news 2017

Researchers have published details of the largest collection of artefacts from an early English coffeehouse ever discovered. Described as an 18th century equivalent of Starbucks, the finds nonetheless suggest that it may have been less like a café, and more like an inn. Coffee houses were important social centres during the 18th century.

Earliest archaeological evidence of intestinal parasitic worms infecting the ancient inhabitants of Greece confirms descriptions found in writings associated with Hippocrates, the early physician and 'father of Western medicine'.

New image brings people face to face with Seventeenth Century Scottish soldier (14 December 2017) The face of one of the Seventeenth Century Scottish soldiers who was imprisoned and died in Durham following the Battle of Dunbar in 1650 has been revealed through a remarkable new digital reconstruction.

Study finds people in areas historically reliant on coal-based industries have more 'negative' personality traits. Psychologists suggest this cognitive die may well have been cast at the dawn of the industrial age.

Study finds people in areas historically reliant on coal-based industries have more 'negative' personality traits. Psychologists suggest this cognitive die may well have been cast at the dawn of the industrial age.

New insights into the life and mysterious death of Jumbo the elephant - a celebrity animal superstar whose story is said to have inspired the film 'Dumbo' - will be revealed in a BBC One documentary hosted by Sir David Attenborough and featuring a University of Nottingham archaeologist on Sunday 10 December.

New Oxford University research has revealed that bones long venerated as relics of the saint, do in fact date from the right historical period. One of the most revered Christian saints, St Nicholas' remains are held in the Basilica di San Nicola, Bari, Southern Puglia, since 1087, where they are buried in a crypt beneath a marble altar, with others preserved in the Chiesa di San Nicolo al Lido in Venice.

A Bristol-led study suggests that developments in precision farming could yield data of great use to archaeological research, and that archaeological data could be valuable for modern farming systems. In a paper published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences , lead researcher Henry Webber , a PhD student in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, surveys the different data types and methodological processes involved in modern precision farming systems and explores 'how potentially interconnected these systems are with the archaeological community'.

The first study to compare ancient and living female bones shows that women from early agricultural eras had stronger arms than the rowers of Cambridge University's famously competitive boat club. Researchers say the findings suggest a "hidden history" of gruelling manual labour performed by women that stretched across millennia.

Digitised papers publicly available for the first time reveal a wealth of intricate detail about day to day Court life in the Georgian period, and shine a light on the familial relationships of the Hanoverian Monarchs. In Phase II of the Georgian Papers Programme, a further 17,000 papers from the early Georgian period have been digitally scanned and published online, available free for anyone to access at www.royalcollection.org.uk/georgianpapers.

Workshops from a Viking camp dating to the winter of 873-4, have been unearthed by a team of archaeologists from the University of Bristol. The campsite, located in the small Derbyshire village of Repton, has been known since the 1970s, but these new discoveries have found evidence over a much larger area, for workshops and ship repairs.

Professor Alice Roberts , Professor of Public Engagement in Science answers questions about her new book 'Tamed: 10 Species That Changed Our World' . What is the latest book about? Tamed is about the deep histories of ten familiar species: dogs, apples and wheat; cattle; potatoes and chickens; rice, maize, horses, and finally, humans.

Three major pulses of increased mobility in Europe over the last 10,000 years and a general upward trend in migration have been uncovered in a new study led by researchers from UCL, University of Cambridge and King's College London. The new method, published today in PNAS , allows, for the first time, to directly quantify changes in prehistoric migration rates using ancient genetic data over the last 30,000 years.

Details on oldest known marine navigation tool revealed by scanning technology at WMG, University of Warwick Late fifteenth-century astrolabe - used by mariners to measure the altitude of the sun - recovered from Portuguese explorer ship which sank in 1503 Pioneering scanning analysis and 3D imaging revealed invisible navigational markings, proving the identity of the object Details of the oldest known marine navigation tool, discovered in a shipwreck, have been revealed thanks to state-of-the-art scanning technology at WMG, University of Warwick.

Details on earliest known marine navigation tool revealed by scanning technology at WMG, University of Warwick Late fifteenth-century astrolabe - used by mariners to measure the altitude of the sun - recovered from Portuguese explorer ship which sank in 1503 Pioneering scanning analysis and 3D imaging revealed invisible navigational markings, proving the identity of the object Details of the earliest known marine navigation tool, discovered in a shipwreck, have been revealed thanks to state-of-the-art scanning technology at WMG, University of Warwick.

Easter Island has long been a source of intrigue and mystery. How did such a small community of people build so many impressively large statues? And what happened to cause that community to collapse? Researchers have also been curious about what kind of contact the Easter Islanders might have had with South Americans prior to the arrival of Europeans.

Conquering Romans relied on resources from near and far to sustain their forces against the native tribes in Wales, according to new research by Cardiff University archaeologists. In a study published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences , Dr Peter Guest and Dr Richard Madgwick of the University's School of History, Archaeology and Religion, used biochemical techniques of animal remains to reveal the origin of livestock supplied to the legionary fortress at Caerleon.

Samples of ancient DNA recovered by University of Bristol scientists on two Indian Ocean islands have helped in the first large scale study of ancient human DNA from sub-Saharan Africa. Africa has long been known as the 'cradle of mankind', but up to now, the genetic information has been largely derived from modern population studies.

Using tools to search for food is affecting primate prey numbers and could potentially lead to prey species extinction, new Oxford research suggests. Using tools to search for food is affecting primate prey numbers and could potentially lead to prey species extinction, new Oxford research suggests. Once thought to be a skill unique to humans, recent studies have shown that some animals, such as monkeys, apes, birds and otters, are able to use tools to find food that would otherwise be inaccessible to them.

Late surviving Neanderthals 'much older' than previously thought Image credit: Dr Thibaut Devièse Late surviving Neanderthals from Croatia were much older than previously thought, according to new research from the University of Oxford. Previous research suggested that the 'Vindija Neanderthals' living in Vindija Cave in northern Croatia lived as recently as 32,000 years ago.