Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences最新文献

The funerary rituals in Viking Age Scandinavia are known by their complexity and diversity including inhumation, boat burials, and cremation. Cremations have been extensively studied macroscopically, but the application of geochemical techniques, although highly informative to investigate cremation in more detail, have not been widely explored yet. In the Viking Age the inclusion of both animals and humans on the funeral pyres makes research challenging. In the present study, we demonstrate the usefulness of molecular analysis (ATR-FTIR), direct mercury analysis (DMA) and analytical colour (in the CIELab space) for the characterization of Viking Age cremated remains of a human individual buried with dogs, a horse, a cat, and other animals – as well as evaluate macroscopic methods for assessing the temperature of burning. We demonstrate that the spectroscopic signal is highly correlated with analytical colour parameters, and with mercury concentration (still present in bones exposed at high temperatures). Mercury concentration was higher in human bones than animals’, suggesting an ante-mortem exposure. Human bones were probably heated at temperatures between 900 and 1100 °C, while animals were cremated at lower temperature. We also identified a secondary cremation in a layer previously interpreted as a badger burrow. A new Mid Infrared index (MIR-index, _TPV), is proposed, and we suggest that the cyanamide band is related to oxygen availability during burning. For the macroscopic method, we recommend splitting the white colour category into two based on bone porosity, to better qualify higher temperatures.

Sicily served as a nexus of connectivity in the ancient Mediterranean, with new ideas and technologies – especially concerning water – emerging from collaboration and competition between multiple communities. An area of ongoing investigation is understanding how mortar technology developed on the island, and what factors influenced its dissemination. To address these questions, the waterproof linings of nine water features from the neighbouring sites of Selinunte (ancient Selinous) and Agrigento (ancient Akragas) were collected. Both sites originated as Greek colonies, but experienced episodes of Punic and Roman hegemony, facilitating the emergence of complex hydraulic networks inspired by multiple socio-technological influences. To investigate the effect of these different communities, 22 mortar specimens that dated from the mid-6th century BCE to the 1st century CE were studied using archaeological and instrumental techniques that included microscopic, digital image and elemental analyses, as well as a novel application of µX-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy (µXFM). Using the multiple data sets produced by these different analyses, this study established a preliminary chronology of waterproof lining technology at Selinunte and Agrigento. It also contextualised evidence of technological change within the broader history of ancient Sicily to demonstrate that growing interconnectivity facilitated the development and transmission of complex hydraulic technologies in the ancient Central Mediterranean.

This paper evaluates the potential of in-depth chronological and functional analysis of prehistoric pottery (4th millennium BCE) from the Grotte di Sant’Angelo Cave Complex, located in the municipality of Cassano allo Ionio (Calabria, Southern Italy). The underground system, formed by sulfuric acid speleogenesis, features a floor scattered with depressions, holes, and fractures of different depths hosting archaeological materials. A number of these contexts in the so-called ‘Trivio’ area, excavated in 2017 and reported on here, provide an excellent opportunity to pioneer a combined archaeological and scientific contextual approach to unravelling the use of pottery in the Grotte di Sant’Angelo Cave Complex through time. The approach chosen first establishes the chronology of pots through typological comparisons with sites offering key stratigraphic sequences for prehistoric material culture present in the Italian peninsula and islands. Next, a functional study is presented that focusses on the use-related morphological properties of the pots, their performance characteristics, and preserved organic residues. Based on presentation and evaluation of the resulting data, the authors then proceed to propose hypotheses on the use and meaning of the various pottery shapes present in individual contexts from the Trivio zone cave floor contexts. At a more general level, the aim of the authors is to show how a contextual approach, combining several research tools for pottery analysis can make an important contribution to the toolbox of scholars working in European cave archaeology, thereby increasing the discipline’s potential of resolving theoretically informed questions about human-cave entanglements in later prehistory.

Tooth blackening, the deliberate modification of teeth to achieve a lustrous black appearance, is well documented in modern Vietnam, but its ancient practice remains elusive. This study applies chemical analyses to Iron Age human teeth from the Dong Xa site in northern Vietnam, dated to approximately 2000 years ago. By integrating compositional results with ethnographic parallels and experimental controls, we identify a diagnostic signature of tooth blackening in ancient samples, pointing to iron salts, likely combined with tannin-rich substances, as the primary active components responsible for the coloring process. This research clarifies both the antiquity and the distinctive techniques of tooth blackening in Vietnam, establishing a non-destructive methodological framework for archaeologically identifying such practices. From its emergence at sites associated with the renowned Dong Son bronze culture, through its continuity in later historical accounts and recent memories, tooth blackening underscores a culturally embedded expression of identity within wider networks of interregional interaction and exchange.

Amazonite, a microcline feldspar gemstone, holds archaeological significance as a marker of ancient trade and cultural exchange. Despite its global prehistoric use, research on Chinese amazonite remains limited due to misidentification and fragmented data. This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of 39 amazonite artifacts from the Dongshantou site in Jilin Province (2500–2000 BP), employing digital microscopy, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, colorimetry, elemental analysis (ICP-MS), and lead isotope tracing. The findings reveal advanced craftsmanship, including spiral drilling marks, asymmetrical perforations, and evidence of repurposing. FTIR suggests organic contamination and structural water loss, while Raman spectroscopy indicates structural ordering differences. Colorimetric and geochemical analysis shows that white or pale-colored areas have low K and high Na, likely albite. Rb contributes to amazonite’s green hue, and its strong correlation with Tl suggests geochemical coupling. Pb isotope ratios classify the samples into three groups, linked to sources in the North China Craton and Hinggan geochemical province. Additionally, trace element patterns help distinguish one group. The prominence of amazonite in Northeast China suggests a regional cultural preference, with possible diffusion westward and southward over 2000 years ago. This study establishes a scientific framework for amazonite research, integrating material science with archaeology to reconstruct prehistoric exchange networks.

This study focuses on microstructure, chemistry, and patina characterisation of eleven archaeological bronze artefacts from two contexts of the Middle Tiber Valley (Viterbo, Central Italy). The samples were unearthed in the cistern at Spoletino (1^st -4^th century AD) and in the late Roman-early Medieval necropolis of Castel Sozzio (5^th-7^th century AD). They were analysed using optical microscopy (OM), micro-Raman spectroscopy (µ-Raman), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), and electrochemical investigations. OM explored corrosion products on the surfaces, highlighting mineralogical and structural heterogeneity of the patinas. SEM-EDS analysis showed the presence of binary (Cu-Sn) and ternary (Cu-Pb-Sn) alloys with minor and trace elements. The binary alloys were used for good hardness artefacts, and the ternary ones for those that required easy metal working. Selective enrichment and depletion of the alloying metals produced broad chemical variations and structural heterogeneity in the patinas. Micro-Raman spectroscopy revealed different corrosion products such as cuprite (Cu₂O), lazurite (Na₇Ca(Al₆Si₆O₂₄)(SO₄)(S₃)·H₂O), malachite (CuCO₃Cu(OH)₂), and phosgenite (Pb₂Cl₂CO₃). The presence of lazurite in two samples was linked to sulphur-rich burial environments, while phosgenite was linked to the interactions with Cl and a CO₂-rich burial environment. Metallurgical practices, such as slow cooling rates and lead segregation during casting, promoted mineralogical and structural heterogeneity in the patinas due to interactions with the burial environment, where decomposition of organic matter occurred. Electrochemical data permitted the estimation of the corrosion rates for all artefacts at remarkably low levels (0–0.1 mm/year), reflecting stable burial conditions and the protective nature of the patinas. These results suggest that the burial environments in the Middle Tiber Valley were non-aggressive, facilitating the development of layered patinas influenced primarily by oxygen and carbon dioxide from humus-rich soils, with a lesser contribution from salts.

Tectonic processes profoundly influenced the dispersal, evolution, and archaeological record of our Paleolithic ancestors. However, in-depth reconstructions of human resilience against seismic events come mostly from contexts dating to the last 13,000 years. Here, we present geophysical, geological, geochronological, and archaeological data from the open-air site of Vale Boy in southwestern Iberia, revealing how foragers mitigated earthquake impacts between ~ 30,000 and 24,000 years ago. At Vale Boi, faulting formed sedimentary traps that were recurrently exploited by hunter-gatherers and periodically buried by rockfalls, likely triggered by ≥ 5.7 Mw earthquakes. Despite seismic destruction, hunter-gatherers repeatedly returned to the site, drawn by its strategic access to key resources. They mitigated seismic risks by increasing their mobility and even abandoning Vale Boi, as seen during the Gravettian and at the early/late Proto-Solutrean transition. When seismic and climatic stressors co-occurred (Heinrich Event 2), they did not abandon the site. Instead, they adopted strategies to limit their exposure to rockfall hazard while securing access to increasingly vital coastal and estuarine resources. Until the early Proto-Solutrean, tightly knit social networks supported the survival of Vale Boi foragers during periods of high stress, such as the aftermath of seismic rockfalls. During the late Proto-Solutrean, an expansion of super-regional connections might have functioned as a proactive buffer against future tectonic shocks. Our findings demonstrate that forager resilience to seismic events relied on flexible adjustments in mobility and social connectivity. Despite limitations deriving from its single-site focus, this study underscores the value of deep archaeological sequences for disentangling human responses to intertwined geological and ecological pressures.

Fregellae was founded in 328 BCE as a Roman colony on the via Latina, near the confluence of the Sacco and Liri rivers in southern Lazio, Italy. Goods were imported from other centres in the region and through long distance trade via the nearby port of Minturnae on the Tyrrhenian coast. The city was destroyed in 125 BCE and never rebuilt. The typo-morphological study of the coarse ware indicates that the city was multi-cultural at the time of its destruction, and that its inhabitants used pottery common to the regional Roman-Latin (RL) traditions as well as those of Magna Graecia (MG) and southern Italy. This article adopts a multi-analytical approach to identify the technology and provenance of this RL and MG pottery and to shed light on the communities that produced it. The results indicate that potters at Fregellae used an Fe-rich, Ca-poor, illite-muscovite clay, possibly sourced from nearby alluvial sediments, to produce RL and MG pottery. The coarse inclusions consist of alluvial sand, comprising a natural mix of quartz, carbonate fragments and volcanic inclusions, and the pottery was fired around 850 °C under well-controlled conditions. Only one sample has an anomalous composition and appears to have been imported. These results tentatively suggest that potters used the same raw materials, paste recipes and firing processes to produce RL and MG pottery – only the shapes differ.