Worldbuilding Wednesday - Lucy's Death

Since 1974, "Lucy" has been perhaps the most famous  Australopithecus afarensis fossil ever known.  This week, everyone is writing about her probably cause of death.  Three such articles include one over on sapiens.org titled "Iconic Fossil Assigned Probable Cause of Death: A Big Fall" here.

Also, on smithsonianmag.com, they ask, "Did Anthropologists Just Solve the 3-Million-Year-Old Mystery of Lucy’s Death?"  They discuss the answer here.

Finally, on asunow.asu.edu, they write "ASU experts dispute study that says Lucy fell from tree" here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
for our tabletop RPGing.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Western Digs

Three from Western Digs this time where Blake de Pastino has been writing up a storm the last couple of months including an article titled "Ice Age Hunting Camp, Replete With Bird Bones and Tobacco, Found in Utah Desert" here.

Also, he penned "16,000-Year-Old Tools Discovered in Texas, Among the Oldest Found in the West" here.

Finally, check out "Ancient Seafarers’ Tool Sites, Up to 12,000 Years Old, Discovered on California Island" here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
for our tabletop RPGing.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Human Transitions

Over on sciencemag.org, they tell us "Grisly find suggests humans inhabited Arctic 45,000 years ago" here.

Also, on johnhawks.net, they ask, "Did humans approach the southern tip of South America more than 18,000 years ago?" Learn more here.

Finally, on the AsapSCIENCE YouTube channel, they look at "Humans In 1000 Years."  Enjoy!

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
for our tabletop RPGing.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Neanderthals

Just last Summer on nature.com, an article titled "Neanderthals had outsize effect on human biology" suggested "From skin disorders to the immune system, sex with archaic species changed Homo sapiens."  Read more about that here.

In a sort of revisiting of that line of though, over on theguardian.com recently, they report "Neanderthals may have died of diseases carried by humans from Africa" here.

To be clear about the place of the Neanderthal in our current understanding of human evolution, on nhm.ac.uk, they have a nifty chart here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
for our tabletop RPGing.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Almost Human

Over on bbc.com, they tell us of a "New human-like species discovered in S Africa" here.

Also, on smithsonianmag.com, they inform us that "DNA from a Huge Tooth Confirms a New Ancient Cousin" here.

Finally, on livescience.com, they let us know that "Hobbits Were a Separate Species, Ancient Chompers Show."  Find out more here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
for our tabletop RPGing.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Death Pit, Medieval Skeleton, & Naledi

Over on smithsonianmag.com, they ask "What Killed the Dinosaurs in Utah's Giant Jurassic Death Pit?"  Find out more here.

Also, on io9.com, check out the "Medieval Skeleton Found Dangling From the Roots of a Fallen Tree" here.

Finally, on bbc.com, there's been a "New human-like species discovered in S Africa."  Learn more here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
for our tabletop RPGing.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Flora & Fauna Friday - Snakes, Snakes, Snakes

Over on wptv.com, a "Python more than 18 feet long [was] caught in Everglades National Park."  Learn more here.

Also, on discovermagazine.com, a "Four-Legged Snake Shakes Up Squamate Family Tree – Or Does It?"  Find out here.

Finally, on atlasobscura.com, check out the "Cave of the Hanging Snakes" here.

Flora & Fauna Friday on GRYMVALD.com

Examining animals, plants, and the

environments we use for our tabletop RPGing.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Setting & Society Sunday - Cooking, Smallpox, and Waterloo Teeth

Over on deccanherald.com, learn "How cooking food affected health 400,000 years ago" here.

Also, on historytoday.com, find out about "The End of Smallpox" here.

Finally, on mola.org.uk, find out about "Waterloo teeth: disease, dentures and dentistry" here.

Setting & Society Sunday on GRYMVALD.com

Looking closer at Setting and Society

as a part of what is presented by GMs.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Neanderthals, Ancient Urn, & Stonehenge(s?)

Over on nationalgeographic.com, they suggest that "Ancient Man Had Neanderthal Great-Great Grandfather" here.

Also, on sciencenordic.com, an "Ancient urn hints at global trade network" here.

Finally, from io9.com from last Fall, "Archaeologists Have Made An Incredible Discovery At Stonehenge."  Learn more here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
for our tabletop RPGing.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Setting & Society Sunday - Strong Bones, Palindrome Amulet, & Mithras Temple

Three from the last half year of archaeology.org with the first being a report saying that, "Active Hunter-Gatherers Had Strong Skeletons" here.

Also, not long ago, they found a "Palindrome Amulet Unearthed in Cyprus."  Find out more here.

Finally, work has been underway on "Reconstructing London's Temple of Mithras."  Check it out here.

Setting & Society Sunday on GRYMVALD.com

Looking closer at Setting and Society

as a part of what is presented by GMs.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Stone Bracelet, Stone Age Skull, & Neanderthalian Teeth

Over on siberiantimes.com, a recent article claims "Stone bracelet is oldest ever found in the world" here.

Also, from livescience.com, "Stone Age Skull Reveals Astonishing Human Diversity" here.

Finally, according to eurekalert.org, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has determined that "Neanderthal groups based part of the their lifestyle on the sexual division of labor" due to grooves found in the fossilized teeth.  Learn more here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
for our tabletop RPGing.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

The Tuesday Sundries - Stone Age Wheat, Stone Tools, & Canabalism

According to a recent story on npr.org here, "Stone Age Britons Were Eating Wheat 2,000 Years Before They Farmed It."  It certainly makes sense that folks would take some time to figure out that something they discovered they could eat could also be managed in some way, whether it be plating wheat to moving a fruit tree.  With the thinking that languages skills were limited, taking two thousand years doesn't seem that long.  One person could figure it all out on day two, not be able to tell anyone, then be eaten by a wild animal, thus burying the idea until someone else could come up with it all on their own again.  BTW, if you haven't read the one-off novels Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell.  Very good and you'll want to run a game in that period afterwards.

Also, a recent post on geologypage.com tells us that the "Oldest stone tools raise questions about their creators" here.

Finally, on archaeology.org, "More Evidence of Cannibalism Found in Gough’s Cave" here.

The Tuesday Sundries on GRYMVALD.com
Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics on GRYMVALD.com
not covered elsewhere or wanting a particular focus.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Palaeolithic Settlement, Stonehenge Theory, & Astonishing Places

Over on pasthorizonspr.com, they featured a "70,000 year-old African settlement unearthed" here.

Also on dailymail.co.uk, they ask "Was Stonehenge a 'Mecca on stilts'? Structure supported a wooden platform to get 'closer to the heavens', claims expert" here.

Finally on themindunleashed.org, they shared a pictorial on "22 Astonishing Places That Are Hard to Believe Really Exist" here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
for our tabletop RPGing.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Flying Buttresses, Iberian Neanderthals, & Using Fake Words

Over on the Medievalists.net, they recently discussed "Salisbury Cathedral and Its Diversity of Flying Buttresses" here.

Also, on archaeology.org, some new information suggests "New Dates for Neanderthals in the Iberian Peninsula" here.

Finally, on mythcreants.com, there is an article on "The Four Rules of Using Fake Words" here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
for our tabletop RPGing.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Setting & Society Sunday - Tool Talk, Wine Types, & Crusade Challenges

Over on Archaeology.org they explain how a "Study Suggests Co-Evolution of Tools and Talking" here.

Also, the French Scout explains Types of Wine here.

Finally, on the Medievalists.net website, they examine "The Challenges of Going on Crusade" here.

Setting & Society Sunday on GRYMVALD.com

Looking closer at Setting and Society

as a part of what is presented by GMs.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Dinosaur Models

There are some great photos of flesh and skeletal dinosaur models over on Tyler Keillor's website.  See more here!

Dinosaur Names

Almost a year ago, on io9.com, they mentioned that a recently-named dinosaur had been dubbed Sauroniops pachytholus in honor of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings, or more aptly to honor Tolkien who penned the character and story. In any event, it reminded me of a TED Talk, also from time ago, about the number of baby dinosaurs in the record and the naming spree that accompanies this oversight. As to how this all fits with setting ideas for tabletop games, perhaps it is but a cautionary tale for how special and prolific naming conventions become during the creation process. See more here and here!

Neanderthals in Prehistoric Greece

Over on News.Discovery.com, there is an article discussing recent findings regarding "The Kalamakia Middle Paleolithic Cave site on the Mani peninsula of southern Greece" and its importance to Neanderthal populations. Read more here!

Dinosaur Extinction Might Be Linked to Volcanoes

There is a theory that rather than meteors being responsible for the downfall of the dinosaurs, it may have been volcanoes that caused their extinction.  Something to contemplate as you flesh out the deep history of your own setting.  Read more here!

Petroglyphs, Petroglyphs, Everywhere

Well, everywhere might be overkill but no matter where you go you'll find that people like to leave a record of their having been there.  We record out history.  We leave graffiti in the most intimate places.  We seem to need to let others know that we are or were alive.  If you approach the addition of Petroglyphs (actual carvings rather than something simply drawn or painted on the surface) to the walls, floors and/or ceilings of some of the places in your roleplaying campaign setting from the perspective of the person making the carving, you'll find it fun when your players become intrigued and eventually figure out what your alter ego has to say.  Read more here!