Archaeological Research in Asia最新文献

Archaeological evidence on the occurrence of kurgan mounds (i.e., stone- or earthen-made mounds of various dimensions) in the Surkhandarya province of southern Uzbekistan was until recently particularly scarce. Although these characteristic features of the archaeological landscape of Central Asia have been frequently recorded and studied in the neighbouring regions, the very southern part of Uzbekistan has been an exception in this respect. A surface survey conducted by the Czech-Uzbekistani Archaeological Expedition has recently changed this picture. More than four hundred kurgan mounds have been identified, revealing their occurrence in every river valley in the studied area (the central part of the eastern Kugitang piedmonts, covering approximately 1055 km²) surveyed so far. As a result of the three seasons of a targeted surface survey following a unified methodology, this study provides the reader with the first assessment of the kurgan mounds' occurrence in the Kugitang piedmonts. The dating of the kurgan mounds in the studied area stretches between the Early Iron Age and the Pre-Islamic Middle Ages. However, in the case of the overwhelming majority, a particular dating is uncertain, which severely impacts the chronological sensitivity of the proposed study. Although kurgans are commonly associated with sepulchral use, in the eastern Kugitang piedmonts such evidence is still missing, motivating an investigation seeking to clarify their (ritual, symbolic?) purpose. By means of location analysis, this study sheds light on the distributional patterns of kurgan mounds in relation to selected topographical variables (altitude, slope, aspect, landform, water sources, pathways) and attempts to explain the role they played for past communities that exploited the foothills.

The analysis indicates a specific choice of the location of the kurgan mounds, giving a clear preference for flat river terraces at middle altitudes, usually in the vicinity of the main pathways recorded in the Soviet period. Next to a certain preference for the proximity to water streams, this study argues for a relationship to mobility as a determinative factor for location choice. In accordance with known examples from throughout central Eurasia, the kurgan mounds in the studied area may be seen as landmarks following the persistent routes through the landscape, materializing them and probably also laying a territorial claim of local communities. Taking into account an ecological model described for central Eurasian mountains, the study attempts to contribute from the point of view of southern Uzbekistan to a better understanding of the landscape use of foothills in a longue durée perspective.

Exploring the multivariate factors and their interrelationships in the development of early complex societies is crucial for understanding the diverse pathways these societies took. Previous studies have shown that Lingjiatan societies (c. 5700–5300 BP) in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River of China may have developed around ritual power, but other dimensions of social complexity, such as the role of pottery, have yet to be explored. Through morphological and compositional analysis of a large number of pottery sherds, this study assesses the production, distribution, and consumption of pottery across local and supra-local communities at Lingjiatan. The findings reveal that while the largest district did not possess exquisite pottery, its central community, where public works were concentrated, shows a greater prevalence of serving and fine-paste vessels, indicating its role in hosting ritual and ceremonial gatherings rather than wealth accumulation. The study also indicates that pottery production at Lingjiatan was dispersed, but the central community in the largest district had better access to a broader variety of pottery, reflecting a level of economic vibrancy driven by ritual activities. Our research underscores the crucial influence of ceremonial practices and belief systems in the development of Lingjiatan societies, with pottery playing a nuanced role, primarily in connection with these practices within the broader sociopolitical integration at Lingjiatan.

We examine the long-term history of eastern Shandong, China, with a focus on shifts in settlement patterns. We expand on prior work where our focus was a series of basins on the southeastern Shandong coast where we first implemented systematic archaeological settlement pattern surveys. Here, we broaden the vantage through the addition of more recently surveyed regions, some contiguous with the initial focal region and others not, as well as evidence from archaeological excavations and textual sources. This broadened lens adds context to earlier publications on the Shandong coast by illustrating how settlement patterns and population changes in the coastal basins were not necessarily equivalent with the other investigated regions. Directional shifts in interaction patterns beyond the coast are documented. Imperial incorporation of the coast into the Qin-Han empires was coincident with an episode of demographic and economic growth.

Research into pottery production typically emphasizes the study of pottery itself, with less attention given to the organization of pottery production within prehistoric communities. However, focusing on pottery production can be instrumental in unveiling the economic and social structures of these societies. In 2016, while conducting archaeological excavations at the Hormangan site in the Bavanat river basin, evidence of pottery production was unearthed. Initially, after digging through the surface layers of trench 3, we uncovered a heated structure. Further excavation revealed that this structure was associated with a pottery kiln located on the north side of the Neolithic village. The kiln had an early open plan, with various spaces partitioned by walls, each serving a specific function in the pottery production process. The kiln from Hormangan, dating back to 6150–6000 BCE, bears witness to the nascent stage of specialized pottery production. During Neolithic period societies were taking their first steps towards the complexities and specializations that would characterize later civilizations. The presence of this kiln, along with its associated structures, underscores the craft specialization within the Neolithic society of Hormangan in pottery production. Although the presence of kilns and workshop spaces in Hormangan indicates that pottery production exceeded the household level, aimed at fulfilling more than just a single family's needs, the scarcity of archaeological findings prevents a comprehensive analysis of the organization of pottery production in Neolithic Fars society. The transition from household production to a semi-industrial level, as evidenced by the presence of the workshop and open kiln, signifies an evolution in pottery production and likely points to the existence of surplus pottery production. The archeological evidence obtained show that the societies of southern Iran as a part of southwest Asia in the 7th millennium BCE have taken a step towards specialization and trade and we are witnessing social complexity in Neolithic period.

The concept of “continuity” in prehistory has been studied by many scholars mostly through its expression in mortuary practices or symbolism. The study of the ‘continuity in buildings’ emerged primarily through the study of the Southwestern Asian Neolithic. Renewed excavations at Çatalhöyük, and then at Aşıklı Höyük, both in Central Anatolia contributed to the studies and enriched the data. From the mid-9th millennium BCE until its abandonment in the last quarter of the 8th millennium BCE, the long-durée occupation at Aşıklı Höyük testifies to technological developments in architecture and spatial continuity in the use of space. The well preserved architectural remains allow the study of the different rythms and motivations of rebuilding through the continous occupation of the site over a long period of one thousand years. The many strands of evidence suggest that continuity at Aşıklı differs conceptually and practically through the habitation history. Strenghtened by oral communication and story-telling, all activities were collective and collaborative from the beginning, but more actively maintained later in the occupation. Collaboration among the members of the community in the early stages of settlement was based mostly on practicality but as time progressed this extended into many other aspects of the social fabric. Rebuilding took on a meaning far beyond functionality, ultimately serving to preserve social memory and structure, social actions and ideology. Continuity manifested itself clearly throughout the 8th millennium BCE and provided stability that lasted for hundreds of years until the abandonment of the settlement.

The Haimenkou site, located in Jianchuan County, Yunnan Province, on the bank of the Haiwei River to the southwest of the Jian Lake, is a large ancient waterfront settlement site dated as early as 2578–2464 BCE. Past excavations have revealed different cultural characteristics on each side of the Haiwei River, especially in pottery. This paper analyses the pottery sherds using petrography methods and X-Ray Fluorescence analysis (XRF) to identify the production technology and raw materials of the ceramics excavated from both sides of the Haiwei River. Based on the structure, shapes, and types of the tempers mixed in the clay, it is evident that the raw materials of pottery sherds from the two sides of the Haiwei River in the Late Neolithic likely came from different sources. People inhabited on the west side of the river deliberately selected their pottery tempers from the sediments along the Haiwei River, while those on the east possibly obtained their pottery tempers from weathered petrological sediments in nearby mountains.

The earliest farming communities in Taiwan practiced a distinctive bio-cultural marker of identity, in the form of deliberate anterior teeth extraction. This distinguishing body transformation can be traced back to 4800 years BP in Taiwan and associated with the first Austronesian communities, and it has endured among contemporary Austronesian speakers in Taiwan and extending across the Asia-Pacific region. Through a comprehensive exploration of archaeological and ethnographic evidence, our study highlights how this practice developed in Taiwan over nearly five millennia and furthermore establishes its role in relation to issues of group identity. The results can expand our understanding of cultural practice, identity-forming processes, and migration routes of ancient Austronesian populations across the Asia-Pacific region.

The Tel Tsaf decoration motifs have been known for over 45 years now, first described after R. Gophna's excavations at Middle Chalcolithic (ca. 5200–4700 cal BCE) Tel Tsaf in the Jordan Valley, Israel, during 1978–1980. While this type of decorated pottery was also found in other sites in the region, very limited data has been published. This data scarcity resulted in a fragmentary view of the phenomenon and consequently, the Tel Tsaf decoration motifs were regarded by many scholars as a monolithic phenomenon. The current paper represents a focused effort to analyze an assemblage of 682 sherds bearing the Tel Tsaf decoration, unearthed at the eponymous site between 2013 and 2022. We conduct a detailed attribute analysis that includes stylistic, morphometric, and contextual studies of the decorated vessels and the decoration repertoire itself. Through the analyses, we address internal variability of Tel Tsaf decoration style, emphasizing the local origin and complexity of the phenomenon in the cultural landscape of the Middle Chalcolithic in the southern Levant.