Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences最新文献

People, wolves, and dogs have interacted in various ways for millennia, but most aspects of these relationships remain poorly understood. Understanding canid age at death can provide insights into these relationships and how they vary geographically, temporally, and by species. Existing methods for ageing canids are limited, highlighting a need for a method that is pragmatic, reliable, and stems from a population of known age individuals. This study uses 368 known-age modern wolves from Alberta, Yellowstone National Park, and the Northwest Territories to examine how tooth wear rates correlate with age. Wolves are employed in this study because they have relatively restricted body sizes and diets, especially in comparison to modern dogs. Our results show a moderately strong correlation (r<-0.63 for all measurements) between tooth crown height and age when examined across the total wolf sample. Correlations improve when populations are examined individually, with the NWT wolves yielding a correlation of -0.83 for the mandibular M1-2 dimension. Body size, sexual dimorphism, and diet likely influence the variance seen in crown heights and their relationship to age, though the differences are statistically insignificant in many of our samples. Using tooth crown heights to age archaeological dogs will be more difficult due to the increased variation in body size, diet, and living conditions. Crown height measurements will be most informative about age at death when correlations are established for specific, local populations of wolves and dogs. Ultimately, the use of multiple ageing methods, including crown height measurements, cementum ageing, and perhaps cranial suture closure and obliteration, will produce the most reliable results for ancient canid remains.

The case study addresses the question of the early medieval revival of copper production in Europe. The focus of the research area is the Carpathian Basin, located on the eastern periphery of the zone influenced by European early medieval processes. The research of where and when early medieval metal production started in the region in our case also provides answers to the question of how the region was linked to the European continental economic network, which is until recently an unresolved problem. Ore extraction and the production of various non-ferrous metals (copper, silver, gold) had important centres in the Carpathian Mountains throughout the Middle Ages until the Modern Era. Concerning the Avar period, our study comprises lead isotope and chemical analyses of ‘Late Avar’ (c. 8th century AD) copper rivets, used for certain purposes alongside the copper alloys predominant in the period. As rivets were selected from the entire Avar cultural area, expanding virtually to all lowland and hilly areas in the Carpathian Basin, results are representative of the entire region. It shows that Avar craftsmen producing large quantities of copper alloy objects in the 8th and the early 9th century were supplied with copper from a single mining district, from the ore deposits of the Slovak Ore Mountains in the today Central Slovakia, a region which became an important metal-processing centre in the 11th century AD.

Herein, the gilt-bronze Gaigongmao (chariot parasol components) were excavated in the Dafenbao cemetery, Pengshan county, Sichuan province, China. This paper illustrates the parasols virtual restoration pictures and infers its usage. The samples were characterized by combining ultra-depth three-dimensional microscope (Ultra-depth 3D microscope), attenuated total internal reflectance fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), scanning electron microscope (EDS), element mapping, and wood species identification. The fibers around the Gaigongmao were detected as cotton threads, and the woods inside was bamboo, thus, the type of the parasol was indicated to be the San type. The gilding technology of the gilt-bronze was resulted of traditional mercury amalgam technology, and the traditional “Yaguang” technique can be observed in the SEM images. By comparing with the other data, the lead isotope date of the Gaigongmao was determined to be within the range of the Yangtze River basin.

This review aims to summarise the outcomes, methods, and ideas of shellfish seasonality studies of the last 50 years. With the start of using mollusc shells as indicator of seasonal subsistence and mobility, a range of methods and approaches were used to better understand past human use of the marine (and riverine) environment. I have collated information from over 70 studies and over 400 sites to provide and compare information regarding their seasonality, their spatial and temporal distribution, their species of interest, their sample sizes and methods of determining season. In addition, I have selected several case studies that spotlight and emphasise ideas and important aspects of seasonality research which are worth reintegrating into current studies, chiefly among them the reliance on adequate modern reference studies. I further show that even today, the time investment and general lack of modern and local reference studies are one of the major problems in the study of shell seasonality.

Large, immovable rammed earth buildings in UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites are at serious risk of disaster due to environmental changes. In this study, the rammed earth city walls (REWs) located in the Ancient City of Ping Yao, a World Cultural Heritage site, affected by heavy precipitation in early October 2021, were used as the research object. The study aimed to specify the details of deterioration through multiple indicator data collection, semi-quantitatively evaluate the degree of deterioration of REWs, and investigate the causes of typical deterioration in REWs with different spatial distributions under the influence of heavy precipitation. Based on the current research and experimental data, and considering the mode of action and form of deterioration, a classification system for the landslide-like collapses of REWs under the influence of precipitation was constructed. Factors such as the influence of heavy precipitation and the REWs' intrinsic features resulted in significant variations in structural properties and deterioration development of REWs with different spatial distribution characteristics. Finally, based on the research in this paper and the conservation ideology of cultural relics that respects the original and minimizes intervention, we propose protection recommendations for the daily management and conservation of the REWs to provide guidance for future research.

For over a century, scholars have presented several proposals regarding the paint application tools used to create Levantine rock art. However, such proposals have largely rested on theoretical assumptions and inductive inferences that have not been rigorously tested. In this experimental investigation, we compiled these hypotheses and crafted 60 tools that were tested through systematic experiments to assess their performance and technical affordances for the creation of images with techno-visual features equivalent to those of the Levantine paintings. These experiments allowed us to obtain analytical parameters with independent validation, which were used as diagnostic criteria to analyse the rock art from nine sites located in eastern Spain. Results reveal that out of 60 tools, only 10 –five hair brushes, three plant brushes, and two feather brushes–afforded the production of images with techno-visual features highly similar to those of the archaeological paintings. Subsequently, we employed these tools to paint 10 full-size replicas of Levantine motifs, aiming to explore their potential role in the toolkit of prehistoric painters. Drawing on the data from both the systematic and the replicative experiments, and taking into account the level of labour investment required by the technical operations that permeate the production of the paint application tools, we suggest that Levantine technology was not based on an economic logic aimed at minimizing the costs associated with producing the images, but rather on a perspective where the priority was creating paintings with specific techno-visual qualities that reinforced the information transmitted through the graphic code.

Pre-Roman glass craftsmanship reached its summit with the development of complex polychrome glass beads, being the Phoenician glass pendants the most exquisite and elaborate example. The uniqueness and complexity of such findings could reveal key information for the understanding of the production and trade of glass pieces at that age. However, these findings have practically never been studied from a physic-chemical perspective. In this work, a remarkable polychrome glass pendant (2nd -1st c. BC) found at the archaeological site of Pintia (Padilla de Duero, Valladolid, Spain) is studied by a multi-analytical non-destructive approach, employing X-ray tomography to understand its fabrication procedure, as well as X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Raman spectroscopy, both employed in microscopic mode, to determine the composition of each glass employed in its fabrication. The outstanding preservation state and well-defined archaeological context of this glass pendant offered a unique opportunity to expand the understanding of pre-Roman glass pieces, while the combination of the experimental techniques employed provided the first complete and detailed study of a Phoenician glass pendant. The fabrication procedure of the pendant has been identified step-by-step, showing evidence of the use of pre-made pieces for the eyes, as well as hints of its fabrication in a secondary workshop. Moreover, the microchemical analysis of the vividly colored glasses by XRF and Raman spectroscopy revealed a composition compatible with the use of natron as fluxing agent, typical of Phoenician glass, the presence of surface alterations corresponding to carbonatation processes, as well as the nature of the employed chromophores or pigments: Mn, Cu, and Co for the blue, Fe-S for the black, CaSb₂O₇ and CaSb₂O₇ + TiO₂ for two diverse white glasses, and a pyrochloric triple oxide (Pb₂Sb_2 − xSn_xO_7−x/2) and lead oxides for the yellow. Remarkably, the use of pyrochloric triple oxides as yellow pigments has scarcely been previously reported at that age. Finally, the identification by Raman spectroscopy of CaSb₂O₇ and the β-phase of CaSiO₃, as well as the Raman spectra features of the glass matrix corresponding to the blue glass, indicated maximum firing temperatures below 1100 °C.

During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770–222 BC), a large number of bronze arrowheads were unearthed from the Chu tombs, which is of great significance to the study of bronze weapons in the Chu state. However, little is known about the production technology, mode, and provenance of the raw materials for bronze weapons in the Chu state. Therefore, we conducted archaeometallurgical analyses of 16 bronze arrowheads excavated from the Yuwan cemetery using metallographic microscopy, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, and multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results indicate that the arrowheads are all copper-tin–lead ternary alloys with a high tin content and adequate mechanical properties. The differences in the production process, lead–tin content, and copper groups indicate that bronze arrowheads were produced at a high rate and in multiple batches. Furthermore, comparative lead isotope studies of galena from different regions revealed that during the Warring States period, the Chu state possessed a strong supply network of metal resources, and after occupying regions with abundant metal resources, it was transported to the Chu state for bronze production.

The Late Bronze Age is characterized by the increasing homogenization of material culture and the prevalence of urn burials. The cemetery of Inzersdorf, located in the Lower Traisen Valley, Austria, is used to investigate whether changes in burial practices during the Late Bronze Age were locally driven or influenced by external factors. This study interprets strontium isotope data from 215 calcined human bone samples in the context of a local baseline established from 163 modern plant samples (55 locations) within a 10 km radius of Inzersdorf. Complementary Correspondence Analysis and ¹⁴C dates were used to identify chronological changes. The high-density sampling carried out in the Traisen Valley for bioavailable strontium (BASr) enabled the differentiation of people who mainly sourced their food from the valley or the hills. A diachronic shift in land use was identified, with the main food resource obtained from the hills for the earlier and the valley providing most of the foods for the later phase of the cemetery, which is more distinct in men than in women. Five individuals with isotopic values that differed from the main population were identified, one of which has an ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.7061 falling below the BASr baseline created with the modern plant data. While the latter may indicate metal-related travel, the other four individuals may be interpreted as inhabitants of single farmsteads. Additionally, an individual with a significant shift in isotopic values between the petrous bone and long bone was identified, indicating changing local food sources over the individual’s life.

Late Antiquity Dalmatia was a time and place of political unrest in the Roman Empire that influenced the lives of those in that region. The Late Antique burial site of Hvar – Radošević, spanning the 3rd to 5th centuries CE, is located on the Croatian Dalmatian island of Hvar. Given the time frame and location on a busy marine trade route, the study of this burial site offers us a glimpse into the lives of the Late Antique population living on this island. It comprises 33 individuals, with 17 buried within a confined grave tomb and the remaining individuals buried in separate locations in the tomb's proximity. The study aims to provide a new perspective on the lives of people on the island during those times by studying ancestry, population structure, possible differences within the buried population, dietary habits, and general health. The genetic analysis of the ancestral origins of the individuals buried at Hvar – Radošević revealed a diverse population reflective of the era's genetic variability. The identification of genetic outliers suggests a range of ancestries from distinct regions of the Roman Empire, possibly linked to trade routes associated with the Late Antique port in ancient Hvar. Stable isotope ratio analysis (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) indicated a diet mainly consisting of C₃ plants, with minimal consumption of marine foods. High childhood mortality rates, physiological stress markers, and dental diseases suggest a low quality of life in the population. Assessment of kinship and dietary patterns revealed no discernible distinctions between individuals buried within the tomb and those buried outside, indicative of an absence of differential burial practices based on social status and familial ties among this specific buried population.