Reconstructing human history The study of archeological remains provides evidence of the wealth of our history. Emerging agriculture in Cyprus, human impact on the climate of ancient times, as well as the effect of past climate on mortuary practice, are all revealed by archeology. Ancient port of Rome unearthed The first port of ancient Rome, which supplied the city with wheat, has been unearthed by a French-Italian team. Using a corer that enabled them to analyze deep sediments, the researchers located it northwest of the town of Ostia, on the left bank of the mouth of the Tiber. The port was built between the fourth and third centuries BC, and had a six-meter deep basin that could accommodate large vessels. Chroniques des Mélanges de l’École Française de Rome December 2012 Pre-Columbian peoples in Amazonian savannahs in French Guiana practised agriculture without using fire to maintain open savannahs and manage their farmland, a study published in April in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals. ---------------------------------------------------- 26 Eighteen natural pearls from the Neolithic site at Akab (United Arab Emirates), dated 6,700-6,100 years old. Oldest natural pearl discovered The oldest-ever natural pearl has been unearthed by archeologists at a Neolithic necropolis in the United Arab Emirates. The pearl, which dates back 7,500 years, provides evidence that pearl oysters were already being collected in the region at the time. Although pearl oyster fishing ceased in the 1930s, it remains an important component of cultural identity in the Arabian Peninsula. In the Neolithic, natural pearls played a special role in funeral rites. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy April 2012 “Red” Chinchorro mummy dating back 4,500 years. The body was eviscerated and painted with red ochre. It wears a kind of mask and a wig made from human hair. Climate change can alter cultural practices The Chinchorro people, who lived along the Atacama Desert coast in Chile from 11,000 BC, only began artificial mummification of their dead 6,000 years later. A study suggests that climate change could have given rise to this cultural innovation. Population growth, driven by a relatively humid climate period, as well as repeated contact between the Chinchorros and natural mummies scattered around the Atacama Desert, may have triggered this complex mortuary practice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences August 2012 online A year at CNRS 2012
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