New fossils and artifacts show Homo erectus crafted a diverse toolkit
Hardly one-tool wonders, ancient hominids called Homo erectus relied on a toolkit that included relatively simple and more complex cutting devices, new ...
New fossils and artifacts show Homo erectus crafted a diverse toolkit

[Skip to content](#content)

**Subscribe today**
Every print subscription comes with full digital access

[Subscribe now](https://www.sciencenews.org/subscribe1?key=9MNAVBNA&utm_source=banner&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=full_digital_access)

Menu

- [All Topics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topics/)   - [Health](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/health-medicine)
  - [Humans](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/humans)
  - [Life](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/life)
  - [Earth](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/earth)
  - [Physics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/physics)
  - [Space](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/space)

- [Magazine](/sn-magazine)
- Menu
  - [All Stories](https://www.sciencenews.org/all-stories)
  - [Multimedia](/article/tag/multimedia)
  - [Reviews](/article-type/reviews-previews)
  - [Collections](/collections)
  - [Century of Science](https://www.sciencenews.org/century)
  - [For Educators](/snhs)
  - [Coronavirus Outbreak](https://www.sciencenews.org/collections/2019-novel-coronavirus-outbreak)
  - [Newsletters](https://www.sciencenews.org/newsletters)
- [About](https://www.sciencenews.org/about-science-news)
- [For Students](https://www.snexplores.org/)
- [Our Store](https://www.societyforscience.org/store/)

SIGN IN[Donate](https://www.sciencenews.org/give?key=9MDONBUT)

[**Science News**\
INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM SINCE 1921](https://www.sciencenews.org/)[SIGN IN](https://www.sciencenews.org/sign-in)

Search

Open searchClose search

[**Science News**\
INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM SINCE 1921](https://www.sciencenews.org/)

- [All Topics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topics/)  - [Earth](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/earth)    - [Agriculture](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/agriculture)
    - [Climate](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/climate)
    - [Oceans](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/oceans)
    - [Environment](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/environment)
  - [Humans](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/humans)    - [Anthropology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/anthropology)
    - [Health & Medicine](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/health-medicine)
    - [Archaeology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/archaeology)
    - [Psychology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/psychology)
  - [Life](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/life)    - [Animals](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/animals)
    - [Plants](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/plants)
    - [Ecosystems](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/ecosystems)
    - [Paleontology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/paleontology)
    - [Neuroscience](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/neuroscience)
    - [Genetics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/genetics)
    - [Microbes](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/microbes)
  - [Physics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/physics)    - [Materials Science](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/materials-science)
    - [Quantum Physics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/quantum-physics)
    - [Particle Physics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/particle-physics)
  - [Space](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/space)    - [Astronomy](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/astronomy)
    - [Planetary Science](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/planetary-science)
    - [Cosmology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/cosmology)
  - [Tech](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/tech)    - [Computing](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/computing)
    - [Artificial Intelligence](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/artificial-intelligence)
  - [Chemistry](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/chemistry)
  - [Math](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/math)
  - [Science & Society](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/science-society)
[All Topics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topics/)
- [Health](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/health-medicine)
- [Humans](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/humans)  - [Humans](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/humans)    - [Anthropology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/anthropology)
    - [Health & Medicine](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/health-medicine)
    - [Archaeology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/archaeology)
    - [Psychology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/psychology)
    - [Health & Medicine](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/health-medicine)

          ### [The first face transplant to include an eye shows no rejection a year later](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/eye-transplant-partial-face-transplant)




          By [Aimee Cunningham](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/aimee-cunningham "Posts by Aimee Cunningham")4 hours ago

    - [Health & Medicine](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/health-medicine)

      ### [50 years ago, some of plastic’s toxic hazards were exposed](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/50-years-ago-plastic-hazard)




      By [Erin Garcia de Jesús](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/erin-garcia-de-jesus "Posts by Erin Garcia de Jesús")September 6, 2024

    - [Health & Medicine](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/health-medicine)

      ### [A new drug shows promise for hot flashes due to menopause](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/hot-flashes-drug-menopause-symptoms)




      By [Aimee Cunningham](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/aimee-cunningham "Posts by Aimee Cunningham")September 5, 2024
- [Life](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/life)  - [Life](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/life)    - [Animals](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/animals)
    - [Plants](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/plants)
    - [Ecosystems](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/ecosystems)
    - [Paleontology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/paleontology)
    - [Neuroscience](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/neuroscience)
    - [Genetics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/genetics)
    - [Microbes](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/microbes)
    - [Animals](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/animals)

          ### [Bumblebees lose most of their sense of smell after heat waves](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/bumblebees-lose-smell-after-heat-waves)




          By [Gennaro Tomma](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/gennaro-tomma "Posts by Gennaro Tomma")September 6, 2024

    - [Environment](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/environment)

      ### [Fiddler crabs are migrating north to cooler waters](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/fiddler-crabs-climate-migrants)




      By [Luke Groskin](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/luke-groskin "Posts by Luke Groskin")September 4, 2024

    - [Paleontology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/paleontology)

      ### [Despite new clues, this ancient fish has stumped scientists for centuries](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-fish-pegasus-volans-new-clues)




      By [Sean Cummings](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/sean-cummings "Posts by Sean Cummings")September 3, 2024
- [Earth](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/earth)  - [Earth](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/earth)    - [Agriculture](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/agriculture)
    - [Climate](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/climate)
    - [Oceans](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/oceans)
    - [Environment](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/environment)
    - [Earth](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/earth)

          ### [How earthquakes build beefy gold nuggets](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/earthquakes-build-gold-nuggets)




          By [Nikk Ogasa](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/nikk-ogasa "Posts by Nikk Ogasa")6 hours ago

    - [Environment](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/environment)

      ### [Fiddler crabs are migrating north to cooler waters](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/fiddler-crabs-climate-migrants)




      By [Luke Groskin](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/luke-groskin "Posts by Luke Groskin")September 4, 2024

    - [Climate](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/climate)

      ### [Summer-like heat is scorching the Southern Hemisphere — in winter](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/heat-scorch-southern-hemisphere-winter)




      By [Carolyn Gramling](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/carolyn-gramling "Posts by Carolyn Gramling")September 2, 2024
- [Physics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/physics)  - [Physics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/physics)    - [Materials Science](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/materials-science)
    - [Quantum Physics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/quantum-physics)
    - [Particle Physics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/particle-physics)
    - [Health & Medicine](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/health-medicine)

          ### [50 years ago, some of plastic’s toxic hazards were exposed](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/50-years-ago-plastic-hazard)




          By [Erin Garcia de Jesús](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/erin-garcia-de-jesus "Posts by Erin Garcia de Jesús")September 6, 2024

    - [Physics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/physics)

      ### [A nuclear clock prototype hints at ultraprecise timekeeping](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/nuclear-clock-ultraprecise-timekeeping)




      By [Emily Conover](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/emily-conover "Posts by Emily Conover")September 4, 2024

    - [Physics](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/physics)

      ### [Mayo is weirdly great for understanding nuclear fusion experiments](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/mayonnaise-nuclear-fusion)




      By [Emily Conover](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/emily-conover "Posts by Emily Conover")August 30, 2024
- [Space](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/space)  - [Space](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/space)    - [Astronomy](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/astronomy)
    - [Planetary Science](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/planetary-science)
    - [Cosmology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/cosmology)
    - [Cosmology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/cosmology)

          ### [In an epic cosmology clash, rival scientists begin to find common ground](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cosmology-expansion-universe)




          By [Emily Conover](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/emily-conover "Posts by Emily Conover")September 4, 2024

    - [Space](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/space)

      ### [2 spacecraft caught the waves that might heat and accelerate the solar wind](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/waves-heat-accelerate-solar-wind)




      By [Adam Mann](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/adam-mann "Posts by Adam Mann")August 29, 2024

    - [Planetary Science](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/planetary-science)

      ### [The Webb telescope’s peek into a stellar nursery finds baby planets too](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/webb-peek-stellar-nursery-baby-planets)




      By [Adam Mann](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/adam-mann "Posts by Adam Mann")August 27, 2024

[News](https://www.sciencenews.org/article-type/news)[Anthropology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/anthropology)

# New fossils and artifacts show _Homo erectus_ crafted a diverse toolkit

Some stone tools have a single sharpened edge, while others consist of double-edged designs

![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/030320_bb_homo-erectus_feat.jpg?fit=1028%2C579&ssl=1)

Stone artifacts found at an Ethiopian site alongside this 1.6-million- to 1.5-million-year-old _Homo erectus_ braincase indicate that this hominid made an array of simple and more complex tools, researchers say.

Michael Rogers/Southern Conn. St. Univ.

### Share this:

- [Email](mailto:?subject=New%20fossils%20and%20artifacts%20show%20%3Ci%3EHomo%20erectus%3C%2Fi%3E%20crafted%20a%20diverse%20toolkit&body=I%20saw%20this%20on%20Science%20News%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencenews.org%2Farticle%2Fhomo-erectus-fossils-artifacts-stone-age-tools%3Futm_source%3Dinternal%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Demail_share "Share via email")
- [Facebook](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/homo-erectus-fossils-artifacts-stone-age-tools?share=facebook "Click to share on Facebook")
- [Twitter](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/homo-erectus-fossils-artifacts-stone-age-tools?share=twitter "Click to share on Twitter")
- [Pinterest](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/homo-erectus-fossils-artifacts-stone-age-tools?share=pinterest "Click to share on Pinterest")
- [Pocket](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/homo-erectus-fossils-artifacts-stone-age-tools?share=pocket "Click to share on Pocket")
- [Reddit](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/homo-erectus-fossils-artifacts-stone-age-tools?share=reddit "Click to share on Reddit")
- [Print](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/homo-erectus-fossils-artifacts-stone-age-tools#print "Click to print")

By [Bruce Bower](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/bruce-bower "Posts by Bruce Bower")

March 4, 2020 at 2:00 pm

Hardly one-tool wonders, ancient hominids called _Homo erectus_ relied on a toolkit that included
relatively simple and more complex cutting devices, new discoveries suggest.

Excavations at two Ethiopian sites located about 5.7
kilometers apart [uncovered\
partial _H. erectus_ braincases\
alongside two types of stone tools](https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/10/eaaw4694), paleoanthropologist Sileshi Semaw of
the National Research Center on Human Evolution in Burgos, Spain, and
colleagues report March 4 in _Science_
_Advances_. Some artifacts featured a single sharpened edge, while others
consisted of double-edged designs such as pear-shaped hand axes. One _H. erectus_ fossil dates to about 1.26
million years ago, the other to between around 1.6 million and 1.5 million
years ago.

![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/030320_bb_homo-erectus_inline_680_desktop.jpg?resize=680%2C450&ssl=1)A _Homo erectus_ braincase found near these double-edged stone implements (each shown from both sides) contributes to evidence that these now-extinct hominids created tools requiring considerable skill and planning as well as simple cutting instruments.Michael Rogers/Southern Conn. St. Univ.

![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/030320_bb_homo-erectus_inline_680_mobile.jpg?resize=680%2C450&ssl=1)A _Homo erectus_ braincase found near these double-edged stone implements (each shown from both sides) contributes to evidence that these now-extinct hominids created tools requiring considerable skill and planning as well as simple cutting instruments.Michael Rogers/Southern Conn. St. Univ.

Hominid fossils and stone tools are rarely found together,
making the new discoveries particularly noteworthy. East African _H. erectus_ made different types of stone
tools over hundreds of thousands of years, apparently selecting implements
based on the task at hand or perhaps the quality of rock available, Semaw’s
team says. The Ethiopian evidence bolsters previous suggestions, stemming from
stone tool finds, that [neither _H. erectus_ nor any other hominid](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/telling-stories-stone-tools) made
only one kind of stone tool but fashioned a greater variety of relatively
simple and more complex implements than has often been assumed ( _SN: 3/23/15_).

A large braincase with thick brow ridges, found at the
younger Ethiopian site, came from an adult male, the researchers suspect. A
small braincase with thin brow ridges, unearthed at the older Ethiopian site, belonged
to an adult female, the team suggests.

A recent study found that another extinct, distant cousin to modern humans called [_Paranthropus boisei_](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-hominid-species-nutcracker-man-stone-tools) that lived in East Africa at the same as _H. erectus_ had hands capable of making stone tools ( _SN: 3/3/20_). But such artifacts have yet to be found with _P. boisei_ fossils.

Questions or comments on this article? E-mail us at [feedback@sciencenews.org](mailto:feedback@sciencenews.org) \| [Reprints FAQ](https://www.sciencenews.org/permission-republish)

### Citations

S. Semaw _et al_. [Co-occurrence of Acheulian and Oldowan artifacts with _Homo erectus_ cranial fossils from Gona, Afar, Ethiopia](https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/10/eaaw4694). _Science Advances_. Published March 4, 2020. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aaw4694.

[![Bruce Bower](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/b_bower.jpg?resize=214%2C214&ssl=1)](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/bruce-bower)

### About [Bruce Bower](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/bruce-bower "Posts by Bruce Bower")

- [E-mail](mailto:bbower@sciencenews.org)
- [X](https://x.com/Bruce_Bower)

Bruce Bower has written about the behavioral sciences for _Science News_ since 1984. He writes about psychology, anthropology, archaeology and mental health issues.

We are at a critical time and **supporting climate journalism is more important than ever.** Science News and our parent organization, the Society for Science, need your help to strengthen environmental literacy and ensure that our response to climate change is informed by science.


Please
[subscribe to _Science News_ and **add $16**](https://www.sciencenews.org/subscribe1-print-digital?key=9MENDTEST&utm_source=end-of-article&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=non-sub-control) to expand
science literacy and understanding.

### Related Stories

1. [![person holding a hand ax](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/071020_bb_axe_feat.jpg?fit=330%2C176&ssl=1)](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/homo-erectus-hand-ax-stone-age-tools)
[Archaeology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/archaeology)

### [This 1.4-million-year-old hand ax adds to _Homo erectus’_ known toolkit](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/homo-erectus-hand-ax-stone-age-tools)




By [Bruce Bower](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/bruce-bower "Posts by Bruce Bower")July 13, 2020

2. [![ancient bone tool](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/101620_bb_bone_feat.jpg?fit=330%2C186&ssl=1)](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/homo-erectus-not-humans-invented-barbed-bone-point-tool)
[Anthropology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/anthropology)

### [_Homo erectus_, not humans, may have invented the barbed bone point](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/homo-erectus-not-humans-invented-barbed-bone-point-tool)




By [Bruce Bower](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/bruce-bower "Posts by Bruce Bower")October 22, 2020

3. [![Homo heidelbergensis skull](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/041222_bb_hominds-climate_feat.jpg?fit=330%2C186&ssl=1)](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/climate-change-human-evolution-habitat-migration)
[Anthropology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/anthropology)

### [How ancient, recurring climate changes may have shaped human evolution](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/climate-change-human-evolution-habitat-migration)




By [Bruce Bower](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/bruce-bower "Posts by Bruce Bower")April 13, 2022


### More Stories from Science News on [Anthropology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/anthropology)

1. [![A mummy with her mouth wide open](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/080124_bb_screaming-mummy_feat.jpg?fit=330%2C186&ssl=1)](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/egyptian-mummy-scream-fixed-death)
[Anthropology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/anthropology)

### [An Egyptian mummy’s silent ‘scream’ might have been fixed at death](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/egyptian-mummy-scream-fixed-death)




By [Bruce Bower](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/bruce-bower "Posts by Bruce Bower")August 2, 2024

2. [![A series of stone statues on a dark backdrop depicting an ancient Egyptian scribe.](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/062724_ts_egyptian-scribes_feat.jpg?fit=330%2C186&ssl=1)](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-egyptian-scribe-work-skeleton)
[Archaeology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/archaeology)

### [Ancient Egyptian scribes’ work left its mark on their skeletons](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-egyptian-scribe-work-skeleton)




By [Tina Hesman Saey](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/tina-hesman-saey "Posts by Tina Hesman Saey")June 27, 2024

3. [![image of ancient Maya site of Chichén Itzá](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/061124_bb_chichen_feat.jpg?fit=330%2C186&ssl=1)](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/child-sacrifices-maya-site-boys-twins)
[Anthropology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/anthropology)

### [Child sacrifices at famed Maya site were all boys, many closely related](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/child-sacrifices-maya-site-boys-twins)




By [Bruce Bower](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/bruce-bower "Posts by Bruce Bower")June 12, 2024

4. [![The image shows three fossils at scale. On the left, on a black background, is a kneecap. On the right, on a white background, are two teeth. They fossils belong to a newfound ancient ape species, a new study contends.](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/060725_bb_buronius_feat.jpg?fit=330%2C186&ssl=1)](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/fossil-europe-hotbed-great-ape-evolution)
[Anthropology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/anthropology)

### [Fossil finds amplify Europe’s status as a hotbed of great ape evolution](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/fossil-europe-hotbed-great-ape-evolution)




By [Bruce Bower](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/bruce-bower "Posts by Bruce Bower")June 7, 2024

5. [![Illustration of Sahelanthropus tchadensis walking upright on the ground and climbing in trees](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/021024_50YA_feat.jpg?fit=330%2C186&ssl=1)](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/human-ancestor-fossil-upright-walk-50-years-ago)
[Anthropology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/anthropology)

### [50 years ago, evidence showed that an extinct human ancestor walked upright](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/human-ancestor-fossil-upright-walk-50-years-ago)




By [Maria Temming](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/maria-temming "Posts by Maria Temming")February 13, 2024

6. [![A fossilized jawbone fragment with six teeth](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/122123_eg_primate-sweet-tooth_feat.jpg?fit=330%2C186&ssl=1)](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-primate-fossil-teeth-fruit-diet)
[Anthropology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/anthropology)

### [Ancient primates’ unchipped teeth hint that they ate mostly fruit](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-primate-fossil-teeth-fruit-diet)




By [Erin Garcia de Jesús](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/erin-garcia-de-jesus "Posts by Erin Garcia de Jesús")January 5, 2024

7. [![horse bones](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/120823_bb_early-horse-use_feat-1.jpg?fit=330%2C186&ssl=1)](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/spanish-horses-indigenous-south-american-societies-european-settlers)
[Anthropology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/anthropology)

### [Spanish horses joined Indigenous South Americans’ societies long before Europeans came to stay](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/spanish-horses-indigenous-south-american-societies-european-settlers)




By [Bruce Bower](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/bruce-bower "Posts by Bruce Bower")December 8, 2023

8. [![A tower emerges from the forest around the Maya city Tikal in Guatemala.](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/120223_maya_feat.jpg?fit=330%2C186&ssl=1)](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-maya-politics-power-neighborhoods-lidar)
[Archaeology](https://www.sciencenews.org/topic/archaeology)

### [Ancient Maya power brokers lived in neighborhoods, not just palaces](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-maya-politics-power-neighborhoods-lidar)




By [Bruce Bower](https://www.sciencenews.org/author/bruce-bower "Posts by Bruce Bower")December 4, 2023


[**Science News**](https://www.sciencenews.org/)

Science News was founded in 1921 as an independent, nonprofit source of accurate information on the latest news of science, medicine and technology. Today, our mission remains the same: to empower people to evaluate the news and the world around them. It is published by the Society for Science, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education (EIN 53-0196483).

- [Science News Explores](https://www.snexplores.org)
- [Science News Learning](https://www.sciencenews.org/learning/)

### Subscriber Services

- [Subscribe](/subscribe1?key=9MFSUB&utm_source=sciencenews&utm_medium=footer&utm_campaign=sn-footer&tfa_3134=sn-footer)
- [Renew](https://sfsdata.com/SubscriberServices/AccountStart.html?PUB=SCN)
- [Give a Gift Subscription](https://www.sciencenews.org/give-a-gift?key=9MFGIFT&utm_source=link&utm_medium=footer&utm_campaign=gift)
- [Customer Service](https://sfsdata.com/SubscriberServices/AccountStart.html?PUB=SCN)

- [Follow Science News on Facebook](https://facebook.com/sciencenews)
- [Follow Science News on X](https://twitter.com/sciencenews)
- [Follow Science News via RSS](https://www.sciencenews.org/feed/)
- [Follow Science News on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/sciencenewsmagazine/)
- [Follow Science News on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBX5er6E37_yWB3gCM32p3g)
- [Follow Science News on TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@sciencenewsofficial)

### More Information

- [FAQ](https://www.sciencenews.org/about-science-news/frequently-asked-questions)
- [Newsletters](https://www.sciencenews.org/newsletters)
- [Rights & Permissions](https://www.sciencenews.org/permission-republish)
- [Advertise](https://www.sciencenews.org/advertise-science-news)
- [Contact](https://www.sciencenews.org/about-science-news/contact-us)

### Society for Science

- [About the Society](https://www.societyforscience.org/)
- [Society Store](https://www.societyforscience.org/store/)
- [Donate](https://www.sciencenews.org/give)
- [Careers](https://www.societyforscience.org/jobs-and-internships)

© Society for Science & the Public 2000–2024. All rights reserved.

1719 N Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 [202.785.2255](tel:202.785.2255)[Terms of Service](https://www.sciencenews.org/terms-of-service) [Privacy Policy](https://www.sciencenews.org/privacy-policy)

Privacy Manager

Close

## Log in

Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the _Science News_ archives and digital editions.

Not a subscriber?

[Become one now](https://www.sciencenews.org/subscription?utm_source=sciencenews&utm_medium=login&utm_campaign=sn-login&tfa_3134=sn-login).

Client key\*E-mail Address\*Log In