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A Middle Palaeolithic incised bear bone from the Dziadowa Skała Cave, Poland: the oldest marked object north of the Carpathian Mountains Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-04-17 Tomasz Płonka, Andrzej Wiśniewski, Adrian Marciszak, Grzegorz Ziółkowski, Grzegorz Lipecki, Marcin Diakowski, Kamil Serwatka
A fragment of an ursid radius with seventeen incisions (one of them incomplete) was excavated in the 1950s in the Dziadowa Skała Cave in the Częstochowa Upland in southern Poland from a deposit with faunal remains from the Eemian (ca 130–115 kyr). This object has been cited as the earliest evidence of Neanderthal cognitive abilities in the region, but it has been never studied in detail. The artefact
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The role of environmental factors in the spatiotemporal distribution of millet in Late Neolithic to Bronze Ages sites in the Tibetan plateau and surrounding regions Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-04-16 Bingxin Shao, Francesca Monteith, Ziming You, Zhaorui Miao, Yu Gao, Xiujia Huan, Zhikun Ma
The Tibetan Plateau and surrounding regions played a pivotal role in the spread of foxtail millet () and broomcorn millet () since the late Neolithic period. However, previous research failed to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution and associated environmental factors. Herein, we collected foxtail and broomcorn millet data from 113 Late Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in the Tibetan Plateau region
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Prehistoric ornaments in a changing environment. An integrated approach to the Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Columbella rustica shells from the Vlakno cave, Croatia Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-04-06 Barbara Cvitkušić, Emanuela Cristiani, Andrea Zupancich, Dario Vujević
This paper advances knowledge of human behavioural and adaptational strategies in coastal areas related to acquiring, producing and distributing ornaments, specifically, the omnipresent marine gastropod By applying quantitative and qualitative approaches to the most extensive collection of shells in the Eastern Adriatic region discovered in the Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic levels of Vlakno
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Tracing the biographies of textiles in the transition of medieval to modern times: Wool fabrics and brigandines from an Iberian castle Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-04-04 María Martín Seijo, Joeri Kaal, César Oliveira, Marta Portillo, Eva Panagiotakopulu, Andrés Teira Brión, M. Conceição Oliveira, Santiago Vázquez Collazo
Findings of archaeological textiles and fibres in Northern Iberia are extremely rare. The occurrence of a set of textile fragments, dated between the 14th and 16th centuries CE at the Pambre castle (Palas de Rei, Lugo, Spain) is exceptional. The original stone roof of the southeastern tower was intact. The dark, cold and moist conditions inside the tower favoured the preservation of a unique series
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A computational linguistic methodology for assessing semiotic structure in prehistoric art and the meaning of southern Scandinavian Mesolithic ornamentation Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Lasse Lukas Platz Herskind, Felix Riede
Non-figurative prehistoric art is comparatively common yet challenging to decode and hence to understand. At the heart of the difficulty of assessing the presence of semiotic structure in prehistoric art is a lack of appropriate, replicable, and case-transferable methodologies. We here propose a novel approach derived from computational linguistics, in which k-skip-n-gram (skipgram) models and associated
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Pollen analysis of neolithic adhesives and comparative experimental archaeology: Insights from La Marmotta (Lake Bracciano, Rome) Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-29 Daniele Arobba, Rosanna Caramiello, Lionello F. Morandi, Juan F. Gibaja, Mario Mineo, Niccolò Mazzucco
This article presents a palynological study conducted on adhesive materials obtained from both experimental and archaeological wooden sickles. The archaeological sickles, dating back to the Early Neolithic period, were recovered from the waterlogged site of La Marmotta, located near Lake Bracciano in Rome, Italy. Experimental harvesting was carried out on cereal crops using sickles purposefully made
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Modelling diffusion of innovation curves using radiocarbon data Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-16 E.R. Crema, A. Bloxam, C.J. Stevens, M. Vander Linden
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Revisiting palaeolithic combustion features of Theopetra Cave: A diachronic use of dung and peat as fuel Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-16 Panagiotis Karkanas, Nina Kyparissi-Apostolika
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The geoarchaeology of seismically triggered soft sediment deformation structures (SSDS) Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-14 Amanda M. Gaggioli
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Trade, recycling and mixing in local metal management strategies of the later Bronze Age south Carpathian Basin: Lead isotope and chemical analyses of hoarded metalwork Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-06 Caroline Bruyère, J. Stephen Daly, David van Acken, Dragan Jovanović, Vana Orfanou, Filip Franković, Miloš Spasić, Jovan Koledin, Barry Molloy
Lead Isotope Analysis (LIA) has been applied most often as a means of provenancing copper at the macro scale. Here we use LIA at the regional scale to expose the relationship between long-distance communication and local metal management strategies. We conducted lead isotope and chemical analysis on 82 objects and ingots from Late Bronze Age hoards of the south Carpathian Basin, a node in long distance
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Complicating the debate: Evaluating the potential of gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry for differentiating prehistoric aceramic tar production techniques Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Rivka Chasan, Liliana Iwona Baron, Paul R.B. Kozowyk, Geeske H.J. Langejans
Birch bark tar was used extensively throughout human history. While later ceramic-based production technologies are known, prehistoric aceramic techniques leave little to no archaeological evidence. Experimental tar production attempts to fill this gap and suggest potential techniques. However, their archaeological relevance is unclear. Through an in-depth biomolecular analysis using Gas Chromatography-Mass
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Skeletal manifestations of anemia in the sternum in a modern clinical sample: An initial investigation Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Brianne Morgan, Michelle Zeller, Isabelle Ribot, Megan B. Brickley
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Diet of Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens from macrowear analysis of mandibular molars Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-17 María Hernaiz-García, Gregorio Oxilia, Stefano Benazzi, Rachel Sarig, Jing Fu, Ottmar Kullmer, Luca Fiorenza
Neanderthal diet has been on the spotlight of paleoanthropological research for many years. The majority of studies that tried to reconstruct the diet of Neanderthals were based on the analysis of zooarchaeological remains, stable isotopes, dental calculus and dental microwear patterns. In the past few years, there have been a few studies that linked dental macrowear patterns of Neanderthals and modern
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Multiscale pollen-based reconstructions of anthropogenic land-cover change in Karula Upland, south Estonia Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Vivika Väli, Jüri Vassiljev, Tiiu Alliksaar, Ansis Blaus, Pikne Kama, Kersti Kihno, Maret Põldmaa, Leili Saarse, Pille Tomson, Anneli Poska
Pollen-based quantitative vegetation reconstructions using multiple sedimentary basins from the same area, along with their quantified relevant pollen source areas, are a powerful means to study how long-term human impact has affected vegetation and shaped the currently protected heritage landscapes at different spatial scales. Our study presents the outcome of a palynological investigation in Karula
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Mapping the Iron Age in Southern Africa: Magnetometry at two Iron Age villages in Western Zambia Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-25 Zachary McKeeby
In recent years the use of near-surface geophysical survey – especially magnetometry – has been on the rise across sub-Saharan Africa, illustrating its utility at both large and/or built-up sites with stone architecture, as well as smaller and more ephemeral village sites in equatorial and sub-tropical regions of the continent. This article describes geophysical surveys and excavations at Nanga and
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Soil, fertilizer and plant density: Exploring the influence of environmental factors to stable nitrogen and carbon isotope composition in cereal grain Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-20 Mikael Larsson, Jakob Bergman, Pål Axel Olsson
Stable isotope analysis (N and C) of fossil cereal grains is regularly explored as a means of obtaining insights to past crop growing conditions and agricultural practices. In this study, we assessed how several growth conditions can affect δ15N and δ13C values of modern cereal grain with the aim to help understand isotopic values from ancient cereal remains. We investigated the impact of fertilizer
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A safely green treatment of bio-deteriorated painted archaeological papyri by Wasabi Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-18 Hanadi Saada, Moamen Othman, Nour Attia, Maha Salah, Hanan Mohalhal, Yasunori Matsuda, Mona Khaleil
Wasabi has been displayed substantial fungicidal behavior for the disinfection of bio-deteriorated non-painted archaeological papyri. Therefore, in this study for the first time the interference of Wasabi with different pigments of painted papyrus has been studied. Microbiological, mechanical, physical and chemical evaluations were carried out using various spectroscopic, tensile tester and microscopic
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Archaeological science in Africa: Twenty-one papers for the twenty-first century Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-09 Peter Mitchell, Emma Loftus, Abidemi Babatunde Babalola
Understanding of Africa's long, complex human history has been enriched by the work of archaeological scientists for over a century. Since 1977 over 500 papers on African topics have been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science. This paper briefly reviews the geographical location of the research that they report along with their authorship and thematic content. Significant imbalances highlight
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Integrating spatial analyses and microbotanical remains: A methodological approach for investigating plant processing activities and domestic spaces at Neolithic Çatalhöyük Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-08 Carlos G. Santiago-Marrero, Carla Lancelotti, Marco Madella
In archaeology, the study of past plant processing activities in domestic spaces has hitherto relied greatly on the observed distribution of macrobotanical and artefactual remains. However, the surfaces where such activities took place can themselves preserve microscopic remains, potentially traceable to the activity that originated them. This paper presents new aspects of plant-related tasks, and
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Experiments with replicas of Early Upper Paleolithic edge-ground stone axes and adzes provide criteria for identifying tool functions Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-03 Akira Iwase, Katsuhiro Sano, Junichi Nagasaki, Noriaki Otake, Masahisa Yamada
Systematic tree-felling using a polished stone axe and/or adze developed with sedentary lifeways in Holocene environments. However, securely dated Pleistocene edge-ground stone axes/adzes have now been identified from Marine Isotope Stage 3 sites in two distant regions: Australia and Japan. These early ground tools are indicative of full-blown tree-felling, but whether they indeed functioned as woodworking
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A new algorithm for using Pb isotopes to determine the provenance of bullion in ancient Greek coinage Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-03 Francis Albarede, Gillan Davis, Janne Blichert-Toft, Liesel Gentelli, Haim Gitler, Marine Pinto, Philippe Telouk
A new algorithm is proposed that uses Pb isotopes to help identify the ore deposits utilized as sources of silver in Antiquity. The algorithm takes natural and analytical isotope fractionation into account. It proposes a statistical measure of the distances between the Pb isotope compositions of ores and artifacts. This measure is amenable to statistical tests at any confidence level. The new algorithm
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Identification of age at death in red deer (Cervus elaphus) through the upper dentition: Eruption pattern, wear stage and crown heights Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-30 Juan Marín, Palmira Saladié, Concepción Azorit, Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo
The present research aims to determine the age at which red deer (Cervus elaphus) specimens died by examining their upper dentition. We analyzed eighty free-ranging individuals from southern Spain to establish a reference database for age calculation. The age of these individuals was identified by the mandibular teeth inferred from their known death years and the maxillary teeth were evaluated relative
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Hammerscale and slag inclusions: New insights into metal supply during the early iron Age in Western Europe Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-29 Jean Rodier, Marion Berranger, Vincent Serneels
Understanding the nature and origin of iron processed in ancient smithing workshops is essential for unraveling procurement strategies and, more broadly, the circulation of iron. Studying smithing slags traditionally proves complex due to their diverse compositions influenced by hearth substances. Another technique, analyzing slag inclusions in metallic fragments, offers direct insights into the iron's
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Past rainfall patterns in Southeast Asia revealed by microanalysis of δ18O values in human teeth Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-28 Petra Vaiglova, Janaína N. Ávila, Hallie Buckley, Jean Christophe Galipaud, Daniel R. Green, Siân Halcrow, Hannah F. James, Rebecca Kinaston, Marc Oxenham, Victor Paz, Truman Simanjuntak, Christophe Snoeck, Hiep Hoang Trinh, Ian S. Williams, Tanya M. Smith
Variations in human subsistence and settlement patterns have been documented at Holocene archaeological sites across Island and Mainland Southeast Asia. Although climate is frequently invoked as a causal mechanism underlying this variation, direct evidence of ancient rainfall variability on the scale of human lifetimes has thus far been elusive. Here we use a novel time-resolute method for in situ
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New methods for old challenges: A sampling protocol for sequential stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) of dentine collagen in high-crowned teeth Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-27 Celia Díez-Canseco, Carlos Tornero
Intra-tooth or sequential stable isotope analyses are nowadays widely implemented in zooarchaeological research. Sequential isotopic analyses have been mainly restricted to the mineral fraction of the enamel, while a wider implementation in dentine collagen has been generally eluded, despite conforming an essential organic compound for paleodietary studies. In high-crowned teeth, dentine grows oblique
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Bullion mixtures in silver coinage from ancient Greece and Egypt Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-23 Francis Albarede, Gillan Davis, Liesel Gentelli, Janne Blichert-Toft, Haim Gitler, Marine Pinto, Philippe Telouk
Was silver coinage minted from fresh metal newly extracted from the mine or was it from recycled silver deriving from older coins, silverware, or cult objects? The answer helps understand the provenance of coins and their circulation. Using Pb isotopes, the present work proposes a method to disentangle the sources of 368 silver-alloy coins from Athens, Corinth, Aegina, Thasos, Thrace, Macedonia, and
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The first identification of composite paints with proteinaceous binder in Upper Palaeolithic (31–23 ka) organic decorations Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-23 Liubov Golovanova, Julia Kostina, Vladimir Doronichev
Research of coloring pigments and binding compounds from the Upper Palaeolithic (UP), including on portable art objects such as personal ornaments, provides new insights into social and cultural aspects of human history. However, we lack a comprehensive study of the composite pigment mixtures and binding materials that were produced intentionally and used for coloration. The study of several personal
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Identification of archaeological barley grains using geometric morphometrics and experimental charring Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-23 Angèle Jeanty, Jérôme Ros, Cyprien Mureau, Camille Dham, Célia Lecomte, Vincent Bonhomme, Sarah Ivorra, Isabel Figueiral, Laurent Bouby, Allowen Evin
Barley is one of the main cereals found in archaeological sites in the north-western Mediterranean basin, over the last 8 millennia. Grains are preserved in archaeological sediments by charring after or before dehusking. Morphological criteria for distinguishing 2-row from 6-row barley, but also hulled barley from naked barley, can be affected by charring and this can complicate identification of barley
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Preservation of bone organic fraction is not predictive of the preservation of bone inorganic fraction when assessing stable isotope analysis sample quality control measures Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-22 Melanie M. Beasley, Margaret J. Schoeninger, Randy Miller, Eric J. Bartelink
Stable isotope analysis of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) of archaeological bone has become an increasingly common research method for interpreting human behavior in the past. However, diagenesis of skeletal material can invalidate stable isotope ratios, thereby compromising interpretations. We examine patterns of bone diagenesis using infrared spectroscopy of bone bioapatite
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Identifying accurate artefact morphological ranges using optimal linear estimation: Method validation, case studies, and code Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-22 Alastair Key, Metin I. Eren, Michelle R. Bebber, Briggs Buchanan, Alfredo Cortell-Nicolau, Carmen Martín-Ramos, Paloma de la Peña, Cameron A. Petrie, Tomos Proffitt, John Robb, Konstantina-Eleni Michelaki, Ivan Jarić
A fundamental goal of archaeologists is to infer the behaviour of past humans from the attributes of the artefacts they left behind. The archaeological record is, however, fragmented and often provides a partial record of the total artefacts produced by a given population. In turn, there is potential for population-level morphometric data, and therefore behavioural inferences, to be biased relative
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Unravelling ancient drilling techniques: A case of pottery repair in the Early European Neolithic Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-20 Bruno Vindrola-Padrós, Vladimir Vilde
Abstract not available
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Tin isotopes reveal changing patterns of tin trade, connectivity and consumption from Anatolia and Central Asia at Kültepe Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-20 W. Powell, K.A. Yener, G. Barjamovic, F. Kulakoğlu, E. Yazgan, R. Mathur
Until recently, what was known about the trade of tin in the ancient Near East was based in large part on information derived from the extensive commercial archives found at the archaeological site of Kültepe (ancient Kaneš) in Turkey dating to the Middle Bronze Age (MBA) c. 1900-1750 BC. These archives were produced by an expatriate community of traders native to the city of Assur in modern-day Iraq
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aDNA, ethnography, and facial approximations of the Teouma Lapita burials (c. 3000BP) Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-15 Susan Hayes, Hallie R. Buckley, Frédérique Valentin, Stuart Bedford, Matthew Spriggs
Although ancient DNA (aDNA) cannot predict the facial appearance of skeletal human remains, knowing which extant populations are most closely related to the deceased has proven to be invaluable in rectifying two early facial approximations (popularly known as facial reconstruction) undertaken 15 years ago. These concerned two of the crania excavated from the Lapita burial site at Teouma on the island
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Can we read stones? Quantifying the information loss in flintknapping Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-07 Małgorzata Kot, Jerzy Tyszkiewicz, Natalia Gryczewska
One of the methods of analysing the manufacturing process of lithic tools is by “reading” the scars of removals visible on the surface of cores or bifaces. The paper aims to review the limitations of this approach, by answering the question as to how much information from the original knapping process is still preserved in the cores and bifaces. To quantify the information loss we used experimentally
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High performance mass spectrometry reveals possible kerogen substructures in persistent ancient human brain Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-03 Emma J. Thimbleby, Ed Bergström, Jane Thomas-Oates, Sonia O'Connor
The recovery of visually recognizable brain masses from skeletonized human burials is rare; the discovery of an exceptionally well-preserved 2500-year-old brain during excavations at Heslington, Yorkshire, UK, therefore attracted international publicity. Analysis of a lipidic extract of that brain material showed the presence of high molecular weight organic components. To determine whether the presence
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Copper-alloy belt fittings and elite networking in Early Medieval Central Europe Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Jiří Macháček, Stefan Eichert, Vojtěch Nosek, Ernst Pernicka
This paper attempts to change the traditional view of the Late Avar belt fittings, which in the 8th century AD delineated an extremely dense communication network within the Carpathian Basin and beyond, by using a groundbreaking combination of iconography, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), lead isotope analysis, digital morphometry and 3D comparative
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Using ZooMS to assess archaeozoological insights and unravel human subsistence behaviour at La Viña rock shelter (northern Iberia) Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-30 Leire Torres-Iglesias, Ana B. Marín-Arroyo, Frido Welker, Marco de la Rasilla
The highly fragmented nature of Palaeolithic faunal assemblages is a regular limitation in archaeozoological analyses as it prevents a precise taxonomic identification following comparative anatomy criteria. In this paper, we integrate Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) analysis of unidentifiable bone fragments within archaeozoological and taphonomic data to overcome this limitation and disentangle
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The mosaic tesserae in the industrial Byzantine wine press, Yavne, Israel: A natural unusually hard chalk or a chemically transformed chalk? Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-30 Steve Weiner, Jon Seligman, Liat Nadav-Ziv, Elie Haddad, Yotam Asscher, Maria Ovechkina, Lior Regev, Eugenia Mintz, Elisabetta Boaretto
Many of the surfaces of a large industrial scale wine press from the Byzantine period in Yavne, Israel, are covered in mosaic tesserae. These surfaces are part of the grape presses, storage pools, fermentation pools and also the walkways between these structures. The calcitic tesserae resemble limestone in color, texture and fracture properties. We were therefore surprised to discover that they are
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An FTIR-based model for the diagenetic alteration of archaeological bones Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-27 Cinzia Scaggion, Gregorio Dal Sasso, Luca Nodari, Luca Pagani, Nicola Carrara, Alessandro Zotti, Tommaso Banzato, Donatella Usai, Leonardo Pasqualetto, Giulia Gadioli, Gilberto Artioli
Bones and teeth from archaeological records are direct evidence of past individuals and they represent valuable archives for palaeo-anthropological and palaeoenvironmental studies. However, pristine information may be obliterated by the diagenetic alteration of bone specimens. Thus, defining in detail their preservation state is fundamental to assess the potential of extracting information about the
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The influence of taphonomy on histological and isotopic analyses of treated and untreated buried modern human bone Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-24 Rebecca A.G. Reid, Miranda M.E. Jans, Lesley A. Chesson, Rebecca J. Taylor, Gregory E. Berg
The chemical (e.g., preservation/embalming) treatment of skeletal remains can reduce overall DNA quality and quantity. The histological and stable isotope examination of treated and untreated human remains improves our understanding of how chemical preservatives impact bone diagenesis and will determine if chemical treatment adversely affects stable isotope ratio analysis of collagen. Fidelity in the
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Digital formation processes: A high-frequency, large-scale investigation Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-24 Jon Clindaniel, Matthew Magnani
Large sources of digital trace data (i.e. “Big Data”) have become increasingly important in the study of material culture. However, akin to the offline material culture traditionally studied by archaeologists, digital trace data is rarely a passive reflection of human behavior – it is a complex palimpsest produced through a variety of erasure and accretion formation processes. To better understand
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A novel approach to documenting water diffusion in ancient obsidian artifacts via the complexity analysis of microscope images Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-24 Liritzis Ioannis, Andronache Ion, Stevenson Christopher
The diffusion of water through the surface of archaeological obsidian is mainly a temperature-dependent and concentration driven phenomenon that forms the basis of the hydration dating (OHD) method. For the first time, we apply a novel fractal approach, which explores the various attributes of images linked to the variation in water concentration and structural deficiencies within the hydrated layer
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Multi-purpose pots: Reconstructing early farmer behaviour at Lydenburg Heads site, South Africa, using organic residue analysis Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-24 Julia Becher, Alex Schoeman, Gavin Whitelaw, Stephen Buckley, Jean-Pierre Celliers, Sara Cafisso, Matthias Belser, Maxime Rageot, Cynthianne Spiteri
About 2000 years ago, Bantu-speaking people introduced an agro-pastoral lifeway into southern Africa and lived in northern and eastern lowland parts of the region by 700 CE. Also defined as the ‘southern African Iron Age’, pottery is the most common and diagnostic artefact category. The soil chemistry of several farming sites resulted in poor faunal preservation and especially within Mpumalanga Province
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Searching for traces of human activity in earthen floor sequences: high-resolution geoarchaeological analyses at an Early Iron Age village in Central Iberia Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Laura Tomé, Eneko Iriarte, Antonio Blanco-González, Margarita Jambrina-Enríquez, Natalia Égüez, Antonio V. Herrera-Herrera, Carolina Mallol
The Northern Iberian Plateau during the Early Iron Age witnessed the proliferation of villages, showcasing well-preserved earthen architectural remains that offer valuable insights into past daily life practices. However, the application of high-resolution geoarchaeological approaches to these contexts has been largely overlooked, despite their significance in assessing complex sedimentary sequences
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Fuelling the Roman salt industry. Developing a new multiproxy approach to identify peat fuel from archaeological combustion residue Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-18 Michiel Dekoninck, Koen Deforce, Joeri Kaal, Welmoed A. Out, Vince Van Thienen, Florian Buyse, Lucy Kubiak-Martens, Pieter Tack, Laszlo Vincze, Sylvia Lycke, Wim De Clercq
In Europe, especially the Low Countries, peat was intensively used as a fuel source. Yet, the identification of peat as a fuel source from archaeological combustion residues is challenging. Nevertheless, detecting peat fuel in archaeological contexts would significantly contribute to broader socio-economic questions, such as fuel and landscape management strategies. To achieve this goal, this study
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Unravelling technological behaviors through core reduction intensity. The case of the early Protoaurignacian assemblage from Fumane Cave Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-10 Diego Lombao, Armando Falcucci, Elena Moos, Marco Peresani
This paper investigates core reduction intensity in the early Protoaurignacian lithic assemblage from Fumane Cave in northeastern Italy. Reduction intensity serves as a key tool to characterize blank selection strategies, raw material management, and the variability of knapping strategies throughout the reduction sequence by reconstructing the operatory field of core assemblages. Finally, it also aids
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The West Tofts handaxe: A remarkably average, structurally flawed, utilitarian biface Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-31 Emily Flanders, Alastair Key
The West Tofts handaxe is a small British Acheulean biface well known for its cortical preservation of a fossilised bivalve shell. The shell's retention, its prominent central placement, and perceptions of the tool's broader aesthetic-value have resulted in it being described as an example of early hominin aesthetic intent. When combined with its mid-to-late Pleistocene age, the handaxe plausibly has
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Visions of light: New reconstruction techniques of photometric data and visual perception inside Etruscan painted tombs Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-27 Jacqueline K. Ortoleva
This study utilises reconstruction technologies together with material and experimental photometric data to investigate how light intersects with perceptual processes inside subterranean painted tombs in Tarquinia, Italy. A fifth century BCE tomb, the Tomba dei Demoni Azzurri located in the Necropoli dei Monterozzi in Tarquinia, Italy is used to illustrate the usefulness of the methodology. Patterns
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Prey body size generates bias for human and avian agents: Cautions for interpreting small game assemblages Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-25 Elizabeth Grace Veatch, I Made Agus Julianto, , Thomas Sutikna, Matthew W. Tocheri
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Rapid increase in production of symbolic artifacts after 45,000 years ago is not a consequence of taphonomic bias Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-23 Robert L. Kelly, Madeline E. Mackie, Andrew W. Kandel
Researchers have long been aware of an apparently rapid increase ∼40–45,000 BP in the frequency of “symbolic” artifacts in the Old World paleolithic record. However, some hypothesize that if not for taphonomic loss the data would instead show a gradual increase in such artifacts’ frequency during the Middle Stone Age/Middle Paleolithic. We test this hypothesis by correcting the record for taphonomic
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Palaeogeographic reconstruction of the Main Harbour of the ancient city of Delos (Greece) Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-20 S. Desruelles, A. Chabrol, C. Hasenohr, K. Pavlopoulos, G. Apostolopoulos, V. Kapsimalis, M. Triantaphyllou, O. Koukousioura, V. Mathe, R. Chapoulie, E. Fouache
Delos Island, located in the Aegean region, became a major religious, cultural, and commercial hub during the Hellenistic period (323-30 BCE). From the 3rd century onwards, the island underwent significant growth, driven by the efforts of the independent city of Delos. This growth further intensified when Rome designated Delos as a free port and transferred its control to Athens in 167 BCE. The island's
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Neolithic long barrows were built on the margins of settlement zones as revealed by elemental soil analysis at four sites in the Czech Republic Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-21 Petr Krištuf, Martin Petr Janovský, Jan Turek, Jan Horák, Laszlo Ferenczi, Michal Hejcman
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Plant resource diversity in the ethnobotanical record of precolonial Puerto Rico: Evidence from microbotanical remains Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-20 Peter E. Siegel, Deborah M. Pearsall
We present new starch grain and phytolith data from two sites in Puerto Rico: Maisabel and HU-7. Our findings reveal a strong emphasis on the use of maize, followed by chile pepper and arrowroot in Early and Late Ceramic Age deposits. Manioc was rare, with nearly all manioc residues coming from Early Ceramic Age artifacts in the Maisabel site. Integrating both starches and phytoliths provides a more
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Between grooves and pits: Trephic modifications resulting from air-scribe cleaning of archaeological bone Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-17 Noé Valtierra, Miguel A. Moreno-Ibáñez, Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo, Andrea Díaz-Cortés, Lucía López-Polín
The taphonomic analysis of surface modifications on bones is crucial for reconstructing the past, but it can be influenced by various trephic processes, including cleaning interventions. Mechanical cleaning is one of the most common types, and automatic tools are often used for highly concreted materials. In this study, the modifications resulting from the cleaning of concreted archaeological bone
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Revealing the face of Ramesses II through computed tomography, digital 3D facial reconstruction and computer-generated Imagery Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-17 Caroline M. Wilkinson, Sahar N. Saleem, Ching Yiu Jessica Liu, Mark Roughley
King Ramesses II (c. 1279 BCE – 1213 BCE), also known as Ramesses the Great, was the third ruler of the 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt. He lived to around 90 years of age and is considered as one of the most powerful rulers of ancient Egypt. From scientific analysis of the mummified remains of the pharaoh using Computed Tomography (CT) scan data and scrutiny of available historical
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Micro-computed tomography imaging and segmentation of the archaeological textiles from Valmarinniemi Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-12 Ville-Pauli Karjalainen, Mikko A.J. Finnilä, Phil L. Salmon, Sanna Lipkin
Objective Archaeological textiles represent a variety of structures and materials, often subject to post-depositional effects such as dirt and decay. In this study, we examined textiles in 3D with high-resolution micro-computed tomography (μCT) imaging and studied the internal structures and patterns of textiles. In addition, nanoscale CT was used to identify fibre material. Design Two tablet-woven
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Forensic toxicological analyses reveal the use of cannabis in Milano (Italy) in the 1600's Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-11 Gaia Giordano, Mirko Mattia, Michele Boracchi, Lucie Biehler‐Gomez, Marco Cummaudo, Alessandro Porro, Marco Caccianiga, Francesco Sardanelli, Fabrizio Slavazzi, Paolo Maria Galimberti, Domenico Di Candia, Cristina Cattaneo
In this paper, we reported the results obtained from toxicological investigations on bone samples collected from human remains of the 17th century in Milano (Italy). The aim of this study was to search for analytical signs of the administration of medical or recreative plants in the population of Milano during the 17th century. Nine femoral bone samples were extracted via Solid-Phase Extraction and
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Earliest Neolithic occupation and maritime adaptation on the West Pacific coast Journal of Archaeological Science (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-10 Keyang He, Guoping Sun, Yonglei Wang, Yunfei Zheng, Jianping Zhang, Xiaoshan Yu, Caiming Shen, Houyuan Lu
Maritime adaptation plays a significant role in the dispersal of modern humans and the transition of subsistence strategies. The real timing of the worldwide intensification of maritime adaptation has been debated mainly because of the presumed inundation of archaeological sites (prior to 7000 cal yr BP) by early Holocene sea-level rise. In this study, we present a coastal shell midden submerged ∼8 m