Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports最新文献

{"title":"Exploring craft spaces: A new insight into the archaeology of pottery production","authors":"Claire Padovani ,&nbsp;Julie Flahaut ,&nbsp;Sonja Willems","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105183","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105183","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The theoretical and methodological framework for studying craft spaces remains significantly underdeveloped compared with other types of functional areas, such as domestic, religious, and political spaces, which have been extensively documented across various regions and time periods. Specifically, pottery production has usually been studied from a top-down oriented approach, in the frame of political economy. This perspective contributed to a general lack of scholarly focus and field documentation of production areas. It reflects a paradigmatic issue regarding the perceived informational value of these areas. The core challenge, and at the same time the key motivation, of developing an archaeology of artisanal spaces lies in the absence of a universally accepted definition of the “potter’s workshop” (Costin, 2020). Scholars focusing across diverse cultural contexts often employ distinct terminologies and conceptual frameworks to interpret workshop remains. This special issue seeks to bring together different chrono-cultural perspectives and to propose fresh research directions and interpretation on pottery craft spaces. Some of the papers in this special issue were presented at the international workshop organised on 9 December 2022 at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne by C. Padovani, J. Flahaut and S. Willems (<span><span>https://archeorient.hypotheses.org/29294</span><svg><path></path></svg></span>).</div><div>The objective of this special issue is to expand on the groundwork laid by previous researchers (Duistermaat, 2008; Hasaki, 2011; Denti and Villette, 2019) in studying pottery craft spaces – not merely as contexts for interpretation but as meaningful socio-cultural elements for understanding ancient societies. Each element of the potter’s workshops provides information on the techniques and labour organisation of each potter and their group, as well as on the deeper socio-economic structure of their society.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105183"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144106500","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":"Ceramic experimental firing on clays for ceramic production in Umbria (Italy). Characterization of mineralogical transformations with temperature","authors":"Letizia Ceccarelli ,&nbsp;Chiara Moletti ,&nbsp;Paola Gallo Stampino ,&nbsp;Marco Caruso ,&nbsp;Giovanni Dotelli","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105189","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105189","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Compositional characterization of ancient ceramics provides useful insights in the understanding of the technology of ceramic production as well as providing information on the temperature of kiln firing. This paper aims to identify the mineral behaviour of clays thermal transformations during firing in a kiln. Experimental firing, under controlled conditions, was performed to study the mineral behaviour of the same clays used for ancient ceramics to correlate heating rate and changes in mineral assemblages, according to the composition of the raw material. The study of phyrotechnology plays an important rule when the structures of ancient kiln, as well as raw material employed, are well known. Therefore, this contribution is based on the important key-study of six roman updraft kilns, discovered at Montelabate (Perugia. Italy), where clay pits were discovered. The results allowed a better understanding of the thermal transformations occurring during ceramic firing, taking into account the ancient potters’ technical choices of raw material, the potential errors incurred in kilns, estimating a temperature at around 900 °C, above when misfired, taking into consideration also post burial modifications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105189"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143917565","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":"Endocarps of Chinese cherry (Cerasus pseudocerasus (Lindley) Loudon, Rosaceae) discovered in a well of Haihun Marquis’ graveyard (∼59 BC) in Nanchang, China","authors":"Xin Chen ,&nbsp;Jun Yang ,&nbsp;Xuwei Duan ,&nbsp;Hongen Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105190","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105190","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A total of 256 intact <em>Cerasus</em> endocarps (∼59 BC) were unearthed in the well (J3) of the graveyard of the Haihun Marquis in Jiangxi Province, China. These woody endocarps were well preserved in a water-soaked and oxygen-isolated condition with a distinct archaeological background. Five modern species of the <em>Cerasus</em> endocarps that have been excavated at various ancient Chinese sites were compared in this study. The result of the Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling Analysis shows that these ancient endocarps belong to Chinese cherry (<em>Cerasus pseudocerasus</em>). As one of the world’s four edible cherries, <em>C. pseudocerasus</em> has a long history of use in ancient China. It may not only have been favored by Liu He, the main character of the present study, but also consumed by ordinary people who guarded the tomb. Additionally, it could have been a sacrificial fruit in ritual ceremonies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"65 ","pages":"Article 105190"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143922643","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":"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":"Corrigendum to “An unusual case of prone position in the Punic/Roman necropolis of Monte Luna in Sardinia (Italy): A multi-disciplinary interpretation of Tomb 27” [J. Archaeol. Sci. Rep. 48 (2023) 103846]","authors":"Rossella Paba ,&nbsp;Dario D’Orlando ,&nbsp;Anna Willis ,&nbsp;Carlo Lugliè ,&nbsp;Kate Domett","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105177","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105177","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105177"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144107777","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}