A surprisingly ancient monumental structure was unearthed at the site of Kani Shaie, at the base of the Zagros Mountains. The 5,000-year-old building likely served a public or religious function. Its architecture shows strong connections with Uruk, 300 miles to the south, which is often called the world’s first metropolis. The discovery indicates that Kani Shaie was not as peripheral as once thought. Instead, it was deeply entwined with the Fertile Crescent’s major social and political developments in the Early Bronze Age.

Prehistoric stone tools such as blades and projectile points have long been associated solely with men. However, a survey of material from the enormous Zvejnieki necropolis determined that between 7500 and 2500 b.c., women were just as likely—or even more so—to be buried with stone tools than were men. This is forcing a reconsideration of gender stereotypes in prehistory. 

When English colonists founded Jamestown in 1607, they brought much-needed horses with them. According to recent examination of equid bones, they also brought donkeys, which are not mentioned in historical records. Isotope analysis indicates these animals weren’t transported from England but perhaps were picked up mid-journey in western Africa. This may explain why they aren’t listed on any ship’s manifest. The donkeys were, unfortunately, butchered by desperate colonists during the “starving time” winter of 1609–1610.