 people have signed a petition for a history trail on the site of a dig which found evidence of 9,000 years of human habitation.

Among the discoveries made by archaeologists west of Didcot in Oxfordshire was a rare and complete Neolithic bowl from about 3,600 BC.

The Didcot Dogmile group wants the sites of finds at the Great Western Park housing estate marked.

Karen Waggott said she hoped a trail would protect remaining archaeology.

"The 'feel' of the walk should reflect the site's archaeological and agricultural heritage," she explained.

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The Battle of Fulford: War breaks out over 'forgotten' Yorkshire battlefield

Local historians say it's the site of the curtain-raiser to Hastings in 1066. The council wants to build hundreds of houses on it

Combatants are squaring up to do battle over the fate of a Yorkshire field more than 1,000 years after they say an earlier battle was fought there that helped to change the course of British history. Rival groups have issued a call to arms over the future of what some historians claim is the true site of the "forgotten" Battle of Fulford in September 1066. Local historians are fighting a rearguard action over developers' plans to build 600 homes on a field near York which they say is the site of the historic battle.

The Battle of Fulford is where an invading Viking army defeated an Anglo-Saxon force led by the northern earls, Edwin and Morcar. Historians say the battle is important because the defeat forced the Anglo-Saxon king, Harold Godwinson, to march his army north to fight and defeat the invaders at the Battle of Stamford Bridge five days later. Although victorious, Harold's forces suffered losses at Stamford Bridge and were exhausted after the march, and the campaign in the north diverted the king's attention away from the south coast, where William of Normandy launched his invasion.

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Watch an excerpt from "The King's Skeleton: Richard III Revealed."

The tale surrounding the discovery of King Richard III's skeleton beneath an English parking lot is about much more than a pile of 528-year-old bones — all you have to do is look at the face of Philippa Langley as she breaks down during an archaeological autopsy.

"I don't see bones on that table," she says, during an emotional scene in a new documentary about the king's remains. "I see the man."

Langley, a 50-year-old Scottish screenwriter, plays almost as big a role as the much-maligned monarch in "The King's Skeleton: Richard III Revealed." The show airs Sunday night on the Smithsonian Channel in the U.S., after racking up royal ratings on British TV. It was Langley who enlisted the Richard III Society to help jump-start the excavation, and she serves as the on-screen witness for many of the key twists in the excavation.

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The King in the Car Park: The Search for the Grave of Richard III

EMAS - the University of London Archaeology Society

“The King in the Car Park: The Search for the Grave of Richard III"

a Lecture by Richard Buckley

Director - University of Leicester Archaeological Services and Lead archaeologist in the search for Richard III

7.00pm  Friday, 3rd May  2013

at the Museum of London, London Wall, EC2Y 5HN

Free to Members of EMAS - £5 for non-members

Did King Richard III Undergo Painful Scoliosis Treatment?

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The remains of King Richard III, showing a curved spine and signs of battle trauma. CREDIT: University of Leicester View full size image

King Richard III may not have been a hunchback as portrayed by Shakespeare, but he did suffer from the spine-curving condition scoliosis, and he may have undergone painful medical treatments to straighten it out, scientists report today (April 19).

Archaeologists announced in February that bones excavated from underneath a parking lot in Leicester, England, belonged to the medieval king. Since this confirmation, examination has continued on the bones and historical records, which have suggested the king was a control freak who had a friendly face.

Previous work showed King Richard III likely developed severe scoliosis, a painful condition, in his teen years. [Image Gallery: Photos Reveal the Discovery of Richard III]

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UK dig reveals 'sizeable' amount of Iron Age artefacts

Ancient metal artefacts found at a Leicestershire site could go on permanent display, archaeologists say.

Ancient human remains have also been found at the site, a former Iron Age fort [Credit: BBC]

The dig at Burrough Hill, near Melton Mowbray, has uncovered one of the biggest collections of Iron Age metalwork found in the East Midlands.

The finds include spears, knives, iron brooches, reaping hooks and the decorative bronze trim from a shield. Burrough Hill is the site of an Iron Age fort but no major excavation had taken place there since the 1970s.

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Mesolithic artefacts found at Stonehenge

An excavation funded with redundancy money shows Stonehenge was a settlement 3,000 years before it was built.

New archaeological evidence from Amesbury in Wiltshire reveals traces of human settlement 3,000 years before Stonehenge was even built [Credit: Christopher Jones/Telegraph]

The archaeological dig, a mile from the stones, has revealed that people have occupied the area since 7,500BC.

The findings, uncovered by volunteers on a shoestring budget, are 5,000 years earlier than previously thought.

Dr Josh Pollard, from Southampton University, said the team had "found the community who put the first monument up at Stonehenge".

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Aerial archaeology has revealed a network of World War I trenches on the Hoo Peninsula which could rewrite military history.

English Heritage's new aerial surveys have revealed that the Peninsula was once at the centre of military technology experiments in trench design and warfare.

A network of trenches has been discovered in the area next to the former Chattenden Barracks which were used to practise trench digging and design.

It was previously thought troops were largely thrown into battle in World War I with little preparation and training, but the discovery may require historians to rethink that view.


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Norfolk Broads: Bronze Age evidence 'everywhere'

 

  Ben Robinson said hundreds of archaeological sites on the Norfolk Broads could be revaluated

Proof of Bronze Age activity can be found throughout the whole of the Norfolk Broads, archaeologists claim.

The Middle Bronze Age field system at Ormesby St Michael in 2010 is not unique to the area, Nick Gilmour said.

Mr Gilmour, who will feature in The Flying Archaeologist on BBC One, said aerial photos suggest clear signs of life well before the Broads were dug.

"The more you look the more you start seeing Bronze Age everywhere," he will say on the programme, at 19:30 BST.

Mr Gilmour was involved with the discovery of the complex field systems, which date back to about 1,500 BC.

It was previously thought the systems had not existed further east than the Cambridgeshire Fens.


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Vespasian’s Camp: Cradle of Stonehenge

Salisbury Plain is renowned for its spectacular Neolithic monuments, but decades of research have found few traces of earlier activity in the Stonehenge landscape. Now the discovery of the plain’s oldest residential site has uncovered evidence of 9,000 years of ritual and domestic activity, beginning three millennia before Stonehenge was built, as David Jacques, Tom Phillips, and Tom Lyons explained.

About a mile east of Stonehenge, an impressive promontory rises out of Salisbury Plain to around 95m above sea level. Situated close to the Avenue and Bluestonehenge (CA 237), commanding extensive views over the river Avon, and surrounded at all points of the compass by important prehistoric and historic sites and monuments, this spot might be expected to have held pivotal cultural significance for the plain’s early inhabitants for its location alone. But until our small-scale Open University excavations began in 2005, the Iron Age fortifications cresting the hill had received little archaeological attention.


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Stonehenge occupied 5,000 years earlier than thought

New archaeological evidence from Amesbury in Wiltshire reveals traces of human settlement 3,000 years before Stonehenge was even built

An excavation funded with redundancy money shows Stonehenge was a settlement 3,000 years before it was built.

The archaeological dig, a mile from the stones, has revealed that people have occupied the area since 7,500BC.

The findings, uncovered by volunteers on a shoestring budget, are 5,000 years earlier than previously thought.


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Oldest European Medieval Cookbook Found

A 12th-century manuscript contains the oldest known European Medieval food recipes, according to new research.

The recipes, which include both food and medical ointment concoctions, were compiled and written in Latin. Someone jotted them down at Durham Cathedral’s monastery in the year 1140.

It was essentially a health book, so the meals were meant to improve a person’s health or to cure certain afflictions. The other earliest known such recipes dated to 1290.

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Funding cuts threaten North-Rhine Westphalia's cultural heritage

North-Rhine Westphalia's unique cultural heritage is under threat. Massive cutbacks in public funding of cultural heritage have been announced. 

Reconstruction of a Neanderthal man and woman from
the Neanderthal Museum [Credit: Wiki Commons]

The German Society for Pre- and Protohistory has started an online-petition to urge the government to rethink their plans. 

In Germany the petition has already become an overwhelming success with 16.000 signees and surprisingly wide resonance in the press within three weeks.

For more information and to sign the petition click here

Stonehenge project compares Neolithic building methods

An experiment is under way in Wiltshire to find out more about Neolithic building methods. Using archaeological evidence unearthed from nearby Durrington Walls, three structures are being built at Old Sarum Castle, near Salisbury.

The project aims to recreate the buildings which may have existed
in Neolithic times [Credit: Ancient Technology Centre]

The English Heritage project aims to discover what was the most efficient way of building with locally-sourced materials.

The final reconstructions will be built at Stonehenge later this year. They will be put up outside the new visitor centre.

The experiment is part of a £27m English Heritage scheme looking at how the setting of the ancient monument can be improved.

The recreated Neolithic buildings will form part of an "interactive and experiential" external exhibition at the 3,500-year-old World Heritage site.

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Reconstructing how the Romans made glass

Man has been making glass since the third millennium BC and during the manufacture of ancient glass, antimony, in a metal or mineral form, was added to make it colourless or opaque.

Different antimony ores have slightly different antimony isotope ratios and researchers in Belgium and the UK have developed an inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method to detect and quantify these tiny differences. 

By analysing samples of Roman glass, the team hope to uncover clues about how the glass was made and the geographical provenance of the raw materials.

Initial results suggest antimony ores from at least two locations were used to make the Roman glass being analysed. 

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