J. Beneš, Michela Ptáková, Lenka Kovačiková, Tereza Majerovičová, A. Bernardová, Kristýna Budilová, P. Ayipey, Ivana Šitnerová, J. Bumerl, V. Komárková, Jaromír Kovárník, Adéla Pokorná, Yulia Salova, Libor Vobejda, Tereza Šálková, Jarmila Skružná, J. Novák
{"title":"Of Humans and Science. Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology and the Second Decade of Environmental Archaeology at the University of South Bohemia","authors":"J. Beneš, Michela Ptáková, Lenka Kovačiková, Tereza Majerovičová, A. Bernardová, Kristýna Budilová, P. Ayipey, Ivana Šitnerová, J. Bumerl, V. Komárková, Jaromír Kovárník, Adéla Pokorná, Yulia Salova, Libor Vobejda, Tereza Šálková, Jarmila Skružná, J. Novák","doi":"10.24916/iansa.2023.1.9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2023.1.9","url":null,"abstract":"The Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology (LAPE), of the Faculty of Science of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (USB) was founded twenty years ago. The department is closely linked with the Institute of Archaeology of the USB in terms of staff and projects, which are mainly focused on the issues of paleoecology, archaeobotany and archaeozoology. The present paper discusses the teaching of environmental archaeology and projects focusing on Europe, but also on some areas of Africa. The text provides background information on the teaching and research projects that have taken place over the last ten years, but also on the research and scientific directions that the department is currently pursuing.","PeriodicalId":38054,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica","volume":"79 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86620798","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":"Locals or Migrants? Strontium Isotope Analysis of Two North-South Oriented Great Moravian Graves","authors":"M. Fojtová, Zdeněk Vytlačil","doi":"10.24916/iansa.2023.1.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2023.1.5","url":null,"abstract":"Migration has been used as one explanation for graves that deviate from the prevailing orientation and structure. Graves oriented in the north-south direction (i.e., deviating from the customary contemporary west-east orientation) at the Great Moravian and early medieval burial grounds of Přemyslid Bohemia and Moravia have attracted the attention of archaeologists for more than 100 years. These are most often interpreted as the graves of foreigners, based on the assumption that different burial rites indicate immigrants, but this has not been confirmed or refuted with empirical evidence. With this study, we have taken the first step towards testing the validity of this hypothesis. Samples from the dental enamel of the permanent molars of two individuals (H 16/2018 and H 18/2018) from the burial site “Na Valách”, located at the Great Moravian central site in Staré Město, were subjected to stable strontium isotope analysis. This analysis can help to assess the likelihood of mobility for these individuals. From the results obtained, it is not possible to confirm the non-local origin of either of the individuals, although in the case of H 16/2018 we may theoretically consider it. However, to definitively reject or confirm the hypothesis of a non-local origin of the people buried along the north-south azimuths, future analysis of a much larger sample size will be necessary.","PeriodicalId":38054,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85760521","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}
Saša Kovačević, Marina Van Bos, M. Kralj, M. Petrović, O. Gamulin, M. Škrabić, S. Radović, I. Vanden Berghe
{"title":"Analysis of Pigments from Decorated Antler or Bone Artifacts from the Early Iron Age Princely Burial Mounds in Jalžabet (NW Croatia)","authors":"Saša Kovačević, Marina Van Bos, M. Kralj, M. Petrović, O. Gamulin, M. Škrabić, S. Radović, I. Vanden Berghe","doi":"10.24916/iansa.2023.1.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2023.1.3","url":null,"abstract":"During the Early Iron Age in Europe (EIA), the phenomenon of the Hallstatt culture enveloped a large portion of the European continent. Between the Atlantic Ocean and the River Danube, cultural groups can be roughly divided into two major regions: the Western and the Eastern Hallstatt circle. EIA finds made from organic material decorated with pigments are usually well-preserved only in specific conditions. A good example is the coloured textile found in the salt mines of the eponymous site Hallstatt (AT). Other examples are Scythian finds north and east of the Black Sea, far outside the Hallstatt culture area. This paper presents the results of the analysis of decorated artifacts made from bone or antlers from Jalžabet (NW Croatia). The artifacts were found in two princely burial mounds with incinerated remains: burial mound 1 (Gomila) and burial mound 2. The funerary monuments belong to the Eastern Hallstatt culture and date back to the middle of the 6th century BC, i.e., the end of the Ha D1 period. A group of scientists from Croatia and abroad performed several series of analyses on the selected bone or antler artifacts. The motifs on the artifacts were made by incisions and were filled with black pigment, and there are faint traces of red pigment on the surface. With the help of colourant analysis performed in Brussels and Zagreb (SEM-EDX, MRS, FT-IR), zooarchaeological taxonomic identification, and archaeological determination of a selected group of findings from Jalžabet, we have tried to answer several major questions. The most important question being: are the traces of pigments on artefacts deliberate decoration? If so, can we determine the composition of the paint? What kind of raw materials were used for the production of the artifacts? These questions are important because these kinds of EIA finds are rare and even more rarely analysed. New data would considerably expand our knowledge about the funeral rites of the most prominent members of the Hallstatt nobility in the Drava River valley and Central Europe. Taxonomically, the raw material from which the finds were made was identified to be antlers, probably from red deer (Cervus elaphus). Using methods for colourant analysis, we have successfully proven deliberate application of black paint based on carbon black as a pigment, probably in combination with terpenoid resin. Until now, this composition was only known from much later, Roman-period finds. Also, it was confirmed that the black paint on the artifacts from both burial mounds in Jalžabet is of the same composition. The red pigment on the finds has been identified as hematite. It is highly probable that the red surfaces were deliberate, painted decoration. The probability of extracting the raw material needed for the production of the red paint in the Jalžabet micro-region was also established and requires further research (bog iron ore). The archaeological analysis of the finds supports the idea of the use of various types of","PeriodicalId":38054,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica","volume":"114 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77595073","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":"Geophysical Survey and Changes in the Use of the Cultural Landscape","authors":"R. Křivánek, J. Tirpak","doi":"10.24916/iansa.2023.1.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2023.1.1","url":null,"abstract":"The results of detailed and large-scale geophysical measurements in archaeology have been steadily increasing for years. The growth in measured data has also increased the need for processing and interpretation; in archaeology, this primarily means the archaeological interpretation of the measured data. However, the information contained in geophysical data includes a substantial volume or area of data of varying size or thickness of some different natural or modern anthropogenic origin (beyond archaeological interest). Like the archaeological situations themselves, these must also be identified and demarcated. The presented article consists of a wide range of case studies in which the result of a specific applied geophysical method includes both the desired interpretations of archaeological features and the differentiation and warning of other anomalies, the origin of which may or may not be unambiguous or related to the post-deposition processes of archaeological features. The purpose of selecting several different examples of results in our paper is to point out that there are many more consequences of anthropogenic activity hidden beneath the surface of the terrain of the contemporary cultural landscape than just those that archaeologists have in their viewfinder. Other anomalies in specific environments may be of natural origin or related to various geological, pedological or hydrological changes in a site’s natural environment. This should be dealt with by the alternative differentiation of anomalies of various probable origins; the interpretive descriptions, diagrams or maps should not just focus strictly on the anticipated subsurface relics of the archaeological features and situations, as these are not there alone.","PeriodicalId":38054,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90459446","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":"The Possibilities and Results of Magnetometer Survey in Small-Sized Fortifications of the High Middle Ages. A Case Study on Research into Manorial Residences in the 14th to 15th Century in East Bohemia","authors":"P. Drnovský","doi":"10.24916/iansa.2023.1.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2023.1.7","url":null,"abstract":"The results of magnetometer measurements carried out in small-sized fortifications of the High Middle Ages are presented. In most cases these fortifications were partly or completely abandoned sites. At all sites, structures of anthropogenic origin were discovered. Thanks to the survey various components of residences were identified: internal buildings, fortifications, moats, ramparts. The survey method chosen proved to be suitable for detecting most parts of the 14th to 15th century residences of the petty nobility, particularly in regions with prevailing earthen and wooden architecture. Archaeological structures were detected by way of the survey measurements even at seemingly completely destroyed sites. However, the results of such a magnetometer survey need to be supplemented by other methods of geophysical and archaeological survey.","PeriodicalId":38054,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica","volume":"72 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86294004","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":"Archaeobotanical Evidence of Funerary Plant Offerings at the Southern Etrurian Necropolis of “Valle Santa nell’Agro Veientano” (Rome, Italy)","authors":"C. Moricca, Alessio De Cristofaro, L. Ambrosini","doi":"10.24916/iansa.2023.1.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2023.1.4","url":null,"abstract":"The present study concerns the archaeobotanical analysis of soil samples and vase fillings from Etruscan tombs from the Necropolis of “Valle Santa nell’Agro Veientano”, found along via di Boccea, north of Rome (Italy). While the site was in use between the Archaic and Late Roman Age, the studied vestibule tombs belong to the Etruscan necropolis (second half of the 6th – beginning of the 4th centuries BC). Archaeological data, based on the incineration rite and funerary equipment, suggest that these were used by one high-status family (or two) originally from Veio. Carpological analyses reveal the presence of food plants comprised of cereals, pulses and fruits. Furthermore, anthracological data give indications concerning the past environment, with a prevalence of deciduous and semi-deciduous oaks, accompanied by other taxa such as evergreen oaks, hornbeam, ash and Rosaceae Prunoideae. This is in accordance with the present-day vegetation of northern Latium. Finally, remains of synanthropic weeds (e.g., Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae and Polygonaceae) suggest a heavily anthropized environment. This study represents a step forward in the understanding of the still under-explored human-plant interactions of Etruscans.","PeriodicalId":38054,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73605466","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":"Wealth or Just Job Seekers: Medieval Skeletal Series from Kutná Hora-Sedlec (Czech Republic) with a Notable Surplus of Men","authors":"H. Brzobohatá, J. Frolík, Filip Velímský","doi":"10.24916/iansa.2023.1.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2023.1.6","url":null,"abstract":"Kutná Hora entered the 14th century as a rich, prosperous, and densely-populated city producing tons of silver. Such an amount of precious metal could not be mined and processed without an influx of people from other cities and rural areas and without the contribution of skilled specialists from abroad. Despite the apparent wealth of the city, its inhabitants (either settled or newly arrived) experienced and died during mortality crises. Evidence of such events was discovered in the Kutná Hora suburbs, where the medieval burial ground, including a significant component of mass burials, has been unearthed. In the data derived from pooled catastrophic and non-catastrophic burials (n=1785 individuals), a notable surplus of males has been identified with a striking imbalanced adult sex ratio of 149. After considering factors potentially influencing this value, we suggest that the figure likely mirrors the original population composition as a consequence of the inflow of men migrating to the town for labour/economic opportunities.","PeriodicalId":38054,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica","volume":"98 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77630816","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}
O. Druzhinina, Dario Hruševar, Kasper van den Berghe, Nancy de Jong-Lambregts, A. Golyeva, K. Bakrač, B. Mitić
{"title":"Application of Phytolith (Microbiomorphic) and Non-Pollen Palynomorph Analyses to the Geoarchaeological Study of the Graft Farmyard, the Netherlands","authors":"O. Druzhinina, Dario Hruševar, Kasper van den Berghe, Nancy de Jong-Lambregts, A. Golyeva, K. Bakrač, B. Mitić","doi":"10.24916/iansa.2023.1.8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2023.1.8","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of the present paper is to discuss the application of phytolith (microbiomorphic) and non-pollen palynomorph (NPP) analyses to the geoarchaeological study of a Medieval – Early Modern Time period farmyard in Graft, a settlement located in the polder region of North Holland, the Netherlands. The authors have assessed the potential of the methods chosen for studying this type of archaeological site during rescue excavations, when archaeologists often have a limited number of samples or methods for geoarchaeological analysis. The studies conducted have proved the informative value and effectiveness of microbiomorphic and NPP analyses in rescue excavations, especially when applied in combination, thus providing controlling and complementary information for each analysis. The data obtained have provided an important insight into the archaeological interpretation of the cultural layer within the farmyard. In addition, more information was gained on the local palaeoenvironmental dynamics and the phases of economic activity at the farmyard during the 13th–17th centuries CE.","PeriodicalId":38054,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81236338","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":"The Chronology of Monte d’Accoddi (Sardinia, Italy) – New Radiocarbon Dates","authors":"M. Melis","doi":"10.24916/iansa.2023.1.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2023.1.2","url":null,"abstract":"The shrine at Monte d’Accoddi constitutes an architectural unicum in the context of the Mediterranean of the 4th millennium cal. BC. The building comprised of a terrace with an access ramp, a form that has led to an ongoing debate as to the possible origins of this architectural model. In its earliest phase, attributable to the first half of the 4th millennium cal. BC, the edifice consisted of a truncated pyramidal core. During the second half of the same millennium this was englobed by a second building, similar to the first in general shape, but much larger and with a central, possibly stepped, core. The site was occupied during the 3rd millennium cal. BC and occasionally so during the following proto-historic and subsequent phases of history. This paper will present new radiocarbon dates that will help to define the construction and occupation phases of the monument as well as the settlement that grew around it.","PeriodicalId":38054,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica","volume":"20 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72394085","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":"The Story of the International Scientific Commission of the UISPP for Archaeometry of Pre- and Protohistoric Inorganic Artifacts, Materials and Technologies","authors":"B. Török","doi":"10.24916/iansa.2022.2.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2022.2.7","url":null,"abstract":"The International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences (UISPP), an organisation with over 90 years of history, includes all the fields and disciplines that contribute to the development of prehistory and protohistory. To achieve their goals, the UISPP organises periodically a world congress on prehistoric and protohistoric sciences. Based on proposals received, the general assembly decides on the creation of scientific commissions, following the advice of the executive committee of the UISPP. The main objective of these commissions is to promote and coordinate international research in a specific or specialised domain of the prehistoric and protohistoric sciences between each world congress. Based on the success and interest shown in a session of the 17th UISPP Congress, the need has arisen to create a new scientific commission in the field of archaeometry. This brief text describes the creation of this commission and its scientific activities to date. The commission aims at discussing and transmitting the archaeometric approaches to technologies in Prehistory and Protohistory concerning lithic technology, metallurgy, ceramics and glass making; gathering and organising the results, conclusions and circumstances of archaeometric case studies of artifacts; paying particular attention to production, procurement and characterisation of raw materials, and fabrication technologies; and discussing relevant interdisciplinary investigation methods and techniques.","PeriodicalId":38054,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82011134","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}