Research in the spotlight

More complex than previously thought: The history of fallow deer translocations dates back to the Neolithic Age

Research in the spotlight

The new study provides deep insights into the shared past of fallow deer and humans and their role i [...]

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Baboons in captivity in Ancient Egypt: insights from a collection of mummies

Research in the spotlight

Skeletal pathologies in ancient Egyptian baboon mummies suggest health problems due to inadequate nu [...]

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From passerine birds to cranes – Neolithic bird hunting in Upper Mesopotamia

Research in the spotlight

Birds were an important source of food for hunter-gatherer communities in Upper Mesopotamia at the beginning of the Neolithic period, around 9,000 years BCE. This is shown in a new study by SNSB and LMU archaeozoologists Dr. Nadja Pöllath and Prof. Dr. Joris Peters.

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Romans brought mules with them

Research in the spotlight

Genetic analyses by an international team involving researchers from the Bavarian State Collection for Paleoanatomy an the LMU Munich show that the Romans were the first to bring mules to Central Europe. Before horses were the only riding animals used by people there.

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Major new international research reveals new evidence about when, where, and how chickens were domesticated

Research in the spotlight

New research transforms our understanding of the circumstances and timing of the domestication of chickens, their spread across Asia into the west, and reveals the changing way in which they were perceived in societies over the past 3,500 years. Experts have found that an association with rice farming likely started a process that has led to chickens becoming one of the world’s most numerous animals.

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The Great Ditch and the Many Shafts. Archaeozoology of Medieval Munich

Research in the spotlight

The excavations on the “Marienhof” in Munich behind the city hall represent the largest archaeological procedure in the old town of Munich to date.

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“Kungas” – the Oldest Equine Hybrids

Research in the spotlight

The Sumerians evidently used horse-like animals in their war campaigns as early as 4,500 years ago.

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Detecting the Problems of Neolithic Sheep Farmers

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The study of the remains of unborn and newborn lambs shows researchers the fundamental problems our ancestors had to face in keeping sheep during the early Neolithic period (about 10,000 years ago).

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Looking Over the Shoulders of Early Neolithic Hunters …

Research in the spotlight

A very special finding is the upper arm bone of an aurochs cow with a bullet wound – found in the backfill layers of one of the monumental complexes at Göbekli Tepe, southeastern Anatolia (Turkey).

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