Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports最新文献

{"title":"Feeding the dead, sustaining the living: an archaeobotanical study of Mycenaean Eleon in Boeotia, Greece","authors":"Symeon Gkinoudis ,&nbsp;Trevor Van Damme ,&nbsp;Brendan Burke ,&nbsp;Bryan Burns ,&nbsp;Evi Margaritis","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105507","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105507","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Eleon is located in east Boeotia, on mainland Greece. Research conducted by the Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project has revealed a long-lasting occupational sequence at the site. At the beginning of the Late Bronze Age, a monumental burial enclosure, the Blue Stone Structure, was constructed on the east side of the plateau. Settlement remains from both the Palatial and Post-Palatial periods have been documented, with the latter being more extensively explored and better understood. This study presents new archaeobotanical macroremains recovered from MH III-LH I burial and LH IIIA-C settlement contexts. In the Blue Stone Structure, the plant remains retrieved—mainly cereal crops, but also pulses, and tree fruit/nuts—indicate deliberate destructions by fire, as part of mortuary customs and feasting events. A diverse, but very fragmented, plant assemblage was retrieved from Palatial period contexts (Structure A and the Northwest Complex). This fact does not allow us to determine in detail the nature of agricultural practices or to identify shifts in production that occurred during the Post-Palatial times. A more significant and better preserved archaeobotanical assemblage was recovered from the Post-Palatial period contexts (Northwest Building, Structures B and C). During this period, diversification in production is implied, with an emphasis on cereals and, to a lesser extent, pulses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"70 ","pages":"Article 105507"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080020","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 pharmacognostic approach to identifying Ephedra intermedia Schrenk ex Mey. in burials at the Xiaohe Cemetery, Lop Nor, Xinjiang","authors":"Jingxian Feng ,&nbsp;Xingjun Hu ,&nbsp;Tong Zhang ,&nbsp;Xingyi Wang ,&nbsp;Lianghong Ni","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105612","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105612","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The recurrent discovery of <em>Ephedra</em> remains at the Bronze Age Xiaohe Cemetery (ca. 4000–3500 BP) in Lop Nor highlights the plant’s cultural importance in prehistoric Xinjiang. Accurate species identification of these ancient remains has proven difficult because of the high morphological similarity among congeners. To address this issue, we conducted an integrated pharmacognostic investigation of three archaeological specimens, employing systematic morphological analysis, microscopic examination, and molecular genetic techniques. After optimizing protocols for ancient DNA extraction and amplification, we successfully sequenced four DNA barcode regions. Among these markers, the ITS2 region yielded sufficient phylogenetic resolution and was used to construct a Neighbor-Joining tree in comparison with sequences from eight native Xinjiang <em>Ephedra</em> species. The results show that the archaeological specimens exhibit diagnostic characteristics of <em>Ephedra intermedia</em>. Critically, the ITS2 sequences clustered in a robust clade with <em>E. intermedia</em>. These findings provide the definitive identification of the Xiaohe <em>Ephedra</em> as <em>E. intermedia</em>, thereby resolving longstanding taxonomic uncertainties. Moreover, this study establishes a replicable morphological–molecular framework for the analysis of desiccated botanical remains, offering a methodological foundation for future archaeobotanical research on medicinal plants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"70 ","pages":"Article 105612"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146079515","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":"Mid-Holocene climate and high-elevation environments during the Later Stone Age occupations of Beefa Cave (Melka Kunture, Upper Awash, Ethiopia)","authors":"Giuseppe Briatico ,&nbsp;Haregwine Hailu ,&nbsp;Denis Geraads ,&nbsp;Margherita Mussi ,&nbsp;Rita T. Melis ,&nbsp;Giuseppina Mutri","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105637","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105637","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents stable carbon and oxygen isotope data from bovid tooth enamel recovered from level 1 of Beefa Cave (∼5 ka), a Later Stone Age site located at 2000–2200 m a.s.l. within the Melka Kunture complex on the Ethiopian highlands. Bulk and intra-tooth sequential samples on bovid teeth were used to reconstruct the diet, vegetation structure, and seasonal hydroclimatic variability. Carbon isotope values indicate a strong reliance on C₄ grasses, while pronounced intra-tooth oxygen values oscillations document marked seasonal variability in water availability during enamel mineralization. Compared with the Early and Middle Pleistocene isotopic records from Melka Kunture, the mid-Holocene specimens exhibit substantially higher carbon and oxygen values, reflecting a long-term shift from wetter, mixed C₃-C₄ environments to more open, seasonally dry high-elevation landscapes. Comparisons with contemporaneous sites in Africa further highlight pronounced spatial heterogeneity in environmental responses at ∼5 ka. These results provide new insights into Holocene ecological reorganization of the Ethiopian highlands and the environmental contexts of Later Stone Age hunter-gatherer occupations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"70 ","pages":"Article 105637"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174083","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":"Unveiling Bronze Age Murghab: Small-scale community responses, agricultural practices and water management during environmental transitions in Turkmenistan","authors":"Roberto Aciero ,&nbsp;Daniela Mueller ,&nbsp;Barbara Cerasetti","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105621","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105621","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the role of various communities in the alluvial fan of the Murghab River during the Middle and Late Bronze Age (2400–1500 BCE), focusing on how environmental and hydrological characteristics influenced settlement patterns and agricultural practices. While previous research has examined the ancient Murghab alluvial fan on a broad scale, this study aims to disentangle local-scale forms of agricultural and water management responses to climate variability. As the region became increasingly arid during the 2nd millennium BCE, communities exhibited varied responses across different micro-ecozones. Modern ethnographic comparisons suggest that environmental changes can have different impacts on groups within the same landscape based on their strategies and social characteristics (e.g., small versus larger groups). This dynamic also seems to be mirrored in the human-water relationship and site distribution in the Murghab region during the Bronze Age. With a holistic approach that includes remote sensing reconstruction of the hydrological system, archaeological surveys, geoarchaeological investigation, and OSL analysis of the ancient fluvial system, we explore the responses of local communities during the landscape and social transformations of the 2nd millennium BCE. By focusing on two small-scale areas (Togolok and Ojakly), we discover that urban areas such as Togolok exhibited clustering around selected water channels, which facilitated good water management while increasing crop production and population wealth. In contrast, rural areas adopted decentralized, small-scale cultivation and an increased pastoralism to cope with aridity and hydrological instability. Ultimately, this study provides novel insights into the importance of small-scale investigations of local economic and social organizations. These findings contribute to disentangling broader narratives of economic and social resilience in the Murghab region during the Bronze Age.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"70 ","pages":"Article 105621"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174163","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":"Why change what works? Technological resilience in Harappan pottery from Bagasra (c. 2450–1900 BCE), Gujarat","authors":"Siddhant Sarkar ,&nbsp;Stamatis C. Boyatzis ,&nbsp;Nikos Zacharias ,&nbsp;P. Ajithprasad","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105586","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105586","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The present pilot study investigates pottery manufacturing at Bagasra (Gola Dhoro), a fortified coastal settlement in Gujarat (2450–1900 BCE), India, through an integrated archaeometric and chaîne opératoire approach to examine technological practices and resilience in pottery manufacturing strategies. LED and pXRF analysis were conducted on 73 samples, primarily consisting of small-medium pots, followed by goblets, storage jars, cooking vessels, bowls, a stud handle, a dish-on-stand and a deep basin. Although, the assemblage included a wide variety of pottery shapes, the majority were of coarse fabric, selected to investigate their paste preparation strategies and lipid residues (forthcoming). This was followed by SEM-EDS, FTIR and XRD analysis on a subset of 17 samples across various spatial, temporal, cultural and typological categories to identify evidence of surface treatment and estimate firing temperature. This helped reconstruct technological traditions via a chaîne opératoire approach across phases marked by environmental upheavals (e.g., tectonic activity, 4.2 ka aridification) and cultural shifts (Anarta, Classical Harappan, Sorath Harappan). The results reveal continuity in clay paste recipes, tempering strategies, and firing techniques, despite cultural shifts and environmental catastrophes. The potters’ deep material knowledge is highlighted by standardised production, evidenced by three groups of paste strategies, selective clay filtration, variety of tempering strategies and relatively uniform firing temperatures that were stable for 500 years. These pottery manufacturing strategies remained stable despite macro-scale disruptions, suggesting a locally centralised pottery production strategy and the generational transmission of craft knowledge. Additionally, the stability in pottery production strategies from the establishment of the site to the gradual abandonment highlights the social importance of potters, suggesting they were significant enough to have immigrated with the site’s earliest settlers. This study reframes Harappan pottery production as a dynamic and adaptive tradition, anchored in the deep material intelligence that allowed resilience with little transformation even in the face of environmental upheavls and cultural shifts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"70 ","pages":"Article 105586"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174165","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":"Drone-based thermal imaging of subsurface architecture: methodological insights and discoveries at Iron Age Raki (Oman)","authors":"Paige Paulsen ,&nbsp;Carolin Ferwerda ,&nbsp;Joseph W. Lehner ,&nbsp;Michael J. Harrower ,&nbsp;Amir Zaribaf ,&nbsp;Petra Creamer ,&nbsp;Jesse Casana","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105569","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105569","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents thermal imagery of Raki 2, a large Iron Age copper production site near Yanqul, Oman. The site, composed of massive amounts of copper slag, exhibits rectilinear architecture built of stone and slag that is not fully visible at the surface. A far more complete architectural layout of the site is revealed using thermal imagery due to the variable thermal emissivity of anthropogenic features like walls that visibly contrast against surrounding sediments. The settlement is unwalled, composed of clusters of densely organized small spaces, isolated structures, and several large, enclosed spaces, variably organized over the intact extent of a gravel terrace. This view of the layout of an entire Iron Age settlement adds to examples known from previous survey and excavation. Raki 2′s architectural organization is more heterogenous than previously documented sites, lacks an enclosure wall, and appears to include additional domestic structures, not merely copper producing installations. This helps us understand the built environment of large-scale copper production during a peak of sociopolitical complexity during the Iron Age.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105569"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145938901","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 elephant in the oppidum. Preliminary analysis of a carpal bone from a Punic context at the archaeological site of Colina de los Quemados (Córdoba, Spain)","authors":"Rafael M. Martínez Sánchez ,&nbsp;Agustín López Jiménez ,&nbsp;Santiago Guillamón Dávila ,&nbsp;Laura Llorente Rodríguez ,&nbsp;Arturo Morales Muñiz ,&nbsp;Antonio Moreno Rosa ,&nbsp;Fernando Quesada Sanz","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105577","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105577","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prior to the construction and enlargement of the medical consulting room of the Cordoba Provincial Hospital (Spain) an archaeological excavation was required and carried out in 2020. These works affected one specific area along the southern slope of the site of Colina de los Quemados, identified with the Iberian <em>oppidum</em> of <em>Corduba</em>. This was abandoned after the re-foundation of the Roman town, genesis of the current city. The investigation documented successive phases of occupation, starting from the Late Bronze Age (10th-8th century BCE) to the Islamic medieval period. Among the contexts found in an intermediate phase, which contained traces of an industrial area with ovens, streets and other structures of the Iberian Late Iron Age, up to 12 spherical stone balls used in artillery were documented. This evidence, together with some numismatic finds, probably points to a military context, likely related to the Second Punic War (218-201 BCE). A carpal bone from the right forefoot of an elephant, found under a collapse corresponding to this phase, has yielded a radiocarbon dating between the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. This find has important implications for the archaeological and physical evidence of the use of these animals in the Ancient World, which until now has only been supported by documentary and iconographic sources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105577"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976130","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 strategies in Bronze Age south-eastern Iberia: insights from Motilla del Azuer Phase 2 (ca. 1950–1875 cal BCE)","authors":"Alejandro Beltrán Ruiz ,&nbsp;José Antonio Riquelme Cantal ,&nbsp;Fernando Molina González ,&nbsp;Trinidad Nájera Colino ,&nbsp;Nelson J. Almeida","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105547","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105547","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study analyses Phase 2 (ca. 1950–1875 cal BCE) of Motilla del Azuer (Daimiel, Ciudad Real) to refine current understanding of subsistence strategies and livestock management. Zooarchaeological analysis reveals a predominance of caprines, followed by pig and cattle. Other domestic taxa, including horse and dog, are present but less abundant. Wild taxa are also represented, with leporids standing out, while large game such as red deer and wild goat are comparatively scarce. Taphonomic analysis of a subsample shows widespread anthropogenic modifications, including butchery marks and marrow extraction, as well as frequent burning traces, mostly mild to moderate, probably related to culinary practices. When compared with previous studies, the results indicate both stability and shifts in herd composition and slaughter patterns.</div><div>At a broader scale, the assemblage fits within regional Bronze Age trends of increasing caprine exploitation, while differing from Argaric (ca. 2200–1550 cal BCE) contexts in the relative roles of cattle and pigs. The scarcity of large game appears to be a defining feature of the Motilla culture, contrasting with Levantine and Argaric sites, where big game hunting played a more significant role. These results highlight the adaptive strategies of Motilla del Azuer communities to conditions of aridity and demographic growth, and provide new insights into the economic and social dynamics of Bronze Age southeastern Iberia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105547"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145796959","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-Qin and Qin-Han management of wheat agriculture on the southern Loess Plateau","authors":"Pengfei Sheng ,&nbsp;Jingwen Liao ,&nbsp;Yining Xue ,&nbsp;Edward Allen ,&nbsp;Kezhou Xie ,&nbsp;Yong’an Wang ,&nbsp;Jianrong Chong ,&nbsp;Xingshan Lei","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105564","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105564","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Covering roughly the area of modern south Shaanxi of China, the southern Loess Plateau emerged as a core region in the development of Bronze to early Iron Age agricultural technology and culture. The introduction of wheat was a significant turning point in this process, increasing land under cultivation and dietary complexity. To date, specific management practices and adaptation strategies concerning wheat cultivation remain poorly understood. This study employs stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of charred wheat remains from the Zhouyuan (周原) and Yucun (遇村) sites in order to reconstruct farmland management practices across three significant historical phases covering the period 3200–2000 BP: the proto-Zhou, late Western Zhou-Spring and Autumn, and Qin-Han eras. The results indicate asynchronous changes in Δ¹³C (plant-CO<span>₂)</span> and <em>δ</em>¹⁵N values of wheat seeds at Zhouyuan and Yucun across each period. Zhouyuan gradually exhibited improved water supply and fertilization conditions compared to Yucun. This reflects differences in farming strategies and levels and localized intensity of investment in complex agriculture. These findings reveal the impact of irrigation infrastructure development on early Chinese agricultural growth, as well as highlighting the adaptability of ancient societies on the Loess Plateau.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105564"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145883701","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":"Diet and social differentiation in Western Zhou China: isotopic evidence from Zhouyuan","authors":"Jingbo Li ,&nbsp;Duo Tian ,&nbsp;Li Liu ,&nbsp;Jianrong Chong ,&nbsp;Xingshan Lei ,&nbsp;Siao Sun ,&nbsp;Lei Yang ,&nbsp;Xianglong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105478","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105478","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a major political center in Bronze Age China, Zhouyuan witnessed profound sociopolitical change and population reorganization in the Western Zhou period (1046–771 BCE), including the incorporation of Shang-affiliated communities. This study investigates the relationship between diet, gender, social status, and political affiliation through stable carbon and nitrogen isotope (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) analysis of human and faunal remains. The isotopic evidence reveals a millet-based dietary system, supplemented by varied animal management strategies. Human diets were predominantly C₄-based, but access to protein differed dramatically. Social rank and sociopolitical affiliation (Shang vs. Zhou) produced structurally distinct dietary patterns, while gendered dietary differences were not significant. Isotopic groupings correspond closely with distinctions inferred from burial and material culture, showing that diet both reflected and reinforced social differentiation. These findings provide evidence for the interplay between diet, identity, and sociopolitical structure, offering new insights into foodways and social dynamics in early China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105478"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145527979","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}