Latest news with #NicholasVella
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Hunter-gatherers made long distance-crossings of Mediterranean in boats
Hunter-gatherers were making long-distance voyages across the Mediterranean 8,500 years ago, suggesting they were more technologically advanced than previously thought. Evidence of human activity has been found in caves in Malta, which date back to the European Mesolithic, proving that communities must have travelled from the mainland – a distance of at least 60 miles of open water. Sailing had not yet been invented, so it is likely they made the arduous journey paddling in dugout canoes and may have navigated by the stars. The remains date from a thousand years before the arrival of the first farmers. 'The fact that we find hunter-gatherers on Malta at this time implies a sea crossing from Sicily in a dugout canoe,' said Prof Nicholas Vella of the University of Malta, co-investigator of the study. 'All of this predisposes knowledge by the seafarers of navigation at night, using the stars, using sea marks and of course the ability to make up for the strong sea currents that exist in this part of the Mediterranean. 'Relying on sea surface currents and prevailing winds, a crossing of about 100km is likely, with a speed of about 4km per hour. 'Even on the longest day of the year, these seafarers would have had over several hours of darkness in open water.' Malta is one of the most remote islands in the Mediterranean, lying around 62 miles off the coast of Sicily, to which it had previously been connected by a hypothesised land bridge that was submerged around 13,000 years ago. It had been assumed that Malta was too small and remote to support human populations before the dawn of farming, which also brought the development of more advanced seafaring technologies. Previously identified remains in Malta have pointed to Neolithic farmers being the first to reach the isle around 7,400 years ago. But researchers found evidence of stone tools, hearths, and cooked food waste at the cave site of Latnija in the northern Mellieħa region of Malta. 'The results add a thousand years to Maltese prehistory and force a re-evaluation of the seafaring abilities of Europe's last hunter-gatherers, as well as their connections and ecosystem impacts,' said Prof Eleanor Scerri of the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology (MPI-GEA) and the University of Malta. 'It leads us to ask what other connections might have existed across the Mesolithic world and the Mediterranean.' The remains of deer, birds, tortoises, and foxes were discovered, suggesting the cave dwellers were still hunting their food, as well as eating seals, fish, urchins, and crabs. Some of the animal bones found had been thought to already be extinct, suggesting that Mesolithic hunters could have been responsible for some animals dying out on Malta. The experts said archaeologists may need to rethink the technological capabilities of hunter-gatherers in the region. The research was published in the journal Nature. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
09-04-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
Hunter-gatherers made long distance-crossings of Mediterranean in boats
Hunter-gatherers were making long-distance voyages across the Mediterranean 8,500 years ago, suggesting they were more technologically advanced than previously thought. Evidence of human activity has been found in caves in Malta, which date back to the European Mesolithic, proving that communities must have travelled from the mainland – a distance of at least 60 miles of open water. Sailing had not yet been invented, so it is likely they made the arduous journey paddling in dugout canoes and may have navigated by the stars. The remains date from a thousand years before the arrival of the first farmers. 'The fact that we find hunter-gatherers on Malta at this time implies a sea crossing from Sicily in a dugout canoe,' said Prof Nicholas Vella of the University of Malta, co-investigator of the study. 'All of this predisposes knowledge by the seafarers of navigation at night, using the stars, using sea marks and of course the ability to make up for the strong sea currents that exist in this part of the Mediterranean. 'Relying on sea surface currents and prevailing winds, a crossing of about 100km is likely, with a speed of about 4km per hour. 'Even on the longest day of the year, these seafarers would have had over several hours of darkness in open water.' Malta is one of the most remote islands in the Mediterranean, lying around 62 miles off the coast of Sicily, to which it had previously been connected by a hypothesised land bridge that was submerged around 13,000 years ago. It had been assumed that Malta was too small and remote to support human populations before the dawn of farming, which also brought the development of more advanced seafaring technologies. Previously identified remains in Malta have pointed to Neolithic farmers being the first to reach the isle around 7,400 years ago. But researchers found evidence of stone tools, hearths, and cooked food waste at the cave site of Latnija in the northern Mellieħa region of Malta. 'The results add a thousand years to Maltese prehistory and force a re-evaluation of the seafaring abilities of Europe's last hunter-gatherers, as well as their connections and ecosystem impacts,' said Prof Eleanor Scerri of the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology (MPI-GEA) and the University of Malta. 'It leads us to ask what other connections might have existed across the Mesolithic world and the Mediterranean.' The remains of deer, birds, tortoises, and foxes were discovered, suggesting the cave dwellers were still hunting their food, as well as eating seals, fish, urchins, and crabs. Some of the animal bones found had been thought to already be extinct, suggesting that Mesolithic hunters could have been responsible for some animals dying out on Malta. The experts said archaeologists may need to rethink the technological capabilities of hunter-gatherers in the region. The research was published in the journal Nature.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Cave discovery could rewrite 1,000 years of Mediterranean history
Evidence discovered in a cave on Malta indicates hunter-gatherers visited the picturesque Mediterranean island long before they began farming on mainland Europe. If true, the 8,500-year-old archeological site appears to contradict commonly held assumptions about societal development among the continent's last Mesolithic communities. Researchers published their findings on April 9 in Nature, and argue that as much as a millennium's worth of Maltese prehistory may warrant reevaluation. The trajectory of paleohistorical societies often goes something like this: first farming, then the open ocean. That's because, generally speaking, the tools and techniques needed to craft seafaring technology such as sails only arrived after the invention of farming tools. Because of this, most archeologists long believed Mediterranean islands like Malta were some of the last wildernesses to encounter humans. However, a cave site known as Latnija in Malta's northern Mellieħa region is forcing experts to consider alternative historical narratives. There, researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Malta have uncovered evidence indicating a human presence on the island at least 8,500 years ago—roughly 1,000 years before the first known farmers arrived. More specifically, Latnija contained stone tools and hearth fragments, as well as cooked food waste. Some of this food even came from animals believed to have already died out on the island. 'We found abundant evidence for a range of wild animals, including Red Deer, long thought to have gone extinct by this point in time,' study lead author Eleanor Scerri said in a statement. 'They were hunting and cooking these deer alongside tortoises and birds, including some that were extremely large and extinct today.' In addition to land animals, the cooked food scraps also included a large array of marine resources such as seals and fish, as well as thousands of gastropods, crabs, and sea urchins. But just how far did these hunter-gatherers sail to host these Maltese cookouts? According to experts, at least 62 miles (100 km) of open water. Even more impressive, these ancient sailors likely made their journeys in simple dugout canoes without the aid of sails. 'Relying on sea surface currents and prevailing winds, as well as the use of landmarks, stars, and other wayfinding practices, a crossing of about 100 km is likely, with a speed of about 4 km per hour,' said study co-author Nicholas Vella, adding that, 'Even on the longest day of the year, these seafarers would have had over several hours of darkness in open water.' The study's authors believe their findings can help kick off thoughtful reexaminations of Europe's last hunter-gatherer societies, as well as their influence on the natural world around them. It's now possible that at least some endemic animal populations on Malta and other distant Mediterranean islands went extinct partially due to humans. The discovery even raises the chances of still-unknown seafaring links between Mesolithic communities. 'The results add a thousand years to Maltese prehistory and force a re-evaluation of the seafaring abilities of Europe's last hunter-gatherers, as well as their connections and ecosystem impacts,' said Scerri.
