Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports最新文献

The Caucasus, situated strategically in terms of natural geography and abundant raw materials, has been attractive to the interest of prehistoric hunter-gatherers throughout ancient times. Recent discoveries at the Neolithic site of Makhvilauri in the Ajara region, affirm this historical focus. The Makhvilauri flaked stone tool assemblage encompasses various lithic resources, of which ∼11 % (n = 59) comprise obsidian, a raw material whose closest sources are 170 km away. Using the XRF method at the Archaeometry Laboratory at the University of Missouri Reactor Research (MURR) to elementally characterise 23 of the obsidian artifacts (∼39 % of the total) we can demonstrate that the Makhvilauri assemblage was made from at least five geochemically distinct sources. This analysis not only sheds light on the mobility patterns of ancient communities but also underscores the extensive contacts established during the Neolithic period (6th millennium BC).

We describe the shape variability of nine dog hemimandibles recovered from two Holocene archaeological sites on the Iberian Peninsula. In this study we mainly focus on the Chalcolithic age dog remains recovered from Barrio del Castillo (Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid), but also, make comparisons to dog specimens from El Portalón (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos) Bronze Age. We used geometric morphometrics (3D) to describe mandibular morphology and compared these specimens with a modern sample of Iberian wolves, dogs, and red foxes. As complete mandibles are rarely found in the archaeological record, we also analysed the variability of the shape on fragments of mandibles. Here, we examine if there is morphological variability or a continuity in size between Chalcolithic and Bronze Age dogs. A scenario of very similar dogs, with a continuity in the size, is expected in the inner regions of the peninsula in contrasts with the coastal sites (influenced by a higher commercial activity). Our results suggest a continuity in the size and morphology of M₁. These dogs still conserved diagnostic wolf traits in relation to the carnassial zone. Additionally, we observe that the region behind the M₁ in Chalcolithic and Bronze Age dogs is slightly different when we analysed the fragmentary mandibles.

A map from the early twentieth century shows the relative positions of several entrances to the Ouels mining area, but it is not fully georeferenced. Some mines have been reported in the south-western part of the map and the archaeological team would like to confirm these locations. To this end, a geophysical prospection campaign was organised, which included electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and microgravimetric profiling over the area of interest. Several anomalies were identified. Two of them, in the north, are very likely to be related to voids (robbed area), since gravimetric and electrical anomalies are superimposed. Conversely, in the southern part, where microgravimetric anomalies occur, there are no electrical anomalies, but cavities could be electrically shielded by the overburden. An additional deeper ERT shows a new but small resistivity anomaly in the upper slope, outside the area preliminarily surveyed. Although not all of the gravimetric anomalies are confirmed by the ERT, the geophysics ultimately proved very effective in supporting at least some archaeological targets in the northern part of the prospect.

Archaeobotanical studies have already been widely and successfully used in Greece for the Neolithic to Iron Age periods, yet they were mostly omitted in Classical archaeology. This was justified by the existence of ancient texts, that provide information on plant use in Antiquity. However, not every aspect of life and plant use is described in ancient texts, and additionally, research of past vegetation relies solely on the studies of plant remains. A rescue excavation of a Hellenistic-Roman cemetery with pyres and graves on Tinos Island in the Cyclades provided not only charred seeds/fruits and leaves, but also large amounts of charcoal. The material enabled the study of food offerings / grave goods of plant origin, as well as the choice and availability of fuel wood for cremations. The olive (Olea europaea) seems to have been an important food crop on the island, as it was found in high quantities, accompanied by barley (Hordeum vulgare) and other cereals (Cerealia), as well as cereal products (ACO = amorphous charred objects), figs (Ficus carica) and grapes (Vitis vinifera). Fuel wood for the cremations was mainly based on evergreen oak (Quercus sect. Ilex) and olive wood (Olea europaea), the latter probably deriving from prunings produced in olive groves. Other macroremains, such as a leaf of kermes oak (Quercus coccifera), myrtle charcoal (Myrtus communis) and heather leaves (Erica manipuliflora) point to fuel harvest in Phrygana shrubland, which is the main vegetation form found on the island today.

An assemblage of black-appearing glass objects (predominantly beads) that is dated to the 9th–7th centuries BCE and found in Iron Age contexts of Southern Etruria and Latium (central Italy) was analysed using portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The analytical approach allowed us to discuss the technology of glass-making in a period of relevant technological changes. It resulted that the glass that reached the Italian peninsula was somewhat different, from a compositional point of view, from both earlier and later periods. The data collected showed that iron – the main colouring agent for these glasses – was obtained from several sources as was silica – the main component of glass. Lime, one of the main constituents of many types of glass, plays a modest role in this assemblage, which places these samples in a special position because of the peculiar batch formula. At least three centres of raw glass production are suggested by the compositional data, but in each case the glass was imported to the Italian peninsula.

The results of non-invasive diagnostic analyses of the painting Adoration of the Magi by Artemisia Gentileschi are presented. It was created in the 1630s to decorate the choir of the Cathedral of San Procolo in Pozzuoli (Naples, Italy).

Multispectral imaging at different wavelengths (VIS, IR and UV) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) were used. The data were integrated and compared with the art historical literature on Artemisia’s activity, especially in Naples after 1630. The research aims to identify the artist’s palette, the materials used, including in the restoration, and the possible influence on the use of color by artists working in Naples at the time. This will enrich the scientific details of the painting and the literature on the famous painter.

The UVF (ultraviolet induced visible fluorescence) images show darker areas on the surface, such as retouching, while the IR image highlights dark outlines that could be traces of brushstrokes and painterly changes.

The XRF technique, together with IRFC (infrared false color) imaging, suggested the pigments and materials used for the paint and preparatory layers. Calcium, strontium, lead and iron were identified as the main characteristic elements of the ground layer. Smalt was suggested for the various shades of blue due to the presence of cobalt in combination with pigments based on ultramarine blue, copper or lead white. Traces of mercury were detected in the red areas, suggesting the use of vermilion with other red pigments. Antimony was found in the yellow areas, indicating the use of Naples yellow, a pigment known to have been used by Artemisia only when she worked in Naples.

Macro-XRF showed that the finger of one hand was made twice. In the first version, lead was detected, while in the second, this element is present together with mercury. Titanium and zinc indicate that the area investigated was restored.

At the Neolithic settlements from the northern Danube, three types of artefacts are constantly present in archaeological contexts: spatulas made from cattle ribs, flattened sheep/goats astragali and Unio sp. shells with traces of use. These are very different types of items, in terms of raw material and in degree of their processing. Thus, while spatulas were obtained by major transformations of ribs, the astragali suffered only moderate changes thus allowing the identification of bone type and species. The shells had no technological changes to their natural morphology. The main purpose of our analysis was to reconstruct the way in which these tools were technologically created and how they were used. For this purpose, an experimental program has been developed that allows the recording of all details: raw materials, operational sequence and processed materials. The experimental pieces were used and the use-wear evolution pattern was systematically analyzed. Comparing the use-wear marks present on the archaeological pieces with those on the experimental pieces, we conclude that such tools were used during different stages of pottery manufacturing. The archaeological assemblage from the Măgura-Buduiasca settlement was used as a case study to prove the relevance of the results.

This paper presents the results of a landscape archaeological investigation conducted on the kurgans in the Alazani Valley, Eastern Georgia. Recognized for its remarkable kurgans, some exceeding 100 m in diameter, this region emerges as a pivotal area for the examination of burial mounds. The study highlights the effectiveness of integrated survey methods in mapping burial mounds within extensively exploited environments, facilitating the reconstruction of the archaeological landscape and the identification of areas with more preserved information. Utilizing remote sensing techniques, encompassing historical satellite imagery from the 1960s and recent data, coupled with a comprehensive four-year field survey, the research successfully mapped previously unrecorded kurgans. The analysis of historical and recent satellite imagery offers valuable insights into land use changes over the past six decades, enabling an assessment of the impact of human activity on the archaeological landscape.

Micaceous utility wares are commonly found at Ancestral Pueblo villages in the Rio Grande region, yet they have received relatively little attention compared to contemporary glaze wares. This lack of attention is unfortunate, because utility wares were a common component of daily Pueblo activities and are shown to have been involved in complex exchange schemes. Neutron activation analysis is used to chemically characterize micaceous utility sherds recovered from seven Classic Period (AD 1300–1600) sites located along the Rio Puerco and Rio Grande between the modern towns of Santa Fe and Socorro, New Mexico. The resulting distribution patterns broadly indicate heterogeneous procurement and/or manufacturing practices from site-to-site over the three centuries examined; however, a shared distribution between the Rio Puerco and Central Rio Grande is distinguishable. This relationship is evaluated and interpreted under a communities of practice framework, and bears to question how the manufacture, distribution, and use of micaceous utility wares elsewhere may be explored with this approach.

A batch of glass beads, including silver-in-glass beads and monochrome beads from the Chenwugou cemetery in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia, China was analysed using optical microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM-EDS), Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (LA-ICP-AES), and Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Based on their compositions, the silver-in plant ash glass samples are chemically very homogenous and possibly from Iran/Central Asia, if they were not made locally in China. The four monochrome beads are all individually different, with three plant-ash glasses and one natron glass bead thought to be from the southeastern Mediterranean. The silver-in-glass beads were made from a drawn glass tube as the inner layer, with a silver foil on its surface. They were then covered by another glass layer richer in iron oxide, before being cut into beads in a mould.