Stories about France
Ancient DNA Tracks Population Replacement at French Megalithic Tomb
DNA from 132 people buried at a megalithic tomb near Bury, north of Paris, indicates a sharp population break around 3000 BC. Researchers found evidence of disease and severe mortality, but say the collapse likely resulted from several interacting pressures rather than plague alone.
Excavation in Tonnerre Reveals 1,500 Years of Hilltop Settlement
An Inrap excavation on Montbellant hill in northern France has uncovered medieval buildings, Roman-period remains and evidence of a first-century BC Gallic oppidum. The layered site, investigated ahead of house construction, is helping archaeologists trace the development of Tonnerre’s upper town.
Hidden Charcoal Dates Font-de-Gaume Cave Paintings in France
Chemical imaging has revealed charcoal within black pigments at France’s Font-de-Gaume cave, making direct radiocarbon dating possible. The results date a bison to 13,461–13,162 calBP and suggest that different parts of a mask-like figure were created during several widely separated periods.
Tiny Projectile Points Found at 80,000-Year-Old Uzbek Site
Researchers have identified small stone points at Uzbekistan’s Obi-Rakhmat rock shelter that may have been used as arrowheads about 80,000 years ago. Their form and impact damage resemble projectile points from the Mandrin site in France, raising questions about how Homo sapiens spread across Eurasia.