Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports最新文献

{"title":"Phytolith evidence for rice cultivation and domestication in late-Dawenkou culture in the middle reaches of the Huai River, China","authors":"Zhaoyang Zhang ,&nbsp;Xuanbao Zhu ,&nbsp;Can Wang ,&nbsp;Qiang Wang ,&nbsp;Fen Wang ,&nbsp;Jingmin Yao ,&nbsp;Hongru Gao ,&nbsp;Sensen Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105184","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105184","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The cultivation and domestication of rice (<em>Oryza sativa</em>) represents a pivotal development in East Asian agriculture; its trajectory during the Neolithic period remains a subject of considerable interest. In the middle reaches of the Huai River, rice farming emerged as a key agricultural practice in the late-Dawenkou culture (ca. 4,500–4,300 BP), though research on the environmental conditions for cultivation and domestication processes is scarce. Addressing this gap, this study presents a phytolith-based analysis of the Gaixia site, a significant late-Dawenkou settlement; 136 soil samples from various archaeological contexts at the Gaixia site, including ash pits, ditches, and house foundations, were analyzed for their phytolith assemblages and contents, focusing on rice-specific morphotypes. The results revealed a dominant presence of rice phytoliths (up to 37.78 % in content and 81.88 % in ubiquity), suggesting that rice was the main crop during this period. The sensitive to fixed phytolith ratio averaged 1.86 ± 0.83, suggesting a cultivation environment with ample water and likely involving controlled water management practices in paddy fields, supporting the water conditions required for rice cultivation in a relatively warm-dry climate. Furthermore, the high frequency of rice bulliform phytoliths with ≥9 fish-scale decorations (73.91 %) and larger sized bulliform point to advanced rice domestication. Comparisons with earlier periods (e.g., Shunshanji and Shuangdun cultures) suggest progressive intensification of rice cultivation and domestication in the region. This research provides critical insights into the agricultural developments and environmental adaptations shaping the rice farming systems of the late-Dawenkou culture, broadening understanding of rice cultivation’s role in the development of East Asian Neolithic agricultural societies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105184"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143905840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The use of animals by inhabitants of the Medzhybizh Castle (Ukraine) in the 12th–19th centuries CE","authors":"L. Gorobets ,&nbsp;A. Stupak ,&nbsp;O. Kovalchuk ,&nbsp;T. Volynskyi ,&nbsp;V. Vietrov","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105187","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105187","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During excavations in the Medzhybizh Castle (western Ukraine), a large number of animal bones were found, mainly in kitchen remains dated to the 12th–13th and 18th–19th centuries and, to a lesser extent, in the 17th-century layer. A thorough analysis of the sample allows establishing the role of fish, birds, and mammals in the everyday diet of the inhabitants of the castle during the Medieval Warm Period and at the end of the Little Ice Age. In general, the sources of meat were quite similar during different historical periods: domestic ungulates and birds predominated, while the role of hunting was less significant. The large number of remains of wild birds and mammals is likely because the castle was inhabited by the nobility and the military guard, for whom hunting was part of everyday life. Fish were an additional source of protein for the inhabitants of the Medzhybizh Castle. Seven fish species were identified in the sample, of which the northern pike, zander, and common carp are represented by the largest number of remains. Cultural changes are manifested in the emergence of new methods of cooking and the disappearance of falconry. Domestic animals and birds in the 18th–19th centuries were slightly larger than those in the 12th–13th centuries. Despite the general similarity in the diversity of wild species, certain changes have been identified, probably due to the impact of local climate changes. Based on the habitat preferences of particular species, it is possible to assume the appearance of open landscapes and the decrease in forest cover and thickets of riparian vegetation during the Little Ice Age.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105187"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143905839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Red Bank formation as a local source for Belize Red pottery","authors":"Luke Stroth ,&nbsp;Brian Holland ,&nbsp;Mario Borrero ,&nbsp;Geoffrey E. Braswell","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105185","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105185","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The origin of volcanic ash in the fabric of ancient Maya pottery known as Belize Red (formally called British Honduras Ash Ware and Vinaceous Tawny Ware) has long posed a puzzle. We propose that the bentonite and volcanic ash deposits of the local Red Bank formation were the source of “ash-tempered” pottery during the Preclassic and Classic periods. This is consistent with models of ancient production that favor the use of locally available resources, but initial comparison of published geochemical data gathered by different methods is still inconclusive. Further geochemical analyses of both archaeological pottery and Red Bank samples are needed to test our hypothesis, which offers a new perspective on Maya ceramic production in the Belize River Valley.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105185"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143905838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tracing the ritual fire in La Quemada (Northern Mesoamerica)","authors":"Avto Goguitchaichvili ,&nbsp;Alejandra García Pimentel ,&nbsp;Carlos Torreblanca ,&nbsp;Juan Morales ,&nbsp;Vadim Kravchinsky ,&nbsp;Nayeli Pérez Rodríguez ,&nbsp;Rubén Cejudo ,&nbsp;Rafael García-Ruiz ,&nbsp;Ana Maria Soler Arechalde ,&nbsp;Juan Gerardo Rivera Belmontes ,&nbsp;Francisco Bautista ,&nbsp;Xóchitl Hernández Noriega","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105162","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105162","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent advances in absolute chronology studies on the northern border of Mesoamerica have been driven by archaeomagnetic surveys of burned artifacts. However, reliable data from the structures remain limited. La Quemada (The Burned) archaeological site is the most important regional, essentially ceremonial centre at the northern border of Mesoamerica. A series of fire pits (here referred to as LQ1 to LQ5) likely served as ceremonial torches to illuminate rituals. One hundred oriented specimens from five previously excavated fire pits were subjected to step-wise alternating field demagnetization of the natural remanent magnetization, while double-heating, Thellier absolute geomagnetic intensity experiments were performed on another 50 specimens. Magnetic mineralogy is mainly dominated by magnetite (or Ti-poor titanomagnetite) and hematite in less proporsions. The mean directions were obtained from four sites, while only one fire pit provided reliable archaeointensity values. A combination of global geomagnetic models and available regional reference curves was used for the archaeomagnetic dating. Three of the four structures yielded statistically indistinguishable intervals, indicating the La Quemada phase (650–900 CE) as the most probable period for their last exposure to fire. Absolute age estimates for the fire pit LQ1, based on various models and local paleosecular variation patterns, show strong agreement within 927–1101 CE, aligning with the last <em>Ciudadela</em> phase just prior to the second stage of site abandonment. For the LQ2 fire pit, the intervals obtained from models and local curves are not concordant, while no results were obtained for the fire pit LQ3. Almost similar age intervals were obtained for the LQ4 and LQ5 fire pits, 719–903 CE and 675–895 CE, respectively. A very early age was obtained for these sites using the SHA.DIF.14 k model and age corresponding to <em>Malpaso</em> occupational phase using the SHAWQ.2 k model. However, the local paleosecular variation curves indicate the La Quemada phase within 625–775 CE. The age interval obtained for the site LQ1 (closest fire pit to the Votive Pyramid) agrees reasonably well with the period of depopulation of the site, implying that some specific rituals persisted at the last stage of the site related to the La Quemada’s subsequent decline and abandonment, most probably due to environmental causes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105162"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143903367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The technology for manufacturing ground slate knives of the Eskimo (based on materials from the Ekven burial ground, 1st millennium AD)","authors":"Natalia N. Skakun ,&nbsp;Vera V. Terekhina ,&nbsp;Jose Heredia","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105169","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105169","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The article is dedicated to the reconstruction of the technology used by the Eskimo to manufacture slate knives, based on materials from the Ekven settlement and burial site in Chukotka (Russia, 1st millennium AD). A comprehensive methodology was applied to study the artifacts in order to achieve this goal. First and foremost, a traceological analysis was conducted, which made it possible to document in detail the processing traces on the knife surfaces, such as flaking, pecking, grinding and drilling. In addition, archaeological finds of abrasive stones and bow drills were studied, as they could have been used for grinding of the knives and drilling through-holes for attaching them to handles. These data formed the basis for experimental modeling. The specific goal of the experiments was to determine the characteristics of slate processing and the methods used to manufacture replicas of men’s and women’s knives similar to the original Eskimo artifacts. The slate raw material for the experimental replicas was selected based on the results of a petrographic analysis of tools found at the ancient Eskimo settlement of Ekven. The attachment of handles was reconstructed using archaeological and ethnographic data on the use of binding materials and adhesive compositions, as well as the results of their technical and technological analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105169"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143899775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tracing traditions: An analytical study of Late Chalcolithic ceramics from Cyprus","authors":"Maria Hadjigavriel ,&nbsp;Maria Dikomitou Eliadou","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105143","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105143","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Late Chalcolithic period (ca. 2900–2400 BCE) in Cyprus represents a dynamic phase characterised by significant societal and material transformations, laying the foundation for the island’s transition into the Bronze Age. In pottery production, notable developments include a focus on red and/or black monochrome wares, which were produced across the island. This paper presents findings of an intra- and inter-site compositional and technological analysis of ceramic fabrics from four Late Chalcolithic sites in southwestern and central Cyprus, i.e., Chlorakas-Palloures, Kissonerga-Mosphilia, Ambelikou-Agios Georghios, and Politiko-Kokkinorotsos. The study examines Red and Black Stroke-Burnished, Red Monochrome, and Spalled Wares, and samples of Red (and Black) Lustrous and Coarse wares. These ceramics were analysed using ceramic thin section petrography and handheld energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to determine their mineralogical, chemical, and technological characteristics. The analytical data have been integrated with contextual information and a prior detailed macroscopic examination of the selected samples. This project aims to investigate pottery technologies and assess the degree of fabric variability at local, regional, and inter-regional levels. Additionally, it explores pottery production processes and pottery distribution patterns, with a particular focus on identifying potential inter-site interaction within Cyprus during the Late Chalcolithic period.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105143"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143899776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Herding the flocks, harvesting the coast? The life of islanders at the Early Cycladic site of Dhaskalio (2,750–2,250 BCE)","authors":"George Kazantzis ,&nbsp;Tatiana Theodoropoulou ,&nbsp;Evi Margaritis ,&nbsp;Michael Boyd ,&nbsp;Colin Renfrew","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105163","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105163","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The paper presents results of the study of the terrestrial and marine remains from the Early Bronze Age (2750–2250 BCE) site of Dhaskalio, off the island of Keros. Recent excavations (2016–2018) produced an extremely rich faunal assemblage, including terrestrial mammals, marine shells, fish, avian fauna, land snails and microfauna, among the largest in Bronze Age Cyclades. In this paper, we deal with the terrestrial and marine resources, and we focus on a key research question, namely what were the animal exploitation and meat procurement strategies at Dhaskalio. This question is central to our understanding of the lifeways of the site, as several lines of material culture and organic evidence suggest that goods and foodstuffs were indeed imported from other Cycladic islands. Furthermore, excavation data thus far provide little evidence for domestic contexts in the settlement. The methodological approach applied with respect to terrestrial mammal, marine fish, and invertebrate remains, provides a thorough insight into animal procurement and management. Significant numbers of domesticates entered the settlement as dressed carcasses and headless. Consumption of terrestrial resources involved meat and marrow, while great quantities of limpets, topshells, other molluscs and numerous fish acquired from the surrounding coasts, complemented the diet. The overall picture suggests a wider island community living from herding, fishing and harvesting supplying the site with abundant and diversified meat resources. Final spatial and stratigraphical synthesis of the faunal data in the future will lead to further understanding of the distribution patterns and character of consumption events.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105163"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143891515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unravelling the story of animal exploitation in the territory of present-day Serbia during Late Antiquity – an archaeozoological overview","authors":"Mladen Mladenović ,&nbsp;Teodora Mladenović ,&nbsp;Jovana Janković","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105168","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105168","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>According to published archaeozoological data, during the Late Antiquity – between the 3rd/4th and the beginning of the 7th century CE – in the territory of present-day Serbia, strategies of animal exploitation were primarily oriented toward the breeding of domestic species, while hunting and fishing had played a secondary role. The most frequently represented species were those of great economic importance, such as cattle, caprines, and pigs. Aside from these taxa, remains of equids, camels, and pets were discovered in the unearthed faunal assemblages. As indicated by biometric data, changing practices of animal husbandry led to changes in domestic animal body size. Remains of wild game were rare and represented by species that were available in the areas surrounding the sites, while fish remains were scarce. Although the archaeozoological research on the Late Antique settlements is modest, the available data gives valuable insights into animal exploitation strategies and suggests the presence of some regional differences. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide insight into animal exploitation strategies from different regions and settlement types by bringing together archaeozoological data.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105168"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143886246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rapoport’s rule and the biogeography of cultural diversity across North America over 13,000 years","authors":"Marcus J. Hamilton ,&nbsp;Briggs Buchanan ,&nbsp;Robert S. Walker","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105157","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105157","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A central goal of anthropology is to understand the drivers of human cultural diversity, and the archaeological record offers our most direct empirical window into the dynamics of that diversity through time. In this study, we investigate cultural diversity across North America over the past 13,000 years by analyzing spatiotemporal variation in the geographic ranges of bifacial point types. We demonstrate that much of this variation is structured by latitudinal gradients, and that the sensitivity of these gradients increases over time. We argue that the geographic ranges of point types represent the accumulated archaeological signature of cultural technological deposition by human populations adapting to latitudinally structured environmental conditions from the late Pleistocene through the late Holocene. These findings are consistent with Rapoport’s Rule, a widely observed—but still debated—biogeographic pattern in which species’ range sizes tend to increase with latitude. Our results also align with a growing body of research showing that various dimensions of human biological and cultural diversity—such as linguistic richness, economic development, and health disparities—exhibit similar latitudinal gradients at global scales. We explore how planetary-scale variation in temperature, energy availability, and environmental productivity—filtered through regional Earth systems—has shaped broad patterns in North America’s cultural evolutionary history, reflecting at least 13,000 years of dynamic human adaptation to shifting biophysical landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105157"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143883176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A quantitative approach to decoding pottery technology: Confocal microscopy applied to the traceological and textural analysis of surface treatment","authors":"Sara Díaz Bonilla ,&nbsp;Niccolò Mazzucco","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105152","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105152","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Among the various phases of pottery production and use that can be examined through traceological analysis, surface treatment remains one of the least explored. Understanding certain phases of past production processes through material remains often necessitates the establishment of reference frameworks that facilitate the identification and characterization of the actions responsible for their formation. In this context, experimental archaeology provides a means to reconstruct the relationships between the archaeological record and past technological practices.</div><div>This study proposes an experimental program focused on the surface treatment of pottery and the tools employed in these processes, with a primary emphasis on the categories of tools utilized in the production of prehistoric handmade ceramics. The central hypothesis posits that distinct tools generate distinguishable surface traces. To systematically document and characterize the traces produced by various tool types—including pebbles, flint spatulas, pottery spatulas, shell spatulas, linen rags, grass, and leather—a comprehensive catalogue has been compiled. This catalogue integrates visual documentation with qualitative data on surface traces and overall appearance.</div><div>Additionally, confocal microscopy was tested as a means to quantitatively assess the visual differences observed between distinct surface treatments. The findings indicate that confocal microscopy is both a precise and accessible technique for measuring surface microtexture. The results underscore the methodological potential for traceological and textural analysis of ceramic surface treatments. The ability to differentiate between various surface treatment techniques offers new avenues for the study of prehistoric pottery, enhancing our understanding of ancient ceramic production practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105152"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143883178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}