Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports最新文献

{"title":"Corrigendum to “A preliminary report on anthropological evidence from the Ostian suburbs (Rome, Italy): The human remains of Castelfusano” [J. Archaeol. Sci. Rep. 69 (2026) 105527]","authors":"Serena Vaccaro , Barbara Rossi , Alba Casaramona , Cristian D’Ammassa","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105556","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105556","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105556"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147395081","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 sand deposit underneath the Ishtar Temple in Assur, Iraq: Origin and implications for the foundation of the goddess’s cult and sanctuary","authors":"Mark Altaweel ,&nbsp;Andrea Squitieri ,&nbsp;Eileen Eckmeier ,&nbsp;Eduardo Garzanti ,&nbsp;Karen Radner","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105574","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105574","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents the first-ever systematic mineralogical investigation of sands from an archaeological context in Iraq, establishing a methodological precedent for future geoarchaeological investigations in Mesopotamia and studies of ancient architecture more broadly. The sand derives from a deposit underneath the Ishtar Temple at Assur (Ashur; modern Qal’at Sherqat) on the Tigris River, once the political and religious centre of the Assyrian state. Since the earliest layers of the main Assur Temple are inaccessible, this sanctuary is the oldest temple explored through excavation at the site. Thus, data from its early strata are critical for understanding the city’s earliest history. In 2024, coring within the temple cella by the Assur Excavation Project revealed a thick sand layer beneath its foundations, deliberately placed before construction. As no comparable deposits exist locally, the material was sourced explicitly for this purpose. Sand foundations for monumental buildings are known from southern Mesopotamia but are here attested for the first time in the north. Mineralogical analyses indicate that the Ishtar Temple sands mostly consist of epidote-group minerals associated with glaucophane, zoisite, lawsonite sourced from blueschist-facies metamorphic rocks. Their provenance is plausibly from nearby aeolian sand recycled from the Injana Formation and ultimately traceable to the Zagros Mountains, linked to Assur via the Lesser Zab River. Thus, while southern building traditions were adopted, the sand was not imported from the south but sourced in the region and ultimately derived from the eastern Zagros Mountains. Radiocarbon dating from the floor above the sand yielded a date range of 2896–2702 calBC (95.4 % probability), providing new information for the debate surrounding the temple’s foundation and its role within Mesopotamian cultural history. These results significantly inform debates on the origins of Ishtar’s cult at Assur.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105574"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976222","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":"To be or not to be an engraving: testing photogrammetry and DEM for identifying or disproving fine prehistoric engravings","authors":"Alfredo Sánchez-Hernández ,&nbsp;Dídac Roman ,&nbsp;Inés Domingo","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105530","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105530","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Final Palaeolithic art is often defined by extremely fine engravings, barely visible to the naked eye, posing persistent challenges for accurate identification and interpretation. These challenges are especially critical for assemblages like that of Cova Matutano (Vilafamés, Castelló), a key archaeological site in the Iberian Mediterranean region long used as a reference for the relative dating of Final Palaeolithic rock art lacking direct chronological markers. The reliability of such frameworks depends not only on stratigraphic integrity but also on the accuracy and objectivity of documentation.</div><div>This study applies a refined high-precision recording protocol—integrating close-range photogrammetry and GIS-based analysis of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs)—to three representative pieces from the Matutano collection. This workflow enables submillimetric detection and quantification of very fine engravings, revealing detailed morphological features, variations in groove depth, width, and cross-sectional profiles, as well as intentional artistic choices and technical adaptation to material constraints.</div><div>Our analysis shows that several motifs previously described in the literature—including an anthropomorphic figure—were either misidentified or result from natural surface features rather than deliberate engravings with creative or representational intent. These findings lead to a revision of the site’s iconographic record, bringing it more closely in line with the broader Final Palaeolithic artistic canon.</div><div>Beyond the reinterpretation of Cova Matutano, this study highlights the value of microtopographic analysis for improving the reliability of stylistic comparisons used in relative dating. The proposed method offers a replicable framework for reassessing other engraved assemblages and contributes to more accurate interpretations of prehistoric artistic and technological behaviour.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105530"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145691371","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":"Wild fauna exploitation and management in a Roman villa: New insights from Pla de Palol (NE Iberian Peninsula)","authors":"Isaac Rufí ,&nbsp;Arnau Brosa-Planella ,&nbsp;Clàudia Tura-Poch ,&nbsp;Neus Coromina ,&nbsp;Josep Burch","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105551","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105551","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>In the last years, knowledge about husbandry during Roman times in the northeast of Iberian Peninsula has increased significantly thanks to an increasing number of archaeozoological studies applied to Roman</em> villae<em>. Nonetheless, these studies have hardly focused their attention on the usually scarce remains of wild animals that appear in these sites. In this sense, the archaeological fieldwork carried out in Pla de Palol villa (Platja d’Aro, NE Iberian Peninsula) during the years 1998</em>–<em>99 retrieved a relatively outstanding amount of deer remains. The study of such an assemblage can help to better understand the capture and management of wild fauna in these kinds of rural settlements.</em></div><div><em>The results indicate that hunting activity primarily targeted adult red deer stags, which served as a source of multiple raw materials, including skin, tendon, meat, bone, and antler. The carcasses were butchered in the villa, where antler processing also took place. Although the presence of wild boar is more difficult to trace, morphometric analysis points out that they were also a significant targeted species. Specifically, only male individuals have been identified. Other less important prey species included leporids and ursids.</em></div><div><em>In general terms, hunting was a subsidiary practice when compared to the volume of products that husbandry supplied. On the contrary, hunting activity displayed a ludic character that provided the villa owners (or their</em> villici<em>) with preeminent status.</em></div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105551"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145796866","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":"What about the delta (ẟ13C)? A case for brackish fish in Mediterranean palaeodietary isotopic baselines","authors":"Rachel M. Winter ,&nbsp;Matthew von Tersch ,&nbsp;Michael W. Dee ,&nbsp;Canan Çakırlar ,&nbsp;Michelle Alexander","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105562","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105562","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While a lot of paleodietary studies in the Mediterranean region have reported ẟ¹³C and ẟ¹⁵N values for humans, similar data for aquatic resources is much more limited. The aim of our paper is to make relevant data available for isotopic faunal baselines and future paleodietary research in the eastern Mediterranean. We analysed the collagen extracted from the bones of freshwater and brackish fish from two coastal archaeological sites in the Levant, Kinet Höyük (n = 21) (1550 BCE − 14th c. AD, present day Turkey) and Tell el-Burak (n = 8) (975–332 BCE, present day Lebanon). From the original 29 bones sampled, 17 (59 %) produced collagen which met quality control criteria and we present the corresponding ẟ¹³C and ẟ¹⁵N values here. Whereas freshwater and marine ecosystems in an area typically have distinctive ẟ¹³C values, paleodietary interpretations regarding aquatic resource consumption can be challenging when isotopic values reflecting the range of exploitable aquatic environments are not available. Bearing this in mind, our data set is used to demonstrate the potential range of ẟ¹³C values (−27.97 ‰ to −10.87 ‰) of freshwater and brackish environments along the Levantine coast, encouraging future palaeodietary studies in the region to consider this more robust isoscape for aquatic resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105562"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145883702","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":"Raw material procurement and technological strategies in pottery production at the multi-period Biranj site (Eastern Adriatic, Croatia): A multi-analytical approach","authors":"Natali Neral,&nbsp;Andreja Kudelić","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105496","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105496","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents a multi-analytical investigation of ceramic materials from the multi-period site of Biranj (Eastern Adriatic coast, Croatia), alongside clayey samples collected in the surrounding area. The research aims to characterise ceramic pastes, identify potential raw material sources, and assess diachronic changes in pottery production, with particular focus on paste recipes. Petrographic analysis (OM) and portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF) were applied to both ceramic and clayey samples to compare pottery compositions with local raw materials, whereas X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and laser granulometry (LG) were conducted exclusively on the clayey samples to provide a detailed characterisation of the collected deposits. Results indicate that pottery manufacture was primarily based on locally available, non-calcareous clays, despite the region’s geological scarcity of clay resources. Raw material selection and tempering practices varied across historical periods, reflecting changes in technological traditions and possibly shifting cultural or economic influences. From the Neolithic to Late Antiquity, potters adapted to environmental constraints by consistently exploiting the most accessible materials. The repeated use of crushed calcite and grog as tempers indicates awareness of their functional properties, particularly in improving vessel performance. A clear deviation from local production is observed in some Late Antique wares, whose mineralogical signatures suggest non-local origins and possible integration into broader Mediterranean trade networks. In contrast, everyday domestic pottery continued to be produced using local materials. Overall, the findings highlight the interplay between geological setting, resource availability, and technological decision-making. The ceramic assemblage from Biranj illustrates how potters operating in a resource-limited karstic landscape developed long-term, pragmatic strategies for material procurement and ceramic production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105496"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145624370","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":"Archaeological and geoarchaeological properties of functional areas at the Upper Paleolithic site of Zaraysk, East European plain","authors":"Anastasiia Kurgaeva ,&nbsp;Sergey Lev ,&nbsp;Michael Zech ,&nbsp;Bruno Glaser ,&nbsp;Sergey Sedov ,&nbsp;Eileen Eckmeier","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105535","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105535","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the archaeological and geoarchaeological properties of a cultural layer at the Upper Paleolithic site of Zaraysk. We examine the human impact on soil properties within several functional areas using a multiproxy approach including physical, geochemical, and biogeochemical methods. The percentage of organic carbon most likely added by various human activities was estimated by applying a new approach using <em>n</em>-alkane contents and ratios. The results show that human activities led to distinct geoarchaeological signals and that most of the organic carbon in all functional areas is of anthropogenic origin. The flintknapping waste disposal pit contained animal and plant remains, accounting for 54% of the total organic carbon. In the bone-fueled hearth the highest proportion of “anthropogenically”-derived organic carbon (87%) was found. It was associated with fragmented bones, a small amount of wood for ignition, and organic residues from cooking. The floor of the “earth-dwelling” contained a high proportion of “anthropogenically”-derived organic carbon (78%), despite a low content in total organic carbon, and might have been covered by a layer out of animal skins and grass bedding. The surface of the cultural layer was largely a human-made deposit, which included geogenic material excavated from pits and charred material cleaned out from hearths. These findings advocate for the further use of biogeochemical methods at archaeological sites, including Paleolithic contexts, and demonstrate that soil memory – reflected also in soil organic matter – preserves a valuable record of human-environment interaction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105535"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145747726","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 preliminary report on anthropological evidence from the Ostian suburbs (Rome, Italy): The human remains of Castelfusano","authors":"Serena Vaccaro ,&nbsp;Barbara Rossi ,&nbsp;Alba Casaramona ,&nbsp;Angelina De Laurenzi ,&nbsp;Cristian D’Ammassa","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105527","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105527","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Between 2019 and 2020, on the southern peripheral slope of ancient Ostia, ten inhumation graves and one cremation tomb were uncovered, yielding a total of twelve individuals (MNI = 12). This discovery further confirms the distinctly funerary character of the area, where inhumation and cremation rites, at least during the early centuries of the Empire, appear to have coexisted within a lower-middle socio-economic context, primarily composed of individuals engaged in physically demanding labor. This interpretation is further supported by anthropological analyses conducted on human remains from nearby contexts previously studied.</div><div>As this is a preliminary study, the initial findings are presented in the form of osteobiographies, developed using information derived from the archaeological context of discovery, the state of preservation and representativeness of the remains, the biological sex and age at death, as well as the presence or absence of pathological indicators for each individual. Although limited in number, the anthropological data from these burials are nonetheless highly informative and contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the life cycle of individuals from non-elite backgrounds in the Ostian colony, an aspect of Roman society that remains underrepresented and requires further investigation. The types of tombs identified, the observed stress markers, and comparisons with adjacent contexts all suggest that these individuals likely belonged to a modest socio-economic class or were involved in labor-intensive occupations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105527"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145624365","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":"Non-funerary commensality in the Argaric Culture: Archaeozoological analysis of Structure E50.44 from Peñalosa (Baños de la Encina, Jaén, Spain)","authors":"Lucía Tinoco Domínguez ,&nbsp;Marta Moreno García ,&nbsp;Auxilio Moreno Onorato ,&nbsp;Francisco Contreras Cortés","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105497","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105497","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Acts of commensality are well recorded throughout the Late Prehistory of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as throughout the rest of Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Moreover, meat played a fundamental role in marking social differences and strengthening communal ties in special celebrations laden with strong cultural, economic, political, and social connotations. Research on commensality associated with the Argaric Culture (2200–1550 BCE) of the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula has focused almost exclusively on finds of faunal remains in funerary contexts. This study opens a new line of research on this phenomenon through the analysis of an exceptional faunal deposit (Structure E50.44) brought to light in the acropolis of the settlement of Peñalosa (Baños de la Encina, Jaén). The feature consists of a circular masonry pit and filled for the most part with faunal remains. Taxonomic and taphonomic analyses of the finds have identified species common to the site, notably cattle, caprines, pig, red deer, wild boar, rabbit, and hare. However, the most notable characteristic is its predominance of horse. The presence of butchery marks, the rarity of bones in anatomical connection, the abundance of prime meat-bearing elements belonging for the most part to adults of all species, in addition to a lack of structure’s deliberate internal organisation, allow linking it and its fill to an act of commensality that very probably represented an exceptional event for the residents of Peñalosa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105497"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145624369","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":"Terminal Pleistocene ochre use at Fodongdi Cave, southwestern China","authors":"Jing-Wen Xu ,&nbsp;Feng Gao ,&nbsp;Jillian Huntley ,&nbsp;Shi-Xia Yang ,&nbsp;Ke-Liang Zhao ,&nbsp;Xin-Ying Zhou ,&nbsp;Fa-Xiang Huan ,&nbsp;Yu-Xiu Zhang ,&nbsp;Qi-Jun Ruan ,&nbsp;Lin-Shan He ,&nbsp;Kai-Wei Qiu ,&nbsp;Michael Petraglia ,&nbsp;Xiao-Qiang Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105546","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105546","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The gathering and use of ochre is a common behavior documented among Late Pleistocene human populations across the globe. Yet ochre use in the Paleolithic archaeological record of China remains poorly understood. Here we report on 36 pieces of ochre and 21 lithic artifacts with ochre residues from the archaeological deposits in Fodongdi Cave, Yunnan Province. These ochre finds, recovered from a succession of well-dated stratigraphic layers, offer an opportunity to discuss ochre use during the terminal Pleistocene in southwest China between 18,400 and 14,000 cal BP. We characterized the ochre assemblage using a combination of optical microscopy, thin section analysis, portable X-ray fluorescence, laser-induced breakdown and Raman spectrographic techniques, alongside scanning electron microscopy (with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy). Results indicate at least three petrographic and chemically distinct groups of locally available ochre were used (presumably as red pigments). The ochre assemblage contains 27 pieces with clear anthropogenic modification including microstriations within grooves, parallel striations with polish, as well as smoothed areas with microstriations and luster. Use-wear traces and ochre residues on processing tools indicates that ochre was ground on grindstones and rubbed on soft materials, with quartzite pebbles used to process ochre before the pebbles were themselves flaked (used for tool stone). The Fodongdi Cave study provides novel information for southern China, suggesting the selection of local ochre sources, their processing directly onto grindstones and by rubbing against soft surfaces such as hide or human skin at the site, and the collection and use of different proportions of (local) ochres during the terminal Pleistocene.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 105546"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145747736","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}