Journal of Archaeological Science最新文献

{"title":"Sacrificial pit or not? — Deposition history of Pit K4 at the Sanxingdui site","authors":"Junna Zhang ,&nbsp;Honglin Ran ,&nbsp;Songhan Li ,&nbsp;Danyang Xu ,&nbsp;Xiaohu Zhang ,&nbsp;Jiaxin Kong ,&nbsp;Zinan Han ,&nbsp;Zongyue Rao ,&nbsp;Huiru Lian ,&nbsp;Zhengkai Xia","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106391","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106391","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Sanxingdui site, renowned for the extraordinary assemblage of artifacts recovered from its multiple pits, documents a distinct and enigmatic cultural tradition that flourished in southwestern China approximately 4000−3000 years ago. Nevertheless, the precise ritual or functional nature of these pits remains a topic of ongoing debate. Following the resumption of excavations at Sanxingdui in 2019, we launched a geoarchaeological investigation of the newly exposed Pit K4. By integrating magnetic-susceptibility measurements, chromaticity, elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and soil micromorphology, we examined the combustion residues inside Pit K4 and reconstructed the process of its infill sequence. The results indicate that the combustion residues within Pit K4 were introduced from an external source rather than produced by in situ burning, thereby confirming the pit's function as a “ritual objects-burial pit”. A three-stage depositional sequence is therefore proposed: ritual deposits-addition of external ash/charcoal and soil-post-depositional compaction, staining, leaching, and bioturbation. This study elucidates the accumulation processes of Pit K4 and establishes a geoarchaeological baseline for interpreting the burial and ritual practices of the Sanxingdui civilization, while offering empirical support for understanding the Shang dynasty's control over southern China-particularly its southwestern periphery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106391"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145529006","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":"Sedimentary ancient DNA from an artificial water feature in a regional city of the Tang Dynasty reveals the use of plant and animal resources by urban residents in the Central Plains, China","authors":"Xu Han ,&nbsp;Lianfang Feng ,&nbsp;Shihua Hu ,&nbsp;Nihanxue Jia ,&nbsp;Qi Yang ,&nbsp;Ting You ,&nbsp;Xiaohu Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhengquan Gu ,&nbsp;Yu Gao ,&nbsp;Yucheng Wang ,&nbsp;Shugang Yang ,&nbsp;Xiaoyan Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106453","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106453","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The China Central Plains in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE) was the eastern starting point of the Silk Road, characterized by a long and developed agricultural civilization. It also supported the world's most prosperous city network centered on Chang'an and Luoyang. The use of plant and animal resources by urban residents here offers significant insights into the empire's economy and global interactions. However, direct, quantifiable, and arguably less biased archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological studies are scarce, due to excavation challenges in modern urban areas and inherent limitations in the preservation and identification of macro-remains. Historical documents also tend to record elite groups or accidental events and thus show bias. Here, we analyzed sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) from an artificial water feature in Zhengzhou Shang Site in a regional city, Guan City (modern-day Zhengzhou), in the Central Plains during the Tang Dynasty. The results show that urban residents used diverse staple food crops, industrial crops, vegetables, fruits and nuts, and cultivated trees and aquatic plants. The staple food crops comprised foxtail millet (<em>Setaria italica</em>) and broomcorn millet (<em>Panicum miliaceum</em>), food legumes, barley (<em>Hordeum vulgare</em>), and wheat (<em>Triticum aestivum</em>); animal resources were mainly for labor, including horses (<em>Equus caballus</em>) and/or donkeys (<em>Equus asinus</em>), dogs (<em>Canis lupus familiaris</em>), and cattle (<em>Bos taurus</em>), with meat consumption minimal or absent. We report the first archaeological evidence for some non-staple crops in the Tang Dynasty, including tea (<em>Camellia sinensis</em>), goji berry (<em>Lycium barbarum</em>), and lotus (<em>Nelumbo nucifera</em>), and others which were introduced into China via the Silk Road, such as spinach (<em>Spinacia oleracea</em>), sesame (<em>Sesamum indicum</em>), pistachio (<em>Pistacia vera</em>), and pomegranate (<em>Punica granatum</em>). Our study provides direct evidence of industrial crop cultivation and non-native crop introduction as mentioned in historical documents, revealing these previously hidden crop cultivation histories and underscoring Tang agriculture's diversity and global connections. Furthermore, DNA translocation in archaeological deposits receives much attention. In this case, comparison between layers and stratigraphic analysis confirmed negligible translocation effects in the upper sediments, although underlying earlier layers show some translocation signals. The sedaDNA provided more taxonomic data than the archaeobotanical macro-remains. The study shows how sedaDNA retrieved from archaeological deposits is beneficial for comprehending the past use of plant and animal resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106453"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145736539","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":"Semi-automatic detection of building stones and wall segments of archaeological ruins","authors":"Erel Uziel ,&nbsp;Motti Zohar ,&nbsp;Yitzchak Jaffe","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106430","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106430","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents a semi-automatic methodology for detecting building stones and wall segments in archaeological research, using drone imagery and deep learning algorithms. The immediate outputs of the methodology are a georeferenced stones layer, with each stone detected as a separate instance, and a site plan layer, composed of stones considered part of detected wall segments. We developed this model via nine sites of varying size with different vegetation coverage, ground color, and material composition, exemplifying the model's ability to perform successfully even in challenging conditions. The digital layers, along with additional attributes associated with each shape, provide a foundation for further analysis, such as identifying multiple construction styles and site organization patterns, with significant potential for large-scale multi-site studies. Evaluation results demonstrate good model performance under varied conditions. We also provide trained models, trained on data from multiple sites, for immediate use and further refinement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106430"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145613713","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":"A study of modern and archaeological goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) from Iraq and Iran","authors":"Melinda A. Zeder","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106449","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106449","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;This study offers new insights into the exploitation of goitered gazelle (&lt;em&gt;Gazella subgutturosa&lt;/em&gt;) from the Paleolithic up to the Chalcolithic in the steppe, foothills, and higher elevations of the Zagros Mountains. It begins with analysis of an assemblage of the skeletal remains of 23 modern goitered gazelle specimens from Iraq and Iran. This analysis first focuses on a new sequence of post-cranial skeletal element fusion that builds on earlier long-bone fusion and dental eruption and wear sequences produced for dorcas (&lt;em&gt;G. dorcas&lt;/em&gt;) and mountain (&lt;em&gt;G. gazella&lt;/em&gt;) gazelle. The study of the modern gazelle also examines the various factors affecting body size in goitered gazelle using the logarithm size index (LSI) scaling method. Differential scaling of normalized values of individual dimensions noted in earlier studies is determined to be a function of allometric relationships among the elements of the reference specimen chosen to serve as a standard in the normalization process. Using the mean value of multiple specimens, preferably of animals from the same region and time period, evens out these differences, making it possible to avoid having to separate dimensions into different scaling groups when using LSI data to reconstruct demographic profiles. The evaluation of metric data normalized in this way finds that region has a significant impact on body size in goitered gazelle, while age, even in juvenile animals older than about six months of age, has little impact. Even though there is a significant difference in the LSI values of females and males, there is too much overlap in these values to allow use these values to reliably identify the sex of individual specimens in modern and archaeological gazelle assemblages. The degree of dimorphism in goitered gazelle is great enough, however, to enable general conclusions to be drawn about the sex composition in larger assemblages. The analysis of goitered gazelle skeletal remains from 20 different components of 16 archaeological sites in Iraq and Iran reveals different trends in the proportions of gazelle relative to caprines over time, with an unexpected increase in gazelle in Ceramic Neolithic age assemblages in most areas. There are also regional size variations in assemblages with a decline in body size that is most marked among gazelle from steppe environments in lowland Iran. Changes in body size from the Paleolithic to the Ceramic Neolithic are argued to be, in large part, a reflection of shifting demographics of prey populations that signal changes in hunting strategies. Earlier strategies focused primarily on males while there was a more even mix of females and males among prey assemblages from Ceramic Neolithic sites. Actual body size reduction in goitered gazelle appears to have occurred sometime after the Ceramic Neolithic. Application of the new sequence of long-bone fusion sequence to archaeological assemblages also shows a shift from a focus on older, prim","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106449"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145732700","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":"Overlooking environmental context causes misidentification of ancient Mediterranean plant oil in organic residues","authors":"R.F. Gerdes ,&nbsp;H. Wiandt ,&nbsp;M. Abuhashim ,&nbsp;A. Williams ,&nbsp;J.M. Regenstein ,&nbsp;S.W. Manning ,&nbsp;J.L. Goldfarb","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106426","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106426","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite the monumental importance of olive oil to the Mediterranean, tracing its early history archaeologically is challenging. Biomolecular methods can recover plant oil traces from ancient pottery, but similar chemical compositions between plant oils used in the Mediterranean complicate taxonomic differentiation. Moreover, as plant oils go rancid their water soluble and volatile products are easily lost – a process that progressively degrades residues in ancient potsherds. We present experimental evidence of a key additional issue: a calcareous Mediterranean burial environment alters both the amount and composition of olive oil residue preserved in ceramics. We observed both lower yields and a preferential loss of dicarboxylic acid plant oil biomarkers in experimental ceramic samples degraded for 1 year at 50 °C in a calcareous, alkaline soil from Cyprus compared with samples buried in a mildly acidic soil from New York (USA). Our results suggest a need to adapt the biomarker criteria used to recognize plant oil residues to a site's environmental context in the Mediterranean, where calcareous soils are common. We highlight the impact of our results on efforts to trace the economic importance of plant oils in the Late Bronze Age eastern Mediterranean.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106426"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145583784","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":"Beachy Head Woman: clarifying her origins using a multiproxy anthropological and biomolecular approach","authors":"Andy Walton ,&nbsp;William Marsh ,&nbsp;Alex Strang ,&nbsp;Jonathan Seaman ,&nbsp;Kelly Van Doorn ,&nbsp;Hella Eckardt ,&nbsp;Caroline Wilkinson ,&nbsp;Ian Barnes ,&nbsp;Selina Brace","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106445","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106445","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The skeletal remains of an individual colloquially referred to as Beachy Head Woman (BHW) were re-discovered in the Eastbourne Town Hall collection in 2012, and have remained the subject of significant public interest since. Radiocarbon dating yielded a calibrated date of between 129 and 311 calCE indicating that she lived during the period of the Roman occupation of Britain and, over more than a decade, there have been several attempts to unravel her geographical origins and ancestry. Here, we present results of all bioanthropological and biomolecular analyses performed to date. Initial osteological analyses indicated possible sub-Saharan origin, with BHW thus presented as one of the earliest Africans in Britain. However, her story was complicated by subsequent (unpublished) biomolecular analyses, which suggested she likely grew up on the south coast of Britain and had recent European ancestry. Here we present high quality ancient DNA data indicating that Beachy Head Woman has a strong genetic affinity to individuals from rural Britain during the Roman occupation and modern day Britons. We find no signals of admixture that would suggest recent sub-Saharan ancestry. Phenotypic predictions suggest she had blue eyes, intermediate (between pale and dark) skin pigmentation and light hair. Combined, our multiproxy approach indicates that Beachy Head Woman was of local British ancestry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106445"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145785800","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":"Enhanced functional data retrieval from Palaeolithic stone tools by lipid analysis","authors":"Javier Davara ,&nbsp;Cristo M. Hernández ,&nbsp;Daniel Carrizo ,&nbsp;Antonio V. Herrera-Herrera ,&nbsp;Eneko Iriarte ,&nbsp;Carolina Mallol","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106427","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106427","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite the great potential of lipid biomarkers in archaeological science, their analysis in stone tools has been overlooked. The lipid retention capacity of Palaeolithic stone tools, along with the potential utility of the biomarkers they may harbour as a functional proxy, remains largely unknown. Here, we extracted lipid biomarkers from flint flakes and limestone pebbles from the Middle Palaeolithic site of El Salt (SE Spain) and analysed them using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS). Adjacent sediments were also analysed for comparison. We provide evidence that Palaeolithic stone tools preserve a diverse array of lipid biomarkers including fatty acids, <em>n</em>-alkanols, sterols and terpenoids, the analysis of which allowed us to determine whether the tools were used and/or hafted. The isotopic characterization of individual fatty acids preserved on tools’ working edges enabled us to identify lithic residues as fats resulting from the processing of ruminant animal species, or as lipids from non-ruminant animal and/or plant taxa. This introduces into functional studies a novel approach that adds taxonomic resolution and complements current techniques such as use-wear and micro-residue analyses. Our findings highlight the remarkable preservation potential of biomolecular remains within the Palaeolithic record and underscore the importance of exploring them in different kinds of materials and contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106427"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145535760","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":"Social and emotional cognition in Pleistocene hominin evolution: The role of biocultural processes","authors":"Agustín Fuentes ,&nbsp;Jennifer C. French ,&nbsp;John Hawks ,&nbsp;Marc Kissel ,&nbsp;Penny Spikins","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106441","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106441","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Patterns and processes of social cognition underlie much of the behavioral and ecological flexibility and adaptive capacity that characterizes the primate order. The hominin lineage emerged from a branch of primates, hominoids, particularly reliant on the navigation of complex intra and inter-group social relations as a central dynamic of their niche. Over the past few decades much research on hominin evolution has resituated focus from explaining the uniqueness of the big-brain, hyper-social, cognitively distinct <em>Homo sapiens</em>, to a broader inquiry into the potential process, pathways, and dynamics of the evolution of a hominin niche, or niches, rooted in increasingly complex social cognition. In this essay we review key aspects of this current paradigm and argue for the expanded inclusion of the possibilities of socio-emotional cognition in a biocultural approach as advantageous in developing a more robust descriptive framework for theory and method in the study of human evolution. We combine several sources and examples to highlight specific theoretical approaches to assist in developing a common and more integrative framework for investigating social and emotional cognition as a key component of the biocultural niche in Pleistocene hominins.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106441"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145657231","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":"Refining near-infrared spectroscopy for collagen quantification: A new predictive model for archaeological bone","authors":"Christina Ryder ,&nbsp;Gerardo Celis ,&nbsp;Thibaut Devièse ,&nbsp;Sahra Talamo ,&nbsp;Katerina Douka ,&nbsp;Matthew Collins ,&nbsp;Angela Perri ,&nbsp;Heather Thakar ,&nbsp;William Pestle ,&nbsp;Matt Sponheimer","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106448","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106448","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Collagen is a vital archaeological material, preserving biochemical signatures that provide insights into past environments, diets, and human-animal interactions. However, diagenesis can lead to rapid and inconspicuous collagen degradation. Given the variability in collagen preservation and its significance for analyses such as radiocarbon dating, stable isotope analysis, and ZooMS, researchers have developed prescreening techniques to assess collagen preservation before destructive sampling. Current prescreening approaches, including %N and C:N ratios, typically require sample destruction and access to equipped laboratories. Spectroscopic techniques such as Raman spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy have been explored as alternatives, but they are limited in penetration depth, generalizability (at present at least), and are often still destructive, if minimally.</div><div>Here, we further develop single-point near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a fully non-destructive, rapid, and field-portable method for prescreening bone for collagen preservation. Unlike FTIR and Raman spectroscopic techniques, NIR light penetrates below the surface of bone, enabling assessment of internal collagen preservation without destructive sample preparation. Using Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) and Random Forest (RF) modeling, we trained predictive models on whole bones with known collagen yields and validated the models on an independent archaeological collection. Both PLSR and RF models, when restricted to the 2030–2060 nm range, demonstrate strong and comparable performance while avoiding wavelengths associated with consolidants in our reference library. The models outperform traditional % N-based methods in identifying suitable samples for radiocarbon dating. These models enable the high-throughput screening of large collections of bone, improving sample selection and minimizing unnecessary destructive analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106448"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145732701","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":"Application of remote sensing and machine learning algorithms for shipwreck susceptibility mapping in China","authors":"Junhui Chen ,&nbsp;Fei Tang ,&nbsp;Heshan Lin ,&nbsp;Yong Chen ,&nbsp;Yuyue Chen ,&nbsp;Peiru Lin ,&nbsp;Bo Huang ,&nbsp;Xueping Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106429","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106429","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Shipwrecks hold dual significance as cultural time capsules and ecological refugia that enhance marine biodiversity. However, systematic, large-scale methods for locating them are still limited. This study presents an innovative approach to map shipwreck susceptibility in Chinese adjacent seas by integrating remote sensing data with machine learning techniques. We assembled a historical shipwreck inventory and analyzed 16 conditioning factors, grouped into geospatial, hydrodynamic, and depositional categories. These factors were processed using Frequency Ratio (FR) values, which served as inputs for three ensemble models: Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP-FR), Random Forest (RF-FR), and Support Vector Machine (SVM-FR). Model performance was evaluated through statistical metrics and ROC-AUC curves, with the RF-FR model outperforming others, achieving an AUC of 0.995 for training and 0.901 for validation. The resulting susceptibility maps identify priority areas for archaeological exploration. Feature importance analysis revealed proximity to the coastline, chlorophyll concentration, and oceanographic conditions as the primary factors influencing shipwreck occurrence. This scalable, cost-effective framework offers a valuable tool for directing underwater heritage surveys and has potential applications in marine conservation and tourism planning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106429"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145580510","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}