Demolished 20th-Century Neighborhood Investigated in Finland

OULU, FINLAND—According to a statement released by Antiquity, an excavation conducted at Vaakunakylä, a neighborhood in west-central Finland established by German troops during World War II, unearthed items left by Finns who moved into the site in the late 1940s. The working-class settlement, which had been labeled as a “bad” neighborhood, was demolished against the wishes of its residents in the late 1980s. Oula Seitsonen of the University of Oulu and his colleagues determined that the original military barracks had been refurbished as family housing. One of the buildings was even repurposed as a sauna, he said. Pieces of several porcelain sets, suggesting that the post-war residents had a higher standard of living than previously thought, were found in rubbish pits. Toys, children’s medication, and pacifiers also point to a good quality of life, Seitsonen explained. Finally, the researchers conducted interviews with former residents of Vaakunakylä, who remembered the community in a generally positive light. “Both the finds and the collected oral histories give a different and more nuanced picture of the Vaakunakylä community than the popular image of the area as a restless and criminal slum-like shantytown,” Seitsonen said. “We hope that this can have a healing aspect when the pent-up feelings are brought to the surface and discussed in public,” he concluded. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Antiquity. To read about plantings in a medieval garden in southwest Finland, go to "The Archaeology of Gardens: Medical Gardens."

Medieval Convent Excavated in France

MORLAIX, FRANCE—The Miami Herald reports that an excavation at the site of a 700-year-old Roman Catholic convent in northwestern France, conducted by researchers from France’s National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research, has uncovered remains of the church, more than 200 burials, jewelry, and religious devotional objects. The convent was established by the Dominican Order, known as the Jacobin Order in France, in 1238. The church dates to 1250, and was restored and expanded after a fire in 1344. Most of the burials in the church, which contained the remains of men, women, and children, were in single tombs, but joint tombs in masonry vaults were also found. One of these vaults held the remains of 17 people. Artifacts recovered from the burials include traces of wooden coffins; copper pins that were used to hold shrouds in place; rings; bracelets; rosaries made of wood, bone, stone, and glass; crucifixes made of wood, copper, and terracotta; a silk scapular with a silver wire; and a unique skull-shaped object made of bone. To read about excavations at the Convent of the Jacobins in Rennes, France, go to "Renaissance Melody."

Plague Pits Uncovered in Germany

NUREMBERG, GERMANY—According to a CNN report, eight plague pits estimated to hold the remains of more than 1,500 people were discovered in southern Germany during an investigation conducted ahead of a construction project. Plague outbreaks are known to have occurred in Nuremberg roughly every 10 years, beginning in the fourteenth century. Radiocarbon dating of one of the pits indicates that it was in use between the late fifteenth century and early seventeenth century, while early seventeenth century pottery and coins were also recovered, said Melanie Langbein of Nuremberg’s Department for Heritage Conservation. Meanwhile, historic records show that a plague outbreak killed more than 15,000 people in Nuremberg in 1632 and 1633, resulting in the burial of more than 2,000 people in the area where the excavation is being conducted. Dire conditions brought about by the Thirty Years' War, fought from 1618 to 1648, likely made this particular plague outbreak more deadly, and required the use of plague pits to accommodate the dead, Langbein added. “Those people were not interred in a regular cemetery although we have designated plague cemeteries in Nuremberg,” she explained. To read about a mass grave of soldiers who died during the Thirty Years' War Battle of Lützen in 1632, go to "Last Stand of the Blue Brigade."

Genes of Europe’s Last Hunter-Gatherers Examined

UPPSALA, SWEDEN—Live Science reports that few biological links have been detected among 10 hunter-gatherers who were buried between 6350 and 4810 B.C. at two sites along the coast of Brittany in northwestern France. The sites, Téviec and Hoedic, both contain well-preserved human remains and date to this period, which was marked by the transition to farming, and changes in settlement patterns, technology, diet, and burial practices. Some evidence for gene flow from hunter-gatherers to incoming farmers has been detected at this time. The study of these 10 hunter-gatherers, however, determined that their genomes were similar to other hunter-gatherer groups in Western Europe, without any evidence of mixing with the first farmers to reach Brittany. Luciana Simões of Uppsala University suggests that these last hunter-gatherers in Europe may have developed distinct social units to avoid inbreeding. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. To read about a decline in average height that occurred when Europeans shifted from being hunter-gatherers to farmers, go to "Don't Give an Inch."

Stacks of Bones Unearthed in Western Mexico

NAYARIT, MEXICO—Stacks of human bones were discovered during a construction project in western Mexico, according to a Live Science report. The burial is estimated to be about 1,500 years old, based upon ceramic vessels and figurines recovered at the site. Claudia Servín Rosas of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said that all of the remains were buried at the same time. One complete skeleton has been identified, along with the bones of other individuals. Long leg bones were found in one section, while seven complete skulls were found in another, she added. All of the skulls, some of which had been modified, belonged to men of various ages. The remains will be preserved for analysis. To read about skulls embedded in a wall at Mexico City's Aztec temple complex, go to "A Circle of Skulls."

Unbaked Neolithic Bread Identified in Turkey

KONYA, TURKEY—The Anadolu Agency reports that an artifact recovered at the site of the Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük by a team of researchers led by Ali Umut Turkcan of Anadolu University has been identified as a small loaf of unbaked bread. Located in central Anatolia, Çatalhöyük was home to some 8,000 people who lived in adobe houses with interconnected roofs. Researchers from Necmettin Erbakan University detected wheat, barley, and pea seeds in the small, round, spongy artifact, which was discovered in a corner of a severely damaged clay structure and radiocarbon dated to 8,600 years ago. “It hasn’t been baked in the oven but has fermented, preserving the starches,” Turkcan explained. To read about research on the lack of ventilation in the houses at Çatalhöyük, go to "Around the World: Turkey."

Upper Section of Ramesses II Statue Discovered in Egypt

CAIRO, EGYPT—A large section from the upper part of a colossal statue of Ramesses II, who ruled from 1279 to 1213 B.C. during the 19th Dynasty, has been uncovered by a joint Egyptian-American archaeological team working near the city of Minya in Upper Egypt, according to a Reuters report. Egyptian archaeologist Bassem Jihad said that the carved piece of limestone, which measures about 12.5 feet tall, shows Ramesses wearing a double crown and a headdress topped with a royal cobra. A text written in hieroglyphics on the upper area of the back of the statue glorifies the king, he added. The lower section of the statue was discovered by German archaeologist Gunther Roeder in 1930. Originally, the entire statue would have stood more than 20 feet tall. Mustafa Waziri of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities said that the researchers will create a model of what the statue would have looked like in antiquity. To read about mummified animal heads unearthed around the temple of Ramesses II in Abydos, go to "Ram Heads for Ramesses."

1,200-Year-Old Lord’s Tomb Unearthed in Panama

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA—CBS News reports that a 1,200-year-old tomb of the Coclé culture containing the remains of an elite lord, as many as 31 sacrificial victims, and gold artifacts has been discovered in Panama’s El Caño Archaeological Park. The gold objects include bracelets, two belts made with gold beads, crocodile-shaped earrings, earrings made of gold-covered sperm whale teeth, and circular gold plates. A set of bone flutes, two bells, skirts made with dog teeth, and earrings shaped like a man and a woman were also recovered. Archaeologist Julia Mayo of the El Caño Foundation said that the lord, who was about 30 years old at the time of his death, was buried face down on top of the body of a woman, which is typical of this type of Coclé culture burial. The excavation of the tomb will continue, she concluded. To read about early evidence for shamanistic practices in Central America dating as far back as 4,800 years ago, go to "World Roundup: Panama."

Evidence for Early Tobacco Use Found in Guatemala

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT—According to a Live Science report, Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos of Yale University and his colleagues have detected nicotine in residue samples taken from pottery unearthed near the remains of sweat baths at Cotzumalhuapa, a city located in what is now Guatemala that was occupied between A.D. 650 and 950. The substance was found in three tall, narrow vessels typically thought to have been used to hold liquids. Tobacco may have therefore been consumed as a liquid infusion, or liquid may have been drunk from the vessels as tobacco was snorted or smoked. “We knew that tobacco was a very important substance employed for a variety of ritual and therapeutic purposes in ancient Mesoamerica and across the New World,” Chinchilla Mazariegos said. Physical evidence of tobacco use is rare, however, because it is rarely preserved in the archaeological record, he explained. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Antiquity. To read about the tobacco smoking habits of Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest, go to "A Tale of Two Pipes."

Fresco Depicting Phrixus and Helle Discovered in Pompeii

NAPLES, ITALY—According to a report in The Guardian, images of Phrixus and Helle, characters in Greek mythology, have been found at the House of Leda in Pompeii, an ancient Roman city destroyed in A.D. 79 by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. A depiction of the myth of Leda and the Swan was uncovered near the entrance to this house in 2018. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of Pompeii Archaeological Park, said that depictions of Phrixus and Helle have been found throughout Pompeii. “They are two refugees at sea, a brother and sister, forced to flee because their stepmother wants rid of them and she does so with deception and corruption,” Zuchtriegel explained. The siblings were rescued by a flying ram with golden fleece sent by their birth mother, but Helle fell off the ram into the waters of the Hellespont, and drowned, he added. The fresco shows Helle with her face obscured by waves, reaching out to Phrixus on the back of the ram. To read about new insights into the process of ancient Roman house painting, go to "Painting by Roman Numerals."