Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences最新文献

The contribution of multidisciplinary approaches to the study of the lifestyles of ancient populations is now well established in the literature. Mobility, nutrition and physical activity are indicators that, when considered together, can document social organisations such as patrilocality, gender practices or social status. Our study is part of this dynamic scientific work and focuses on the Middle Neolithic human remains from the site of Pontcharaud (excavation 1986; 4300 − 3900 BCE; Auvergne, France). It aims to reconstruct patterns of behaviour, life history, and social organisation, particularly in light of the site’s unique funerary features, which remain a subject of debate. New data from bioanthropological investigations (72 individuals), stable isotope measurements (bone collagen δ³⁴S from 55 individuals; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr from teeth enamel on 17 individuals) and genetic sex estimation (2 subadult individuals) were collated and integrated with contextual information, including funerary treatments, previously published isotopic data (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N), and archaeological records. Stable isotope data suggest that some females were exposed to more variable environments compared to males. Strontium and sulphur isotope ratios also indicate differences in resource exploitation (water, plants, and animals from different origin or growth conditions) and suggest a different provenance for at least two females, one of whom was buried in a stone coffin. The seven adult and immature male individuals from the site’s only multiple grave yielded distinct stable isotope results (C, N, S and, to a lesser extent, Sr), suggesting different origins and/or animal protein intake, compared to individuals buried in single or double graves. Our multidisciplinary data reveal important variability in diet, provenance, and organisation within the Pontcharaud funerary group. We propose that the seven males from the multiple gathering may have been involved in a shared activity that exposed them to the same environment—perhaps as individuals engaged in a common economic or social practice.

This study investigates natural syn- and post-depositional processes affecting terrestrial mammal bones from the Takarkori rock shelter in the hyper-arid Tadrart Acacus massif, south-western Libya. The site’s Early to Middle Holocene stratigraphy (c. 10,200–4,600 cal BP) enables diachronic and synchronic assessment of taphonomic processes critical for interpreting faunal assemblages. As biomolecular methods, among others, are increasingly applied in archaeology, detailed evaluations of preservation conditions and diagenetic alterations are essential to ensure data reliability. Using macroscopic, microscopic, and SEM-EDX analyses, this research systematically records bone surface modifications attributable to natural agents, including weathering, salt encrustation, and gnawing. The results demonstrate that fine-scale variability in exposure, sedimentation, and geochemistry has created heterogeneous preservation conditions across depositional and chronological contexts. This study aims to characterise principal natural taphonomic traces and assess their stratigraphic and chronological variability, to explore their implications for site formation processes and depositional dynamics. The findings establish a comparative framework to improve interpretations of faunal remains from archaeological contexts in arid environments and highlight the need for multidisciplinary approaches to disentangle natural and anthropogenic taphonomic processes.

The 13th century AD in southern Africa is a period associated with the emergence of class-based society and the establishment of Mapungubwe as the capital of a regional state. This study reports on ceramics excavated from four households at Bosbokpoort, a small Mapungubwe settlement situated approximately 95 km from Mapungubwe. By combining traditional stylistic analysis with chemical (pXRF) and mineralogical techniques (optical petrology), the research explores how pottery production and use reflected both regional Mapungubwe influences and local practices at the household level. The ceramic assemblage was predominantly characteristic of the Mapungubwe ceramic style, along with sherds from the Eiland ceramic facies. Mineralogical analysis indicated that the majority of the Mapungubwe ceramics at Bosbokpoort were made locally, with some produced elsewhere in the Limpopo River valley. The clay utilized in the manufacture of the Eiland ceramics were sourced from regions further to the south, where most Eiland communities occur. This approach highlights the active role of local communities in negotiating their identities and relationships within the larger Mapungubwe sociopolitical landscape.

DISH is a systemic noninflammatory condition with unknown causes, closely linked to factors such as sex, age, environmental influences, genetic predisposition, and changes in medication. In addition, certain medical conditions, including gout, metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes as well as particular populations have significant effects on the frequency of this disease. The individual examined here was unearthed from Liyarsangbon cemetery in Amlash city, situated in the Guilan, Iran. The individual is estimated to be around 35 to 40 years old. In total, the remains of 48 adults and one child were uncovered, with only one specimen showing evidence of the condition known as DISH. On the basis of preliminary typology of the artifacts discovered and grave types, the site was dated to the Parthian (247 BCE–224 CE) and in few cases to the Sassanid period (224–651 CE). Based on the paleopathological analysis of the sample under investigation, indications of pathological changes in the spine, ribs, sternum, and sacroiliac region were detected. While various potential differential diagnoses like spondyloarthropathies, Paget’s disease, metabolic diseases, and POEMS syndrome could apply to the individual, through the utilization of advanced radiological imaging technique and the established criteria related to the aforementioned conditions, the ultimate diagnosis was determined to be either DISH or eDISH.

The Upper Palaeolithic (UP) of westernmost Europe was marked by technological and cultural transformations and abrupt climatic shifts. The Iberian Peninsula, particularly southwestern Iberia, served as a refugia and key eco-cultural niche, making it a key region for UP studies. Vale Boi, the only site in southwestern Iberia with a nearly complete UP sequence, provides critical insights into technological, economical and mobility patterns over time. This study examines lithic raw material procurement and technological organisation at Vale Boi, focusing on the differences between local and non-local cherts. We analysed chert assemblages from Gravettian, Proto-Solutrean, and Solutrean levels, integrating previously published techno-typological and raw material macroscopic and petrographic data. Our results indicate that non-local cherts were intensively reduced. The presence of varied techno-typological classes suggests that non-local cherts were not exclusively transported as finished tools, instead highlighting their role as versatile, transportable raw material volumes. Gravettian occupations exhibited greater reliance on non-local cherts, suggesting short-term occupations and higher mobility, while Proto-Solutrean and Solutrean occupations showed increased dependence on local materials, suggesting long-term occupations. These findings expand our understanding of UP technological adaptations in southwestern Iberia, emphasising the complex role of lithic resources in mobility, settlement, and social networks.

Zooarchaeological analyses were performed to assess the role of Sus (i.e., boar and pig) in the subsistence economy of two representative castles, Nakijin Castle and Shuri Castle (15th to 19th centuries) on Okinawa Island, Japan. Geometric morphometric analysis revealed that archaeological assemblages of the two sites were a mixture of several lineages including modern wild boar and native domestic pigs. Specifically, the wild lineage was still a significant source of meat at Nakijin Castle even after the introduction of domestic breeds to the island in the 14th century. Conversely, domestic breeds were consumed more frequently at Shuri Castle. Dental microwear texture analysis also revealed that foraging ecologies of Sus at Nakijin Castle and modern domestic breeds fed by crops were significantly different. Significant differences were also detected between Sus at Shuri Castle and both wild lineage and stall-fed domestic pigs, which suggests that they were more likely to be maintained under a free-ranging husbandry system. The proportion of foraged individuals among the assemblages could be explained by differences in accessibility to wild resources, rather than in husbandry management techniques between the castles. The existence of wild lineage in the two representative castles suggests that hunting of pigs played an important role even after a hierarchical society was established on Okinawa Island.

During the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, migrations and the advent of working bronze alloy materials triggered profound cultural, social, and economic shifts across Central Europe. As a result of this processes, many communities with distinct archaeological and cultural characteristics emerged during the Central European Early Bronze Age (between circa 2200/2100 and 1600/1500 BC) in Central Europe, and with the Middle Bronze Age of the Carpathian Basin (between 2000/1900 and 1500/1450 BC). This study examines the biological relationships among these populations through biodistance analyses, aiming to clarify connections between cultural and biological affinities within the emerging heterogeneous communities. Craniometric and population graph analyses highlight the Danube’s complex role as a barrier to gene flow across Early Bronze Age communities. The population graph analysis suggests varying connectivity among male and female groups. Beside geographical location and sex-biased mobility, population admixture may have had an impact on the formation of population structure in the Early Bronze Age, as communities north of the Danube have more connections to Corded Ware cultures, whereas southern groups are more closely associated with Bell Beaker populations.

This study examines the trajectories of granite column shafts in medieval Pisa as a proxy for shedding light on its architectural and economic history. Using magnetic susceptibility measurements on a sample of 201 shafts, we were able to identify the origins of granite from quarries in Elba, Corsica, Sardinia, Anatolia, and Egypt. By associating the origins of the columns with the chronology of the buildings and the morphology of the individual shafts, it is possible to trace some characteristics of the dynamics of material procurement and trade in the early and late Middle Ages. Findings reveal organized material procurement, with reused shafts particularly prevalent in 11th-century churches, which highlights the role of columns in the formal and symbolic language of city. The research demonstrates how the integration of archaeometric analyses and the study of urban topography could foster a more comprehensive understanding of material reuse and resource management in medieval urban centres.

This study presents a comprehensive investigation of a Roman metallic inkwell, identified as a Biebrich type typical of the first half of the 1st century CE, which was unearthed in the ancient town of Conimbriga, Portugal and remarkably preserved residues of its original ink. A multi-analytical methodology was employed to characterise both the alloy used in the inkwell production and the type of ink, integrating elemental techniques (X-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive) and spectroscopy with molecular analyses (chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, analytical pyrolysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy). The results revealed that the inkwell, which was cast from a bronze alloy consisting of copper, tin and lead, contained ink residues that were primarily composed of amorphous carbon, which was derived from the combustion of organic matter and mixed with beeswax as a binder. Additional components included calcite and phosphate groups consistent with bone black, along with iron, indicative of a mixture with iron-gall ink components. This study identifies a rare example of ‘mixed ink’ at Conimbriga, providing direct archaeological evidence that advances debates on the chronology, diversity, and transmission of ink technologies in the Roman world. This find represents the first documented Biebrich type inkwell discovered on the Iberian Peninsula, significantly expanding the known geographical distribution of this artifact type and offering new insights into Roman writing technologies and trade networks in the western provinces.