Journal of Archaeological Science最新文献

Small figurines made from fired clay belonging to the Gravettian (Pavlovian) culture (30–25 ka cal BP) represent one of the main forms of spectacular Palaeolithic art. The most well-known example is the Venus from Dolní Věstonice I in the Czech Republic, which is the biggest and best-preserved human figurine made from clay. Due to its high cultural value, exploration of the internal structures of this figurine has represented a huge challenge, as only non-destructive methods could be applied. Thanks to tremendous technological advancements, we were able to use high-resolution micro-CT imaging. This imaging revealed the structural compositions of the ceramic paste, the technology of the statuette's shaping procedure, and the taphonomy of this piece of art. We reveal that the ceramic paste was prepared from loess sediment containing stones, microfossils, and carbonate aggregates from the basement complex as an natural admixture. The particles are randomly distributed. We did not find any bones or ivory remnants inside the body. Missing joined areas of different parts of the body of the Venus indicate that the figurine was made from a single piece of clay using the non-additive method of shaping. The internal cracks in the body of the Venus statuette represent the main feature of its taphonomy and influence the way it will be manipulated in the future.

Most of the fundamental methods for analyzing archaeological dog remains need to be better developed. This is particularly true for methods designed to estimate age at death. Most ageing methods are either destructive and specialized or useful only for identifying juveniles. Cranial suture closure and obliteration patterning are commonly examined to estimate the general age at death of human remains but have seen little use in zooarchaeology. This study develops a simple and non-destructive ageing method based on a suture and synchondrosis obliteration using a sample of over 700 modern dog crania. Scoring the extent of obliteration of individual sutures provides a valuable means of differentiating adult and juvenile crania. Combining the scores for multiple sutures permits the assignment of dog crania to an age group, albeit with less certainty among middle-aged and older adults. Breed, crania shape, sex, and body size all likely create variation in suture obliteration patterns and their relationships to dog age. The method should be used conservatively and in combination with other ageing methods when possible.

In the field of material culture, seriality refers to the serial production of nearly the same object in terms of shape and size, yielding visually identical artefacts. Subtle variations may nevertheless occur, depending on the technologies used, or the number and reliability of moulds, for example. Geometric morphometrics based on landmark analysis, along with accompanying statistical techniques, provides methods well-suited for identifying small but archaeologically significant variations in shape and size within such datasets. In this study, we exemplify the efficiency of geometric morphometrics in a context of seriality, using a large series of centimetric-sized gold wild boars decorating a case for bow and arrows, discovered in the Arzhan-2 barrow of the early Scythian time. A total of twenty-seven 2D landmarks was collected for each specimen to assess the level of similarity between individuals with high precision, and to investigate the presence of subgroups, possibly indicating the use of several models. However, due to the homogeneous nature of the dataset, notable measurement errors may obscure the sought-after archaeological signal. To mitigate this, each specimen was measured twice by three different operators. Boas coordinates of the six replicates were then averaged, resulting in a reduction of the effect of measurement errors. Two distinct shape groups are identified, consisting of an approximately equal number of individuals. These findings suggest that the entire set of wild boars could have been produced via two separate manufacturing chains, possibly running in parallel, where two distinct, albeit very similar, solid models were involved. Within each group, discreet variations in size were observed. They are probably due to variable shrinkage during casting. These observations would have been difficult for the naked eye, even for an expert in the field, because the striking similarity within the series and the post-processing by the goldsmith obscure the shape signal originating from the moulds. Besides the original information provided here about the gold wild boars of Arzhan-2, it is worth emphasizing that the use of these techniques should be encouraged, particularly when applied to the study of seriality. The workflow described can easily be reproduced and adapted for almost any serially produced archaeological assemblage.

The identification of ceramic forming techniques poses challenges, particularly when different primary and secondary forming techniques are combined, or when specific surface treatments obscure potential diagnostic features. As emphasized in the existing literature, a comprehensive approach should consider all potential sources of information. In this study, we employed a combination of macroscopic observations and X-ray microCT analysis on experimental cups reproduced using the complex technology attested in Middle Bronze Age Crete, i.e. a combination of hand-building technique and potter's wheel. Our investigation focuses on the potential of microCT scanning in unveiling forming techniques in wheel-thrown and wheel-fashioned ceramics. Our results indicate that integrating the visualization of 3D thickness variation in vessel walls, quantification of 2D wall thickness distribution in longitudinal virtual slices, identification of possible structural joints in virtual sections, and evaluation of voids orientation with traditional macroscopic analysis generally allows for the recognition of primary forming techniques and the reconstruction of complex ceramic technological processes.

Stable isotope studies of bone collagen are widely applied in an attempt to understand the history and range of modern human and earlier hominin diets. The nitrogen isotope system has been extensively applied to the human bioarchaeological record to predict dietary protein sources, as nitrogen isotope ratios roughly track the trophic positionality of an organism. While the ratio of nitrogen isotopes in organisms (δ¹⁵N) tends to be reflective of trophic position, nitrogen isotope fractionation is complex and subject to many sources of variation. This study explores how human behavior might influence this variation. We experimentally investigated the impact of food-related behaviors on the δ¹⁵N dietary proxy, with specific focus on selection and processing of animal food sources. In assessing putrefaction, processing, prey choice, and fuel wood, we saw that these variables generated small shifts of ∼1.5‰ or less in the δ¹⁵N values of food items. We conclude that scavenging as a frequent dietary adaptation may be isotopically visible, but the timing of carcass scavenging likely matters. We also posit that prey species and fuel wood species might matter for the patterning of δ¹⁵N shifts produced by different types of cooking. The results of this study expand the range of contributing factors to consider when utilizing the nitrogen isotope dietary proxy and open new testable questions about the use of this method in populations where complex food behavior may be common.

The Tacna region in southern Peru hosts archaeological remnants of Pre-Columbian period human occupations, including the Miculla Petroglyphs. Existing methods for dating these petroglyphs present substantial uncertainties and are subject to claims lacking objective validation. This study employs advanced hyperspectral analysis, specifically utilizing the SPECIM IQ camera, to reevaluate existing chronological proposals for these petroglyphs. The employed analytical technique is non-destructive and captures spectral data across an extensive range of wavelengths. This allows for a quantitative assessment of patination levels attributable to solar exposure, in comparison to adjacent intact areas. Data from various petroglyphs were analyzed using SPECIM IQ Studio software and Matlab. The analysis differentiated between “engraved” and “varnished” regions on selected boulders. Reflectance ratios between these areas were compared to provide insights into the potential relative ages of different sets of engravings. The results question pre-existing chronologies based on cultural classification schemes for the petroglyphs. While the study underscores the utility of hyperspectral analysis in refining petroglyph dating, it also indicates that this method cannot replace a multi-method approach without further resolution refinement.

Many Maya archaeological areas are not comprehensively or systematically mapped because ruins, often hidden under tropical forest canopy in rugged terrain, can take decades to locate, identify, and map. Recent years have seen an explosion of lidar data collection, and machine learning provides a way to exploit these lidar data, making feature analyses more efficient and consistently executed. At present, there are a limited number of small, area-specific models that exist for the Maya area, the largest of which covers 230 km². Here we present the foundation for a broadscale, multi-area-based convolutional neural network (CNN) object detection model that uses airborne laser scanning data, or lidar, for archaeological feature detection across 615 km² of the Maya area, as well as preliminary results from an additional 885 km² test area. This sets the path for a model that will enable researchers to map archaeological areas across the entire Maya Lowland area in weeks or months instead of decades. Notably, we find that a model trained on multiple areas with significantly different topographies produces better results for all areas as compared to a model trained on a single area. The broadscale model here presented produced an F1 score of 0.80. Results also include many potential new structure detections, including detections on lidar at an archaeological area that has not yet been comprehensively ground-surveyed and is located in an entirely different country in the Maya Lowlands from where the model was trained on. This model represents an attempt at a broadscale machine learning approach for archaeological feature mapping in the Maya area and demonstrates how big data can be integrated into traditional archaeological workflows. Lidar has already shown much greater ancient Maya infrastructure throughout the Maya world and elsewhere in the tropics, and this study using machine learning with lidar is showing even greater Maya infrastructure through vast areas of the Maya tropical forest.

As one of the most important domestic animals in ancient China, the origin, diffusion and matrilineal inheritance of goats have been important issues of archaeological research. In this study, we successfully extracted mitochondrial whole genome sequences from 77 samples of goat remains excavated from 16 sites in China, which date back from the Late Neolithic (4300-3800 BP) to the Ming Dynasty (600-400 BP). The results of ancient DNA analysis indicated that the Chinese goat matrilineages began to expand 7000-6000 years ago. The discovery of sub-lineages A2 and B2 suggests that they may have evolved or derived in China. The expansion of lineage A and the decline in the number of lineage B provide important evidence for the eastward migration of humans from the western part of the Eurasian continent. Furthermore, this study confirms that ancient Chinese goats had contributed genetically to the modern goats of China, and that the Chinese goats are genetically related to goats in South and Southeast Asia. Mitochondrial genome analysis of ancient Chinese goats not only provides an important resource for future analyses and research, but also offers new perspectives for the origin and diffusion of domestic goats.

Archaeological investigations recently conducted at the site of Tajiasi, a Middle Shang bronze casting workshop, have led to the discovery of abundant metallurgical micro-remains from various stages of bronze production processes. Lead isotope analysis of these samples has given fresh insights into the discussion about the origin of the metal sources employed during this period. The copper melting and refining slags, characterized by ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb around 18.0 and very low lead concentrations (＜4,000 ppm), provided the first reliable indicator about the geological origin of copper used in the Middle Shang period. It is suggested the Jiurui metallogenic district in the Middle Yangtze River, home to the Shang period copper smelting site of Tongling, was the copper source for the Taijiasi site. On the other hand, alloying slags and bronze objects bearing highly radiogenic lead (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb > 19.0) show an elevated, but still relatively low Pb content (＜2 wt%), suggesting that the source of tin introduced Pb which was characterized by HRL. Items including alloying slags, dross, spillages and bronze objects have similar HRL characteristics to the Middle Shang bronzes from other sites. This result indicated the Taijiasi site was involved in a multi-line metal circulation during this period, and elucidated the complexity and multiplicity of supply networks for different kinds of metals in the Middle Shang period. It also highlighted the great potential of copper melting and refining slags for detecting the copper provenance.

In archaeological contexts, identifying processes of beer production and consumption has contributed to our understanding of agriculture, labor mobilization, economic surplus, feasting, gender dynamics, social structure, tribute, community, identity and politics. Nevertheless, in the absence of pictorial representations and characteristic objects, beer brewing is difficult to identify in the archaeological record, and molecular methods are often limited by constraints of preservation and specificity. A potential target for studies of ancient beer production are residues formed during brewing activity, including beerstone, a calcium oxalate residue. Here, we apply shotgun proteomics analyses to a sample of modern beerstone to explore this residue's capacity as a marker for beer in archaeological contexts. The beerstone proteome was compared to the protein profiles of ungerminated and germinated barley to identify key proteins indicative of malted grains which may be encased by the residue. Proteins matching to barley grain (Hordeum vulgare) and Baker's/Brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were successfully identified in the beerstone. In particular, we identified hordeins, lipid transfer proteins, trypsin/α-amylase inhibitors, and protein Z, which are barley proteins abundant in proteomic characterisations of beer. In comparison to ungerminated and germinated barley grains, we find that beerstone preserves only a subset of the barley proteome, with the residue being more reflective of the final brewing product than of earlier brewing steps such as malting. Overall, we demonstrate that beerstone has potential to entrap and preserve proteins reflective of the beer-making process and identify proteins that we might anticipate in future archaeological analyses.