Uploaded June 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this week's ancient history news I lead with the discovery of a huge, circular Bronze Age structure on Crete. Although there's evidence it was built by the Minoan civilisation, nothing similar has been found and its not clear what its function was. I also discuss a DNA study that's been carried out on individuals from a Neolithic grave and pinpoints an important time in European prehistory, as well as the latest discoveries from a Bronze Age site in Wales.
#ancienthistory #bronzeage #minoan
✨ IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 Introduction
00:53 Unusual Bronze Age circular building excavated on Crete
03:33 DNA from a Neolithic burial identifies an important time in European prehistory
06:32 Ongoing excavations reveal more Bronze Age finds at a park in Cardiff
✨ JOIN MY CHANNEL
youtube.com/channel/UC0Hs5t0U6Uf993Tba22YmKA/join
✨ FOLLOW ME ON SOCIALS
Bluesky: @MegalithHunter.bsky.social
✨ REFERENCES
Paphitis, N. (2024). ‘4,000-year-old Greek hilltop site mystifies archaeologists. It could spell trouble for new airport,’ Livescience, 11 June. phys.org/news/2024-06-year-cretan-hilltop-mystifies-greek.html
Curry, A. (2024). ‘Ancient family burial tells story of migration that reshaped Europe,’ Science.org, 19 June. science.org/content/article/ancient-family-burial-tells-story-migration-reshaped-europe
Parasayan, O., Laurelut, C., Bôle, C., Bonnabel, L., Corona, A., Domenech-Jaulneau, C., Paresys, C., Richard, I., Grange, T. and Geigl, E.M., 2024. Late Neolithic collective burial reveals admixture dynamics during the third millennium BCE and the shaping of the European genome. Science Advances, 10(25), p.eadl2468.
Morris, S. (2024). ‘‘Prehistory under our football pitches’: bronze age finds excavated from Cardiff sports field,’ The Guardian, 25 June. theguardian.com/science/article/2024/jun/25/prehistory-under-our-football-pitches-bronze-age-finds-excavated-from-cardiff-sports-field
✨ PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS
CC-BY-NC 4.0 DEED creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Diagrams related to the DNA study, credit: Parasayan, O., et al., in the paper referenced above.
CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Knossos, credit: Bernard Gagnon
Other
Images of Minoan structure, credit: Ministry of Culture, Greece
Neolithic burial in France, credit: INRAP
Images of site in Cardiff, credit: Vivian Thomas
Public domain
Layout of the Minoan building
In this week's ancient history news I lead with the discovery of a huge, circular Bronze Age structure on Crete. Although there's evidence it was built by the Minoan civilisation, nothing similar has been found and its not clear what its function was. I also discuss a DNA study that's been carried out on individuals from a Neolithic grave and pinpoints an important time in European prehistory, as well as the latest discoveries from a Bronze Age site in Wales.
#ancienthistory #bronzeage #minoan
✨ IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 Introduction
00:53 Unusual Bronze Age circular building excavated on Crete
03:33 DNA from a Neolithic burial identifies an important time in European prehistory
06:32 Ongoing excavations reveal more Bronze Age finds at a park in Cardiff
✨ JOIN MY CHANNEL
youtube.com/channel/UC0Hs5t0U6Uf993Tba22YmKA/join
✨ FOLLOW ME ON SOCIALS
Bluesky: @MegalithHunter.bsky.social
✨ REFERENCES
Paphitis, N. (2024). ‘4,000-year-old Greek hilltop site mystifies archaeologists. It could spell trouble for new airport,’ Livescience, 11 June. phys.org/news/2024-06-year-cretan-hilltop-mystifies-greek.html
Curry, A. (2024). ‘Ancient family burial tells story of migration that reshaped Europe,’ Science.org, 19 June. science.org/content/article/ancient-family-burial-tells-story-migration-reshaped-europe
Parasayan, O., Laurelut, C., Bôle, C., Bonnabel, L., Corona, A., Domenech-Jaulneau, C., Paresys, C., Richard, I., Grange, T. and Geigl, E.M., 2024. Late Neolithic collective burial reveals admixture dynamics during the third millennium BCE and the shaping of the European genome. Science Advances, 10(25), p.eadl2468.
Morris, S. (2024). ‘‘Prehistory under our football pitches’: bronze age finds excavated from Cardiff sports field,’ The Guardian, 25 June. theguardian.com/science/article/2024/jun/25/prehistory-under-our-football-pitches-bronze-age-finds-excavated-from-cardiff-sports-field
✨ PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS
CC-BY-NC 4.0 DEED creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Diagrams related to the DNA study, credit: Parasayan, O., et al., in the paper referenced above.
CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Knossos, credit: Bernard Gagnon
Other
Images of Minoan structure, credit: Ministry of Culture, Greece
Neolithic burial in France, credit: INRAP
Images of site in Cardiff, credit: Vivian Thomas
Public domain
Layout of the Minoan building
