Archive for the ‘Ancient Europe’ Category
By: The Scribe on January, 2008
Ah, for the good old days when meat-eating fungi ravaged the earth, eating tiny animals…
Actually, that’s a pretty frightening thought… which is why scientists were shocked – but also somewhat relieved – to find remnants of a carnivorous fungus trapped inside a piece of one hundred million-year-old amber.
The amber was found in a quarry in southwestern France, but the first noticeable thing about the amber was that there were a number of tiny worms trapped inside it. These worms are called ‘nematodes’, and the fungus actually trapped the worms inside of sticky loops before descending on them… and eating the worms.
Analysis of the meat-eating fungus shows that this ‘micropredator’ had developed this complex trapping and eating process about 145 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period. The fungus itself was made up of branching protrusions, also called ‘hyphae’, that had small rings around them that were coated with particles. These particles would have produced a sticky, sap-like resin that trapped their prey – in this case, the nematode worms.
Once the fungus trapped a worm inside its sticky loops, additional hyphae called ‘infestation hyphae’ would have pierced the worm and begun digesting its flesh.
The only problem with this piece of amber is that none of the worms were actually found inside the amber still trapped in the hyphae rings, leading some scientists to suggest that this trapping method is pure speculation. However, some modern trapping fungi have similar methods for capturing their prey, which is what led scientists to their conclusions.
While the carnivorous fungi cannot be assigned as relative to any of today’s modern meat-eating fungal species, it seems that trapping devices on fungus evolved independently on multiple occasions over the course of Earth’s history. Modern carnivorous fungi are known to use such trapping methods as adhesive knobs, projections, and constricting rings to catch their prey.
Want to read more?
Tomorrow: More Ancient Standard
By: The Scribe on December, 2007
It was around 26,000 years ago that the people living in ancient Southwest France decided that they had a favorite food – very favorite, for that matter. Prior to this discovery, the people had occasionally treated themselves to a hearty dinner of reindeer meat… but they began to ask themselves, why only occasionally? And with a large supply of reindeer to be found in the area – not to mention how tasty they were – why not eat them on a more regular basis?
In fact, so many ancient reindeer bones were found in this area of Europe that the people even began to use the bones to do things like carve calendars into them, use the bones as counting devices, and fashion them into ornamental pieces.
Two recent studies on the consumption of reindeer in ancient times analyzed bone remains from rock shelters and limestone caves, in order to learn things like: how the meat was butchered, information about the reindeer population, and how far the hunters had to travel in order to find the reindeer. The remains showed that around 64,000 years ago, the humans living in these caves had to travel a significant distance to hunt reindeer, and would then only bring back the best cuts of meat to their community.
Over time, the population of reindeer increased at a significant rate – which meant the hunters didn’t have to go far at all to find a good source of nutritious meat. Eventually, 90% of the human populations’ meat came from reindeer, and nearly all parts of the animal were being eaten – and the remaining parts used to create other items.
Talk about a reason for getting coal in your stocking…
Want to read more?
Tomorrow: More Ancient Standard!
By: The Scribe on November, 2007
In a quarry about 200 miles east from Frankfurt, Germany, archaeologists discovered the fossilized claw of what would have been an 8-foot long sea scorpion during its lifetime approximately 390 million years ago. The claw was 46 centimeters long – nearly half a meter! – and it is fairly certain that the ancient creature would have spent its time paddling along in rivers or swamps.
That isn’t to say that it couldn’t walk on land. According to the Biology Letters journal which published the report on the claw, the ‘Jaekelopterus rhenaniae’ probably only lived in water because it was easier to get around that way, considering the construction of its body – an arthropod of this size probably had some trouble walking effectively on land.
Considering the size of the claw and its resultant comparison – the sea scorpion would have been larger than a human being – researchers are now more convinced than ever that creatures such as spiders, crabs, insects, and other living things that are tiny in today’s modern world were much, much larger in the past. At the very least, this ancient sea scorpion exceeds the record for known arthropods by nearly a half meter.
These ancient sea scorpions existed during a time in the history of earth when the atmosphere’s oxygen levels were significantly higher than they are today – and some scientists believe that as a result, this helped creatures such as the giant arthropod and other invertebrates to develop super-sized bodies.
However, over time as vertebrate predators made their way into the main sphere, larger creatures such as these would have been seen as prey – for plenty of predators, bigger prey is better, which likely resulted in all the larger creatures being killed off first, and the smaller specimens surviving. By the time humans came on the scene, these large creatures had been dwindled down to a much smaller size, which continued until there were only the tiny specimens that are known today.
Although the fossilized claw of this sea scorpion dates to approximately 390 million years old, it is believed that the species actually made its land debut approximately 450 million years ago.
Want to read more?
Tomorrow: More Ancient Standard
By: The Scribe on November, 2007
At the Plocnik archaeological site in southern Serbia, several female figurines have been uncovered that point toward a rather extensive history of feminine concern with fashion. The site was once occupied by the Vinca culture, Europe’s largest prehistoric civilization, and it appears that they were somewhat more advanced than previously assumed – finds from the site point to a well-developed and sophisticated metropolis with a flare for art and fashion.
According to the figurines, the young women who lived at this site were dressed similar to the modern young women of today – wearing short, decorative tops, miniskirts, and jewelry like bracelets around their arms. Unlike many early cultures whose figurines were highly similar one to the next, the group of Vinca who lived here created over 60 different styles of pottery and figurines – and surprisingly, they weren’t all made to depict deities! Plenty of the figurines appear to have been created just for fun, for the pure enjoyment of creating art.
The pursuit of beauty isn’t something that has normally been associated with prehistoric cultures, but humans have been occupied with creating beautiful things since, seemingly, time began. The culture here had a rather advanced form of labor division and social organization, with things like stoves, special trash holes in the ground, wool and fur mats to sleep on, and leather, wool or flax clothing. Even a thermal well nearby to the settlement may be evidence of the first European spa!
Plenty of animal toys and clay rattles, as well as awkward clay pots created by children – the equivalent of today’s finger-painting efforts, perhaps – show that children were also a large component in the community. Specialized areas in the homes also point to the keeping of certain kinds of animals as pets.
The discovery of a metal workshop at the site has also been extremely important in potentially pushing back the date of the Chalcolithic period, or Copper Age, in Europe to having begun nearly 500 years earlier than previously thought. The Vinca are now thought to have been the first culture with metalworking capabilities in Europe – and considering their high interest in fashion and art and specific focus on children and community, it seems that the people of prehistory are not so far removed from modern society as some might think.
Want to read more?
Tomorrow: Life is a kelp highway! What?
Previous page | Next page
