Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports最新文献

{"title":"Non-invasive characterization of the manufacturing process of a Nuragic bronze statuette: a Neutron Imaging study","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104801","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104801","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The <em>Nuragic</em> civilization (Sardinia, Italy, XVIII–VIII Cen. B.C) developed a flourishing bronze metallurgy. The production of <em>Nuragic</em> bronze figurines from Sardinia represents a rich historical archive that provides key information about the iconography, the metal production and casting techniques, and on the development of metallurgy in the Mediterranean basin. Since the question about their manufacturing method remains without definitive answer, the understanding of the Sardinian bronze metallurgy is essential to determine which manufacturing techniques were employed to produce complex bronze artefacts. In the frame of a wider research project relating to <em>Nuragic</em> bronzes, four artefacts, three anthropomorphic statuettes (a warrior, a priestess, and an offering figure), and one miniature of a basket, were made available by Museo Nazionale Preistorico “L. Pigorini” (Roma, IT). In this work we present the results of the analyses conducted on a bronze figurine depicting an iconic type of <em>Nuragic</em> figure: the Priestess. The analysis was performed using White Beam Neutron Tomography (NT) and Bragg Edge Neutron Transmission (BENT) at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) (Villigen, CH). Neutron techniques are nowadays the only available approach for revealing, non-destructively and with good spatial resolution, the morphological and microstructural properties within the whole volume of solid cast metallic artefacts such as this bronze statuette. This work presents the result of a non-invasive analytical investigation on an archaeological bronze artefact, providing outstanding results: from a quantitative analysis of the composition to an in-depth morphological and microstructural analysis capable of unveiling details on the ancient casting methods of the statuette.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New insights into human behavior at Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia) based on the temporal distribution of pottery and mollusks during the past 5000 years","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104800","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104800","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In addition to preserving a rich archaeological record spanning from ∼190 thousand years ago (ka) until the terminal Pleistocene, Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia) also preserves a rich and relatively complete Holocene stratigraphic sequence with dense accumulations of faunal remains, stone artifacts, and pottery. In this study, abundances of pottery sherds and mollusk taxa were examined across nine stratigraphic units to explore temporal variation during the past ∼5000 years. This temporal period is important because it is during this time that archaeological evidence of agriculture and sedentism initially appears on Flores. The first aim of this study was to more precisely determine when pottery was first introduced to the site as previous research has suggested that this occurred either ∼4 ka or ∼3 ka. The second aim of this study was to document the mollusk assemblage at Liang Bua in terms of its temporal range and taxonomic composition. Particular emphasis was placed on determining whether humans were responsible for accumulating all or part of this mollusk assemblage, which included 3515 three-dimensionally-plotted specimens and 4270 specimens recovered from sieved sediments.</div><div>Our results show that pottery was most likely first introduced to the site ∼3.3 ka and used regularly after ∼3 ka, suggesting increased sedentism or farming in the areas surrounding the cave. The main shell midden at Liang Bua was deposited between ∼4.4 and 3.3 ka and includes mostly freshwater species. Interestingly, 63.1 % of <em>Tarebia granifera</em> and 66.7 % of <em>Melanoides tuberculata</em> recovered in Sectors XXXII-XXIX showed signs that they were deliberately broken open at their apices. Deliberately opening the apex of a shell is almost certainly a strategy to obtain the meat for human consumption. Furthermore, the presence of 12 culturally modified marine shells at Liang Bua suggests that, after ∼4.4–4.3 ka, past peoples living around Liang Bua had strong social and/or symbolic connections to coastal areas either through their own foraging ranges or through trade networks with other peoples living nearer to the ocean.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528307","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":"Provenance study on metal materials of the bronze weapons foundry site (2019 field session) in the ancient capital of the Zhu State, Shandong, China","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104814","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104814","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A large number of bronze-casting relics of the Warring States period were discovered for the first time at the ruins of Zhu State Ancient City, Shandong, Eastern China. The microstructure, composition, and lead isotope ratio of slags and bronzes were examined. The results reveal that the slags are smelting slags, and the bronzes predominantly consist of copper-tin–lead alloys. Three types of lead materials were employed in the casting of weapons by the Zhu State: the first type likely originated from Hunan, while the other unique types could be local mineral materials from Shandong. With the growing demand for casting weapons and the constraints on metal resource circulation among various countries, the Zhu State was compelled to exploit a new type of lead material produced in neighboring regions after the early Warring States period. There was a significant shift in the lead materials used in Shandong from the middle Warring States period, transitioning from external input to the combination of the lead materials from Chu and local sources. This study provides new evidence for exploring the source, circulation, and relationship with neighboring countries concerning the mineral materials used in the production of bronzes in the Shandong area during the Eastern Zhou period.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528892","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":"Case study: Assessment of dietary behavior based on odontological and isotopic analyses of Lusatian culture human remains from Koziegłowy, Poland (2470 ± 35 BP)","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104832","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104832","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Contemporary bioarchaeological research, which is carried out on both large and small populations, often involves the analysis of sets of skeletal remains. The latter applies particularly to finds at the Koziegłowy site, which date back to the Lusatian culture (when cremation was the principal form of burial). Therefore, the preservation of the skeletons from this period is extremely significant. The main human groups of the Lusatian culture are thought to have had a sedentary economy with a strong emphasis on animal husbandry, mainly cattle, sheep, pigs and horses. The fact of such an economy should have be detected in the diet of the population of the Lusitanian culture. The aim of the present study was to reconstruct dietary behavior based on the frequency of dental caries and evaluation of stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes (δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C, respectively). The dental remains of 63 permanent teeth from 9 adults (5 females, 2 males, and 2 individuals of unidentified sex) were analyzed. Macroscopic, X-ray, and light-induced fluorescence technique methods were employed. The Bayesian mixing model Food Reconstruction Using Isotopic Transferred Signals (FRUITS) was used for diet reconstruction. The results revealed that dental caries was uncommon (11 %, 7/63 teeth). This may been because the diet contained a range of food sources and a low amount of carbohydrates (which are the main cause of dental caries). Isotopic analysis seemed to confirm this hypothesis. There were two individuals with carious lesions in the cluster characterized by a relatively lower consumption of animal protein (animals ≤ 14 % and fish &lt; 7 %) with the highest share of C3 plants (on average 66 %). However, it should be remembered that the above interpretation of the results is based on a small number of individuals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528893","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":"Pre-Roman U-Th datings of an aqueduct near ancient Lebedos (Aegean Region, Türkiye)","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104823","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104823","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the vicinity of the ancient city of Lebedos, known as one of the twelve Ionian cities, located south of İzmir in W. Anatolia (Türkiye), the NE-SW-trending active Tuzla Fault zone is characterized by numerous hot springs and associated travertine-type carbonate deposits (sinter). Among these, the active Doğanbey bath features an approximately 560 m-long hot water aqueduct, called the “Roman Aqueduct”. This structure is distinct from the well-known Roman (Byzantine) ruins (Karakoç bath) in the area in terms of its materials and construction techniques. Despite the absence of detailed archaeological or geochronological studies in this region, the Doğanbey bath and aqueduct have conventionally been attributed to the Roman era.</div><div>The trough and sidewalls of the Doğanbey aqueduct are covered with a 5–25 cm-thick, laminated sinter crust, formed by the flow of hot water. Each sinter lamina comprises radial structures of calcite and/or aragonite, resembling feather-like shrub structures. This study employs the U-Th chronometry to determine the age of sinter layers covering the Doğanbey bath aqueduct. Two layers from a single sinter sample of the ancient Doğanbey aqueduct yielded U-Th ages of 2717 ± 106 and 2528 ± 106 years (BP). These dates indicate a pre-Roman phase of settlement in the Lebedos area, a finding documented for the first time through this study.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528891","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":"Subsistence economy in the eastern Ordos Plateau, China during the late Warring States Period (c. 221 BCE) by stable isotope analysis","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104825","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104825","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This case study presents stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic results of 40 human bones (δ¹³C value range: −9.7 ‰ ∼ −7.7 ‰, mean ± SD value: −8.6 ± 0.4 ‰; δ¹⁵N value range: 6.7 ‰ ∼ 10.0 ‰, mean ± SD value: 8.3 ± 0.7 ‰) from the Chuanzhang cemetery in the eastern Ordos Plateau, China during the late Warring States Period (c. 221 BCE), which indicate that the past populations mainly relied on C₄-based food. Despite different archaeological cultures, all past populations in the Chuanzhang cemetery had a similar dietary pattern and subsistence economy. Based on archaeological and historical analysis, people in the Chuanzhang cemetery made their living mainly by millet-based agriculture, supplemented by animal husbandry. Comparing isotopic data published from adjacent and contemporary cemeteries, we can conclude that millet-based agriculture was a consistency and dominated subsistence economy in central-south, Inner Mongolia, which also provided a solid material foundation for the central plains government to control the eastern Ordos Plateau during the late Warring States Period.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528872","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":"Layer by layer – Dismantling a Yamnaya kurgan by geochemical, pedological and statistical approaches (Wallachain Plain, Romania)","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104804","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104804","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Kurgans are peculiar, human-made formations of the endless steppes of Eurasia. These burial mounds are not only monuments of notable botanical, zoological, pedological and geomorphological values, but as elements of the cultural heritage they also represent unique aesthetical and cultural historical significance in the landscape. Moreover, the soils under the mounds are the messengers of ancient landscape forming factors and soil generation processes. A ca. 3 m high kurgan located near the village of Boldești-Grădiștea (Romania, Prahova County) was excavated in 2019 and the cross-section, unfolding all relevant layers and buried horizons, were sampled for geochemical and pedological investigation. The sampling resolution was 5 cm. On-site soil macro-morphological description and basic soil physical and chemical methods were applied to describe the recovered (cultural) layers and soil horizons. In addition, MP-AES and ICP-MS methods were used to identify the elemental composition of the layers and horizons. Via Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis patterns of the multivariate space were explored. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was then used to assess the probability of cluster memberships. Finally, the LDA model was applied to categorize the background samples collected from the vicinity of the mound. The information retrieved was not only used to identify construction phases, but also to distinguish various material choices during the erection and the later enlargement of the kurgan.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"GPR survey at the Etruscan necropolis of Sasso Pinzuto, Tuscania (Central Italy)","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104833","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104833","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Etruscan cemeteries are the best-known source for the Etruscan civilization and provide valuable insights into their culture shedding light on their funerary customs, social structure, and religious beliefs. We present a geophysical study conducted at the Etruscan necropolis of Sasso Pinzuto, Tuscania (Central Italy), using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to investigate the presence of submerged anthropogenic structures within the area. Our GPR investigations were performed using a 400 MHz antenna in two areas near a site where burial mounds were previously studied. The analysis of acquired data showed both high-amplitude reflections and reflection-free areas with geometric (linear and circular) shapes. In the first area, we detected small circular reflection-free areas, at ∼ 0.40 m depth that are located over five small holes. In the second area, our survey highlighted the presence of reflection-free areas surrounded by sets of high-amplitude reflections between 0.30 m and 1.08 m deep, associated with a circular shaped cavity in the tuff rock. By confirming the existence and location of anthropic structures in the two investigated areas, archaeologists may gain a deeper understanding of the layout of the necropolis and plan subsequent targeted interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The ‘Dame de Sabra’: New insights into the glaze technology of the Fatimids in Ifriqiya (10th century, Tunisia)","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104809","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104809","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The analysis of Fatimid polychrome white-opaque glazed ware found at the archaeological sites of Bir Ftouha and Utica (Ifriqiya) revealed that, contrary prevailing belief, the glazes were successfully opacified with quartz rather than tin oxide (cassiterite) particles. This led us to hypothesise that the use of cassiterite to opacify the glazes in Ifriqiya did not commence until well after the Fatimids took control of Egypt in 972. However, the absence of analysed ceramics with the most characteristic Fatimid designs among them left some doubts about the validity of this hypothesis. To elucidate this matter, an analysis was conducted on a ceramic vessel bearing the characteristic <em>Dame de Sabra</em> Fatimid design. This analysis has confirmed that the glaze was opacified quartz and not tin oxide particles. To date, no documented examples of pottery opacified with cassiterite have been identified in Ifriqiya in either the Fatimid or Zirid periods (10th to mid-11th centuries).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Re-thinking the concept of embedded procurement: Insights from the lower Paleolithic of the Levant","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104824","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104824","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Binford’s concept of embedded procurement, proposed over half a century ago, which suggests that lithic procurement was typically integrated with other subsistence activities, has become a cornerstone of raw material studies, and continues to dominate interpretations by many archeologists studying Lower and Middle Paleolithic flint sourcing. However, evidence from Lower Paleolithic Acheulo-Yabrudian Qesem Cave, and the Lower and Middle Paleolithic Dishon and Achbara flint extraction and reduction complexes, in Israel, suggests that this view warrants reconsideration. At Qesem Cave, significant proportions of non-local materials, particularly within specific typo-technological categories, indicate a selective approach to the procurement and exploitation of different flint types, including evidence of long-distant procurement. At Dishon and Achbara, multiple flint extraction and reduction tailing piles have been identified, featuring rejected handaxes and Levallois cores, and the geochemical composition similarity between this flint and handaxes from the Acheulian sites of at Ma’ayan Barukh and Gesher Benot Ya’aqov (GBY), both located ∼ 20 km from the Dishon complex, suggesting the existence of task-specific forays, dedicated to the organized extraction of flint. Based on these finds, we propose that the predominance of the embedded procurement model should be reassessed, as direct procurement strategies were already in use during the Lower Paleolithic of the Levant. Moreover, drawing on archaeological and ethnographic data, we argue that cultural, social, cosmological, and ontological factors also influenced lithic materials procurement practices among Lower Paleolithic populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528997","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}