Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences最新文献

{"title":"Tyrants, democrats and the first silver ‘owl’ coins of Athens","authors":"Gillan Davis,&nbsp;Janne Blichert-Toft,&nbsp;Liesel Gentelli,&nbsp;Francis Albarède","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02229-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02229-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Late in the sixth century BCE, the ancient Athenians overthrew the previous tyrant rulers and adopted a new democratic form of government militarily establishing themselves as a regional power. They constructed a fleet which played a crucial role in defeating the Persian invasion of 480/79 BCE and led to their creation of a naval-based empire. A key funding source for the ships was silver from the domestic mines at Lavrion situated in the south-east corner of Attica (Hdt. 7.144; <i>Ath. Pol</i>. 22.7). The current consensus based on earlier metal analysis is that the Athenians must have found and exploited the rich, so-called ‘third contact’ silver mines in 520–515 BCE, a discovery that led to the introduction of the larger tetradrachm monetary unit (Kraay, 1956) and the iconic ‘owl’ coin ‘type’ (Picard, 2001) as a branded medium for exporting silver. Here, we present new lead isotopic and elemental abundance data for 52 archaic Athenian owls (pre-479 BCE) combined with previously published legacy data for 12 other owls. The results show that only a small proportion of the coins were wholly struck from Lavrion ore or other discrete sources while most of the coins were struck from Lavrion ore mixed with ore from a single or homogeneous, geologically older source. Crucially, this was not the multitude of external sources used for the preceding <i>Wappenmünzen</i> series. We deduce that the discovery of the third contact only occurred shortly before 483/2 BCE, precisely as claimed in the literary sources, at which point Lavrion silver came to represent the bulk of the supply. This forces a reappraisal of the current paradigm since it seems that there was no abrupt and complete change of ore source to Lavrion, and therefore this cannot be connected with the introduction of the owl coin type. It also impacts our understanding of the very low gold content of Athenian owls compared with the earlier <i>Wappenmünzen</i> series, which should be attributed to the replacement of ore sources.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02229-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143925674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tracing the origins of Carnelian ornaments in Northeast Africa: morphological, technological and chemical compositional analyses of beads from medieval and post-medieval upper Nubia, Sudan","authors":"Jonathan Mark Kenoyer,&nbsp;Joanna Then-Obłuska,&nbsp;Randall Law,&nbsp;Laure Dussubieux","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02228-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02228-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Morphological, technological and chemical compositional analyses of carnelian beads and raw materials from two sites in ancient Sudan are presented. Six carnelian beads are from Banganarti, a Christian pilgrimage center of the Makuria Kingdom (9th -14th centuries) and 18 beads and two carnelian flake fragments are from Old Dongola, capital of the Kingdom of Dongola (14th–18th centuries). Bead shapes show considerable variation, but bead perforations were all done with diamond tipped drills, a technique originating in ancient India and closely associated with South Asian bead workshop traditions. Chemical compositional analyses using laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and data processing using both Canonical Discriminate Analysis and Principal Components Analysis, show that many of the beads were made using carnelian that can be sourced to peninsular or western India. Other beads derive from geological sources in Iran, Yemen, Egypt and Türkiye. The two carnelian flakes source to India. These beads provide new insights into issues of technology transfer, stylistic variation and trade networks linking Medieval and post-medieval Nubia to distant regions of West and South Asia.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02228-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143919228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterisation of the entomo-fauna from the mummies of Castelsardo (Sardinia, Italy) and considerations about the minimum number of individuals (MNI) in funerary archaeoentomology","authors":"Jennifer Pradelli,&nbsp;Giorgia Giordani,&nbsp;Vittorio Mazzarello,&nbsp;Franco Giuliano Rolando Campus,&nbsp;Stefano Vanin","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02221-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02221-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>During renovations within the crypt of the Sant’Antonio Abate Cathedral in Castelsardo (Sardinia, Italy), an ossuary and several mummies were discovered. Entomological remains were collected in two different surveys: one performed by archaeologists in 2011 and a second one conducted by an entomologist in 2018. In 2018, Giordani and colleagues published a paper presenting the results of the entomo-fauna analysis of samples collected during the first survey. The present paper presents the results of the second survey. Thousands of specimens have been newly collected and analyzed, including insects belonging to Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Siphonaptera and Diptera, as well as arthropods belonging to Arachnida and Malacostraca. The results here presented confirm the Giordani’s conclusion but also provide new information about the presence of potential vectors of diseases in the Castelsardo population in the end of the 18th—beginning nineteenth century.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02221-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143913946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Authigenic whitlockite as an imprint of human presence in a middle pleistocene endokarstic deposit (Cueva del Ángel site, southern Spain)","authors":"Guadalupe Monge,&nbsp;M. I. Carretero,&nbsp;M. Pozo,&nbsp;C. Barroso,&nbsp;F. Ruiz","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02217-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02217-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The genesis of whitlockite under sedimentary conditions in absence of guano in a Middle Pleistocene endokarstic deposit (Cueva del Ángel, southern Spain) is described. The mineralogy of the sediment samples was studied using XRD, FTIR, SEM-EDX and petrographic microscopy. Various aggregates of whitlockite were found in the sediment, with different habits. The formation of whitlockite is attributed to anthropic activities (manipulation, disarticulation, fleshing and burning of fauna) for human consumption. It can be proposed that an incipient diagenesis favouring the dissolution of the host dolomites from the karstic cavity and, in turn, of the bone fragments (more of them burnt), causes the release of magnesium and phosphate ions and leads to the formation of authigenic whitlockite from the solutions circulating in the sediment matrix. This research reports on the first evidence of whitlockite genesis as a diagenetic mineral in a cave deposit in absence of guano. The data suggest that, in absence of guano, whitlockite occurrence in cave sediments with Palaeolithic archaeological remains must be considered as it can serve as a proxy of ancient human activity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143908825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Elemental analysis of glass ornaments from Liziwei: uncovering local exchange networks in southwestern Taiwan","authors":"Kuan-Wen Wang,&nbsp;Wei-chun Chen,&nbsp;Laure Dussubieux,&nbsp;Yoshiyuki Iizuka","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02236-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02236-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study presents a comprehensive analysis of glass ornaments excavated from the Liziwei site in southwestern Taiwan (the 1^st to the 8^th century CE) to explore the dynamics of local and trans-regional exchange network during the Metal Age. Using Laser Ablation - Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), we identified three principal chemical groups: mineral soda high alumina glass, soda plant ash glass and potash glass. The chemical compositions of these glass groups demonstrate Liziwei's integration into a broad maritime exchange network that connected Taiwan with Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia. However, our findings also reveal the existence of a localised exchange network within southwestern Taiwan, characterised by distinct regional preferences in glass ornament styles and chemical compositions. Comparison with Daoye, Daoye South and Wujiancuo reveals continuity in glass chemical groups and cultural practices, suggesting sustained regional interactions distinct from those in other parts of Taiwan. The findings indicate that glass exchange likely intensified during the Middle Metal Age, coinciding with increased settlement activity and higher concentrations of glass beads in burials. These results highlight the interplay between long-distance exchange and localised circulation, providing new insights into the evolution of exchange activities in prehistoric Taiwan.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02236-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143908793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A tale of two cities: isotopic evidence highlights two distinct millet-based subsistence strategies behind early urban China’s Shimao and Erlitou sites","authors":"Pengfei Sheng,&nbsp;Edward Allen,&nbsp;Songmei Hu,&nbsp;Zhouyong Sun,&nbsp;Xue Shang","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02238-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02238-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The relationship between management of agricultural / agropastoral resources and the emergence of urbanism in China remains poorly understood. We firstly integrate and contrast new and existing stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data (<i>n</i> = 650) from human, livestock and crop remains at Shimao and Erlitou, two major urban sites in northern China dating from the late Neolithic to early Bronze Age. We identify and discuss temporal and regional differences in subsistence management at both early urbanized regions alongside a narrative of crop-regime shifts and increasing site complexity. We illustrate how two patterns of subsistence management, strongly influenced by agro-pastoral interactions from Eurasian steppe <i>circa.</i> 4500 to 3700/3500 cal. yr BP resulted in dynamic trajectories of intensive and/or extensive herd and crop management and their respective long-term implications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143900766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 dutch Y-chromosome from the early middle ages to present day","authors":"Eveline Altena,&nbsp;Risha Smeding,&nbsp;Kristiaan J van der Gaag,&nbsp;Rick H de Leeuw,&nbsp;Eileen Vaske,&nbsp;Paul Reusink,&nbsp;Yoan Diekmann,&nbsp;Mark G Thomas,&nbsp;Peter de Knijff","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02224-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02224-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Previous research on the geographic distribution of Y-chromosomal haplogroups (YHGs) in the present-day Netherlands observed significant spatial patterns, but it was unclear when these patterns arose (Altena et al. Eur J Hum Genet 28:287–299, 2020). Here we present historical Y-chromosomal data from nearly 350 early medieval to Middle Modern Period (500–1850 CE) individuals from 13 locations across the Netherlands. In combination with data from the present-day population of the Netherlands (Altena et al. Eur J Hum Genet 28:287–299, 2020), we explore spatiotemporal patterns of genetic variation and test for population continuity, with which we contribute to the reconstruction of the male population history of the Netherlands over the past 1.5k years. We observed statistically significant differences in the distribution of YHGs over time and across space, indicating that their modern distributions formed only recently. We could not, however, reject population continuity, suggesting that drift needs to be considered as a key factor in these differences. We therefore caution against attributing frequency differences of genetic variants over time to specific historical events. Finally, we note a remarkably high frequency of YHG T in late medieval Eindhoven, despite being very rare in the Netherlands and Europe overall both in the past and today. This haplogroup has been hypothesized to have been brought to Europe along with the medieval Jewish diaspora. We may therefore have identified genetic signatures of a Jewish community in medieval Eindhoven; something that had not been inferred from the archaeological record.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02224-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143892668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing seasonality and mobility from a fragmented faunal assemblage: the case of Amud Cave (Israel)","authors":"Anaëlle Jallon,&nbsp;Florent Rivals,&nbsp;Erella Hovers,&nbsp;Rivka Rabinovich","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02231-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02231-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this paper we investigate the seasonality of site occupation at Amud Cave (Israel). This site presents a long sedimentary sequence featuring two main late Middle Paleolithic occupation phases (70 – 55 Ka BP) rich in anthropogenic remains, and displaying very high densities of lithic artifacts, faunal remains and evidence of combustion. The abundance of these features appears high relative to the thickness of the sequence, thus raising the question of the duration and frequency of site occupation(s). We aim here to unravel this issue implementing a multiproxy approach to the dental fraction of the faunal assemblage. Combining teeth replacement and wear patterns coupled with micro- and mesowear analyses, we provide insights into the seasonality of occupation and hunting strategies at the site. We found that hunting activities at Amud Cave were conducted mainly in the course of the winter months with possible expansion into the late fall and early spring. This result is consistent with regional and local climate reconstructions and resources procurement locations evidenced in previous works. Assuming a fast depositional rate, we suggest that the sequence results from frequent seasonal returns to the site, forming a palimpsest of short-term occupations. This scenario is compatible with settlements and mobility patterns inferred for the late Middle Paleolithic in the Southern Levant.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02231-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143892669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Domestic herbivore mobility and herd management at Bronze Age Politiko-Troullia, Cyprus","authors":"Suzanne E. Pilaar Birch,&nbsp;Mary Metzger,&nbsp;Elizabeth Ridder,&nbsp;Steven E. Falconer,&nbsp;Patricia L. Fall","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02226-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02226-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study presents stable isotope analysis of carbon (δ¹³C) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) from goat, sheep, and cattle teeth excavated from the Bronze Age village of Politiko-<i>Troullia</i>, Cyprus. The δ¹⁸O of local water sources and converted δ¹⁸O_{drinking water} values are used to demonstrate the dietary inputs for goats as compared to those for sheep and cattle. We infer the browsing and grazing behavior of these taxa to reflect different herd management strategies implemented by agropastoral villages during the development of pre-urban Bronze Age society. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values suggest higher mobility and a more diverse diet for goats in contrast to more constrained ranges and dietary supplementation for sheep and cattle. These conclusions augment our interpretations of animal management at Politiko-<i>Troullia</i> based on previous osteological and isotopic analysis of faunal remains from the site. We contextualize our findings with those of closely comparable faunal and isotopic studies of herd management at contemporaneous Bronze Age settlements.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02226-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143888606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil investigations to determine the function of different areas within the Roman fortress near Hermeskeil (Germany)","authors":"Sabine Fiedler,&nbsp;Jago J. Birk,&nbsp;Tanja Westernacher,&nbsp;Sabine Hornung","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02213-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02213-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The area of the Hermeskeil main camp, built by the Roman army during Caesar’s Gallic Wars, is subdivided by an internal fortification consisting of a ditch and bank and separating a larger southern from a smaller northern part of the fortress. Our study deals with possible functional differences between these two parts of the temporary camp since both a separate stationing of potentially mounted auxilia and a secondary reduction of the camp’s surface could explain the building of such internal defences. An intensive soil survey was undertaken in the northern part of the main camp to delineate areas of high human activity. We conducted a mapping of 128 drill cores. Multi-element analyses and their statistical evaluation succeeded in isolating anthropogenically influenced areas, which were, however, located exclusively in the <i>intervallum</i>, i.e. the space immediately behind the camp’s ditch and bank that was left free of housing regular troop quarters. Samples in this area also showed a high coprostanol/cholestanol and a low 5β-stigmastanol/coprostanol ratio, indicating faecal matter from omnivores. Biomarker analyses do not indicate that horses and, therefore, auxilia were present in the northern part of the main camp, but the ratios of individual biomarkers rather speak in favour of the existence of latrines in the <i>intervallum</i>. Accordingly, the northern part of the Hermeskeil main camp was probably used for the regular stationing of infantry. The building of an internal fortification, therefore, most probably relates to a secondary reduction of its surface, which was connected to a phase of re-use.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02213-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143883755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}