The year 2023 marked a pivotal moment in the field of archaeology, with discoveries that revolutionized our understanding of human evolution. From ancient hominins who entered inhospitable lands, to Neanderthals who expressed their art on cave walls, to women who occupied positions of power in ancient societies, each discovery has contributed to painting an increasingly complex and multifaceted picture of our origins .
Ancient Masterpieces: Art and Architecture Beyond Homo Sapiens
Findings in 2023 showed that many activities considered “advanced,” such as construction of architectural structures and artistic creation, have much older origins than we thought. TO Kalambo Falls in Zambia, for example, trunks worked with stone tools have been found, dated 476.000 years ago, well before the evolution of Homo sapiens. These clues suggest the presence of structures, perhaps buildings, created by extinct hominids.
In the field of art, the discovery of further Neanderthal artwork in France it strengthened the idea that artistic expression is not an exclusive invention of modern man. Even older species such as Homo erectus may also have participated in the art, as demonstrated by shell carvings.
There, where no man had (yet) set foot, but hominids had
Advances in archeology have revealed that even extinct hominids managed to settle in extreme places, “dominating” nature in their own way.
For example, we now know that the Denisovans (you know who they were, Right?) they lived on the icy heights of the Tibetan plateau 200.000 years ago, overturning the old notion that the plateau was colonized by modern humans only about 3600 years ago.
Homo Naledi: small brains, great abilities
One of the most heated debates that archeology has triggered in 2023 concerns Homo naledi, a hominid who lived about 250.000 years ago. Despite the small brain, typical of the most ancient hominids, recent discoveries in the Rising Star cave group in South Africa suggest that Homo Naledi may have engaged in complex behaviors, such as creating art and burying the dead.
All these findings literally disintegrate the idea that the size of the brain is directly correlated to the complexity of behavior (already on the concept of intelligence, for other reasons, we have to think again).
Archeology has also rewritten gender roles in prehistory
2023 has offered new perspectives even on gender roles in prehistoric societies. A meta-analysis revealed that in hunting and gathering societies, women participated in hunting in 80% of cases, contrary to the traditional idea that saw men as the only hunters.
This data, together with evidence of women in positions of power in various ancient cultures (such as Viking queen Thyra who unified Denmark in 900 AD or a female “leader”. in the Iberian Peninsula 4000 years ago), suggests a more egalitarian social structure different from modern expectations. One wonders, at least on this level, what went wrong.
Archeology has a great future
The many discoveries this year (overlooking the applications of the LIDAR laser which have shown us hundreds of new sites in the Amazon and maybe - pyramids from 27.000 years ago in Indonesia, we'll talk more about it in 2024) offer food for thought on everything. Social models, cultural models: they make us review even the current ones in a different light.
Our history is much richer and more varied than initially thought, with traces of intelligence, creativity and social structuring that are lost in the mists of time.
The year 2023 closes with the promise that the future of archeology will continue to surprise us, offering us new perspectives on who we are and where we come from.
