Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports最新文献

{"title":"Production of metates in central Mexico: Techniques (know-how) and chaine operatoire of a traditional lithic craft in Turícuaro (Michoacán, Mexico)","authors":"Caroline Hamon ,&nbsp;Gregory Pereira ,&nbsp;Laurent Aubry ,&nbsp;Oryaëlle Chevrel ,&nbsp;Claus Siebe ,&nbsp;Osiris Quezada-Ramirez ,&nbsp;Nanci Reyes-Guzmán","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105153","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105153","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In Mesoamerica, metates and molcajetes are traditionally used for daily food preparation. These grinding tools are still made today by specialized craftsmen (metateros), who share their work between the quarries and their home workshops. In the Purépecha village of Turícuaro (Michoacán, Mexico), a systematic documentation of the work processes and techniques used to make these tools was carried out with the help of skilled metateros. By presenting the tools, processes, and know-how required for this activity, this study contributes to archaeological considerations on this millennial activity. The comparison of detailed production processes from different documented areas of Mesoamerica provides insights into the organization of the work, the individual variability, and the cultural characteristics that are reflected in this technical social activity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105153"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865072","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":"Two ancient Maya tattooing tools from Actun Uayazba Kab, Roaring Creek Valley, Belize","authors":"W.James Stemp ,&nbsp;Lorne Voorhis ,&nbsp;Christophe Helmke ,&nbsp;Cameron S. Griffith ,&nbsp;Jaime J. Awe","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105158","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105158","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Our knowledge that the ancient Maya tattooed themselves for significant social and ceremonial reasons is primarily based on ethnohistoric accounts and Classic Maya imagery. Notably, the tattooing implements they used have gone undetected in the archaeological record. Based on tool form, use-wear, and residues, two retouched chert burin spalls recovered from travertine pools on an upper ledge (Ledge 1) of Actun Uayazba Kab (Handprint Cave), Belize, are interpreted as lithic artifacts used for this purpose. The recovery of these implements from a cave raises questions about the ritual nature and context of ancient Maya tattooing in the Classic period (AD 250–900).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105158"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855616","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":"Testing the effect of circumscription on the evolution of social complexity in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, using agent-based models","authors":"A.J. Williams ,&nbsp;A. Mesoudi","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105147","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105147","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The initial emergence of complex societies in the archaeological record has often been explained by cultural and environmental conditions. In this paper, we formally test whether the conditions of the highly circumscribed region of the Valley of Oaxaca in highland Mexico could have intensified the formation of social complexity. The Valley of Oaxaca shows some of the earliest evidence for territorial expansion and multiple levels of internal organisation, or social complexity, in Mesoamerica and is considered a classic example of the effects of environmental circumscription. We build on our previous abstract agent-based model (<span><span>Williams and Mesoudi, 2024</span></span>) by incorporating real-world archaeological and environmental data from the Valley of Oaxaca to explore social complexity formation and test the impact of factors for which there is little archaeological evidence. The model results suggest that the mountainous surroundings of the valley could have contributed to social complexity formation, if we assume warfare was present throughout the time periods. However, the model also suggests that observed differences in social complexity formation between the three subvalleys of the Valley of Oaxaca were unlikely to be due to differences in circumscribing conditions. The model highlights key forms of archaeological evidence that might confirm or reject the effect of geographical circumscription in the Valley of Oaxaca.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105147"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855613","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":"Comparative PGAA and LA-ICP-MS analyses of Late Bronze Age weapons and armour","authors":"János Gábor Tarbay ,&nbsp;Boglárka Maróti ,&nbsp;Mihály Braun","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105151","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105151","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The paper presents the results of elemental composition analyses conducted on Late Bronze Age weapons, armour, and sheet metal objects from Transdanubia (western Hungary). This series of unique bronze objects has been analysed using two different techniques: the bulk, non-invasive Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA), and the invasive Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Their combined results reveal correlations with previously found and measured artefacts. A similar amount of Sn was observed in typologically similar finds. The deliberate use of Sb and Pb is also noted in some of the finds dated between the Ha A and Ha B periods. These elements appear in alloying proportions in spearheads from Budakeszi and Ság Hill, dated to the Ha B1 and Ha B2 periods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105151"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855615","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 Roman way: Investigating the cremation conditions during the Roman period in Belgium using a multi-proxy and multi-sampling approach","authors":"Elisavet Stamataki ,&nbsp;Kevin Salesse ,&nbsp;Giacomo Capuzzo ,&nbsp;Ioannis Kontopoulos ,&nbsp;Marta Hlad ,&nbsp;Sarah Dalle ,&nbsp;Charlotte Sabaux ,&nbsp;Barbara Veselka ,&nbsp;Rica Annaert ,&nbsp;Mathieu Boudin ,&nbsp;Philippe Claeys ,&nbsp;Amanda Sengeløv ,&nbsp;Martine Vercauteren ,&nbsp;Eugène Warmenbol ,&nbsp;Britt Claes ,&nbsp;Guy Destexhe ,&nbsp;Laureline Cattelain ,&nbsp;Sonja Willems ,&nbsp;Guy De Mulder ,&nbsp;Christophe Snoeck","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105156","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105156","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study assesses cremation conditions in the Roman period using a multi-proxy analysis (FTIR-ATR and carbon and oxygen isotope analysis) on 332 burned bones from five Belgian Gallo-Roman cemeteries. The results suggest similar pyre structure, size, temperature, and body positioning across Gallo-Roman cremations. However, high variability in δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values indicates differences in fuel selection and environmental factors. The wide δ¹³C range likely reflects the use of multiple wood types (e.g., Quercus sp./oak, F. sylvatica/beech) and different tree parts (e.g., trunk, branch, stump) in pyre construction. In contrast, δ¹⁸O variation may relate to quenching methods and/or seasonal and weather conditions during combustion. Differences were also observed in cremation conditions between the Metal Ages and the Gallo-Roman cremations from Belgium, with Roman cremations presenting better oxygen availability during combustion. Finally, the Gallo-Roman cemetery of Fouches is particularly interesting, as it dates to the Early Roman period and presents similarities in ventilation conditions with the cemeteries from the Metal Ages instead of the other Gallo-Roman cemeteries. The evidence from Fouches suggests a gradual transition from the Metal Ages to Roman cremation practices. The dating of Fouches to the Early Roman period could potentially explain that Roman cremation expertise was not immediately widespread but rather transferred gradually to the edges of the Roman Empire.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105156"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855614","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 high-resolution paleoenvironmental record based on phytoliths from the Armenian Highlands: The Upper Paleolithic of Aghitu-3 Cave","authors":"Johan Jarl ,&nbsp;Boris Gasparyan ,&nbsp;Andrew W. Kandel ,&nbsp;Alexia Smith ,&nbsp;Angela A. Bruch","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105148","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rich archaeological record of the Late Pleistocene in the southern Caucasus and Armenian Highlands offers archaeologists a unique opportunity to study the behavioral patterns of the varied groups of hominins who occupied the region. As choices around subsistence, migration, and social networks, take place within regional and local paleoenvironmental conditions, understanding these is critical to any archaeological interpretation. Building on previous research linking modern vegetation types with distinct phytolith assemblages, this study uses phytoliths as a proxy to examine the Upper Paleolithic paleoenvironment in the northeastern Armenian Highlands. Based on relative abundance and linear discriminant analysis, phytolith assemblages from the archaeological site of Aghitu-3 Cave (40–24 ka) are used to test the hypothesis that modern phytolith data can function as a proxy for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. This particularly well-stratified Upper Paleolithic site is located in southern Armenia. The results of this study show clear differences in vegetation throughout the site’s 16,000-year sequence. These shifts likely represent the expansion and retreat of subalpine woodland and herb-dominated grassland biomes against the dominant steppe environment in the region. Although regional climate data show rapid and intense shifts in climatic conditions through MIS 3 and 2, the phytolith assemblage at Aghitu-3 suggests that local environmental response was muted. Additionally, phytoliths from intensified human occupation deposited in Archaeological Horizon III (∼29–24,000 cal BP) suggest that the inhabitants utilized sedge as raw material, likely for bedding or basketry. This study shows the potential of phytolith analysis for paleoenvironmental reconstruction and beyond, in the southern Caucasus and Armenian Highlands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105148"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143850265","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":"From centre to fringe: An investigation of Late Warring States Period vitreous beads in the Western Rong-barbarian cemetery, Shijia-Yucun site","authors":"Ren Yubo ,&nbsp;Wen Rui ,&nbsp;Wang Yongan","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105127","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105127","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Western Rong-barbarians were active on the northwestern fringe of the Zhou vassal states. This paper analyses the vitreous beads excavated from the late Warring States period cemetery associated with the Yiqu Rong at the Shijia-Yucun site. The results show that they are diverse, including faience, glassy faience, glass and glazed pottery, and all belong to the lead-barium system, originating from Chu State in central-south China. The vitreous beads display a closer connection with central-south China, compared with those from other Warring States period Western Rong-barbarians cemeteries within the same cultural system. This is attributed to the Qin’s rule over Yiqu Rong at that time. This study enriches our understanding of the spread of lead-barium vitreous beads in the Warring States period and the influence of the Qin on the cemetery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105127"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143848724","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":"Pit without finds = worthless pit? Investigating a Roman military camp from Caesar’s Gallic Wars (58 – 51 BC) near Hermeskeil (Germany)","authors":"Sabine Fiedler ,&nbsp;Jago J. Birk ,&nbsp;D.K. Wright ,&nbsp;Sabine Hornung","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105070","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105070","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Roman military camp at Hermeskeil (Germany) is the only securely dated temporary camp from the time of the Gallic Wars (58 – 51 BC). Two distinct phases of use have been identified, each lasting between two and six weeks. Despite the short period of use, the up to 15,000 soldiers who occupied the camp left behind some waste, which would most likely have been deposited in pits. So far, however, only one pit has been discovered. The excavated pit was almost devoid of identifiable archaeological materials. Given the shape and stratigraphy, with alternating dark organic layers and overlying soil material, we hypothesised that the pit was used as a latrine. Using multi-element analysis, we were able to distinguish between the geological background and the anthropogenic pit fill. High concentrations of organic carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen, as well as zinc, calcium and lead, show that the pit was used for waste disposal. Following Δ⁵-sterol, stanol and bile acid analyses, we found signatures related to the presence of herbivore (horse, ruminant) and omnivore (pig, human) faeces. The exclusive use of the pit as a latrine could be ruled out, as human faecal indicators were only found in one pit layer. We also found evidence of coinjection of faeces and undigested animal and plant tissues. The plant material recovered may have been used to cover the faeces. The presence of animal tissues was indicative of the disposal of slaughterhouse waste (stuffed intestines) generated during food preparation. Our study points the way for future investigations, as archaeological information can be found even in pits without macroscopic finds.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105070"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143839354","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 and subsistence in NW Iberia during the Middle Palaeolithic (MIS3): Faunal analysis of Cova Eirós (Triacastela, Galicia, Spain)","authors":"Hugo Bal-García ,&nbsp;Iván Rey-Rodríguez ,&nbsp;Arturo de Lombera-Hermida ,&nbsp;Mikel Díaz-Rodríguez ,&nbsp;Carlos Fernández-Rodríguez ,&nbsp;Xosé Pedro Rodríguez-Álvarez ,&nbsp;Ramón Fábregas Valcarce","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cova Eirós is a key reference site for understanding the life of the late Neanderthal groups in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, offering an extensive Mousterian sequence with level 3 standing out due to its late chronology (c. 41 ka cal BP). Its significant zooarchaeological record is a valuable source of information when attempting to reconstruct the environment in which these late Neanderthals lived. In this study, we propose a comprehensive analysis of the macrofaunal and small vertebrates record from the aforementioned level 3 to expand our knowledge of its faunal spectrum and how it was exploited by the various agents that occupied the cave. We also conducted a paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental study employing the Bioclimatic Model and Habitat Weighting methods to reconstruct the conditions in which Neanderthal hunter-gatherers lived. The study has identified 31 taxa (NISP = 3746), with a particular emphasis on the exploitation of <em>Cervus elaphus</em> and <em>Ursus spelaeus</em>, as well as evidence of carnivores contributing smaller ungulates. The environmental reconstruction reflects a colder and slightly less humid climate, dominated by forests interspersed with open spaces. These data serve as an example of the tendency of Mousterian groups to occupy refuge areas along the Cantabrian Mountains, demonstrating that Neanderthal presence in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula during the final phase of the Mousterian took place under favourable climatic conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105149"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143844039","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":"Mortuary practices in Late Bronze Age Cyprus: Demographic and taphonomic insights from two tombs in Limassol","authors":"Gkampriella Selempa ,&nbsp;Katerina Papanikolaou ,&nbsp;Rogiros Christodoulou ,&nbsp;Efthymia Nikita","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105145","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105145","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper explores mortuary practices of the Late Bronze Age (Late Cypriot), focusing on the demographic and taphonomic analysis of human skeletal remains discovered in two tombs in Limassol, Cyprus. These tombs featured multiple burials and a variety of grave goods that suggest an elite status for the deceased. The results supported inclusive burial practices, whereby all age groups and both sexes shared the burial space. Although tentative, these results also appear to support that infants and young children were initially buried in separate parts of the chamber tombs before being relocated within the tomb. In contrast, older children and adolescents received the same treatment as adults, sometimes being secondarily relocated inside the tombs and others left undisturbed. Information from the excavation diaries shows the repeated use of the tombs and the interaction between the deceased and the living in the form of piling the bodies from earlier interments to make room for new ones, as well as arranging selected crania in certain ways. However, the taphonomic study has not identified any other evidence of intentional post-mortem body manipulation. In addition, the good representation of all skeletal elements, which largely matches anticipated patterns from undisturbed contexts, supports that neither were bodies and/or body parts removed from the tomb after their initial burial, nor were bodies/body parts initially deposited elsewhere being transported into these tombs. The observed secondary treatment of the bodies inside the chamber tombs reveals a complex relationship between the living and the dead, fostering a connection with the ancestors and possibly highlighting a lineage-based collective identity. Future research of the grave goods and additional bioarchaeological parameters (diet, mechanical and physiological stress, biological kinship), coupled with a refined dating of the different strata of each tomb, should yield further important insights.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 105145"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143833709","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}