Tom Booth
@boothicus.bsky.social
Bioarchaeologist. Amateur Scarecrow.
Ancient DNA Lab @ The Francis Crick Institute
Associate Lecturer in Quantitative Archaeology and Later European Prehistory @ UCL Institute of Archaeology
Ancient DNA Lab @ The Francis Crick Institute
Associate Lecturer in Quantitative Archaeology and Later European Prehistory @ UCL Institute of Archaeology
Pinned
Tom Booth
@boothicus.bsky.social
· Sep 11
What Can Archaeology Tell Us About Prehistoric Migration in Scotland? - Dig It!
Migration has been a hot topic in archaeology since its beginnings. Antiquarians and archaeologists of the 19th and 20th centuries often interpreted changes in the archaeological record as representin...
www.digitscotland.com
I wrote something swift with Dig It! about ancient DNA, migration and genetic change in prehistoric Britain, and specifically how to interpret ‘population replacement.’ Hint: it is not synonymous with ‘invasion’.
www.digitscotland.com/what-can-arc...
www.digitscotland.com/what-can-arc...
GREANEY HAS SOLVED STONEHENGE.
Probably. Unusual but not exceptional. Dragons. Yep.
February 10, 2026 at 3:28 PM
GREANEY HAS SOLVED STONEHENGE.
Reposted by Tom Booth
Did you know that a new education centre is being built by hand at Stonehenge? It is based on Durrington 68, a late Neolithic square-in-circle timber structure. Watch regular updates from Luke, the project leader, here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LATY...
Week 17 Durrington 68 Neolithic Hall
YouTube video by Historic Concepts
www.youtube.com
February 10, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Did you know that a new education centre is being built by hand at Stonehenge? It is based on Durrington 68, a late Neolithic square-in-circle timber structure. Watch regular updates from Luke, the project leader, here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LATY...
Late posting this! You must be on pins. This week: 'The Neolithic Zenith of Stonehenge' covering Stage 1 (c.3000 BCE) and Stage 2 (c.2600 BCE). Were there Welsh bluestones in Stage 1? Is Stage 1 exceptional without them? How did they get to Salisbury Plain? Was Durrington Walls like Burning Man?
February 10, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Late posting this! You must be on pins. This week: 'The Neolithic Zenith of Stonehenge' covering Stage 1 (c.3000 BCE) and Stage 2 (c.2600 BCE). Were there Welsh bluestones in Stage 1? Is Stage 1 exceptional without them? How did they get to Salisbury Plain? Was Durrington Walls like Burning Man?
Reposted by Tom Booth
“Seven Millennia of Human Exploitation drove
genomic Changes in Iberian Sheep”
genomic Changes in Iberian Sheep”
www.biorxiv.org
February 9, 2026 at 7:06 PM
“Seven Millennia of Human Exploitation drove
genomic Changes in Iberian Sheep”
genomic Changes in Iberian Sheep”
Reposted by Tom Booth
Whale evolution makes me uncomfortable
February 9, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Whale evolution makes me uncomfortable
Reposted by Tom Booth
🏺 Ancient places with half-forgotten histories become liminal spaces for those who cannot easily fit elsewhere.... Makes me think of Neolithic/Bronze Age sites becoming places for deposits including burial much later in the BA/Iron Age, and what this might have meant especially for women
#Matriarcha
#Matriarcha
Archaeological survey through ... #folklore:
New study sheds light on #Ireland's #cillíní - unconsecrated burial grounds used for babies that were stillborn, miscarried or who died at birth without been baptised.
🏺 www.atu.ie/news/forgott...
TW: stillbirth, miscarriage, child death.
New study sheds light on #Ireland's #cillíní - unconsecrated burial grounds used for babies that were stillborn, miscarried or who died at birth without been baptised.
🏺 www.atu.ie/news/forgott...
TW: stillbirth, miscarriage, child death.
Forgotten children of Ireland: Lost burial grounds rediscovered through folklore - Atlantic Technological University
A new study by Dr Marion Dowd, lecturer in archaeology at ATU, sheds light on Ireland’s cillíní - unconsecrated burial grounds used for babies that were stillborn, miscarried or who died at birth with...
www.atu.ie
February 9, 2026 at 8:34 PM
🏺 Ancient places with half-forgotten histories become liminal spaces for those who cannot easily fit elsewhere.... Makes me think of Neolithic/Bronze Age sites becoming places for deposits including burial much later in the BA/Iron Age, and what this might have meant especially for women
#Matriarcha
#Matriarcha
Reposted by Tom Booth
Intriguing 🧐
I made a map of 3.4 million Bluesky users - see if you can find yourself!
bluesky-map.theo.io
I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail
bluesky-map.theo.io
I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail
Bluesky Map
Interactive map of 3.4 million Bluesky users, visualised by their follower pattern.
bluesky-map.theo.io
February 9, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Intriguing 🧐
Reposted by Tom Booth
I like the govt's plan to ban smartphones and social media in schools but nobody's mentioned the glaring hole in it
![Scene is a spoof TV news item. The NEWSREADER is talking to camera from behind the desk.
NEWSREADER:
Now, here to discuss the smartphone ban in schools…
We have with us, YouTube Shorts.
[Pull back to show an anthropomorphised version of the YOUTUBE SHORTS screen, sat in the interviewee's chair across from the newsreader]
NEWSREADER:
Good morning.
YOUTUBE SHORTS:
Hi
NEWSREADER:
You Tube Shorts, you work in education...
YOUTUBE SHORTS:
Yes.
I work in schools across the country teaching Epic Dance
Fail, Try Not To Cringe Challenge and Al Slop.
NEWSREADER:
And will the proposed phone ban limit your ability to do your job?
YOUTUBE SHORTS:
No.
I'll still be on all school laptops because YouTube is vaguely educational and Google have made me impossible to turn off.
NEWSREADER:
So children are being asked to do their homework on...
...the most advanced distraction machine ever created?
YOUTUBE SHORTS:
Well-
I think a more constructive way to frame that question might be:
Can IShowSpeed jump over a moving Lamborghini?
[The newsreader silently looks at the screen on YOUTUBE SHORTS's front, where a YouTuber jumps over a Lamborghini. This continues for an awkward beat]
NEWSREADER:
Woah.
NEWSREADER [returning to awareness]:
What were we talking about?
YOUTUBE SHORTS [pointing at the next Short which has appeared on its own front]:
Look at this fat dog.
[ends]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4m3we4apbjayclzcnhwe3pfp/bafkreifhe5mrap6dnhsxjb2j7cabwulco25mq4w5nhjcy7splwiea3qtsu@jpeg)
February 8, 2026 at 10:17 PM
I like the govt's plan to ban smartphones and social media in schools but nobody's mentioned the glaring hole in it
Reposted by Tom Booth
Cliffs might seem strong and safe but they can provide many hazards. Storms, prolonged periods of wet weather, cold snaps and heatwaves can trigger landslides.
Check the image below to see if you can spot the cliff-based hazards in this scene. Answers here: www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-...
Check the image below to see if you can spot the cliff-based hazards in this scene. Answers here: www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-...
February 8, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Cliffs might seem strong and safe but they can provide many hazards. Storms, prolonged periods of wet weather, cold snaps and heatwaves can trigger landslides.
Check the image below to see if you can spot the cliff-based hazards in this scene. Answers here: www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-...
Check the image below to see if you can spot the cliff-based hazards in this scene. Answers here: www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-...
Reposted by Tom Booth
Thanks for reposting this, it led me to find these playlists, which I am very grateful are online and accessible!
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
February 8, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Thanks for reposting this, it led me to find these playlists, which I am very grateful are online and accessible!
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
🏺
As well as acting as an insightful review of ancient DNA as it relates to the Bell Beaker Phenomenon in 3rd Millennium BC Europe (particularly the variability and nuances), this also has some great straightforward explanations of analytical methods in aDNA.
cris.unibo.it/handle/11585...
As well as acting as an insightful review of ancient DNA as it relates to the Bell Beaker Phenomenon in 3rd Millennium BC Europe (particularly the variability and nuances), this also has some great straightforward explanations of analytical methods in aDNA.
cris.unibo.it/handle/11585...
Tracing the Bell Beaker phenomenon through ancient DNA studies
Cavazzuti, C., Mittnik, A., Olalde, I., Haak, W. (2025). Tracing the Bell Beaker phenomenon through ancient DNA studies. Budapest : Archaeolingua.
cris.unibo.it
February 8, 2026 at 9:43 AM
🏺
As well as acting as an insightful review of ancient DNA as it relates to the Bell Beaker Phenomenon in 3rd Millennium BC Europe (particularly the variability and nuances), this also has some great straightforward explanations of analytical methods in aDNA.
cris.unibo.it/handle/11585...
As well as acting as an insightful review of ancient DNA as it relates to the Bell Beaker Phenomenon in 3rd Millennium BC Europe (particularly the variability and nuances), this also has some great straightforward explanations of analytical methods in aDNA.
cris.unibo.it/handle/11585...
Reposted by Tom Booth
#StandingStoneSunday I'm in #Lewis #Leòdhas and it's littered with megaliths, both standing and 'resting'. How to choose? So here's a nice gate I saw at #Callanish #Calanais interpreting the raising of the stones.
February 8, 2026 at 7:32 AM
#StandingStoneSunday I'm in #Lewis #Leòdhas and it's littered with megaliths, both standing and 'resting'. How to choose? So here's a nice gate I saw at #Callanish #Calanais interpreting the raising of the stones.
An image of a man overcompensating after falling flat on his arse in the mud.
February 7, 2026 at 11:47 AM
An image of a man overcompensating after falling flat on his arse in the mud.
Reposted by Tom Booth
Quite the worst drawn knight in horseback 😂
Here comes the cavalry!
BnF Latin 12048; Sacramentarium gelasianum; 8th century; France (diocese of Meaux or Cambrai?); f.229v @gallicabnf.bsky.social
BnF Latin 12048; Sacramentarium gelasianum; 8th century; France (diocese of Meaux or Cambrai?); f.229v @gallicabnf.bsky.social
February 7, 2026 at 10:21 AM
Quite the worst drawn knight in horseback 😂
These brief intense glimpses of human lives lived is one of the most thrilling parts of working in archaeology.
February 7, 2026 at 10:21 AM
These brief intense glimpses of human lives lived is one of the most thrilling parts of working in archaeology.
Reposted by Tom Booth
Sorry for the preview pic in your feed, but we've posted a thoughtful story by @dangaristo.bsky.social that delves into the tangled web of relationships between Jeffrey Epstein and various scientists: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Epstein files reveal deeper ties to scientists than previously known
Latest batch of documents show researchers consulting the financier and sex offender on publications, visas and more.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Sorry for the preview pic in your feed, but we've posted a thoughtful story by @dangaristo.bsky.social that delves into the tangled web of relationships between Jeffrey Epstein and various scientists: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Tom Booth
A carpal bone from the right forefoot of an elephant at the site of Colina de los Quemados, identified with the Iberian oppidum of Corduba,has yielded a radiocarbon dating between the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE.
The find’s context is intimately linked to the events of the Second Punic War in Hispania
The find’s context is intimately linked to the events of the Second Punic War in Hispania
Archaeologists find evidence of Hannibal's war elephants in Spain
A small bone discovered in southern Spain may represent the first direct archaeological evidence of the war elephants used by Hannibal Barca during the Punic Wars. - HeritageDaily - Archaeology News
www.heritagedaily.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:40 PM
A carpal bone from the right forefoot of an elephant at the site of Colina de los Quemados, identified with the Iberian oppidum of Corduba,has yielded a radiocarbon dating between the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE.
The find’s context is intimately linked to the events of the Second Punic War in Hispania
The find’s context is intimately linked to the events of the Second Punic War in Hispania
I introduced a Mesolithic component to the Age of Stonehenge module this year and feel quite vindicated that so far all the students I’ve spoken to have opted to do a Mesolithic orientated essay question. ‘Later prehistory’ be damned!
February 6, 2026 at 4:46 PM
I introduced a Mesolithic component to the Age of Stonehenge module this year and feel quite vindicated that so far all the students I’ve spoken to have opted to do a Mesolithic orientated essay question. ‘Later prehistory’ be damned!
Reposted by Tom Booth
Human populations may have had unique adaptations to burn injuries due to long-term evolution in high-risk proximity to fire. I wonder if we also developed a degree of enhanced resistance to long-term smoke inhalation? 🏺
phys.org/news/2026-02...
phys.org/news/2026-02...
Exposure to burn injuries played key role in shaping human evolution, study suggests
Humans' exposure to high temperature burn injuries may have played an important role in our evolutionary development, shaping how our bodies heal, fight infection, and sometimes fail under extreme inj...
phys.org
February 6, 2026 at 3:43 PM
Human populations may have had unique adaptations to burn injuries due to long-term evolution in high-risk proximity to fire. I wonder if we also developed a degree of enhanced resistance to long-term smoke inhalation? 🏺
phys.org/news/2026-02...
phys.org/news/2026-02...
Some pretty rich bioarchaeological pickings here on A Massacre at an Iron Age Hillfort.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Worlebury Hillfort, Somerset: Interdisciplinary Reanalysis of an Iron Age Massacre | Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society | Cambridge Core
Worlebury Hillfort, Somerset: Interdisciplinary Reanalysis of an Iron Age Massacre
www.cambridge.org
February 6, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Some pretty rich bioarchaeological pickings here on A Massacre at an Iron Age Hillfort.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by Tom Booth
We have a really exciting Palaeolithic announcement coming soon from the @uclarchaeology.bsky.social It's not a new discovery, just something we've all been working on and in the process of sharing. Stay tuned 🦣🏺
February 6, 2026 at 11:59 AM
We have a really exciting Palaeolithic announcement coming soon from the @uclarchaeology.bsky.social It's not a new discovery, just something we've all been working on and in the process of sharing. Stay tuned 🦣🏺
Reposted by Tom Booth
It's still kind of a mystery how hunter-gatherers and Europe's first farmers dealt with each other. But in this instance, the discovery of a 7,500-year-old deer skull headdress and tools made from antlers suggests that the hunter-gatherers were sharing ideas and technologies with farmers. 🏺🧪🦌
7,500-year-old deer skull headdress discovered in Germany indicates hunter-gatherers shared sacred items and ideas with region's first farmers
The discovery of a deer skull headdress and tools made from antlers at the site of a New Stone Age farming village suggests that hunter-gathers were sharing ideas with the newcomers.
www.livescience.com
February 5, 2026 at 7:50 PM
It's still kind of a mystery how hunter-gatherers and Europe's first farmers dealt with each other. But in this instance, the discovery of a 7,500-year-old deer skull headdress and tools made from antlers suggests that the hunter-gatherers were sharing ideas and technologies with farmers. 🏺🧪🦌
Research Fellow in Biomolecular Archaeology as part of the AHRC-funded PELLIS (Investigating the manufacture, trade, and economy of Roman leather via multi-analytical approaches) project co-led by Rhiannon Stevens.
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
www.ucl.ac.uk
February 4, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Research Fellow in Biomolecular Archaeology as part of the AHRC-funded PELLIS (Investigating the manufacture, trade, and economy of Roman leather via multi-analytical approaches) project co-led by Rhiannon Stevens.
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Reposted by Tom Booth
Full BABAO statement here (we need a Bluesky account!): babao.org.uk/bill-to-stop...
Bill to Stop Barbaric Practice of Buying and Selling Human Remains to be Introduced – BABAO
babao.org.uk
February 4, 2026 at 10:43 AM
Full BABAO statement here (we need a Bluesky account!): babao.org.uk/bill-to-stop...
🏺
Excellent that we may be on the way to banning the sale of human remaining the UK. Congratulations to the British Association of Biological Anthropologists Task Force for getting it this far. It’s been a grey area because there’s no legal ownership for human remains.
Excellent that we may be on the way to banning the sale of human remaining the UK. Congratulations to the British Association of Biological Anthropologists Task Force for getting it this far. It’s been a grey area because there’s no legal ownership for human remains.
I'm in Parliament today, presenting a ten-minute rule bill to ban the sale of human remains.
Human body parts are not curiosities to trade and decorate with.
We should ban this macabre trade for good.
Human body parts are not curiosities to trade and decorate with.
We should ban this macabre trade for good.
February 4, 2026 at 9:55 AM
🏺
Excellent that we may be on the way to banning the sale of human remaining the UK. Congratulations to the British Association of Biological Anthropologists Task Force for getting it this far. It’s been a grey area because there’s no legal ownership for human remains.
Excellent that we may be on the way to banning the sale of human remaining the UK. Congratulations to the British Association of Biological Anthropologists Task Force for getting it this far. It’s been a grey area because there’s no legal ownership for human remains.