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Posted by Jessica Esther Saraceni

https://archaeology.org/news/2026/02/20/2000-year-old-trackway-revealed-in-scotland/

https://archaeology.org/?p=56619

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND—Erosion caused by storms at eastern Scotland’s Angus Beach revealed an ancient clay surface marked with the footprints of animals and barefooted humans, according to a statement released by the University of Aberdeen. Local dogwalkers spotted the markings in the clay and alerted council archaeologist Bruce Mann, who called in a team from the University of Aberdeen. “We knew we were dealing with a really rare site and that this discovery offered a unique snapshot in time—but it was also clear that the sea would soon take back what had so recently been revealed,” said team leader Kate Britton of the University of Aberdeen. The researchers were able to map the site, take physical casts of the footprints, and capture 3D models of them before the tides and 50-mile-an-hour winds destroyed the ancient ground surface. They were also able to gather plant remains from beneath the layer of the prints for radiocarbon dating, confirming that they were about 2,000 years old. “With sea levels rising and coastal erosion accelerating around Scotland it’s more important than ever that local community members keep an eye on their local coasts and report potential new discoveries,” commented Elinor Graham of the University of Aberdeen. To read in-depth about recent archaeological discoveries in Scotland, go to "Land of the Picts."

The post 2,000-Year-Old Trackway Revealed in Scotland appeared first on Archaeology Magazine.

https://archaeology.org/news/2026/02/20/2000-year-old-trackway-revealed-in-scotland/

https://archaeology.org/?p=56619

Posted by Jessica Esther Saraceni

https://archaeology.org/news/2026/02/20/iron-age-dwelling-in-israel-offers-archaeology-of-the-elderly/

https://archaeology.org/?p=56602

RAMAT GAN, ISRAEL—According to a statement released by Bar-Ilan University, archaeologist Avi Faust and his colleagues looked for evidence of older adult residents in a building at Tel ‘Eton, a site in south-central Israel. “By analyzing household artifacts rather than skeletal remains, we have a more effective way to identify elders and uncover their roles and influence within the family,” Faust said. In addition to the household artifacts, the team members examined the architecture and activity areas within the dwelling, which had multiple rooms, two floors, and was likely destroyed in the eighth century B.C. during an Assyrian military campaign. Faust and his colleagues also considered ethnographic data about the life of the elderly when interpreting the evidence. The study suggests that three generations of an extended family lived in the house, with a senior couple living and sleeping on the ground floor, in the largest room. The elders would therefore not have had to climb ladders to the rest of the sleeping quarters on the second floor. The researchers also note that this large room had a view of the courtyard and the entrances to the other rooms, perhaps for a matriarch to keep an eye on childcare, cooking, weaving, and other daily activities. Burnt cedar uncovered in the large room may have come from a special chair, while a footbath found there could have offered comfort to aching bones. Faust and his team members conclude that elders were active in this household, by managing resources, supervising domestic work, and maintaining family cohesion. To read more about Iron Age discoveries in Israel, go to "The Philistine Age."

The post Iron Age Dwelling in Israel Offers “Archaeology of the Elderly” appeared first on Archaeology Magazine.

https://archaeology.org/news/2026/02/20/iron-age-dwelling-in-israel-offers-archaeology-of-the-elderly/

https://archaeology.org/?p=56602

Posted by Jessica Esther Saraceni

https://archaeology.org/news/2026/02/19/7500-year-old-figurine-unearthed-in-romania/

https://archaeology.org/?p=56570

SFÂNTU GHEORGHE, ROMANIA—According to a Greek Reporter article, a 2.5-inch Neolithic figurine depicting a woman with extended arms was discovered in central Romania, among traces of dwellings, pottery, and charcoal dated to between 5800 and 5500 B.C. National Museum of the Eastern Carpathians archaeologists Dan Lucian Buzea, Dan Călin Ştefan, and Puskás Jozsef were investigating the site of Arcuş when they uncovered the settlement, which had been built by the early farmers of the Starčevo-Criş culture. The figurine was made with clay tempered with chaff and sand fired at high temperatures to produce a brick red color, but darker areas suggest that the heat had been uneven. The head of the figurine features eyes carved in a V-shape, a small oval nose, and fine incisions resembling long hair tied into a bun. The body of the figurine is slim with protrusions on the torso. The team members think the figurine may have been used as a household amulet, a ritual object, or a symbolic offering. To read in-depth about Neolithic people in Europe, go to "Neolithic Cultural Revolution."

The post 7,500-Year-Old Figurine Unearthed in Romania appeared first on Archaeology Magazine.

https://archaeology.org/news/2026/02/19/7500-year-old-figurine-unearthed-in-romania/

https://archaeology.org/?p=56570

Posted by Jessica Esther Saraceni

https://archaeology.org/news/2026/02/18/unique-cone-shaped-vessels-may-have-been-beeswax-lamps/

https://archaeology.org/?p=56541

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL—According to a Phys.org report, archaeologists have previously suggested that conical ceramic vessels known as cornets, which have been found at multiple sites in the Levant, could have been used to process dairy, smelt copper, or as beeswax lamps during the Chalcolithic period, between about 4500 and 3600 B.C. Sharon Zuhovitzky, Paula Waiman-Barak, and Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University examined cornets and cornet fragments recovered from Teleilat Ghassul, an archaeological site in Jordan. Soot and beeswax were found on some of the pottery, supporting the idea that the vessels were used as lamps. “In my experimental work, beeswax-filled cornets burned for up to nine hours,” Zuhovitzky said. “This duration depends on the quantity and quality of the wax,” she added. The valuable beeswax for the lamps may have been collected from wild hives, or it may have been collected by beekeepers from beehives made from unfired clay, which would not have been preserved, Zuhovitzky argued. “I have suggested that the cornets may have been partially filled with another substance, such as clay, before the wax was added. This would reduce the volume of wax required and improve the lighting function by positioning the flame higher in the vessel,” she concluded. To read in-depth about the Chalcolithic period in the Near East, go to "Ahead of Their Time."

The post Unique Cone-Shaped Vessels May Have Been Beeswax Lamps appeared first on Archaeology Magazine.

https://archaeology.org/news/2026/02/18/unique-cone-shaped-vessels-may-have-been-beeswax-lamps/

https://archaeology.org/?p=56541

Posted by Jessica Esther Saraceni

https://archaeology.org/news/2026/02/18/treated-fungus-may-be-the-secret-to-greeces-ancient-eleusinian-mysteries/

https://archaeology.org/?p=56501

ATHENS, GREECE—IFL Science reports that a team of researchers led by Romanos K. Antonopoulos and Evangelos Dadiotis of the National and Kapodistrian University were able to use a lye solution made with water and ash to remove the potentially deadly toxins from Claviceps purpurea, a fungus that can grow on barley, and convert them into psychoactive substances. Such hallucinogenic ergot alkaloids have been found on pottery and in dental calculus at an Eleusinian temple in Spain at the site of Mas Castellar de Pontós. Antonopoulos, Dadiotis, and their colleagues think that ancient Greek priestesses may have also been able to treat Claviceps purpurea with lye to render it nontoxic, and administer it to the masses of people who participated in the annual Eleusinian Mysteries, which were held annually in Greece at harvest time. The ritual, as remembered in the oral tradition known as the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, honored the Greek goddess of nature and fertility. Demeter is said to have entered a cave at Eleusis in an effort to rescue her daughter Persephone, who had been abducted by Hades, the god of the underworld. Each year, after traveling some 20 miles from the Sacred Gate in Athens to Eleusis, initiates would commemorate Demeter’s search by entering a special hall for the performance of the secret Eleusinian rite. The researchers suggest that this rite may have included consumption of treated hallucinogenic fungus harvested from infected barley. To read about new discoveries related to Dionysian rites, go to "Pompeii's House of Dionysian Delights."

The post Treated Fungus May Be the Secret to Greece’s Ancient Eleusinian Mysteries appeared first on Archaeology Magazine.

https://archaeology.org/news/2026/02/18/treated-fungus-may-be-the-secret-to-greeces-ancient-eleusinian-mysteries/

https://archaeology.org/?p=56501