Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports最新文献

Buchta Nakhodka, which was inhabited by the Northern Samoyeds, is one of the few sites in the far north of Western Siberia that has been explored archaeologically and archaeoparasitologically. Many factors complicate research work in this region; therefore, any additional study of known sites can provide valuable data. Here, we report the results of soil samples from the cultural layer taken during the excavation of structures of the medieval settlement of Buchta Nakhodka. Six types of human and animal parasite eggs were found in the studied samples. The extent of contamination and number of parasite species varied, depending on the sampling location. The analysis of research results in the historical and archaeological context enabled the reconstruction of certain nutritional habits of the population of Buchta Nakhodka in the 13th century and such activities as hunting, fishing, and dog breeding, as well as an evaluation of the level of hygiene and possible population movements and trade links with neighbouring settlements.

The lithic projectile points of the Late Upper Palaeolithic (∼14.7–11.7 ka BP) in Northern Europe display a marked variation in size and design. The small tanged points characteristic of the latest phase in the sequence can be directly associated with finds of arrow-shafts and bow fragments, benchmarking the presence of archery. In the absence of such organic evidence during the older phases, size differences between tip designs may be used, with reference to ballistic principles, to derive hypotheses about ancient weapon systems. By calculating tip cross-sectional area values for a large sample of shouldered, backed, and tanged points from sites across the Northern Europe, we here explore likely changes in weapon use through time. In this context we specifically investigate the likelihood of the smallest of these tips as having been used with poison to increase hunting success. Our results show that: (i) bow-and-arrow technology most likely was in use already during the earliest phases of human occupation in the region; (ii) later on, different weapon systems equipped with different tip designs were used in parallel; and (iii) the smallest of lithic armatures align well with ethnographically documented poisoned arrows. To assist with future studies in the use of arrow poisons in Europe, we provide a list of potential poison sources, where they are currently distributed in the context of our study area.

This research analyzes stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotope values in tooth collagen and enamel to investigate foraging and territorial behavior in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann) and maize (Zea mays Linneaus) consumption in dogs (Canis familiaris Linneaus). The study analyzed 22 deer teeth from 13 archaeological sites in Kentucky covering a span of approximately 1,500 years of human occupation. The article presents evidence of foraging and territorial behavior in white-tailed deer, identified through the “canopy effect” observed in deer stable carbon isotope values in remains spanning from the Middle Woodland (200 BCE – CE 500) to Late Fort Ancient (CE 1400 – 1680) time periods in Kentucky. Additionally, teeth samples from nine dog and one wolf (Canis lupus Linneaus) were analyzed and indicate significant consumption of maize in seven of the dog samples. These specimens came from seven archaeological sites in Kentucky dating from the Early through Late Fort Ancient (CE 1400 – 1680) time periods. The study also contributes to the growing database of isotope studies in the Eastern Woodlands by presenting carbon and nitrogen isotope values on deer bone collagen from nine deer bone samples from three of the same archaeological sites dating to the Middle Woodland to Early Late Woodland.

The Gravettian or the Gravettoidal in Greece is characterized by many chronological and occupational hiatuses between 34 and 24 cal ka BP. In this paper we present the stone industries from four caves located at the most Southern extreme end of mainland Greece, Southern Peloponnese (Mani Peninsula). The AMS dates provided here suggest that typical Gravettian elements begin to appear around 31 cal ka BP. At the same time the sites present strong affinities with the Central Balkans in terms of chronologies and lithic production. The assemblages are dominated by single straight backed bladelets and backed points, suggesting an extremely specialized use and exploitation of the sites around the Oitylo Bay. Yet the time-period between 31 and 24 cal ka BP remains obscure, suggesting a rather late arrival of the Gravettian hunters in the area compared with Central Europe and the Northeastern Peloponnese (Klisoura I cave).

Some metallurgical analyses have been conducted on Ancient Egyptian mirrors; however, both compositional and microstructural data are necessary in order to fully reconstruct the manufacturing sequences of these artefacts. Traditional sampling and analytical methods for researching metal artefacts have their limitations for investigating mirrors in particular; for example, a mounted ‘V’ cross-section is often not a viable sampling option as it is too visually destructive to a complete disk, and surface analysis only provides limited compositional data.

These observations resulted in the adaptation of deep-filed edge abrasion sampling, based on coin studies, with SEM-EDX analyses for Egyptian mirrors. This paper will establish how the methodology gathers reliable compositional and microstructural data while remaining visually discreet. This study demonstrates the methodology on four mirrors varying in condition, shape, and size in comparison to the traditional mounted ‘V’ cross-section taken in the 1990s from the same specimens.

The transition between the Late Copper and the Early Bronze Age in Central and Western Europe saw large-scale social disruptions ca. 2200 cal BCE (’4,2 ka event’). Their source is much debated, and scholars have addressed the problem from various disciplinary perspectives. One account points to the westward migration of populations with Pontic-Caspian ‘Steppe’ ancestry, possibly favoured by the spread of infectious diseases, but the question remains open. In southeast Iberia, the shift from communal burial practices in the Copper Age to single and double tombs in the Bronze Age offers a reliable diagnostic feature for the transition. To investigate social and demographic changes in this region during the late 3rd millennium BCE, we resorted to new C14 dates from human bone samples originating from both kinds of funerary contexts. Our statistical analysis indicates that most probably the changes in funerary rituals in southeast Iberia were fast. It also implies that the local populations had dropped in numbers before 2200 cal BCE, so that the presence of ‘Steppe ancestry’ ca. 2200–2000 cal BCE could be the result of their admixture with neighbouring peoples. Finally, we suggest that more high-precision C¹⁴ dates and archaeogenetic analyses from this transitional period are crucial for addressing the formation of Bronze Age societies.

The 6th century BCE is marked by major changes in the Mediterranean trade routes. These changes had a significant impact on the production of silver-lead in the Iberian Peninsula, which was previously thought to have come to an abrupt end.

However, the study of litharge from the early 5th century BCE to the first half of the 3rd century BCE, from three sites in the Alicante region, demonstrates that the types, textures and compositions of litharge remain unchanged after the crisis in Phoenician trade. Thus, although no production workshops have been found in the Cartegena mining district, it is possible to affirm that the cupellation processes used at the beginning of the first millennium BCE continued until the 3rd century BCE.

Lead isotopic analysis of the litharge and two lead artefacts indicate that they come from ores from the very rich mines of Cartagena-La Unión, which were extensively exploited between the 8th and 6th centuries BCE.

Despite a major decline in mining and metallurgical production and considerable changes in the networks of exchange in the Mediterranean, the same production chain persisted from lead extraction to the type of metallurgy practised. The economic crisis does not therefore lead to a cessation of production, but the quantity of lead (and silver) produced would probably be significantly lower.

The application of backing techniques is a central element in the manufacturing process of Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic lithic projectile implements (e.g., backed points, backed bladelets, backed and truncated bladelets, geometrics, etc.). In recent years, different studies based on a low magnification analysis have been developed to provide a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of these techniques. Within this general framework, to improve the reliability of backing techniques recognition, this paper explores the application of new methodologies including a high magnification microscopy and a quantitative analysis. The former permitted the observation of several microscopic traces (e.g., polishes and striations) yielding important information concerning the nature of the used retoucher (mineral vs. organic). The latter allowed evaluating the variability of several retouch scars features (angles, depth and size) and their statistical significance to distinguish backing techniques. Both methods were then applied to an archaeological sample of projectile implements from Riparo Tagliente (VR, Italy), providing valuable insights regarding backing techniques used by Late Epigravettian hunter-gatherer groups.

The South Carpathian basin, located between the Eastern Mediterranean and temperate Central Europe, was a diffusion lane and is one of the regions that provide a good baseline for examining the nature and dynamics of the agropastoral expansion, as well as the adaptations of different aspects of the ’Neolithic package’ into new natural environments. This article discusses the results of radiocarbon dates, stable isotope (C13, N15, and S34), and anthropological analyses carried out on human bones from three Early to Late Neolithic sites (from ca. 6021 to ca. 5212 cal. BC) located in the southwestern Carpathian Basin. In total, 9 radiocarbon dates were obtained, coupled with new isotopic (n = 6) and anthropological (n = 7) data. According to the stable isotope data, most of the protein in the human diet came from terrestrial animals. New radiocarbon dates indicate that humans were buried at the sites during the Early Neolithic Starčevo culture (ca. 6000–5300 cal. BC) as well as through the transition to the Late Neolithic Sopot culture (ca. 5300–5200 cal. BC). The paper shows that human dietary and health patterns at the studied sites of Golokut-Vizić, Donja Branjevina, and Bezdan-Bački Monoštor are similar to those at other Neolithic sites in the southwestern Carpathian basin and Central Balkans, indicating similar dietary adaptations and health status in this area during this period. The only exception are two individuals from Donja Branjevina who seemingly opted to keep traditional dietary strategies rather than use the ones more suitable for the new environment. Radiocarbon dates on humans from this site indicate that human burial practices occurred over a long period of time. The results filled the gaps in some of the older interpretations but also produced new insights regarding chronology, health, and diet during the Neolithic in the Carpathian basin.

Polished stone axes were used in the Bronze Age Carpathian Basin, but their number decreased, specifically in burials, compared to the Neolithic and Copper Age. This is particularly appropriate after 1500 BCE when stone was hindered by increasing metalworking, and several types of bronze axes became widespread. In this context its highly important that two stone axes were found, in Maklár-Koszpérium and Maklár-Nagyrét II, on the northern fringes of the Great Hungarian Plain. Both are Tumulus culture Bronze Age cremation cemeteries, dated by relative chronology to 1500–1300 BCE. This article focuses on the axes, including mineralogical and chemical composition, provenance of the raw materials, and their use-wear development and surface alteration marks. Non-destructive methods were applied, owing to the rarity and special character of the finds, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and prompt-gamma activation analysis (PGAA) to mineralogical and chemical composition investigation, respectively. Our results suggest both non-local and local raw material consumption since the alkaline basalt or basanite stone axe from Maklár-Koszpérium might originate from Burgenland, Austria from cca. 300 km distance, while the raw material of the Maklár-Nagyrét II. axe is a hydrothermally altered andesite, originating most probably from the volcanic areas of the Mátra Mountains, cca. 40 km away. This article reveals complex networks between Tumulus culture communities of Central Europe, including Moravia, Burgenland and the Northern Great Hungarian Plain, regarding the circulation of ideas, raw materials and artefacts. The raw material and the use-wear development of the Maklár-Koszpérium axe suggesting this artefact was probably used. Although the structural properties of the Maklár-Nagyrét II. axe’s andesite raw material was not proper for daily use, and use-wear and production traces were not observed owing probably to the porous raw material. However, surface alterations and fracture lines suggest this axe was probably placed on the pyre with the deceased.