Welcome back, everybody!  I’m Rick Pettigrew.  Hang on for our latest batch of four top news stories from this past week of Archaeologica.  Send us feedback on The Archaeology Channel Facebook page or post a message on our social networking site, ArchaeoSeek!

A new study proposes that the early Medieval Sutton Hoo burials in England were not kings, but rather warrior veterans who fought for the Byzantine Empire.  Two Neolithic sites in northern Iraq shed light on the origins of social and economic complexity that led to civilization. A new DNA study of eastern Indonesia reveals that population movements in prehistoric times were more complex than expected.  And a new strontium isotope distribution map for sub-Saharan Africa paves the way for pinpointing the specific origins of people and animals whose remains come from that region.

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And now, here’s Laura Kennedy 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 Kennedy, and these are the headlines in archaeological and historical news for the week of January 5th through the 11th, 2025.

Our first story takes us to Suffolk, England, where a new study argues that a group of burial sites, including the Sutton Hoo burial mounds, hold Anglo-Saxon soldiers who fought for the Byzantine Empire. 

As reported by The Independent, the Sutton Hoo site, discovered in the 1930s, is part of a group of elaborate late sixth and early seventh century graves in southeast England.  It features a 27-meter-long oak burial ship, silverware and exquisite textiles. Archaeologists initially believed that the mound held the extravagantly adorned burial of a king, as the surrounding grave goods include numerous contemporary items from the eastern Mediterranean. 

According to lead researcher and professor of medieval history at the University of Oxford, Dr. Helen Gittos, these elaborate burials do not automatically indicate royal status.  Instead, they may signify the important honors awarded to individuals for accomplishments in their lifetime. 

The new study proposes that the men fought for the Byzantine Empire against the Sasanian [suh-SAY-nee-uhn] Empire of Persia in AD 575.  The Byzantines, desperate for soldiers, initiated a recruitment drive across Europe.  This created a group of elite cavalry called the foederati [FOH-er-AH-ti], which included Franks and Burgundians. 

Historical evidence suggests that Britain was involved in this recruitment effort.  Britons were noted for their woodland fighting skills, and Emperor Justinian paid subsidies to the region.  These military exploits abroad might have led to rapid changes in social status for warriors.

However, military service alone does not fully explain the phenomenon of princely burials.  The Anglo-Saxons had various diplomatic connections with the Byzantines, including Pope Gregory’s mission to Kent, pilgrimages to the Holy Land and trade routes that linked eastern England with Byzantine territories.  These connections likely built upon each other, facilitating cultural exchange while sourcing human work forces for Byzantine interests.  Previous studies of artifacts like Byzantine silver and Mediterranean buckets provide further evidence for this connection. 

Despite evidence indicating direct contact between eastern Britain and Byzantium, early medievalists have often been reluctant to acknowledge these connections.  This hesitation arises from the perception that the Anglo-Saxons were followers of continental trends rather than direct participants, a tendency to emphasize earlier Roman influences over contemporary Byzantine ones, and a preference for gradual societal changes over sudden shifts.  However, this new research indicates that the Byzantine Empire had a deeper, more dynamic relationship with Britain than is traditionally understood. 

The study was published in the journal The English Historical Review. 

Our next story takes us to Iraqi Kurdistan, where archaeologists have discovered two settlements at the Neolithic sites of Kanispan and Asinkran, which date back 8,000 or more years. 

As reported by Arkeonews, this research is part of the Asingeran Excavation Project between the University of Udine [OO-deen-ay in Italy and the Directorate of Antiquities of Dohuk, Iraq.  Professor Marco Iamoni of the University of Udine led the study. 

At the Kanisban site, evidence of ceramic production and the cultivation of cereals from the seventh millennium BC show important Neolithic advancements.  At Asinkran, researchers found traces of some of the oldest known methods of grain processing and pottery making, which are more than 8,000 years old. 

Archaeologists uncovered two monumental buildings dating to around 7,000 years ago at the Asinkran site.  Known as the Rectangular Mudbrick Building and the White Building, these structures were placed on a high mound.  They likely housed social elites.  These buildings indicate the presence of early complex social structures in the region. 

The project’s primary goal is to explore how egalitarian agricultural societies transitioned into stratified communities with specialized labor.  Archaeologists believe that transition led to the development of current social structures.

Further research will continue in collaboration with the National Museum of Denmark and the universities of Padua and Bologna [bel-OWN-ya] in Italy.  In specialized labs, the new findings will undergo genetic, palaeobotanical and ceramic analysis.  Hopefully, the results will uncover more about the subsistence strategies and systems for social organization in the Nafkor plain of northern Iraq.  

According to Bekas Brifkani, the Director of Antiques and Heritage in Dohuk province, these discoveries are a pivotal step in reconstructing the history of human development in the region.  They emphasize the Kurdistan region’s role as a key center in early civilization and the evolution of ancient societies. 

Next, we make our way to eastern Indonesia, where researchers have presented the first genomic evidence of early migration from New Guinea to Wallacea [wol-AY-see-uh], an archipelago that holds Timor-Leste [TEE-mor LESH-tay] and other islands.  The region has incredible genetic and linguistic diversity, comparable to the whole Eurasian continent. 

As reported by Phys dot org, the University of Adelaide and the Australian National University published the new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  Anatomically modern humans initially settled in Wallacea roughly 50,000 or more years ago.  Their descendant populations remained genetically isolated until the arrival of Austronesian seafarers, ultimately from Asia, around 3,500 years ago. 

Modern Wallaceans show a blend of both Papuan and Asian ancestries, which has typically been linked to mixing of the original human population with Austronesian migrants.  Recent findings indicate that the Papuan component actually originates from returning migrations from New Guinea, rather than from the original settlers. 

The research team reconstructed the genetic history of Wallacea through more than 250 genomes from 12 Wallacean and 3 West Papuan populations.  Analysis suggests that between 75 and 100 percent of Papuan-related ancestry in Wallacea comes from ancient migrations out of New Guinea.  Interbreeding among Papuan and local Wallacean lineages predominantly occurred in the western and central archipelago.  This aligns with the arrival of Austronesian genes, which currently make up between 40 and 85 percent of contemporary Wallacean ancestry. 

This genetic analysis, combined with archaeological and linguistic evidence, argues that Wallacea’s population history has undergone dynamic changes due to the influx of Papuan genes, languages and cultures over the last 3,500 years.  The study implies that the Papuan and Austronesian migrations were so impactful that they have overwritten the ancestry of the first settlers.  

According to Professor Ray Tobler from the Australian National University, it’s difficult to reconstruct past population migration with modern genetic data because of historical movement.  Over the last several millennia, Wallacea has been influenced by the spice trade and the slave trade, which have made the connection between geography and genetics more complex.  

Although our understanding of Wallacea and New Guinea is still limited, ancient DNA can serve as a valuable resource for building understanding.  It might eventually illuminate the development and impact of human migrations throughout the region for tens of thousands of years. 

Finally, we arrive in sub-Saharan Africa, where researchers have developed a strontium isoscape map as a tool for conservational, archaeological and forensic applications.  It might be particularly helpful in tracing the origins of individuals related to the transatlantic slave trade. 

As reported by Science Daily, the University of California Santa Cruz led the research, which took over a decade with international cooperation from more than 100 scientists.  The study was published in the journal Nature Communications, but the map is open-access and available to the public. 

According to senior author and UC Santa Cruz Professor Vicky Oelze [OHL-zuh], this map has been necessary for years, but the region has faced data marginalization from a lack of samples and equipment.  

Strontium, an element found in bedrock and soil, exists in various chemical forms known as isotopes.  The ratios of these isotopes reflect the age and chemical makeup of the bedrock in a specific region. 

Living organisms absorb strontium from their environment, incorporating it into their tissues in ratios that mirror local conditions.  Researchers can now compare the isotopes in a sample to the isotopes on the map to pinpoint the most likely origins in sub-Saharan Africa. 

To create the map, researchers gathered 778 new samples of things like soil, teeth and snail shells from 24 African countries.  These were added to around 1500 previously existing samples. The team utilized random forest regression, a machine learning approach, to model how these isotopic ratios relate to environmental factors such as geology, soil type and climate. 

The high level of variability in strontium ratios presents substantial potential for geolocating the origins of historically enslaved Africans, deceased modern migrants moving through the Mediterranean, and trafficked animals of endangered species. 

By incorporating archaeological evidence alongside historical data, this map will enable researchers to better understand the wider patterns of migration and displacement caused by the slave trade.  It also allows for identifying individuals whose isotopic ratios differ from what is typical of the region where they were captured or buried.  This might offer valuable insights into their actual origins. 

The study also reveals considerable gaps in data coverage, especially in areas like Mozambique, which was pivotal in the transatlantic slave trade.  Collaborative fieldwork and improved sampling techniques will be necessary to address these gaps.  Further research should aim to broaden the geographic coverage of the strontium map, enhancing our understanding of historical and ecological links. 

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! Also, be sure to check out our growing subscription platform, Heritage Broadcasting Service, at heritagetac.org!

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