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

Our stories from this past week of Archaeologica report on new pre-Hispanic radiocarbon dates for an important Aztec manuscript, a DNA study showing that plants and animals from the west came to early Chinese farmers without any significant human migration, the spectacular discovery of a huge hoard of Viking silver in Denmark, and giant Rainbow Serpent paintings in Australian Aboriginal rock art that may be a reaction to European colonization.

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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 August 30 through September 5, 2026.

Our first story this week takes us to Mexico, where new scientific analysis confirms the pre-Hispanic origin of an important Indigenous manuscript.  Heritage Daily reports that a new study resolves a long-running debate over the true age of the Aubin Tonalámatl [toh-nah-LAH-mahtl].  Scholars previously argued over whether creators produced the document before the Spanish conquest or during the subsequent colonial era.  This is not to be confused with the Aubin Codex, a colonial-era document, clearly dated 1576, with lots of Nahuatl text written in Roman characters.

The National Autonomous University of Mexico co-published these findings in a book titled Tonalámatl de Aubin: New Studies on a Divinatory Codex.  The project paired researchers from Mexico’s National Library of Anthropology and History with colleagues from the University of Colorado Boulder.  Baltazar Brito Guadarrama, head of the Mexican library, collaborated with University of Colorado archaeologists Dr. Gerardo Gutiérrez and Dr. William Taylor.

The team used carbon-14 dating to analyze the manuscript's raw materials.  The data indicate that the manuscript dates no earlier than around 1450.  Taking into account the radiocarbon range, the team proposes 1494 as the most likely year of production.  Of course, as the dating relates only to the paper, the manuscript itself conceivably could date later.

The document comprises 18 sheets of amate [ah-MAH-teh] paper, which form a continuous screenfold strip nearly 16 feet long.  The pictographs record information connected with the tonalpohualli [toh-nahl-poh-WAHL-lee], a sacred 260-day calendrical cycle used in central Mexico.

The authors also traced the manuscript's history after the Spanish conquest.  They argue that individuals deliberately hid the pages sometime between 1614 and 1648 to protect it from Spanish authorities who actively suppressed Indigenous religious texts.  This concealment represents a powerful form of Indigenous resistance that helped sustain the pre-Hispanic worldview for two centuries after the conquest.  Italian historian Lorenzo Boturini eventually acquired the manuscript around 1740.

This scientific breakthrough confirms that the screenfold is an authentic witness to pre-Hispanic traditions rather than a colonial-era copy or imitation.  Ultimately, it stands as a vital link to Mexico's rich ancient heritage.

Our second story comes from Gansu, a province in northwestern China.  Phys.org reports that this region served as a critical crossroads for transcontinental exchanges thousands of years ago.  In a new multidisciplinary study in the journal Cell, researchers investigated how agricultural practices diffused into this region from western Eurasia.

Scientists wanted to determine whether human migration drove these exchanges, or if local populations simply adopted the new resources through trade networks.  To answer this question, a research team led by Professor Fu Qiaomei from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences analyzed genomic data from 149 ancient individuals.  Researcher Han Shi from the same institution also contributed significantly to the study.

The sampled human remains date from around 4700 to 3000 years ago.  Although nine of the 11 studied archaeological sites showed clear evidence of western-derived crops and livestock, the genomic data reveal no human genetic influence from western Eurasia or Central Asia.  Instead, the data show that the dominant ancestries linked directly to East Asian populations from the Yellow River basin, the southeastern Mongolian Plateau, and the Tibetan Plateau.  These results suggest that agricultural expansion occurred through regional exchange networks and cultural diffusion rather than a large population influx.

The team also examined social and burial practices at the massive Mogou cemetery, which locals used between 3600 and 3200 years ago.  Biological relatedness formed a persistent network through cultural transitions, pointing to a continuous and connected local society.  Interestingly, within tombs containing multiple burials, the team found no first- or second-degree relatives buried together.  Furthermore, some co-buried individuals possessed mixed social status or entered the tombs at different times.

These fascinating data imply that Mogou residents did not base burial customs strictly on biological relatedness.  Instead, other interpersonal relationships and the repeated use of tombs over time shaped these ancient practices.  Ultimately, the study shows how crops and livestock spread across Eurasia without mass human migrations.

Our next story takes us to Rebild, an area in North Jutland in northern Denmark.  Heritage Daily reports that a homeowner accidentally discovered the largest Viking silver treasure ever found in the country while preparing to build a new patio.  This incredible find is reshaping our understanding of local history.

While clearing grass, stones, and gravel in a garden, the homeowner struck metal.  At first, the objects appeared to be random pieces of iron or old fencing.  After digging into the earth by hand, however, the homeowner began finding beautiful jewelry, coins, and silver bars.

The entire hoard weighs about 18.5 kilograms, which equals about 41 pounds.  That makes it almost three times heavier than Denmark’s previous record-holding Terslev hoard.  The original owner buried the treasure inside a clay container during the 10th century.

Archaeologists identified about 700 objects and fragments, including silver bars, arm rings, cut silver, 47 complete coins and coin fragments, and a small Thor’s hammer.  About 320 objects remained inside the clay container, while the rest lay scattered through the surrounding soil.  

Torben Sarauw, an archaeologist and head of cultural heritage at Nordjyske Museer, explained that the find gives researchers a rare opportunity to understand how Vikings managed wealth.  Much of the treasure comprises silver bars, jewelry, and cut silver rather than coins.  This suggests that people valued the silver mainly by weight and could divide or melt it for transactions.

Researchers also noticed that many silver bars and fragments fell into particular weight groups, which suggests that people organized the silver systematically.  One silver bar carries a runic inscription that may read “hutu,” but archaeologists do not know what the markings mean.  The hoard also contains Arabic dirhams and Anglo-Saxon coins, providing evidence of extensive networks linking Viking Age Denmark with England, continental Europe, and the Islamic world.  Two English silver coins date to the reign of Edward the Elder, who ruled from AD 899 to 924. 

Under Danish law, the treasure belongs to the state, and the homeowner will receive a reward.

Our last story takes us to Arnhem Land in Australia’s Northern Territory.  Science News Today reports that researchers studied unusually large Aboriginal rock paintings depicting Rainbow Serpents, which are powerful ancestral beings that have played an important role in Aboriginal traditions for thousands of years.

The research centers on Awunbarna [AH-woon-bar-nah], also known as Mount Borradaile, in northwestern Arnhem Land.  Awunbarna forms part of Amurdak [AH-mer-dahk] Country, the traditional lands of the Amurdak people.  Since 2018, researchers have recorded 165 rock art sites there, focusing especially on paintings from the 1800s and early 1900s.

The researchers documented 29 Rainbow Serpent paintings at 21 sites and argue that Aboriginal artists painted 20 of them after European contact.  The team based this conclusion on the style of the paintings and their position over older images.  The newer Rainbow Serpents were generally much larger than the older examples.  The largest at Awunbarna measures 6.1 meters in a straight line and features a crocodile-like head, prominent teeth, fish fins, and a long body with internal details.

The team also documented a giant human-like figure and a rare painting of a whale, alongside a huge 124-meter stone arrangement shaped like a Rainbow Serpent.  Professor Paul Taçon of Griffith University led the study and published the findings in the professional journal Australian Archaeology.  His team included Dr. Andrea Jalandoni of Griffith University and senior Amurdak Traditional Owner Charlie Mungulda.

The researchers argue that Aboriginal artists created these enormous paintings in response to major cultural changes brought by European colonization and the commercial buffalo-hunting industry in the late 1800s.  The researchers suggest that senior artists used giant images of powerful ancestral beings to reinforce Aboriginal law, ceremonies, traditional stories, and connections to the country.  These enormous paintings helped Aboriginal people reinforce their traditions and reassert their power as European colonization transformed life in Arnhem Land.

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!