Researchers Return to Age of Exploration Shipwreck New excavations have coaxed more secrets from Gribshunden, the flagship of the Danish-Norwegian King Hans which mysteriously sank in 1495 off the coast of Ronneby, Sweden. The wreck is internationally significant as the world’s best-preserved ship from the Age of Exploration – a proxy for the vessels of … Continue reading Researchers Return to Age of Exploration Shipwreck
Helle’s Toilet: Three-Person Loo Seat was Unusual Medieval Status Symbol A rare 12th-century toilet seat built to accommodate three users at once is to go on display for the first time at the Museum of London Docklands. Nine hundred years after the roughly carved plank of oak was first placed over a cesspit near a … Continue reading Helle’s Toilet: Three-Person Loo Seat was Unusual Medieval Status Symbol
Million-year-old mammoth genomes set a record for ancient DNA Teeth from mammoths buried in the Siberian permafrost for more than a million years have led to the world’s oldest known DNA being sequenced, according to a study that shines a genetic searchlight on the deep past. Researchers said the three teeth specimens, one roughly 800,000 … Continue reading Million-year-old mammoth genomes set a record for ancient DNA
Neanderthals helped create early human art, researcher says When Neanderthals, Denisovans and homo sapiens met one another 50,000 years ago, these archaic and modern humans not only interbred during the thousands of years in which they overlapped, but they exchanged ideas that led to a surge in creativity, according to a leading academic. Tom Higham, … Continue reading Neanderthals helped create early human art, researcher says
Norway’s Medieval Monks Discussed Their Meals in Silence Mealtime peace is a well-known concept in many Norwegian homes: You should sit still at the table and enjoy the food you are served. Monks back in the day took this to a new level. Speaking during meals was forbidden, and so a new sign language was … Continue reading Norway’s Medieval Monks Discussed Their Meals in Silence
Medieval Prayer Beads Discovered on England’s Holy Island The first-ever example of prayer beads from medieval Britain has been discovered on the island of Lindisfarne, one of Britain’s most historic ancient sites, to the excitement of archaeologists. Dating from the 8th to 9th century AD, they were made from salmon vertebrae. Fish an important symbol … Continue reading Medieval Prayer Beads Discovered on England’s Holy Island
Medieval Coin Minted in Norway Found in Hungary A metal detectorist has discovered a small silver coin marked with the name of a famous Viking king. However, it was unearthed not in Scandinavia, but in southern Hungary, where it was lost almost 1,000 years ago. The find has baffled archaeologists, who have struggled to explain … Continue reading Medieval Coin Minted in Norway Found in Hungary
Study Investigates Anglo-Saxon Diets Very few people in England ate large amounts of meat before the Vikings settled, and there is no evidence that elites ate more meat than other people, a major new bioarchaeological study suggests. Its sister study also argues that peasants occasionally hosted lavish meat feasts for their rulers. The findings overturn … Continue reading Study Investigates Anglo-Saxon Diets
