Latest news with #CulturalAnthropology
Daily Mail
04-08-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Hyperrealistic reconstructions reveal the faces of the Stone Age sisters who may have been victims of human sacrifice 6,000 years ago
Scientists have revealed the faces of two Stone Age sisters who may have been the victims of human sacrifice around 6,000 years ago. The sisters' remains were discovered over 15 years ago within the shaft of a prehistoric mine in the Czech Republic's Krumlov Forest. The sisters were buried one on top of the other inside the mine, with the elder 20 feet (six metres) beneath the ground and her younger sister three feet (one metre) below. Now, these 'hyperrealistic' 3D reconstructions show what the women would have looked like at the time of their deaths and what they would have been wearing. Both of the sisters were around 4.8 feet (1.5m) tall and were slender but strong and capable of lifting heavy loads. The eldest sister likely had blue eyes and blonde hair, while her younger sibling had hazel or green eyes with dark hair, according to genetic data. However, despite new evidence, exactly how the sisters died and why they were buried in the mine remains mysterious. Lead author Dr Eva Vaníčková, of the Czech Republic Centre for Cultural Anthropology, told Daily Mail that they 'could have been victims' of human sacrifice. The two sisters are believed to have been workers in a brutal mining community, gathering heavy rocks of flint to make weapons and tools. Previous studies of the remains showed that they belonged to sisters who died between 4050 and 4340 BC. This new study expands on that work with a barrage of analyses, including genetic testing and pathological analysis of the skeletons. This reveals that the women had experienced short, tough lives of hard labour before their deaths. The youngest sister was likely between 30 and 35 based on the state of her teeth, while the older woman was closer to 40. Based on the scraps of fabric found around their bones, the older woman was wearing a simple blouse and wrap woven from plant materials and a hair net. The younger of the sisters wore a blouse of coarse linen canvas and wore the remaining strips of fabric braided into her hair. As children, they were poorly fed and may have been weak and diseased - leading to stunted growth. The sisters were buried one on top of the other inside the mine, with the elder 20 feet (six metres) beneath the ground and her younger sister three feet (one metre) below. Archaeologists say this arrangement might have had a symbolic value However, chemical analysis shows that they were well fed on meat as adults. This might be because they needed to be kept strong for their work in the mine, or because the Krumlov Forest is naturally rich in game animals. Their bones showed signs of heavy strain throughout their lives, including damaged vertebrae and injuries that had only partially healed. The older sister's forearm was fractured, which had not healed at the time of her death, with wear which suggests she was forced to work despite the injury. The researchers suggest that the pair might have been killed and buried in the mine when they were no longer able to work. As to why they were buried in the mine itself, Dr Vaníčková says it was likely 'because they had worked there before'. However, the researchers also suggest that their deaths could have had a symbolic or ritual value. In their paper, Dr Vaníčková and her co-authors write: 'Anything reminiscent of the miners' activities is returned to the earth, sometimes including the miners themselves. And that may be the case with these females.' The pit in which they were buried was left open at the top and could have had a symbolic meaning, indicating a ritual human sacrifice. The burials reveal yet more mysteries that the researchers are still struggling to understand. For example, archaeologists found the remains of a small dog in the grave, which had its body placed with the younger sister and its head with the elder above. Strangest of all are the remains of a newborn baby, whose bones had been laid on the eldest sister's chest. Genetic analysis shows that the baby was not related to either sister, with no evidence to explain where it had come from. However, the researchers say they have yet to find any evidence to prove the theory that the sisters ' deaths were violent or that they had been sacrificed in this way. While it might be surprising to find signs of brutal forced labour during the Stone Age period, the researchers say these women died at a turning point in Neolithic society. They write: 'The hardest labour may no longer have been done by the strongest, but by those who could most easily be forced to do it.' WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE STONE AGE? The Stone Age is a period in human prehistory distinguished by the original development of stone tools that covers more than 95 per cent of human technological prehistory. It begins with the earliest known use of stone tools by hominins, ancient ancestors to humans, during the Old Stone Age - beginning around 3.3million years ago. Between roughly 400,000 and 200,000 years ago, the pace of innovation in stone technology began to accelerate very slightly, a period known as the Middle Stone Age. By the beginning of this time, handaxes were made with exquisite craftsmanship. This eventually gave way to smaller, more diverse toolkits, with an emphasis on flake tools rather than larger core tools. These toolkits were established by at least 285,000 years in some parts of Africa, and by 250,000 to 200,000 years in Europe and parts of western Asia. These toolkits last until at least 50,000 to 28,000 years ago. During the Later Stone Age the pace of innovations rose and the level of craftsmanship increased. Groups of Homo sapiens experimented with diverse raw materials, including bone, ivory, and antler, as well as stone. The period, between 50,000 and 39,000 years ago, is also associated with the advent of modern human behaviour in Africa. Different groups sought their own distinct cultural identity and adopted their own ways of making things.
New York Times
17-06-2025
- Science
- New York Times
A Traveler Waits in the Stars for Those Willing to Learn How to Look
Among the Northern Dene people in Alaska and Canada, tradition holds that pointing one's finger at animals, or the stars, is disrespectful. So is speaking carelessly about entities in the night sky. And so is peppering an Elder with probing questions. Chris Cannon, a red-haired astronomy educator, did not know any of this one overcast morning in 2011, when he ventured past a black bear's carcass and a faded sign reading 'trespassers will be shot' and knocked on Paul Herbert's door in Fort Yukon, Alaska. Dr. Cannon, at that time a number of years from earning his Ph.D. in cultural anthropology, tried to introduce himself in the Gwich'in language, of which Mr. Herbert is among only a few hundred surviving native speakers. Then Dr. Cannon asked about the stars. 'What the hell you mean, stars?' Mr. Herbert said. 'It's cloudy out there.' Over tea at Mr. Herbert's kitchen table, Dr. Cannon produced documents showing star names that Western ethnographers and anthropologists had recorded from Indigenous cultures across the region. Existing research suggested that Northern Dene societies like the Gwich'in had only managed to map or study the Big Dipper and no other parts of the night sky. One 20th-century ethnographer had gone so far as to dismiss the region's Indigenous astronomical knowledge as 'extremely slight' and 'small.' But Mr. Herbert holds far more in his head alone than the sum total of all that published research. 'I said, 'That stupid little map right there, throw that in the garbage,'' Mr. Herbert recalled in a recording of a launch event for Dr. Cannon's new book on Northern Dene star knowledge that was hosted by the Tanana Chiefs Conference, a consortium of Alaska Native communities. The book, 'In the Footsteps of the Traveller,' grew from that first meeting with Mr. Herbert and replaces earlier scholarly condescension with a clearer picture of a huge, ancient and intricate astronomical system shared by Elders across more than 750 miles of subarctic landscape. Alongside Mr. Herbert, some 65 Indigenous knowledge holders contributed to the book. More than a third have passed away since Dr. Cannon began the research. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
USA Today
10-02-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
UNC Asheville suspends DEI course requirements following Trump order, UNC System memo
UNC Asheville suspends DEI course requirements following Trump order, UNC System memo ASHEVILLE - UNC Asheville has immediately suspended existing graduation requirements mandating completion of course credits related to diversity, equity and inclusion. A Feb. 6 email to students, staff and faculty from Chancellor Kimberly van Noort acknowledged that "such substantial curricular changes" during a semester are "unprecedented" and may be "confusing and difficult to navigate." Her directive came in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump, and a memo from the UNC System, sent Feb. 5, that said in order to comply with the order, all general education requirements and major-specific requirements mandating completion of courses related to DEI are "suspended" so as not to jeopardize federal funding. According to the memo, universities can still offer the courses, but cannot mandate them for students. UNCA spokesperson Brian Hart said before the suspension, students were required to complete two diversity intensive courses, or DI. At least one was required to have a DI-R designation, indicating it is a U.S. Race/Ethnicity-Centric course. The second course could be designated as DI or DI-R. For the Spring 2025 semester, there are 53 classes with a diversity intensive designation, with 1,097 students enrolled in those classes. Total enrollment at UNCA is 2,801 students. A link on its website to a list of diversity intensives offered at UNCA led to a "page not found" dead end Feb. 7. But Hart said courses with a diversity-intensive designation include Appalachian Literature, Global Business, Developmental Psychology and Intro to Cultural Anthropology. Per the memo, sent by Andrew Tripp, UNC System senior vice president for legal affairs and general counsel, during the suspension, UNC's existing curricular requirements related to diversity intensive courses will be converted into general elective requirements. Students will still be required to meet 120 credit hours to be eligible for graduation. Van Noort said the university's top priority is ensuring that this change does not impede graduation or academic degree progress. Any student currently enrolled in a Spring 2025 course to satisfy a requirement related to diversity intensive courses may elect either to remain enrolled in the course or to withdraw without penalty. "It is my top priority to ensure that all UNC Asheville students have a clear path to graduation, including providing all academic student success resources available to meet program of study requirements," she said. "Equally, I want to ensure everyone in our community that we remain steadfastly committed to fostering a culture of belonging, access, and student success." Hart clarified that all classes with the diversity intensive designation will continue without changes, and students will still receive general elective credit for those classes. Students who are currently in a diversity intensive class or classes, including seniors who plan to graduate in May or August, may continue in that class or classes and remain on track for graduation. UNC institutions received approximately $1.4 billion in federal research dollars in fiscal year 2023-24, according to Tripp's memo. That is about 62% of all university research funds, and 13% of its annual budget. It also receives over $600 million in federal dollars in the form of student aid and other funding. The risk of jeopardizing that funding is "too great to defer action," he said. More: Asheville will receive $225M in federal disaster recovery funds: What must happen now? More: 'Assessment' work in UNC Asheville woods sparks fear, frustration among neighbors Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@ or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
