Chemical analysis of ceramic vessels thought to have been used for making cheese 7,500 years ago  has revealed molecular traces of milk fats. Peter Bogucki of Princeton University thought that the pots, which were found in northern Poland and are covered with holes, served to strain milk collected by early herders, but he needed proof. “This is the first and only evidence of [Neolithic] cheese-making in the archaeological record,” said chemist Richard Evershed, who contributed to the project. Cheese is lower in lactose than fresh milk, and was therefore more digestible for Neolithic people, who were unable to digest lactose past childhood.

Cattle skulls and cauldrons  indicate feasting was an important activity in southern England during the Iron Age. The 13 sturdy, decorative cauldrons are the largest group of such vessels ever to have been found in Europe. They had been buried together in a pit in an open area near a castle and a fort, which would have been an excellent meeting place. “Analysis of the interiors of the cauldrons has even revealed traces of animal fats, a tantalizing suggestion that these objects might have been used in cooking and serving meat-rich stews,” said Julia Farley of the British Museum. DNA testing could reveal what kind of meat had been cooked and served.

Chris Stringer and a team of researchers from London’s National History Museum want to solve the mystery behind the Piltdown Man hoax. Charles Dawson, an amateur fossil hunter, is the prime suspect in the case. He claimed to have found the notorious, human-like skull fragments and the jaw pieces, which probably came from a young orangutan, and dubbed them the “missing link” between humans and apes. Other suspects include a museum curator, a Jesuit priest, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Scientists proved the skull pieces to be fakes in the early 1950s, but Stringer and his team will use modern techniques that may eventually point to a culprit.

In southern central Vietnam, archaeologists have found two walls near one of the Po Tam Towers, constructed by the Cham people in the eighth century. The brick walls are supported by a stone foundation. “Before, we thought the six towers in this area were different from others because their main gates face south instead of east like all the other Cham towers we’ve found in Viet Nam. This discovery led us to conclude that this is the main tower in the site,” said Le Dinh Phung of the Vietnam Archaeology Association.

Human bone fragments and iron coffin handles were unearthed within Sri Lanka’s Galle Fort World Heritage City. Archaeologists think the remains date to the period of Dutch colonial rule. The land had been set aside as a cemetery under Portuguese rule in the sixteenth century and was taken over by the Dutch in the seventeenth century. The excavations should shed light on foreign rule in Sri Lanka.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Thursday, December 13, 2012. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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