Joan Carbonell-Roca, M. Mercè Bergadà, Natàlia Alonso
{"title":"High-resolution insights into protohistoric construction: a micromorphological study of gypsum use in earthen architecture in Gebut (Lleida, Spain)","authors":"Joan Carbonell-Roca, M. Mercè Bergadà, Natàlia Alonso","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02282-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02282-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The technique of soil micromorphology has seen a significant increase in its use over the past few decades. However, this tool is still underutilized in protohistoric sites in the Iberian Peninsula, despite having shown promising results. This work examines the use of gypsum as a construction material in the protohistoric site of Gebut, (Lleida, Spain), through a geoarchaeological study based on micromorphology. The results challenge the belief that gypsum can only be used in interior spaces or for decorative purposes. Its use has been identified in floors, plaster, and mortars, both in interior and exterior spaces. Additionally, parallels are drawn with other protohistoric sites in the northeast of the peninsula, where gypsum was used in mortars, plaster, structures related to liquid production, and waterproof floors. Under environmental conditions, gypsum tends to dissolve/precipitate and can naturally occurring at the site through various mechanisms. The study incorporates micromorphology criteria to distinguish between pedogenic and anthropogenic gypsum based on its general spatial arrangement, percentage, or the morphology and size of its crystals. Furthermore, adding specific temper (well-classified ceramic fragments and rubified aggregates) and plant fragments has been documented as very likely to improve mechanical properties and durability. These findings reveal advanced technical knowledge of gypsum in the Protohistoric period, involving pyrotechnical skills, granulometric selection, and the use of natural additives to optimize its properties. The results encourage further physical-chemical studies to validate these hypotheses and reconsider gypsum’s role as a versatile structural material in protohistoric architecture.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02282-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145167455","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":"Reconstructing technology: Late Neolithic oven construction techniques at Vinča–Belo Brdo– excavation methodology and experimental archaeology","authors":"Ana Đuričić","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02272-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02272-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Ovens are found in the majority of Late Neolithic Vinča culture houses. Unfortunately, they are usually preserved only at the floor level, while parts of the upper structure are almost always missing. Even though several fully preserved ovens were discovered at the site of Vinča–Belo Brdo in the early 20th century, no information regarding the techniques used in their construction was recorded. Fortunately, in 2006, at the same site, an almost fully preserved oven was uncovered and was partially excavated in 2015. This find is highly significant, as it represents the first oven with an intact dome discovered since 1911. To maximize the quantity and quality of data collected, a new excavation methodology was developed and applied. Instead of cutting through the oven, breaking patterns visible on the dome were followed and the oven was deconstructed, which allowed the reconstruction of the building process. As the oven dome construction technique revealed in this context had not been previously considered or proposed in archaeological literature, this article introduces new interpretations and results. To test the findings obtained during the excavation, experimental ovens were built using this newly identified technique. One of the aims of this article is to present an innovative excavation methodology that can be applied to other daub architectural features. Furthermore, the detection and recognition of a previously undocumented construction technique opens the door to more comprehensive studies of Neolithic earthen architecture and individual daub architectural elements.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145167807","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}
Irene Bertelli, Claudia Finocchiaro, Maxime Rageot, Erika Ribechini, Mario Mineo, Davide Mengoli, Cristiana Petrinelli Pannocchia, Elisabetta Starnini, Alice Vassanelli, Juan F. Gibaja, Niccolò Mazzucco
{"title":"What doesn’t meet the eye: molecular insights into adhesive technologies of Neolithic harvesting tools from Central-North Italy","authors":"Irene Bertelli, Claudia Finocchiaro, Maxime Rageot, Erika Ribechini, Mario Mineo, Davide Mengoli, Cristiana Petrinelli Pannocchia, Elisabetta Starnini, Alice Vassanelli, Juan F. Gibaja, Niccolò Mazzucco","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02280-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02280-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study explores the geographical distribution and molecular composition of adhesive substances employed by Neolithic communities in north-central Italy. By applying advanced mass spectrometric techniques—specifically Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)—we chemically characterized organic residues recovered from flint blades and complete and fragmentary wooden sickles, across multiple archaeological sites. The dual analytical approach proved especially effective in detecting and identifying molecular markers in samples where the preserved adhesive was present only in trace amounts, thus overcoming limitations imposed by minimal sample volumes and potential contamination. Our comprehensive analysis revealed a diverse portfolio of adhesive materials, notably birch bark tar, Pinaceae resin, and bitumen. The coexistence of these substances within the same chronological framework suggests a complex technological and procurement strategy among Neolithic groups. Local resources, such as pine resins, were likely exploited alongside non-local materials, implying the existence of well-established exchange networks and adaptive responses to regional environmental conditions. By coupling archaeological investigation with molecular characterization, this research demonstrates that even minimally preserved organic residues can yield significant compositional data, thereby contributing to a more nuanced reconstruction of prehistoric technological networks and socio-economic interactions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145167803","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}
Javier Duque-Martínez, Fernando Diez-Martín, Cristina Fraile-Márquez, Sara de Francisco, Enrique Baquedano, Audax Mabulla, Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo
{"title":"Large cutting tools from SHK (Bed II, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania): a techno-functional approach","authors":"Javier Duque-Martínez, Fernando Diez-Martín, Cristina Fraile-Márquez, Sara de Francisco, Enrique Baquedano, Audax Mabulla, Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02276-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02276-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Recent fieldwork at SHK Main site and SHK Extension (2009–2016) has recovered an abundant lithic sample that contains giant cores, large flakes and large cutting tools (LCT), such as bifaces, cleavers, picks and knives. Such a significant collection constitutes an opportunity to understand and reconstruct the <i>chaîne opératoire</i> of LCT production undertaken by hominins at this site complex. Through a technological approach based on detailed reconstructions of the large tool shaping patterns and the analysis of techno-functional potentiality, this work presents the study of lithic implements specifically related to the Acheulean sequence unearthed at SHK by our team. This assessment has been completed with other specimens identified by us among the original Leakey collections. The aim is to define the LCT conceptualization strategies of the SHK toolmakers. This information, in combination with subsequent experimental and use-wear analyses, will shed light on the functional meaning of the LCTs produced during the Early Acheulean.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145165377","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}
Adolfo Fernández-Fernández, Patricia Valle-Abad, Alba Antía Rodríguez -Nóvoa, Manuel García-Ávila, Sara Romero, Juan Carlos Gutiérrez-Marco
{"title":"Significance of fossils in Roman times: the first trilobite find in an early Empire context","authors":"Adolfo Fernández-Fernández, Patricia Valle-Abad, Alba Antía Rodríguez -Nóvoa, Manuel García-Ávila, Sara Romero, Juan Carlos Gutiérrez-Marco","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02266-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02266-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Although the collection of fossils by humans is known from the Palaeolithic, the occurrence of trilobite remains in archaeological contexts is particularly rare worldwide, previously documented by specimens from sites in Western Europe, North America, South Africa and Australia. This article reports the discovery of an eleventh known trilobite found in an archaeological context, from a Roman settlement dating from the 1st–3rd centuries CE, excavated in north-western Spain (A Cibdá of Armea near the city of Ourense). The specimen represents the first confirmed trilobite from Roman times and is the third trilobite in the global archaeological record to have been collected and used by people over a thousand years ago. Its palaeontological and preservational characteristics enable us to pinpoint its probable origin to Middle Ordovician shale outcrops in south-central Iberia, over 430 km from the Roman excavation site where it was found. The modifications observed on the underside of the specimen, which exhibits up to seven artificial wear facets to flatten and shape the fossil, are interpreted as indicating its possible use within a pendant or bracelet, likely serving as an amulet with magical or protective properties.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02266-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145165378","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}
Robert J. Losey, Tatiana Nomokonova, Artur Kharinskii, Stephen Fratpietro, Dimaadjav Erdenebaatar, Dmitrii Kichigin, Aleksei Korostelev, Matvei Portniagin, Angela R. Lieverse
{"title":"Naturally polled bovines and other domestic animals at the ritual site Ovootyn Uzuur 1, Lake Khövsgöl, Mongolia","authors":"Robert J. Losey, Tatiana Nomokonova, Artur Kharinskii, Stephen Fratpietro, Dimaadjav Erdenebaatar, Dmitrii Kichigin, Aleksei Korostelev, Matvei Portniagin, Angela R. Lieverse","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02281-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02281-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Naturally polled domestic cattle lack horns due to the presence of a dominant allele of a single autosomal gene. The absence of horns was likely a desirable trait for those working closely with cattle, as horns pose significant hazards to their handlers and other domestic livestock. The archaeological history of polled cattle extends to the Middle Holocene in parts of Eurasia, but it is poorly documented in many areas, including in Mongolia. This paper describes the remains of at least two genetically polled cattle or cattle-yak hybrids recovered from the Ovoontyn Uzuur 1 site at Lake Khövsgöl in northern Mongolia. These appear to be the first polled cattle remains documented from the Eastern Eurasian steppes. The polled bovine remains are directly dated to the Final Bronze Age and were found in association with remains of horses, sheep, and goats in a khirigsuur site. As often seen in such sites, the domestic animal remains largely consist of head and feet elements. These remains likely represent animals that were sacrificed as part of mortuary rites for an important human individual. Polled cattle surely have an unrecognized and far longer history in Mongolia, as cattle were utilized in transport and for milking long prior to the Final Bronze Age.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145165379","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":"Further investigation of calibration for obsidian hydration dating using aged high temperature and long-term low temperature hydrated samples","authors":"I. Liritzis, I. Andronache","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02270-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02270-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Obsidian hydration dating (OHD) has been a concern of research into chronological issues of ancient obsidian artifacts. It is based on the power law equation that hydration rim is proportional to the square-root of time relating hydration depth, diffusion rate (k). Employing the Arrhenius plot experimental aged data at high temperature were used to estimate the k at environmental hydration temperature (T). The present investigation initiated concerns a first approach in using available experimentally aged obsidians (140–180°C) from five geographically world dispersed obsidian sources (California, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand) as well as low temperature (10–40°C) aged data (New Guinea) at different water content (around 0.11% and 0.21%) to explore the calibration equation of k versus T. The low temperature aged data, coupled with the new high temperature experiments produce a family curve of three parameters, Lnk, T (in Kelvin) and %OH (the water content W). From available data for samples with two water values the two new average calibration curves for 0.1 and 0.2%OH are: Lnk = 31.86 – ((12496–16697*W)/T) for low 0.10–0.11 OH% and Lnk = 27.32 –((12496–16697*W)/T) for high 0.21–0.24% OH. The hydration rate k and age results are critically discussed for the respective obsidian source, sensitivity to pristine water content variation, and significant temperature dependence. Emphasis to the activation energy versus water content functional dependence is considered and their linear or power law dependence is elaborated and applied to OHD calculation. Having the equation for low %OH validated for most dated samples encourages its use in dating obsidians that have at present predominantly a range of around 0.10–0.11% structural water value. Several World dating examples of published data (Xaltocan, Papua, Easter Islands, Napa Valley, Japan) have been redated compared to earlier calibration equation with an improved range of satisfactory results.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145165306","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}
Eszter Horváth, László E. Aradi, Zsolt Bendő, Tamás Váczi, Zsófia Rácz
{"title":"Byzantine polychromy at its finest: art, craft and aesthetics of the noblest Avar period jewel reconstructed","authors":"Eszter Horváth, László E. Aradi, Zsolt Bendő, Tamás Váczi, Zsófia Rácz","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02278-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02278-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The richest Avar burial ever found in the Carpathian Basin was discovered more than fifty years ago at Kunszentmiklós-Kunbábony in Hungary. The prominence of the deceased is indicated by the grave goods, anthropological observations and recent archaeogenomic results. This article presents an integrated examination of the key artefact of the assemblage, an exceptional gold belt buckle that combines the highest quality of lapidary and goldsmith work with exotic, symbolic, and abstract elements of early Byzantine art. The scientific and stylistic analyses provide insights into the supply of the garnets, the metalworking and gem-cutting processes, and the artistic colour application at the time. Compensating the continuous deterioration of the buckle, a reconstruction of the original polychromy was made, reflecting its particular art, craft and aesthetic. The stone marquetry incorporated into the buckle is absolutely unique not only in the Carpathian Basin, but also in the late Antique, early Byzantine Europe and Mediterranean. As a forerunner of medieval <i>commesso</i> work, it represents a fusion of traditions from the classical West and the ancient Near East, as well as innovations later perfected in the Italian Renaissance. Surface and subsurface analyses were combined to specify garnet provenances, revealing further details of cultural connections.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02278-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145164713","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":"Investigating paleomobility from archaeological populations of the Canary Islands: Insights from 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O ratios","authors":"Paloma Cuello del Pozo","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02277-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02277-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Isotope analyses, particularly of oxygen (δ<sup>18</sup>O) and strontium (<sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr), have become central tools in bioarchaeological researchfor reconstructing human paleomobility. However, the application of these methods in the Canary Islands is underveloped. This study presents the first combined δ<sup>18</sup>O and <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr baseline and archaeological human data from Tenerife and Gran Canaria, establishing a foundation for future mobility research in both historic and archaeological contexts in the region. The results highlight the methodological viability of <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr for identifying non-locals, owing to the island's distinct volcanic geochemistry compared to continental landscapes, and suggests a coastal versus inland differentiation. Additionally, differences in δ<sup>18</sup>O values from indigenous human skeletal remains from Tenerife and Gran Canaria offer new insights into the potential for studying inter-insular migration.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145163445","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":"Technological continuity and cultural adaptation: pottery production in the Fanchengdui culture of the Poyang Lake Plain (4800–4500 BP)","authors":"Zongxiang Fan, Siran Liu, Zhenhua Deng","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02275-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02275-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study provides the first analysis of Late Neolithic pottery production in the Poyang Lake Plain, situated between the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River. Through a <i>chaîne opératoire</i> framework, 31 pottery samples and 6 soil samples from the Guodishan Neolithic site (ca. 4800–4500 BP) were examined through ED-XRF, LA-ICP-AES, thin-section petrography, and FT-IR. Based on the analytical results of clay choices, paste preparation, forming, finishing, coating and firing processes, two distinct <i>chaînes opératoires</i> were reconstructed: one for fine, thin-walled stemmed bowls (<i>dou</i>) and another for coarse, thick-walled three-legged trays (<i>sanzupan</i>), both utilizing locally sourced clay and temper. Compared to the neighbouring Late Neolithic cultures, Guodishan demonstrates technological continuity through uniform resource use, hand-forming techniques, and low-temperature firing, aligning more closely with earlier regional traditions. This technological continuity likely reflects an adaptive strategy within the agricultural migrant communities of the Fanchengdui culture, offering new insights into the socio-technical dynamics of non-indigenous Neolithic populations in South China.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145162345","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}