Pub Date : 2025-02-02DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105015
Xingyu Du , Siyu Sun , Hanqing Zhao , Qinggang Geng , Jianfeng Cui
This study presents a scientific analysis of the special square eye beads excavated from a Qin Tomb during the Warring States in Shaanxi province. The results show that all of the beads are composed of lead-barium glass, with low-impurity quartz sand, lead ore, and barium ore (Ba and Na content are positively correlated) serving as the raw materials; all appear to have been made through a winding method with square moulds. Beads of different colours were likely made in the same place. The results of typology and lead isotope analyses indicate that the square eye beads were produced in the Qin Kingdom, demonstrating that, in addition to the Chu State, the more north-westerly Qin Kingdom was also able to produce lead–barium glass during this period. The positive correlation observed between sodium and barium contents should stimulate further study of the source of raw barium materials for lead–barium glass production and the relationship between lead–barium and soda–lime glass during this critical time in Chinese history.
{"title":"Lead–barium glass production in North China during the Warring States period — Scientific study of square eye beads from a Qin tomb in Xianyang, Shaanxi","authors":"Xingyu Du , Siyu Sun , Hanqing Zhao , Qinggang Geng , Jianfeng Cui","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105015","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105015","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents a scientific analysis of the special square eye beads excavated from a Qin Tomb during the Warring States in Shaanxi province. The results show that all of the beads are composed of lead-barium glass, with low-impurity quartz sand, lead ore, and barium ore (Ba and Na content are positively correlated) serving as the raw materials; all appear to have been made through a winding method with square moulds. Beads of different colours were likely made in the same place. The results of typology and lead isotope analyses indicate that the square eye beads were produced in the Qin Kingdom, demonstrating that, in addition to the Chu State, the more north-westerly Qin Kingdom was also able to produce lead–barium glass during this period. The positive correlation observed between sodium and barium contents should stimulate further study of the source of raw barium materials for lead–barium glass production and the relationship between lead–barium and soda–lime glass during this critical time in Chinese history.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"62 ","pages":"Article 105015"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143160309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-02DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.104986
Danielle A. Macdonald , Naomi L. Martisius , W. James Stemp , Christopher A. Brown , Logan Guthrie , Matthew A. Gleason
Archaeologists have increasingly adopted approaches from engineering and materials sciences to quantify the surfaces of artifacts and ecofacts. Different microscope systems and surface texture/roughness parameters have been employed with various degrees of success. Although most studies have focused on chipped stone tools and animal bones, to date there has been no attempt to quantify microwear on shell tools. In this study, focus variation microscopy was used to mathematically document the surfaces on the edges of twelve little neck clam shells in both unused and used conditions. The clam shells were used to scrape a variety of materials, including fresh, greasy bone, untanned leather, and sweet potato (hard vegetable). Microwear was calculated from the surface measurements taken on the used and unused shell edges using multiple ISO parameters, including conventional height parameters and multiscale geometric analysis (relative area; area-scale complexity). The results of this experiment indicate that the quantification of microwear on shell tools is possible and that shell, as a raw material, may present challenges in terms of surface texture/roughness documentation. Discussion of the results includes an assessment of which parameters may be best for distinguishing used from unused shell tool surfaces and the surfaces of shell tools used on different contact materials, and possible problems resulting from post-depositional processes.
{"title":"Quantification of microwear on experimental shell tools: First results using focus variation microscopy, surface roughness, and multiscale geometric analyses","authors":"Danielle A. Macdonald , Naomi L. Martisius , W. James Stemp , Christopher A. Brown , Logan Guthrie , Matthew A. Gleason","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.104986","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.104986","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Archaeologists have increasingly adopted approaches from engineering and materials sciences to quantify the surfaces of artifacts and ecofacts. Different microscope systems and surface texture/roughness parameters have been employed with various degrees of success. Although most studies have focused on chipped stone tools and animal bones, to date there has been no attempt to quantify microwear on shell tools. In this study, focus variation microscopy was used to mathematically document the surfaces on the edges of twelve little neck clam shells in both unused and used conditions. The clam shells were used to scrape a variety of materials, including fresh, greasy bone, untanned leather, and sweet potato (hard vegetable). Microwear was calculated from the surface measurements taken on the used and unused shell edges using multiple ISO parameters, including conventional height parameters and multiscale geometric analysis (relative area; area-scale complexity). The results of this experiment indicate that the quantification of microwear on shell tools is possible and that shell, as a raw material, may present challenges in terms of surface texture/roughness documentation. Discussion of the results includes an assessment of which parameters may be best for distinguishing used from unused shell tool surfaces and the surfaces of shell tools used on different contact materials, and possible problems resulting from post-depositional processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"62 ","pages":"Article 104986"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143160308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-02DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.104980
János Jakucs , Ákos Ekrik , Eszter Horváth , Attila Kreiter , László Gucsi , Katarina Botić , Krisztián Oross , Tibor Marton
The use of ceramic vessels in the western Carpathian Basin was introduced by the first farming communities of the Starčevo culture at the beginning of the 6th millennium BC. The Starčevo pottery is characterized by a consistent technological tradition and design implemented in a fairly uniform manner over a large geographic area. After the turn of the 56th–55th centuries BC, various pottery styles (early Vinča, Raziste, early LBK) were created and homogeneity was replaced by stylistic diversity. Most previous research focusing on ceramics of the Starčevo and post-Starčevo cultural phenomena have predominantly examined the technology and style of the pottery, uncovering many intertwinings between these communities. Use-alteration analysis targeting pottery function and post-production activities, have received less attention so far. The study investigates a specific type of attrition exclusively relating to pedestalled vessels. Similar attritions were identified on pedestal fragments at various Starčevo sites and, more recently, in some post-Starčevo assemblages in southern Hungary and northern Croatia. A systematic analysis from three sites (Alsónyék-Bátaszék, Tolna-Mözs, Szederkény-Kukorica-dűlő) examines the qualitative and quantitative properties of pedestalled vessels. The study highlights the systematic fragmentation of these vessels and, using several examples, investigates whether the attrition occurred during use of the intact vessels or from recycling pedestal fragments. Photogrammetry and optical microscopy was used to document the dimensions and shapes of the attritions, searching for indicators to understand their formation. Both macroscopic and microscopic observations suggest a prolonged, repetitive activity performed with a rotating rod-like tool. Our observations suggest that the same specialized activity was involved with the investigated Starčevo and post-Starčevo pedestalled vessels. This raises intriguing questions not only about the activities leading to the attrition but also regarding the observed differences in its distribution among various post-Starčevo communities.
{"title":"Broken pots, unbroken habits? Traces of a special use activity related to pedestalled vessels in Starčevo and post-Starčevo communities","authors":"János Jakucs , Ákos Ekrik , Eszter Horváth , Attila Kreiter , László Gucsi , Katarina Botić , Krisztián Oross , Tibor Marton","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.104980","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.104980","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of ceramic vessels in the western Carpathian Basin was introduced by the first farming communities of the Starčevo culture at the beginning of the 6th millennium BC. The Starčevo pottery is characterized by a consistent technological tradition and design implemented in a fairly uniform manner over a large geographic area. After the turn of the 56th–55th centuries BC, various pottery styles (early Vinča, Raziste, early LBK) were created and homogeneity was replaced by stylistic diversity. Most previous research focusing on ceramics of the Starčevo and post-Starčevo cultural phenomena have predominantly examined the technology and style of the pottery, uncovering many intertwinings between these communities. Use-alteration analysis targeting pottery function and post-production activities, have received less attention so far. The study investigates a specific type of attrition exclusively relating to pedestalled vessels. Similar attritions were identified on pedestal fragments at various Starčevo sites and, more recently, in some post-Starčevo assemblages in southern Hungary and northern Croatia. A systematic analysis from three sites (Alsónyék-Bátaszék, Tolna-Mözs, Szederkény-Kukorica-dűlő) examines the qualitative and quantitative properties of pedestalled vessels. The study highlights the systematic fragmentation of these vessels and, using several examples, investigates whether the attrition occurred during use of the intact vessels or from recycling pedestal fragments. Photogrammetry and optical microscopy was used to document the dimensions and shapes of the attritions, searching for indicators to understand their formation. Both macroscopic and microscopic observations suggest a prolonged, repetitive activity performed with a rotating rod-like tool. Our observations suggest that the same specialized activity was involved with the investigated Starčevo and post-Starčevo pedestalled vessels. This raises intriguing questions not only about the activities leading to the attrition but also regarding the observed differences in its distribution among various post-Starčevo communities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"62 ","pages":"Article 104980"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143159697","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104897
Yamandú H. Hilbert , Ignacio Clemente-Conte , Alexandre de Rorre , Valentina M. Azzarà
The south-eastern Arabian coastline, with its diverse habitats and high levels of bio productivity, is characterised by an abundance of archaeological sites spanning from the Neolithic to the Islamic periods. Since the Early Holocene, populations of hunters, fishers, herders, and gatherers developed cultural and behavioural knowledge that allowed them to flourish and endure the climatic fluctuations affecting the region. Here we present the results of the traceological, typological and technological analysis undertaken on a sample of lithic artefacts dating to the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age from the multi occupational site of Ras Al Jinz RJ-3 on the Omani coast. The site presents multiple archaeological horizons, dated by radiocarbon, each associated with stone tools marked by diverging techno-typological and functional patterns, indicating that different activities were performed through the Mid and Late Holocene. During the Late Neolithic (c. 4200–3200 BCE) a high diversity of functional and behavioural patterns was identified. The first part of the Early Bronze Age (EBA) (Hafit period, c. 3200–2600 BCE) is characterized by an increase in diversification and ad-hoc use of stone tools for diverse activities such as cutting, scraping and drilling. Finally, the second part of the EBA (Umm an-Nar period, c. 2600–2000 BCE) shows a strictly task oriented pattern dominated by the manufacture of Conus shell rings. Our results further strengthen the interpretation of the site as being the center of different and specific task activities throughout the Mid-Late Holocene period.
{"title":"Mid Holocene human adaptation at the Ras al Jinz 3 site: The late neolithic to the early bronze age lithics of coastal Oman from a traceological and technological perspective","authors":"Yamandú H. Hilbert , Ignacio Clemente-Conte , Alexandre de Rorre , Valentina M. Azzarà","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104897","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104897","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The south-eastern Arabian coastline, with its diverse habitats and high levels of bio productivity, is characterised by an abundance of archaeological sites spanning from the Neolithic to the Islamic periods. Since the Early Holocene, populations of hunters, fishers, herders, and gatherers developed cultural and behavioural knowledge that allowed them to flourish and endure the climatic fluctuations affecting the region. Here we present the results of the traceological, typological and technological analysis undertaken on a sample of lithic artefacts dating to the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age from the multi occupational site of Ras Al Jinz RJ-3 on the Omani coast. The site presents multiple archaeological horizons, dated by radiocarbon, each associated with stone tools marked by diverging techno-typological and functional patterns, indicating that different activities were performed through the Mid and Late Holocene. During the Late Neolithic (c. 4200–3200 BCE) a high diversity of functional and behavioural patterns was identified. The first part of the Early Bronze Age (EBA) (Hafit period, c. 3200–2600 BCE) is characterized by an increase in diversification and ad-hoc use of stone tools for diverse activities such as cutting, scraping and drilling. Finally, the second part of the EBA (Umm an-Nar period, c. 2600–2000 BCE) shows a strictly task oriented pattern dominated by the manufacture of <em>Conus</em> shell rings. Our results further strengthen the interpretation of the site as being the center of different and specific task activities throughout the Mid-Late Holocene period.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"61 ","pages":"Article 104897"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study reevaluates one of the most poorly understood periods in the archaeology of the Basin of Mexico through microscopic functional analysis and residue identification on grinding tools from the San Gregorio, Atlapulco site. To achieve this, experimental work was conducted using various plant species, fruits, and tubers identified via starch analysis, creating a reference catalog for comparison with our archaeological assemblage.
This approach identified artifacts used for plant processing, revealing starch grains from Ipomoea batatas, Phaseolus vulgaris, Zea mays, Physalis sp., Capsicum sp., and Dioscorea sp. through residue analysis. Use-wear traces, including pits, micro-striations, and micro-polishes, suggest brief but intense grinding activities on the surface of these materials. These findings indicate that the diet of these societies was based on the collection of plants and lakeshore plain resources, supplemented by the consumption of domesticated plants like maize during a period of climatic improvement preceding the emergence of the earliest ceramics in central Mexico, specifically during the Atlapulco Phase (ca. 4200–3800).
{"title":"Archaic grinding stone tools in the basin of Mexico. A study through use-wear analysis and micro-residues","authors":"Patricia Pérez-Martínez , Guillermo Acosta-Ochoa , Jorge Ezra Cruz-Palma , Marcos Alejandro Reyes-Armella , Paloma Domínguez-Zannie","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104909","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104909","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study reevaluates one of the most poorly understood periods in the archaeology of the Basin of Mexico through microscopic functional analysis and residue identification on grinding tools from the San Gregorio, Atlapulco site. To achieve this, experimental work was conducted using various plant species, fruits, and tubers identified via starch analysis, creating a reference catalog for comparison with our archaeological assemblage.</div><div>This approach identified artifacts used for plant processing, revealing starch grains from <em>Ipomoea batatas, Phaseolus vulgaris, Zea mays, Physalis</em> sp.<em>, Capsicum sp</em>., and <em>Dioscorea sp</em>. through residue analysis. Use-wear traces, including pits, micro-striations, and micro-polishes, suggest brief but intense grinding activities on the surface of these materials. These findings indicate that the diet of these societies was based on the collection of plants and lakeshore plain resources, supplemented by the consumption of domesticated plants like maize during a period of climatic improvement preceding the emergence of the earliest ceramics in central Mexico, specifically during the Atlapulco Phase (ca. 4200–3800).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"61 ","pages":"Article 104909"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104922
Zsuzsa Hegedűs , Attila Kreiter , Orsolya Viktorik , László Máté , András Kalli , Eszter K. Tutkovics
The traditional, typological approach of pottery analysis is often difficult to apply in the case of prehistoric settlement assemblages, as the material is highly fragmented, which limits the possibility of reconstructing pottery shapes and types. Moreover, recent research trends have started questioning the effectiveness of the methods solely based on classifying individual pieces into predefined types. Due to this, a different approach is proposed: the aim of the present research was to perform a functional reconstruction on a fragmented pottery assemblage by combining statistical methods and considerations about vessel usage. It can be assumed that – besides adhering to sociocultural restrictions – potters designed vessels to fulfil primary practical functions. Therefore, it is verifiably possible to identify these primary functions by analysing the attributes linked to them. The study focuses on the Middle Copper Age Hunyadihalom culture’s (3900–3700 BCE) pottery material from Bükkábrány–Bánya XI/B site, located in the northern part of the Great Hungarian Plain. This approach made it possible to include 92% of all Middle Copper Age sherds in the study (16,506 fragments of 9,150 vessels), thus improving the representativity of the results. The analysis was supplemented by a series of petrographic examinations, shedding some light on the raw material usage of the community. The functional reconstruction reveals not only the composition of pottery sets but also the practical considerations and habits of the potters. Functional reconstruction as a method can look beyond traditional typology: it might shed light on how past people thought about the vessels they used and how they created a pottery set that met all their needs, all within the framework of their cultural and cognitive systems.
{"title":"The use of statistical tools in the reconstruction of pottery function. A case study from the Middle Copper Age Carpathian Basin","authors":"Zsuzsa Hegedűs , Attila Kreiter , Orsolya Viktorik , László Máté , András Kalli , Eszter K. Tutkovics","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104922","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104922","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The traditional, typological approach of pottery analysis is often difficult to apply in the case of prehistoric settlement assemblages, as the material is highly fragmented, which limits the possibility of reconstructing pottery shapes and types. Moreover, recent research trends have started questioning the effectiveness of the methods solely based on classifying individual pieces into predefined types. Due to this, a different approach is proposed: the aim of the present research was to perform a functional reconstruction on a fragmented pottery assemblage by combining statistical methods and considerations about vessel usage. It can be assumed that – besides adhering to sociocultural restrictions – potters designed vessels to fulfil primary practical functions. Therefore, it is verifiably possible to identify these primary functions by analysing the attributes linked to them. The study focuses on the Middle Copper Age Hunyadihalom culture’s (3900–3700 BCE) pottery material from Bükkábrány–Bánya XI/B site, located in the northern part of the Great Hungarian Plain. This approach made it possible to include 92% of all Middle Copper Age sherds in the study (16,506 fragments of 9,150 vessels), thus improving the representativity of the results. The analysis was supplemented by a series of petrographic examinations, shedding some light on the raw material usage of the community. The functional reconstruction reveals not only the composition of pottery sets but also the practical considerations and habits of the potters. Functional reconstruction as a method can look beyond traditional typology: it might shed light on how past people thought about the vessels they used and how they created a pottery set that met all their needs, all within the framework of their cultural and cognitive systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"61 ","pages":"Article 104922"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104907
Andrea Zupancich , Emanuela Cristiani , Marialetizia Carra , Dragana Antonović , Dušan Borić
Plants and plant-based foods played a crucial role in human evolution, and the interaction between plants and humans is a highly debated topic in archaeology. Ground stone tools are considered particularly valuable evidence due to their direct involvement in various plant processing tasks. This paper investigates the use of sandstone ground stone tools coming from the site of Vlasac in the Danube Gorges region, used in plant processing tasks, providing clues about the exploitation of vegetal resources during the Mesolithic of the region. Applying a novel approach based on the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including optical microscopy, 3D surface texture analysis, and spatial analysis, we explore the use of ground stone tools in plant processing at the site. Our results highlight the existence of a specific plant-food processing technology in the area of the Danube Gorges during the eight millennium cal BC, alongside the familiarity of these Mesolithic foragers with the consumption of wild plants, long before the introduction of agriculture in this region.
{"title":"Mesolithic plant processing unveiled: Multiscale use-wear analysis of the ground stone tools from Vlasac (Serbia)","authors":"Andrea Zupancich , Emanuela Cristiani , Marialetizia Carra , Dragana Antonović , Dušan Borić","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104907","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104907","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plants and plant-based foods played a crucial role in human evolution, and the interaction between plants and humans is a highly debated topic in archaeology. Ground stone tools are considered particularly valuable evidence due to their direct involvement in various plant processing tasks. This paper investigates the use of sandstone ground stone tools coming from the site of Vlasac in the Danube Gorges region, used in plant processing tasks, providing clues about the exploitation of vegetal resources during the Mesolithic of the region. Applying a novel approach based on the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including optical microscopy, 3D surface texture analysis, and spatial analysis, we explore the use of ground stone tools in plant processing at the site. Our results highlight the existence of a specific plant-food processing technology in the area of the Danube Gorges during the eight millennium cal BC, alongside the familiarity of these Mesolithic foragers with the consumption of wild plants, long before the introduction of agriculture in this region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"61 ","pages":"Article 104907"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143148084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104949
Shuanglin Zhou , Yushen He , Yanhong Li , Bohan Wang , Rui Yang
The Northern Wei dynasty is a significant period of multi-ethnic integration in Chinese history. Studies on the construction styles and materials of the Northern Wei dynasty tombs could be crucial to researching mausoleum system development in ancient China. Decorated bricks found in the Northern Wei Jing Ling site were analysed by multiple analysis methods. Petrographic analysis, SEM-EDS and XRD were used to investigate inorganic compounds and the mineral structure. The main chemical component of the brick is quartz. Meanwhile, the high carbon content indicates that the black pigment applied in the brick coating may be carbon black. Raman spectroscopy also confirmed the presence of carbon black. FTIR suggested the possible presence of organic binders, which were further identified by amino acid analysis. Egg was identified as the most likely binder in the black coating, while a slight amount of animal glue may also be an additive in the binder.
{"title":"The preliminary analysis of the decorated bricks in the chamber of the Northern Wei Jing Ling site in Luoyang","authors":"Shuanglin Zhou , Yushen He , Yanhong Li , Bohan Wang , Rui Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104949","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104949","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Northern Wei dynasty is a significant period of multi-ethnic integration in Chinese history. Studies on the construction styles and materials of the Northern Wei dynasty tombs could be crucial to researching mausoleum system development in ancient China. Decorated bricks found in the Northern Wei Jing Ling site were analysed by multiple analysis methods. Petrographic analysis, SEM-EDS and XRD were used to investigate inorganic compounds and the mineral structure. The main chemical component of the brick is quartz. Meanwhile, the high carbon content indicates that the black pigment applied in the brick coating may be carbon black. Raman spectroscopy also confirmed the presence of carbon black. FTIR suggested the possible presence of organic binders, which were further identified by amino acid analysis. Egg was identified as the most likely binder in the black coating, while a slight amount of animal glue may also be an additive in the binder.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"61 ","pages":"Article 104949"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143148122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104957
Jiashuo Zhang , Yongdi Wang , Naifan Zhang , Jiawei Li , Youyang Qu , Cunshi Zhu , Fan Zhang , Dawei Cai , Chao Ning
The Silk Road, an ancient trade route connecting China with the West, facilitated the exchanges of goods, ideas, and cultural practices among diverse civilizations. The Sogdians were prominent merchants along the Silk Road, renowned for their roles as traders, artisans, and entertainers. They migrated to China, forming enduring communities that produced multiple generations of descendants. Despite their historical importance, primary written records detailing the origins of the Sogdians and their interactions with local populations are limited. In this study, we generated genome-wide data for two ancient individuals from a joint burial (M1401) in the Guyuan cemetery dating to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). To our knowledge, this represents the first ancient genomic data obtained from the Sogdian population. Our results reveal that the female individual exhibits local ancestry, while the male carries both local ancestry and additional genetic components linked to the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC) in Central Asia. This was introduced into the local gene pool approximately 18 generations ago. Combining historical, archaeological, and genetic analyses, we conclude that the two individuals were likely husband and wife. Our findings suggest that Sogdians, who initially traveled to China for trade, settled, intermarried with local populations, and played a significant role as intermediaries in Silk Road commerce. This study highlights the importance of Sogdiana at the end of the first millennium BCE in fostering connections between the Hellenistic world and the Qin/Han dynasties, emphasizing early Sogdian identity traits that preceded their later prominence as key merchants of the Silk Road.
{"title":"Unraveling the origins of the sogdians: Evidence of genetic admixture between ancient central and East Asians","authors":"Jiashuo Zhang , Yongdi Wang , Naifan Zhang , Jiawei Li , Youyang Qu , Cunshi Zhu , Fan Zhang , Dawei Cai , Chao Ning","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104957","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104957","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Silk Road, an ancient trade route connecting China with the West, facilitated the exchanges of goods, ideas, and cultural practices among diverse civilizations. The Sogdians were prominent merchants along the Silk Road, renowned for their roles as traders, artisans, and entertainers. They migrated to China, forming enduring communities that produced multiple generations of descendants. Despite their historical importance, primary written records detailing the origins of the Sogdians and their interactions with local populations are limited. In this study, we generated genome-wide data for two ancient individuals from a joint burial (M1401) in the Guyuan cemetery dating to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). To our knowledge, this represents the first ancient genomic data obtained from the Sogdian population. Our results reveal that the female individual exhibits local ancestry, while the male carries both local ancestry and additional genetic components linked to the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC) in Central Asia. This was introduced into the local gene pool approximately 18 generations ago. Combining historical, archaeological, and genetic analyses, we conclude that the two individuals were likely husband and wife. Our findings suggest that Sogdians, who initially traveled to China for trade, settled, intermarried with local populations, and played a significant role as intermediaries in Silk Road commerce. This study highlights the importance of Sogdiana at the end of the first millennium BCE in fostering connections between the Hellenistic world and the Qin/Han dynasties, emphasizing early Sogdian identity traits that preceded their later prominence as key merchants of the Silk Road.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"61 ","pages":"Article 104957"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143148125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104961
Malvina Baumann , Evgeny Girya , Laurent Crépin , Marie-Anne Julien , William Rendu , Bahtivor Saifullaev , Andrei Krivoshapkin
The use of bone tools in contexts predating the Upper Paleolithic of Homo sapiens in Eurasia is no longer subject to debate. However, the recent evidence highlighting significant Neanderthal bone industries demonstrates that this phenomenon has been largely underestimated. A re-evaluation of each assemblage through a systematic search for bone artifacts is now a necessary prerequisite for accurately assessing the nature and variability of bone production over time and across past humanities. Such an approach should precede any attempt at a broader understanding of the mechanisms underlying their emergence and development. With this in mind, we initiated an investigation in Central Asia, a key region for Middle Paleolithic human settlements, where the potential for bone artifacts has remained weakly tested until now. Here, we present the preliminary results from Obi-Rakhmat (Uzbekistan). Dated to 90–40 ka BP, it is one of the few multilayered sites in the region to have yielded human remains. The original composition of the set of bone artifacts, which reflects that of the lithic assemblage, confirms our expectations and opens new avenues for research on this emerging topic.
{"title":"Middle Paleolithic bone industry in Central Asia, first evidence from Obi-Rakhmat Grotto (Uzbekistan)","authors":"Malvina Baumann , Evgeny Girya , Laurent Crépin , Marie-Anne Julien , William Rendu , Bahtivor Saifullaev , Andrei Krivoshapkin","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104961","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104961","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of bone tools in contexts predating the Upper Paleolithic of <em>Homo sapiens</em> in Eurasia is no longer subject to debate. However, the recent evidence highlighting significant Neanderthal bone industries demonstrates that this phenomenon has been largely underestimated. A re-evaluation of each assemblage through a systematic search for bone artifacts is now a necessary prerequisite for accurately assessing the nature and variability of bone production over time and across past humanities. Such an approach should precede any attempt at a broader understanding of the mechanisms underlying their emergence and development. With this in mind, we initiated an investigation in Central Asia, a key region for Middle Paleolithic human settlements, where the potential for bone artifacts has remained weakly tested until now. Here, we present the preliminary results from Obi-Rakhmat (Uzbekistan). Dated to 90–40 ka BP, it is one of the few multilayered sites in the region to have yielded human remains. The original composition of the set of bone artifacts, which reflects that of the lithic assemblage, confirms our expectations and opens new avenues for research on this emerging topic.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"61 ","pages":"Article 104961"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143148144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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