Welcome to our show, everybody!  I’m Rick Pettigrew. 

Our stories from this past week of Archaeologica are about four new DNA identifications of members of the lost Franklin Expedition in the Canadian arctic, strontium isotope analysis showing that Maya dogs were traded widely, evidence that Indigenous Australians were the first to apply heat treatment to make chert easier to flake, and a new photographic analysis that shows that an artificial island in a Scottish loch was built on a platform of brush and wood.  We’ll get to those in a few seconds.

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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 May 3rd through the 9th, 2026.

Our first story this week takes us to the Arctic Archipelago in Canada, where a team of anthropologists from the University of Waterloo has identified the remains of four crew members from the doomed Franklin Expedition.  By using genetic comparisons with modern descendants, these researchers have successfully solved mysteries that have persisted for over a century and a half.

As reported by Science News Today, Sir John Franklin led this ambitious expedition into the Arctic in 1845, commanding the ships HMS Erebus [AIR-uh-bus] and HMS Terror.  By April 1848, ice had trapped the vessels for roughly two years.  The surviving 105 crew members abandoned the ships and attempted a desperate escape, hauling heavy boats on sleds toward the shores of King William Island in the Nunavut [NOO-na-voot] region.  Tragically, none survived.  Later search parties discovered grim evidence of cannibalism among the remains of those who perished during the trek.

Dr. Douglas Stenton, an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of Waterloo, led the study.  Previously, his team identified two other crew members, including James Fitzjames, the captain of the Erebus, whose remains bore clear marks of cannibalism.  This latest research, which shows no signs of such desperation on these specific individuals, brings the total number of identified crewmen to six.

To achieve these identifications, the team extracted DNA from the remains and compared it with mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA provided by modern descendants.  The team located these descendants by tracing genealogical records back through unbroken maternal or paternal family lines.  In each case, the genetic data provided a strong match to a shared ancestor.  To help build more understanding, the team urges other expedition descendants to contact them.

The Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports published the findings regarding three men from the Erebus: William Orren, David Young, and John Bridgens.  Their bodies were found at Erebus Bay, a known stopping point on the attempted escape route.  A second paper, appearing in the journal Polar Record, details the identification of Harry Peglar from the Terror.  His remains, found 130 kilometers away, have puzzled investigators since 1959.  Although he carried his own personal documents, his clothing did not match his rank, leading to theories that another sailor had taken his papers.  This genetic confirmation finally closes the case.

Our next story takes us to the central Chiapas [chee-AH-pahs] region of Mexico.  New research utilizing isotopic mapping has revealed that the Maya of the Classic Period highly valued dogs, trading them over vast distances.

According to a report from Phys.org, Dr. Elizabeth Paris, an associate professor of archaeology at the University of Calgary, spearheaded an international team in studying animal remains from the highland sites of Moxviquil [mosh-vee-KEEL] and Tenam Puente [tay-NAHM poo-EN-tay].  During the Classic Period, from AD 250 to 900, this region served as a vital hub for merchants and commerce.

While previous studies confirmed that  the Maya moved exotic animals across their territory, this new evidence highlights the specific cultural significance of domestic dogs.  The team employed strontium isotope analysis to track the animals' origins.  Because the ratio of strontium in bones and tooth enamel reflects the geology of the food and water consumed, it acts as a geographic signature.  While strontium levels in bone change if an animal moves to a new environment, the levels in tooth enamel remain fixed from the time of formation.

By comparing their samples to an "isoscape," or isotopic map of Mesoamerica, the researchers determined that, while local deer were hunted nearby, the dogs originated in the northern Yucatan [yoo-kah-TAHN] Peninsula.  Furthermore, carbon and nitrogen analysis revealed that these dogs enjoyed a luxurious diet rich in maize and meat.  This suggests that they did not merely scavenge for scraps but received deliberate care and feeding, essentially eating the same high-quality food as their human owners.

Dr. Paris and her colleagues, who published their findings in the Journal of Archaeological Science, suggest that these dogs may have been prestigious gifts or commercial commodities.  Lowland Maya art often depicts rulers with small dogs, hinting that specific breeds were traded between allied elites as diplomatic tokens.  Although researchers still need DNA testing to confirm the exact species—perhaps the hairless Xoloitzcuintli [show-low-iht-SKWINT-lee] of the Aztecs—this study provides a fascinating look at the complex exchange networks of ancient Mesoamerica.

Our third story takes us to the Arnhem Land region of Australia, where a recent study has identified the world’s earliest evidence of heat-treating chert for stone tool production.  This discovery nearly doubles the age of previous records for this specific technology.

As reported by Phys.org, humans have used fire to alter the properties of stone since the Pleistocene era.  Heating the material makes it far more suitable for knapping, the process of flintknapping or shaping stone tools.  While researchers have found evidence of silcrete being treated in Africa as far back as 164,000 years ago, the earliest known heat treatment of chert previously appeared in Eurasia only 25,000 years ago.  This massive chronological gap exists because silcrete is much easier to manage, whereas chert often shatters or combusts when exposed to fire.

Dr. Patrick Schmidt, a researcher at the University of Tübingen [TOO-bing-en], served as the study’s lead author.  He explains that heat treatment creates new atomic bonds within and between individual chert crystals.  This change allows for better force transmission, meaning the toolmaker requires less effort to strike off delicate flakes and blades.  While archaeologists have found 40,000-year-old traces of heat treatment in Australia before, those examples primarily involved silcrete.

Dr. Schmidt and co-author Dr. Peter Hiscock, a professor of archaeology at the University of Sydney, reached their conclusions by reanalyzing lithic assemblages from two significant sites.  The first, Nauwalabila [nah-wuh-luh-BILL-uh], dates between 68,000 and 48,000 years old.  The second site, Madjedbebe [mah-jed-BEH-beh], comes from the same period.  The researchers found that the chert at Nauwalabila was intentionally heat-treated as early as 60,000 years ago.

This new dating, published in the Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, raises intriguing questions about early human migration.  The study suggests that early colonists may have brought these sophisticated techniques with them through South and Southeast Asia.  Because those regions are rich in chert, the travelers likely refined their skills along the way.  The authors argue that the current lack of evidence for this technology along the migration route is simply due to a lack of prior research in those specific areas.

We end our week on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides, where archaeologists have made a surprising discovery regarding an ancient island in a loch.  By using a revised method of underwater photographic analysis, they revealed that the island was built upon a massive, hidden wooden foundation.

According to a report from Heritage Daily, the site is located at Loch Bhorgastail [VOR-gus-tal].  The structure is a crannog [KRAN-og], a type of artificial or semi-artificial island common in Scottish waters.  From the surface, it appears to be nothing more than a low mound of stone.  However, collaborative excavations led by the University of Southampton and the University of Reading have overturned previous assumptions about its construction.

While researchers initially believed that wood found at the site served as minor support, deeper investigation revealed that timber and brushwood actually form the main body of the island beneath the stone cap.  The team has dated the earliest layers of the site to a time between 3500 and 3300 BC.  Divers also recovered large quantities of Neolithic pottery from the loch bed, suggesting that people visited the site frequently over a sustained period.

Evidence shows that the structure grew over several millennia.  Inhabitants added layers of brushwood and stone during the Middle Bronze Age, and eventually constructed a stone causeway to the shore during the Iron Age.  To map this complex history, the team employed stereophotogrammetry, which creates a three-dimensional model from overlapping photos.  This technique is often difficult in shallow, murky water where sediment and light play havoc with visibility.

Professor Fraser Sturt, a specialist from the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute, explains that the team overcame these challenges by using two cameras at a fixed distance to systematically scan the floor.  This revised method, detailed in the journal Advances in Archaeological Practice, produced a seamless model showing the entire structure both above and below the waterline.  While the labor-intensive nature of building crannogs remains a mystery, this research supports the idea that these islands served a purpose far more significant than simple habitation.

Coincidentally, ALI is bringing a tour group to the Isle of Lewis this coming September, passing very close to Loch Bhorgastail.

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!