Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences最新文献

During the late Bronze and Early Iron Age, population dynamics in central Italy gave rise to nucleated settlements that went on to become some of western Europe’s earliest and most powerful cities. Between 1000 and 500 BCE, these centres transformed from village agglomerations into organised urban settlements as part of a regional political system. While the key archaeological features and architectural transformations that characterise this period are well established, site formation processes and the intra-settlement spaces and activities underpinning them are less defined, especially for the earliest phases. To gain new insights on the transformation into urban settlements in a Mediterranean context, this research systematically investigates – for the first time – the micromorphology of archaeological sediments of an urban settlement of the first half of the first millennium BCE. Here we present a micro-contextual analysis from Tarquinia (central Italy), one of the most important sites for understanding central Mediterranean urbanisation and community formation, a prominent pre-Roman city and centre of the Etruscan religion and political activity. On-going excavations have unravelled an extensive part of the city and yielded important evidence of ritual activity around the so-called ‘monumental complex’ (1st millennium BCE). Targeting 4 areas with high preservation of deposits of the city’s early formative processes, this work integrates archaeological soil micromorphology, physico-chemical and geochemical analyses to reconstruct the depositional and post-depositional processes of the archaeological layers across the ‘monumental complex’ of Tarquinia. This study sheds new light on fills of earthen pits, linking them to the dumping of occupational and production debris and accumulation of animal penning residues. It also adds detailed insights into the composition of traffic surfaces and highlights the integration of ritual spaces within urban formation processes. Results demonstrate the variability of sedimentary microfacies that can occur in protohistoric sites of Central Italy and adds significant micro-contextual evidence to the understanding of urban, ritual, and socio-economic across Etruscan settlements, ultimately highlighting the critical role of archaeological sediments in tracing shifting phases of use at the emergence of early urbanisation in the Mediterranean region.

This study presents a pilot systematic analysis of rotative grinding stones from the highland site of El Castellot de Bolvir (La Cerdanya, eastern Pyrenees), occupied continuously from the Late Bronze Age to the Roman Republican period. Focusing on the transitional phase between the Late Iron Age and early Roman influence (3rd–2nd centuries BCE), the research combines typological and microbotanical (phytolith) records to investigate domestic food production strategies and the role of grinding technologies. The assemblage reveals a standardized and specialized use of granite rotative grinding stones (namely catilli and metae), indicative of cereal processing practices. Phytolith results indicate the nature of the processed matter, including hulled barley, free-threshing wheat, and broomcorn millet, consistent with macrobotanical records at the site suggesting broader regional patterns of intensified agriculture and technological adaptation. This work fills a critical gap in Pyrenean archaeobotanical and technological studies and contributes to a more nuanced understanding of household economies and food technologies during a critical period of socio-political transformations driven by Romanization in northeastern Iberia.

In southeastern Iberia use-wear analyses have not been explored as a proxy for a better understanding of the social, economic and cultural meanings of prehistoric lithic tools. The recent excavation of nine dolmens in the Panoría cemetery (3600 − 2100 cal BC), four of them largely undisturbed, offers an excellent opportunity for a fine-grained study of lithic grave goods. Blades, arrowheads and geometric microliths were the types of objects selected to be deposited at the Panoría dolmens. Use-wear analysis shows the deposition of blades previously used in farming and textile activities or with no evidence of use but in optimal working conditions. Arrowheads and microliths use-wear indicate their use as projectiles. However, some arrowheads are also found without use-wear, probably having been specifically crafted for ritual purposes, especially those with extremely developed barbs. Cross-referencing lithic typology, frequency and use-wear from each tomb with the osteological analysis reveals a positive correlation between the activities identified by the blade use-wear analysis and the intense physical effort evidenced by musculoskeletal stress markers. In contrast, there is a negative correlation between the projectiles and traumatic injuries. Lithic tools found at Panoría can be linked to different social realms, from daily activities to more restricted ritual purposes.

During the Middle and Late Bronze Age (c. 1650 − 1150 cal yr BCE), the Terramare culture played a crucial role in the development of both regional and interregional trade networks of the Po Plain of northern Italy, particularly through the production and exchange of metal artefacts. While substantial research has focused on the bronze objects themselves, the technical aspects of metal production, such as refining, alloying and recycling methods, remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap by analysing a series of metallurgical by-products from the Terramara Santa Rosa di Poviglio site, including crucible fragments, and secondary metal remains. Utilising Digital Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy combined with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), we investigate the technical practices involved in copper and bronze production at the site. The results indicate the local processing of partially refined copper ingots, intentional alloying of copper and tin, and the recycling of bronze, demonstrating specialised metallurgical expertise. Moreover, these findings suggest that Santa Rosa di Poviglio was deeply integrated into long-distance trade networks, acquiring raw copper and tin for alloying and production of high-quality metal objects. Overall, this research enhances our understanding of Middle and Late Bronze Age metalworking practices and the socio-economic dynamics of the Terramare culture, paving the way for further studies on metallurgical techniques at other Bronze Age sites of the area to explore regional variations and broader economic connections.

Ancient paper artifacts in China are exceedingly rich, encompassing a variety of ancient papers from different historical periods, including the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) to the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911 AD). The Dove Cave site, located approximately 200 km north of Beijing in Longhua (隆化) county, has unearthed paper fragments dating to the late Yuan Dynasty (Yuan Dynasty, 1271–1368 AD; the latest date of the site’s documents is 1362 AD). This was the first systematic archaeological excavation of ancient papers in areas surrounding the metropolis of Beijing, providing valuable samples for understanding papermaking and paper usage in the late fourteenth century in northern China. With aims to decode its manufacturing crafts, this study was carried out via SEM‒EDS, FTIR, and Py-GC/MS to investigate the utilization of papermaking fibers and the composition of sizing reagents. The results revealed that the paper fragments utilized paper mulberry and hemp fibers and were treated with egg white as sizing glue, a first discovery and report of such sizing agent in ancient Chinese handmade paper treatment. As a result, through the micro-damage analysis for the conservation and research of paper artifacts, a deeper understanding of the raw materials and manufacturing processes of ancient paper was obtained, which provides additional insights for substantiating the development of ancient papermaking.

Manthai served as a port emporium on the Maritime Silk Roads and an intermediary between the Near and Far Eastern realms for over 1000 years. The 1980–1984 excavations conducted by the late Professor John Carswell yielded material goods supporting the importance of Manthai within this extensive trade network. These included glass, some thought to have been produced locally and some believed to be imported from the Islamic world. To better understand the role of Manthai in provisioning glasses for the Silk Roads, 21 8th -13th century AD samples were analysed by LA-ICP-MS for major, minor and trace elements. Results have provided evidence for varied compositions within the Manthai glass samples. There is a m-Na-Al 1 subgroup, to which a sample of raw crucible glass, other raw glass samples and a bangle fragment belong. Samples made using plant ash glass exhibit greater compositional variability, including two subgroups linked to the site of Samarra, some broadly ‘Mesopotamian’ glasses and two samples likely produced in Central Asia. The results have demonstrated that finished objects were imported from the Islamic World and that glass, possibly produced in the region around Manthai, was used in secondary glass working to supply the Maritime Silk Road. This adds to the evidence for the multi-faceted activities conducted at Manthai including the production and/or shipment of glasses through Manthai, for the Maritime Silk Roads. We have contributed to the overall evidence for glasses travelling along the maritime and terrestrial Eurasian Silk Roads and helped to define interactions across them.

The Painted Decorated Ware (hereafter PDW) tradition in Western Anatolia represents distinctive ceramic production techniques and decorative styles, featuring a large number of geometric motifs. Originating at the beginning of the 16th century BCE, this tradition gained increasing importance during the Late Bronze Age, particularly from the 14th to the 12th centuries BCE. This study discusses the production and technological characteristics of Late Bronze Age PDW from Aşağıseyit Höyük, located in the Çal district of Denizli Province, Western Anatolia. As the first comprehensive archaeometric analysis of PDW from the Upper Meander Basin, this research provides valuable insights into local ceramic traditions and technological practices. A representative selection of 35 samples from a collection of 150 PDW fragments from Aşağıseyit Höyük was analyzed through a multidisciplinary archaeometric methods, including petrographic, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), and X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) analyses. The results revealed five distinct fabric groups, indicating varied strategies for raw material procurement, with a predominant use of local clay sources. XRPD analyses indicated that the ceramics were primarily fired at temperatures ranging between 800 and 850 °C, under both oxidizing and reducing atmospheres. The results demonstrate the presence of a well-established local tradition of painted ceramics, characterized by regional stylistic preferences rather than by direct external influences such as Mycenaean or Hittite ceramic production.

In Palaeolithic research, there has always been a need to understand the relationship between mobility, territoriality and the resource exploitation of hunter-gatherer groups. In the present study, we combine the data obtained from the archaeopetrological analysis of chert tools, which include textural, micropalaeontological and geochemical analyses, with geographic information to explore mobility in the Pyrenees region. We have applied computational techniques of spatial analysis, specifically Least-Cost Paths, to identify key natural routes and connectivity areas between chert outcrops and the archaeological site of Montlleó. The site, which is located in the middle of the Pyrenean valley of Cerdanya, has provided ample evidence that the region was already populated by past human groups during the Upper Palaeolithic. Archaeological works at Montlleó point to a long sequence of human occupations dated to between 23,000 cal BP and 17,000 cal BP during the Late Glacial Maximum. Studies focusing on the characterization of the lithic industry have revealed a polylithological toolkit, with chert being the rock in greatest use. The archaeopetrological analysis has shown the existence of a wide variety of exploited chert, which came from both sides of the Pyrenees mountain range. As a result, it has been possible to identify the natural routes of passage and infer the territoriality and social interactions of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer groups who settled in the Pyrenees.

We model 170 radiocarbon dates from 16 Late Archaic and Formative sites to build a multi-scalar chronology for the Kotosh Religious Tradition (KRT). Within the KRT we differentiate the highly codified Mito Tradition (MT) from the more variable Kotosh Broad Tradition (KBT), estimating start–end boundaries for each using OxCal with IntCal20/SHCal20 calibration (Mixed curve for highland contexts) and explicit outlier models. The synthesis resolves three episodes of activity. Phase 1, ~ 3400 BCE (4004–2991 BCE, 95.4%) to ~ 3000 BCE (3280–2680 BCE, 95.4%), marks the onset of the KRT, confined to Huaricanga and expressed in a coastal KBT form—the earliest materialization of the fire-offering canon later standardized inland. Phase 2, ~ 2700 BCE (2800–2565 BCE, 95.4%) to ~ 1200 BCE (1260–1097 BCE, 95.4%), represents the principal expansion and overlap of KBT and MT, when coastal and highland communities co-produced a shared ritual grammar. Phase 3, ~ 800 BCE (1001–544 BCE, 95.4%) to ~ 550 BCE (750–200 BCE, 95.4%), captures a terminal revival of fire-centric architecture at a limited number of sites, expressed mainly in the MT. Modeled intervals between phases have median durations of ~ 295 year (0–590 year, 95.4%) and ~ 407 year (170–620 year, 95.4%), indicating episodic—not continuous—adoption and elaboration of fire-centric architecture. Anchoring Bayesian boundaries to architectural canonicity provides a transparent, replicable framework for reconstructing the tempo and trajectory of early Andean ritual practice.

Technological choices in pottery production, particularly the selection of raw materials, are much discussed for prehistoric periods but have received little scholarly attention in the case of Late Imperial China. In this paper, zisha teapots, which became China’s main tea preparation vessels over the course of the 15th–twentieth century, are presented as a case study to explore the complexity underlying potters’ raw material selection in historic periods. A total of 187 excavated zisha sherds was analysed using optical microscopy, semi-quantitative chemical analysis via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and ImageJ analysis of SEM backscatter spectrum images. These zisha sherds date from the Ming dynasty to the Republican period (1368–1949) and were recovered from Shushan kiln site. SEM–EDX analysis combined with image manipulation in ImageJ revealed changes in the clay recipe over time, including an increase in iron oxide variation and increasing fineness of clay particle sizes, suggesting an expanded colour range and refinement of the clay paste. Combining these findings with an examination of the geological setting of the mining locations, the clay procurement sequence, the clay-processing techniques used by the potters, and texts discussing clay colour and texture appreciation, this study demonstrates the complexity of the potters’ raw material choices in Late Imperial China and illustrates how these factors can be elucidated through a combination of scientific analysis of archaeological material, examination of geological samples, visual analysis, and reference to historical sources.