Journal of Archaeological Science最新文献

After the mid-Holocene, human activities gradually began having a notable impact on land cover and plant compositional changes. Evaluating the extent and spatiotemporal variations of the human versus climate impacts on regional ecosystems is becoming an area of focus of current global change research. The present study uses 478 AMS ¹⁴C dating records collected from 5473 archaeological sites to help evaluate variations in prehistoric population size in Northeast China, which suggest changes in the nature of human activities there since the mid-Holocene. Results indicate that prehistoric human impacts remained at a relatively low level during the ca. 7–4 ka interval except for two minor fluctuations. Human impacts on ecosystems in the study area gradually intensified after 4 ka when societies entered the Bronze Age. In addition, we used a novel methodological approach on three pollen datasets for reconstructing the land cover and plant compositional changes of the three different studied landscapes (steppe, forest, and steppe-forest ecotone) in Northeast China. Results show that total land cover changes in forests were relatively low (i.e. stable) over the studied time period owing to their comparatively higher plant diversity whereas significant fluctuations occurred in the steppe and the steppe-forest ecotone. By comparing these results with regional climate records, climate change was found to dominate plant changes during two periods--before ca. 6 ka and after ca. 0.8 ka. In addition, during ca. 6–4 ka BP, even though climate still played the most significant role in vegetation changes, anthropogenic impacts on plant changes were revealed for the steppe-forest ecotone. During 4–2.3 ka BP, the anthropogenic impacts on plants gradually increased and became the dominant driving force, especially for the forest and steppe-forest ecotone during ca. 2.3–0.8 ka BP. These varied impacts of human activity and climate change on vegetation among the study areas can be related to human migration trends and human subsistence patterns.

In recent years the use of near-surface geophysical survey – especially magnetometry – has been on the rise across sub-Saharan Africa, illustrating its utility at both large and/or built-up sites with stone architecture, as well as smaller and more ephemeral village sites in equatorial and sub-tropical regions of the continent. This article describes geophysical surveys and excavations at Nanga and Kanono, two Iron Age village sites in the Machile Valley, Western Zambia, undertaken between 2019 and 2022. Surveys allowed for detailed analyses of village layouts and showed the relationship between domestic areas and areas of iron production. Subsequent ground-truthing of both domestic and iron production areas elucidated differential spatial patterns of iron production stages (i.e., smelting and smithing) between village sites dating to between 800 and 1400, and allowed for the identification, excavation, and analyses of several Early Iron Age smelting furnaces.

Stable isotope analysis (N and C) of fossil cereal grains is regularly explored as a means of obtaining insights to past crop growing conditions and agricultural practices. In this study, we assessed how several growth conditions can affect δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C values of modern cereal grain with the aim to help understand isotopic values from ancient cereal remains. We investigated the impact of fertilizer intensity, plant density, and soil type on cereal grain δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C values in a short-term field experiment using hulled and naked barley, bread wheat, emmer wheat, einkorn, spelt wheat, rye, and oat. We found the following key results: 1) while fertilizing had a significant effect on δ¹⁵N values in grain, the impact varied between species, and cereals grown in heavy clay had consistently higher δ¹⁵N values in grain compared to those grown in light sandy soil, and 2) the δ¹³C values were significantly different between cereal species, but the difference was very similar between the two experimental site-locations. These findings obtained from plants grown under known conditions contribute to better understand how natural conditions and anthropogenic activities effect crop isotopic data and is of relevance for isotopic research on archaeological crop remains.

Wasabi has been displayed substantial fungicidal behavior for the disinfection of bio-deteriorated non-painted archaeological papyri. Therefore, in this study for the first time the interference of Wasabi with different pigments of painted papyrus has been studied. Microbiological, mechanical, physical and chemical evaluations were carried out using various spectroscopic, tensile tester and microscopic tools. Wasabi vapors treatment for 72hs (2.5%) has eradicated the microbial growth of all the examined infected painted and non-painted papyri with inhibition efficiency of 100%. The tensile strength of the treated papyri recorded enhancement by 26%, while maintained the color of painted and non-painted papyri without any noticeable change (ΔE < 1). Moreover, surface morphology of treated papyri has been evaluated and there was no change recorded. Additionally, FT-IR and EDX analyses revealed negligible chemical changes were attained. Interestingly, upon long term treatment evaluation, which has been conducted based on the artificial aging of approximately 100 years, the papyrus samples remained unchanged. Therefore, this study presents a green and cost-effective conservation approach for long-term preservation of painted archaeological papyri.

Understanding of Africa's long, complex human history has been enriched by the work of archaeological scientists for over a century. Since 1977 over 500 papers on African topics have been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science. This paper briefly reviews the geographical location of the research that they report along with their authorship and thematic content. Significant imbalances highlight continuing disparities in archaeological opportunities within the continent and between Africa and the rest of the world. The twenty-one papers included in this special collection nevertheless showcase the breadth of archaeological science in Africa, focusing on papers that have shaped subsequent research, explored new methodological approaches, or introduced novel areas of study. Discussion of how to capitalise upon this diversity emphasises the importance of increasing funding for archaeological science on a sustainable basis, forging co-operation between archaeologists and other scientists, playing to strengths in less expensive (but potentially highly informative) areas of archaeological science, and developing regional hubs of expertise. Collectively, these efforts can enhance capacity and ensure a future for archaeological science research by African scholars within Africa.

In archaeology, the study of past plant processing activities in domestic spaces has hitherto relied greatly on the observed distribution of macrobotanical and artefactual remains. However, the surfaces where such activities took place can themselves preserve microscopic remains, potentially traceable to the activity that originated them. This paper presents new aspects of plant-related tasks, and the use of living space, at household level, in Neolithic Çatalhöyük through spatial analyses of phytoliths and starch grains recovered from two house floors. Results have revealed plant-related tasks such as crop processing, the use of plant-based crafts, and the management and culinary use of wild resources previously unrepresented in the archaeobotanical assemblage. These distinctive uses of vegetal resources in domestic spaces identified through microbotanical remains have shed light on new complex aspects of household social organisation in one of the earliest farming communities in Western Asia.

A new algorithm is proposed that uses Pb isotopes to help identify the ore deposits utilized as sources of silver in Antiquity. The algorithm takes natural and analytical isotope fractionation into account. It proposes a statistical measure of the distances between the Pb isotope compositions of ores and artifacts. This measure is amenable to statistical tests at any confidence level. The new algorithm is applied to the Pb isotope compositions of the end-members derived from 368 new Pb isotope data on silver coinage minted between the late 6th to late 2nd centuries BCE and presented in Albarede et al. (2024). The algorithm identifies the local sources expected for the mints associated with major silver ores found in the territories of Athens, Thasos, and Thrace, while demonstrating that Thrace, Northern Macedonia, and Chalkidiki supplied notable amounts of bullion to Aegina and Ptolemaic Egypt. Minor proportions of what we are designating an old Sardinian ‘mix' created by long-distance trade was used by archaic Athens, Corinthia (Corinth and surrounding city-states), and Aegina. Various islands in the Cyclades (Siphnos, Keos, Seriphos) also appear to be early contributors to archaic Corinthian and Macedonian silver. The present study clearly demonstrates that recycled and mixed bullion formed a substantial part of the silver stocks of mints. The new algorithm warrants more detailed Pb isotopic studies of well-dated coinage to document the changing nature of silver fluxes over time.

Systematic tree-felling using a polished stone axe and/or adze developed with sedentary lifeways in Holocene environments. However, securely dated Pleistocene edge-ground stone axes/adzes have now been identified from Marine Isotope Stage 3 sites in two distant regions: Australia and Japan. These early ground tools are indicative of full-blown tree-felling, but whether they indeed functioned as woodworking tools remains unclear. We present the results of an experimental study with replicas of Early Upper Paleolithic edge-ground stone axes/adzes from the Japanese archipelago that included a total of 75 replicas used in 15 different use and nonuse experiments. Results indicate that identifications of wood percussive tools must be based on a comprehensive analysis of both macro- and microscopic traces. Overall, the criteria presented in this study allow us to distinguish between edge-ground stone axes/adzes used as tree-felling tools and those used for other tasks.

The present research aims to determine the age at which red deer (Cervus elaphus) specimens died by examining their upper dentition. We analyzed eighty free-ranging individuals from southern Spain to establish a reference database for age calculation. The age of these individuals was identified by the mandibular teeth inferred from their known death years and the maxillary teeth were evaluated relative to them. As a result, we have provided three non-destructive methods: a description of the eruption sequence and dental replacement, a referential code for occlusal wear stages, and a regression analysis considering the height of the cusps in both upper and lower dentition. These methods offer the possibility of estimating the age at which the animals died and categorizing them into specific age groups. To evaluate the practicality of this method, we applied it to the Middle Paleolithic archaeological site of Abric Romaní. All the proposed methods allow us to approximate the age at death of red deer individuals. The most accurate results, whenever feasible, are obtained by combining these different methods. This study facilitates the inclusion of upper dentition fossils that have traditionally been omitted from the analysis in archaeological sites, allowing a better adjustment of the quantitative methods used to calculate the number of skeletal elements and the number of individuals. This, in turn, enables a more accurate construction of the anatomical and mortality profiles.

Understanding the nature and origin of iron processed in ancient smithing workshops is essential for unraveling procurement strategies and, more broadly, the circulation of iron. Studying smithing slags traditionally proves complex due to their diverse compositions influenced by hearth substances. Another technique, analyzing slag inclusions in metallic fragments, offers direct insights into the iron's chemical nature. However, the scarcity or absence of these fragments poses challenges in assessing sample representativeness. An alternative approach studies hammerscale, hot iron waste from hammering, providing insights into iron's chemical composition and source. At Weyersheim, an early Iron Age site in France, extensive analysis of 300 hammerscale samples and 77 slag inclusions in 6 iron scraps unveiled a unique geochemical signature. This signature showcases enrichment in Vanadium (V > 800 ppm), Chromium (Cr > 400 ppm), Rare Earth Elements (REE) (∑REE + Y > 1500 ppm), especially Heavy Rare Earth Elements like Yb (>100 ppm), and High Field Strength Elements (HFSE) (e.g., U > 30 ppm). The remarkable chemical uniformity observed in various hammerscale samples, and the slag inclusions indicates that the majority of the processed iron originates from a singular source. Comparison with known iron artifacts, particularly the bi-pyramid iron bars revealed similarities. This source exhibited uncommon enrichment and partitioning patterns of REEs, hinting at a rare geological deposit or a closely associated group of deposits. Plausibly sourced from weathered peralkaline rocks, the iron ore's geological origins potentially link to regions like Vosges and the Black Forest massifs. Nevertheless, identifying the geological formations accountable for these distinctive iron traits remains challenging, as there have been no findings of deposits or iron slag with similar compositions to aid in identification.