A. R. Ventresca Miller, A. Haruda, V. Varfolomeev, A. Goryachev, C. Makarewicz
{"title":"Close management of sheep in ancient Central Asia: evidence for foddering, transhumance, and extended lambing seasons during the Bronze and Iron Ages","authors":"A. R. Ventresca Miller, A. Haruda, V. Varfolomeev, A. Goryachev, C. Makarewicz","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2020.1759316","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2020.1759316","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Pastoralism in Central Asia directed the utilization of natural resources, yet information on livestock management strategies remain scarce. Carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope analyses of domesticated sheep teeth are used to identify animal management strategies. Sheep from Kent exhibit an inverserelationship where low δ18O values coincide with high δ13C values, consistent with the foddering of caprines in the winter for this location which occursalongside evidence for an extended lambing season. At the high altitude encampment of Turgen, Bronze Age sheep exhibit low δ18O values that coincide withhigh δ13C values, suggesting that livestock were moved to low altitude pastures in the winter months. Iron Age sheep sequences also have an inverserelationship, where low δ18O values coincide with high δ13C values, yet high δ13C values in the winter suggest that livestock were foddered. Our findingsindicate variation in livestock management strategies with distinct adaptations to local ecologies.","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77748773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Laser ablation strontium isotope analysis of human remains from Harlaa and Sofi, eastern Ethiopia, and the implications for Islamisation and mobility","authors":"A. Pryor, T. Insoll, L. Evis","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2020.1843266","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2020.1843266","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The ancient city of Harlaa in eastern Ethiopia was occupied between the mid-6th and early 15th centuries AD and played a significant role as a trading centre with links internationally. Besides goods, these trade links also served in spreading cultural and religious ideas between continents, including Islamic traditions which became prevalent in Ethiopia during this time. Here, we present the first strontium isotope analysis of human remains from an Islamic site in Ethiopia. Results show that individuals buried following Islamic traditions include people born and raised both in Harlaa itself and also in rural communities from the surrounding hinterland, revealing a resident local Muslim community and potential co-existence of Muslim and non-Muslim individuals across economic sectors. The repeatability of results produced by laser ablation in human teeth sampled multiple times around the tooth cusp is also confirmed, although small differences between simultaneously-forming molar elements from a single individual were observed.","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85735959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mikael Larsson, Ola Magnell, Amy K. Styring, P. Lagerås, J. Evans
{"title":"Movement of agricultural products in the Scandinavian Iron Age during the first millennium AD: 87Sr/86Sr values of archaeological crops and animals in southern Sweden","authors":"Mikael Larsson, Ola Magnell, Amy K. Styring, P. Lagerås, J. Evans","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2020.1840121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2020.1840121","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In this paper, we examine the exchange of crops and livestock through the application of strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotope analysis on cereal grains and faunal tooth enamel from the regional center of Uppåkra and three nearby settlements in Scania, southern Sweden, dating to the first millennium AD. Around a third of the fauna have non-local 87Sr/86Sr values, indicating the import of livestock from several different regions. After cleaning, almost all of the cereal grains have non-local 87Sr/86Sr values, which is surprising given the nearby abundance of fertile agricultural soils. We therefore suggest considering non-locally grown crops to be those whose 87Sr/86Sr values fall outside the normal distribution; if this approach is used, around 20% of the analyzed crop samples are interpreted as having grown non-locally. This study demonstrates the potential of combining strontium isotopic data of archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological material for gaining insights into the movement of agricultural products in prehistory. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79960653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Eriksen, Lara Puetz, C. Rocha, T. K. Nielsen, L. Hansen, M. Gilbert
{"title":"Releasing the microbes from old bones: the effect of different DNA extraction protocols on microbial community profiling","authors":"A. Eriksen, Lara Puetz, C. Rocha, T. K. Nielsen, L. Hansen, M. Gilbert","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2020.1738115","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2020.1738115","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT DNA-based characterisation of microbial communities can enable those interested in bone diagenesis to address questions relating to the complexity and diversity of said microbial communities. We explored whether biases could be introduced due to differences in the DNA extraction methods used. We investigated the effect of four alternative approaches on the extraction of DNA from bone, in order to examine the resulting effect on the bacterial and fungal OTUs recovered using metabarcoding. We found that the different extraction methods resulted in differences in the microbial OTU profiles generated, both when looking at the fungal and the bacterial communities within the bone. Our results emphasise the need for consistency when working with DNA extraction if comparison of results between different research groups are to be valid. Furthermore, it is clear that future efforts will be needed to determine which methods may provide the most accurate representation of the microbial community in bones.","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72919134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A versatile mechanized setup for controlled experiments in archeology","authors":"I. Calandra, Walter Gneisinger, João Marreiros","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2020.1757899","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2020.1757899","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Experimentation has always played an important role in archeology, in particular to create reference collections for use-wear studies. Different types of experiments can answer different questions; all types should therefore be combined to obtain a holistic view. In controlled experiments, some factors are tested, while the other factors are kept constant to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Yet, controlled experiments have been conducted with variable degrees of control. Although they seem decoupled from archeological applications, mechanized experiments and the robust causal relationships they measure are critical to answer archeological questions like understanding the processes of use-wear formation. Here we introduce the concept behind using the SMARTTESTER®, a modular material tester, and we present four different setups (linear, rotary, percussion and oscillating) and their potential archeological applications. Such experiments will contribute to our understanding of causality in human tool use.","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82807523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexandra L. Morton-Hayward, T. Thompson, J. Thomas-Oates, S. Buckley, A. Petzold, Abigail Ramsøe, S. O’Connor, M. Collins
{"title":"A conscious rethink: Why is brain tissue commonly preserved in the archaeological record? Commentary on: Petrone P, Pucci P, Niola M, et al. Heat-induced brain vitrification from the Vesuvius eruption in C.E. 79. N Engl J Med 2020;382:383-4. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc1909867","authors":"Alexandra L. Morton-Hayward, T. Thompson, J. Thomas-Oates, S. Buckley, A. Petzold, Abigail Ramsøe, S. O’Connor, M. Collins","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2020.1815398","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2020.1815398","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Brain tissue is ubiquitous in the archaeological record. Multiple, independent studies report the finding of black, resinous or shiny brain tissue, and Petrone et al. [2020 “Heat-induced Brain Vitrification from the Vesuvius Eruption in C.E. 79.” N Engl J Med. 382: 383–384; doi:10.1056/NEJMc1909867] raise the intriguing prospect of a role for vitrification in the preservation of ancient biomolecules. However, Petrone et al. (2020) have not made their raw data available, and no detailed laboratory or analytical methodology is offered. Issues of contamination and misinterpretation hampered a decade of research in biomolecular archaeology, such that addressing these sources of bias and facilitating validation of specious findings has become both routine and of paramount importance in the discipline. We argue that the evidence they present does not support their conclusion of heat-induced vitrification of human brain tissue, and that future studies should share palaeoproteomic data in an open access repository to facilitate comparative analysis of the recovery of ancient proteins and patterns of their degradation. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79230183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
L. Drieu, M. Rageot, N. Wales, B. Stern, J. Lundy, Maximilian Zerrer, Isabella Gaffney, M. Bondetti, C. Spiteri, J. Thomas-Oates, O. Craig
{"title":"Is it possible to identify ancient wine production using biomolecular approaches?","authors":"L. Drieu, M. Rageot, N. Wales, B. Stern, J. Lundy, Maximilian Zerrer, Isabella Gaffney, M. Bondetti, C. Spiteri, J. Thomas-Oates, O. Craig","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2020.1738728","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2020.1738728","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Chemical analysis of archaeological artefacts is used with increasing regularity to understand how wine was produced, traded, and consumed in the past and to shed light on its antiquity. Based both on an extensive review of the published literature and on new analyses, here we critically evaluate the diverse range of methodological approaches that have been used for wine identification. Overall, we conclude that currently none of the proposed chemical ‘biomarkers’ for wine provide unequivocal evidence. Nevertheless, valid interpretations may be offered if systematically supported by additional contextual data, such as archaeobotanical evidence. We found the extraction and detection method to be particularly crucial for successful identification. We urge the use of controls and quantification to rule out false positives. DNA sequencing offers potential for identifying wine and provides much higher taxonomic resolution, but work is needed to determine the limits of DNA survival on artefacts.","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89028606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anneleen Stienaers, B. Neyt, C. Hofman, P. Degryse
{"title":"A petrographic and chemical analysis of Trinidad pre-colonial ceramics","authors":"Anneleen Stienaers, B. Neyt, C. Hofman, P. Degryse","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2020.1771898","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2020.1771898","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This work presents an exploratory investigation into the production of pre-colonial ceramics found on Trinidad through petrography and chemical analysis with XRF and ICP-OES. Four main petrofabric groups are identified and described: a shell-tempered group, a sponge spicules group, a grog group and a micaschist/quartzite group. All evidence suggest an origin local to the island. Most of the petrofabric groups are consistent with ceramic series which were previously described, but never analysed petrographically and/or chemically. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84224705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Dimoula, Z. Tsirtsoni, Paraskevi Yiouni, Ioannis Stagkidis, M. Ntinou, Sandra Prevost-Dermarkar, E. Papadopoulou, S. Valamoti
{"title":"Experimental investigation of ceramic technology and plant food cooking in Neolithic northern Greece","authors":"A. Dimoula, Z. Tsirtsoni, Paraskevi Yiouni, Ioannis Stagkidis, M. Ntinou, Sandra Prevost-Dermarkar, E. Papadopoulou, S. Valamoti","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2020.1762370","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2020.1762370","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The paper discusses aspects of cooking pottery technology and operation through observations made in a series of experiments, utilizing the results of archaeological ceramic analysis in Neolithic northern Greece. The first stage of experiments focused on the experimental manufacture of three types of cooking pots, following the Neolithic techniques, from raw material processing to firing. In the second stage the pots were used in cooking performances, using structures, fuel and contents identified in the archaeological record. The qualitative data generated allow for testing a series of archaeological assumptions on ceramic technology, particularly vessel building and firing, along with the effects of cooking on pots. Moreover, experimental cooking provided insight to the relations between the different participant parts, highlighting the pivotal relation of cooking pots to fuel and different cooking modes. This pilot study aspires to endorse ceramicists to refine protocols for future experiments and analyses on cooking technologies. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77720638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Núria Guasch-Ferré, J. L. Pérez, M. Pascual, L. Osete-Cortina, M. Doménech-Carbó
{"title":"Polysaccharide remains in Maya mural paintings: is it an evidence of the use of plant gums as binding medium of pigments and additive in the mortar?","authors":"Núria Guasch-Ferré, J. L. Pérez, M. Pascual, L. Osete-Cortina, M. Doménech-Carbó","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2020.1720377","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2020.1720377","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT\u0000 A number of monosaccharides characteristic of plant gums were found in paint layers and preparation layers of samples of Maya mural paintings of 10 archaeological sites located in Campeche and Yucatan regions. This finding opens the question about the deliberate use of these organic polymers as additives for improving workability and mechanical properties in the preparation layer mortar and conferring cohesion to the pigments in the paint layer. The study performed by GC-MS has confirmed the presence, in significant amounts, of a series of monosaccharides, being glucose and mannose between the most abundantly found. Nevertheless, the low amount present in most of the samples hindered the quantification of the relative proportion of monosaccharides necessary for identifying the botanical species of the plant gum. According to the accepted methodology used by Maya artists for preparing painting materials, bark of trees containing plant gums was added to the slaked lime stored in pools and that should be consistent with the notable amounts of glucose, mannose and other monosaccharides forming the skeleton of hemicelluloses and cellulose found in most of the samples. Although organic matter can be present in paint samples exposed to the external environment in Mesoamerican region as result of the microbiological activity, marker compounds characteristic of products resulting from their metabolism were not found in the studied samples.","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84514916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}