Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports最新文献

The Site of Jiangkou in Pengshan, Sichuan province revealed the largest assemblage of silver artefacts ever known in China. These artefacts were collected by Zhang Xianzhong, the rebellion general of the Late Ming and Early Qing period, from Sichuan and adjacent provinces, and sunk in the Minjiang River after his failure in 1644 CE. This research focuses on silver hairpins from this assemblage and explores their production system via detailed typological investigation and material characterization. According to their style, forming techniques and material provenance, the Jiangkou hairpins can be divided into three groups corresponding with three different types of production workshops. The first group was made in independent silversmiths mainly serving non-official civilians. Metallographic analysis shows they were made with varied forming techniques, including forging, folding, casting and welding. They were alloyed with varied amount of copper. The other two types have much more standardized forming techniques and are associated with the commercial workshops capable of mass production and government institutions. The commercial workshops commonly used forging-annealing method to make their hairpins and maintained a well consistent chemical composition across their products. The silver hairpins made by government institutions were all cast into shape, suggesting a highly standardized system. This type of hairpins were mostly found in tombs of royal families and high elites. This research revealed a stratified silver production system in the Late Ming period and demonstrated the strength of material characterization in revealing production organization models.

This work presents the results of the examination of mortars from the archaeological site of Sagalassos in Anatolia (Ağlasun, Burdur Province, Southwest Turkey). The 36 specimens were selected from structures within the Roman Imperial Bath-Gymnasium and Urban Mansion, respectively dating to the 1st-6/7th century CE and the 1st century BCE-7th century CE. These samples underwent macroscopic, microscopic, physical, granulometric and spectroscopic examinations to identify the raw materials and how these were processed. Most importantly, at least five different mortar recipe types were revealed. This diversity emphasises that mortar production was flexible and empirical, probably following a general but not strict procedure. Overall, this research contributes to a better understanding of construction technology at Sagalassos during the Roman Imperial Period and Late Antiquity, a time when mortar materials were systematically used on a large scale.

The aim of this research is to determine whether palaeoparasitological analysis of mineralized concretions found within a stone vessel from the Roman city of Viminacium can shed light on its past use. The ruins of Viminacium, the capital of the Roman province of Moesia Superior, are situated 90 km southeast of the Belgrade in Serbia, and about 12 km from the town of Kostolac in the vicinity of villages Stari Kostolac and Drmno. It was established as a military camp in the first century CE with a legion permanently stationed there. The stone vessel was discovered during systematic archaeological excavations of the public bath complex with a public toilet near the amphitheater in Viminacium. The finding is dated by relative chronology in the second half of the third century. The vessel is topologically defined as a mortarium according to shape and size. Mineralized deposits were preserved inside the vessel rim, sides, and base. Microscopic analysis of the mineralized deposit revealed eggs of intestinal nematode roundworms (most likely Ascaris sp., but possibly Pterygodermatites sp.) from the sides and base of the vessel. This is the first time that parasite eggs have been identified from concretions inside a Roman stone vessel, and have strong parallels with a previous finding of parasite eggs in mineralized deposits from a ceramic chamber pot from late antique Sicily. The finding suggests the possible use, or secondary use, and function of the stone vessel as a sanitary item (such as storing wiping implements) for personal hygiene in the public bath of Viminacium. Further paleoparasitological research requires a systematic analysis of calcified deposits from Roman period stone vessels for more clear insights into their function, use and reuse.

The circulation of material culture across space is a central topic in Andean archaeology and has witnessed significant growth during the last decades. Ceramics have been a part of this trend through the analysis of the abundance of chemical elements. Aiming at expanding ceramic sourcing and the study of large-scale conveyance of artefacts, we present the first multi-isotopic approach combining strontium, neodymium, and lead isotopes in South America. We explore the utility of an isoscape of bioavailable strontium for the interpretation of ceramic provenance. These first results show that this approach confidently discriminates large areas of provenance. Broadly, the sherds from styles assigned to the western Andean slope (Llolleo, El Molle, local Inka) show low strontium and lead isotope ratios with high neodymium, consistent with the young ages of underlying rocks, including samples recovered across the Andes and confirming their large-scale conveyance. Conversely, sherds assigned to eastern styles (Agrelo) display high strontium and lead ratios and low neodymium ratios. By exploring the potential of this approach to track ceramic production and conveyance, this research contributes to archaeological debates in the Andes and beyond.

This study employs Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques to analyze the Jiangzhai site, a significant Neolithic settlement in northern China. Our aim is to challenge existing biases in gender interpretations of this and similar sites. By examining the distribution of various types of burial goods across different areas of the cemetery, we reveal significant spatial heterogeneity, indicating that mortuary practices at Jiangzhai should not be considered a unified entity. Our findings highlight no universal correlation between gender and grave good distribution: various types of goods are present in both male and female graves. However, in certain areas of the cemetery, specific types of production tools exhibit clear gender preferences. This suggests that gender roles within the Jiangzhai community were flexible and gender was not the central aspect of funerary practices. At Jiangzhai, gender and gender norms were intertwined with other aspects of funerary practices and social identity, influenced by economic structural differences between households. We call for more case studies based on new methods and encourage scholars to continue critically examining past gender narratives.

During the early and middle periods of the Longshan culture (4600–4200 cal BP), early states developed around the Liangchengzhen and Yaowangcheng sites along the coastal areas of southeastern Shandong. Intensive agriculture and the specialised production of stone tools symbolised the advanced development of Longshan society. However, previous archaeological research in this area has focused mainly on the central settlements of the Longshan culture. As small and medium-sized rural settlements have not been sufficiently explored, their subsistence economy and stone tool functions remain unclear. Starch grains and phytolith assemblages in the residues on stone tool surfaces provide direct tangible evidence of the functions of these tools and offer a new perspective on the characteristics of plant resource use at archaeological sites. The Sujiacun site in Rizhao was a Longshan-period rural settlement in coastal southeastern Shandong. This study conducted starch grain and phytolith analyses of the residues on the surfaces of 17 stone tools from the Sujiacun site. Starch grains of foxtail millet (Setaria italica), broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum), rice (Oryza sativa), roots and tubers, and plants of the Hordeum genus were identified, as well as phytoliths of broomcorn millet and rice and those commonly found in grass stems and leaves. This micro-botanical data together with other archaeological evidence suggest that foxtail millet, broomcorn millet, and rice were the main plant foods and that mixed farming of millet and rice was the main subsistence economy at the Sujiacun site. Knives and sickles were mainly used for harvesting crops and sometimes for peeling, slicing, and chopping roots and tubers. The stone muller was used for grinding rather than dehusking grain, and the grinding stone was used not only for polishing stone tools but also for grinding plants. Our findings provide new insights into the methods of plant use and subsistence practices of the Longshan complex society on the east coast of China.

The analysis of charred food crust from cooking vessels offers an opportunity to recover and study residues originating from culinary practices, such as phytoliths from cereal-based meals or other plant ingredients, serving as direct evidence of past food preparation and consumption activities. However, the presence of charred food crusts is sporadic in archaeological records, making it challenging to rely solely on them to reconstruct past culinary practices through phytolith analysis. Valuable dietary evidence has also been obtained through the analysis of phytoliths in the sediment adhering to the porous surfaces of ceramic cooking vessels and utensils. However, without the contextual certainty provided by the charred food crust, determining whether the phytoliths recovered from attached sediments represent culinary practices remains a complex task. This paper explores the utility of phytoliths extracted from the sediment attached to the inner walls of cooking vessels for understanding past culinary practices. For this task, phytolith assemblages recovered from charred food crust and the sediment attached to the inner walls of cooking vessels from Neolithic Stavroupoli (ca. 5400–5000 cal. BC) were contrasted to evaluate the similarity between the two assemblages. While this study primarily demonstrates the statistical variation in phytolith assemblages from two distinct sources, the findings offer valuable insights into the feasibility and interpretative value of using phytolith analysis on sediments adhering to cooking vessels to gain insights into past culinary practices, especially in cases where direct food residues, such as charred food crust, are absent.

Advancements in microscopy technology have supported the traceological community in the pursuit of developing a quantitative approach in the field of use-wear analysis. The application of profilometry as a typical tribological tool, by providing micro-topographical scanning of artefact surfaces, has significantly expanded our capabilities, allowing us to (i) capture highly detailed micro-to-submicron-scale surface texture features, and (ii) attempt the calculation of various quantitative indices for characterising surface topography. The acquisition and statistical analysis of micro-topographical maps of the surface pose challenges when applied to Ground Stone Tools (GSTs), given their inherent petrographic and geometrical characteristics, as well as the diverse tasks these tools might have been involved in. In this pursuit, experimental replicas become indispensable, laying the groundwork for meaningful comparisons. By organising experiments sequentially and capturing surface texture at various stages of the replicative use, we achieve a dynamic comprehension of the evolution of the selected features over time. This study specifically hones in on task-specific experimental GSTs employed for the processing of various plant organs selected among those present across the Pontic steppe during the Marine Isotopic Stage 3 (60–25 kyr). Exploiting confocal profilometry, the data acquired support a robust quantitative approach, enabling the discernment of specific features and trends linked to the treatment of different plant organs. This methodological advancement plays a key role in distinguishing the varied activities undertaken by these tools, thereby establishing a fundamental basis for future comparisons with archaeological artefacts and eventually contributing to expanding the range of tool use in the Palaeolithic.

Preferred materials for radiocarbon dating are often rare on coastal archaeological sites, leading many archaeologists to date more common and abundant marine shells. But marine shell is often difficult to reliably radiocarbon date owing to the effects of the marine reservoir effect, especially where local environmental factors such as hardwater and limestone substrates complicate corrections. Terrestrial gastropods provide a potential alternative material for radiocarbon dating, although they are variably impacted by the same environmental factors and thus require testing to determine their reliability for dating archaeological deposits. We compare radiocarbon dating results from paired archaeological samples of wood charcoal and Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer) bone with the shells of two terrestrial snail taxa—Polygyra spp. (flat coil snails) and Euglandina rosea (rosy wolf snails)—from the Cockroach Key archaeological site, in Tampa Bay, an open-water estuary on the western coast of the Florida Peninsula, USA. In one-third of the total 12 pairings, we found no statistically significant difference at the 95% probability level. For the other pairings, differences between snail shell dates and the reference dates ranged from decades to several centuries. Overall, our results suggest that both taxa have the potential to yield reliable radiocarbon dates, although not without complications.