As a bioarchaeologist, I routinely pore over the skeletons of ancient populations so that I can learn about their health, diet, and lifestyles.
Mt. Vesuvius May Have Turned Ancient Roman Brains Into Glass
A new analysis of glassy material found in a skull at Herculaneum suggests high temperatures from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, but other researchers disagree.
Prehistoric Parents Let Their Babies Teethe On These Bone Spoons
Bone spoons are a far cry from Sophie the Giraffe, but archaeologists argue that these feeding items were incredibly important to the Neolithic Revolution.
Heel Bone From Italy Is Only Second Example of Crucifixion Ever Found
A new documentary on crucifixion airs on the Smithsonian Channel on 23 December, detailing the evidence from two ancient skeletons found thousands of kilometers apart.
DNA Analysis From Colonial Delaware Skeletons Reveals Beginning Of American Slave Trade
A new DNA study of skeletons from a farmstead on the Delaware frontier has revealed key information about the early transatlantic slave trade.
Archaeologists Find Case Of Dwarfism In 3rd Millennium BC China
A human skeleton discovered in the Chinese province of Henan is providing new information on the identification of dwarfism in the archaeological record as well as on disability and difference in the Neolithic period three millennia ago.