Steven Churchill of Duke University thinks that signs of injury on a Neanderthal rib discovered in Iraq could have been caused by a projectile weapon-a technology developed by modern humans. “We’re not suggesting there was a blitzkrieg, with modern humans marching across the land and executing the Neandert[h]als. … We think the best explanation for this injury is a projectile weapon, and given who had those and who didn’t, that implies at least one act of inter-species aggression,” he explained.

A thirteenth-century monastery and a silver ring from France were unearthed in the central Bulgarian town of Veliko Tarnovo. 

The residues from gourds and squashes used as dishware 4,000 years ago at the Buena Vista site in Peru have been analyzed by researchers from the University of Missouri. Traces of manioc, potato, chili pepper, arrowroot, and algarrobo were detected.  

In Washington State, students are assisting in the excavation of a 700-year-old fishing camp, once used by the ancestors of the Squaxin Island tribe. The wet shoreline location has preserved items such as a toy war club, portions of a cedar bark gillnet, baskets, arrows, spears, and shell jewelry.  

Fifteen Hohokam dwellings have been found during road construction in Pima County, Arizona. The road will probably be redesigned to protect the prehistoric settlement.  

Australian relatives of World War I soldiers killed during the Battle of Fromelles are waiting to learn if DNA testing is a possible means of identifying the remains removed from mass graves. German authorities have provided researchers with a list of 191 names of Australian and British soldiers killed in the battle.  

The reburial of more than 60 individuals from the Fort Craig cemetery in New Mexico has been completed. Among the dead were three African-American soldiers who served at the fort as members of the 125^th United States Colored Troops during the Civil War.  

More than 12,500 burial mounds are scattered across Minnesota, and state archaeologist Scott Anfinson is responsible for authenticating them. “A big part of my job is disappointing people. If you have graves on your property, you are done,” he said.  

Work has picked up for Minnesota’s Cultural Resource Unit, since federal stimulus money has brought about a new bridge project.   

Archaeologists have returned to Virginia City, Nevada, to learn more about life there in the 1860s and 1870s. “This was the dynamic time when Virginia City was taking shape, and Samuel Clemens arrived in town, eventually taking the name Mark Twain while working as a reporter,” said historic preservation officer Ron James.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Wednesday, July 22, 2009. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

Comments posted here do not represent the views or policies of the Archaeological Institute of America.