Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences最新文献

{"title":"Archaeology, chronology, and sedimentological context of the youngest Middle Palaeolithic assemblage from Jebel Faya, United Arab Emirates","authors":"Knut Bretzke,&nbsp;Frank Preusser,&nbsp;Kira Raith,&nbsp;Gareth Preston,&nbsp;Seolmin Kim,&nbsp;Sabah Jasim,&nbsp;Eisa Yousif,&nbsp;Adrian G. Parker","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02164-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02164-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Due to the scarcity of stratified and well-dated archaeological horizons, diachronic as well as spatial patterns of Pleistocene lithic traditions are not very well understood in Arabia. To contribute to this topic, we present new archaeological, sedimentological and chronological data from archaeological horizon II (AH II), the stratigraphically youngest Middle Palaeolithic assemblage at Jebel Faya, Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Results of optically stimulated luminescence dating reveal that AH II was deposited about 80 ka ago at the end of Marine Isotope Stage 5 (MIS 5). The lithic assemblage shows a preference for elongated flakes and blades produced predominantly by bidirectional methods, both Levallois and non-Levallois. The few tools feature simple retouch often forming denticulated edges. Contemporaneous assemblages from Arabia are rare and show distinct technological characteristics, including a preference for the production of flakes with ovoid and triangular morphologies from centripetal as well as unidirectional convergent and bidirectional convergent Levallois methods. These differences indicate that traditions in the production of stone tool blanks follow distinct trajectories north and south of the Rub al-Khali desert at the termination of the MIS 5 humid period.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02164-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143388762","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":"Chemical analysis of the 5th and 12th century metal doors in the Lateran, Rome","authors":"Marianne Mödlinger,&nbsp;M. Fera,&nbsp;J. Utz","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02165-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02165-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>For the first time, the three bronze doors of the Lateran Baptistery and Cloister of the Archbasilica of St John Lateran in Rome have been studied to determine their chemical composition and to obtain further information about their manufacture. The doors studied include two made at the end of the twelfth century by Pietro and Uberto from Piacenza, Italy, and one made by an unknown master in the fifth century. This door now leads to the Oratory of St John the Baptist in the Lateran Baptistery. One of the 12th-century doors is now in the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist, and the second 12th-century door is in the cloister of the Archbasilica. High-resolution photographic documentation and a 3D model of one of the door wings complete the detailed documentation of the three medieval doors. The chemical analysis of the doors permits a detailed reconstruction of the alloys used in their manufacture. All doors were made of leaded tin bronze, and the resulting data provides a valuable contribution to the history of their construction and the processes employed in their manufacture.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02165-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143388864","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":"Multi-isotopic evidence reveals the emergence of a cosmopolitan community at the Luistari cemetery in Eura, Finland, during the early Medieval period (600–1130 CE)","authors":"Alžběta Danielisová,&nbsp;Ulla Nordfors,&nbsp;Samuel Kertes,&nbsp;Anna Wessman,&nbsp;Lukáš Ackerman,&nbsp;Markku Oinonen,&nbsp;Heli Etu-Sihvola,&nbsp;Laura Arppe","doi":"10.1007/s12520-024-02147-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-024-02147-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study examines the role of the Eura region as a nexus linking the inland with Baltic Sea trade routes. Luistari cemetery, spanning from the early Merovingian to Medieval periods, provides key insights into South-Western Finland’s socio-economic structure and communication networks. Despite its significance, this burial community’s chronological dynamics and regional role remain poorly understood. Using multi-isotopic evidence contextualised with archaeological data, this research explores mobility and subsistence patterns among Luistari’s population. By delineating the bioavailable strontium range in the Eura region, the study assesses the local burial community’s mobility dynamics across various chronological phases. Identification of long- and short-distance migrants, discerned through strontium and carbon isotopes in conjunction with archaeological context, enhances understanding of Luistari within the regional and Circum-Baltic framework. Multi-isotopic evidence further aids in grasping local development within environmental and climatic contexts. Analysis of the strontium isotopic data patterns, combined with carbon and nitrogen, sheds light on settlement locations and subsistence strategies of the Luistari population. Notable transformations during the Viking I period (800–880 CE), marked by the establishment of a “founding” community, and shifts in dietary and migratory patterns in periods V II-III (880–1000 CE), indicate stabilisation of the local socio-economic conditions. Period V IV (1000–1070 CE) reveals connections, both maritime and continental, as the local community integrates into long-distance communication networks. The Final Period (1070–1130 CE) then shows only limited signs of mobility. The data suggest varied mobility patterns over the long-term development of the local community coupled with visibly changing subsistence strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-024-02147-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143361934","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":"An experimental approach to ancient libations in the south central andes: evidence of quero vessels from Arica, northern Chile","authors":"Juan Pablo Ogalde,&nbsp;Bernardo Arriaza","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02178-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02178-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We measured the volume of 22 <i>quero</i> vessels from northern Chile’s Late Intermediate Period (LIP, 1200–1450 CE) and Late Period (LP, 1450–1530 CE) from the Azapa-15 (CH-5), Playa Miller-4 (PLM-4), and Chaca-5 (CH-5) sites. Additionally, we dated six archaeological contexts and fermented local products (<i>Zea mays</i>, <i>Schinus molle</i>, <i>Prosopis</i> sp., <i>Geoffroea decorticans</i>) to produce experimental <i>chicha</i> beverages. Our results identified five vessel types, with volumes ranging from 350 to 1100 cm³, dating from 1445 to 1470 CE. Experimental <i>chichas</i> exhibited alcohol content ranging from 3.9 to 4.2% (average 4.1%), a value that we will use to calculate the alcohol content in the <i>quero</i> vessels. By comparing our findings with reports from Spanish chroniclers on Inca state libations, we propose that ancient populations in northern Chile used large <i>quero</i> vessels for local ceremonies (Arica-II type), in contrast to the late Inca practice of employing identical pairs of smaller <i>quero</i> vessels. By the mid-15th century, both large and small types of <i>quero</i> were present in Late Intermediate and Late Period cemeteries. The earlier type of <i>quero</i> may have continued to be used in local funerary practices, particularly in rituals of eating and drinking with the dead.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143362031","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":"Analysing Roman itineraries using GIS tooling: the case of the road XIX (mansions from Tude to Luco Augusti)","authors":"Patricia A. Argüelles- Álvarez,&nbsp;Pedro Trapero- Fernández","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02175-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02175-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Reconstruction of the Roman road network must be approached from different methodologies of multidisciplinary character. Once the traditional approaches have been exhausted without achieving a historiographical consensus, the problem may appear insurmountable. However, leveraging Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provides an avenue for re-evaluating existing proposals and suggesting more fitting layouts. This can be accomplished through a meticulous analysis that incorporates topographic and non-Euclidean correlations; allowing a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the subject matter than conventional methods might offer. In this context, the aim of this article is to discuss intriguing research points. But also emphasize the importance of multidisciplinary and multi-proxy studies in relation with the Roman terrestrial networks. We explore a case study in the Galician territory, where we have detected methodological shortcomings reconstructing the route of the XIX road: <i>Item Bracaram Asturicam</i>. One of the sections, from <i>Tude</i> to <i>Luco Augusti</i>, has aroused a greater debate, based on several basic problems: (1) the identification of the <i>mansions</i>, (2) the lack of consensus in the measurements of the distances, (3) the miles referred to in the classical sources, and (4) the complex orography of this territory. To propose answers and theories, that may solve the current problems of the description of this route of the XIX road, a multi- proxy approached methodology is proposed. Thus, by applying Geographic Information Systems techniques, we will be able to calculate the optimal path, and compare the results with historical data and archaeological evidence.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02175-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143362068","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":"Personal ornament in transition. Final Paleolithic – Mesolithic data from the Iberian Mediterranean Region (16.5 – 7 ky cal. BP)","authors":"Begonya Soler Mayor,&nbsp;Salvador Pardo-Gordó,&nbsp;Josep Ll. Pascual Benito,&nbsp;Nicole Balcázar Campos,&nbsp;Bárbara Avezuela-Aristu,&nbsp;Margarita Vadillo Conesa,&nbsp;J. Emili Aura Tortosa","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02170-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02170-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The present study aims at a better understanding of personal ornaments during the Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic transitions. The approach consists of a combination of the shell beads and pendants from Santa Maira (Alacant) and the information from the Mediterranean façade of the Iberian Peninsula, including the Ebro valley, allowing a systematic evaluation of species richness from a spatio-temporal perspective. An assessment of access to the source and its impact on diversity was also carried out. The results show a continuity between the Late Paleolithic and the Epipaleolithic, as well as a period of cultural break with the Mesolithic. Similar patterns have been documented during the same periods from lithic production studies and may indicate a change in social interactions and/or cultural boundaries.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-025-02170-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143362072","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":"The key role of bangles in the evolution of standardized bronze technology in Indian antiquity","authors":"Jang-Sik Park,&nbsp;Vasant Shinde","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02174-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02174-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Bangles represent one of the few Bronze Age metal objects that survived the bronze-to-iron transition in Indian antiquity. Thirty-six bangles excavated from the megalithic burials at Raipur, India, were examined for their role in the evolution of Indian bronze technology. These objects were all made of binary copper-tin alloys, with the average tin level set at 9.3% based on weight. No lead was added to any of them. They were consistently treated with forging subsequent to casting. Laboratory experiments revealed that plastic deformation with proper thermal treatments could be effective at removing unwanted tin-rich brittle δ particles from the alloys, greatly improving their forgeability. Such high-quality bangles, if used as intermediaries, would inevitably lead to a standardized and optimized bronze tradition dedicated to the manufacture of thin-walled prestige items in a simplified process of forging. As a symbol of wealth and status, therefore, bangles likely stimulated the dissemination of standardized portable bronze technology in keeping with emerging socioeconomic inequality throughout India during the Indus-to-Megalithic transition period.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143361599","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":"Characteristics of lithic artifact weathering at the Semizbugu surface site complex in semi-arid Central Kazakhstan","authors":"Emily Coco,&nbsp;Patrick Schimdt,&nbsp;Bin Hu,&nbsp;Alice Rodriguez,&nbsp;Talgat B. Mamirov,&nbsp;Timothy G. Bromage,&nbsp;Radu Iovita","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02172-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02172-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Rock surface alterations due to weathering have often been used by archaeologists for creating chronologies, studying climatic conditions, and authenticating artifacts. Rock surface alterations are also important for identifying recycled artifacts through the presence of “double patina.” In the surface archaeological deposits at Semizbugu (Saryarqa, Kazakhstan), rock surface weathering stages are used to chronologically categorize stone tool artifacts based on perceived associations between weathering characteristics and typology. Despite a long history of studying rock surface weathering in geological sciences, the formation of rock coatings on stone tool artifacts is a largely misunderstood process due to its complexity and multi-factored formation process. Given the consistent use of one raw material at Semizbugu, we test for differences in rock coating morphologies, elemental composition, and surface roughness between macroscopically identified weathering stages. Based on our analyses, we identify multiple processes involved in artifact weathering at Semizbugu. We suggest that artifacts at Semizbugu may be relatively chronologically ordered based on a combined assessment of decreased surface roughness and increased surface pitting, both of which are likely related to degree of wind abrasion and dissolution of the artifact surface. We also recommend against using rock varnish color for chronological assessment of artifacts at Semizbugu given the destructive effects of abrasion and the irregularities of varnish formation in semi-arid contexts. Additionally, we suggest this model be validated with rock surface exposure dating via optically stimulated luminescence (OSL-surf). Furthermore, rock surface exposure OSL dating could give us insight into the time-depth between use and recycling events in a more meaningful way than trying to compare differential artifact surface weathering across “double patina.”</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143108384","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 transmission of knowledge in Neolithic northwestern China: mineralogical and chemical analyses of Yangshao and Majiayao painted ware","authors":"Michela Spataro,&nbsp;Anke Hein","doi":"10.1007/s12520-024-02143-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-024-02143-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Thirty-eight Neolithic sherds from Yangshao and Majiayao period contexts were analysed via polarised light microscopy and by scanning electron microscope used with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM–EDX). Sixteen sherds come from the early Yangshao-period Banpo site in the Wei River Valley, east of Xi’an, 17 from the eponymous site of Majiayao and five from Waguanzui in the upper Yellow River region in eastern Gansu province. SEM–EDX was also used to measure the chemical composition of the clays and the paint (black, or in one case, red and white) applied to the ceramic surfaces. The analyses were carried out to detect differences or similarities in the <i>chaînes opératoires</i> of ceramic production at the three sites, in particular, to examine the clay types selected to make the three main categories of wares for which Yangshao and Majiayao are known, namely painted fine wares, burnished fine wares, and unpainted coarse wares. The results show that similar raw material selection and processing and technological choices were followed at the three sites to make both fine and coarse wares. At all sites, black paint was made by adding different mixtures of manganese and iron oxides to levigated clays, in a few cases possibly using the same levigated clay used to make the vessels themselves.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-024-02143-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143184791","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":"The first insight to materiality of rock art pigments from Western Papua Region (Berau Gulf, Fakfak)","authors":"Moh. Mualliful Ilmi,&nbsp;Evi Maryanti,&nbsp;Indah Permatasarie Tjan,&nbsp;Adhi A. Oktaviana,&nbsp;Zubair Mas’ud,&nbsp;Chatree Saiyasombat,&nbsp;Sofwan Noerwidi","doi":"10.1007/s12520-025-02168-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-025-02168-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study represents the first investigation into the materiality of pigment samples from the rock art of Teluk Berau, Fakfak, West Papua, employing a suite of analytical techniques including optical observation, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. This comprehensive analysis provides nuanced insights into the material composition and cultural significance of these prehistoric artworks. The findings reveal that hematite is the primary component in red, brown, and purple pigments, while goethite is used for yellow pigments. Additionally, naturally occurring minerals such as quartz and clay minerals are also present in the pigments. The study further investigates the microstratigraphic layers of the rock surfaces, identifying a base of limestone composed of calcite, followed by gypsum layers, anthropogenic pigment layers, and surface crusts predominantly made of gypsum. The research also identifies the potential formation of whewellite on the rock art. XANES analysis sheds light on the oxidation states and chemical speciation of iron minerals, suggesting a complex interplay between iron oxides and/or iron oxy-hydroxides in the pigments. This study also indicates a similar pattern of the pigment utilization across Southeast Asia and affirm the continuity of pigment-use traditions, particularly the use of ferruginous minerals such as hematite and goethite throughout the region. The study enhances our understanding of iron oxide and iron hydroxide variability, providing new insights into prehistoric pigment characterization that have not been previously detailed. However, the source of the pigment materials used by prehistoric artists in the West Papua region remains unclear, highlighting the need for further field studies to pinpoint potential local sources and their relationship with the surrounding landscape. Overall, this research deepens our understanding of hematite and ochre use in prehistoric societies, reflecting their broader cultural and symbolic significance within the context of prehistoric West Papuan communities.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143108635","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}