Journal of Archaeological Science最新文献

{"title":"In search of draught cattle: An identification method","authors":"Phoebe Liu,&nbsp;Lenny Salvagno,&nbsp;Benjamin Wimmer,&nbsp;Umberto Albarella","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106229","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106229","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Draught cattle, used for ploughing and carting, contributed to drive social transformations in prehistoric societies by replacing or complementing human power. However, identifying draught cattle from archaeological sites has proven challenging due to the dearth of direct evidence. This paper presents a biometric approach to identifying draught cattle in archaeological assemblages based on metapodials, and first and second phalanges. The analysis includes over 150 modern non-draught cattle encompassing various species and breeds, along with a smaller group of draught cattle. Statistical tests and multivariate analyses were first adopted, revealing distinct morphological differences between the two groups, which do not appear to be highly correlated with age. Although cattle limb bone morphology could vary between breeds, the principal component analysis suggests traction is the predominant factor distinguishing between modern draught and non-draught cattle. Biometric data from metapodials and phalanges were then applied to construct five predictive logistic regression models, with the first phalanges showing the highest balanced accuracy for separating the draught and non-draught groups, a clear advance from Lin et al. (2016)'s pioneering work. The predictive models were then applied to data from two British sites to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach to archaeological assemblages. The results show that this biometric approach has the potential to significantly enhance our understanding of draught cattle exploitation in the past.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"179 ","pages":"Article 106229"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143860545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Network analysis in Tairona chiefdoms of the Río Frío basin, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia","authors":"Luis Miguel Soto Rodríguez ,&nbsp;Juan Carlos Vargas","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106230","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106230","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article analyzes the interaction networks in the Tairona chiefdom communities of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, to investigate settlement patterns and the scales of socioeconomic integration over time. Employing network analysis on the technological and typological attributes of ceramic artifact assemblages from pre-Hispanic settlements within a 40-square-kilometer area of the Regional Archaeology Program of the Río Frío basin (currently ongoing), we modeled patterns of social interaction and economic integration. The results reveal varying degrees of economic integration among settlements, with certain sites playing central roles in the distribution of ceramic goods and coordination of economic activities. These findings underscore the importance of specific settlements in driving social centralization and offer a pioneering perspective on the development of complex societies in northern South America.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"179 ","pages":"Article 106230"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143860546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fire and its products: recent developments in geoarchaeological microscopy and multi-disciplinary analysis","authors":"Matthew Canti","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106236","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106236","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research into fires and pyrogenic materials found on archaeological sites has grown exponentially in the last decade or so, producing a large specialised body of innovative methods and major interpretative advances. This review examines those developments with respect to our understanding of fire contexts and the materials produced. Although often rooted in soil micromorphology, the approaches used now embrace a number of spectral techniques which have significantly augmented the interpretative value and quantitative integrity. Recent progress in both site-based and experimental studies is examined with a view to exploring some future directions for this growth area in our understanding the human past.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"179 ","pages":"Article 106236"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855897","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nets hidden in pottery:Resurrected fishing nets in the Jomon period, Japan","authors":"Hiroki Obata ,&nbsp;Yoon-ji Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106231","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106231","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Japanese archipelago, surrounded by the sea and rich in marine resources, has a long fishing history, dating back to the Jomon period (c. 14,000-900 BCE). Evidence of this includes discovering fish bones and fishing gear from around 2700 shell mounds. While research on the Jomon fishing nets has focused on various aspects, such as net mesh size and marine life caught, there has been limited attention to the actual structure of the nets. Previous studies have primarily examined net imprints preserved on pottery surfaces known as ‘textile-impressed pottery’, discovered from the end of Jomon to the beginning of Yayoi at sites in the Kyushu region. These nets had been identified as fishing nets without any qualify. In this study, X-ray computed tomography (CT) was used to investigate and digitally reconstruct net impressions found in pottery from the Hidaka region of Hokkaido, Japan, dating to the Early Jomon period (referred to as ‘Shizunai-Nakano style pottery’). Subsequently, these impressions were compared to net imprints preserved on textile-impressed pottery found in the Kyushu region. The results revealed that fishing nets were (re)used in various ways in pottery production in both traditions. However, differences in thread twist direction and knotting methods likely stem from cultural variations, in contrast to differences in mesh size which resulted from the specific nets chosen for pottery making. Among them, the nets with a small mesh size of less than 6.5 mm on textile-impressed pottery were not for fishing but possibly containers or other uses. This study is the first to reconstruct Jomon period nets based on impressions in/on pottery, shedding light on not only the importance of net production in Prehistoric Japan but also biases in the sources of the pottery-making process that should be considered when archaeologists are analysing archaeological materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"179 ","pages":"Article 106231"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143844699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Palynology, landscape and land use: retrospect, prospect and research agendas","authors":"Ralph M. Fyfe ,&nbsp;Kevin J. Edwards ,&nbsp;Laura Scoble","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106233","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106233","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper provides a context for the use of anthropogenic palynology in the study of landscape and land use. Retrospective considerations indicate a history to current trends and inform future developments. Recent and prospective studies secure palynology as an essential element in archaeological and related environmental research. It is stressed that palynology is an inherently spatio-temporal discipline that can use concepts such as landscape or habitat heterogeneity as a future framework. This may be possible if recent advances in quantification of local vegetation cover, for example the use of model-based correction approaches within the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm, are more widely applied. This may necessitate a change in how palynologists approach landscape sampling in order to produce sufficient clusters of sites. Land use is a key focus for the archaeologist, and existing interpretive frameworks remain well-suited to addressing questions of land use, land-use change and land-use intensity. Nevertheless, there is the prospect of improved taxonomic resolution on the horizon through the use of artificial intelligence, DNA and chemical approaches to taxonomic recognition. Equally, integrating pollen datasets into model testing and simulation may become more central to our methodologies. Such innovation will necessitate collaborative working with other disciplines and will ensure that anthropogenic palynology continues to make significant contributions to major research challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"179 ","pages":"Article 106233"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143844700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Art in red: New dates for paintings in the Cave of Altamira, Santillana del Mar, Spain","authors":"Qingfeng Shao ,&nbsp;Carmen de las Heras ,&nbsp;Alfredo Prada ,&nbsp;Pilar Fatás ,&nbsp;Lucía M. Díaz-González ,&nbsp;Deborah Ordás ,&nbsp;M. Elena Sánchez-Moral ,&nbsp;Rainer Grün ,&nbsp;Sara Garcês ,&nbsp;Hugo Gomes ,&nbsp;Virginia Lattao ,&nbsp;George H. Nash ,&nbsp;Alba Bossoms Mesa ,&nbsp;Pierluigi Rosina ,&nbsp;José Julio García Arranz ,&nbsp;Diego Fernández-Sánchez ,&nbsp;Hugo A. Mira ,&nbsp;Genevieve von Petzinger ,&nbsp;Hipólito Collado Giraldo","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106235","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106235","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Abstract&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;La cueva de Altamira es un enclave declarado Patrimonio Mundial por UNESCO, famoso por sus pinturas y grabados prehistóricos. Aunque el arte rupestre de la cueva de Altamira fue descubierto hace más de 140 años, su evolución cronológica aún no está plenamente definida (Heras, Montes y Lasheras, 2013). Las anteriores dataciones por radiocarbono del pigmento negro de alguna de sus pinturas, sugerían una edad magdaleniense para ellas, mientras que las dataciones por series de uranio de costras carbonatadas indicaban que algunas de las figuras pintadas en rojo pueden atribuirse al periodo Auriñaciense (PIKE et al., 2012; García et al., 2013). Dentro del marco del proyecto internacional FIRST ART, se recogieron nuevas muestras de costras carbonatadas superpuestas a elementos gráficos representados en varios puntos de la cueva de Altamira para su datación mediante el método de series de uranio.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;El objetivo principal de este nuevo estudio fue verificar la validez de las anteriores dataciones obtenidas por series de uranio y obtener nuevos datos que proporcionen información que contribuya a clarificar la secuencia diacrónica del conocido \"Techo de los Policromos\". Tres muestras sedimentarias, analizadas para evaluar la relación de actividad detrítica 230Th/232Th, proporcionaron un valor medio de 0,862 ± 0,127, que se utilizó como valor específico del sitio para las correcciones de las edades proporcionadas por las nuevas muestras datadas por series de uranio. La muestra ALT22-SP1B arrojó una edad mínima de 32.790 ± 4830 años para los signos claviformes, y las muestras ALT20-SP03 y ALT20-SP04 proporcionaron edades mínimas de 22.600 ± 70 años y 32.020 ± 170 años para los caballos pintados en rojo. En general, los nuevos resultados confirman las edades por series de uranio previamente publicadas para el Techo de los Policromos, y sugieren la coexistencia de pinturas rupestres figurativas y simbólicas en la Península Ibérica desde las primeras etapas del Paleolítico superior.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The Cave of Altamira is a designated World Heritage Site, famous for its prehistoric paintings and engravings. Although the rock art of Cave of Altamira was discovered more than 140 years ago, its chronology has remained unclear (Heras, Montes y Lasheras, 2013). Previous radiocarbon dating of charcoal, which was used as black pigment for the paintings, suggested a Magdalenian age, while U-series dating of overlying carbonate crusts indicated that some of the red-painted figures can be attributed to the Aurignacian period (Pike et al., 2012; García et al., 2013). Within the international project FIRST ART framework, new samples were collected from carbonate crusts superimposed on graphic elements represented at various points of the Cave of Altamira for dating, using Uranium-Thorium (the U-series) dating method.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The main objective of this new study was to verify the previous U-series ages estimates and to obtain new data that would","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"179 ","pages":"Article 106235"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143844696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"15 ka old evidence of pressure flaking in the Congo basin, Democratic Republic of Congo","authors":"Isis Mesfin ,&nbsp;Peter R. Coutros ,&nbsp;Igor Matonda ,&nbsp;Jérémie Vosges ,&nbsp;Pierre-Jean Texier ,&nbsp;Maria-Helena Benjamim ,&nbsp;Koen Bostoen","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106219","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106219","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We analyze two technically sophisticated stone points dated between 15,580 and 14,319 cal. BP discovered at the open-air site of Mitshakila, Democratic Republic of Congo, combining diacritic analysis, experimentation, and traditional morphometrics. Diacritical analysis is applied following techno-functional (also called \"morpho-structural\") and productional approaches. An experimental corpus consisting of pieces produced by both a knapper from northeastern Angola in the 1950s and two lithic specialists aims at improving the identification of techniques. Finally, traditional morphometrics is used to compare Mitshakila points with several shaped points from the Late Pleistocene of sub-Saharan Africa including Tshitolian, Lupemban or Still Bay points among others.</div><div>At Mitshakila, we report an early occurrence of the well-mastered use of pressure technique, “scarf-shaped” retouch (also called “ripple-flake” retouch or in French “<em>retouche en écharpe</em>”) and proximo-lateral short shoulders. Its presence at Mitshakila marks an important technical shift during the Final Pleistocene in the Congo Basin.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"178 ","pages":"Article 106219"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143844776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seeds of controversy: Ecology, depositional context, and radiocarbon dating of Ruppia cirrhosa at the White Sands trackway","authors":"Dave Rachal ,&nbsp;Robert Dello-Russo","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106232","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106232","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Context and chronology are fundamental in archaeological studies, and without rigorous standards in both fieldwork and analysis, researchers risk drawing faulty conclusions. The role of submerged aquatic plants in radiocarbon dating is a case in point. For example, research at White Sands National Park, New Mexico, has dated fossil human and megafauna trackways using <em>Ruppia cirrhosa</em> (<em>Ruppia</em>) seeds. Some studies, such as Pigati et al. (2024), argue that there are no site formation issues with the <em>Ruppia</em> seed layers used to date the ancient footprints at White Sands Locality-2 (WHSA-2) and that the hard water effect has not impacted their radiocarbon dating. These assertions have significant implications for understanding broader issues like the peopling of the Americas. However, we disagree with these claims, emphasizing the importance of understanding the physical context of the <em>Ruppia</em> seed layers at WHSA-2—whether the plants grew in situ or were transported—and the ecological requirements of <em>Ruppia</em>. These issues remain unresolved. Additionally, the potential impacts of physical mixing and the hard water effect on radiocarbon dates have been largely overlooked. In this paper, we examine both the ecology and depositional context of <em>Ruppia</em> and discuss why the <em>Ruppia</em> seeds at Paleolake Otero still present challenges for radiocarbon dating.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"179 ","pages":"Article 106232"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143839341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"On the Mousterian origin of bone-tipped hunting weapons in Europe: Evidence from Mezmaiskaya Cave, North Caucasus","authors":"Liubov V. Golovanova ,&nbsp;Vladimir B. Doronichev ,&nbsp;Ekaterina V. Doronicheva ,&nbsp;Galina N. Poplevko ,&nbsp;Naomi E. Cleghorn ,&nbsp;Alexander M. Kulkov ,&nbsp;Nikolai N. Potrakhov ,&nbsp;Viktor B. Bessonov ,&nbsp;Nikolai E. Staroverov","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106223","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106223","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents a detailed analysis of a unique pointy bone artefact produced by Neanderthals, which was found in 2003 in a Middle Paleolithic layer dated c. 80–70 ka at Mezmaiskaya Cave in the Caucasus. The definition and interpretation of anthropic traces related to technological modifications and functional use of the bone tool were analyzed using stereoscopic and metallographic microscopes, high-resolution digital microscopy, and microfocus computed tomography. Research of a bitumen residue preserved on the specimen was done using Fourier-transform infrared microscopy and spectroscopy, and crystal-optical microscopy. Based on the totality of analytical and comparative data we interpret the artefact as the tip of a hunting weapon that was likely mounted on a shaft made from wood. Several lines of evidence suggest its short use as a bone-tipped hunting projectile. The results suggest an independent invention of bone-tipped hunting weapons by Neanderthals in Europe long before the arrival of Upper Paleolithic modern humans to the continent, and also show that the production technology of bone-tipped hunting weapons used by Neanderthals was in the nascent level in comparison to those used and introduced to Eurasia by modern humans.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"179 ","pages":"Article 106223"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143826306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How can we improve statistical training in archaeological science?","authors":"Petra Vaiglova","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106220","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106220","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of this paper is to shine light on fundamental statistical concepts that archaeologists do not talk about enough. I argue that more deliberate discussion of these statistical ‘elephants in the room’ can have a positive impact on improving statistical training and on steering us away from perpetuation of poor research practices.</div><div><em>1) Statistical thinking should come first</em>. This will help us break down some of the stigma around numbers and statistics, and set us up for building analytical frameworks that will provide the most informative answers to our research questions.</div><div><em>2) Descriptive and inferential statistics have different interpretative potential.</em> This will clarify how we can move from using tools that only allow us to talk about our studied samples to using tools that enable us to draw inferences about the underlying populations from which the samples derived.</div><div>3) <em>p values can be extremely variable</em>. This will help spread awareness about the misuses and misconceptions of Null Hypothesis Significance Testing (NHST) and demonstrate the dangers of using significance thresholds to interpret data.</div><div><em>4) Statistical precision is not the same as measurement precision</em>. This will bring attention to the many different types of uncertainties that are built into archaeological datasets (e.g., statistical precision, instrument measurement error, natural variation),.Recognising this is key for drawing reliable inferences from our data.</div><div><em>5) Meta-analyses and forest plots can be useful for synthesising previous research</em>. This will help spread awareness about the benefit of meta-analyses for creating evidence-driven summaries of previous findings.</div><div>The discussion draws on examples from isotope archaeology, bioarchaeology, and organic residue analysis to illustrate how switching from a reliance on significance testing to a reliance on effect sizes can improve methodological rigour and the representativeness of our findings. The paper ends with a discussion of the roles and responsibilities of supervisors for creating an effective learning environment for statistical training. This includes, but is not limited to, acknowledging the problems of NHST and advocating for adherence to Open Science principles. Ultimately, the changes suggested in this paper will help us raise discipline-wide standards for quantitative training and improve both the breadth and the depth of archaeological research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"179 ","pages":"Article 106220"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143826305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}