Archaeology

Long buried under the woods of west central Louisiana, stone tools, spearpoints and other evidence of people living in the area as long as 12,000 years ago have become more exposed and vulnerable, due to hurricanes, flooding and looters.

Oregon archaeologists have found evidence suggesting humans occupied the Rimrock Draw rock shelter outside of what is now the Eastern Oregon town of Riley more than 18,000 years ago.

A Norwegian couple made an unusual historic discovery during renovations of their home. First, they found a number of Viking-era artifacts, and then archaeologists declared that they had found a Viking grave, right there, under their floor. Experts have carried out a survey of the site and the grave is being hailed as a very significant find.

Analysis of mounting archaeological evidence from across human history and prehistory is challenging the widespread belief that men exclusively hunt and women exclusively gather.

Analysis of data from dozens of foraging societies around the world shows that women hunt in at least 79% of these societies, opposing long-held perceptions about gender roles in foraging societies.

Gender stereotypes have influenced previous archaeological studies, with, for instance, some researchers reluctant to interpret objects buried with women as hunting tools.

There is a call for reevaluation of such evidence and caution against misapplying the idea of men as hunters and women as gatherers in future research.

Researchers have identified engravings in Jordan and Saudi Arabia as the oldest known scaled building plans in human history.