Pub Date : 2025-03-01DOI: 10.1016/j.ara.2025.100602
Donna K. Strahan, Blythe McCarthy
This paper reports on the formation of intentional black fillings in design areas of ancient Chinese bronzes. The black filling in the design channels contrasts with the golden color of the freshly cast bronze. Silicate grains in the cast design channels that appear similar to processed loess used for casting molds formed a base for applying black filling materials. Using Py-GCMS, the major organic component found was composed of fatty acids including azelaic acid, suggesting that a drying oil was used. In addition, evidence of soot and possibly Anacardiaceae lacquer were found.
{"title":"Characterization of black filling in cast designs of Shang dynasty Chinese bronzes","authors":"Donna K. Strahan, Blythe McCarthy","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100602","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100602","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper reports on the formation of intentional black fillings in design areas of ancient Chinese bronzes. The black filling in the design channels contrasts with the golden color of the freshly cast bronze. Silicate grains in the cast design channels that appear similar to processed loess used for casting molds formed a base for applying black filling materials. Using Py-GCMS, the major organic component found was composed of fatty acids including azelaic acid, suggesting that a drying oil was used. In addition, evidence of soot and possibly Anacardiaceae lacquer were found.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"42 ","pages":"Article 100602"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143520607","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 : 2025-02-08DOI: 10.1016/j.ara.2025.100604
Libra Hari Inagurasi , Nahar Cahyandaru , Sunarningsih , Rusyanti , Moh Mualliful Ilmi , M. Irfan Mahmud , Hari Yurismono , Sonny Wibisono , Ali Nurdin , Andreas Satria Wibowo , Indah Permatasarie Tjan , Hermansyah , Amir Husni
This study investigates the historical salt-making practices in Aceh, Indonesia, through an archaeometric analysis of ceramic artifacts excavated from the Samudra Pasai archaeological sites. The research aims to unveil ancient production techniques by examining the elemental and mineral compositions of the pottery using XRF, XRD, and SEM-EDS, alongside microbial analyses of salt samples as a preliminary study. The findings suggest that certain pottery artifacts were directly linked to salt production, as evidenced by the presence of salt residues, including sodium chloride, particularly in fragments presumed to have functioned as scoops during the salt-boiling process. In addition, the comparison of locally produced boiled salt with solar-evaporated salt revealed significantly lower microbial content in the boiled salt, highlighting its hygienic advantages, likely due to prolonged heating during the production process. This mirrors traditional salt-making methods still practiced in coastal villages of Lancok Bayu and Matang Tunong, where salt is boiled from seawater—a practice that has likely continued for centuries. The historical significance of salt in the Samudra Pasai Sultanate is well-documented, with salt being a crucial commodity in regional trade. The discoveries enhance comprehension of the importance of salt manufacturing for the Pasai Sultanate's economy and its broader marine trading networks. The presence of contemporary pottery-making practices in the region further supports the hypothesis of a continuous cultural tradition, extending from the Samudra Pasai period to the present day. This research offers critical insights into the technological continuity and socio-economic importance of salt-making in Aceh, with broader implications for understanding Indonesia's trade and industry in the early Islamic era.
{"title":"Unveiling historical salt production tradition in Aceh, Indonesia: Insight from Archaeometric analysis of ceramic artifacts from Samudra Pasai","authors":"Libra Hari Inagurasi , Nahar Cahyandaru , Sunarningsih , Rusyanti , Moh Mualliful Ilmi , M. Irfan Mahmud , Hari Yurismono , Sonny Wibisono , Ali Nurdin , Andreas Satria Wibowo , Indah Permatasarie Tjan , Hermansyah , Amir Husni","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100604","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100604","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the historical salt-making practices in Aceh, Indonesia, through an archaeometric analysis of ceramic artifacts excavated from the Samudra Pasai archaeological sites. The research aims to unveil ancient production techniques by examining the elemental and mineral compositions of the pottery using XRF, XRD, and SEM-EDS, alongside microbial analyses of salt samples as a preliminary study. The findings suggest that certain pottery artifacts were directly linked to salt production, as evidenced by the presence of salt residues, including sodium chloride, particularly in fragments presumed to have functioned as scoops during the salt-boiling process. In addition, the comparison of locally produced boiled salt with solar-evaporated salt revealed significantly lower microbial content in the boiled salt, highlighting its hygienic advantages, likely due to prolonged heating during the production process. This mirrors traditional salt-making methods still practiced in coastal villages of Lancok Bayu and Matang Tunong, where salt is boiled from seawater—a practice that has likely continued for centuries. The historical significance of salt in the Samudra Pasai Sultanate is well-documented, with salt being a crucial commodity in regional trade. The discoveries enhance comprehension of the importance of salt manufacturing for the Pasai Sultanate's economy and its broader marine trading networks. The presence of contemporary pottery-making practices in the region further supports the hypothesis of a continuous cultural tradition, extending from the Samudra Pasai period to the present day. This research offers critical insights into the technological continuity and socio-economic importance of salt-making in Aceh, with broader implications for understanding Indonesia's trade and industry in the early Islamic era.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"41 ","pages":"Article 100604"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143350647","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 : 2025-02-07DOI: 10.1016/j.ara.2025.100595
Yaxiong Liu , Siyu Sun , Liang Ma , Qinggang Geng , Zehao Dou , Kunlong Chen
The aim of this article is to contribute to a better understanding of the transition from bloomery iron to cast iron technology in the Qin state during the Warring States period. Only five iron objects were unearthed from the Xuliangpo cemetery in the southeast of Xi'an, Shaanxi province. This small assemblage, already indicative of a technology in its early stages, dates to the mid Warring States period (around the mid-4th century BCE). Of these five objects, only two were sufficiently well-preserved for metallographic and compositional analysis. Nonetheless, one object (a ring) was identified as bloomery iron, and the other (a belt-buckle) was shaped using cast iron. We propose that the mid Warring States period can be viewed as a time when both bloomery and cast iron were used in the Qin State, prior to the massive adoption of cast iron smelting from the Central Plains in the late Warring States period.
{"title":"Coexistence of bloomery iron and cast iron in a Qin state cemetery dating to the mid Warring States period","authors":"Yaxiong Liu , Siyu Sun , Liang Ma , Qinggang Geng , Zehao Dou , Kunlong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100595","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100595","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of this article is to contribute to a better understanding of the transition from bloomery iron to cast iron technology in the Qin state during the Warring States period. Only five iron objects were unearthed from the Xuliangpo cemetery in the southeast of Xi'an, Shaanxi province. This small assemblage, already indicative of a technology in its early stages, dates to the mid Warring States period (around the mid-4th century BCE). Of these five objects, only two were sufficiently well-preserved for metallographic and compositional analysis. Nonetheless, one object (a ring) was identified as bloomery iron, and the other (a belt-buckle) was shaped using cast iron. We propose that the mid Warring States period can be viewed as a time when both bloomery and cast iron were used in the Qin State, prior to the massive adoption of cast iron smelting from the Central Plains in the late Warring States period.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"41 ","pages":"Article 100595"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143348476","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 : 2025-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.ara.2025.100597
Élise Luneau , Verónica Martínez Ferreras
{"title":"Ancient pottery in Central Asia. Archaeological and archaeometric approaches. Introduction to the special issue","authors":"Élise Luneau , Verónica Martínez Ferreras","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100597","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100597","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"41 ","pages":"Article 100597"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143155805","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 : 2025-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.ara.2025.100601
Suryatman , Andi Muh. Saiful , Nur Ihsan Djindar , Hasanuddin , Iwan Sumantri , Yinika L. Perston , Muh. Alif , Abdullah Abbas , Putra Hudlinas Muhammad , Imran Ilyas , Akin Duli , Adam Brumm
Archaeological research in the Maros-Pangkep karst area of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, has yielded important insight into the long history of human habitation in this region. A poorly known part of the cultural sequence is the arrival of Austronesian-speaking farming societies during the latter phase of prehistoric occupation, and the nature of Austronesian interactions with the long-established Toalean hunter-forager population. The archaeological evidence for this period is often limited and frequently complicated by taphonomic factors, including extensive post-depositional disturbances and stratigraphic reworking at many sites, making it challenging to gain a deep understanding of the various phases of cave use. In this study, we describe the results of our excavations at a new site in the Maros-Pangkep karsts, Bulu Taroa 2 cave, that has significance for our understanding of the timing and nature of interactions between early Austronesians and Toaleans. Excavations at this site uncovered culturally-rich Austronesian layers dating to around 2600–2490 cal BP, thus coinciding with the late ‘Neolithic’ period in the large-scale open settlement sites in the Karama Valley to the north. The finds recovered from Bulu Taroa 2 suggest that the early Austronesian-speaking inhabitants adapted to the nearby coastal environment by intensively exploiting estuarine shellfish. Signs of cultural interactions with Toaleans are minimal. We surmise from this site that ancient Austronesians used some local caves as burial sites during the Metal phase, resulting in the disturbance of older stratified cultural layers.
{"title":"Early evidence of Austronesian occupation in the Maros-Pangkep karsts of South Sulawesi, Indonesia","authors":"Suryatman , Andi Muh. Saiful , Nur Ihsan Djindar , Hasanuddin , Iwan Sumantri , Yinika L. Perston , Muh. Alif , Abdullah Abbas , Putra Hudlinas Muhammad , Imran Ilyas , Akin Duli , Adam Brumm","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100601","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100601","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Archaeological research in the Maros-Pangkep karst area of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, has yielded important insight into the long history of human habitation in this region. A poorly known part of the cultural sequence is the arrival of Austronesian-speaking farming societies during the latter phase of prehistoric occupation, and the nature of Austronesian interactions with the long-established Toalean hunter-forager population. The archaeological evidence for this period is often limited and frequently complicated by taphonomic factors, including extensive post-depositional disturbances and stratigraphic reworking at many sites, making it challenging to gain a deep understanding of the various phases of cave use. In this study, we describe the results of our excavations at a new site in the Maros-Pangkep karsts, Bulu Taroa 2 cave, that has significance for our understanding of the timing and nature of interactions between early Austronesians and Toaleans. Excavations at this site uncovered culturally-rich Austronesian layers dating to around 2600–2490 cal BP, thus coinciding with the late ‘Neolithic’ period in the large-scale open settlement sites in the Karama Valley to the north. The finds recovered from Bulu Taroa 2 suggest that the early Austronesian-speaking inhabitants adapted to the nearby coastal environment by intensively exploiting estuarine shellfish. Signs of cultural interactions with Toaleans are minimal. We surmise from this site that ancient Austronesians used some local caves as burial sites during the Metal phase, resulting in the disturbance of older stratified cultural layers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"41 ","pages":"Article 100601"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143155804","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.ara.2025.100600
Laure Dubreuil , Leore Grosman
In the Southern Levant, the Natufians established a long-lasting tradition of using stones, along with other materials, for construction. Initial field observations at Nahal Ein Gev II suggested that such stones are natural blocks or cobbles that frequently underwent some kind of modification. To further investigate this pattern and better understand construction techniques and design, a protocol was developed at the site to record and analyze the construction stones, labelled BL for ‘Building Stones.’ This paper presents our initial results.
Our analysis reveals that basalt and limestone were commonly used as BL, consistent with the lithology of the geological formations around the site. A large proportion of the BL are broken, perhaps as a result of intentional ‘calibration’ of the stones aimed at making them fit into the structure's walls. Consistency in modal BL size reveals some of the norms that underlie the design of the structures. The presence of several types of sheen was noted on the BL; some forms being related to the use of bonding material employed in wall construction, while other forms may indicate surface treatment. Finally, the construction traditions documented at the site are considered in the broader context of Natufian technical innovation and inter-site variability.
{"title":"Natufian architecture 12,000 years ago: Analyzing ‘building stones’ at Nahal Ein Gev II","authors":"Laure Dubreuil , Leore Grosman","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100600","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100600","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the Southern Levant, the Natufians established a long-lasting tradition of using stones, along with other materials, for construction. Initial field observations at Nahal Ein Gev II suggested that such stones are natural blocks or cobbles that frequently underwent some kind of modification. To further investigate this pattern and better understand construction techniques and design, a protocol was developed at the site to record and analyze the construction stones, labelled BL for ‘Building Stones.’ This paper presents our initial results.</div><div>Our analysis reveals that basalt and limestone were commonly used as BL, consistent with the lithology of the geological formations around the site. A large proportion of the BL are broken, perhaps as a result of intentional ‘calibration’ of the stones aimed at making them fit into the structure's walls. Consistency in modal BL size reveals some of the norms that underlie the design of the structures. The presence of several types of sheen was noted on the BL; some forms being related to the use of bonding material employed in wall construction, while other forms may indicate surface treatment. Finally, the construction traditions documented at the site are considered in the broader context of Natufian technical innovation and inter-site variability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"41 ","pages":"Article 100600"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143155803","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 : 2025-01-31DOI: 10.1016/j.ara.2025.100603
Tobias Richter , Lisa Yeomans , Alexis Pantos
The Late Pleistocene and early Holocene inhabitants of the Qa’ Shubayqa in northeast Jordan's Harrat ash-Sham basalt desert constructed a remarkable array of buildings over the course of nearly 6000 years. We present the architectural evidence from two excavated archaeological sites in the area: Shubayqa 1 and 6 and reflect on the nature of Epipalaeolithic and Early Neolithic constructions, and the purpose and meaning of the uncovered buildings. The Shubayqa sites afford a rare opportunity to examine changes in architecture from the beginning of the Natufian to the end of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) in one confined area. We argue that construction at Shubayqa 1 and 6 followed different rhythms and that the materiality of stone used as a building material does not directly correlate with permanent or impermanent modes of inhabiting these places. This prompts a rethinking of how we analyse and understand architecture during the transition from the Epipalaeolithic to the Neolithic in southwest Asia.
{"title":"Making spaces amongst the rocks: The construction, purpose and meaning of Late epipalaeolithic and PPNA buildings in the Harrat ash-Sham","authors":"Tobias Richter , Lisa Yeomans , Alexis Pantos","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100603","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100603","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Late Pleistocene and early Holocene inhabitants of the Qa’ Shubayqa in northeast Jordan's Harrat ash-Sham basalt desert constructed a remarkable array of buildings over the course of nearly 6000 years. We present the architectural evidence from two excavated archaeological sites in the area: Shubayqa 1 and 6 and reflect on the nature of Epipalaeolithic and Early Neolithic constructions, and the purpose and meaning of the uncovered buildings. The Shubayqa sites afford a rare opportunity to examine changes in architecture from the beginning of the Natufian to the end of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) in one confined area. We argue that construction at Shubayqa 1 and 6 followed different rhythms and that the materiality of stone used as a building material does not directly correlate with permanent or impermanent modes of inhabiting these places. This prompts a rethinking of how we analyse and understand architecture during the transition from the Epipalaeolithic to the Neolithic in southwest Asia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"41 ","pages":"Article 100603"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143155802","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 : 2025-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.ara.2025.100598
Scott D. Haddow
At Neolithic Çatalhöyük (7100–6000 cal BCE), where evidence of monumental architecture and large communal spaces and structures is lacking, the house served as the focal point not only for domestic activities such as food processing and storage, but also for cyclical and periodic ritual activity including layered wall paintings, animal installations and burials. Human remains, in both primary and secondary burial contexts, are commonly found beneath the floors and platforms of houses. While intramural burials elsewhere in southwest Asia often took place in abandoned structures, most inhumations at Çatalhöyük occurred during the occupation phase of houses. The close association between human remains and the built environment can be seen in the way that bodies -whole or in part- were embedded in the fabric of houses to mark important architectural milestones. In this way, the construction, occupation, adornment, transformation and eventual abandonment of houses reflect and are entangled with the lives of the individuals buried within them. Using examples from the site, this paper presents and discusses the ways in which the “life histories” of houses are connected with the remains of individuals to form shared biographies.
{"title":"Bodies in buildings: Human remains and the life histories of houses at Neolithic Çatalhöyük","authors":"Scott D. Haddow","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100598","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100598","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>At Neolithic Çatalhöyük (7100–6000 cal BCE), where evidence of monumental architecture and large communal spaces and structures is lacking, the house served as the focal point not only for domestic activities such as food processing and storage, but also for cyclical and periodic ritual activity including layered wall paintings, animal installations and burials. Human remains, in both primary and secondary burial contexts, are commonly found beneath the floors and platforms of houses. While intramural burials elsewhere in southwest Asia often took place in abandoned structures, most inhumations at Çatalhöyük occurred during the occupation phase of houses. The close association between human remains and the built environment can be seen in the way that bodies -whole or in part- were embedded in the fabric of houses to mark important architectural milestones. In this way, the construction, occupation, adornment, transformation and eventual abandonment of houses reflect and are entangled with the lives of the individuals buried within them. Using examples from the site, this paper presents and discusses the ways in which the “life histories” of houses are connected with the remains of individuals to form shared biographies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"41 ","pages":"Article 100598"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143155801","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 : 2025-01-28DOI: 10.1016/j.ara.2025.100599
Reuven Yeshurun , Elisabetta Boaretto , Ma’ayan Lev , Meir Orbach , Catherine Ujma , Sigal Lavy-Elbaz , Linda Amos , Mina Weinstein-Evron
The earliest appearance of permanent architecture in the Levant coincided with intensified diets, starting at ca. 15,000 years ago, with the Natufian Culture. High-resolution studies of intra-Natufian change are needed for testing the intertwined effects of the novel built environment, subsistence patterns, and population dynamics. The deep Early Natufian sequence of el-Wad Terrace (Mount Carmel, Israel), provides a high-resolution record (ca. 14.8–13.1 ka) that includes an initial phase with little architecture, followed by the intensive architectural phase with ten stratified building levels, in turn capped by more ephemeral habitation levels. Using the rich zooarchaeological samples from each stage, as well as the Late Natufian layer, we test how hunting patterns and bone depositional histories changed with the mode of habitation. All of the 20 stratified samples we studied likely attest to domestic activities, differing in scale but not in type. The initial habitation at the pre-architectural stage appears as very diversified, but with weaker evidence for resource depletion. The subsequent architectural stage presents the most intensive butchery patterns and sediment build-up, together with some shifts in hunting patterns, and large gazelle body-size that may signal some overhunting. The post-architectural stage displays more specialized or seasonal hunting patterns, alongside taphonomic evidence of more frequent abandonments. We suggest that these developments correspond to at least one full demographic cycle, whereby population growth had been mediated for several generations by flexible subsistence strategies, but eventually led to a Malthusian phase and settlement reorganization. Natufian hamlets were dynamic, at times not incorporating permanent architecture. The built spaces—and the habitation dynamics they reflect—are more clearly understood when compared with the non-architectural phases.
{"title":"A Natufian demographic cycle at el-Wad Terrace, Israel: The rise and fall of the architectural compound","authors":"Reuven Yeshurun , Elisabetta Boaretto , Ma’ayan Lev , Meir Orbach , Catherine Ujma , Sigal Lavy-Elbaz , Linda Amos , Mina Weinstein-Evron","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100599","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100599","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The earliest appearance of permanent architecture in the Levant coincided with intensified diets, starting at ca. 15,000 years ago, with the Natufian Culture. High-resolution studies of intra-Natufian change are needed for testing the intertwined effects of the novel built environment, subsistence patterns, and population dynamics. The deep Early Natufian sequence of el-Wad Terrace (Mount Carmel, Israel), provides a high-resolution record (ca. 14.8–13.1 ka) that includes an initial phase with little architecture, followed by the intensive architectural phase with ten stratified building levels, in turn capped by more ephemeral habitation levels. Using the rich zooarchaeological samples from each stage, as well as the Late Natufian layer, we test how hunting patterns and bone depositional histories changed with the mode of habitation. All of the 20 stratified samples we studied likely attest to domestic activities, differing in scale but not in type. The initial habitation at the pre-architectural stage appears as very diversified, but with weaker evidence for resource depletion. The subsequent architectural stage presents the most intensive butchery patterns and sediment build-up, together with some shifts in hunting patterns, and large gazelle body-size that may signal some overhunting. The post-architectural stage displays more specialized or seasonal hunting patterns, alongside taphonomic evidence of more frequent abandonments. We suggest that these developments correspond to at least one full demographic cycle, whereby population growth had been mediated for several generations by flexible subsistence strategies, but eventually led to a Malthusian phase and settlement reorganization. Natufian hamlets were dynamic, at times not incorporating permanent architecture. The built spaces—and the habitation dynamics they reflect—are more clearly understood when compared with the non-architectural phases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"41 ","pages":"Article 100599"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143155800","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 : 2025-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.ara.2025.100596
Chao Lu, Linyao Du, Bo Tan, Liyuan Zheng, Yong Zhang, Wensheng Zhang, Lai Jiang, Lei Tang, Chengbang An
The latest research shows that horses were domesticated in western Eurasian Steppes and spread through Eurasia then. However, the process of spreading domestic horses in northern China and the factors that influence it remain unclear. This study systematically collected archaeological documents and related information on horse bones unearthed in northern China. We first sort out domestic horses' emergence and spatiotemporal distribution and then analyse them in the context of the natural environment and the history of human activities. Evidence shows domestic horses first entered the Loess Plateau region from the Altai Mountains-Hexi Corridor. As the climate became humid and the human occupation enforced, domestic horses appeared on the routes eastward from the Tianshan Mountains and southward from the Mongolian Plateau. Horse-drawn chariots were introduced to northern China around 1300 BCE, they first developed in the Central Plains due to the strong social foundation of the Shang Dynasty. After 1000 BCE, the spread of horseback pastoralism played an essential role in developing the arid inland areas of northern China.
{"title":"The spread of the domestic horse in northern China during the pre-Qin period and its influencing factors","authors":"Chao Lu, Linyao Du, Bo Tan, Liyuan Zheng, Yong Zhang, Wensheng Zhang, Lai Jiang, Lei Tang, Chengbang An","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100596","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100596","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The latest research shows that horses were domesticated in western Eurasian Steppes and spread through Eurasia then. However, the process of spreading domestic horses in northern China and the factors that influence it remain unclear. This study systematically collected archaeological documents and related information on horse bones unearthed in northern China. We first sort out domestic horses' emergence and spatiotemporal distribution and then analyse them in the context of the natural environment and the history of human activities. Evidence shows domestic horses first entered the Loess Plateau region from the Altai Mountains-Hexi Corridor. As the climate became humid and the human occupation enforced, domestic horses appeared on the routes eastward from the Tianshan Mountains and southward from the Mongolian Plateau. Horse-drawn chariots were introduced to northern China around 1300 BCE, they first developed in the Central Plains due to the strong social foundation of the Shang Dynasty. After 1000 BCE, the spread of horseback pastoralism played an essential role in developing the arid inland areas of northern China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"41 ","pages":"Article 100596"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143155799","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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