A pair of archaeologists working at a dig site in an ancient cemetery in western Iran have discovered the skull of a young girl that shows evidence of cranial modification. In their paper published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, Mahdi Alirezazadeh and Hamed Vahdati Nasab describe where the skull was found, its condition, the modifications they observed and the likely way its owner died.

Cranial modification has been found in many ancient civilizations—it was typically done by wrapping the head of a child tightly as they grew to adulthood. The practice was done for different reasons in different cultures, and has been seen more often in girls than in boys.

The skull that is the focus of this new study was found buried in a cemetery along with many other skeletons at a dig site known as Chega Sofla. The cemetery has been found to have many single as well as communal graves, some of which include family members and some of which have cranial modifications. Work at the site has been going on for more than a decade, and in addition to learning about the people buried there, the team also uncovered what turned out to be the oldest-known tomb made from brick.

Archaeologists have discovered what they say are the remains of a 16th-century merchant ship more than 2.5 kilometres underwater off southern France, the deepest such find in its section of the Mediterranean or any other French waters.

Archaeologists believe the ship was sailing from northern Italy loaded with ceramics and metal bars before it sunk.

Despite a little modern household waste dotting its sunken cargo at 2,567 metres (more than 1.5 miles) below sea level, they were excited about the potential of an archaeological site largely preserved intact.

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5171302

With its cold climate, short growing season, and dense forests, Michigan's Upper Peninsula is known as a challenging place for farming. But a new Dartmouth-led study provides evidence of intensive farming by ancestral Native Americans at the Sixty Islands archaeological site along the Menominee River, making it the most complete ancient agricultural site in the eastern half of the United States.

The site features a raised ridge field system that dates to around the 10th century to 1600, and much of it is still intact today.

The raised fields are comprised of clustered ridged garden beds that range from 4 to 12 inches in height and were used to grow corn, beans, squash, and other plants by ancestors of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.

The findings are published in Science.

"The scale of this agricultural system by ancestral Menominee communities is 10 times larger than what was previously estimated," says lead author Madeleine McLeester, an assistant professor of anthropology at Dartmouth. "That forces us to reconsider a number of preconceived ideas we have about agriculture not only in the region, but globally."

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Archaeologists in Senegal have uncovered skeletons with bullets lodged in the bodies during the first excavation of a cemetery at the former military camp of Thiaroye outside Dakar, where French soldiers massacred African colonial troops.

Excavations at the Thiaroye military cemetery began in early May. These are aimed at shedding light on the events of 1 December, 1944, when African riflemen who had fought for France during the Second World War – known as tirailleurs – were shot dead after protesting against unpaid wages.

The episode marks one of the worst massacres during French colonial rule, and questions remain concerning the number of soldiers killed, their identities and where they were buried.

French authorities at the time said 35 people had been killed, but historians say the real death toll could be as high as 400.

"Human skeletons were discovered with bullets in their bodies, some in the chest," a source close to the matter told France's AFP news agency, adding that the bullets were of different calibres.

Only a small section of the cemetery has been excavated so far, the source said, adding that forensic analysis is now required to determine the type of bullets and weapons used and to identify individuals buried at the site.

Léa-Lisa Westerhoff, RFI's correspondent in Senegal, said the operation "has been carried out in near-total secrecy" and there has been no official disclosure of the archeological surveys' findings.

"Some say it's 'too early to talk about it' while others mention a report that is currently being drafted and will be submitted to Senegalese authorities before being made public," she said.

This would most likely be after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, known as Tabaski in Senegal, she added.

Around 1,600 soldiers from West Africa arrived at the Thiaroye camp in November 1944, having been captured by Germany while they were fighting for France.

Discontent soon mounted over unpaid wages and demands to be treated on a par with white soldiers. Some protesters refused to return to their home countries without their due.

The French forces opened fire on the soldiers on 1 December of that year.

Researchers have long called for excavations at the Thiaroye cemetery and the nearby military camp.

In February, the Senegalese government, which accuses France of withholding archival documents which would shed light on the death toll, announced the excavations as a means to "uncover the whole truth".

Last November, France acknowledged the massacre the day before commemoration of its 80th anniversary, which Senegal marked on an unprecedented scale.

The tirailleurs unit was formed in 1857 in Senegal and troops were recruited from throughout Central and West Africa to defend the French colonial empire.

During the First World War around 200,000 were transported to Europe to fight in the trenches, and nearly 30,000 died there in decisive battles such as Verdun.

(with newswires)