Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences最新文献

This study addresses longstanding questions concerning the ore sources used in the first series of coins of ancient Athens known as the Wappenmϋnzen (c.540-c.500 BCE) by combining comprehensive numismatic data on 22 coins (16 new and 6 legacy analyses) with lead isotope and surface elemental measurements (MC-ICP-MS and XRF). It finds usage of ores from Spain to Romania and Türkiye and frequent mixing. This upends current thinking based on a (mis)interpretation of historical sources which argues that the tyrant Peisistratos and his sons, who ruled Athens during the period, sourced most silver from the districts of Mt Pangaion and Strymon River in northern Greece and that silver did not flow from the western Mediterranean into their coinage. The data suggest that domestic ‘Lavrion’ mines of Athens did not contribute to the ore stock of the Wappenmϋnzen until the subsequent production of the ‘owl’ series when it was also used in some Wappenmϋnzen fractions and show that there is no correlation between coin types and ore sources. Elemental compositions nuance our understanding of the coins, but do not shed light on provenance. Together, these new findings force a reappraisal of numismatic and historical perceptions of the period of the Athenian tyranny in the lead up to democracy, not least because the multiple silver sources point to trading relationships with a greater variety of regions than previously contemplated.

We present the organic residue analysis of sherds of 50 cooking vessels from the 16th-century town of Nya Lödöse, Sweden. We confirm previous analyses showing that lipids are absorbed by glazed ceramic. By analyses of biomarkers and compound-specific stable carbon isotope analyses of fatty acids, we show that pipkins and pans were used for cooking ruminant carcass products, dairy, and plant foods. The dominance of ruminant fat and dairy reflects the importance of oxen and butter in the local food culture. The vessels included in the present study show some degree of specialized function. Pipkins had more traces of ruminant carcass fats compared to pans. Medium and large-sized pipkins contained a combination of animal fats and plant traces, possibly representing the preparation of stews. In contrast, the smallest pipkins showed no traces of plant foods and might have been used to melt animal fat. Pans had more traces of butter and had been exposed to higher temperatures, indicating frying. Flat pans were, to a higher degree, used for the frying of fish than the deep ones, but fish seem nonetheless to be underrepresented in the lipid residue data. According to zooarchaeological and historical data, fish, pork, and poultry were important parts of the diet, but as traces of these foodstuffs are scarce in the organic residue analysis, it may be inferred that they were prepared differently—boiled in metal cauldrons, roasted on metal spits over the open fire, or consumed in their dried, salted, or smoked state without further preparation.

From their first appearance in the archaeological record, the varying degree of biface presence in individual assemblages has long been a notable aspect of discussions surrounding the nature of the Early Acheulean. These debates have largely focused on the relative influence of random processes, site formation dynamics, raw material constraints, biological and/or cultural groupings, and differences in ecology and activity. Here, we collate published technological information from Early Acheulean assemblages 1.8–1.2 Ma, attempting to document patterns of wider inter-assemblage variability, and focus on the potential role of seasonality in structuring some of this variation. We suggest that there are relationships between a number of lithic variables in the Early Acheulean that are a reflection of consistent activity variants and patterns of landscape use, and that these variables account for discrete clusters of sites according to shared technological bases. While data on seasonality at individual sites in this period are sparse, we hypothesise that there is a likely association between the absence of handaxes and dry season patterns of hominin behaviour, which may reflect a focus on bifaces during the wetter parts of the year. The implications of these findings for the Oldowan-Acheulean transition, seasonal patterns of hominin behaviour, and Early Acheulean landscape use are discussed.

The Shimao site, a large settlement that developed in the Late Longshan period (2300 − 1800 BCE), represents the northernmost recovery of rice (Oryza sativa L.) grains dating from the Late Longshan to Erlitou periods in northwest China. The presence of these rice grains has sparked debate on whether they were locally cultivated or acquired through trade. This study conducted phytolith analysis and Growing Degree Days (GDD) modeling on cultural deposits from the Huangchengtai location at the Shimao site, covering both the Shimao and Zhukaigou cultural periods. Phytolith analysis results showed a high frequency and density of rice stem and leaf phytoliths which, alongside their presence across multiple phases of occupation, supporting the possibility of local small-scale cultivation. The GDD model analysis indicates that even with a 2 °C temperature drop, the area around the Shimao site could still support the growth of japonica rice. Additionally, previous studies on charcoal and soils suggest that the climate in northern Shaanxi between 2500 and 1500 BCE was warmer and more humid than today, providing favorable conditions for rice cultivation. Evidence of social stratification, high-status artifacts, and feasting-related remains at Shimao collectively indicates that rice cultivation may have been driven by the need to display hierarchy and support ceremonial feasting. Moreover, the robust development of the Shimao site significantly enhanced its ability to procure rice resources and organize rice cultivation. This paper provides key evidence of the northernmost rice cultivation in northwest China from 2000 to 1600 BCE and offers basic information for understanding the routes and motivations behind the northward spread of rice.

Cinnabar was frequently used at the Bronze Age site in south-western China of Sanxingdui. This study uses mercury and sulphur isotopic analyses, archaeological materials, and documentary records to explore the source of the cinnabar unearthed at the Sanxingdui site. The cinnabar originated in the Shangyangzi mercury metallogenic area in south-western China, showing a close connection with the mercury mines in the Wu and Yuan river basins, while the Qing River basin is a less likely source. The cinnabar from these three river basins could all be transported to Sanxingdui through the Three Gorges passage. After the alternation of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the primary source of cinnabar in Sanxingdui contracted from the Wu and Yuan River basins to the Wu River basin. During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the Shangyangzi metallogenic area served as a primary source of cinnabar. Its circulation involved two main modes: the Central Plains dynasties controlled the cinnabar in the Shangyangzi metallogenic area and distributed it as rewards to local nobility. Simultaneously, there was autonomous trade between local regions and the Shangyangzi metallogenic area.

Drawing on modelling of age at death in skeletal remains, this article unveils hitherto unrecognized demographic patterns in the Nordic Corded Ware complex. This population formed part of the European Corded Ware complex that has been linked to disruption observed in the archaeological and genetic record. The newly developed methods of transition analysis 3 (TA3) and death rate ratio (DRR) were used to process skeletal data from 67 individuals deriving from single, double, and multiple graves in Scandinavia. The results disclose a high proportion of immature individuals aged less than twenty years. Attrition, however, complies with a demography with high age-nonspecific mortality, and this may connect to stressors such as epidemic diseases and endemic warfare. Compared to the partly contemporaneous Pitted Ware complex and the succeeding Late Neolithic–earliest Bronze Age period, the Nordic Corded Ware burials overall point to robust population growth, especially in the later period. This in turn aligns with a sedentary lifestyle rather than a mobile pastoral economy. Short-distance seasonal movements could fit in but cannot yet be measured. Recent genetics have demonstrated biological input in the female line from populations such as Funnel Beaker, Pitted Ware, and herders of the steppe forest zone: the remarkable tallness of Nordic Corded Ware individuals may well be an effect of such admixture. The burials moreover evidence a distinct adult male sex bias, which diminishes over time along with the growth in the number of buried females and young individuals. Judging from investment in graves and grave goods, immatures were highly valued. The scale of social status operates independently of age. Alongside the revealed Nordic Corded Ware demography and the burial and material record more broadly, this could indicate social inequality based on kinship and warrior values.

Little is known about human mobility in the Iranian Central Plateau during the Parthian and Sasanian periods. To fill this gap, we measured ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values in 22 human enamel samples from Shahr-i Qumis, Semnan Province, retrieved from collective burials in the ruined buildings of an abandoned capital city of the Parthian state. The skeletons were radiocarbon dated to the Late Parthian and Sasanian periods. The results were compared to ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values measured in 41 plant samples and 3 snail shells collected from spots along the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains between Qazvin Plain in the west and the Jajarm Plain in the east. All but one of the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values in human teeth are consistent with local strontium isotope values, and therefore the skeletons likely represent people who did not change their location between infancy and death. This suggests that the cemetery was used by a relatively immobile population of farmers who took advantage of the favourable conditions at the alluvial fan for crop cultivation or stationary animal husbandry, rather than transhumant/nomadic pastoralists who would have used larger and more distant areas as pastures.

Several bronzes, casting moulds, crucible walls, copper slags, and other confirmed relics of copper casting from the late Spring and Autumn period (770 BCE − 476 BCE) and early Warring States period (476 BCE – 221 BCE) were unearthed at the Datongpu site in Jianhucounty, Jiangsu province, between 2019 and 2021. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and multicollector–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry were employed to examine the metal resources and mould-making technology of the bronze casting industry of the Yue state during the eastern Zhou dynasty (770 BCE − 221 BCE). The metal particles in the slag suggest that the melted alloy product is high-tin bronze, and the ceramic mould contained a significant amount of plant debris. This indicates that the casting technology involving high-tin bronze alloy production and the use of plant ash in moulds is characteristic of the lower Yangtze river region, highlighting the northward spread of the Yue state. Accordingly, the lead materials at Datongpu site were predominantly sourced from the Central Plains, confirming the records of the relationship between the Jin state and the Yue state in the early Warring States period. The findings highlight the technological advancements of the Yue state and support historical accounts of interactions between the Jin and Yue states. This study is significant as it provides new insights into the technological and material aspects of the bronze casting industry during the eastern Zhou dynasty, which is crucial for understanding regional metallurgical practices and cultural interactions.

The archaeological record of the mid-1st millennium AD in Lithuania reveals marked changes in culture and influences from various regions of Europe, which are typically attributed to immigration. To assess the immigration hypothesis and mobility, we carried out ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr analysis on human teeth (n = 40) from 11 cemeteries. Samples were selected to evaluate the two supposed directions of immigration as well as mobility, both for individuals of different sexes and between different social groups. Even though 12 (30%) individuals were identified as non-locals, it is impossible to determine whether these individuals originated from other regions in Lithuania or from more distant regions due to the overlap of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr baseline values. However, our results allowed us to dismiss the areas of origin that dominate in the archaeological debates, viz., Southeastern and Central Europe. The majority of non-local individuals were identified in Western and Central Lithuania, indicating that this region was characterised by a different mobility structure than that of Southern and Eastern Lithuania. There were no differences in mobility between males and females or between social groups. The identified mobility patterns most likely reflect established models of social behaviour rather than sudden transformations.

Olduvai Gorge, nestled between the East African Rift Valley and the Mozambique Belt, is key to understanding human evolution. Even though extensive archaeological and palaeoanthropological findings have been unearthed here since the 1930s, the Middle Stone Age in this area has nonetheless received less attention than the Oldowan or the Acheulean. This paper presents the lithic technology analysis of Dorothy Garrod Site (DGS), a newly-documented MSA site located at the junction of the main gorge and the side gorge at Olduvai. DGS provides valuable additional knowledge to our understanding of the MSA groups that inhabited the region, offering insights into the mobility and settlement patterns of human groups in East Africa during MIS 4. This study focuses on the techno-typological characterization of the DGS lithic assemblage through an analysis of the raw material management strategies and knapping methods employed. The presence of discoid and Levallois methods, as well as single platform methods shows DGS to be a ‘typical’ MSA archaeological site, together with its associated fauna. The retouched pieces are scarce and characterized by a high presence of denticulates, retouched flakes and notches, as well as by the low presence of heavy-duty tools and total absence of points. All of these features make of DGS an exceptional MSA site at the heart of Olduvai.