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Climate disasters caused societal upheaval 3,000 years ago in China, study of 'oracle bones' hints
By Kristina Killgrove published
Some civilizations in inland China underwent dramatic changes and population drops 3,000 years ago. Now, researchers are using oracle bones, archaeological evidence and climate modeling to find out why.

Stone Age woman was buried like a man, revealing flexible gender roles 7,000 years ago in Hungary
By Kristina Killgrove published
A study of 125 skeletons from two Neolithic cemeteries in Hungary has revealed that men and women had clear gender roles — but sometimes those roles were fluid.

Gold coin discovered by a metal detectorist in the UK may have been dropped by a Viking invader from the Great Heathen Army
By Tom Metcalfe published
A gold coin featuring the son of Charlemagne may have been a keepsake from a Viking invader who fought in the Great Heathen Army.

Lady of Elche: A 2,400-year-old bust of a mysterious 'highborn' woman from pre-Roman Spain
By Kristina Killgrove published
Astonishing artifacts The mysterious Lady of Elche was crafted from a large limestone block before the Romans ruled Spain.

Ancient Greek mystery cult priestesses may have chemically tweaked fungus to induce psychedelic hallucinations
By Tom Metcalfe published
Ancient followers of the Eleusinian Mysteries may have used a highly toxic fungus to create psychedelic hallucinations during their rituals, a new chemical analysis suggests.

Paleolithic humans invented an 'early predecessor to writing' at least 40,000 years ago, carved signs suggest
By Kristina Killgrove published
A statistical analysis of a series of signs carved into artifacts from around 40,000 years ago suggests humans developed proto-writing in the Stone Age.

Did the Vikings reach Maine?
By Owen Jarus published
An 11th-century Norse coin found in Maine raises the question of whether the Vikings landed there.

Stone Age boy in Sweden was buried in deerskin and a woodpecker headdress, archaeologists discover
By Kristina Killgrove published
A new method of studying the contents of soil samples has revealed Stone Age people in Sweden were buried in decorated fur-and-feather clothing.

Humans and Neanderthals interbred — but it was mostly male Neanderthals and female humans who coupled up, study finds
By Kristina Killgrove published
A preference for pairings between male Neanderthals and female Homo sapiens may answer the question of why there are "Neanderthal deserts" in human chromosomes.
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