Adam Rohrlach

Oct 30, 2024 | nature.com | Ayshin Ghalichi |Sabine Reinhold Reinhold |Adam Rohrlach |Alexey Kalmykov |Ainash Childebayeva |He Yu | +12 more

AbstractThe Caucasus and surrounding areas, with their rich metal resources, became a crucible of the Bronze Age1 and the birthplace of the earliest steppe pastoralist societies2. Yet, despite this region having a large influence on the subsequent development of Europe and Asia, questions remain regarding its hunter-gatherer past and its formation of expansionist mobile steppe societies3,4,5.

Jun 16, 2024 | phys.org | Adam Rohrlach |Rodrigo Barquera

After analyzing the remains of 64 ancient sacrificed individuals, most of whom were children, researchers have revealed new details about human sacrifice at the ancient Maya site of Chichén Itzá.

Jun 12, 2024 | theconversation.com | Adam Rohrlach |Rodrigo Barquera

After analysing the remains of 64 ancient sacrificed individuals, most of whom were children, researchers have revealed new details about human sacrifice at the ancient Maya site of Chichén Itzá. Published today in Nature, these results show that contrary to popular belief, every one of the ritually sacrificed individuals was male. Additionally, many of them were closely related, including two pairs of identical twins, evoking important themes of Mayan mythology.

Jun 12, 2024 | nature.com | Rodrigo Barquera |Oana Del Castillo-Chávez |Kathrin Nägele |Patxi Pérez-Ramallo |András Szolek |Adam Rohrlach | +5 more

AbstractThe ancient city of Chichén Itzá in Yucatán, Mexico, was one of the largest and most influential Maya settlements during the Late and Terminal Classic periods (ad 600–1000) and it remains one of the most intensively studied archaeological sites in Mesoamerica1,2,3,4. However, many questions about the social and cultural use of its ceremonial spaces, as well as its population’s genetic ties to other Mesoamerican groups, remain unanswered2.

Jul 19, 2023 | theconversation.com | Adam Rohrlach |Sandra Penske

Nomadic animal-herders from the Eurasian steppe mingled with Copper Age farmers in southeastern Europe centuries earlier than previously thought. In a new study published in Nature, we used ancient DNA to gain new insights into the spread of culture, technologies and ancestry at a crucial juncture in European history. How ancient DNA can help us understand changeHumanity’s archaeological record reveals massive changes in cultural practices and technologies.