Journal of Archaeological Science最新文献

{"title":"Morphological diversity of the Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) from Oxus civilization 4000 BP, Central Asia","authors":"Guanhan Chen ,&nbsp;Xinying Zhou ,&nbsp;Mutalibjon Khasanov ,&nbsp;Nasibillo Kambarov ,&nbsp;Hui Shen ,&nbsp;Jingyi Wang ,&nbsp;Jian Ma ,&nbsp;Jianxin Wang ,&nbsp;Farhod Maksudov ,&nbsp;Akhmadali Askarov ,&nbsp;Xiaoqiang Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106299","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106299","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The region of Transoxiana underwent an early agricultural-demographic transition, leading to the emergence of the earliest proto-urban centers in Central Asia. However, the development of horticulture activity aspects of this cultural shift remain poorly understood, particularly regarding the role and place of long-generation nativity fruit trees, such as Russian olive (<em>Elaeagnus angustifolia</em>), in the horticulture system. In this research, we conduct a systematic modern carbonization experiment on Russian olive seeds, present directly AMS ¹⁴C dated result, and use geometric morphometric methods to analyze the carbonized Russian olive seeds from the early community of Sapalli Tepa in southern Uzbekistan. The results show that the deformation during carbonization had minimal impact on the morphology of the seeds. The Russian olive seeds found at Sapalli Tepa include two types: <em>Elaeagnus angustifolia</em> and <em>Elaeagnus angustifolia</em> var. <em>orientalis</em>, both showing no signs of domestication. This suggests that the Russian olive in Bronze Age Southern Central Asia was not subjected to intensive selection by local people, and its sources may have included both cultivation and wild collection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 106299"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144579212","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":"Less is more: Limiting semi-invasive sampling for multi-isotope analyses and increasing data output from single aliquot samples","authors":"Nicolas Bourgon ,&nbsp;Marcus Oelze ,&nbsp;Patrick Roberts","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106308","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106308","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developments in multi-isotope applications now enable the production of direct and precise life history data of studied archeological and paleoanthropological specimens, with analysis of tooth enamel proving particularly powerful in deep-time preservation contexts. However, the increasing amount of sample material necessary too-often compromises the specimen's structural integrity. Finding ways of minimizing semi-invasive sampling while maximizing produced data thus becomes increasingly crucial. In this study, we examine ways of optimizing sample use for state-of-the-art isotope measurements of enamel-bound zinc (<em>δ</em>⁶⁶Zn), an increasingly used method in multi-isotope archeological research. We show that certain desolvating nebulizer introduction systems can be used to measure <em>δ</em>⁶⁶Zn with high efficiency and accuracy using less than half the usual sample size. Moreover, we demonstrate that remaining samples subjected to typical pretreatments used for tooth enamel carbonate (<em>δ</em>¹³C and <em>δ</em>¹⁸O) studies can be safely used without alterations to <em>δ</em>⁶⁶Zn values. Similarly, we highlight that the often-discarded matrix fraction from zinc chromatography can be utilized for further analyses, such as measurements of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios. Our results underscore the possibility of extracting the maximum information from specimens while altogether avoiding or significantly reducing semi-invasive sampling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 106308"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144569933","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":"Shipwreck detection in bathymetry data using semi-automated methods: Combining machine learning and topographic inference approaches","authors":"Cal T. Pols ,&nbsp;Fraser Sturt ,&nbsp;Crystal El Safadi ,&nbsp;Antonia Marcu","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106297","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106297","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research presents a workflow that integrates emerging machine learning methods with geospatial mapping techniques to improve the identification of shipwrecks in bathymetry data. By first refining the study area into high-potential units, machine learning algorithms can be applied more efficiently. This approach accelerates the process, reduces computational demands, and offers an adaptive method that can eventually be tailored to survey needs and different seabed environments. This paper contributes to the current discourse surrounding the discovery and management of underwater cultural heritage (UCH) in the context of global seabed mapping, developments in autonomous marine survey, and continued offshore development. Shipwrecks constitute a significant proportion of UCH sites that are increasingly likely to be discovered and impacted by these developments, and thus archaeologists need adequate tools for their rapid detection and monitoring to keep pace with the rate of data generation.</div><div>The proposed workflow uses a raster extraction method as a filtering process to identify areas of seabed with high shipwreck potential, based on their topographic signature in three different visualisations of bathymetry (slope, curvature, and topographic position index). Using these results, several different machine learning algorithms were tested on their ability to identify both intact, visible shipwrecks (‘conspicuous’ wrecks) as well as smaller, possible wreck sites. These methods were tested over an area of 3,131 km² from the south coast of England. Results show that the Raster Extraction method was able to filter out 96% of the test data, while still detecting 78% of the test shipwrecks (n=253). Machine learning models trained on different data visualisations (Hillshade, Shaded Relief, Curvature) and algorithms (Single Shot Detector, Faster R-CNN, and Mask R-CNN) had varied performances in terms of recall and precision.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 106297"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144562897","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":"Wood ash tempering in archaeological ceramics: an experimental approach for its characterisation using textural, chemical, and mineralogical analysis","authors":"Carlotta Gardner ,&nbsp;Panagiotis Karkanas ,&nbsp;Noémi S. Müller ,&nbsp;Ian C. Freestone ,&nbsp;Evangelia Kiriatzi","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106300","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106300","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper establishes criteria for identifying wood ash tempering in archaeological ceramics, a practice documented ethnographically across the globe but likely often unrecognised in archaeological studies due to the lack of established diagnostic markers. Through an experimental project employing a multi-analytical approach, this study identifies key indicators of ash tempering, highlighting the utility of thin section petrography for low-fired ceramics and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis for high-fired ceramics as particularly effective techniques. Finally, we present two archaeological case studies in which the application of our findings has enabled the identification of likely wood ash tempering.</div><div>Recognising this practice is essential, as its absence in archaeological interpretations may result in missed opportunities to understand past craftspeople and technological traditions. Furthermore, the identification of wood ash tempering offers insights into cross-craft interactions and the potential application of circular economic principles, given the frequent use of waste ashes from other industries in ethnographic examples. By refining methods to detect ash tempering, this research contributes to broader discussions on sustainability, resource reuse, and technological innovation in the past.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 106300"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144534810","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":"The bioarchaeology of tobacco use: An exploratory study of nicotine and cotinine detection in tooth dentine","authors":"Sheridan Strang ,&nbsp;Thomas Köcher ,&nbsp;Laura van der Sluis ,&nbsp;Manasij Pal Chowdhury ,&nbsp;Hannah Grabmayer ,&nbsp;Katerina Douka ,&nbsp;Michaela Binder","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106301","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106301","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tobacco use has been evident in human populations throughout history. However, the detection of tobacco usage through the presence of metabolites, such as, nicotine and cotinine, in human skeletal remains is challenging due to the breakdown and loss of these molecules over time. This research attempts to detect tobacco use from dentine in skeletal remains from an archaeological context. Adapting a previously published untargeted method (Badillo-Sanchez et al., 2023b) to a targeted approach for analysing dentine, eight tooth dentine samples were extracted from five skeletons excavated from a Napoleonic battlefield (1809) in Austria. All five individuals had external signs of tobacco use (e.g., pipe facets and tobacco staining). Modern dentine samples from tobacco smokers and archaeological samples from the pre-tobacco period (6th-9th century) in Europe were also tested as negative and positive controls, respectively. After extraction and purification, the extracts were analysed using a liquid chromatography system directly coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer. Nicotine was not detected in any of the archaeological teeth. Difficulties of nicotine detection above the signal-to-noise levels were also seen in one of the positive control samples and could be linked to the half-life of nicotine in the body. On the other hand, cotinine was identified in one of the five samples from the early 19th century and in all three modern control samples.</div><div>This indicates that tooth dentine is a reliable source for archaeometabolomic studies, and cotinine can be a targeted metabolite in investigations of tobacco use in the past.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 106301"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144518565","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":"Understanding the human settlement of the Pacific – Are we there yet?","authors":"Elizabeth Matisoo-Smith,&nbsp;Anna L. Gosling","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106307","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106307","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a result of developments in genomic technology over the last 15 years, we have seen a major shift in our understanding of the settlement of the Pacific – from a period of nearly 40 years of a near consensus view of human settlement history to a very different narrative of events and processes. Here we provide a brief overview of what has become a generally well accepted story of human settlement before reviewing some of the latest genomic research contributions to reconstructing Pacific settlement. This will be followed by a discussion of some of the limitations of the current data and interpretations along with some suggestions regarding how we might proceed in the future. This paper does not aim to \"solve\" the \"problem\" of understanding the settlement history of this vast region, but to generate some new hypotheses that now can be addressed with a full, truly interdisciplinary approach, that engages Pacific voices and their concerns in the instigation and interpretation of research involving their lands, peoples and culutes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 106307"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144523050","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":"Identify the genus origin of animal glue used in Chinese historical mortars using a new DNA mini-barcoding method","authors":"Qian Wu ,&nbsp;Bingjian Zhang ,&nbsp;Qiong Zhang ,&nbsp;Mingzhi Ma ,&nbsp;Yulan Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106305","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106305","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In historic buildings and paintings, animal glue was one of the first and most used organic binders. The identification of these binders would provide a clue for the life of the ancient human beings. However, the precise detection of the clue is challenging as the amount of the glue is very low and always mixed with other impurities. Previously, the ELISA method was successfully used in the identification of the glue in family level. However, the method can not tell the species of the glue. For example, it can not known whether the glue was from cattle or sheep using ELISA methods. This study provides a novel biological technique to identify the species of animal glue used as ancient binders. Hence, the accurate identification results at the species level can be obtained by DNA barcoding method with low detection limits. Moreover, ten animal glues belong to different species can be identified using a pair of universal primer at one time. These species include pigs, cattle, buffalo, goats, sheep, camels, deer, dogs, horses, and rabbits. Actually, the species of animal glue used in mortars obtained from three cultural heritages, the Neolithic Yulin City in Shaanxi Province, the Forbidden City in Beijing, and the Confucian Temple in Qufu, Shandong Province, China, were successfully identified. It was demonstrated that certain animals were not only consumed as food resource at that time, but their leftover bones, skins, and other parts were also utilized to produce animal glue. Additionally, our findings is consistent with the records in ancient books, which documented the species of animals frequently used in the manufacturing of animal glue. This is the first report using DNA barcoding method for the identification of animal glue in historic mortar. The identification of animal glue's species can not only help archaeologists understanding the agriculture and animal husbandry in certain area, but also can help people find the suitable materials for restoration and conservation of cultural heritage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 106305"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144517189","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":"Rethinking early hominin toolmaking through comparative primate models","authors":"Shelby S.J. Putt ,&nbsp;Chloe Holden","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106306","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106306","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Our understanding of human cognitive and linguistic evolution is largely dependent on inferences drawn from the experimental replication of Stone Age tools by human subjects in Western society. However, the stone-knapping behaviors of nonhuman primates may complement human models by offering additional insights into the toolmaking actions of (pre)Oldowan hominins, who in many respects were more anatomically and cognitively similar to apes than to modern humans. This study investigated whether the stone reduction behaviors of apes fall within the range of experienced modern humans. The actions of two bonobos while engaged in stone toolmaking were coded by two raters and compared to five experienced human knappers using a correspondence analysis. We found that actions associated with bonobo-made tools cluster together and are distinct from those used by modern humans to make choppers, chopping-tools, and handaxes. However, when handaxe toolmaking actions are excluded, greater overlap in action patterns emerges. The most discriminating behaviors associated with the bonobo-made tools include holding the hammerstone in their left hand and above the shoulder before striking, supporting the core on both the hand and foot or on the ground, a secant angle of percussion, and an impact location deep beyond the edge of the core. Additionally, the bonobos’ tools are associated with negative percussion results (e.g., a strike that fails to produce a flake). These results highlight the probability for equifinality in how Stone Age tools were made, calling into question our reliance on human subjects alone for inferring the evolution of technological, cognitive, and linguistic behaviors of our hominin ancestors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 106306"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144501340","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":"Technology, inhabitants and ritual traditions revealed by scientific analyses of Eastern Zhou bronze artefacts from the Lu state, Qufu, China","authors":"Jun Gao ,&nbsp;Xingbin Xu ,&nbsp;Chenghao Li ,&nbsp;Na Hao ,&nbsp;Jianfeng Lang ,&nbsp;Hui Han ,&nbsp;Quanyu Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106309","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106309","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bronze ritual vessels played a crucial role in Chinese civilisation during the Bronze Age of China. However, bronze artefacts from the Lu state, one of the vassal states which fully implemented <em>the Rites of Zhou</em>, have rarely been scientifically analysed. This study presents the metallographic and elemental results as well as lead isotope ratios on 67 bronze artefacts excavated from three burial complexes in Qufu, the capital of the Lu state (8th–3rd century BCE). The results suggest that craftsmen understood the effect of alloy compositions on the mechanical properties of the objects and skilfully produced forged, thin-walled vessels with low lead content for ritual purposes. Furthermore, by integrating lead isotope data with archaeological contexts, it reveals the similarities and differences in lead isotope ratios between bronze artefacts belonging to different genders, social strata and vassal states, as well as diachronic changes in metal circulation networks. This offers a new perspective for understanding the social and cultural changes during the Eastern Zhou period.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 106309"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144489929","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":"Reconstructing life history and ancestry from poorly preserved skeletal remains: A bioanthropological study of a Copper Age infant from Faenza (RA, Italy)","authors":"Owen Alexander Higgins ,&nbsp;Francesco Fontani ,&nbsp;Federico Lugli ,&nbsp;Sara Silvestrini ,&nbsp;Antonino Vazzana ,&nbsp;Adriana Latorre ,&nbsp;Massimo Sericola ,&nbsp;Anna Cipriani ,&nbsp;Gianluca Quarta ,&nbsp;Lucio Calcagnile ,&nbsp;Luca Bondioli ,&nbsp;Alessia Nava ,&nbsp;Elisabetta Cilli ,&nbsp;Donata Luiselli ,&nbsp;Stefano Benazzi","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106291","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106291","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The poor preservation of archaeological skeletal remains, particularly those of infants, can result in partial representations of populations and significantly limit our understanding of the development and life of their infant segment. This study investigates the potential of combining dental histology, high spatial resolution biogeochemistry, radiocarbon dating, palaeoproteomic and ancient DNA (aDNA) analyses alongside traditional osteological methods to reconstruct the biological profile and life history of the heavily degraded skeletal remains of an infant from Faenza, Italy.</div><div>Severe skeletal degradation left only dental crowns and small osseous fragments, restricting traditional osteological analysis to an estimation of the age at death. Histological analysis of two dental specimens, a deciduous upper right first molar and a permanent lower right first molar, provided detailed insights into the infant's development, ultimately refining the age at death at approximately 17 months. Biogeochemical analysis using Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) revealed pronounced diagenetic alterations masking the original biogenic signal. Proteomic analysis of enamel peptides and genomic analysis of the osseous fragments identified the infant's sex as male. Genomic analysis, facilitated by a sufficient quantity of endogenous aDNA, enabled the reconstruction of the mitochondrial genome, providing valuable insights into the matrilineal ancestry of the individual and identifying an uncommon mtDNA haplogroup for the Eneolithic period in the Italian peninsula.</div><div>Despite the limited preservation of the skeletal elements, the combined application of advanced bioanthropological techniques demonstrated the substantial informative potential inherent in even a few preserved anatomical elements. This study underscores the critical value of multidisciplinary approaches in overcoming the challenges posed by highly degraded remains, revealing insights that would otherwise remain inaccessible.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 106291"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144481638","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}