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Apollo and Maria: Two 17th-Century Warships Found at Vaxholm, Sweden Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Patrik Höglund, Jim Hansson
In October 2019, the wrecks of two warships were found in the inlet to Stockholm. According to historical sources, Vasa’s three so-called sister ships might have been sunk in the area to block off a strait. These large ships were launched in the years 1629–1634 and built by the same master shipbuilder who participated in the construction of Vasa. However, after further archaeological investigations
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Creating Order or Revealing Disorder? Some Preliminary Results Using Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) in Studying Archaeological Boat Finds from Norway (AD 1050–1700) Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Tori Falck, Nevio Dubbini
This article discusses the use of statistical methods for systematising 96 archaeological ship finds, mainly from the southern and south-eastern coast of Norway. It draws on an article published in 2009 by Jan Bill, where he did a similar investigation of material from the Danish area. The method of multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) provides a way to summarise categorical data in a reduced number
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In-situ Artefact Documentation of Underwater Cultural Heritage Using Third-Party Data Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Mikkel H. Thomsen, Matko Čvrljak
Large underwater construction projects generate hundreds of potential cultural heritage objects requiring archaeological assessment and – potentially – mitigation. Some can easily be avoided in planning, whereas others cannot. Singular objects tend to present a dilemma in heritage management: their archaeological significance tends to lie in their association to an – at the time of finding – unknown
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Interim Report on Gribshunden (1495) Excavations: 2019–2021 Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Brendan Foley
We present an interim archaeological report on the shipwreck of the Danish-Norwegian flagship Gribshunden. Built in 1485, extensively employed by King Hans as his floating castle, and ultimately lost in June 1495 en route to Kalmar, the ship carried people and material selected to further the political goal of re-unifying the Nordic region. Three field campaigns led by Lund University and Blekinge
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Køge 2. A Clinker-built Shipwreck from the Medieval Harbour of Køge, Zealand, Denmark Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Jeppe Færch-Jensen, Aoife Daly
The development of a new cityscape in the old industrial harbour known as ‘Sønder Havn’ in Køge in eastern Zealand led in the summer of 2018 to the finding of a clinker-built shipwreck. The ship had been built in the 1520s, exclusively from oak, and had undergone a reinforcement in the stem some ten years after the initial building phase, hereby adding an extra outer layer of clinker planks and five
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Managing Data from Maritime Archaeology Investigations: AIR at Gribshunden Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Paola Derudas, Brendan Foley
Maritime archaeology excavations, even in a more complex environment, have the same objectives and requirements as terrestrial ones: documenting digging operations to analyze data in the best way, interpreting it, and producing new knowledge for the benefit of multiple communities. 3D documentation and management methodologies have spread widely among practitioners; however, 3D comprehensive tools
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Monitoring Erosion of a Submerged Stone Age Site and Its Implications for Managing Underwater Cultural Heritage. A Case Study at Tybrind Vig, Denmark Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Sigurd Arve Baslund Bohr, Otto Uldum, David Gregory
Known locations with submerged and well-preserved Stone Age sites in Denmark are, in most cases, under constant threat of erosion. The results presented here have been gathered at Tybrind Vig by surveying a 165 m-long transect at 5-metre intervals from the shore, by measurements taken with a total station. To supplement this, the surrounding area was surveyed with an echo sounder/sonar unit that yielded
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Neptunus and To Løver: An Archaeological, Archival, and Dendrochronological Survey of Two Danish Prize Ships, Scuttled in the Stockholm Archipelago in 1659 Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Aoife Daly, Niklas Eriksson, Jim Hansson
We report the archaeological survey, dendrochronological analysis, and archival research concerning two shipwrecks located in shallow waters outside Vaxholm in the Stockholm Archipelago, Baltic Sea. According to oral tradition, the two wrecks are the remains of Neptunus and To Løver, two former Danish warships that were taken as prizes at the battle of Fehmarn in 1644. The Swedish navy then used the
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Predictive Modelling in Underwater Archaeology. A Case Based on Mesolithic Coastal Settlements in Denmark Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Paschalina Giatsiatsou
Research on underwater archaeological sites has been adversely affected by various socioeconomic (specialized equipment, lack of know-how, legal framework, etc.) and environmental (weather conditions, site formation processes, etc.) challenges. Interdisciplinary approaches, especially technology integration, can help introduce a methodology to evaluate these factors and mitigate limitations to enhance
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Reconstructing the Underwater Topography in the Medieval Harbour of Oslo Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Marja-Liisa Petrelius Grue, Sjoerd van Riel, Elling Utvik Wammer
Many known factors are continuously affecting and changing the landscape. This can lead to challenges in interpreting archaeological remains found underwater, or in areas that used to be underwater, when their depth below the water surface at the time of deposition is unknown. This article is an attempt to investigate if it is possible to reconstruct how the underwater (submarine) landscape might have
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Storytelling about Shipwrecks and Scuttled Ships from the 17–19th Century in the UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘Naval Port of Karlskrona’ in Sweden Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Petra Stråkendal
Shipwrecks obviously have stories to tell. Combined with a UNESCO World Heritage site and its Outstanding Universal Value, storytelling becomes a powerful tool for discussions about the preservation, usage, and development of cultural heritages. Within or near the World Heritage the Naval Port of Karlskrona, there is a large number of wrecks and scuttled ships (deliberately sunken ships). The article
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A Viking Age Ghost Ship near the Great Halls of Lejre Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Ole Thirup Kastholm
Due to persistent rumours of wooden planks from a ‘Viking Ship’ in the Lejre Stream (Lejre Å) running in the Valley of Lejre (Lejre Ådal) and near the dynastic residence of Lejre (the Scyldings’ palace), archaeologists have investigated the area in the 1980s. The negative result has never been the subject of any publication so far, let alone a closer examination of what the background of these rumours
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You Can’t Make an Omelette without Breaking an Egg. Surveying Submerged Paleo-terrains with a Mechanical Excavator Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Klara Fiedler, Mikkel H. Thomsen, Kirsti Pedersen
Preserved Stone Age sites and prehistoric landscapes under water can often be challenging to find and access for archaeologists. In consequence, the Viking Ship Museum has, within recent years, frequently used mechanical excavators in archaeological surveys to find and delineate Stone Age sites and prehistoric landscape features. In this article, the authors provide an overview of the introduction
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Bendis, Deloptes and Asklepios: Reconsidering Reciprocal Formations of Iconography and Placement of Newcomer Cults in the Piraeus Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-08 Constanze Graml
In the fifth century BCE, Athenians intensified the worship of non-Athenian and non-Greek deities, a fact which has resulted in massive scholarly attention (Garland 1992; Parker 1996; Neumann 2022). While the legal facet of this procedure has been extensively analysed (Parker 1996; 2011), the spatial aspect of the establishment of new cults – the ‘placemaking’ – has been mainly neglected. This article
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Comment on the Article Archaeology, Language, and the Question of Sámi Ethnogenesis Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-08 Minerva Piha, Mikko K. Heikkilä, Jaakko Häkkinen
In this response to the article Archaeology, Language, and the Question of Sámi Ethnogenesis by Asgeir Svestad and Bjørnar Olsen (2023), we correct major misunderstandings made by Svestad and Olsen concerning the methodology of historical linguistics and its relation to archaeology. Our comment concerns the following topics: We explain that there cannot be one ethnogenesis that could be approached
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Site Locations on the Jutland Peninsula across the Late Funnel Beaker – Early Corded Ware Period Transition and Their Implications Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2024-02-08 Simon Kjær Nielsen
The extent of spatial overlap between late Funnel Beaker (TRB) and early Corded Ware or ‘Single Grave’ finds has figured prominently in discussions of how the latter became established on the Jutland Peninsula after 2850 BCE. Working mainly from regional distribution maps and often framing the issue in terms of ‘territories’, decades of debate have focused not least on the question of whether elements
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Archaeology, Language, and the Question of Sámi Ethnogenesis Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-07-04 Asgeir Svestad, Bjørnar Olsen
Debates over the ethnogenesis of the Sámi and their historical presence in Fennoscandia have long affected scholarly and public discourses. More recently, these debates have been fueled by new propositions launched by Finnish linguists regarding the origin and development of the Sámi language. In this article, we target this corpus of linguistic research and the wide-ranging implications it suggests
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The Hoard from Bækkedal in Northern Denmark and the Use of Two-Horse Teams in the Late Nordic Bronze Age Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-07-04 Torben Sarauw, Per Thorling Hadsund, Hana Lukesova
This article examines the use and significance of two-horse teams within the Nordic Late Bronze Age cultural sphere in southern Scandinavia and the southwestern Baltic region. Its point of departure is a remarkable hoard found in the late summer of 2014 at Bækkedal in northern Jutland, Denmark. The hoard, dated to period V of the Bronze Age, differs from many other hoards of this period by virtue of
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Ancient Greek Dining Spaces: The Rooms of the South Stoa at Corinth Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 David Scahill
This paper explores the architectural manifestations for ritual and public dining spaces in the ancient Greek world as defined by architectural characteristics or other material remains. Hestiatoria have traditionally been defined as “dining spaces” on the basis of loose architectural distinctions, such as rooms set aside in sanctuaries, sometimes with off-center doorways, indications of klinai or
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The Building Accounts of the Fourth Century BC Temple of Apollo at Delphi Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Erik Hansen
In this article, Hansen analyzes and discusses the construction of the fourth-century BC. Temple of Apollo at Delphi, taking into consideration the practical aspects of this difficult construction process. He includes the unique epigraphic building accounts that have been made accessible to non-philologists with Jean Bousque’s edition and French translation of the fragments published in 1989. Thereby
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Built Offering: On the Conception and Design of the Greek Temple Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Mark Wilson Jones
The form of the Greek temple responded to multiple purposes, influences and concepts, although one of these, that of offering, deserves more attention than it has received to date. The fundamental status of offering for Greek religion and its societal expression resulted in sanctuaries being choc-a-bloc with all manner of dedications, some of which represented the finest displays of artistic merit
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Dedicatory Paintings in Greek Religion: An Initial Assessment Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Gil H. Renberg
This contribution presents the first survey of the full range of sources for the dedication of paintings to the gods of the Greek-speaking world, including Egypt. This phenomenon has been largely overlooked due to the rarity of such dedications, in contrast to the countless dedicatory objects fashioned from stone and other durable materials, which have survived in relative abundance. Although some
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Erik Hansen and the French School at Athens Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Dominique Mulliez
The article analyses Erik Hansen’s long collaboration with the French School at Athens and, in particular, his contribution to the architectural study of the Siphnian Treasury and the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, and the methods he used in this work. It concludes with a brief portrait of the man himself.
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Erik Hansen: The Man Who Speaks with the Stones Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Jesper Tae Jensen
In this brief contribution, we are introduced to two of Erik Hansen’s restoration works in Denmark, the Marble Bridge across Frederiksholm’s Canal (erected 1739–1745) and his private house in Wildersgade (built ca. 1725), both in Copenhagen. These two examples demonstrate Hansen’s unique approach to architecture, in which he literarily is “The Man Who Speaks with the Stones.”
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Euripides on the Ancient Cult of Apollo at Athens Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Marta Saporiti
This paper uses the tragedies of Euripides as evidence for a reconsideration of the topography of the Athenian cults of Apollo, particularly Apollo Pythios, Hypoakraios, and Delphinios. Euripides’ references to these cults are generally well known among topographers of Athens, but they are typically considered only as disembodied quotations. However, reading and analysing the literary sources more
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From Exclusive Dream Oracles to Ubiquitous Incubation Dreams: A Change in the Perception of a Divine Healer? Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Hedvig von Ehrenheim
This paper argues that the cult of Asklepios developed and spread fast due to a shift in mentality in Classical Greece. This change concerned both who might communicate directly with the gods in dreams, as well as the development of a new way of envisaging healing. It is argued that the notion that anybody could receive a godsent dream, as seen in numerous incubation sanctuaries, reflects a change
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The Front of a Temple and Swimming Girls by the Andokides Painter (around 520 BC) Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Antonio Corso
This article focuses on an amphora by the Andokides Painter which dates in the late sixth-century BC, representing naked girls who swim in a basin of water with fish in front of a building endowed with a column and an architrave. Several considerations lead to the conclusion that these girls are young Athenian females in the sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia, in front of the temple built by Peisistratos
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The Great Goddess of Anatolia and her Greek Daughters: Late Bronze Age Origins in Rituals, Architecture, and Iconography Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Anne Marie Carstens
This contribution focuses on the materialization of cults of the Anatolian goddess in her various guises. It offers a preliminary investigation of Late Bronze Age roots of later ritual practice in the major sanctuaries of the great goddess of western Anatolia and the Aegean Islands. Thus, it is an exploration of what Walter Burkert has called “eastern contexts of Greek culture, and Greek contexts of
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Possible Syrian Influences on the Emergence of the Greek Monumental Temple Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Ditte Zink Kaasgaard Falb
In this article, the Greek temple is set into a larger historical and cultural context, comparing it with Near Eastern and especially Syrian temples. The author argues that the Syrian temple in antis played a significant role in the development of the Greek prostyle temple. This is demonstrated by briefly highlighting the mostly overlooked aspects of Oriental or Syrian building traditions, which, in
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The Religious Taxonomy of Attic Associations Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Christian Ammitzbøll Thomsen
Judging from the epigraphic record, the first through third centuries BCE saw the rise of a large number of private cult associations throughout the Greek-speaking world. This was particularly true of Athens. Some associations, however, were more devout than others, at least according to modern historians who have seen in associations of eranistai groups of “venture capitalists” operating under a religious
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Rings, Pits, Bone and Ash: Greek Altars in Context Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Gunnel Ekroth
Greek altars have received ample attention in scholarship as to their appearance, construction, and location within a sanctuary, as well as their importance as the central feature for the rituals allowing communication with the gods. The immediate surroundings of altars have not been considered to the same degree. This paper explores the context of Greek altars and some of the features located here
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The Stoa of Eumenes in Athens: Theoretical Restoration Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Manolis Korres
The article offers a detailed discussion of the outline and all essential elements of the Stoa of Eumenes at Athens. It is a preliminary study for a more trustworthy reconstruction of this central architectural monument. Themes discussed are Doric columns, Ionic columns, Pergamene columns, double half-columns, examines the height of all architectural orders, prefabrication with Prokonnesian marble
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Style, Function, and Design Influence in Early Classical Western Greece Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Spencer Pope
This paper discusses the development of monumental temple building in Sicily and Magna Graecia in the early Classical Period in terms of style and design in relation to cult and political structures. It is demonstrated that there was a coherent style that defined a moment of rapid construction in Western Greece in 480 B.C., and that the noteworthy building in Sicily eventually influenced mainland Greek
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Temple Landscape: The Direct and the Latent Impact of Natural Environment upon Artificial Environs Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Elena C. Partida
The dynamics of an ancient religious centre lies in the combination of architecture with the geophysical relief and natural setting, namely the manner in which a temple befits its natural surroundings. Paintings and etchings/lithographs help us follow the transformation of hieratic settings in the course of centuries. An intriguing juxtaposition is that of tree cult to the practical role of timber
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Travelling with Architect Erik Hansen: A Cypress on the Peloponnese Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-27 Gregers Algreen-Ussing
This reflective article starts with a personal anecdote, a journey together with Erik Hansen on the Peloponnese to visit an old cypress. He describes Hansen’s empathetic working method, which leads to a better understanding of the whole construction process of the temple. An essential part was the building of an evenly ascending slipway on the steep hillside, which could comply with the limits of the
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1600 BC: Fårdrup and Valsømagle-Type Axes and the First Evidence of Southern Alpine Metal Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-19 Heide W. Nørgaard, Ernst Pernicka, Helle Vandkilde
This article presents the results of a comprehensive investigation of Fårdrup and Valsømagle-type shafthole axes from Denmark and southern Sweden. The combination of artefact style and typology with trace element and lead isotope data in the analysis has provided new insights into the chronological relationship between these two axe types. This way, we open a new window to long-standing debates surrounding
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Aphidna’s Prehistoric Tumulus in North Attica from around 2000 BC. A Comprehensive Re-assessment of Sam Wide’s 1894 Excavation Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-19 Maria Hielte
The 13 graves excavated in 1894 by Sam Wide at Aphidna only attracted sporadic attention during the first decades, even though he exposed unusually rich burials. However, over the last 20 years, there has been increased interest, but still with most focus on only one grave, Pithos Grave III. This article combines information from several sources to get a more comprehensive picture, including a thorough
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Baltic Amber in Aššur. Forms and Significance of Amber Exchange between Europe and the Middle East, c.2000–1300 BC Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-19 Jan-Heinrich Bunnefeld, Jörg Becker, Lutz Martin, Regine-Ricarda Pausewein, Stefan Simon, Harald Meller
Under the large ziggurat of Aššur, Iraq, two Baltic amber beads were found in a foundation deposit dating to c.1800–1750 BC. Thereby, they represent one of the earliest and remotest evidence of this material. Its extreme rarity in the Mediterranean and the Middle East before c.1550 BC and its restriction there to high-ranking sites could be explained by the fact that the Únětice culture and the Wessex
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Fold, Twist, and Draw – Techniques of Copper Alloy Wire Production from Hellenistic Jebel Khalid Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-19 Matasha Mazis, Matthias Klein
Copper alloy wire fragments were examined using XRF, optical light microscopy and SEM-EDS. The specimens come from archaeological excavations at Jebel Khalid in Syria, dating from the 3rd century BCE (the Hellenistic period) to the Roman period. Our results show that several techniques were employed to make the wires: forging, folding, strip twisting, and possibly ‘strip drawing’. We investigated the
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The Globular Amphora Culture in the Eastern Baltic: New Discoveries Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-19 Gytis Piličiauskas, Raminta Skipitytė, Ester Oras, Alexandre Lucquin, Oliver E. Craig, Harry K. Robson
Until now, Šventoji in northwest Lithuania was considered the most northern site of the Neolithic Globular Amphora Culture (hereafter GAC; ca. 3400–2500 cal BC) in Europe. Recently, however, ceramics typologically resembling GAC ware were identified among the materials from the multi-period sites of Abora 1 and Iča in Latvia and further to the north from Tamula in southeast Estonia. Here we present
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The Management of Drinking Water in Trondheim from 950 to 1777 as a Source of Changing Attitudes toward Health Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-19 Elisabeth Forrestad Swensen, Roos M.R. van Oosten, Axel Christophersen
This article aims to illuminate how the management of drinking water and public health in Trondheim, Norway changed from 950 to 1777, from a private to public responsibility. A systematic analysis of five excavations in Trondheim shows that during the Middle Ages, only a few citizens had a well or a cistern on their property. This suggests that fetching water from above-ground sources was a regular
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Metallurgical Characterization of Two 11th–12th Century Single-Bow Shears from Sigtuna, Sweden Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-19 Andreas Helén, Anders Eliasson, Sebastian K.T.S. Wärmländer
Shears, being everyday objects, have received significantly less attention by archaeometallurgists than other edged tools or weapons. Yet, shear blades were forged with the same techniques as blades of, e.g. knives and swords. The most common shear type in ancient times was the bow shears, where the bow had to be flexible so it could be repeatedly bent without cracking or breaking. The shear-maker
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Non-invasive Archaeometric Studies of Metal Threads with Silk Core Coming from Two Kontush Sashes from the Szczuczyn Excavations in Poland Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-19 Beata Miazga, Małgorzata Grupa
A kontush sash belonged to costly accessories of ceremonial clothes of Polish nobility. It is a belt made of leather, metal or soft textile, called a sash from the 18th century. In the 2nd half of the 17th century, there was a change in manufacturing technique and ornamentation compositions, and sashes adorned with metal threads appeared. Persian and Turkish belts were the most popular. They have been
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Prehistoric Iron Bloomery Debris on a Small Island in Lake Aisetas (Eastern Lithuania) Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2023-04-19 Andra Simniškytė, Aušra Selskienė
The archaeological discoveries of metallurgical waste in Lithuania have established that metallurgical activities were commonly connected to settlements. However, recent investigations suggest that even in the case of small-scale production on a homestead industry level, small isolated smelting bloomeries could have existed outside settlements. The work presented in this article introduces the material
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Expansion and Abandonment in the South Swedish Uplands: A Study of Late Neolithic Monuments in Göteryd Parish Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2022-05-17 Peter Skoglund, Lars Larsson, Anna Berg
A distinct concentration of 150 gallery graves dating to the Late Neolithic (2400–1700 BC) occurs in Göteryd parish in the South Swedish Uplands. This study investigates why such a concentration of gallery graves exists in this region and why these were not exchanged by new monuments in the Bronze Age. In order to discuss these issues, the distribution of the monuments and the stray finds have been
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Discovering Dwellings Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2022-05-02 Silje E. Fretheim
This article is based on a study of site formation processes of dwellings, site contexts, and terms relating to dwelling types and attributes. Archaeological evidence discovered during the Ormen Lange project and dated to the Late Mesolithic provides the backdrop for discussion. The project was conducted by the NTNU University Museum in 2003-2004 on the Island of Gossen in Central Norway. Remains of
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Farmers, Herders or Tradesmen? Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2022-05-02 Kamal Aldin Niknami, Mohammad Amin Mirghaderi
The highland plains of western Iran have been investigated with varying intensity. The Sarfirouzabad Plain located in the south of Kermanshah province, although visited perfunctorily, has not previously been studied systematically, despite attractive ecological and environmental conditions. In 2009, a team from Tehran University conducted a systematic and intensive field survey in the region to identify
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Princes, Armies, Sanctuaries Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2022-05-02 Harald Meller
The Circum-Harz group of the Central German Únětice Culture (2200-1600 BC) was a highly stratified society, which arose from the merging of the Corded Ware and Bell Beaker Cultures. This process was advanced by princes who established their legitimacy as rulers on symbolic references to both cultures as well as on newly created traditions and historical references. Their power was based on armed troops
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Re-Thinking Two Mid-Byzantine Castles on Kephallénia Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2022-05-02 Richard Hodges
In the early to mid-1990s in a pre-GIS era, Klavs Randsborg with a team from the University of Copenhagen directed a wide-ranging survey of the Ionian (Greek) island of Kephallénia. Randsborg punctiliously published the multi-period sites he discovered, and analysed the results, paying special attention to the island’s archaic Greek sites but also later medieval afterlife of certain of these sites
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1470 Inca Expansion into the Land of the Chachapoya Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2022-05-02 Inge Schjellerup
Starting from around AD 800, the Chachapoya developed their own culture with monumental architecture. It came to an end in 1470 after the conquest by the Incas. At that time, a different architecture was introduced in the region followed by changes in the landscape. The article summarises the available evidence on architectural and archaeological remains dated to the period following the Inca conquest
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Towards an Understanding of Spatiotemporal Dynamics at Great Zimbabwe Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2022-05-02 Paul J.J. Sinclair
In 1987 archaeologists from nine African countries and colleagues from Sweden began a co-operation programme to study urbanism in eastern and southern Africa under the auspices of The Urban Origins programme. The programme involved 22 parallel field projects throughout the West Indian Ocean region and the southern Africa interior. The article presents a compilation of diverse material on Great Zimbabwe
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Miniature Swords in the Viking Age Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2022-04-20 Leszek Gardeła
Viking Age Scandinavians manufactured an impressive array of miniature objects that could be worn on the body as pendants, clothing appliques or pins. Many of these items resembled full-sized weapons commonly used by warriors in Northern Europe and beyond. This article sets out to investigate the complete corpus of so-called miniature swords from the ninth and tenth centuries typically made of copper
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Technological Traditions of Blacksmithing in Ancient Rus’ Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2022-04-20 Vladimir I. Zavyalov, Natalia N. Terekhova
An archaeometallographic analysis of the iron tools from Ancient Russian sites enabled the authors to conclude that the manufacturing of high-quality items from black metal in Ancient Rus’ was based on the technological welding of the iron base and steel blade. The analysis allowed for changes in the production technology to be traced over time. Thus, it was typical for 10th–11th-century blacksmiths
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A Unique Case of ‘Counting Marks’ Revealed by Tomography on a Middle Bronze Age Sword from Champagneux (France, Savoie) Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2022-04-20 Léonard Dumont, Stefan Wirth, Matthieu N. Boone, Iván Josipovic, Sylvia Lycke, Pieter Tack, Peter Vandenabeele, Guy De Mulder
In the 1960s, a solid-hilted sword dating to the second half of the Middle Bronze Age (1450–1300 BC) was dredged up in a gravel quarry in the Rhône river at the village of Champagneux (Savoie, France). The sword belongs to the octagonal-hilted swords (German: Achtkantschwerter). This type, mainly found in the northern Alpine region and southern Scandinavia, was until then unknown in France. X-ray fluorescence
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Vestiges of the Huns? The Radiocarbon-Based Chronology of the Trilobate Arrowheads from Plinkaigalis Cemetery, Central Lithuania Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2022-04-20 Laurynas Kurila, Giedrė Piličiauskienė, Žilvinas Ežerinskis, Justina Šapolaitė, Andrius Garbaras
Until presently, over 60 trilobate arrowheads characteristic of Asian nomads have been found in Lithuanian hillforts or their adjacent settlements, some of them in destruction layers. These finds encouraged Lithuanian archaeologists to create a narrative about the Huns severely raiding into the region in the 5th century AD. However, it is accepted as an axiom rather than a topic for research due to
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A NEW BRONZE AGE HOARD FROM MARIESMINDE AT LANGESKOV ON FUNEN, DENMARK Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2020-12-14 Henrik Thrane, Arne Juottijärvi
A hoard was discovered at Mariesminde near the centre of the Danish island Funen in 2003 during trial excavations. A pot containing 27 bronzes was later excavated in the museum laboratory. The bronzes were stacked disorderly, with a large piece of sheet bronze at the bottom. The objects consisted of broken rings, several so‐called ‘Hohlwulstringe’ or hollow rings, a socketed axe, plus 13 casting cakes
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Late Neolithic Stenildgård Grave: Re-Excavated, Re-Analysed and Re-Interpreted Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2020-04-16 Bjarne Henning Nielsen,Tina E. Christensen,Annine Moltsen,Karin Margarita Frei,Samantha Reiter,Morten Fischer Mortensen,Peter Steen Henriksen,Mads Chr. Christensen,Kåre Gyldenløve
Occasionally, it becomes possible to re-excavate and reanalyse prehistoric monuments. Within the geographical area managed by Vesthimmerlands Museum, this happened in the case of the Late Neolithic Stenildgård grave on the western periphery of the town of Aars, Northern Danmark. The grave was excavated for the first time at the early 1930s and re-excavated in 2015 in connection with the construction
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Slaves in Bronze Age Southern Scandinavia? Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2020-04-16 Martin Mikkelsen
The article proposes that unfree labour was an integral part of Bronze Age society. The presence of the unfree (thralls or even slaves) in prehistoric societies has rarely been discussed and never in the light of archaeological evidence. The article is based on empirical material from 333 fully excavated house remains from 120 sites in the Viborg area in northwest Jutland, Denmark. Based on the reconstructed
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‘Twin Sun’: A Simple Lunar Eclipse Predictor Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2020-04-16 Claus Clausen
A simple method to predict lunar eclipses proposed in this article uses the position of the full moon relative to the sun. Calculations show that the method works better during the summer period in Scandinavia simply because the night is shorter and therefore the moon is closer to the exact time of the lunar eclipse when the moon rises as the sun is setting. When the conditions are right, the moon
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Fishers of The Corded Ware Culture in The Eastern Baltic Acta Archaeologica Pub Date : 2020-04-16 Gytis Piličiauskas,Grażyna Kluczynska,Dalia Kisielienė,Raminta Skipitytė,Kęstutis Peseckas,Simona Matuzevičiūtė,Hana Lukešová,Alexandre Lucquin,Oliver E. Craig,Harry K. Robson
Between 2800 and 2400 cal BC pastoralists from Central Europe migrated into the eastern Baltic paving the way for the Corded Ware Culture (CWC), and a new type of economy, animal husbandry. Traditionally the CWC people were viewed as highly mobile due to the lack of substantial traces of dwellings and material culture at settlement sites; they were reliant on an economy based on animal husbandry as