Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences最新文献

The middle reaches of the Huai River was a key zone for the exchange, collision, and fusion of ancient cultures between the Yangtze and Yellow River basins and between the eastern coast and western hinterland. Between 5.0 and 4.3 ka BP, the Late Dawenkou culture from the Haidai region moved south, which brought the Neolithic culture of this area into a new stage of development and initiated the agricultural transformation from mono-rice cultivation to mixed rice-and-millet cultivation. However, the characteristics of the Late Dawenkou culture’s agroeconomy and its influencing factors are unclear. Thus, this study used the Gaixia site in Guzhen County, Anhui Province, as the object of study and performed analysis of charred plant remains and AMS ¹⁴C dating. Results showed that a mixed pattern centered around rice cultivation emerged during the Late Dawenkou period. Further, the analysis of rice grain shape and spikelet bases indicated the rice remains correspond to the small-grained japonica rice variety with a high degree of domestication; this rice type may have been preferred because of its uniform harvest time or greater environmental adaptability. Combined with existing archaeobotanical, paleoenvironmental, and cultural analyses, we can conclude that overall, the Late Dawenkou culture in the middle reaches of the Huai River had an agricultural economy dominated by rice and supplemented by millet. Environmental changes, agricultural traditions, and cultural exchange jointly influenced this agricultural structure. Finally, geomorphological factors may be behind differences in the relative proportions of rice and millet cultivation at different sites in the region.

Zooarchaeological identification often rests heavily on analysts’ opinion, experience, and access to reference specimens or manuals. A review of the literature reporting archaeological domestic dog remains demonstrates the danger of this approach. Domestic dogs have played, and continue to play, important roles in many human societies; however, they also exhibit strong skeletal similarities to wild canids -to the extent that post-cranial elements are often identified only as “canid”. Accessing these data is dependent upon the ability to correctly identify domestic dog remains. To accomplish this, zooarchaeologists rely on an array of often poorly tested methods, many developed to separate dogs from only their progenitor the grey wolf. Despite the potential and implications of misidentification, archaeologists frequently do not specify the methods used to identify dog remains rendering it impossible to assess data quality and reliability. The absence of data quality standards critically weakens zooarchaeological (and other) archaeological data, especially increasingly popular efforts to synthesize published data, and contribute to debates outside of the field.

Settlement systems are often characterized by a mixture of different site types, each with potentially different locational properties reflected by differences in their functions and uses. Prehistoric settlements in China are commonly known for their wooden defense structures and rammed earth. However, from the late Neolithic period, ca. 2800 BCE, a new type of stone-wall site emerged in northern China, coexisting with earth-wall sites. Examining differences in the locational properties of stone-wall and earth-wall settlements is essential for understanding regional settlement patterns and human–environment interactions in prehistoric northern China. Studies of this topic have so far been limited to descriptive qualitative accounts, and formal statistical comparisons of their differences have yet to be carried out. This paper contributes to this research agenda by examining, via point process models (PPMs), stone-wall and earth-wall sites associated with the Lower Xiajiadian Culture (2000–1400 BCE) in the Aohan Banner, northern China. We fitted log-linear and generalized additive models (GAMs) and identified the relevance of key spatial covariates via information criterion importance for both site types. Our results highlight not only the spatial preferences of stone-wall and earth-wall sites but also some differences, suggesting a defensive function of the former site type.

In this study, we use high-resolution data from airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) acquisitions to comprehensively analyse late prehistoric earthwork structures in the alluvial plain of Friuli (NE Italy). By comparing LiDAR-derived models with direct topographic surveys of the structures carried out in the past we provide a detailed overview of the main characteristics of the structures. The new documentation, including Digital Terrain Models (DTMs), profiles and 3D models of the preserved structures, refines the topographic information collected by previous scholars and offers new insights into the development of sophisticated building techniques by Bronze Age communities. Additionally, by converting earthwork volumes into energetics and combining workforce investment analysis with other archaeological proxies—particularly site size and distribution—we have supported the analysis of settlement patterns and organization. Assuming 100 hypothetical full-time workers, the construction of burial mounds would have required from 1 week to 2 months; phase 3 monumental embankments at Sedegliano, Savalons, and Galleriano forts would have taken 4–10 months while 2.5–4 years at Udine. The Udine mound would have demanded up to 28 times the labour needed for other forts’ embankments, requiring approximately 11 years to complete and likely necessitating additional workforce from nearby settlements. This approach reveals the emergence of a defined hierarchical settlement system in the Friuli plain during the Recent Bronze Age, with the fort of Udine serving as a top-order settlement within a polity of smaller ones, akin to those recognized in the nearby regions of the Po Plain.

This study investigates the underlying mechanisms driving the formation of the largest known burial site of the Northern European Mesolithic, Yuzhniy Oleniy Ostrov (YOO). Radiogenic strontium isotope analysis (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) was used to identify group dynamics within the cemetery and examine the site’s place within local and supra-regional networks. The analysis of 57 humans and 31 animals was supported by the creation of an environmental baseline which identified four key geological zones and defines the strontium characteristics of Lake Onega. Only two individuals had strontium values indicating time spent outside of Lake Onega’s northern shores, where the majority of the burial population is likely to have resided. These results suggest that the YOO cemetery predominantly served as a burial place for those with semi-permanent residence in this area, with no significant evidence for gender-based relocation patterns indicative of patri- or matrilocal residency. However, materials seem to have travelled towards Lake Onega even over great distances and the presence of the two outlier individuals suggests these exchanges also involved long-distance travel of people. Our results align with an increasing number of studies that suggest a high degree of residential stability for Late Mesolithic foraging groups relying primarily on aquatic resources, yet simultaneously places the Lake Onega community within a wider Mesolithic communication network.

During the Iron Age, north-eastern Iberian communities relied on crop cultivation and animal husbandry for their subsistence. The latter was mainly focused on caprine, with sheep being prominent due to their suitability to the Mediterranean climate, orography, and environment. Despite the pivotal role of sheep in livestock husbandry, information on Iberian communities’ feeding strategies for this species is limited. To address this lacuna, this study investigates the livestock feeding habits at four Catalan sites dating back to the 3rd century BC: Mas Castellar de Pontós, Tossal de Baltarga, Sant Esteve d’Olius, and Turó de la Rovira. Bulk carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) of bone collagen and sequential carbon and oxygen analyses (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O) of dental enamel were performed on 74 remains (43 bones, 31 teeth) from 51 sheep. Additionally, 153 bone remains from other domestic and wild species from the four sites were analysed. Our results revealed the complex and adaptive livestock feeding strategies of Iron Age Iberian populations. Sheep exhibited minimal diet variations, mainly consuming C₃ plants across the four sites. Nevertheless, their feeding habits changed seasonally depending on pasture availability and settlement requirements. The other main domestic species were subject to individualised and variable feeding strategies within the same settlement. This diversified feeding management unveiled the complex and adaptive nature of the husbandry practices employed by Iron Age Iberian communities. Finally, the extensive number of remains analysed provides the first data on livestock feeding strategies for the Middle/Late Iron Age in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula.

The Iberian Peninsula, rich in archaeological and anthropological records, has experienced significant population migrations throughout history, including Celts, Romans, and Muslims. The city of Mérida, an important city during the Islamic period, experienced important transformations, especially after the fall of the Umayyad caliphate. In 2009, an archaeological excavation uncovered a large Islamic cemetery (maqbara), dating from the 8th to 12th centuries. From this maqbara was selected 70 individuals from the site “Former Military Artillery Barracks Hernán Cortés”, and 14 from the site “14 Jose de Larra Street”. Dental nonmetric traits are reliable indicators of gene flow and genetic affinity among populations. To evaluate the biological affinities of these 84 individuals we recorded 22 dental traits using the ASUDAS system and compared with them to ten reference samples. The biodistances were tested with the Mean Measure of Divergence statistic. Biodistance analysis results showed close biological proximity between the Merida sample and South European references samples, with intra-regional heterogeneity among Iberian Peninsula populations. The strategic location of the Iberian Peninsula between North Africa and Southern Europe facilitated genetic and cultural interactions, shaping its genetic landscape. This study emphasizes the complex relationship between historical, demographic, and cultural factors influencing the genetic variability of the Merida sample.

The transition to agriculture-based economies and sedentary lifeways during the Neolithic brought significant changes in oral health and diet. Despite the influence of physiological and cultural factors, the frequency of dental pathologies, such as caries and dental calculus, is a common consequence of carbohydrate-rich diets. Caries result from bacterial activity that transforms carbohydrates into lactic acid, leading to the demineralisation of tooth enamel. In contrast, dental calculus can trap and preserve biomolecules and microremains—such as phytoliths and starch grains—making it a valuable resource for investigating past diets and lifeways. Although microbotanical analyses of dental calculus and caries occurrence are common in archaeology, these methods are rarely applied together in the same case study. This paper presents the results of the analyses of microbotanical remains, such as phytoliths and starch grains, retrieved from dental calculus, as well as caries occurrence in 11 individuals from Tepecik-Çiftlik, a Neolithic settlement in southwestern Cappadocia, Turkey. Caries prevalence aligns with previous studies highlighting the poor oral health of the Neolithic Tepecik-Çiftlik community and suggests a high reliance on carbohydrate-rich diets. Microbotanical remains showed contrasting results, with phytoliths indicating the presence of cereals but an absence of starch grains of cereal origin. This lack of cereal starch grains could point towards the influence of culinary and foodway practices on the preservation and occurrence of microbotanical remains in dental calculus, variables often overlooked in the study of ancient diets. These findings contribute to our understanding of the lifeways and oral health of the Neolithic Tepecik-Çiftlik community while drawing attention to how foodways and culinary practices may influence or bias the archaeological record.

Wood and bark are among the most significant raw materials prehistoric and early historical human communities used to produce tools and goods that shaped their daily life. Since special conditions are required to preserve objects made with these materials until today, we have limited information about how often or how this basic raw material was used. Here, we report evidence of how wood and bark were used in basket crafting and compare them with modern-day uses. On the northwestern coast of Türkiye, Zonguldak-Karadeniz Ereğli İnönü Cave has special conditions for the preservation of wood and other organic materials. In the Late Bronze Age Level III of the cave (1,436–1,123 Cal BC), baskets and evidence of basketry were found among water-filled puddles. These records are valuable for understanding how the environment surrounding archaeological sites was used by its settlers. Analyzes carried out to understand which types of trees in the environment are preferred for basket production highlighted European yew (Taxus baccata L.) and field maple (Acer campestre L.) species. Production techniques and species analyses of basket remains show the knowledge and level of specialization in basket production of the Late Bronze Age settlers of İnönü Cave.

As the vast majority of excavated palaeontological skeletal remains are fragmentary to the extent that they cannot be identified by morphological analysis alone, various molecular methods have been considered to retrieve information from an otherwise underutilised resource. The introduction of collagen fingerprinting, known as Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS), has become one of the most popular approaches to improve taxonomic data yields from fragmentary bone. However, manual laboratory work remains a barrier to the analysis of larger sample numbers. Here we test the incorporation of liquid-handling robots to further develop ZooMS into a more automated technique using samples excavated from Grotte Mandrin, France. By increasing the faunal identifications of the morphological indeterminable remains at layer B2 (~ 42–44 Ka), from 55 to 1215 (1026 of which were processed via AutoZooMS), we identified a wider range of taxa, now including Ursidae and Mammuthus, as well as further hominin remains. AutoZooMS has the capacity to investigate larger proportions of palaeontological assemblages rapidly and cost effectively whilst requiring little human intervention, aiming to improve our understanding of the human past.