This Week In History News, Jan. 20 – 26

Published January 25, 2019

Preserved horse found at Pompeii, "missing link" in human evolution unearthed by accident, and ancient food remains reveal what our ancestors ate.

Military Horse Prepped To Rescue Victims Of Pompeii Found In Its Stable

Pompeii Horse

Cesare Abbate/ANSA Via APThe remains of a military official’s horse, discovered in Pompeii. Dec. 23, 2018.

Awe-inspiring discoveries at the Pompeii archaeological site keep coming with the recent uncovering of a highly well-preserved horse — still harnessed and in its stable. The animal was killed in a flash when the nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D.

The horse was found lying in its stable in the Villa of the Mysteries, a luxurious ancient homestead in a Pompeii suburb that overlooks the sea and once belonged to a high-ranking Roman military official.

See more here.

Uncover The Latest History News On All That's Interesting

Nine-Year-Old Trips Over Rock That Turns Out To Be Fossil Of Human “Missing Link”

Matthew Berger Discovery

Wikimedia CommonsNine-year-old Matthew Berger upon the skeleton’s discovery.

A little boy walking his dog in South Africa unknowingly stumbled across the remains of a nearly 2 million-year-old couple that is now believed to fill an integral gap in our understanding of human evolution.

In 2008, nine-year-old Matthew Berger and his dog tripped over the partly fossilized bones of an adult female and a juvenile male in a cavern in Malapa, near Johannesburg, South Africa. Since then, there has been much debate over whether these remains are genuinely distinct from previously discovered species.

The bones were found to be a close relative of the Homo genus and have come to be known as Australopithecus sediba (Au. Sediba) — “Australopithecus” means “southern ape.” And now, according to a new study, the remains are believed to be the bridge in human evolution between early humans and our more apelike ancestors.

Dig deeper here.

Scientists Find 8,000-Year-Old Food Residue That Reveals What Neolithic People Ate For Dinner

Neolithic Farmers

Libcom.Org/Out of The Woods

Researchers at the University of Bristol have garnered new insight about the dietary habits of Neolithic people living near the Danube River in southeastern Europe 8,000 years ago.

The study, published in the Proceedings Of The Royal Society B, analyzed more than 200 8,000-year-old pottery shards to reveal that what was once believed to be a primarily meat and dairy-based period actually included far higher fish consumption than previously thought.

This discovery has shed new light on this subset of Neolithic people living in the Iron Gates region of the Danube — an area between modern-day Romania and Serbia that marks the first appearance of Neolithic culture — and what they actually ate.

Read on here.

author
All That's Interesting
author
Established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together a dedicated staff of digital publishing veterans and subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science. From the lesser-known byways of human history to the uncharted corners of the world, we seek out stories that bring our past, present, and future to life. Privately-owned since its founding, All That's Interesting maintains a commitment to unbiased reporting while taking great care in fact-checking and research to ensure that we meet the highest standards of accuracy.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.