Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences最新文献

{"title":"Correction to: Cooking, cleaning, and tossing: high-resolution analysis of domestic activities at the Mid-Neolithic site of Molino Casarotto (Vicenza, NE Italy)","authors":"Cristiano Nicosia, Gregorio Dal Sasso, Federico Polisca","doi":"10.1007/s12520-026-02422-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-026-02422-8","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-026-02422-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147336028","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 water reservoir from the 3rd to 5th century AD as a possible key for understanding the subsistence strategies and environment at the margin of the Fergana basin in Southern Kyrgyzstan","authors":"Petr Kočár,&nbsp;Zdenka Sůvová,&nbsp;Atilla Vatansever,&nbsp;Lenka Lisá,&nbsp;Libor Petr,&nbsp;Samara Osmonova,&nbsp;Pavel Vařeka,&nbsp;Ivo Světlík,&nbsp;Kateřina Pachnerová Brabcová,&nbsp;Lucie Juříčková,&nbsp;Milan Metlička,&nbsp;Aleš Bajer,&nbsp;Jan Rohovec,&nbsp;Josef Chajbullin Koštial,&nbsp;Piotr Moska","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02389-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02389-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The settlement mound structures interpreted as tepe at the Ak-Dzhar locality in Southern Kyrgyzstan can be understood as sedimentary archives reflecting how they were constructed and how people used the space and maintained water management. These structures, located on one of the branches of the Silk Road at the eastern edge of the Fergana basin, make the study important not only in terms of climate change but also in understanding the settlement and subsistence strategies of prehistoric societies The infill of the water reservoir buried under the tepe had its main phase of function from 200 AD to 400 AD as a seasonal watering place for animals. The spectra of crops reflect arable agriculture, including one of the first findings of the grapevine in this region and time period. The pollen analyses show treeless vegetation with abundant grasses and ephemeral Chenopodiaceae species, and the malacological analysis proved the existence of open steppe shrub habitats. The main source of animal diet was meat from domesticated ungulates.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147335819","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":"Lap-shear and compression testing of ethnographic compound adhesives and implications for archaeology","authors":"Malesela Mogale,&nbsp;Yonatan Sahle,&nbsp;Seid Ahmed,&nbsp;Sherlyn Gabriel","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02383-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02383-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The properties of ancient compound adhesives are gaining increasing research attention through substance identification and mechanical testing. Research on the latter relies on experimental replication as ethnographic cases of hafted stone artifacts are rare. Here we characterize the lap-shear and compression stress behaviors of a hitherto undescribed compound adhesive used for hafting stone scrapers by hideworkers in Ethiopia. We found that the <i>Balanites aegyptiaca</i> resin mixed with charcoal powder provides high stability and cures within a few hours. However, this adhesive suffered catastrophic failure across substrate when subjected to strong tensile or compressive force. The relative elasticity and curing contrast with gum-based compound adhesives commonly used in experimental replications, with charcoal or ochre as filler. In acacia-ochre adhesives, adding beeswax resulted in increased elasticity but reduced bonding strength. Our observations, tests, and comparisons suggest that adhesive selection is governed by the properties of the main ingredient and the intended task, in addition to raw material availability. In stone hidescrapers hafted to wooden handles, relative adhesive stiffness affords tool stability within the haft. Our results have implications for the interpretation of archaeological hafted technologies, including decision-making processes involved in the selection of raw materials for adhesive production and qualities optimized for specific tasks.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02383-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147335820","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":"Ochre and manganese pigments from the Middle Stone Age layers at Klipdrift Shelter","authors":"Elizabeth C. Velliky,&nbsp;Brandi L. MacDonald,&nbsp;Magnus M. Haaland,&nbsp;Karen L. Van Niekerk,&nbsp;Christopher S. Henshilwood","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02376-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02376-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The use of mineral pigments is considered one of the trademarks of behavioural complexity during the Middle Stone Age in southern Africa. Though many sites report large mineral pigment assemblages during the Still Bay (ca. 71.9–71 ka BP) period, pigment behaviours during the Howieson’s Poort (HP; ca. 65–59.5 ka BP) are less understood in terms of mineral varieties, collection strategies, and associated practices. Though some previous work exists on the ochre assemblage from the HP layers at Klipdrift Shelter (KDS) specific aspects regarding the use of pigments at the site are unexplored, including the post-HP layers, in-situ ochre features at the site and the use of manganese-based pigments. Here, we provide a new synthesis on the ochre and mineral pigment assemblage from the 2011–2018 excavation seasons at KDS, including new pieces from the 2018 excavation season, the first scored ochre piece from KDS, and newly identified manganese-based pigments which are rare at MSA sites, and were likely heat-treated. This intensive and systematic investigation allows for new interpretations regarding material collection strategies, responses to environmental and climatic changes, long-distance trade and regional movement, functional uses, social signalling and group cohesion, cognitive evolution, and symbolic mediation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02376-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147335821","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":"Archaeometric insight into the early South Italian red figure pottery (420–375 BCE): evidence from Himera, Lipari, and Syracuse in Sicily","authors":"Annarosa Mangone,&nbsp;Marco Serino,&nbsp;Diego Elia,&nbsp;Patrizia Davit,&nbsp;Lorena Carla Giannossa,&nbsp;Claudia Biscotti,&nbsp;Monica Gulmini","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02401-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02401-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Recent archaeological research on the emergence of red figure pottery in Sicily in the late fifth and early fourth century BCE reveals a fragmented yet dynamic artisanal landscape, with workshops catering to different sub-regional markets and exhibiting notable mobility. Red figure pottery from three of the most significant archaeological sites in Sicily – namely Himera, Lipari, and Syracuse – has been examined by optical and electron microscopy and atomic spectroscopy (ICP-OES and LA-ICP-MS) to broaden the documentary framework with the archaeometric evidence, in order to strengthen the foundations upon which to base interpretative proposals for new insights into South Italian figurative productions. The results allow us to distinguish between imported Greek and locally produced vases and to shed light on the production activities of key workshops, including the Chequer Painter, the Painter of Louvre K236, and the Locri Group. By highlighting the compositional and micromorphological features of artefacts from the same archaeological site, it has also been possible to confirm the existence of multiple production centres in Sicily, improving the framework for characterization and identification of certain local productions and their technological procedures. Moreover, it is also possible to consider this historical and archaeological framework from the perspective of the movement of painters, workshops and vases between Sicily, the Tyrrhenian region and Southern Calabria. Although the number of samples limits the possibility of drawing general conclusions, the research shows the merits of an integrated approach to better understand the complexities of this artistic and cultural tradition.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146083066","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":"Using ATR-FTIR, analytical colour and mercury for unravelling the cremation ritual of Tyresta viking age burial mound (South-Central Sweden)","authors":"Marta Colmenares-Prado,&nbsp;Antonio Martínez Cortizas,&nbsp;Jan Storå,&nbsp;Mattias Pettersson,&nbsp;Olalla López-Costas","doi":"10.1007/s12520-026-02411-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-026-02411-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The funerary rituals in Viking Age Scandinavia are known by their complexity and diversity including inhumation, boat burials, and cremation. Cremations have been extensively studied macroscopically, but the application of geochemical techniques, although highly informative to investigate cremation in more detail, have not been widely explored yet. In the Viking Age the inclusion of both animals and humans on the funeral pyres makes research challenging. In the present study, we demonstrate the usefulness of molecular analysis (ATR-FTIR), direct mercury analysis (DMA) and analytical colour (in the CIELab space) for the characterization of Viking Age cremated remains of a human individual buried with dogs, a horse, a cat, and other animals – as well as evaluate macroscopic methods for assessing the temperature of burning. We demonstrate that the spectroscopic signal is highly correlated with analytical colour parameters, and with mercury concentration (still present in bones exposed at high temperatures). Mercury concentration was higher in human bones than animals’, suggesting an ante-mortem exposure. Human bones were probably heated at temperatures between 900 and 1100 °C, while animals were cremated at lower temperature. We also identified a secondary cremation in a layer previously interpreted as a badger burrow. A new Mid Infrared index (MIR-index, _TPV), is proposed, and we suggest that the cyanamide band is related to oxygen availability during burning. For the macroscopic method, we recommend splitting the white colour category into two based on bone porosity, to better qualify higher temperatures.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-026-02411-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146082678","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":"Connectivity and change in the waterproofing technology of ancient sicily: evidence from Selinunte and Agrigento","authors":"Rory McLennan,&nbsp;Duncan Keenan-Jones","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02364-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02364-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Sicily served as a nexus of connectivity in the ancient Mediterranean, with new ideas and technologies – especially concerning water – emerging from collaboration and competition between multiple communities. An area of ongoing investigation is understanding how mortar technology developed on the island, and what factors influenced its dissemination. To address these questions, the waterproof linings of nine water features from the neighbouring sites of Selinunte (ancient Selinous) and Agrigento (ancient Akragas) were collected. Both sites originated as Greek colonies, but experienced episodes of Punic and Roman hegemony, facilitating the emergence of complex hydraulic networks inspired by multiple socio-technological influences. To investigate the effect of these different communities, 22 mortar specimens that dated from the mid-6th century BCE to the 1st century CE were studied using archaeological and instrumental techniques that included microscopic, digital image and elemental analyses, as well as a novel application of µX-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy (µXFM). Using the multiple data sets produced by these different analyses, this study established a preliminary chronology of waterproof lining technology at Selinunte and Agrigento. It also contextualised evidence of technological change within the broader history of ancient Sicily to demonstrate that growing interconnectivity facilitated the development and transmission of complex hydraulic technologies in the ancient Central Mediterranean.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02364-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146082791","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":"Publisher Correction: Livestock husbandry in Islamic Cártama, Málaga, Spain: The micro and bioarchaeology of an open-air Fumier sequence","authors":"Rowena Y. Banerjea,&nbsp;Mónica Alonso Eguiluz,&nbsp;Lionello F. Morandi,&nbsp;Jérôme Ros,&nbsp;Luc Vrydaghs,&nbsp;Yannick Devos,&nbsp;Marie Larrieu,&nbsp;Nicolás Losilla,&nbsp;Irene Bertelli,&nbsp;Erika Ribechini,&nbsp;Ana Medina Cuesta,&nbsp;Marcos García García,&nbsp;Francisco Melero García,&nbsp;Guillermo García Contreras,&nbsp;Aleks Pluskowski","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02396-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02396-z","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02396-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146082397","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":"Evaluating the potential of in-depth chrono-cultural and functional analysis of pottery in European cave archaeology: a case study from the prehistoric Grotte Di Sant’angelo Cave Complex (Cassano allo Ionio – Calabria, Italy)","authors":"Delia Carloni,&nbsp;Felice Larocca,&nbsp;Peter A. J. Attema,&nbsp;Giuseppe De Luca,&nbsp;Francesco Breglia,&nbsp;Marco Pacciarelli,&nbsp;Giuseppe E. De Benedetto","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02332-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02332-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper evaluates the potential of in-depth chronological and functional analysis of prehistoric pottery (4th millennium BCE) from the Grotte di Sant’Angelo Cave Complex, located in the municipality of Cassano allo Ionio (Calabria, Southern Italy). The underground system, formed by sulfuric acid speleogenesis, features a floor scattered with depressions, holes, and fractures of different depths hosting archaeological materials. A number of these contexts in the so-called ‘Trivio’ area, excavated in 2017 and reported on here, provide an excellent opportunity to pioneer a combined archaeological and scientific contextual approach to unravelling the use of pottery in the Grotte di Sant’Angelo Cave Complex through time. The approach chosen first establishes the chronology of pots through typological comparisons with sites offering key stratigraphic sequences for prehistoric material culture present in the Italian peninsula and islands. Next, a functional study is presented that focusses on the use-related morphological properties of the pots, their performance characteristics, and preserved organic residues. Based on presentation and evaluation of the resulting data, the authors then proceed to propose hypotheses on the use and meaning of the various pottery shapes present in individual contexts from the Trivio zone cave floor contexts. At a more general level, the aim of the authors is to show how a contextual approach, combining several research tools for pottery analysis can make an important contribution to the toolbox of scholars working in European cave archaeology, thereby increasing the discipline’s potential of resolving theoretically informed questions about human-cave entanglements in later prehistory.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02332-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146027470","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 kingdom with blackened teeth 2,000 years ago: tracing the practice of tooth blackening in ancient Vietnam","authors":"Yue Zhang,&nbsp;Yu-shiang Wang,&nbsp;Viet Nguyen,&nbsp;Yoshiyuki Iizuka,&nbsp;Hsiao-chun Hung","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02366-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02366-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Tooth blackening, the deliberate modification of teeth to achieve a lustrous black appearance, is well documented in modern Vietnam, but its ancient practice remains elusive. This study applies chemical analyses to Iron Age human teeth from the Dong Xa site in northern Vietnam, dated to approximately 2000 years ago. By integrating compositional results with ethnographic parallels and experimental controls, we identify a diagnostic signature of tooth blackening in ancient samples, pointing to iron salts, likely combined with tannin-rich substances, as the primary active components responsible for the coloring process. This research clarifies both the antiquity and the distinctive techniques of tooth blackening in Vietnam, establishing a non-destructive methodological framework for archaeologically identifying such practices. From its emergence at sites associated with the renowned Dong Son bronze culture, through its continuity in later historical accounts and recent memories, tooth blackening underscores a culturally embedded expression of identity within wider networks of interregional interaction and exchange.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02366-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146026752","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}