Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences最新文献

In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of turquoise artifacts excavated from the Xingong site in Beijing using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Initially, examination of polished facets and drilling marks revealed sophisticated ancient techniques. SEM observations identified characteristic mineral inclusions. Based on trace element concentrations, all the turquoise samples were classified as sedimentary metamorphic in origin. A detailed comparison of eight key trace elements (Ba, Cr, Mo, Ni, Sb, U, V, and Zn) allowed us to exclude several turquoise mining regions, pinpointing Shaanxi, Henan, and Hubei as likely sources. Due to generally low lead content, only one sample was suitable for lead isotope analysis. Therefore, we primarily employed strontium isotope analysis to further refine the provenance, ultimately confirming that the samples originated from the southern belt of the Hubei-Henan-Shaanxi turquoise mining area. Our findings highlight the significant role of turquoise in regional trade networks during the Shang Dynasty, emphasizing the Xingong site’s importance in facilitating communication with the south. This research not only deepens our understanding of ancient craftsmanship and trade routes but also demonstrates the potential of integrating trace element and isotopic analyses in archaeological provenance studies, setting a precedent for future investigations.

Understanding taphonomic processes is essential for reconstructing past environmental dynamics and interpreting mixed sites, where successive occupations by different biological agents have occurred and, in many cases, have been modified by post-depositional processes. Such is the case in the western part of Buena Pinta Cave (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid). In this study, three Units with different taphonomic histories were analysed. Unit 32 A contains fossil remains that were incorporated by low-energy water currents during the cave's opening. Unit 23 shows an accumulation of bone remains that were resedimented and reworked by a high-energy current, which illustrates how post-depositional processes can create an assemblage with asynchronous taphocoenoses embedded in the same geological event. Finally, Unit 2/3 contains a bone assemblage that was primarily produced by hyenas, although it may also have been used sporadically by Neanderthals and other small carnivores. These findings provide a reference for comparison and evaluation of other archaeo-palaeontological sites with similar problems in caves and mixed sites.

This study explores and innovatively proposes a paradigm for applying Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) to the micro-analysis of painted pottery production in archaeology. An ethnoarchaeological study of three modern painted pottery workshops reveals that the dot patterns painted by three different potters exhibit distinct structures and degrees of regularity, reflecting their unique painting styles. These stylistic differences are crucial for effectively distinguishing pottery painted by individual potters, and CNN techniques have proven highly effective in identifying potters with distinct styles. Further application of this technique to painted potteries from the second phase of the Miaodigou site demonstrates that the potteries can be categorised into at least three groups, each exhibiting a distinct painting style. This suggests that at least three potters (or three groups of potters) were involved in the production of the pottery, each displaying unique preferences in decorative motifs, overall composition, and stylistic execution.

The evolutionary significance of the regional Middle Stone Age (MSA) Lupemban industry is explored by applying macroscopic lithic use-wear analysis to a securely stratified sample of core-axes from Kalambo Falls (Zambia). Radiometrically dated to ~ 265 ka BP (Twin Rivers, Zambia), the Lupemban is associated with the first sustained hominin settlement of the Central African woodland and rainforest belt. In this context, the development of sophisticated composite technologies bears directly on longstanding debates about the origins of behavioural and cognitive complexity in early Homo sapiens. The composite heavy-duty woodworking function historically proposed for Lupemban core-axes is a testable hypothesis that bridges the issues of hafting and woodland resource exploitation, which together underpin the industry’s purported evolutionary significance. Kalambo Falls provides the only stratified sample of Lupemban implements from Central Africa. Examination of 115 core-axes however reveals the overall condition of the collection is poor, and that a range of post-depositional surface alterations means neither microscopic traces nor residues are preserved. Functional interpretations thus necessarily rest on the patterning of macroscopic damage. Nineteen artefacts in good condition were identified and subjected to detailed analysis. Their comparison with a 245-piece experimental reference collection including 81 replica core-axes used both hafted and handheld for chopping and adzing wood, and for digging activities, reveals that only two Lupemban core-axes have clear traces, and these are consistent with heavy-duty contact on medium-hard contact materials; a hardness range that includes wood. Digging is not supported but other potential functions cannot be excluded. Direct hafting evidence is absent. This first glimpse into Lupemban core-axe function highlights the extreme difficulty of deriving high-resolution behavioural inferences from the Central African MSA record.

The Waterway Pass known as 'Jinguan' (津关) in China serves as a vital official facility to regulate waterway transportation systems and resources. The references to Jinguan found within historical documents, such as bamboo and wooden slips, have not yet yielded a thorough understanding of its exact location and architectural features. This study presents the first excavated archaeological site of Jinguan located in Southwest China—Chengba site—of which main remains are belong to the period about 2000 years ago. A comprehensive geoarchaeological investigation was conducted at the Chengba site, which included field geomorphological assessments and experimental analytical methods such as dating and sediment analysis (particle size, magnetic susceptibility, chroma, and soil micromorphology). The findings reveal that the sedimentary environment has changed from wet to dry, and the landforms have evolved from riverside beaches and lake marshes into floodplains and terraces. Furthermore, structures within Jinguan have adapted to changes in this region's micro-geomorphological environment. The findings of this research reconstruct the evolutionary process of ancient landforms associated with China's earliest Jinguan site; we also explore relationships between site selection, transformations in architectural styles, and hydrological shifts that occurred in Sichuan during the Han and Jin Dynasties.

The osteological analysis of human skeletal assemblages offers crucial osteobiographical insights into ancient populations, yet remains largely unexplored in past Tunisia. This paper presents the first archaeological investigation of Tunisian medieval burials, unearthed during excavations between 2016–2017 and 2021–2022. This interdisciplinary study, combining archaeology, bioarchaeology, and paleopathology, examines skeletons from Koudiet er Rammadiya, a site in the Wadi Serrat region. The main aim is to investigate the funerary practices, health, and lifestyle of individuals from medieval North-western Tunisia, shedding light on this underexplored population. The focus is on the site’s final phases of use and occupation, exploring funerary practices and rituals from the early Islamic period. The skeletal assemblage dates to two main periods: the seventh century CE and the fifteenth century CE. Osteological analysis revealed a minimum number of individuals (MNI) of 10, including three young females and two foetuses. A preliminary palaeopathological assessment identified a congenital condition in two individuals. An exploratory stable isotope analysis highlighted dietary practices focused on a predominantly terrestrial diet and a possible shared local origin for all the buried individuals.

The Maltese Temples, built between 3800 and 2400 BC, are unique structures among the prehistoric monuments of Europe. Their consistent architectural style is characterised by straight entrance corridors leading to open courtyards. This led scholars to ask whether there may have been some intention to orientate their entrances in specific, meaningful ways. Previous attempts to answer this question have either proposed explanations without any formal analysis, only looking to disprove randomness, or have jumped to celestial interpretations without first exploring topographical ones. By contrast, we here deploy a single statistical framework to test the orientation of the Maltese temples against a variety of hypotheses, both terrestrial and celestial. Using a new set of orientation measurements for 32 structures (the largest sample ever analysed) the statistical analysis indicates that despite most temples having orientations that can be explained either by chance, terrain aspect, protection from wind or winter sunlight, there are some patterns of orientation that cannot be explained by any of these hypotheses. These patterns are only statistically significant for temples of the earlier, Ġgantija phase of construction and they match the rising or setting of neighbouring stars of the southern celestial hemisphere. It is argued that these stellar matches were unlikely to be coincidences in that they probably were important stars for astronavigation (as they still are today) in the central Mediterranean. Finally, we suggest that the temples, in addition to other symbolic or social purposes may have been places of instruction for young seafarers to learn these important navigational stars.

Ghar-e Boof represents an exceptional Paleolithic site in the southern Zagros Mountains. Due to its long Late Pleistocene sequence that spans from ca. 81 ka until the Epipaleolithic, the site offers a unique opportunity to investigate long-term hominin behavioral patterns on a local scale. In this paper, we examine diachronic trends in prey choice and site occupation intensity during the Middle Paleolithic (MP) through early Upper Paleolithic (UP) at Ghar-e Boof as determined from zooarchaeological data, find densities, accumulation rates, and frequencies of retouched tools. To better understand foraging conditions, variation (or the lack thereof) in species representation and relative abundances are analyzed following the prey choice model of optimal foraging theory. Based on energetic return rates and procurement costs, we distinguish between high-ranked (large and small, slow-moving game) and low-ranked (small-bodied or small, fast-moving game) resources. The occupants of Ghar-e Boof preferentially hunted large game during the MP and early UP and relied on caprines as the main source of meat and marrow. However, there is an increase in the exploitation of fast-moving animals, mostly partridges, relative to small, slow-moving tortoises through the sequence. In addition, site occupation intensity also increased with time. A more intense use of Ghar-e Boof during the early UP may reflect larger groups of people living at the site, more frequent visits, longer periods of occupation, or a combination of some, if not all, of these possibilities. The increased economic importance of lower-ranked prey does not appear to track major environmental or climatic changes, and most likely is tied to higher hunting pressures. The archaeological record of Ghar-e Boof is currently the only example in the Zagros that illustrates the complex interactions between demography, site use, and socioeconomic decisions during the Late Pleistocene, a crucial time period in human evolution.

The types of reindeer hunting, keeping, and herding in Fennoscandia have seen different periods of transformations and have found unique side by side expressions through time. To refine zooarchaeological analysis and scrutinize reindeer domestication and other past ancient human-reindeer relationships in the North, we propose methods for identifying sex, castration status, and ecotype/variety from complete and fragmented reindeer bones. This study examines the leg bones and pelvises of 161 reindeer from the Fennoscandian domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus), Norwegian wild mountain reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) and Finnish wild forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus). We include intact males, castrated males, and females in our study. Ecotype (fennicus versus tarandus), variety (wild versus domestic tarandus), sex, and castration status are shown to influence bone growth in often element- and dimension-dependent ways. We demonstrate that metric variance is highest in fennicus and castrated domestic tarandus. Slenderness as expressed by diaphysis breadth–length index is sex and (albeit less) ecotype dependent, while distal breadth–bone length indices are mostly ecotype dependent. Scatterplots that combine slenderness with other measurement variables result in independent clustering between groups. The combination of two measurement variables facilitates ecotype/variety, sex, and castration status assignment due to independent clustering of groups. Our classification model based on isometric size and shape can be used to differentiate ecotype/variety, but not sex and castration status, due to limitation of group sizes. This study shows that reindeer ecotype, variety, sex, and castration status can be demonstrated through straightforward osteometric methods. We suggest cautious application in archaeological contexts because of (relative) changes in body size of past reindeer populations and our limited sample size, of especially wild male tarandus.