Sometimes the smallest archaeological discoveries can elucidate major historical questions. “Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!” The Emperor Augustus reportedly cried, after his general lost one of the most significant Roman conflicts. Work on sourcing chemical trace elements is enriching our understanding of The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. This title’s figurative term next becomes the actual topic, as Hillel Kuttler explains What Fingerprints Tell Us About Jerusalem’s Ancient Artisans. Real human prints here on pottery–not compared to police records, of course, but examined by actual police experts–reveal surprising details about not only the past here, but in a 1,000-year past Puebloan site and in 7,000 BP Spanish cave paintings. The material examined in the Israeli study itself has wider application, for Ancient Pottery Casts Light on Social Networks Among European Hunter-Gatherers. Ruth Schuster describes the evidence, the theories, and the remaining uncertainties in another fascinating article. And the Iberian Peninsula provides informative puzzlers besides cave paintings, for Thousands of Mysterious ‘Owl’ Stones May Be The Work of Ancient Children. Palm-sized decorated slate plaques from 5500 to 4750 BP are the quirky and fun items here. And, as often the case in archaeology, this proffered identification is controversial. (WM)
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