Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · 42m

Here is the link to the article royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... really terrific stuff covering things including vessel use, diet and subsistence strategies🏺🧪 #archaeology

Ancient DNA and biomarkers from artefacts: insights into technology and cultural practices in Neolithic Europe | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Birch bark tar was widely used throughout prehistoric Europe for hafting stone tools as well as various other purposes. While previous research has mainly focused on the identification and production ...

royalsocietypublishing.org

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Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · 44m

The nature of archaeology & science is to add to our existing dataset & interpretations. I'd not expect my work to be the full stop in anything, it's a contribution to an ever developing picture & I fully expect/facilitate more to come after that adds to & challenges the things I've come up with.

Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · 49m

I am very confused by your brutal dismissal of this article...yes we know of tar repairs for pottery, yes people have looked at DNA etc but this work offers important insights & demonstrates methodologies for the period & contexts it relates to. That doesn't take away from work that's gone before.

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Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · 2h

Ouch, that sounds very harsh. It's being highlighted because its important and excellent work.

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Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · 2h

For sure there's been other work around this topic, like pitch from mesolithic Sweden by Kirdök et al. very rarely are any of us doing something entirely in a vacuum of new ideas etc. But it's always good to see more work being added espec. by energetic and thoughtful researchers 🦷😁

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Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · 3h

Excellent and exciting work 👏👏👏 #archaeology 🏺🧪

Science X / Phys.org @sciencex.bsky.social · 3h

Analysis of ancient birch bark tar from Neolithic settlements shows it was used for toolmaking, pottery repair, and chewing, preserving DNA that offers insights into daily life and diet. doi.org/g96xtk

Sticky secrets: What ancient chewing gum is telling us about Neolithic communities

Ancient bones, artifacts and texts offer numerous insights into the past, as does the chewing gum that Neolithic people chewed on and spat out long ago.

phys.org

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Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · 1d

🥳🥳

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Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · 1d

Heading off to the beautiful Trent building for this week's research lecture by
Dr Matthew Thompson on
Warfare in Archaic Sparta - Myths and Reassessments #archaeology 🏺

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Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · 9d

Real life culture vultures...🤯 www.popsci.com/environment/... #archaeology #nature 🏺

Multi-generational vulture nests hold 700 years of human artifacts

Crossbow bolts, sandals, slingshots, and more.

www.popsci.com

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Reposted by Clare Burke

Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 13d

At almost 2,000 years old, this child’s wooden toy sword is a remarkable survival from Roman times!

Found in the living quarters of the cavalry barracks at Vindolanda fort in 2017. Dated c.120 AD. Chesterholm Museum 📷 by me

#RomanFortThursday
#Archaeology

My photo shows a Roman-era wooden toy sword made from oak. It is dark brown in colour, displayed against a cream and pale green background. It is carved to look like an adult sword, with a semi-circular handle, a blade with pointed tip, and a semi-circular guard embellished with a centrally-set oval polished stone. The wood is remarkably well-preserved except for a break across the hilt. Excavated in 2017 from the cavalry barracks at Vindolanda, a fort on the Roman Empire’s northern frontier. Dated c. AD 120.

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Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · 13d

JOB! au.career.emply.com/ad/teaching-... 🏺 #Archaeology #classics

Teaching associate professorship in classical archaeology (part-time) - au.dk

The School of Culture and Society, Department of History and Classical Studies, invites applications for a part-time teaching associate professorship in classical archaeology (Studielektor). The posit

au.career.emply.com

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Reposted by Clare Burke

Dr Rachel Pope @prehistorian.bsky.social · 19d

New paper. Recording the female experience of UK archaeology 1990-2010. Anne Teather and I document how an industry EDI agenda evolved in the 1990s and was dismantled, uncovering the ramifications of that for women archaeologists over the next decade.

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

#openaccess✅

Documenting the profession: Recording historic access and retention issues for women in UK archaeology | Archaeological Dialogues | Cambridge Core

Documenting the profession: Recording historic access and retention issues for women in UK archaeology

www.cambridge.org

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Reposted by Clare Burke

Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 17d

😂😂😂

Photo of an empty, muddy, old plastic bottle with a single handle. The bottle is lying on soil surrounded by stones of varying shapes and sizes. The side of the bottle with handle is uppermost. The mouth end of the container points towards bottom left of the picture.

There is text above the image of the plastic bottle which reads “Ancient skull found on archaeological dig is proof of our alien origins”. Having read the text, at first glance the plastic bottle looks similar to an alien skull. The body of the bottle looks like a long skull,the handle looks like a nose, and the indents with shadow either side of the handle look like eyes. An example of pareidolia!

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Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · 16d

Very interesting! Colour has always been important to different societies but perhaps not so well understood by us looking into the past #archaeology 🏺🧪

Dr Izzy Wisher @izzywisher.bsky.social · 16d

Time to update your Palaeolithic palettes... 🔵

Very proud to share our new research on the OLDEST use of blue pigment! We identified traces of azurite - a vibrant blue mineral - on a stone object around 14-13,000 years old. Why is this so exciting? 👇🏺

doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

Close-up image of a sand coloured stone, with a diagonal crack. The sand rock has a textured surface, and small spots of blue can be seen towards the centre of the stone. The background is grey.

Microscopic photo of the blue spots, that are irregular in shape and size and positioned diagonally across the image. The rest of the photo shows the rough sand coloured texture of the stone.

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Reposted by Clare Burke

Dr Susan Greaney @suegreaney.bsky.social · Sep 11

Can share this again now that the paper has been published: www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

People gathered for great meat feasts at end of British bronze age, study shows

Evidence of millions of animal bones at sites in West Country and Surrey points to ‘age of feasting’

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Clare Burke

European Association of Archaeologists @archaeologyeaa.bsky.social · Sep 4

Today's Keynote Lecture will be delivered by Liv Nilsson Stutz, Prof at Linnaeus University with title:

"What does it mean to be Ethical as an Archaeologist in 2025? Interrogating our relationship to Scientific Integrity, Activism, and Social Responsibility in uncertain times.

#EAA2025

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Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · Sep 3

😍😍

Reposted by Clare Burke

Kayt Hawkins @kayth.bsky.social · Sep 3

It includes a link to the annual EAA survey so you can make known your views on the 31st (this) conference 🏺

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Reposted by Clare Burke

Kayt Hawkins @kayth.bsky.social · Sep 3

Also, for EAA members here is the link to the meeting on Friday and relevant papers
www.e-a-a.org/EAA/News___P...

AMBM 2025

www.e-a-a.org

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Reposted by Clare Burke

The Black Trowel Collective @blacktrowel.bsky.social · Sep 2

📢 CALL TO ACTION | EAA Leadership Overturns Democratic Vote Following Threats

Intimidation tactics forced the EAA to abandon solidarity with Gaza.

Archaeologists:
Cancel membership | Speak up | Share

Full statement: blacktrowelcollective.wordpress.com/2025/09/02/b...

#EAA2025 #Archaeology #Gaza

CALL TO ACTION | EAA Leadership Overturns Democratic Vote Following Threats

Intimidation Tactics Force Archaeological Association to Abandon Gaza Solidarity Last week the executive board of the European Association of Archaeologists took the decision, in light of the ongoi…

blacktrowelcollective.wordpress.com

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Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · Sep 2

Yes Tom is great to follow!

Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · Sep 1

Oooo looking forward to reading this new research! www.cambridge.org/core/journal... 🏺🧪 #archaeology #Neolithic

New temporal dimensions of the Linearbandkeramik cemetery horizon in Schwetzingen (Germany) | Antiquity | Cambridge Core

New temporal dimensions of the Linearbandkeramik cemetery horizon in Schwetzingen (Germany)

www.cambridge.org

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Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · Sep 1

Pleased to have written a little about the Neolithic pottery with my colleague Marija in this new book about the interesting site of Svinjarička Čuka. The book is open access verlag.oeaw.ac.at/en/product/s... 🏺🧪 #archaeology

Svinjarička Čuka in Serbia. Свињаричка чука, Србија. Highlights from 8000 to 3000 years ago. Вишеслојно налазиште од пре 8000 до пре 3000 година | 978-3-7001-9717-1 | Verlag der ÖAW

Bestellen sie jetzt Svinjarička Čuka in Serbia. Свињаричка чука, Србија in unserem Verlagswebshop.

verlag.oeaw.ac.at

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Clare Burke @thesherdnerd.bsky.social · Sep 1

Thanks 😊

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Reposted by Clare Burke

Nature @nature.com · Aug 29

Posts about research on Bluesky receive substantially more attention than similar posts on X, formerly called Twitter

go.nature.com/45Ftiw4

Research posts on Bluesky are more original — and get better engagement

Bluesky posts about science garner more likes and reposts than similar ones on X.

go.nature.com

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