Unearthed! in Spring 2023, Part 2
Stuff You Missed in History Class
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The Oral History of the Swahili People
44 scholars gathered DNA from burial sites along the Swahili coast. They found that about half of the DNA they analyzed came mainly from African women, and the other half was from Asian men. This aligns with what's recorded in Swahili oral history known as the Kilwachronicle. That reported that the Swahilis grew from marriages between African and Asian ancestors,. leading to a society that was multiracial especially among its more elite class.
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To wrap up Unearthed! for spring 2023, we've got potpourri, jewelry and adornments, edibles and potables, mistaken identity stories, repatriations, and the always popular shipwrecks.
Research:
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- Kuta, Sarah. “Is This Wooden Artifact an Ancient Roman Phallus?” Smithsonian. 2/27/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-was-this-2000-year-old-phallus-used-for-180981693/
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