Welcome back, everybody!  This is Rick Pettigrew delivering your weekly batch of the top news stories that appeared on Archaeologica!  Send us feedback on The Archaeology Channel Facebook page or post a message on our social networking site, ArchaeoSeek!

The project leader who found the century-old Endurance shipwreck near Antarctica warns that climate change threatens the pristine site.  Chemical analysis of ancient Chinese incense demonstrates that components of it originated thousands of miles away.  A human molar from a cave in Laos now appears likely to be from the poorly documented Denisovan group. And Ukrainian soldiers in Odessa have come across Bronze Age amphorae.

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And now, here’s Laura Pettigrew with the Audio News from Archaeologica.  We hope you find this to be a valuable part of your day!

Welcome to the Audio News from Archaeologica!  I’m Laura Pettigrew, and these are the headlines in archaeological and historical news for the week of May 15th through the 21st.

Our first story this week brings us to the depths of the Southern Ocean, where a sunken ship from an Antarctic expedition is at risk from the effects of climate change.

As reported by The Guardian, an expedition team from the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust in March of this year found the wreckage of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s famous ship, Endurance, which was lost in 1912.  The team attempted to reach the ship in 2019 but had to turn back after one of their vehicles was trapped beneath ice.

In an interview with Wreckwatch Magazine, Mensun Bound, the leader of the expeditions, reflected on what he encountered on each voyage.  He expressed shock at the dramatic difference in environmental conditions between the expeditions, which were less than three years apart. 

On the 2022 expedition, the team noted that the thick, multi-year ice they expected was notably absent, with much of it having melted away.  They primarily saw thin, first-year ice and faced no serious threats of getting trapped in the ice as they did on the previous expedition. 

According to Bound, one consequence of the continuation of current environmental trends will be the disappearance of the perennial sea ice currently protecting Endurance. This would not only be a loss to maritime archaeology but would potentially open up the shipwreck site to opportunistic looters—a common concern when it comes to sunken ships. 

The team also fears increasing ocean acidification will also take its toll and lead to the rapid deterioration of the ship.

The expedition poses important ethical considerations. If climate conditions begin to rapidly destroy such sites, should researchers stand by as they deteriorate and are plundered, or is it humans’ responsibility to recover elements from such sites?  Such expeditions can prove dangerous, and as climate change progresses, archaeologists will need to grapple more and more with these questions. 

These warnings from Bound and his team speak to one of the less commonly discussed aspects of climate change—its effect on and potential destruction of archaeological sites and human heritage. 

Our next story takes us to China, where examination of incense mixtures has revealed far-reaching trade relationships. 

As reported by IFLScience.com, a team of Chinese researchers from the Palace Museum, the Famen Temple Museum and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences has conducted an analysis of ancient incense found at the Famen Royal Temple in Shaanxi Province. 

The temple is located near Xi'an, positioned at an important crossroads for overland trade routes between China, Central Asia and the Middle East.  While it is not fully clear when exactly the temple was built, researchers suspect it was sometime between AD 386 and 534.

The temple is most famous for once housing what were claimed to be four of Buddha's fingerbones.  Though several of the relics were proven to be fakes, Chinese authorities continue to claim that one of the four fingers was authentic.  The temple was highly important to Chinese rulers of its era and therefore possessed large quantities of the highest quality incense.

Historical records tell us that incense has been common in China since at least 2,200 years ago.  In ancient societies with simple or nonexistent sewage systems, powerful-smelling incense was incredibly valuable.

A series of 1987 excavations at the temple revealed a previously unknown underground palace.  It was here that archaeologists discovered several containers of ancient incense. 

Over the last year, the Chinese research team analyzed the incense via two methods called infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry analysis.  They found components of agarwood, elemi [ELL-a -mee] and frankincense originating from Central Asia, the Middle East, and even Africa. 

Two of the incense samples combined Elemi resin with agarwood, while the other was a combination of agarwood and frankincense.  The finding is the oldest evidence of Hexiang [hay -shee-AHNG], a method for blending different incenses together. 

This discovery underscores the breadth of ancient Chinese trade routes, with a number of the incense elements originating thousands of miles away from the temple site.  The team believes that the trade of incense may have played a key role in the development of the famous Silk Road, which perhaps should have been called the “Incense Road.”

Our third story this week takes us to Laos, where researchers have found the first fossil evidence of Denisovans in Southeast Asia.

As reported by Science.org, researchers have been digging in a cave near the village of Long Gua Pa, first discovered by a local child telling of a cave full of bones.  Since digging began, researchers have discovered ancient rhinoceroses, tapirs, pigs, and rodents.  Most notably, though, was the discovery of a single humanlike molar.

The team identified the tooth as belonging to a Denisovan, the mysterious cousins of Neanderthals and modern humans that coexisted with both groups, and for whom we have limited fossil evidence.  It’s believed this species likely died out about 30,000 years ago. 

The discovery of the tooth supports the hypothesis, long believed by archaeologists but for which there was limited physical evidence, that these ancient people once inhabited Southeast Asia.  Recent DNA analysis has found Denisovan DNA in modern Indigenous populations, such as one group in the Philippines which shares up to 5% of their DNA with Denisovans in some cases. 

Researchers noted that while the tooth looked human, it had some stark differences from the teeth of modern humans.  For one, the molar was too big to have come from the island-dwelling humans Homo floresiensis on Flores Island in Indonesia and Homo luzonensis from the Philippines—two initial candidates.  Further, the crown was too complex to belong to Homo erectus, and, while it looked a bit like the tooth of a Neanderthal, that group had no known presence in the region.  Thus, the molar is most likely Denisovan, although these results can’t be called conclusive.

Researchers used several techniques to date the sediment surrounding the molar and the animal bones alongside it.  They determined that the tooth was deposited in the cave somewhere between 130,000 and 160,000 years ago. 

The finding underscores the geographic range of the Denisovans, as well as their adaptability, since evidence of the species spans from the reaches of Siberia to the South China Sea and beyond. 

Our final story this week takes us to Ukraine, where a military defense unit digging trenches has discovered a collection of ancient amphorae in the city of Odessa.  The third-largest city in the country, a critical shipping port and renowned vacation and cultural destination, Odessa is currently under siege by Russian forces.

As reported by Smithsonian Magazine via the newspaper Kyiv Independent, soldiers found the tall, bottle-necked jars as well as some ceramic shards in early May, first sharing the findings on Facebook.  It has since been determined that the artifacts date to the fourth century AD. 

Such amphorae originate from the Bronze Age: more than 3,000 years ago.  These urns were the primary method of storing and transporting goods and came in a variety of shapes depending on what they held.  Amphorae were used by Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines alike, and often doubled as works of art featuring painted works of local mythology and scenes. 

Given their prevalence in the ancient world, it is quite common to find amphorae such as these in a variety of regions. 

The finding is especially meaningful during a time when Ukraine’s most important heritage sites are threatened by the ongoing war.  UNESCO has verified damage to 133 sites in the country so far, including ancient Scythian tombs that are over 1,000 years old.

The recently discovered amphorae were in excellent condition and have since been transferred to the Odessa Archaeological Museum.  Due to the current conflict, archaeologists cannot document for sure where exactly the amphorae were found.

That wraps up the news for this week!

For more stories and daily news updates, visit Archaeologica on the World Wide Web at www.archaeologica.org where all the news is history!

I’m Laura Pettigrew and I’ll see you next week!