FRIDAY DATA DUMP: Digging Up The Past

Ancient pyramid schemes

FYI: The stories in this “spillover thread” appeared over the last five days, but never quite made it onto the RUNDOWN. - jp

11,200-Year-Old Pottery Found in Mongolia Rewrites Ancient History
https://greekreporter.com/2025/04/24/pottery-mongolia-ancient-history/

Remains of 5,000-year-old noblewoman unearthed in Peru reveal role of women in ancient Caral civilization
https://archaeologymag.com/2025/04/remains-of-5000-year-old-noblewoman-peru/

Ancient DNA challenges long-held assumptions about the Mediterranean Phoenician-Punic civilization
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-ancient-dna-held-assumptions-mediterranean.html

Ancient DNA and modern genomes can reveal stories of past peoples, from the Iron Age to Chernobyl, geneticist says
https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/ancient-dna-and-modern-genomes-can-reveal-stories-of-past-peoples-from-the-iron-age-to-chernobyl-geneticist-says

What the Ancient World Can Teach Us About Death
https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/what-the-ancient-world-can-teach-us-about-death/

Evidence of Ancient Ritual to “Kill” the Dead and Destroy Their Tombs in a Final Feast 4,000 Years Ago Found in Crete
https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2025/04/evidence-of-ancient-ritual-to-kill-the-dead-and-destroy-their-tombs-in-a-final-feast-4000-years-ago-found-in-crete/

Tomb of ancient Egyptian prince discovered at Saqqara — and it has a giant 'false' pink door
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/tomb-of-ancient-egyptian-prince-discovered-at-saqqara-and-it-has-a-giant-false-pink-door

Ancient pyramid hiding 'gateway to the underworld' could hold secrets of advanced society
https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/ancient-pyramid-gateway-underworld-secrets-advanced-society

Engineers Found Evidence of Hydraulics in an Ancient Pyramid, Solving a 4,500-Year-Old Mystery
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a64514781/ancient-pyramid-hydraulic-system-discovery/

Archaeologists Unearth Rare Traces of the First Ancient Factory Dedicated to Purple Dye Production
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-rare-traces-of-the-first-ancient-factory-dedicated-to-purple-dye-production-180986482/

Was Talos, the Bronze Automaton Who Guarded the Island of Crete in Greek Myth, an Early Example of Artificial Intelligence?
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/was-talos-the-bronze-automaton-who-guarded-the-island-of-crete-in-greek-myth-an-early-example-of-artificial-intelligence-180986467/

Ice Age Social Network? Ancient Stone Tools Hint at Shared Knowledge
https://scitechdaily.com/ice-age-social-network-ancient-stone-tools-hint-at-shared-knowledge/

How human connections shaped the spread of farming among ancient communities
https://theconversation.com/how-human-connections-shaped-the-spread-of-farming-among-ancient-communities-254852

An Ancient Irrigation System May Help Farmers Face Climate Change
https://civileats.com/2025/04/22/an-ancient-irrigation-system-may-help-farmers-face-climate-change/

Ancient camp shows how humans adapted to extreme cold in Europe
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2477749-ancient-camp-shows-how-humans-adapted-to-extreme-cold-in-europe/

How Humans Survived the Most Extreme Volcanic Eruption in Ancient History
https://www.history.com/articles/toba-supervolcano-human-survival

Ancient supervolcano eruption had surprisingly mild impact on climate
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2477887-ancient-supervolcano-eruption-had-surprisingly-mild-impact-on-climate/

Climate Shift May Have Spurred the Neolithic Revolution
https://archaeology.org/news/2025/04/24/climate-shift-may-have-spurred-the-neolithic-revolution/

Neolithic Revolution Triggered by Massive Fires and Environmental Collapse
https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/neolithic-revolution-caused-fires-0022045

A 2,000-year-old battle ended in fire, and a tree species never recovered
https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/an-ancient-battle-has-driven-a-wetland-species-almost-to-extinction/

Ancient tree rings reveal the hidden reason Rome’s grip on Britain failed
https://www.zmescience.com/science/history-articles/ancient-tree-rings-reveal-the-hidden-reason-romes-grip-on-britain-failed/

Lions vs Gladiators? Archaeologists find gruesome evidence of ancient Roman bloodsports in York
https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/04/24/lions-vs-gladiators-archaeologists-find-gruesome-evidence-of-ancient-roman-bloodsports

Ancient Celtic Warrior Received Advanced Medical Care, Study Finds
https://wildhunt.org/2025/04/ancient-celtic-warrior-received-advanced-medical-care-study-finds.html

Ancient Body Paint May Have Been Prehistoric Sunscreen, Study Says
https://www.sciencealert.com/ancient-body-paint-may-have-been-prehistoric-sunscreen-study-says

When you notice ancient stone tools, you're seeing our ancestors' problem-solving brains at work
https://www.journee-mondiale.com/en/when-you-notice-ancient-stone-tools-youre-seeing-our-ancestors-problem-solving-brains-at-work/

Italians spent thousands of years perfecting grape cultivation, ancient seeds show
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-italians-spent-thousands-years-grape.html

Cat domestication originated in ancient Egypt, new studies reveal
https://archaeologymag.com/2025/04/cat-domestication-originated-in-ancient-egypt/

Ancient Fossils Reveal Massive Rhino Herds Once Roamed Nebraska
https://scitechdaily.com/ancient-fossils-reveal-massive-rhino-herds-once-roamed-nebraska/

10-Million-Year-Old Secrets: Ancient Fossils Rewrite the Story of Mammal Evolution
https://scitechdaily.com/10-million-year-old-secrets-ancient-fossils-rewrite-the-story-of-mammal-evolution/

How An Ancient Bridge Formed By A Continental Collision Forever Changed Life On Earth
https://studyfinds.org/how-an-ancient-bridge-formed-by-a-continental-collision-forever-changed-life-on-earth/