Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences最新文献

While bronze casting technology has been extensively studied through macroscopic observations and empirical inference, the internal factors underlying the significant differences in corrosion observed across different sections of bronze artifacts remain unexplained. This study digitally reconstructed solidification of a Shang-Zhou bronze tripod using finite element modeling (ProCAST), deriving local solidification time (τ_f) at five locations. A physically identical tripod was cast via piece-mold techniques, with secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) measured at corresponding locations. The results demonstrate that SDAS and τ_f conform to the Kattamis─Flemings dendrite coarsening model, exhibiting a statistically significant power-law relationship (that is, SDAS ∝ τ_f^p, with p > 0). This validates numerical simulation for ancient metallurgy research and bridges macro-solidification dynamics with micro-structures. This work not only explains the differential corrosion observed across a single bronze vessel body but also provides a predictive tool for locating structurally weak zones, aiding preventive conservation. Moreover, it offers a novel analytical framework for reconstructing ancient casting processes, such as inferring gating systems and mold design.

Graphical Abstract

Desert kites – large-scale stone structures used for mass game hunting – are among the most extensive prehistoric constructions in the Middle East. Despite their ubiquity, the chronology of their emergence has long remained unresolved. This study presents the earliest direct and robust evidence for the construction and use of desert kites, based on integrated radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of three kites from a single chain in Jibal al-Khashabiyeh, southeastern Jordan. Excavations focused on the cell-like features around kite enclosures, revealed to be deep pit-traps. Bayesian modeling of 28 dates (10 radiocarbon, 18 OSL) places the highest probabilities of construction of these structures firmly within the Late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (LPPNB), during the second half of the 8th mill. cal BCE. These findings firmly place kite use as a parallel, indigenous developments in the arid east roughly coinciding with the inhabitation of large agro-pastoralist settlements in the Jordanian highlands to the west, reflecting the mosaicked nature of Neolithic developments that characterized the southern Levant already for two millennia. They support a model of indigenous development by highly organized hunter-forager groups inhabiting the arid margins of the southern Levant. The scale, planning, and ecological knowledge embedded in kite architecture produced food in abundance while also supporting novel forms of social organization. The results reposition desert kites as a distinct form of early landscape modification and hunting architecture. The Jibal al-Khashabiyeh data thus anchor a transformative hunting tradition in deep time, offering a new lens on Neolithic innovation beyond the “Fertile Crescent” core.

Recent archaeological research on the emergence of red figure pottery in Sicily in the late fifth and early fourth century BCE reveals a fragmented yet dynamic artisanal landscape, with workshops catering to different sub-regional markets and exhibiting notable mobility. Red figure pottery from three of the most significant archaeological sites in Sicily – namely Himera, Lipari, and Syracuse – has been examined by optical and electron microscopy and atomic spectroscopy (ICP-OES and LA-ICP-MS) to broaden the documentary framework with the archaeometric evidence, in order to strengthen the foundations upon which to base interpretative proposals for new insights into South Italian figurative productions. The results allow us to distinguish between imported Greek and locally produced vases and to shed light on the production activities of key workshops, including the Chequer Painter, the Painter of Louvre K236, and the Locri Group. By highlighting the compositional and micromorphological features of artefacts from the same archaeological site, it has also been possible to confirm the existence of multiple production centres in Sicily, improving the framework for characterization and identification of certain local productions and their technological procedures. Moreover, it is also possible to consider this historical and archaeological framework from the perspective of the movement of painters, workshops and vases between Sicily, the Tyrrhenian region and Southern Calabria. Although the number of samples limits the possibility of drawing general conclusions, the research shows the merits of an integrated approach to better understand the complexities of this artistic and cultural tradition.

The funerary rituals in Viking Age Scandinavia are known by their complexity and diversity including inhumation, boat burials, and cremation. Cremations have been extensively studied macroscopically, but the application of geochemical techniques, although highly informative to investigate cremation in more detail, have not been widely explored yet. In the Viking Age the inclusion of both animals and humans on the funeral pyres makes research challenging. In the present study, we demonstrate the usefulness of molecular analysis (ATR-FTIR), direct mercury analysis (DMA) and analytical colour (in the CIELab space) for the characterization of Viking Age cremated remains of a human individual buried with dogs, a horse, a cat, and other animals – as well as evaluate macroscopic methods for assessing the temperature of burning. We demonstrate that the spectroscopic signal is highly correlated with analytical colour parameters, and with mercury concentration (still present in bones exposed at high temperatures). Mercury concentration was higher in human bones than animals’, suggesting an ante-mortem exposure. Human bones were probably heated at temperatures between 900 and 1100 °C, while animals were cremated at lower temperature. We also identified a secondary cremation in a layer previously interpreted as a badger burrow. A new Mid Infrared index (MIR-index, _TPV), is proposed, and we suggest that the cyanamide band is related to oxygen availability during burning. For the macroscopic method, we recommend splitting the white colour category into two based on bone porosity, to better qualify higher temperatures.

Sicily served as a nexus of connectivity in the ancient Mediterranean, with new ideas and technologies – especially concerning water – emerging from collaboration and competition between multiple communities. An area of ongoing investigation is understanding how mortar technology developed on the island, and what factors influenced its dissemination. To address these questions, the waterproof linings of nine water features from the neighbouring sites of Selinunte (ancient Selinous) and Agrigento (ancient Akragas) were collected. Both sites originated as Greek colonies, but experienced episodes of Punic and Roman hegemony, facilitating the emergence of complex hydraulic networks inspired by multiple socio-technological influences. To investigate the effect of these different communities, 22 mortar specimens that dated from the mid-6th century BCE to the 1st century CE were studied using archaeological and instrumental techniques that included microscopic, digital image and elemental analyses, as well as a novel application of µX-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy (µXFM). Using the multiple data sets produced by these different analyses, this study established a preliminary chronology of waterproof lining technology at Selinunte and Agrigento. It also contextualised evidence of technological change within the broader history of ancient Sicily to demonstrate that growing interconnectivity facilitated the development and transmission of complex hydraulic technologies in the ancient Central Mediterranean.

This paper evaluates the potential of in-depth chronological and functional analysis of prehistoric pottery (4th millennium BCE) from the Grotte di Sant’Angelo Cave Complex, located in the municipality of Cassano allo Ionio (Calabria, Southern Italy). The underground system, formed by sulfuric acid speleogenesis, features a floor scattered with depressions, holes, and fractures of different depths hosting archaeological materials. A number of these contexts in the so-called ‘Trivio’ area, excavated in 2017 and reported on here, provide an excellent opportunity to pioneer a combined archaeological and scientific contextual approach to unravelling the use of pottery in the Grotte di Sant’Angelo Cave Complex through time. The approach chosen first establishes the chronology of pots through typological comparisons with sites offering key stratigraphic sequences for prehistoric material culture present in the Italian peninsula and islands. Next, a functional study is presented that focusses on the use-related morphological properties of the pots, their performance characteristics, and preserved organic residues. Based on presentation and evaluation of the resulting data, the authors then proceed to propose hypotheses on the use and meaning of the various pottery shapes present in individual contexts from the Trivio zone cave floor contexts. At a more general level, the aim of the authors is to show how a contextual approach, combining several research tools for pottery analysis can make an important contribution to the toolbox of scholars working in European cave archaeology, thereby increasing the discipline’s potential of resolving theoretically informed questions about human-cave entanglements in later prehistory.

Tooth blackening, the deliberate modification of teeth to achieve a lustrous black appearance, is well documented in modern Vietnam, but its ancient practice remains elusive. This study applies chemical analyses to Iron Age human teeth from the Dong Xa site in northern Vietnam, dated to approximately 2000 years ago. By integrating compositional results with ethnographic parallels and experimental controls, we identify a diagnostic signature of tooth blackening in ancient samples, pointing to iron salts, likely combined with tannin-rich substances, as the primary active components responsible for the coloring process. This research clarifies both the antiquity and the distinctive techniques of tooth blackening in Vietnam, establishing a non-destructive methodological framework for archaeologically identifying such practices. From its emergence at sites associated with the renowned Dong Son bronze culture, through its continuity in later historical accounts and recent memories, tooth blackening underscores a culturally embedded expression of identity within wider networks of interregional interaction and exchange.

Amazonite, a microcline feldspar gemstone, holds archaeological significance as a marker of ancient trade and cultural exchange. Despite its global prehistoric use, research on Chinese amazonite remains limited due to misidentification and fragmented data. This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of 39 amazonite artifacts from the Dongshantou site in Jilin Province (2500–2000 BP), employing digital microscopy, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, colorimetry, elemental analysis (ICP-MS), and lead isotope tracing. The findings reveal advanced craftsmanship, including spiral drilling marks, asymmetrical perforations, and evidence of repurposing. FTIR suggests organic contamination and structural water loss, while Raman spectroscopy indicates structural ordering differences. Colorimetric and geochemical analysis shows that white or pale-colored areas have low K and high Na, likely albite. Rb contributes to amazonite’s green hue, and its strong correlation with Tl suggests geochemical coupling. Pb isotope ratios classify the samples into three groups, linked to sources in the North China Craton and Hinggan geochemical province. Additionally, trace element patterns help distinguish one group. The prominence of amazonite in Northeast China suggests a regional cultural preference, with possible diffusion westward and southward over 2000 years ago. This study establishes a scientific framework for amazonite research, integrating material science with archaeology to reconstruct prehistoric exchange networks.

This study focuses on microstructure, chemistry, and patina characterisation of eleven archaeological bronze artefacts from two contexts of the Middle Tiber Valley (Viterbo, Central Italy). The samples were unearthed in the cistern at Spoletino (1^st -4^th century AD) and in the late Roman-early Medieval necropolis of Castel Sozzio (5^th-7^th century AD). They were analysed using optical microscopy (OM), micro-Raman spectroscopy (µ-Raman), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), and electrochemical investigations. OM explored corrosion products on the surfaces, highlighting mineralogical and structural heterogeneity of the patinas. SEM-EDS analysis showed the presence of binary (Cu-Sn) and ternary (Cu-Pb-Sn) alloys with minor and trace elements. The binary alloys were used for good hardness artefacts, and the ternary ones for those that required easy metal working. Selective enrichment and depletion of the alloying metals produced broad chemical variations and structural heterogeneity in the patinas. Micro-Raman spectroscopy revealed different corrosion products such as cuprite (Cu₂O), lazurite (Na₇Ca(Al₆Si₆O₂₄)(SO₄)(S₃)·H₂O), malachite (CuCO₃Cu(OH)₂), and phosgenite (Pb₂Cl₂CO₃). The presence of lazurite in two samples was linked to sulphur-rich burial environments, while phosgenite was linked to the interactions with Cl and a CO₂-rich burial environment. Metallurgical practices, such as slow cooling rates and lead segregation during casting, promoted mineralogical and structural heterogeneity in the patinas due to interactions with the burial environment, where decomposition of organic matter occurred. Electrochemical data permitted the estimation of the corrosion rates for all artefacts at remarkably low levels (0–0.1 mm/year), reflecting stable burial conditions and the protective nature of the patinas. These results suggest that the burial environments in the Middle Tiber Valley were non-aggressive, facilitating the development of layered patinas influenced primarily by oxygen and carbon dioxide from humus-rich soils, with a lesser contribution from salts.