This paper presents the analytical results of polychrome and monochrome lead-glazed ceramic classified as Sancai that was excavated from the Bohai sites of Kraskino and Gorbatka walled towns, and the Chernyatino-2 settlement (Bohai layer) (Primorye, Russia). Thirty ceramic fragments were analyzed using non-destructive X-ray fluorescence analysis (pXRF), optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy

Significant declines in longleaf pine ecosystems during the last 150 years have motivated research and conservation programs focused on their restoration to perceived historical reference conditions. However, the ecological impacts of the historical naval stores industry on forest structure, fire regimes, and fuel conditions are not currently considered in reference conditions constructed from 18th

Traditionally, in archaeological and anthropological literature, the environment of the Andean valleys of northwest Argentina has been considered a mainly arable agricultural region, in contrast to the environment of Puna where the traditional way of life was generally associated with pastoral activities and seasonal mobility. However, new evidence suggests greater importance for animal grazing and

The occupation layer of most medieval settlements in the central part of European Russia, Cis-Urals and Trans-Urals, has been destroyed by long-term ploughing. Under such conditions, it is difficult to determine the particularities of the use of various parts of settlements by the ancient population, as well as restore the process of construction and destruction of individual buildings and defensive

Sex estimation of human skeletons may present difficulties, especially in relation to their state of preservation or to weak sexual dimorphism. This leads to reliance on gendered grave goods, giving rise to potential issues related to the social role and condition of the individual and the relationship with the community. We aimed at examining skeletal remains from two VII century CE necropolises (Vicenne

Sex identification from fragmentary archeozoological assemblages is particularly challenging in the Equid family, including for horses, donkeys and their hybrids. This limitation has precluded in-depth investigations of sex-ratio variation in various temporal, geographic and social contexts. Recently, shallow DNA sequencing has offered an economical solution to equine sex determination, even in environments

Combining strontium and oxygen isotope analyses has proved useful in determining animal procurement sources in archaeological case studies. In this paper, we analysed 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O of 55 rodents from archaeological contexts and 94 plants of the Mesa Verde and McElmo Dome regions (US Southwest) to estimate their regional isotopic signatures. We asked to what extent the new isotopic data would allow

This study examines the quarry origin of seven statues displayed in the archaeological museum of Gadara (Umm Qeis), Jordan. The statues were excavated in Gadara in past decades and have been dated to the Roman period between the first and third centuries (or later). They represent the most important Gods and the masterpieces of the city, including an enthroned Zeus, an enthroned Tyche, a Maenad with

Pre-colonial Caribbean jade objects from the National Museum of Denmark Hatt Collection were subjected to a provenance and microwear analysis. Thirty-nine jade celts and bodily ornaments from the US Virgin Islands, i.e., St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and five celts from the West Indies of unknown location, St. Vincent, Cuba and the Dominican Republic were analysed. A comprehensive in-depth examination

The ceramic variability of fine ware pottery in Early and Middle Bronze Age Carpathian Basin (2600/2500–1500/1450 BCE) has been used as an argument for the existence of distinct, large-scale communities. The recent technological studies of coarse ware ceramics have shown that different stylistic groups are characterized by uniform technological traits, suggesting that current narratives result from

Cattle are widely recognised as having important economic, social, symbolic and religious roles in Neolithic communities. This high status appears strongly linked with feasting and commensality, events during which a great number of cattle are slaughtered and their carcasses purposefully deposited. This paper presents details of an unusually large assemblage of cattle remains recovered from the ditches

The importance of cacao in ancient Mesoamerica is attested by the presence of cacao biomarkers in ritual pottery. By at least the Postclassic period, if not earlier, cacao beans are thought to have been a prominent mode of currency in the central Yucatan. During the colonial period the Maya of Yucatan were tending sacred groves of cacao trees in the shaded, humid microclimates of karst sinkholes that

The use of drones for archaeological research has been increasing rapidly in recent years, as can be seen in the large number of studies mentioning their use. Nonetheless, few of these studies focus on the identification of archaeological marks, and even fewer are based on multispectral imaging. This study demonstrates how drone multispectral remote sensing combined with an agronomic approach can guarantee

Inductive locational models have been used for decades to map the probability of past settlements and identify the preferred environmental conditions for habitation. In this study we apply inductive modelling to compare the spatial structure of the settlement systems of hunter-fisher-gatherer groups (Narva and Combed Ware Culture) and early agrarian communities (Corded Ware Culture) in Stone Age Estonia

This paper presents a chemical characterization by means of WDXRF and mineralogical characterization by means of XRD of 21 individuals of black gloss pottery from the excavations on the acropolis of Populonia. The results shed new light on the circulation of pottery to this major urban centre in North Etruria during the Roman Republican period, while they also suggest the likelihood of local manufacture

Inspired by concepts of monumentality and materiality, this article discusses the results of the first microstratigraphic study conducted on the monumental buildings of the pre- and early historic site of Arslantepe (Malatya, Turkey). The earthen surfaces (floors and fixtures) of three monumental buildings—two belonging to the 4th and one to the 1st millennium BCE—were analysed by means of micromorphology

The site of Ekain Cave presents a large archaeological sequence encompassing all the Upper Palaeolithic periods. Here we present results of a technological analysis conducted on the bone and antler industry from the Magdalenian (Lower, Middle and Upper) levels. The industry reflects the pattern seen at other Magdalenian sites in north Spain and the Pyrenees, such as the choice of bone for domestic

The Hallstatt hoard from Kralice na Hané, containing eight bronze vessels, iron hanger for cauldrons and two iron heads of supporting rods used in fire pits, represents a unique evidence of deposition of luxury items from the period of 625–500 BCE (Ha D1–D2) in the Czech Republic. The hanging assembly for cauldrons and the supporting heads do not have any known analogies in the Hallstatt Period and

Coastal adaptations have been considered to play an important role in the bio-cultural evolution of early Homo sapiens and their dispersal out of Africa. In line with this assessment, recent years have seen increasing evidence for the exploitation of seafood from the Middle Stone Age (MSA) of northern and southern Africa. Yet, chronological control constitutes a key problem for better understanding

The Last Glacial Maximum (MIS 2) was a period of rapid and extreme environmental change, prompting remarkable human adaptive responses across the world. While large parts of the temperate zone were uninhabitable during this interval, other areas served as refugia for plant, animal and human populations. The Balkans region is identified as a biotic refugium zone for many species during high glacial

The Iberian Peninsula was at the forefront of the religious, economic, and political changes that swept across Europe during the Medieval Period, including the expansion of Christianity following the disintegration of the Umayyad Caliphate. Between the 9th and the 13th centuries CE, northern Iberia, in particular, witnessed a marked demographic and economic expansion that accompanied the emergence

Four lead ingots were found as part of a shipwreck cargo in the southern anchorage of Caesarea in Israel. Analysis of the lead and a study of the markings incised on three of them are presented here for the first time. Four Cypro-Minoan signs are identified and paralleled with signs found on Late Cypriot artefacts. Lead isotope analysis indicates that the lead originated in Sardinia. Such an origin

This paper presents the results of an archaeometric analysis of pre-Roman and Roman ceramics from the Vaccean Iron Age hillfort of Pintia (Valladolid, Spain). The study assesses degrees of romanization and hybridization by investigating changes in local ceramic production and the dissemination of new technologies with the arrival of Roman rule. Thin-section petrography, XRD, and geochemical analyses

This study explores the use of dog bone as a substitute for human bone when investigating past diet using 13C/12C and 15N/14N in collagen and 13C/12C in apatite, for ancestral Huron-Wendat communities in southern Ontario (1300–1650 CE). Canid bones from five Huron-Wendat sites in southern Ontario were analyzed and compared to faunal isotope values from these and other geographically proximate sites

A recent petrographic study of ceramic jars from Giza imported into Egypt during the 4th Dynasty of the Pyramid Age (c. 2613–2494 BCE) identified the original production zone as the Lebanese coast generally between Beirut and Tripoli, including the region of Byblos. The jars and their contents were imported to Egypt by maritime trade expeditions conducted at the behest of the Egyptian state. This study

The existence of Mesolithic agriculture is a subject of debate in the archaeobotanist community. So far, reliable and AMS-dated on-site evidence of cereal macro remains are lacking to support the hypothesis. Archaeobotanical analysis of two rock shelters with Mesolithic occupation layers in NE-France and SW-Switzerland, namely Lutter, Abri St. Joseph (FR) and Arconciel, La Souche (CH), revealed the

Applications of energy dispersive portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF; Olympus Vanta M Series VMR) for the chemical analysis of ceramic fabrics are gaining importance for archaeology. In addition to the broad accessibility of the instruments and their ability to gain first-look chemical data without destroying archaeological samples, the ability to bring the instrument to the field may be the only option

Bozburun Peninsula, at the easternmost intersection of the Aegean and the Mediterranean Seas, yielded evidence from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Neolithic/Chalcolithic periods as a result of recent archaeological surveys. A significant number of the chipped stone artefacts discovered here are of obsidian, a raw material not native to the peninsula and one that ultimately must have been brought in

This paper investigates the culture of pork consumption in Sicily by examining a number of archaeological faunal assemblages dated to chronological phases spanning from the Byzantine to the Norman/Aragonese period (7th-14th c. AD). Zooarchaeological analyses reveal substantial diachronic changes in the use of the main domesticates, particularly concerning pig frequencies. In the Islamic period (9th-11th

The wooden assemblage recovered from Hoyo de los Herreros cave (Reocín, Cantabria, Spain) in northern Iberia has provided an exceptional opportunity to enlarge our knowledge about perishable material culture from a unique medieval context. This case study enhances the information related to ephemeral material culture associated with the occupation of caves during the Middle Ages in northern Iberia

The present paper aims to offer an evaluation of the cluster method analysis to settlement distribution of archaeological sites (k-means, DBSCAN, percolation analysis) and to show the potentiality of such methods on a regional scale. We analyse the distribution of Palaeolithic sites in Galician territory (NW Iberia) in order to identify the clustering areas and verify if these areas correspond with

In arid and semi-arid regions, systems of water management and irrigation are crucial for successful crop production, and therefore provide valuable information regarding human behavior and the environmental constraints under which they operated. Unfortunately, structural evidence of irrigation can be difficult to locate, prompting various studies to evaluate the utility of phytolith analysis as a

Romilio (2021) used a taxonomic scoring system to compare differences between three species of geese (Anseriformes) depicted in the Chapel of Itet, one of which he speculated might represent an undescribed (presumably now extinct) species. Despite some apparently distinctive features, the depiction has traditionally been associated with the well-known modern species, red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis)

Uncertain chronologies of archaeological sites outside the geographic area of secure tree-ring dating in the Southwestern U.S. has hindered wider knowledge about climate challenges and migration in the past. Montezuma Castle cliff dwelling in central Arizona is believed to have been founded by migrants sometime between CE 1100–1300, but comparison with dated events at annual to decadal resolution has

Late Neolithic living floors in the southern Paris Basin are still not completely understood. In settlement contexts, the architecture and the organisation of activity areas are quite difficult to characterize and reconstruct. Only a few house plans are known. However, many thinly stratified sites with artefact spreads could represent preserved living floors. The aim of this paper is to investigate

The aim of this research is to investigate the influence of NaCl on the colours and chemical composition of Ca-rich ceramic bodies. The addition of salt to ceramics is a practice that has been observed in several potter communities where the addition of salt is explicitly intended to whiten ceramics. In order to conduct this research and characterize the physico-chemical properties induced by the presence

The Colline novaresi area is located in the north-eastern part of Piedmont. The hills are formed by moraine deposits and fluvio-glacial lithologies originating from Quaternary glacial events, which in turn were affected by a process of fluvial terraces. This area has been known for decades for the presence of archaeological sites, among which the most studied belong to a time span ranging from the

The Late Intermediate Period (LIP, c. 1000–1450 CE) was a time of cultural change in the Peruvian highlands. During this time, interpersonal violence increased, and settlements were placed in defensive locations at high elevations. High altitude settlement was also a proxy for agropastoral economies. Coinciding with these cultural and economic transformations were shifts in mortuary practices in which

Well-dated and preserved medieval bombards are rare and, most of the time, only exist in single exemplar. They are nevertheless exceptional testimonies of the medieval metallurgical skills. The musée de l’Armée (Paris), owns six impressive powder chambers, found in the same place (Meaux, France) and dated from the same period (15th c.). For the first time, this unique set has been studied by classical

Intentional cranial modification (ICM) was a cultural practice followed by many ancient groups across the world with considerable geographic and temporal variability. Since the pioneering descriptions of the ICM in the Paracas Peninsula skulls (South-Central Coast of Peru), studies have suggested the association between the type of ICM and sex. Thus, the current study explores whether the types of

Linear Enamel Hypoplasia (LEH) provides insight of the stresses undergone by ancient communities from a bioarchaeological perspective. This is a first study aiming to determine stress factors causing LEH formation on the teeth of skeletons from two Anatolian rural communities during the Eastern Late Roman era (10th–11th centuries AD). These communities had quite high social complexities and population

Ancient Gerasa (its Greco-Roman name)/Islamic Jerash (its later Arab name) is one of the most well-known pre-modern urban sites in northern Jordan, which flourished throughout antiquity and into the early Islamic period. Direct dating of mortar and plaster in Jerash is challenging due to the area’s abundance of geological carbonates that hamper the use of radiocarbon mortar methodologies as shown by

The copper ingots from the underwater site off Rochelongue, near Cap d’Agde, on the coast of West Languedoc, offer an exciting means to investigate coastal mobility and cultural interaction between southern France and the broader western Mediterranean basin in the Early Iron Age. This paper presents the results of elemental and lead isotope analyses of a selection of copper ingots from the Rochelongue

In recent years, extensive archaeological studies have provided us with new knowledge on wool and woollen textile production at the Terramare site of Montale, in the Po plain, northern Italy. The large number of textile tools, and of zooarchaeological evidence suggesting intense sheepherding, hints at Montale being a specialized centre of wool production during the local Middle and Recent Bronze Age

Archeoparasitological studies of the territory of northeastern Siberia are very rare. Stadukhinsky (Nizhnekolymsky) Fort ranks high in the history of the development of northeastern Siberia. We report data on the incidence and range of intestinal parasites discovered in samples taken from the occupation layer of Stadukhinsky Fort and human and animal coprolites dated to the 17th-18th centuries. Three

Cuchipuy is an archaeological site within the ancient Laguna de Tagua Tagua area (O’Higgins Region, central Chile; known for containing the remains of extinct fauna), with evidence for cultural activity spanning most of the Holocene, including over 50 human burials. The bulk of chronometric work at Cuchipuy was carried out in the 1980s, where a discrepancy within the radiocarbon dating results raised

Many one-hole stone anchors have been found around the eastern Mediterranean, in Kaş (Uluburun, Gelidonia), Antalya, Ugarit, Byblos, Kition, the Carmel coast, Caesarea, Ashkelon, Alexandria, etc. They are of varying sizes, weighing from a few to hundreds of kilograms. Apart from the single hole, they have another common attribute – they all fell within a certain range of geometrical proportions, one

Earth has been a very common building material through History and since prehistoric times. Therefore, earth construction remains are frequently found in archaeological contexts, although they are rarely considered as valuable sources of information. This sort of materiality encloses crucial information, not only related to the mud material itself. Samples of architectural mud recovered from three

Olive (Olea europaea) trees in the arid Negev Desert of southern Israel are important relicts on the ancient agricultural landscape. Among them are a cluster of several trees located in Wadi Zetan, at the heart of the Shivta horticulture terroir, with its abundant agricultural runoff remains. Two isolated olive bearing trees stand in a sheltered beneath cliff in the upper part of the wadi. Radiocarbon

With this study we provide the compositional characterization of archaeological ceramics from the earliest phases of the indigenous sanctuary located on top of Polizzello Mountain, in Central Sicily (Italy). The site represents a remarkable evidence of the Late Bronze Age (LBA) - Early Iron Age (EIA) transition on the island, and it is characterized by the striking occurrence of material offerings

Although there has been extensive experimental research on the thermal modification of bone, the results have rarely been applied to complex legacy funerary assemblages. The human skeletal remains from an Early Bronze Age IA tomb at Jericho were analysed to assess the utility of macroscopic taphonomic approaches both to interpreting intentionality in complex funerary practices involving the burning

Two-dimensional measurements of skeletal elements are important zooarchaeological tools that not only provide crucial information about the sex and age of an animal, but on past environmental conditions and human-animal interactions as well. The causes of animal body size variation are many and thus problems of equifinality make it difficult to interpret archaeological measurement data. Here, we explore

The use of bipolar (on anvil) methods for resource exploitation has been identified in the archaeological record from the late Pliocene through to the Holocene. During all phases of human evolution, bipolar knapping and wedging were applied by different hominin species in a wide range of ecological settings. Studies on lithic bipolar methods have mainly focused on understanding the functional aspects

This paper discusses a quantitative methodology based on the summed probability of radiocarbon dates to reveal complexities and asymmetries in the adoption of technological innovations. By focusing on the spread of the potter’s wheel in the Iberian Peninsula during the first millennium BCE, we examine regional variation in the uptake and prevalence of potter’s wheel-use and explore long-term dynamics

Ceramic building materials (CBM) are interesting archaeological items for gathering the material culture identity and urban setting of the ancient populations since their production is generally related to the local availability of clayey raw materials and advancements of technological skills of ancient makers. This paper investigates the Hellenistic and Roman productions of ceramic building materials

Hundreds of ‘cart ruts’ – pairs of incised parallel grooves in the bedrock – are found across the Maltese Archipelago in the central Mediterranean. The age, functional association, formation processes, and taphonomic alteration of these ruts, which occur here with a globally unrivalled frequency, has been much debated. Generally seen as being created by erosion from vehicles such as wheeled carts,