Rare 10 million-year-old fossil unearths new view of human evolution

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on September 17, 2019 / comment : 0 Anthropology, Europe, Fossils, Human Evolution, Hungary

Near an old mining town in Central Europe, known for its picturesque turquoise-blue quarry water, lay Rudapithecus. For 10 million years, the fossilized ape waited in Rudabanya, Hungary, to add its story to the origins of how humans evolved.

Rudapithecus was pretty ape-like and probably moved among branches like apes do now -- holding its body upright and climbing with its arms. However, it would have differed from modern great apes by having a more flexible  lower back, which would mean when Rudapithecus came down to the ground, it might have had the ability to stand upright more like humans do [Credit: John Siddick]

What Rudabanya yielded was a pelvis -- among the most informative bones of a skeleton, but one that is rarely preserved. An international research team led by Carol Ward at the University of Missouri analyzed this new pelvis and discovered that human bipedalism -- or the ability for people to move on two legs -- might possibly have deeper ancestral origins than previously thought.

The Rudapithecus pelvis was discovered by David Begun, a professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto who invited Ward to collaborate with him to study this fossil. Begun's work on limb bones, jaws and teeth has shown that Rudapithecus was a relative of modern African apes and humans, a surprise given its location in Europe. But information on its posture and locomotion has been limited, so the discovery of a pelvis is important.

A fossil pelvis from Rudapithecus. The pelvis is among  the most informative bones of a skeleton, but one that is rarely preserved [Credit: Carol Ward]

"Rudapithecus was pretty ape-like and probably moved among branches like apes do now -- holding its body upright and climbing with its arms," said Ward, a Curators Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences in the MU School of Medicine and lead author on the study.

"However, it would have differed from modern great apes by having a more flexible lower back, which would mean when Rudapithecus came down to the ground, it might have had the ability to stand upright more like humans do. This evidence supports the idea that rather than asking why human ancestors stood up from all fours, perhaps we should be asking why our ancestors never dropped down on all fours in the first place."

A Rudapithecus pelvis fossil, center, overlain on a skeleton of a siamang, compared with a macaque on the left and orangutan on the right [Credit: University of Missouri]

Modern African apes have a long pelvis and short lower back because they are such large animals, which is one reason why they typically walk on all fours when on the ground. Humans have longer, more flexible lower backs, which allow them to stand upright and walk efficiently on two legs, a hallmark characteristic of human evolution.

Ward said if humans evolved from an African ape-like body build, substantial changes to lengthen the lower back and shorten the pelvis would have been required. If humans evolved from an ancestor more like Rudapithecus, this transition would have been much more straightforward.

Excavation at the Rudabanya site [Credit: David R. Begun]

"We were able to determine that Rudapithecus would have had a more flexible torso than today's African apes because it was much smaller -- only about the size of a medium dog," Ward said. "This is significant because our finding supports the idea suggested by other evidence that human ancestors might not have been built quite like modern African apes."

Ward teamed up with Begun to study the pelvis along with MU alumna Ashley Hammond, Assistant Curator of Biological Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History, and J. Michael Plavcan, a professor of anthropology at University of Arkansas.


Since the fossil was not 100% complete, the team used new 3D modeling techniques to digitally complete its shape, then compared their models with modern animals. Ward said their next step will be to conduct a 3D analysis of other fossilized body parts of Rudapithecus to gather a more complete picture of how it moved, giving more insight into the ancestors of African apes and humans.

The study was published in the Journal of Human Evolution.

Source: University of Missouri [September 17, 2019]

Dripstone cave in Hungary hides ancient treasures

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on July 18, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Eastern Europe, Europe, Hungary

Archaeologists of Eötvös Loránd University found unparalleled treasure in the Baradla cave, a part of the Aggtelek Karst, a more than 25 kilometre long cave system. The cave will be used to help people with respiratory diseases heal, but before the development could begin, archaeologists had to assess the area. A week ago the metal detector started signalling in an area which they checked at least ten times with no results. The decorations of the Bronze-age ceremonial vestments were hiding under the rocks, and now they will be taken to the Hungarian National Museum from their mystical surroundings. Dr. Gábor Szabó, the archaeologist who made the discovery, spoke to Index News.

Credit: Peter Komka/MTI

The Baradla cave, which spreads over to the Slovakian side of the border, is one of Hungary's most well-known dripstone caves, and it has been the subject of exploration for over 150 years. The chance of a great discovery is rather low: people had been robbing it since the 1700s, and these days, thousands of visitors are walking through the paved path that leads through the cave.

This is where an in-depth archaeological assessment managed to unearth a group of 5000-year-old, and a group of approximately 3200-year-old findings from the Bronze Age. The latter one was discovered entombed within the stones.

"The 59-piece finding was noticed near an underground stream, under rocks stacked in the shape of a little house, exactly in the kind of place where one imagines a treasure trove. Usually, these sort of places are not hiding anything, this time though, we were lucky", said Dr. Gábor Szabó, archaeology professor and department leader of Eötvös Loránd University.

Credit: Peter Komka/MTI

Szabó began to explore the area as a part of his metal detector archaeology project which resulted in at least thirty bronze and gold findings in the country so far. Gold treasures were already found in the Baradla cave in the 1920s, and Szabó and his team had also found a golden ring for braids. The fact that the cave is not exactly an untouched spot is supported by the wide variety of findings - sometimes, archaeologists find valuable spearheads, but twenty-year-old light fittings are not uncommon either, sometimes immediately next to each other.

The archaeologists were lucky that the area that they explored was previously paved. As a result of the stream's deposits, the ancient layers were protected by 20-30 centimetres of limestone, and the pavement (placed right onto the cave's tufa) hid the materials underneath from prying eyes.

One of the people manning the metal detectors, Lajos Sándor had walked through his designated path numerous times, but the detector did not go off until suddenly it started furiously beeping over a crevice behind the rocks. It was immediately apparent that it is not a 20th century finding.

Credit: Peter Komka/MTI

Hearing this, the archaeologists ran through the narrow and winding corridors (the current dig explores a larger, 80-90 square metre room and the 120-metre-long corridor leading there), and they have started removing dirt and soil from the Bronze Age objects with their special wooden tools. By midnight, they had success.

The 59-piece finding mostly consists of round, richly decorated bronze mountings and sparrow-tail shaped pendants, archaeologists think that they might have been pieces of some kind of a ceremonial vestment. The location of the objects suggests that they might have been on folded a piece of clothing similar to a chasuble, but that completely disintegrated - not even organic traces of it were found. The archaeologists of Eötvös Loránd University also found ornate ceramics, human remains, and animal bones, some in large piles, that seem to have been ritually sacrificed. These all point to the Baradla cave having been a sacred place thousands of years ago.

Szabó said: "These days, the cave walls are covered in black soot, but back then they were glowing white, it had to be a beautiful space. Even today, smelling the air of the Baradla cave, you feel that it is a mystical place. It is an astounding interior."

Credit: Peter Komka/MTI

Szabó thinks that similarly to Stonehenge, the Baradla cave must have been an ancient holy place where communities arrived even from far-away lands to witness the rituals performed there.

"This place could have functioned as a destination for pilgrimages. Sacrifices were made, sacred places were established, there were initiation rituals - the quality ceramics, the piles of animal bones, remains of food materials serve as proof for that."

The functions of such spacious caves had long since been polemised amongst archaeologists. Szabó thinks it is unlikely that these would have been used as permanent habitats: the constant 12 C° temperature along with the 100% humidity may be useful for treating asthmatic diseases, however, it makes the cave a place unfit for people to have lived in it. It could have functioned at most as a temporary shelter, and first and foremost, a ritual place.

Credit: Peter Komka/MTI

The most archaeologically interesting caves of Hungary are usually hiding palaeolithic findings, but the Baradla is an exception. There are no Old Stone Age artefacts, but it is rich in Neolithic findings on both the Hungarian and the Slovakian side of the cave. There are two periods represented there: the objects left behind by the Bükk culture that appeared around 5000 B.C., and the Bronze Age findings from around 1200 B.C.

There are great numbers of ornate pottery fragments that differ from the kind typical to the era's settlements in the area: The abstract, geometric patterns, the ceramics with yellow, red, white and black paint over the engravings are trademarks of the Bükk culture. The people assumed to have arrived from the direction of the Hungarian Great Plains carried their culture with them to the hills, along with the knowledge of animal husbandry and agriculture.

"They were born explorers, they had to terraform an unknown world," as Szabó painted their portrait.

Credit: Peter Komka/MTI

Few artefacts remain from the 2000 years following the downfall of the Bükk culture, the next vibrant era for this country of hills and caves was ushered in by the Kyjatice culture (named after a southern Slovakian town). The most significant finding, comprised of 59 bronze pieces, that was hidden behind the rocks can also be tied to the rites of this culture that was mostly known for its warring clans, spectacular swords, and fortified settlements. They had more refined idols, and probably more complex mythology, most of which is a mystery even for researchers due to the lack of written sources. What they imagine is that they had a shamanistic religion with a complex relationship to the supernatural; their colourful rites and the rich sacrifices, however, are proven by the Baradla findings.

The objects found with metal detectors by Eötvös Loránd University's archaeologists will be taken to the Hungarian National Museum. Isotope scans will be done to reveal from where the animal bones remaining from the sacrifice feasts were taken to the Baradla cave, and the human remains assumed to originate from the neolithic era will be carbon-dated. The cold air of caves tends to preserve DNA in the bones really well, so the findings could have a huge archaeogenetic significance as well. The archaeological excavation will continue in August and next year.

Author: Adam Kolozsi | Source: Index [July 18, 2019]

Grave of second king of Hungary found

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on July 16, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Eastern Europe, Europe, Hungary

Scientists believe they have found the grave of Peter I Orseolo, second king of Hungary, in the crypt of the Cathedral. Peter and Paul in pécs in the South-West of the country.

Excavation in the crypt of Pécs Cathedral [Credit: Tamás Sóki, MTI]

No remains in the tomb were found, probably because they were intentionally displaced centuries later, writes the online edition of the Chronicle.info with reference to NV.

A team of archaeologists from the Museum of Janus Pannonia was hoping to determine the location of the first Cathedral. Peter and Paul, built in the 11th century. They found the wall under the vault, which was part of the original design. Near it were found the empty grave. As only the founders of the churches were buried in Hungary from the 11th century so it is obvious that it was just such a burial.

The remains from the graves were carefully exhumed, disturbed by the subsequent construction of a dug ditch. This indicates that the remains belonged to someone famous because they were taken with great care to transfer to a new location. There are only two likely candidates: king Peter or the blessed Maurus, second Bishop of Pécs. The moor, however, died about the year 1075, after the construction of the new Church, therefore, grave almost certainly belongs to Peter.

Empty Tomb of Peter Orseolo [Credit: Tamás Sóki, MTI]

Peter was the son of Grimaldi, younger sister of the first Hungarian king St. Stephen. Grimaldo married a Venetian Doge Ottone Orseolo, and Peter was born in 1011 in Venice. When in 1026 Ottone Orseolo was overthrown, Peter went to visit their uncle in Hungary, and was the commander of his army. As the only son of Stephen died on a hunting trip, Peter Orseolo inherited the Hungarian throne in 1038.

He ruled in 1038-1041 and 1044-1046 years. Second time overthrew him, a popular uprising of the pagans in Hungary. The Governor was blinded and died in 1046 or year or a decade later. However, it sure was buried in the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul Church, which he built on the site of late Roman cemetery.

The original Cathedral of St. Peter was burned in the year 1064. The one that stands today was built on its remains.

Roman burial of the late 4th century [Credit: Tamás Sóki, MTI]

Archaeological excavations have discovered the remains of a Roman cemetery the late 4th century. They allow us to conclude that the Christian practice reached this region of Hungary much earlier than expected.

The diocese plans to make the archaeological monuments permanent part of the Church, not to perezahoroneny them. Thus, the crypt visitors can see an ancient burial.

Source: The Mice Times of Asia [July 16, 2019]

Prehistoric teeth give up their secrets

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on November 09, 2018 / comment : 0 Anthropology, Eastern Europe, Europe, Forensics, Hungary

The isotope values of food consumed are reflected in the individual's tissues. As bone is constantly being turned over by remodelling, analysing the stable isotope ratios of bone collagen can shine a light on the main dietary protein sources consumed over many years. New research uses this factor to analyse diet, migration and society between the Neolithic (6,500 – 4,500 BC) and Iron Age (900—100 BC).

Credit: iStock/Drbouz

The application of up-to-date, interdisciplinary methodologies with low-cost approaches (such as dental morphology and isotope analyses) in archaeology is revolutionising our understanding of the interactions between ancient human populations and their environment. This interaction could reveal information on the evolution of various socio-cultural systems.

The EU's ANCIENT TEETH research aimed to characterise, for the first time, changes in dental traits of past European populations and the factors influencing these transitions. Principle researcher Dr. Beatriz Gamarra Rubio considered population movements on the Great Hungarian Plain (GHP) from the onset of agriculture in the Neolithic period, to the Iron Age.

Supported by the Marie Curie programme, she employed microCT technology to obtain the 3-D digital models needed to analyse the shape of the enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) by means of the geometric morphometric technique.

"The results obtained are still preliminary, but they show that at Copper Age (4,500 – 2,700 BC) and Bronze Age (2,700 – 900 BC) peoples who lived in the GHP had different EDJ morphology, which suggests that they have a different population origin," explains Dr. Gamarra. This aligns with research carried out by her principal supervisor, Prof. Ron Pinhasi, showing the migration patterns of populations from the east to the GHP by the advent of the Bronze Age.

To analyse the population's diet, Dr. Gamarra looked at the content of carbon and nitrogen isotopes contained in the bone collagen. "This allows us to to infer the amount of animal/plant protein these people were eating, characterising the diet of these past individuals."

They found that the people who lived in the GHP from Neolithic to Early Bronze Age were consuming cultivated plants, such as wheat and barley, and different amounts of meat as a result of their farming practices. But by the Late Bronze Age people were eating other types of cereal, including millet. "This new crop was most probably brought in by people from the east, as a result of a wave of migration during the Bronze Age."

The past shows the way for the future

Understanding the effects of diet changes in past populations will help to explain the origin of challenging contemporary dental health problems. In doing so, the project hopes we'll be able to understand the adaptability of human teeth to current and future dietary changes, which may be of benefit for clinicians to better manage dental health requirements.

"The data produced from high-resolution micro-CT scans of human teeth is an invaluable resource for evidence-based research proposals. The information can be used by those calling for change in health policies of European countries, for instance in nutrition and dietary subsistence management," says Dr. Gamarra.

She is certain that the key to the project's success was collaboration. "The use of multiple approaches from different fields to interpret a complex issue such as agriculture transition is vital. Collaboration helps to establish and refine essential research questions, enriches the experience and mentoring of researchers, and gives early researchers the opportunity to develop independent academic skills."

Source: CORDIS [November 09, 2018]

Dry Danube reveals hidden treasure in Hungary

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on October 25, 2018 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Eastern Europe, Europe, Hungary

A treasure trove of some 2,000 gold and silver coins has been found on the Danube riverbed in Hungary thanks to an exceptionally low water level, archaeologists said on Thursday.

Hungarian archaeologists inspect the site where they found coins from the 16th-17th centuries and special weapons on the banks of the Danube river due to its low water level [Credit: Ferenic Isza/AFP]

"Around 2,000 coins have been found, as well as arms, pikes, cannon balls and swords," Katalin Kovacs, an archaeologist with the Ferenczy Museum Center, told the MTI agency.

The discovery was made this week where the river passes by the town of Erd, to the south of Budapest.

Researchers from the Ferenczy Museum Centre from Szentendre have found the  sensational treasures in the past few days [Credit: Ferenic Isza/AFP]

Archaeologists are working frantically, assisted by divers and drones, to extract what they can from the site before a rise in river levels expected this weekend.

Like other rivers across Europe, the Danube is in some places at a historically low level after a long period of dry weather. In Budapest it is running at a mere 38cm, which has affected shipping traffic.

According to archaeologists working on site, the treasure comes from a cargo of a commercial ship that probably sank in the 18th century [Credit: Ferenic Isza/AFP]

The treasure, which includes ducats and pennies, was found amid the wreck of a trading boat whose origin is not yet known, archaeologists said.Like many rivers across Europe, the Danube is in some places at a historically low level after a long period of dry weather

"The coins are 90 percent foreign and date from between 1630 and 1743", archaeologist Balazs Nagy told the Klub radio station, adding that they had been minted in "the Netherlands, in France, Zurich and even the Vatican".

The water level is exceptionally low at the moment revealing incredibly rare treasures from the cargo of an unknown commercial ship [Credit: Ferenic Isza/AFP]

The low level of the Danube has already revealed the remains of Budapest's former Franz Josef bridge, which was destroyed during World War II, as well as an American bomb from the same period.

Source: AFP [October 25, 2018]

Jurassic fossil tail tells of missing link in crocodile family tree

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on May 11, 2018 / comment : 0 Fossils, Hungary, Palaeontology

A 180-million-year-old fossil has shed light on how some ancient crocodiles evolved into dolphin-like animals.

Artist's impression of Magyarosuchus fitosi [Credit: Marton Szabo]

The specimen - featuring a large portion of backbone - represents a missing link in the family tree of crocodiles, and was one of the largest coastal predators of the Jurassic Period, researchers say.

The newly discovered species was nearly five metres long and had large, pointed teeth for grasping prey. It also shared key body features seen in two distinct families of prehistoric crocodiles, the team says.

Some Jurassic-era crocodiles had bony armour on their backs and bellies, and limbs adapted for walking on land. Another group had tail fins and flippers but did not have armour.

Fragments of pelvis [Credit: Attila Osi]

The new species was heavily armoured but also had a tail fin, suggesting it is a missing link between the two groups, researchers say.

It has been named Magyarosuchus fitosi in honour of the amateur collector who discovered it, Attila Fitos.

The fossil - unearthed on a mountain range in north-west Hungary in 1996 and stored in a museum in Budapest - was examined by a team of palaeontologists, including a researcher from the University of Edinburgh.

Fragment of left mandible [Credit: Attila Osi]

It was identified as a new species based on the discovery of an odd-looking vertebra that formed part of its tail fin.

The study, published in the journal PeerJ, also involved researchers in Hungary and Germany. It was supported by the Leverhulme Trust and the SYNTHESYS project, part of the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme.

Dr Mark Young, of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who was involved in the study, said: "This fossil provides a unique insight into how crocodiles began evolving into dolphin and killer whale-like forms more than 180 million years ago. The presence of both bony armour and a tail fin highlights the remarkable diversity of Jurassic-era crocodiles."

Source: University of Edinburgh [May 11, 2018]