Archaeological methods, which are typically used to study the past, can also illuminate the experiences of today’s displaced people.
This article was originally published at Knowable Magazine and has been republished with Creative Commons.
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE from the Global South have left their homes behind to escape poverty, violence, war, or drought. Archaeologists, who usually look back in time, can turn their expertise to these forced migrations, learning about the experiences of these displaced people and the barriers they face by examining the things that are used, carried, or cast aside.
In Spain, Scapegoating Spikes During the Pandemic
Experts continue to debate whether Neanderthals were painters and jewelry-makers. A paleoanthropologist explores the evidence for Neanderthal art and the sources of people’s skepticism.
As a Neanderthal researcher, I’m familiar with the stereotypes of Homo neanderthalensis: dull, unintelligent, lacking the imagination to do more than bash each other on the head. They just sat around, gnawing on mammoth, awaiting their inevitable extinction. So, in 2018, I was excited when I saw a headline announcing “It’s Official: Neanderthals Created Art.” I quickly found the scientific article and read that new evidence from Spain had dated art in three caves at more than 65,000 years old. The only people in Europe at that time were Neanderthals!
Vivian,* a Washington, D.C.–based art curator, realized she had COVID-19 in December 2020. “I bought a tree, and I brought it home,” she recalls. “And I thought, This tree has no smell. What did they sell me? Is this a bad tree?”
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