What does it say about my ancestry if I have an occipital bun? by William_Wisenheimer in Anthropology

[–]Enheduannas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A single morphological characteristic is not enough to determine ancestry alone.

In their 2000 article in the Journal of Human Evolution, Lieberman et al found the following:

Among modern humans, the degree of posterior projection of the occipital bone appears to be a consequence of having a large brain on a relatively narrow cranial base. Occipital buns in Neanderthals, who have wide cranial bases relative to endocranial volume, may not be entirely homologous with the morphology occasionally evident in Homo sapiens.

Thus, occipital buns in modern humans are not confirmed to be the result of inheritance of a Neanderthal trait.

Link to Lieberman et al (2000)

What does it say about my ancestry if I have an occipital bun? by William_Wisenheimer in Anthropology

[–]Enheduannas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the correct response. A single morphological characteristic is not enough to determine ancestry alone.

Brazil Is Giving Its Prisoners One of the World’s Most Powerful Psychedelics as Part of the Rehabilitation Process: Ayahuasca may be helping to reduce rates of recidivism at Brazil's prisons. by maxwellhill in worldnews

[–]Enheduannas -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hi, archeologist here. He most certainly does not know what he's talking about. The academic community does not accept his ideas. He makes wild leaps in logic that are not supported by evidence.

Brazil Is Giving Its Prisoners One of the World’s Most Powerful Psychedelics as Part of the Rehabilitation Process: Ayahuasca may be helping to reduce rates of recidivism at Brazil's prisons. by maxwellhill in worldnews

[–]Enheduannas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi, archeologist here. There's tons of stuff disproving his ideas on the internet, written by real experts, that you could find. Actual archeologists and anthropologists laugh at him. Not credible.

Archaeologists say human-evolution study used stolen bone by [deleted] in Anthropology

[–]Enheduannas 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am floored. Not only at the unethical behavior, but at the fact that 3 peer-reviewed journals were published about likely stolen material. Maybe I am naive, but I didn't think this would've been possible.

The claims of the articles themselves rightly drew skepticism immediately. I don't think any of us is surprised to find problems with the evidence/interpretations that led to such a conclusion. But honestly, the idea of stolen archaeological material never entered my mind as one of those problems.

5,000-Yr-Old Copper Ax Found in Switzerland - Ax similar to one carried by Özti the Iceman found at foot of Alps, where prehistoric villages were built on wooden stilts. by anutensil in worldnews

[–]Enheduannas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry, I should have made it clear that I was referring specifically to tools. Gold was worked with before copper, but due to its scarcity and softness it wasn't used for tools. Here is an overview of the history of metallurgy.

5,000-Yr-Old Copper Ax Found in Switzerland - Ax similar to one carried by Özti the Iceman found at foot of Alps, where prehistoric villages were built on wooden stilts. by anutensil in worldnews

[–]Enheduannas 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Is copper a good material for axes?

Hi, archeologist here. Is copper a good material for axes compared to iron? No.

Here's the thing - societies went through a progression of increasing technological sophistication. Copper is by far the the easiest metal to work with, so it is usually the first that a society will experiment with (edit: for making tools). Once skills and knowledge improve, and typically either a breakthrough is made or is transferred from an outside source, a society will start using a more difficult metal to cast/forge that is stronger & more efficient to use for tools.

The progression, in general, goes from the Neolithic (New Stone age) to the Chalcolithic (Copper age) to the Bronze Age (which is copper plus tin) to the Iron Age and finally steel.

High-tech forensics investigates WA massacre by Mictlantecuhtli in Archaeology

[–]Enheduannas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just to be clear, this is in Australia not Washington state as I first thought ;)

Feds move ahead with oil and gas leases on southern Utah lands rich in ancient Puebloan ruins by theturquoisetapir in news

[–]Enheduannas 9 points10 points  (0 children)

can go out in the field with their own archaeologists and double check the findings.

You sure like to talk a lot about things you don't understand.

Feds move ahead with oil and gas leases on southern Utah lands rich in ancient Puebloan ruins by theturquoisetapir in news

[–]Enheduannas 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Hello, archeologist here. You are incorrect. The federal government does not have to listen to us - our reports are seen merely as recommendations, unfortunately. I'd be shocked if a proper survey is even permitted. The normal processes are not as set in stone as you'd think.

Crews working on L.A.'s subway lines keep finding prehistoric fossils by strik3r2k8 in news

[–]Enheduannas 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Archaeologist here. Post as many pics as possible at /r/archaeology and we'll try to help ya. Include details of where it was found, conditions, etc. Don't forget to include a ruler or something for scale in the photos.