A roundup of Secrets in the News for December 2019. Read more below for ancient Armenian warriors, snake legs, a permafrost puppy and more!
2000-year-old Germanic warrior burials unearthed in Poland
Ancient Origins reports: In an effort to protect the archaeological dig site located near Kostrzyn (just to the east of Poland’s modern-day border with Germany) from illegal treasure hunters , archaeologists from the Kostrzyn Fortress Museum have kept the precise location private. However, the team of researchers have disclosed details about the “interesting and surprising” nature of the ancient treasures and artifacts uncovered from the Germanic cemetery… [read more]
Archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old burial site containing the remains of ancient Germanic warriors. The site near Kostrzyn in Poland exhibits a range of burial practices including cremations…https://t.co/pKSvblbKOK
— Ancient Origins (@ancientorigins) December 2, 2019
Archaeologists discover Amazon warrior in ancient Armenian grave
Forbes reports: In the highlands of Armenia, archaeologists have discovered the grave of an injured woman who died during the Iron Age. Based on the wounds to her skeleton, she may have been the kind of Amazon warrior the ancient Greeks wrote about… [read more]
In the highlands of Armenia, archaeologists have discovered the grave of an injured woman who died during the Iron Age https://t.co/gL9sDbJSjJ pic.twitter.com/Pujoww4IHf
— Forbes (@Forbes) November 27, 2019
Ancient puppy found in permafrost still has its fur and whiskers
AP reports: Russian scientists on Monday showed off a prehistoric puppy, believed to be 18,000 years old, found in permafrost in the country’s Far East. Discovered last year in a lump of frozen mud near the city of Yakutsk, the puppy is unusually well-preserved, with its hair, teeth, whiskers and eyelashes still intact… [read more]
Prehistoric puppy: Scientists show off an unusually well-preserved 18,000-year-old canine that was found in the permafrost in the Russian Far East. https://t.co/5qOK7AwqBe
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 2, 2019
Fossils discovered in Argentina belong to 100-million-year-old snake with legs
The New York Times reports: Snakes, with their sleek bodies and kaleidoscopic diversity, have long entranced humans. But we know very little about the evolutionary past of these legless lizards because of a scarcity of fossils left by snake ancestors that shared the earth with dinosaurs. That’s why recently excavated snake fossils from Argentina, described in a study published Wednesday in Science Advances, are such a big deal for serpent fans. The intricate fossils, mostly skulls, are nearly 100 million years old and belong to the extinct snake group Najash, which still retained hind legs… [read more]
Research from MCZ Postdoctoral Fellow @paleoTsimoes and colleagues featured in the New York Times! When Snakes Had Use for a Pair of Legs https://t.co/5DrVCLU4MW #mczvertpaleo
— Museum of Comparative Zoology (@MCZHarvard) December 4, 2019
Archaeological Skeletons From London Prove Some Romans Were Lead Poisoned
Forbes reports: Whether the ancient Romans’ copious use of the metal in their civilization resulted in lead poisoning has been debated by classics scholars for centuries. New archaeological research on skeletons from Roman-era London has proven that many of these people were exposed to toxically high levels of lead… [read more]
An important article from Prof. @DrKillgrove on the newly published evidence for lead poisoning in Roman London. Again, lead poisoning did not cause the “fall of Rome” but lead levels were a serious problem within the Roman Empire. https://t.co/nfWqguLdLt
— Dr. Sarah Bond (@SarahEBond) November 30, 2019