Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports最新文献

{"title":"Fishing and the Church: Ichthyoarchaeological analyses of the visigothic settlement of Aiguafreda de Dalt site (Catalonia, Spain, 7th c.)","authors":"Arnau Brosa-Planella ,&nbsp;Arnau Garcia-Molsosa ,&nbsp;Abel Gallego-Valle ,&nbsp;Judit Ciurana Prast ,&nbsp;Jaume Oliver-Bruy ,&nbsp;Santiago Riera Mora ,&nbsp;Maria Saña Seguí ,&nbsp;Arturo Morales Muñiz","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105215","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105215","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the post-Roman centuries, a new political, social and cultural order emerged in the Western Mediterranean. As part of this process, fisheries underwent significant changes, which laid the foundation for the subsequent development of medieval fisheries in the region. However, fishing activities during the Visigothic Kingdom (5th-8th centuries) in the Iberian Peninsula remain underexplored, especially in comparison to other areas such as Italy. This paper presents an analysis of the ichthyoarchaeological assemblage from the 7th-century site of Aiguafreda de Dalt (Catalonia, Spain), one of the first comprehensive studies of a fish assemblage from this period in the region. The results suggest that ecclesiastical elites played a key role in shaping fishing practices in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula and the existence of a small-scale system for transporting fresh fish inland. The study also reveals a continuity in fish consumption practices from the Roman period into the Visigothic era.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105215"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144177890","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 “shell-midden” dated to the Middle Ages in Northern Spain: The church of San Juan Bautista in Colindres","authors":"Esteban Álvarez-Fernández ,&nbsp;Rafael Bolado Del Castillo ,&nbsp;Mª Teresa Aparicio ,&nbsp;Ángel Borja ,&nbsp;Marián Cueto ,&nbsp;Enrique Gutiérrez Cuenca ,&nbsp;José Ángel Hierro Gárate ,&nbsp;Jesús F. Jordá Pardo ,&nbsp;Laura Llorente Rodríguez ,&nbsp;Alberto Marchán-Fernández ,&nbsp;Paloma Uzquiano ,&nbsp;Miriam Cubas","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105223","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105223","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bioarchaeological evidence of subsistence strategies during the Middle Ages is scarce in the Cantabrian region (Northern Spain). In the excavations carried out at the church of San Juan Bautista in Colindres (Cantabria), a ‘shell-middeń composed almost exclusively of archaeozoological and anthracological remains was documented, and then dated between the second part of the 12th century and the beginning of the 15th century CE. The animal remains belong mainly to invertebrates, with the marine bivalve <em>Cerastoderma</em> sp. (cockle) being the most abundant taxon. The acidic pH of the sediment, however, has meant that vertebrate remains are scarce and of very small size, with the documentation of freshwater fish teeth (Cyprinidae) standing out. The anthracological data indicate the use of various types of wood as fuel (including fruit trees), which points to an anthropised landscape. This accumulation of remains has been interpreted as a waste tip resulting from the daily activities (shellfishing, fishing, plant cultivation) of the people who lived around the church. Finally, the importance of this type of resource in the Cantabrian region and nearby areas during the Early Middle Ages is assessed, taking into account both the bioarchaeological information and the scarce historical data available.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105223"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144185683","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":"Characterization of clay deposits in the Ceyhan Plain (Eastern Cilicia, Turkey): Integrated petrographic, mineralogical, geochemical, and geospatial analysis for provenance studies of ancient ceramics","authors":"Sinem Hacıosmanoğlu ,&nbsp;Mustafa Kibaroğlu ,&nbsp;Hatice Ünal Ercan ,&nbsp;Joachim Opitz","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105240","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105240","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents the results of a comprehensive multi-analytical investigations of clay deposits from the Ceyhan Plain in Eastern Cilicia, Southern Turkey, aimed at establishing a robust framework for provenance studies of ancient ceramics in the region. A total of 52 clay samples were systematically collected and analyzed using optical microscopy for petrography (OM), X-Ray powder diffraction for mineral phase analysis (XRPD), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for geochemical (LA-ICP-MS), and geographic information systems for Geospatial Analysis (GIS) to examine the compositional characteristics and define reference clay groups for archaeometric research. Briquette samples were prepared from the collected clay to facilitate direct geochemical and petrographic comparisons with archaeological ceramics and clay-based artifacts.</div><div>The results demonstrate that the clay deposits are predominantly calcareous, with contribution from mafic rocks and minor input from ultramafic sources. The compositional diversity is primarily shaped by sedimentation processes associated with the Ceyhan River, while smaller drainage systems influence localized variations. Four distinct clay reference groups were identified: the Ceyhan River Clay Group, İmamoğlu-Kozan Clay Group, Kadirli-Savrun Clay group, and Osmaniye-Ilıksu Clay Group. These groups serve as reference materials for comparative studies of ancient ceramics enabling deeper insights into local ceramic production strategies and exchange networks within the Eastern Cilicia Plain and its surroundings. They also serve as essential materials for provenance analyses of ceramics and other clay-based artifacts in broader regional contexts, including the Mediterranean, Anatolia, and the Levant.</div><div>The study further underscores the importance of a multidisciplinary approach and the integration of excavation data with landscape and systematic raw material analysis to achieve a more nuanced understanding of ancient production strategies and resource management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105240"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144185700","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":"Colonia Iulia Emona at the crossroads in the South-Eastern Alpine region during the late Roman period – An isotope perspective","authors":"Tamara Leskovar ,&nbsp;Christophe Snoeck ,&nbsp;Matija Črešnar ,&nbsp;Marta Hlad ,&nbsp;Carina T. Gerritzen ,&nbsp;Hannah F. James ,&nbsp;Rachèl Spros ,&nbsp;Steven Goderis ,&nbsp;Andrej Gaspari","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105218","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105218","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Colonia Iulia Emona<!--> <!-->(present-day Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia) was an autonomous town in the north-eastern part of Roman Italy (regio X). Its importance is closely linked with its favourable position at the crossroad of land and water routes connecting Italy with continental provinces and Eastern regions of the Empire. The Roman town of Emona had three major necropolises, situated along roads approaching to the city from the South-West (direction towards<!--> <!-->Aquileia), the East (Siscia,<!--> <!-->Pannonia), and the North-East (Poetovio, Pannonia). Excavations of the Gosposvetska road, conducted in 2017/2018, unearthed a particular area of the Northern necropolis of Emona and revealed a cemeterial complex, spatially separated from the neighbouring burial grounds. To better understand the people from Late Roman Emona and this cemeterial complex, a multi-isotopic study on 27 individuals recovered from the excavation at Gosposvetska road was carried out and a bioavailable strontium (BASr) baseline for Ljubljana and its surrounding was established. The isotopic analyses suggest C₃ plants-based diet, with some contribution from animal proteins and C₄ plants. Most individuals exhibit local oxygen and strontium signals, consistent with the climate and agricultural landscape surrounding Roman Emona. The few outliers indicate individuals with different diet and possibly non-local origins.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105218"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144185684","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":"Technologies of tradition: A compositional and technological characterisation of pottery production at Late Bronze Age Enkomi, Cyprus","authors":"Chase Alan Mohan Minos ,&nbsp;Maria Dikomitou-Eliadou ,&nbsp;Elvira Vassilieva ,&nbsp;Patrick Degryse","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105230","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105230","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Late Bronze Age in Cyprus (c. 1680/1650–1050 BCE) marked significant economic, political, and social transformation, evident in new settlement patterns, urbanisation, craft specialisation, and growing ties with the Eastern Mediterranean. Enkomi, located on Cyprus’ eastern coast, exemplifies these developments, evolving into a major urbanised settlement during the Late Cypriot Bronze Age. Despite extensive excavations, much of the site’s early history remains underexplored (c. 1680/50–1350 BCE), with limited research addressing the formative phases of this significant settlement.</div><div>This study builds on prior research by conducting a comprehensive technological and compositional analysis of ceramics from Enkomi’s early phases, focusing on what are perceived as locally produced wares (Plain White, Red/Black Slip, and White Painted Wheel-Made). By combining macroscopic, petrographic, and geochemical analyses, this study uncovers long-standing clay preparation traditions. The findings offer a refined understanding of local production choices, revealing that potters adhered to shared technological practices despite chronological, stylistic and technological changes. This research fills a critical gap by establishing a robust baseline for identifying local ceramic production at Enkomi and its local traditions, enabling more accurate future interpretations of ceramic production organisation, commodity circulation, and cultural exchange as well as technological evolution in Cyprus during the LBA.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105230"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144185284","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":"Investigating domestic economy and mobility at a Woodland period ceremonial center in Northwest Florida, USA, using Neutron Activation Analysis","authors":"Martin Menz ,&nbsp;Neill J. Wallis ,&nbsp;James A. Davenport","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105236","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105236","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The emergence of early villages along the Gulf Coast during the Woodland period (ca. 1000 B.C. – A.D. 900) was associated with significant changes in settlement, mobility, and subsistence, particularly a shift towards greater sedentism and more social and economic integration of households. Our assessment of household ceramic production, consumption, and exchange at a Woodland period ceremonial center on the Florida Gulf Coast using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) instead suggests that some households were more mobile and more economically autonomous than is often assumed. Domestic ceramics from the Letchworth (8JE337) ceremonial center and other Tallahassee Hills area sites were produced at the household level and circulated within local networks of mobility and exchange. However, some ceramics from domestic contexts at Letchworth were not circulated within the site or the broader region, suggesting that some households were somewhat economically insular. We suggest that relatively high mobility and economic autonomy of households in the Tallahassee Hills area may have been a strategy to mitigate risks associated with unpredictable local environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105236"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144185754","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":"Perpetuate the majesty – archaeological, archaeobotanical, and bio-anthropological evidence of embalming the Polish king Augustus II the Strong (18th Century)","authors":"Monika Badura ,&nbsp;Agnieszka M. Noryśkiewicz ,&nbsp;Anna Drążkowska ,&nbsp;Henryk Głąb ,&nbsp;Agnieszka Trzos","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105242","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105242","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In 2019, the sarcophagus of King Augustus II the Strong (1670–1733) was examined as part of conservation work in the royal burial crypts at Wawel Castle in Cracow (Kraków) (Southern Poland). Previous research demonstrated that the king’s body was embalmed after his death, which is mentioned in historical sources. However, these sources include no details regarding the techniques or the materials used. This research presents new information about the burials of Polish rulers in the 18th Century. Archaeological and bio-anthropological analysis revealed that the king’s eyes were replaced with glass prostheses, the heart was removed, and plant material replaced the abdominal organs and the brain. The botanical material was subjected to macrobotanical and palynological analyses. Given the types of plants identified, the choice of plants used for embalming was guided by practical, rather than religious, considerations. The plants include herbs and spices with significant antiseptic properties and strong fragrances. Moreover, they were accessible throughout the year and could be stored in the royal larder or pharmacy and dried without losing much of their properties, even during winter. We demonstrate the value of multiproxy approaches in identifying historic embalming practices without detailed written records.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105242"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144177887","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":"Waterproof, hydraulic or natural hydraulic? – Characterization of a set of historic mortars from Paphos (Cyprus)","authors":"Paola Pizzo ,&nbsp;Jan Válek ,&nbsp;Dita Frankeová","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105235","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105235","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Defining the hydraulic properties of historic lime mortars is a complicated task: chemical processes related to both the nature of the material and its degradation heavily influence the possibility of correctly assessing the existence and the extent of hydraulic components. Furthermore, terminological issues contribute to the confusion and uncertainty, with terms such as waterproof, hydraulic, natural hydraulic, natural cement, and watertight being used improperly, especially in the field of traditional archaeology. This paper aims at offering an interpretation of the hydraulicity degree in a set of historic mortars collected from the modern-day district of Paphos (Cyprus) through an interdisciplinary analytical approach. Eventually, determining the hydraulic character of a historic mortar is a matter of careful evaluation of multiscale data, starting with the interpretation of the context and ending with the characterization of the mixture components.</div><div>The samples collected from key archaeological sites near Paphos all pertained to water-related structures, although their hydraulic character could not be properly addressed; after the analytical procedure, we were able to categorize and define their physical and chemical properties in relation to their water containment function. At least two different types of renders for water-related structures were used in Paphos between the Late Bronze Age and the Roman time: one group consists of air lime binder with pozzolanic materials, while the second is a lime-based mixture with higher hydraulic properties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105235"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144168050","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":"Landscape affordances, GIS, and the hunting landscape of rock art in the Central Iranian Plateau","authors":"Ebrahim Karimi","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105246","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105246","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hunting is the most common narrative scene in the rock art of Iran. This prevalent use of hunting scenes, along with the potential use of some rock art regions for hunting purposes both today and in ancient times, have led to one main interpretation of rock art as depictions made by hunters and in relation to hunting activities in the Central Iranian Plateau. However, this assumption has not been thoroughly tested and is not explored on a broader landscape scale. Using a GIS-landscape approach, this study attempts to analyze the intersection of the petroglyphs, hunting blinds, and landscape affordances to reconstruct the hunting landscape of rock art in the Central Iranian Plateau. Rather than a chronological association, this approach emphasizes how the environmental affordances link the petroglyphs, hunting blinds, and hunting activities within the landscape of rock art. This suggests that the same locations and their capacities could have been recognized and used by different land users, whether contemporaneously or across different periods. Additionally, this paper discusses how the placement of petroglyphs enhanced the readability of the landscape’s affordances in relation to hunting and marked the key areas with hunting potential.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105246"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144168049","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 human skeleton from Última Esperanza, South-West Patagonia, Chile: Osteobiography, morphometric, and genetic analysis","authors":"Lumila Paula Menéndez ,&nbsp;Cassandra Rios ,&nbsp;Candela Acosta Morano ,&nbsp;Paula Novellino ,&nbsp;Thomas Schmelzle ,&nbsp;Gabriel Aguirre-Fernández ,&nbsp;Abagail Breidenstein ,&nbsp;Rodrigo Barquera ,&nbsp;Verena J. Schuenemann ,&nbsp;Thomas W. Stafford Jr. ,&nbsp;Marcelo R. Sánchez-Villagra ,&nbsp;Chiara Barbieri","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105237","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105237","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite over 130 years of systematic investigation, only a few ancient human skeletons have been recovered in southern Patagonia. These remains, dating to the Middle and Late Holocene, are typically found as isolated individuals or in small burial groups. In this paper, we present a multidisciplinary analysis of a human skeleton belonging to an elderly female discovered in the late 19th century in Mylodon Cave, Última Esperanza, southern Chile. The skeleton has been dated to the Historic period/late Holocene. Our study provides a comprehensive assessment, including a discussion of her geographic provenance, radiocarbon dating, and biological profile—encompassing sex, age, stature, and paleopathology—alongside morphometric and genetic analyses aimed at evaluating her biological affinities with other South American populations. The osteobiographical analysis revealed that she was relatively healthy for her age and had an average stature for individuals from Patagonia (166–167 cm). Genetic analysis confirmed a Southern Cone ancestry closely related to ancient DNA from Selk’nam, Aonikenk and Haush individuals. Morphometric analysis demonstrated strong biological affinities with individuals from the Chubut Valley, with secondary connections to populations from Tierra del Fuego. With this study we encourage further meticulous and ethical examination and multidisciplinary contextualization of museum collections to advance our understanding of the human past.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105237"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144168048","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}