A new study by Tel Aviv University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev reveals groundbreaking findings about the famous Rujm el-Hiri site (known as the "Wheel of Ghosts") in the Golan Heights. Based on geomagnetic analysis and tectonic reconstruction, the researchers determined that geodynamic movement over 150 million years, at an average rate of 8–15 mm per year, caused significant shifts in the ground, rotating and reorienting it over millennia. This finding challenges the widely held theory that the structure was used as an astronomical observatory, as the original alignment of the walls and entrances does not correspond to celestial observations, as previously hypothesized.

At a Neolithic settlement on the Danish island Funen dating back 5,500 years, archaeologists have discovered both grinding stones and grains from early cereals. However, new research reveals that the inhabitants did not use the stones to grind the cereal grains. Instead of making bread, they likely prepared porridge or gruel from the grains.

This study reveals that the early architectural development in the Near East was far more complex than previously thought, challenging the traditional narrative of a straightforward transition from round to rectangular structures during the Neolithic period. The research introduces a novel computational approach to analyze architectural remains, providing an objective and repeatable method for examining building outlines. This methodology uncovers insights that qualitative methods might overlook, including quantification of defined angles in structures as early as the Natufian period, suggesting advanced building techniques were in use earlier than believed. The study also highlights the architectural diversity during the Natufian and early Neolithic period, suggesting that building codes and more standard practices had not yet emerged. These findings provide new insights into the social and technological changes accompanying the rise of permanent settlements and agricultural economies.

New scholarship by University of Kansas anthropologist Justin Holcomb argues physical artifacts of human exploration on Mars deserve cataloging, preservation and care in order to chronicle humanity’s first attempts at interplanetary exploration.

Analysis of the remains of at least 37 individuals from Early Bronze Age England finds they were killed, butchered, and probably consumed before being thrown down a 15m-deep shaft.

It is the largest-scale example of interpersonal violence from British prehistory.

The treatment of the remains was likely a means to dehumanise or ‘other’ the victims.

This massacre was probably revenge for a perceived offense, implying a cycle of violence and questioning the idea that Early Bronze Age Britain was relatively peaceful.