Archaeometry最新文献

The Hengduan Mountains are located on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where farmers began to settle 6000 years ago. Animal husbandry plays a significant role in the sustenance economies of agricultural civilizations. It is unclear how Neolithic people acquired animal resources in the Hengduan Mountains. We explore animal geographical origins and feeding practices using the strontium, carbon, and oxygen isotope composition of tooth enamel at the Guijiabao and Yingpanshan sites during the Neolithic Age in the Hengduan Mountains. Multi-isotopic evidence demonstrates that animals originate from several different regions with diverse foods. Guijiabao domestic dogs and pigs with a mixed C₃/C₄ diet share a similarly broad dietary spectrum with humans as enclosed animals, but the other pigs are wild boars with a C₃ diet, likely free-range animals or directly captured as meat resources. Yingpanshan dogs and pigs are both domestic animals with a mixed C₃/C₄ or C₄-based diet, but pigs with different ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios are likely raised by dispersed feeding modes. The inhabitants had diverse approaches for obtaining animal resources, including husbandry, hunting, and exchange. Diverse animal subsistence patterns are closely related to the complex geographical environment, reflecting the adaptation of farmers living in the high mountain valley regions.

The populations in Sumhuram (third/second century bce to fifth century ce) and Hamr al-Sharqiya 1 (HAS1) (first millennium bce to first/second century ce) were involved in one of the most important examples of large-scale trade systems in antiquity: the maritime network connecting the coasts of the Indian Ocean. This research focuses on a total of 35 southwestern Arabian and Indian pottery sherds from both the settlements of Sumhuram and Hamr al-Sharqiya 1, analysed through a multi-analytical complementary approach. This study intends to test the input potential of this type of approach applied to ceramics in the context of the Indian Ocean trade network. The techniques adopted are powder X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results obtained allow the identification of eight distinct groups, each characterized by unique (textural, mineralogical, geochemical) signatures, providing specific clues for determining their provenance, specifically from the Indian subcontinent and southwestern Arabia. This paper shows the importance of this type of archaeometric study that must be integrated into a transdisciplinary approach.

A few scattered vessels, typologically attributed to the Gáta–Wieselburg culture, are known from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in northeastern Italy. This culture spread during the Early Bronze Age (Reinecke Br A1b and A2, 2100–1700/1600 bc) in present-day eastern Austria, western Hungary and southwestern Slovakia. Rare ceramic artefacts, typically biconical double-handled jugs with well-burnished surfaces, have been discovered in caves of the Trieste Karst (Ciclami, Tartaruga, Teresiana and Ossa) and the Natisone Valley (Velika jama). This study aims to outline the technology, provenance and probable use of these rare jugs from the Trieste Karst. Two of these vessels from the Ciclami and Tartaruga caves have been investigated using various destructive and non-destructive techniques, including optical microscopy, X-ray computed microtomography and prompt-gamma activation analysis, and chemically compared to contemporaneous vessels from the core region of the Gáta–Wieselburg culture in Hungary (10 vessels specifically analysed for this project) and earlier Neolithic and Copper Age vessels, likely produced locally in the Karst, Slovenia and Hungary. Based on the obtained results, the investigated Karst vessels were imported. Tentative identification of plant and animal lipids using organic residue analysis (i.e., gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) sheds light on their possible function.

Exploring the utilisation of flour in ancient Xinjiang is crucial for understanding the use of different grain crops as staple comestibles. In this study, multiple analyses were applied to identify five flour food remnants discovered in the Wupu Cemetery (1100–400 BCE) in Hami, Xinjiang. Results show that two of the samples were comprised of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) mixed with wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum spp.), one of wheat and barley, and the remaining two primarily of broomcorn millet with a low quantity of foxtail millet (Setaria italica). Plant microfossils analysis and microscopic observation of cross-sections of the five samples indicate that these crop materials were coarsely ground into flour and then probably baked without fermentation. These findings provide the earliest evidence that broomcorn millet, wheat, and barley were processed as cakes in Hami 3000 years ago. Moreover, the findings in this study also emphasise the reassessment of the role of foxtail millet in the dietary consumption of the ancient Wupu inhabitants, as foxtail millet was abundant in tombs, but scarce in comestible food sources. This research sheds light on and contributes to a more precise reconstruction of the dietary patterns of ancient indigenous people in Hami.

In recent years, some kiln sites from Shang and Zhou dynasties have been excavated in Fujian province in southeastern China, and substantial high-quality ceramic shards were unearthed. The research conducted by archaeologists indicates that these shards are likely the earliest high-fired ceramic products in this area, characterised by unique appearance features and are therefore valuable for exploring the development and manufacture of early high-fired ceramics in Fujian. In this study, we gathered some proto-celadon and stamped stoneware shards from three kiln sites dating back to the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties. We analysed the chemical composition of the ceramic body and glaze, firing temperature, and mineral phase to investigate the selection of raw materials, firing, and glazing technology of these early ceramic products. The results indicate that the bodies of these high-fired ceramic shards were made of locally weathered porcelain stone, and the glazes are lime glaze. During the Western Zhou dynasty, the potter utilised different raw materials for proto-celadon and stamped stoneware, which was not the case during the Shang Dynasty. The firing temperatures of the majority of shards exceeded 1,000°C, and the bodies had been completed phase transformation.

Over 200 samples from colourants appeared in 50 monuments in Iran dated back to the 11th century up to the 15th century were identified using micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF), micro-Raman spectroscopy (μ-Raman), polarized light microscopy (PLM), and scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS). Whereas red ochre, red lead, vermilion, and an organic red dye were identified as red colourants, ultramarine blue, azurite, and indigo were the blue colourants occurred in the wall decorations. In addition, atacamite was the only green pigment identified on the wall paintings and stucco decorations, and carbon black was identified as black pigment. We also show that gold leaf and tin foil have been used in gilding decorations. Furthermore, we were able to discern yellow ochre together with orpiment, natrojarosite, and crocoite in a number of architectural decorations. Moreover, we show that huntite and gypsum are used as white preparation layer of the wall decorations in Iran. Periods of emergence of particular pigments have been discussed and regional preferences in the use of certain pigments are argued. An extensive discussion is provided to compare the colourant appeared on wall decoration with those appeared on illuminated manuscripts in the Persianate world.

This paper presents, for the first time, geochemical data related to the Battle of Jenipapo, a significant event that occurred on March 13, 1823, marking a political activity favorable to Brazil's independence. The present work aimed to analyze the contents of lead and copper as markers of historical armaments in sediments for geochemical prospecting of the archaeological area in which the Battle of Jenipapo probably occurred. Nine sediment samples were collected: seven from the prospect area and two control samples. Sedimentological characteristics were evaluated, such as pH (6.1–6.9), acidity (0.19–3.00 mmol L⁻¹), organic matter (0.86–3.37% w/w), and granulometric classification (sandy predominance). The metals (lead and copper) were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after acid digestion of the sediments. Lead content ranged from 7.9 to 14.9 mg kg⁻¹ for samples and 5.4 mg kg⁻¹ for control samples. Copper content ranged from 14.2 to 29.3 mg kg⁻¹. The results showed that only lead could be used for the geochemical prospecting of the area that presented strong evidence of anthropic intervention allowing the carrying out of excavation steps.

Here, we report an archaeometrical study of seven grave goods from the Inca sacrifice at Lullallalico Mountain (ca. 1430–1520 ce) in search of microbotanical and chemical evidence of the content. Two queros (vessels), one aribalo (jar), one aisana (pot), and three textile bags were analyzed by optical microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX). The results show significant chemical data and starches of Cucurbita, Oxalis, Fabaceae, Zea mays, Manihot esculenta, and Phaseolus. This archaeometrical evidence is discussed along with various perspectives on the capacocha ceremony to show that foreign and local identities were negotiated in this Andean mountain ritual.

Changes in the composition of various chemical elements in ancient nephrite artifacts due to prolonged burial are critical factors that should not be underestimated. However, the increasingly stringent heritage management has made many techniques impractical. Consequently, portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) has become an indispensable nondestructive field analysis method. This paper aims to make use of the pXRF dataset to distinguish which elements tested are endogenous or exogenous, as well as to gauge which elements have been affected by stronger burial effects. More specifically, we carry out this work on the example of 103 pieces of nephrite excavated from different cemeteries in the Nanyang area. In addition to traditional statistical techniques, a new tool, the concentration-number (C-N) fractal method can shed new light on the analysis of the distribution patterns of different elements in excavated nephrite. The anomalous boundaries generated by the method have clear geochemical significance and can be delineated between background zone and disturbed regions. The degree of resistance of different elements to fluctuations in external factors was assessed, which has a direct relationship with the content of the buried soil. Considering the richness of the model, it has the potential to be used in archaeometrics.

This paper examines newly acquired and previously published carbon and nitrogen isotope values in bone collagen from 58 dogs (Canis familiaris) dated to the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition. Using the Bayesian mixing model FRUITS, we estimate the marine or freshwater dietary fractions. These estimates, together with a radiocarbon-based Bayesian statistical model, have allowed us to calculate the freshwater reservoir age for selected Danish regions. The Ertebølle and Funnel Beaker cultures display different feeding traditions, and stable isotope values of dogs cannot be used as a direct proxy for reconstructing human diet, as the foodstuffs appear to have been subject to some deliberate differentiation.