Archaeological Research in Asia最新文献

{"title":"Environmental background of subsistence changes from the Middle Neolithic to the Bronze Age in northern Shandong, China: Geoscientific evidence from the Dingjiazhuang profile","authors":"Yaping Li ,&nbsp;Qian Ma ,&nbsp;Yuwei Li ,&nbsp;Wenhao Zheng ,&nbsp;Kai Su ,&nbsp;Junna Zhang ,&nbsp;Kai Ning ,&nbsp;Zhenjing Yang ,&nbsp;Guiyun Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100678","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100678","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The environmental background of subsistence economies is an important research topic in archaeology. However, this topic hasn't been sufficiently explored in northern Shandong between the Neolithic period and Bronze Age. This study reconstructed the local Holocene vegetation and sedimentary environment using sporopollen, grain size, magnetic susceptibility, loss-on-ignition and chromaticity from the Dingjiazhuang profile. Furthermore, this study reviews the regional paleoenvironment and subsistence evolution in northern Shandong between the Middle Neolithic period and the Bronze Age using previous research findings. Paleoclimate during the Middle and Late Neolithic periods (from Houli to early Dawenkou culture, 8300–5400 BP) was warm and humid. Many lakes and marshes provided with abundant wild plant and animal resources. Hunting and gathering were predominant, but agriculture contributed increasing proportion. During the late Neolithic period (from middle-late Dawenkou to Longshan culture, 5400–3800 BP), dwindling lakes, marshes, and forests led to reduced plant and animal resources. As the population grew, people migrated to low floodplains, cultivating expanded agricultural land. In the middle-late Dawenkou periods, agriculture became the dominant subsistence strategy. This was reinforced in the Longshan culture, with peaked rice farming in prehistoric time. Paleoclimate during the Bronze Age (from Yueshi culture to Shang and Zhou Dynasties, 3900–2206 BP) was warm and dry. Lakes and marshes gradually disappeared; paddy rice farming gave way to dryland farming. This study revealed the profound influence of environmental changes on subsistence patterns, demonstrating people's ability to shape and adjust the environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100678"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145748447","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":"Dating the early dynasties: Radiocarbon chronology in Bronze Age China","authors":"Xinyi Ouyang","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100683","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100683","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study of chronology for early Chinese dynastic periods of the Bronze Age is an important and distinctive issue in Chinese archaeology. In recent decades, the introduction of radiocarbon dating and the growing body of radiocarbon-based chronological knowledge have brought this topic to the forefront of interdisciplinary discussion. This paper reviews recent developments in radiocarbon-based chronological research on this period. Previous chronological studies, including site selection, sample collection, and Bayesian modeling, have largely been conducted within the traditional culture-historical framework, with the primary aim of constructing dynastic timelines. However, through a reassessment of published radiocarbon data from both the Central Plains and surrounding regions, this study highlights the non-uniform pace of material culture change and the significant regional variation. It argues that the study of Bronze Age chronology should shift from a narrow focus on dynastic narratives and refined cultural periodization toward a more dynamic investigation of historical processes, enabling a deeper understanding of local societies and regional interaction in Bronze Age China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100683"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145748448","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":"Diet, sex and social status during the late Shang period (1250–1046 BCE) in eastern China: Isotopic analysis of the Liujiazhuang site, Jinan, China","authors":"Wei Gong ,&nbsp;Yu Dong ,&nbsp;Junfeng Guo ,&nbsp;Zhen Fang ,&nbsp;Yingliang Yang ,&nbsp;YiHsien Lin ,&nbsp;Xiaohong Wu ,&nbsp;Xuexiang Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100681","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100681","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BCE) in China was marked by pronounced social hierarchy, and stable isotope studies from the core area of the capital have revealed strong correlations between diet, social status, and sex. Yet how these relationships were expressed outside the political core, particularly in the eastern territories under Shang influence, remains unclear. This study addresses this question through stable isotope analysis of the Liujiazhuang (LJZ) site, a Late Shang settlement in northern Shandong. Carbon and nitrogen isotope results from humans (<em>δ</em>¹³C = −7.5 ± 0.5 ‰; <em>δ</em>¹⁵N = 9.7 ± 0.8 ‰; <em>n</em> = 57), fauna (<em>n</em> = 38), and plants (<em>n</em> = 19) indicate a C₄-based diet dominated by foxtail and broomcorn millet, supplemented by limited C₃ resources (e.g., wheat) and animal protein mainly from pigs and cattle. Livestock management involved both pen-feeding and free-range grazing, resembling husbandry practices in the Central Plains. Despite variation in burial architecture and grave goods, dietary differences among ranks were minimal, except for one high-ranking individual (M122) who consumed more C₃ foods and animal protein. Sex-based distinctions were modest, with males showing slightly higher <em>δ</em>¹³C and greater <em>δ</em>¹⁵N variability than females. Compared with the pronounced status- or sex-based dietary stratification observed at Shang capitals, LJZ reveals a relatively homogeneous, self-sufficient subsistence system. These findings shed new light on the subsistence economy and social organization of the eastern territories under Shang control, providing a crucial regional perspective on the broader development of sociopolitical complexity during the Shang period.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100681"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145797487","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":"Assessing regional behavioral homogeneity through the lithic industries from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene: Integrated techno-functional analysis at Yahuai Cave (Guangxi, South China)","authors":"Mickael Baillet ,&nbsp;Guangmao Xie ,&nbsp;Yao Li ,&nbsp;Hong Chen ,&nbsp;Yunhao Guo ,&nbsp;Liping Xue ,&nbsp;Qiang Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100675","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100675","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Contrary to prior assumptions of distinct cultural provinces, recent lithic analyses identified four cross-regional parallels between Lingnan and northern Vietnam (1. cobble-based industries; 2. similar flaking production systems; 3. analogous flake morphometrics; 4. similar retouched tool types on both flakes or cobbles), recurring in three phases from MIS3 to the mid-Holocene, suggesting intermittent cross-regional behavioral homogeneity. Nevertheless, a more systemic analysis questions their evidential value, requiring further research to validate, and some cross-regional behavioral disparities persisted, exemplified by the perforated stones or the “Sumatraliths”. The present study addresses these ambiguities by applying techno-functional analysis to lithic assemblages from the extensive chrono-stratigraphic sequence of Yahuai Cave. Four findings support behavioral homogeneity over time: 1) cobble-cores used mainly for volumetric reduction, and occasionally secondary modification into tools (i.e. cobble-core-tools); 2) cobbles with few localized flake removals on functional edges were actually cobble-tools, but generally not cores; 3) Paleolithic scraping tools evidence a culturally significant practice: the processing of hides with ochre application; 4) all sizes of unmodified flakes were used as tools and have a natural ergonomic grip. Proposed cross-stratigraphic behavioral homogeneity at Yahuai requires testing in other multi-stratified sites across Guangxi and northern Vietnam. This hypothesis questions whether potential cross-regional lithic traditions developed local particularisms, exhibiting minimal in situ typotechnological variation in stone tool assemblages, while maintaining the tooled activities technical systems. If confirmed, such a scenario may explain the previously perceived chrono-cultural divide between northern Vietnam and Lingnan, despite episodic typo-technological parallels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100675"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145625086","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":"Fetal vessel burials dated to 6500 years ago at the Chaparabad archaeological site, Northwestern Iran","authors":"Mahdi Alirezazadeh ,&nbsp;Hanan Bahranipoor","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During recent archaeological excavations at the Chaparabad site in northwestern Iran, dating to the mid-fifth millennium BCE, two fetal vessel burials were discovered. In this region, the fifth millennium BCE can be divided into two cultural horizons: the Dalma culture in the first half and the Pisdeli culture in the second half. The burial practices of Dalma and Pisdeli fetuses are unclear. The study of these burials and their comparison with similar burials at other sites in southwest Asia may provide insight into burial practices during the fifth millennium BCE. Because of the exceptional preservation of the remains, particularly specimen L522.1, which contained over 90 % of its skeletal elements intact, quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as content analysis, were employed. To estimate the fetal age at death, 305 measurements were taken for burial L522.1 and 165 measurements were taken for burial L815.1, in addition to qualitative studies. According to their long bones and other indicators, both Chaparabad fetuses were preterm at approximately 36–38 weeks of gestational age. The connection between burials and other archaeological findings, such as burial vessel typologies, architecture, artifacts, and faunal remains, has been established using qualitative methods and content analysis. The cranial bones of burial L522.1 were positioned near the rim of the jar, with the lower limbs extending toward the base, indicating how the fetus was placed. The burial jar also contained bones of ovicaprids. The bones came from various parts of the animal, and the jar was placed atop the butchered remains. Compared to burial L522.1, burial L815.1 lacked burial goods, indicating that burial customs varied. Burial L522.1 was placed within an architectural space interpreted as a kitchen, whereas burial L815.1 was located adjacent to a grain storage facility. A study of these fetal burials highlights the potential of burial analysis to offer new insights into prehistoric cultures in an area of research that is heavily dominated by ceramics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100682"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145748446","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":"Enlivening the bones: The Mongolian horse before its sacrifice","authors":"Esther Jacobson-Tepfer","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2026.100689","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2026.100689","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The roots of Mongolia's horse culture are usually located in the Late Bronze Age and associated with the appearance of horse-drawn wheeled vehicles from regions to the west. The earliest evidence in Mongolia for both horse and vehicle is not material but rather pictorial: it is detailed in hundreds of images pecked into the boulders and bedrock of the Altai Mountains. The second indication of an emerging horse culture is offered by ritual horse-head burials associated with Late Bronze Age <em>khirgisuur</em>, as well as with the related deer stones. Within that same period appears the earliest material evidence of the equestrianism that became the Mongolian engine of conquest over the following millennia. In all three cases, the horses in question were domesticated, <em>Equus caballus</em>, rather than one of the Asian wild horses, <em>Equus przewalski</em> and <em>Equus ovodovi</em>. From that has followed the assumption that Mongolia's horse culture is predicated upon the appearance of the domesticated horse in the Late Bronze Age.</div><div>This paper interrogates these assumptions regarding the roots of equine significance within Mongolian prehistory. Using the pictorial documentation available in Altai Mountain rock art, it locates the roots of Mongolia's horse culture in a much earlier period and associated not with <em>E. caballus</em> but rather with the wild Przewalski's horse.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100689"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077333","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 breeding and functions of dogs in the Western Zhou dynasty of China: Evidence from sacrificed dogs at Hengshui cemetery","authors":"Lin Ban ,&nbsp;Xiaohong Lv ,&nbsp;Wenqi Wei ,&nbsp;Zhe Zhang ,&nbsp;Chunxue Wang ,&nbsp;Yaoting Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100674","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100674","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the breeding, management, and roles of dogs in the Western Zhou period through an integrated analysis of zooarchaeology, ancient DNA (aDNA), stable isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N), and paleopathology from the Hengshui Cemetery (Peng State), southern Shanxi, China. The assemblage displays a male-biased sex ratio among sacrificial dogs. Stable isotope values indicate millet-based diets closely tied to human agriculture, with dogs generally accessing less animal protein than humans, consistent with a subordinate position in household provisioning. Mild ankle osteoarthritis (AO) occurs frequently among medium-to-large young males, aligning with interpretations of physically demanding activities for a subset of dogs. Mortuary placements suggest dual roles for dogs as both practical assets in life and symbolically charged participants in funerary practice. Preliminary observations raise questions about potential management differences by sex; however, the small number of identifiable females and their isotopic overlap with males preclude firm conclusions. Overall, the results illuminate how dogs were actively managed and embedded in Western Zhou social, economic, and ritual systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100674"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145580302","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":"On the principal human activity (fishing) and preliminary environmental data from the Neolithic Chorokhi Valley (Georgia)","authors":"Guram Chkhatarashvili ,&nbsp;Giorgi Tavamaishvili ,&nbsp;Nargiz Surmanidze ,&nbsp;Maia Chichinadze ,&nbsp;Eliso Kvavadze","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100684","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100684","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Neolithic settlement of Makhvilauri, located in Ajara (Georgia), lies within the valley of the Chorokhi River. The stone tools discovered at the site are primarily made of flint and obsidian. A significant category is also represented by cobble stones, most of which are fishing net sinkers. Their abundance, as well as the variety of forms, sizes, and weights, provides grounds to suggest that fishing constituted one of the principal subsistence activities of the inhabitants of the settlement.</div><div>During the 2023–2025 archaeological fieldwork, samples collected by palynologists from neolithc layers (7th–6th millennia BCE) confirmed the presence of a temperate and warm climate during the corresponding period. Of particular importance is the discovery of flax and hemp fibers at the site, which indicates their active use by the humans lived there.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100684"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145797488","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":"Source, craftsmanship, and exchange: The first comprehensive scientific analysis of gold foils unearthed from Xinjiang (6th–3rd centuries BCE)","authors":"Dian Chen ,&nbsp;Liangren Zhang ,&nbsp;Chao Li ,&nbsp;Jie Zhang ,&nbsp;Dongyang Sun ,&nbsp;Wugan Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100676","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100676","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents the first systematic provenance analysis of raw materials used in ancient Chinese gold artifacts, focusing on 16 gold foil fragments excavated from archaeological sites in Xinjiang, China, dating to the 6th–3rd centuries BCE. Most samples are associated with the Pazyryk culture, with one attributed to the Suodunbulake culture. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), we analyzed surface morphology, elemental composition, and lead isotope ratios. The foils, uniformly hammered thickness of 40–50 μm, exhibit elemental signatures consistent with alluvial gold, including tin concentrations exceeding 100 ppm and platinum over 20 ppm. Remarkably, some foils from the Qiangkanhe site contain exceptionally high endogenous mercury levels (some reaching up to 30 %), ruling out artificial addition. Lead isotope analysis reveals distinct source regions: the Qiangkanhe gold likely originate from the Rudny Altai region in Russia, while gold from Fuyun County and the Suodunbulake culture appears to derive from the Tianshan-Beishan region. These findings offer new insights into ancient gold craftsmanship, raw material procurement, and exchange networks within the Pazyryk culture and its neighboring groups, and lay the groundwork for further research on early Chinese gold artifacts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100676"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145694051","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":"Cattle traction in the Xiongnu empire: Zooarchaeological evidence from the Mongolian steppe","authors":"Tuvshinjargal Tumurbaatar ,&nbsp;Cheryl A. Makarewicz","doi":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100643","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ara.2025.100643","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cattle are essential in pastoralist steppe societies, not only for their milk and meat but also for their labor carrying material and people. The Xiongnu polity (300 BCE – 100 CE) was a confederation of pastoral nomads who assembled a powerful empire that commanded the Mongolian steppe and beyond through military prowess and statecraft. Supported by local livestock production, exchange, trade, and tribute, the Xiongnu empire moved goods, people, and livestock. Despite the potentially important role of cattle traction in everyday pastoralist herding activities and long-distance transport of goods and materials mobilized for elite consumption, little is known about the use of this technology beyond scattered images of cattle carts depicted on rock. Here, we investigate the ubiquity and intensity of traction applied to cattle through paleopathological analyses of cattle extremities interred in the graves of Xiongnu intermediate elites. A comparative morphological framework documenting the expression of strain-related pathologies in modern cattle and yaks indicates animals herded in the mountainous forest-steppe express a higher incidence of traction pathologies compared to cattle husbanded in the flatter terrains of the steppe-desert. Yak bulls also yield higher PI values despite not undertaking traction nor carrying loads, a pattern likely due to their weight and musculature. Severe pathologies identified in some Xiongnu cattle point to their regular use in traction, perhaps transporting agricultural products and trade goods, but most cattle display surprisingly little evidence for traction pointing to their primary use for pastoral production, daily low-impact traction tasks, and seasonal moves.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51847,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Research in Asia","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100643"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145222480","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}