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‘Dragon Man’ was Denisovan?
New palaeoproteomic and DNA evidence suggests that ‘Dragon Man’ – a hominin cranium first discovered in the 1930s near Harbin in north-east China – is not a new species as had previously been hypothesised but is likely to be a member of the Denisovan family.
When the cranium was first ‘rediscovered’ in 2018, analysis of its facial features indicated a mix of characteristics that related to both early and modern humans, leading, in 2021, to the hypothesis that it might be a new species which was given the name Homo longi (‘Dragon Man’). Recently, however, proteins extracted from the cranium’s two petrous bones (the inner part of the ear) were found to be most similar to the protein profiles of Denisovans. Then, to confirm the results further, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), successfully extracted from dental calculus around one of the molars, was found to be consistent with mtDNA from other Denisovan specimens. In particular, the Harbin individual appears to be most closely related to the branch of older Denisovans (187,000-217,000 years old) from Denisova Cave. The full results were recently published in the journals Science (http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu9677) and Cell (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.05.040).
‘Noble’ Viking burials?
A Viking Age cemetery was recently discovered at Lisberg, near Aarhus, Denmark, with preliminary evidence suggesting it contains many high-status individuals. So far, archaeologists from Moesgaard Museum have uncovered 30 burials, all of which are believed to date to between AD 900-1000.
While few human remains survived, the graves produced many elaborate grave goods, including fine beads, coins, and pottery. One grave contained the remains of a wooden box with a silver-plated locking mechanism and decorative rivets; X-ray scans revealed that its contents included a silver filigree bead, a possible brooch, a pair of scissors, and a spool of golden thread.
Intriguingly, the burial site is only 1km (0.6 miles) from a Viking Age ‘nobleman’s’ farmstead. Originally excavated in 1989, it was suggested that its owner would have been someone of great wealth and importance – questions are now being asked about whether the cemetery could be linked with this estate.
Scanning the Herculaneum scrolls
The title of one of the papyrus scrolls from Herculaneum that became carbonised during the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius has been deciphered using non-invasive techniques.
The examination found that the scroll in question, known as PHerc.172, was written by Philodemus and titled ‘On Vices’. Based on other known works, it is believed that the full title would have been ‘On Vices and Their Opposite Virtues and In Whom They Are and About What’. Intriguingly, it also appears that this scroll is recorded as ‘Book 1’. But in other copies of this work, the first book is called ‘On Flattery’, which does not appear to correspond with the rest of the text identified in PHerc.172. Hopefully further research will be able to work out this discrepancy.
Text: Kathryn Krakowka / Image: Hebei GEO University
