Here are some posts I enjoyed around the web this week:
A study of ancient DNA of early Americans, mostly pre-Columbian from South America, reveals how completely these early people were wiped out by European contact. None of these early lineages are found in modern indigenous peoples of the region. The study also dates more securely the arrival of people about 16,000 years ago across the Beringian land bridge. Horrific to imagine the kinds of death and devastation that could wipe out the genetic inheritance of the original peoples. Click here for “Ancient DNA shows European wipe out of early Americans”
The amazing things about history that microbes can tell us. Now they’ve revealed the route Hannibal took over the Alps with all those elephants and horses. It was mostly horse manure that spilled the beans I gather. I was really hoping for something more elephant oriented. Click here for “Microbiologists unmask the Hannibal route enigma”
We’re finding out from DNA analysis what those amphorae (big ceramic jars) contained on ancient shipwrecks scattered over the floor of the Mediterranean and Aegean. I always thought olive oil was the major commodity but apparently others assumed wine. Now we’re finding olive oil, many different legumes, nuts, mastic and herbs, especially juniper. And some wine, but much less proportionally than expected. I’m going to have to start “cooking” in my books with juniper, or at least mentioning it as a flavoring. If I’m not mistaken juniper was sometimes added to wine, also. Click here for “DNA sheds light on ancient Greek maritime trade”
When a business rivalry got out of hand in ancient Greece, it got very ugly. Lead curse tablets have been found casting hate upon tavern owners and bind them in blood and ashes with the dead. Lead curse tablets have been found pretty widely. These seem to target 2 husband-wife tavern keepers over the course of 5 different curse tablets. The tablets are scratched on lead, pierced with a nail, folded and placed in a grave. How’s that for nice and creepy? My Hittites were good at curses also, although not to my knowledge the sort on lead. Click here for “2,400-year-old curse tablets uncovered in Athens”