Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences最新文献

The bronze production system of local indigenous groups in Southern China is the focus of Chinese Bronze Age research. In this paper, we analyzed the chemical composition, metallographic microstructure and lead isotope ratio of eighteen Yue-type bronzes unearthed from the Shishijiang site in Xiangxiang County, Hunan Province. The results showed that the Shishijiang bronzes were mainly made of Cu-Sn-Pb materials, with a small proportion of bronzes made of Cu-Pb materials, Cu-Sn materials and Cu-Sn-As-Sb materials. The manufacturing techniques of Shishijiang bronzes were mainly casting, and a small number of bronzes were heated after casting. In addition, the lead isotope data of Shishijiang bronzes all showed the characteristics of common lead, and their distribution range were very concentrated. The Cu, Sn, and Pb materials used in Shishijiang bronzes were probably all from the Southern Hunan region, and the metal minerals of Southern Hunan were widely used in Yue-type bronzes, Chu-style mirrors, and Tang-period coins unearthed from Hunan. Although the Shishijiang bronzes were influenced by the Central Plain culture of the late Shang and early Zhou Dynasties, the pattern of metal mineral use was significantly different from that of bronzes unearthed from the Western Zhou royal region and feudal vassal states. This suggested that the Hunan Yue Group had a relatively independent bronze production system in early Western Zhou period, providing new insight into bronze technology development and extensive cultural interactions in Southern China.

In the second half of the Late Neolithic (4700 − 4500 cal BCE), the first malachite and copper artefacts appeared in large quantities in the territory of present-day Hungary. They are known only as grave goods such as beads, rings and bracelets. Copper artefacts are concentrated in South-eastern Transdanubia, and archaeological literature has argued that this copper wealth may have been due to the exploitation of local malachite resources in the Mecsek Mountains. In our study, we compared lead isotope and chemical composition measurements of Mecsek malachite sources, Late Neolithic malachite and copper artefacts, and other potential ore sources to investigate the provenance of the raw material of these artefacts. The results of our analysis clearly exclude the exploitation of local, Mecsek sources. The malachite and copper artefacts found in the same grave may have come from the same source in the majority of the cases. This suggests that a set of ornaments was made using either technology. Among the potential sources, several mining regions emerged, primarily in the territory of present-day Bulgaria. A group of copper artefacts with high purity, common in contemporaneous Balkan sites, may come from a single source, which remains unknown. A smaller group of artefacts might be derived from the Bihor region. These results can be interpreted as a long-distance prestige exchange network, in which a composite set of ornaments were circulated in long distances and the source areas of the raw materials and the sites where they were finally deposited were not certainly directly linked.

The isotopic composition of body tissues can provide information about diet and patterns of movement or migration during life. Here, we report δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr analyses for a small sample of fauna and for the 12 humans buried at Faraoskop, and make inferences about how these people ranged across the landscape as they hunted and foraged. δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values for collagen from cortical and cancellous bone and (for two individuals) desiccated muscle tissue are similar, reflecting consumption of isotopically similar, mostly terrestrial foods throughout life. Not all individuals had teeth preserved but for five we were able to measure ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in tooth enamel in an earlier- and a later-forming tooth. Where possible, teeth were analysed near the occlusal surface, half-way up the height of the crown and near the dentine/enamel junction, to assess variation during the period of crown formation. Only one of the five (UCT 394) showed significant intra-individual variation in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, between 0.6 and 3.5 years of age. Two individuals yielded enamel ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr like the geologically recent sediments of the coastal plain to the west of Faraoskop, while three individuals had values intermediate between the coastal plain and the more ancient shales and sandstones of the Table Mountain Group to the east. As young children, people buried at Faraoskop ranged over different areas of the local landscape, probably as part of different social groups.

Yungang Grottoes in Datong is one of the most famous stone cave temples in China. The caves have been renovated several times since they were first excavated by the royal family during the Northern Wei Dynasty (between AD 460 and AD 524), but few historical documents remain. On the basis of archaeological investigation, we collected some carbon-14 samples for testing by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and used historical documents to study the ancient renovation activities of Yungang Grottoes. We found that there were different forms and scales of renovation activities during the Northern Wei, Tang, Liao, Jin, Ming and Qing dynasties.

Traditional research approaches on pottery production based on typological and morphometric classifications have changed in favour of new lines of research. One of them is based on the study of the technological equipment used in ceramic manufacturing processes. For example, ethnographic evidence shows the use of shell tools as technological equipment in different phases of ceramic production. In this study, the methodology of use-wear analysis has been applied to the archaeomalacological material from the Neolithic site of Cabecicos Negros (Andalusia, Spain) to establish if the shells were used as work tools. This analysis has been completed with the development of an experimental program composed of two analytical and one prospective experiments, carried out to provide new data about the cardial decorative technique and to define the use-wear traces that appear on the active area of the shells after their technological use. The results obtained in this investigation show the use of shells in different stages of pottery production. On the one hand, during the modelling and regularization phase of the ceramic surface and, on the other hand, during the cardial decorative phase. In this way, through this work, it has been possible to establish that the archaeological site of Cabecicos Negros was a pottery production center where domestic pieces were made during its Neolithic occupation. In addition, these findings reaffirm the importance of shells in ceramic manufacture during the Neolithic period, mainly in terms of the technical process linked to the cardial-type of ceramic decoration.

Sustained archaeometallurgical research since 2008 has permitted the Southeast Asian Lead Isotope Project (SEALIP) to establish the general anthropological and geochemical parameters of late prehistoric and early historic regional nonferrous base metal exchange networks. A 79 artefact assemblage from the mid-late Iron Age (2^nd-8^th c. AD) settlement and residential burial site of Non Ban Jak (NBJ) in lower northeast Thailand gave an opportunity to generate a fine-grained interpretation of copper-base metal supply and demand at the cusp of mainland state formation. Previous hints that the central Thai copper production centres in the Khao Wong Prachan Valley (KWPV) were only weakly active during the Iron Age, were reinforced by the near total absence of the KWPV signature at NBJ, only 165 km to the east. Since 2011, copper production at the Vilabouly Complex (VC) in central Laos has dominated regional consumption signatures, and a simple reading of the NBJ dataset would support this thesis. However, a high-density sampling shows that VC production is not actually consistent with much of NBJ consumption, and thus we must search for other Southeast Asian copper production loci. Finally, being able to analyse multiple artefacts of a range of typologies enables us to identify material culture associations between individuals at NBJ, those at other lower northeast Thai sites, and even between individuals at contemporary sites in northwest Cambodia. Intriguingly, these potential consistencies between individuals at an international scale all concern middle-aged men, possibly reinforcing regional bioarchaeological interpretations of matrilocality.

Technological skills associated with the Paleolithic culture have been explored extensively in recent years, with regard to the production of stone tools. Aspects of skill related to the use of these tools, however, have yet to be comprehensively explored. In this paper, we use a combined experimental-traceological approach to explore aspects of skill in the use of Lower Paleolithic (LP) shaped stone balls (SSBs) as percussion tools for marrow extraction. We examine the effect of skill, or lack thereof, on the accumulation of distinctive use wear traces upon these implements, while also considering handling, grip, and body posture of skilled versus unskilled participants in our experiment. In addition, we investigate possible indicative morphologies attesting to skill level on the processed bones. The results show that the observed differences in body posture, gestures, tool gripping and handling of skilled versus unskilled individuals influenced the intensity and dispersion of wear traces on the tools. Moreover, differences were also detected with regard to the processed bones. Thus, our study shows that while we tend to think that bone-breaking is intuitive, it in fact requires planning, knowledge of bone anatomy and tool use, as well as skill and experience. We hope that these experimental insights will offer a better grounding for understanding human skill and its visible expression on material culture.

In recent years, archaeological research has demonstrated the presence of abstract non-utilitarian behaviour amongst palaeolithic hominins, fuelling discussions concerning the origin and implications of such complex behaviours. A key component in these discussions is the aesthetic and symbolic character of intentionally incised artefacts. In this study, we emphasize the geometry of the incisions as clues to intentionality. Using 3D surface analysis, we characterised incisions found on a Levallois core from Manot cave, and on a flake and retouched blade from Amud cave. In addition, we applied the same methodology to the previously published engraved Levallois core from Qafzeh and the plaquette from Quneitra. The incisions on the Manot, Qafzeh and Quneitra artefacts show similar geometric characteristics. Notably in each of these cases, the incisions form patterns that align with the artefact’s surface topography and shape. In contrast, the incisions on the Amud artefacts are shallower, with no clear orientation or patterning. The methodology applied thus creates a comparative context for MP incised items, reinforcing the interpretation of the Manot, Qafzeh and Quneitra artefacts as deliberate engravings, whereas the marks on the items from Amud are consistent with their functional use as abraders. While the Qafzeh, Quneitra and Manot items are isolated initiatives in their chronological and geographic contexts, the shared traits of the intentional engravings underscore their predetermined nature.

On the basis of multivariate statistical methods, the present paper analyzed slag inclusions trapped in iron samples from the Baozishan cemetery site in Chengdu Plain of the Eastern Han dynasty (25 AD – 220 AD). The results reveal that forged iron tools from the site were all made from bloomery iron and the only weapon was forged from fined iron. As Chengdu Plain was believed to be an iron production center with cast iron tradition, the technology change revealed in the study may be due to the abolition of the iron monopoly policy and then bloomery process became another choice for independent handicraftsmen.

In North-western Mediterranean basin, from Southern France to North-eastern Iberia, the transition from the Iron Age to Antiquity is marked by significant political, economic, and cultural changes, as well as a major shift in the body size of livestock, particularly cattle. However, the evolution of suids and caprines during this period has been less thoroughly investigated in the area. This study aims to investigate the morphological variation of sheep, goats, and pigs from the Rhône to the Ebro rivers, from the First Iron Age to Late Antiquity (eighth century BCE to sixth century CE). To this end, 1,099 caprine and 384 suid third lower molars from 96 archaeological sites were analysed using a 2D landmark and sliding semi-landmark based geometric morphometric approach. The impact of a series of socio-economic and environmental factors on the morphometric variation was tested considering time, geography, altitude, topography and urban/rural categorisation of the sites. The results indicate that while sheep teeth increased in size and differ in shape between the Second Iron Age and the end of the Roman Empire, no variation was observed in goat teeth measurements, suggesting different selection patterns for the two species over time. For suids, no differences in teeth size were detected, but differences in shape were observed throughout the chronology, possibly reflecting zootechnical improvements. While little, or no effect of different factors was found for the teeth of suids and goats, the shape of sheep teeth exhibits clear geographical structuring, along with effects of altitude, topography and site type. Thus, changes in tooth shape and size in domestic species are not the result of a single explanatory factor, but rather reflect multifactorial influences including both environmental and anthropological factors. The importance of these influences may vary over time and between species.