The decline of the Tiwanaku state saw the emergence of two new cultures-Pica-Tarapacá and Atacama-during the Late Intermediate Period in northern Chile. Archeological evidence suggests that both groups practised maize agriculture and pastoralism, but that their interaction zones differed significantly. Marine resources are common at Pica-Tarapacá sites, even those far from coast, while Atacama ...

The last two decades have seen important advances in our knowledge of maize domestication, thanks in part to the contributions of genetic data. Genetic studies have provided firm evidence that maize was domesticated from Balsas teosinte (Zea mays subspecies parviglumis), a wild relative that is endemic to the mid- to lowland regions of southwestern Mexico. An interesting paradox remains, howeve...

The origin of domesticated Asian rice (Oryza sativa) has been a contentious topic, with conflicting evidence for either single or multiple domestication of this key crop species. We examined the evolutionary history of domesticated rice by analyzing de novo assembled genomes from domesticated rice and its wild progenitors. Our results indicate multiple origins, where each domesticated rice subp...

BACKGROUND In this paper, paleoparasitological findings from rodent excrements obtained from Chehrabad Salt Mine archeological site located in northwest of Iran are demonstrated and discussed. METHODS Chehrabad Salt Mine archeological site located in northwest of Iran, dated to the Achaemenid (mid 1(st) mill. BCE) and to Sassanid (3(rd) cent. - 7(th) cent. CE) period, is a unique study area t...

chah?rmah?l-o-bakhtiy?r? province has an area of some one percent of the area of iran and is situated in the northern basin of karun river, which is one of the most vital flows of the south-west iran. for various reasons, the region has been ignored in the national archeological studies. in a quick glance, the present study seeks to show the significance of the findings obtained in the course o...

Animal husbandry has been an indispensable part of human subsistence since the origin agriculture. Along with prehistoric cultural exchange, several kinds major domestic animals diffused and gradually got popularized across Eurasia. The specific geographic setting makes Hexi Corridor in northwestern China one key regions to converge various types crops livestock, witness deep impact novel speci...

Human gastrointestinal parasites are good indicators for hygienic conditions and health status of past and present individuals and communities. While microscopic analysis of eggs in sediments of archeological sites often allows their taxonomic identification, this method is rarely effective at the species level, and requires both the survival of intact eggs and their proper identification. Geno...