-
Mound landscape of the eastern Kugitang piedmonts. A location analysis. Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-09-10 Jakub Havlík, Shapulat Shaydullaev
Archaeological evidence on the occurrence of kurgan mounds (i.e., stone- or earthen-made mounds of various dimensions) in the Surkhandarya province of southern Uzbekistan was until recently particularly scarce. Although these characteristic features of the archaeological landscape of Central Asia have been frequently recorded and studied in the neighbouring regions, the very southern part of Uzbekistan
-
Organization of pottery production at the hormangan neolithic site: Archaeological evidence of craft specialization in southwestern Asia Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-08-27 Morteza Khanipour
Research into pottery production typically emphasizes the study of pottery itself, with less attention given to the organization of pottery production within prehistoric communities. However, focusing on pottery production can be instrumental in unveiling the economic and social structures of these societies. In 2016, while conducting archaeological excavations at the Hormangan site in the Bavanat
-
Preserving collectivity through continuity Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-08-24 Güneş Duru, Mihriban Özbaşaran
The concept of “continuity” in prehistory has been studied by many scholars mostly through its expression in mortuary practices or symbolism. The study of the ‘continuity in buildings’ emerged primarily through the study of the Southwestern Asian Neolithic. Renewed excavations at Çatalhöyük, and then at Aşıklı Höyük, both in Central Anatolia contributed to the studies and enriched the data. From the
-
The Tel Tsaf decoration: Contextualizing a Chalcolithic pottery phenomenon on a regional scale Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-08-14 Karolina Hruby, Florian Klimscha, Danny Rosenberg
The Tel Tsaf decoration motifs have been known for over 45 years now, first described after R. Gophna's excavations at Middle Chalcolithic (ca. 5200–4700 cal BCE) Tel Tsaf in the Jordan Valley, Israel, during 1978–1980. While this type of decorated pottery was also found in other sites in the region, very limited data has been published. This data scarcity resulted in a fragmentary view of the phenomenon
-
Paravani-2, a Late Upper Palaeolithic rock-shelter site in the Javakheti highland, Southern Caucasus (Georgia) Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-08-02 Christine Chataigner, Makoto Arimura, Tamara Agapishvili, Jwana Chahoud, Irekle Koridze, Ana Mgeladze, Tim Mibord, Bastien Varoutsikos
In the second half of the last century, numerous excavations were carried out in the Southern Caucasus, particularly in Georgia. However, most of the sites excavated were given a cultural attribution based on the material found, in the absence of absolute radiocarbon dating. Errors concerning the cultural attribution of sites appear to have occurred, as revealed by our re-excavation (2012–2014) of
-
Detecting megalithic structures in the Northern Jordanian Plateau: New data from historical satellite imagery Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-07-11 Benjamín Cutillas-Victoria, Marta Lorenzon, Stefan L. Smith, Maija Holappa, Antti Lahelma
This article examines the archaeological detection strategy undertaken during the TYRAS project - Tell Ya'moun Regional Archaeological Survey - and its suitability for identifying megalithic structures. The study area covers 288 km of the Northern Jordanian Plateau, a geographical region consisting of diverse landscapes of desert, plains and mountains. Our investigation uses an interdisciplinary methodology
-
Relooking at the Archaeology of Neem ka Thana tehsil, Rajasthan, India Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-06-28 Esha Prasad, Shweta Sinha Deshpande
An archaeological reconnaissance and survey with a site census was carried out in the Neem ka Thana Rajasthan using the village-to-village survey method in the years 2020–2022. The study aimed to revisit the already documented sites, identify and document new sites, and salvage cultural material from destroyed or damaged sites due to increasing agricultural and development activities. Neem ka Thana
-
Intensive use of Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan plateau during the middle Holocene: New excavation of a base camp, Dongguotan site Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-06-27 Fang Han, Qi Meng, Hongliang Lu, Jixiang Song, Hong Qiao, Jiyuan Li, Yanping Xia, Qingjiang Yang, Zhanwei Du
The available archaeological materials indicate that the hunter-gatherers with microblade technology were widespread across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The limited chronological evidence and characteristics of the cultural remains suggest that most of the archaeological remains were temporary camps used for short periods of time. Our findings at the Dongguotan site indicate that hunter-gatherers established
-
An elite grave of the pre-Mongol period, from Dornod Province, Mongolia Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-06-20 Amartuvshin Chunag, Gideon Shelach-Lavi, William Honeychurch, Batdalai Byambatseren, Orit Shamir, Uuriintuya Munkhtur, Daniela Wolin, Shuzhi Wang, Nofar Shamir
On the Mongolian plateau, the period between the collapse of the Kitan Empire (c. 1125 CE) and the rise of the Mongol empire (1206 CE) is still poorly understood. Although events leading up to the rise of Chinggis Khan's initial Mongol state are recorded in a number of historical sources, these accounts often look backwards over decades or even centuries from the perspective of a mature empire already
-
Megalithic structure from Burabay: Gold mining and cult communities of the Late Bronze Age of Northern Kazakhstan Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-06-17 Sergey Yarygin, Zerrin Aydın Tavukçu, Sergazy Sakenov
The article presents the results of the research conducted at the megalithic monument located in the Burabay district of the Akmola region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The monument received the name “Taskamal” (from the Kazakh language “Stone fortress”) from local residents and tourists due to its monumentality and characteristic masonry of granite blocks. The research focused on recording the architecture
-
A reflection on neolithization in the plains of Behshahr and Neka in Eastern Mazandaran, Iran Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-05-25 Seyyed Kamal Asadi Ojaei, Rahmat Abbasnejad Seresti, Christopher P. Thornton, Roger Matthews
About 70 years ago, C. S. Coon reported the sudden presence of domesticated animal species following a gap between the Mesolithic/Epi-Paleolithic and the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN), based on data from excavations of the Hotu and Kamarband (Belt) Caves in the southeastern littoral of the Caspian Sea. Then, the first scientific step towards Neolithization studies in the region was taken by proposing
-
A new type of Early Iron Age stela from Tuva (Inner Asia) Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-15 Timur Sadykov, Jegor Blochin, Evgeniya Asochakova, Daria Fedorova, Gino Caspari
Here we present three stelae found on the surface of the Early Iron Age burial mound Tunnug 1 in Tuva Republic, Southern Siberia. An abstract pattern of arcs and lines and the focus on one side of the standing stone makes these stelae substantially different from other known cultural traditions of the Late Bronze Age steppe region. Traceological, petrographic, and geochemical analyses of the material
-
The pictographs of Chel-Dokhtaroon in the Southern Zagros Mountains, Fars, Central Southern Iran Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Ebrahim Karimi, Cyrus Barfi, Samira Jafari, Sahar Samghani, Reza Norouzi
This paper reports and discusses a new collection of pictographs situated in a rock shelter called Chel-Dokhtaroon in the southern Zagros Mountains in Jahrom, Fars province in southern Iran. Chel-Dokhtaroon contains one of the largest collections of pictographs identified in this part of the country so far. The use of Dstretch application recovered the faded depictions, which were not visible to the
-
A typology of polished stone axes in the middle Yellow River and their impact on early complex societies Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Chiying Ma
Polished stone axes have long been recognized as essential tools directly related to logging and wood processing in sedentary societies, playing a crucial role in prehistoric people's survival and social production. Their evolution as production tools has been a driving force behind the advancement of society's productive capacities. In this article, information and data on stone axes from the middle
-
Provenance of the pumice manuports from archaeological sites at the Vitim River, East Siberia, Russia Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-26 Elena I. Demonterova, Alexey V. Tetenkin, Alexey V. Ivanov, Vladimir A. Lebedev, Dmitrii L. Shergin, Galina V. Pashkova
-
Shell tool technology and new insights into techno-cultural strategies during the Neolithic in Eastern Arabia. An initial case study from Umm al-Quwain (United Arab Emirates) Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-25 Kevin Lidour, David Cuenca Solana, Jesús Setién Marquínez, Ana Cimentada Hernández, Vincent Charpentier, Sophie Méry
The production and use of shell tools has been reported from the Neolithic (c. 6500–3300 BCE) to the Late Bronze Age (c. 1600–1300 BCE) – or the Early Iron Age c. 1300–1000 BCE) – along the eastern shores of the Arabian Peninsula. The latter are described as large bivalve shells whose ventral margin has been retouched. However, to date, no functional analysis has been performed to understand the use
-
Preliminary site report of a stone jar burial in the Lao People's Democratic Republic Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-18 Nicholas Skopal, Souliya Bounxaythip, Charlie Cooper, Baptiste Pradier, Tracey Pilgrim, Tahlia Stewart, Anna Florin, Tate Devantier-Thomas, Daniel Baker, Sophie Philip
For nearly a century, questions have remained as to the purpose and age of the Plain of Jars in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Scholars have generally argued that these megaliths served a mortuary function, either as symbolic monuments or receptacles for the dead. However, due to a paucity of mortuary evidence associated with the jars, it has been difficult to conclusively argue either way.
-
New data on the early upper Paleolithic of Central Siberia from the Sabanikha 3 site Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-10 Kharevich Vladimir, Kharevich Alena, Bocharova Ekaterina, Klementiev Aleksei, Zolnikov Ivan, Anoikin Anton
South Siberia and the Northern Central Asia is one of the centers of Upper Paleolithic appearance and expansion. One of the northern areas of UP expansion is Central Siberia and the Yenisei River valley. The appearance of modern anatomical type humans in this area is presumed in the final MIS3 and is associated with the Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP). Currently, the key problem of EUP studies in Central
-
-
Intra-site variability – Analysis, characterization, and cultural affiliation of the Upper Paleolithic sequence of Manot Cave (western Galilee, Israel) Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Maayan Shemer, Omry Barzilai, Elisabetta Boaretto, Israel Hershkovitz, Ron Lavi, Lotan Edeltin, Ofer Marder
The site of Manot Cave in western Galilee, Israel, has been a focus of research on the Levantine Upper Paleolithic since its discovery in 2008. Thick archaeological accumulations and good preservation of organic remains, including charcoal fragments, provided a stable base for the study of the Upper Paleolithic chrono-cultural sequence, alongside the paleoenvironmental conditions at the time of human
-
Tom -e Gavan: Unveiling the early Iron age in the Jiroft plain, southeastern Iran Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-22 Meysam Shahsavari, Wu Xin, Nasir Eskandari
Unlike the well -documented Bronze Age, the Iron Age of southeastern Iran remains largely elusive. Apart from the limited information derived from the levels of Tepe Yahya III, dating back to Iron Age III period (ca. 800 BCE), little is known about the Iron Age history of the region. The recent excavation of the early Iron Age levels at Tom -e Gavan in the Jiroft Plain has yielded for the first time
-
Palaeolithic rock art from Mghvimevi, western Georgia Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-12-18 L. Losaberidze, A. Zavradashvili, V. Kenkadze
The Caucasus region, located at the juncture of the European and Asian continents, is an area that has already seen, from an archaeological perspective, the passage of people and cultures over a long period of time and is of key importance in helping us better understand the global rock art phenomenon. Palaeolithic rock art from this region had previously only been known from Gobustan, Azerbaijan.
-
Editorial: Emergence and dispersal of modern humans: New discoveries and progress in Asian Paleolithic studies Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-25 Yue Feng, Fei Peng
Abstract not available
-
Editorial Board Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-19
Abstract not available
-
Đầu Rằm: A nephrite ring manufacturing settlement in the northern red River Delta Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-16 Isabella Shaw, Nguyễn Thị Thúy, Bùi Xuân Tùng, Elle Grono, Rachel Wood, Cristina Castillo Cobo, Peter Bellwood, Philip J. Piper, Lâm Thị Mỹ Dung
Archaeological excavations at the site of Đầu Rằm in northern Việt Nam provided new insights into the chronology of Tràng Kênh settlement sites that emerged in the Red River delta during first half of the 2nd millennium BCE. The investigations produced evidence for the production of nephrite/jade rings. This study confirms that Đầu Rằm was a settlement associated with the Tràng Kênh culture that specialised
-
New data on Neanderthal behavior in the Altai region, Russia Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-07 Kseniya A. Kolobova, Alena V. Kharevich, Sergei K. Vasilyev, Vladimir M. Kharevich, Ekaterina N. Bocharova, Pavel V. Chistyakov, John W. Olsen, Andrei I. Krivoshapkin
Until recently, only two sites yielding Micoquian/Keilmessergruppen (KGM) lithic assemblages were known in the Russian Altai Region, which are the result of Late European Neanderthal migrations from Eastern Europe. European Micoquian/KMG sites, often located in close proximity to one another, vary functionally, reflecting complex behavioral patterns of Neanderthal populations. Conversely, two sites
-
Unicorns and seals: New multivariate approaches to exploring patterned stylistic variation in the Indus Civilization Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Gregg Jamison, Akinori Uesugi, Yuji Yamaguchi
Inscribed seals are among the most well-known and diagnostic materials of the Indus or Harappan Civilization (c. 2600–1900 BCE), one of the world's earliest urban societies and its first manifestation in the South Asian subcontinent. Since their discovery heralded the announcement of the ancient Indus Civilization over a century ago, inscribed seals have received a considerable amount of scholarly
-
Initial Upper Paleolithic in North China: New data from Shuidonggou locality 9 Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-09-27 Fei Peng, Guo Chen, Shuwen Pei, Sam Lin, Xing Gao
The timing and dispersal of modern humans into Northeast Asia has been a subject of hot debate, fueled by increasing discoveries of previously unknown human species in the region, including the so-called Denisovans. In this debate, archaeological assemblages identified as Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) play a key role as they are often seen as possible markers for the dispersal of modern human culture
-
Before the Holocene humid period: Life-sized camel engravings and early occupations on the southern edge of the Nefud desert Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-09-23 Maria Guagnin, Ceri Shipton, Finn Stileman, Faisal Jibreen, Malek AlSulaimi, Paul S. Breeze, Mathew Stewart, Amy Hatton, Nick Drake, Deepak Kumar Jha, Fahad Al-Tamimi, Mohammed Al-Shamry, Mishaal Al-Shammari, Andrea Kay, Huw S. Groucutt, Abdullah M. Alsharekh, Michael Petraglia
The Neolithic of northern Arabia is characterised by monumental stone structures, ephemeral ‘hearth sites’ indicative of a highly mobile lifestyle, and a rich rock art heritage with iconic representations of domesticated livestock. However, the character and timing of occupation prior to the spread of pastoralism (ca. 6000 BCE) remains elusive, with only one stratified Epipalaeolithic site and two
-
Beyond 55° North latitude: Expanding the northern boundary of initial upper Paleolithic dispersal Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-09-20 Evgeny P. Rybin, Mikhail N. Mescherin, Alexey M. Klementiev, Arina M. Khatsenovich
Human populations, the bearers of laminar Initial Upper Paleolithic industries (IUP) in Central Eurasia, were adapted to the mosaic environments of mountains and their piedmonts. Until recently, no IUP sites in northern Asia had been found north of 55° North latitude, beyond the mountain belt of southern Siberia. Increasingly over the past 20 years, emerging evidence of human occupation of northern
-
Nine types of iron smelting furnaces in southern Siberia in the first millennium AD: A review of archaeological and chronological data Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Evgeny V. Vodyasov, Petr B. Amzarakov, Timur R. Sadykov, Yuri V. Shirin, Olga V. Zaitceva, Christian Leipe, Pavel E. Tarasov
-
Newly found rock painting sites in the upper Atrak Valley, Northern Khorasan, North- eastern Iran Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-08-14 Ali A. Vahdati
The mountainous region of Northern Khorasan province in northeastern Iran is rich in rock art sites including several petroglyph and rock-painting sites. Rock paintings at the Zeynekānlu- Mardkānlu rock-shelters and Bāsh Mahalle near Fāruj are newly recorded pictographic sites in the Atrak River Basin depicting zoomorphic and geometric imagery. While the panel at Zeynekānlu shows several mountain goats
-
Identifying seasonal settlement sites and land use continuity in the prehistoric southern Siberian steppe – Zhelvak 5 (Tuva) Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-08-07 Nina A. Zhogova, Łukasz Oleszczak, Krzysztof Michalczewski, Igor Pieńkos, Gino Caspari
The identification of camp sites of Iron Age cultures on the Eurasian steppes has long been a problem as the traces of seasonal settlements are faint and often destroyed by agricultural activities. Recent research has found increasing evidence for less mobility and a larger role farming played in the mixed and locally adapted economies of peoples on the steppes. Here we present the results of the investigation
-
Lakhuti-IV – A new site of the early Palaeolithic in Central Asia (Tajikistan) Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-07-29 Anton Anoikin, Petr Sosin, Andrei Rybalko, Tura Khudjageldiev, Abdullo Sharipov, Asliddin Karayev, Ekaterina Kulakova, Olga Meshcheryakova, Olga Tokareva, Redzhep Kurbanov
Opening of series of sites of Loess Palaeolithic in Central Asia, found within a different levels of loess-palaeosol sequences of Tajikistan, was a great step in understanding history of hominin dispersal in Eurasia. The highest density of Loessic Palaeolithic sites is recorded in the Khovaling Loess Plateau. In 2021 a Russian-Tajik geoarchaeological expedition carried out an archaeological survey
-
Toolstone characterization, description, morphometrics, and microwear of a lithic sample from Uptar, Magadan Oblast, Northeastern Siberia, Russia Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-07-26 Metin I. Eren, Fernando Diez-Martin, Antonio Tarriño, Heather Smith, Briggs Buchanan, G. Logan Miller, Matthew Boulanger, Sergei Slobodin
The peopling process of North and South America started in Northeast Asia and was a cultural evolutionary event. An evolutionary approach to archaeology, however, begins with detailed description of assemblages. The Uptar site, Russia, played a prominent role in debates about New World colonization, due to the presence of a “fluted” bifacially flaked stone lanceolate. However, in recent years, Uptar
-
Above ground and underground – An integrated approach of the burial mounds within the Suusamyr plateau, Kyrgyzstan Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-07-04 Adrian Cristian Ardelean, Adriana Sărășan, Andrei Bălărie, Kunbolot Akmatov, Kubatbek Tabaldiev, Ruben Wehrheim
Archaeological research in the Kyrghyz Tian Shan Mountains using state-of-the-art technology such as geophysical investigations and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is still in its early stages. The current investigations have shed light on the complexity of burial grounds in the Suusamyr Plateau, where over 951 structures have withstood the test of time and now serve as a silent expression of ancient
-
The younger Dryas layer at Boncuklu Tarla and the beginning of village life in the upper Tigris Basin Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-06-20 Ergül Kodaş
Recent archaeological excavations in the Boncuklu Tarla, Çemka Höyük, and Körtik Tepe settlements in the Upper Tigris Basin have provided a number of finds from the pre-PPNA Period, the Younger Dryas. The new data also opens up the concept of the Proto-Neolithic Period to discussion again, which has been controversial for a long time in the East Jazeera and Northwest Zagros Region. In this context
-
Early Holocene broad-spectrum subsistence at Xinglong in the southeastern Inner Mongolian Plateau, North China Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-06-12 Minghao Lin, Yanbo Song, Zitong Liu, Yangliu Peng, Mingjian Guo, Xiaohong Wu, Gang Wang
Human adaptations post-Pleistocene, especially during the early Holocene in ecotonal regions, are vital for understanding the mechanisms of evolutionary trajectories of domestication in human history. Unfortunately, human subsistence in the ecotonal zones in North China, which is one of the earliest domestication centers in the world, has not yet been fully understood. Here, we present zooarchaeological
-
The Middle Paleolithic of Tsagaan Agui Cave in the Gobi Altai region of Mongolia and its Siberian and Central Asian links Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-06-13 Arina M. Khatsenovich, Evgeny P. Rybin, Yadmaa Tserendagva, Dashzeveg Bazargur, Ganbold Margad-Erdene, Daria V. Marchenko, Byambaa Gunchinsuren, John W. Olsen, Anatoly P. Derevianko
Stratified Middle Paleolithic industries in Mongolia are mostly known from final Middle Paleolithic complexes in the Orkhon and Kharganyn Gol valleys in the north-central part of the country, while Middle Paleolithic sites in the Gobi Desert have not attracted as much attention. Re-analysis of archaeological collections made during excavations of Tsagaan Agui Cave in 1987–1989 have made it possible
-
Animal stable isotope data from Dzhetyasar and Oguz culture sites of the lower Syr Darya in Kazakhstan Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-05-20 Yslam Kurmaniyazov, Azilkhan Tazhekeyev, Sergeq Bolelov, Rustem Darmenov, Zhetesbi Sultanzhanov, Kyzgaldak Sharapova, Zhaina Sydykova, Seidali Bilalov, Galymzhan Bekseitov, Laila Makhambetova Alievna, Gulmira Amirgalina, Agabek Nazarov, Elina Ananyevskaya
This paper presents animal (n = 60) and human (n = 1) bone collagen carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data from the previously not studied Dzhetyasar culture, as well as from new sites associated with the Oguz period located in the lower Syr Darya River of Kazakhstan. Radiocarbon dating indicated that the studied contexts from sites Sortobe 1 (882–1007 CE) and Sortobe 2 (AD 1040-1272) can be linked
-
Paddy rice, aggregation, and the development of Mumun social organization in Ulsan, southeastern Korea Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-04-25 Minkoo Kim, Jinwoo Lee, Yoojin Hyung, Hayeong Shin, Sunwook Kim, Subin Chae
Previous research has reported that Mumun settlements (ca. 1500–300 BCE) in southeastern Korea consisted of multiple house clusters that were basal social units. This study evaluates this claim by inspecting intra-settlement dwelling distribution in sites with more than 40 pithouses. Ripley's K-function and the density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) method were implemented
-
Strontium isotope analysis of the Xiongnu nobles and their followers in Central Mongolia Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-04-03 Ligang Zhou, Diimaajav Erdenebaatar, Enkhbayar Mijiddorj, Baatar Galbadrakh, Wanli Lan, Bin Liu
As the first provenance study focusing on Xiongnu nobles and their followers, this study analyzed eleven human and four animal remains from the Gol Mod 2 cemetery in western Mongolia for strontium isotope ratios. The results suggest that two of the three nobles had lived in the Khanuy valley for an extended period of time, and one had lived elsewhere but was buried at the same cemetery as were the
-
The Artaxiad capital of ceramic: Exploring the changing local pottery production and exchange at Artaxata (Armenia) from the 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-03-30 Carmen Ting, Saskia Erhardt, Hayk A. Gyulamiryan, Achim Lichtenberger, Syuzanna R. Muradyan, Torben Schreiber, Mkrtich H. Zardaryan
This paper offers an insight into the characteristics of local pottery production and exchange at Artaxata, modern Armenia, from the 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE, drawing from stratigraphic, typological and technological evidence. The pottery assemblage under study derives from the Armenian-German Artaxata Project, a collaboration between the Armenian Academy of Sciences and University of Münster
-
An ethno-archaeological approach to the study of log: An ancient circular domestic installation in bent, the Iranian Baluchistan Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-03-29 Hossein Vahedi, Mahmood Heydarian
This study reports on the preliminary results of an ethnoarchaeological project and presents direct evidence for the use of log, that is, circular domestic installations. It, therefore, helps to better identify, understand and interpret such archaeological evidence. This study is based on ethnoarchaeological research in rural households in the Iranian Sistanian highlands. The conceptual framework of
-
Between the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea: Human occupation of the coastal zone of the Western Caspian in the Pleistocene Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-03-21 A.A. Anoikin, A.G. Rybalko, A.V. Kandyba, M.F. Knudsen, N.A. Vikulova, E.P. Kulakova, T.A. Yanina, A.Yu. Kazanskiy, A.S. Murray, R.N. Kurbanov
In recent years more than 20 new Palaeolithic sites have been discovered on the Caucasian coast of the Caspian Sea, in Dagestan, including several multilayer stratified sites. Broad chronological range archaeological and geological studies have allowed the description of stone industries from the beginning of the Lower Palaeolithic to the beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic, covering almost the entire
-
Occupation of highland Central Asia: New evidence from Kurteke rockshelter, Eastern Pamir Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-03-16 Svetlana Shnaider, Snezhana V. Zhilich, Lidia V. Zotkina, Kseniia A. Boxleitner, William T.T. Taylor, Nuritdin Sayfullaev, Vladimir V. Koval, Svetlana V. Baranova, Alexander A. Chernonosov, Lyubov A. Kutnyakova, Laure Tonasso-Calvière, Ludovic Orlando, Robert Spengler
The highlands of Central Asia played a crucial role in cultural development across the later Holocene, serving to foster the diffusion of cultural elements by late prehistoric populations and to support the trans-Eurasian exchange routes of the historic Silk Road. However, the early chronology of human occupation in many areas of Inner Asia – particularly the high Pamir Mountains – remains poorly understood
-
Regional variation in the shift towards microlithization: The development of early microblade technology in North China Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-03-16 Chao Zhao, Youping Wang, John P. Walden
We reconstruct the early developmental sequence of microblade technology in North China through comprehensive analysis of lithic remains dating from ∼27–20 cal. ka BP. Lithic analysis reveals that the earliest microblade technology emerged in North China at ∼27–26 cal. ka BP. The earliest microblades exhibit precocious features and coexisted with blade assemblages. The close technical affinity between
-
Pottery studies in Kabul (Afghanistan) and its region from 100 BCE to 1000 CE Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-03-10 Zafar Paiman, Jean-Baptiste Houal
During the last ten years, intense archaeological activities have taken place both in the city of Kabul (Afghanistan) and on its outskirts. They presently highlight the development of this region from the 1st century CE, and especially the 5th century CE, onwards under the influence of important Buddhist monasteries. This presence was already known from excavations done during the 1930s, but in recent
-
Earthquake-induced deformation at archaeological sites in southeastern Gorny Altai (Siberia, Russia) Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-02-17 Evgeny Deev, Andrey Borodovskiy, Andrey Entin
Archaeoseismic studies in the Kurai Fault Zone in southeastern Gorny Altai (Siberia, Russia) reveal signatures of deformation caused by paleoearthquakes to burial and memorial sites (mound, khereksur, stone heap, stone enclosures), megaliths (steles), and irrigation ditch (suvak), which were located at the front of fault scarps or in their vicinity. The seismic motions left numerous traces of deformation:
-
Disjunction, or continuity: Re-identifying the “Kushan” and “post-Kushan” periods at Kausambi Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-02-15 Jiajing Mo
The investigation of Early Historic sites has often found a culturally rich “Kushan” accumulation in contrast to the scanty finds of later centuries. This discrepancy has led to a hypothesis of urban decline and associated changes in socio-economic structure. However, more recent research has suggested that the missing archaeological record has primarily resulted from the poor investigation of the
-
Challenging the Late Neolithic cultural horizon of Southern Arabia: The case of Sharbithat 10 (Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman) Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2023-01-25 Maria Pia Maiorano, Grégor Marchand, Jérémie Vosges, Vincent Charpentier
The Neolithic in Southern Arabia has always shown unique traits that followed an autonomous path, different from the Northern Arabian region and the Levant. Its chronological framework is still under construction, but the systematic research occurring in Oman unveils a complex picture of moving populations developing specific solutions to various environmental conditions. This paper shows the results
-
Hunter-gatherers in labyrinth karst: An Early Holocene record from Gunung Sewu, Java Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-12-08 Hendri A.F. Kaharudin, Grizzly A.R. Ananda, Wastu H. Prasetya, Muhammad W. Wibisono, J.S.E. Yuwono
Gua Mandung is an inland prehistoric site in Gunung Sewu karst area of central Java, Indonesia. This area is rich in valleys and corridors which make up Gunung Sewu's distinct labyrinth-like landscape. For Java, Gunung Sewu is known to have a relatively harsh environment with limited access to permanent water sources and a short wet season. However, here we report evidence of occupation at the site
-
The living past: A mural tomb of nomadic elite in the capital Pingcheng of the northern Wei empire (398–494 CE) Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-11-23 Guowen Zhang, Xiaogang Hou, Dawei Tao
Based on a preliminary investigation of archaeological remains from a mural tomb at the Qilicun cemetery, this study revealed the foodways, burial customs, and social status of a nomadic Tuoba Xianbei elite in the diverse economic and cultural context of Pingcheng city in the Northern Wei Dynasty.
-
Diversity and continuity in the pottery traditions of the Wallacean islands: New evidence from Makpan Cave, Alor island, Indonesia Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-11-18 Phillip Beaumont, Mathieu Leclerc, Shimona Kealy, Sue O'Connor
This study examines a pottery assemblage from Makpan Cave, Alor, Indonesia dating from ∼3300 BP to historic times, constituting one of only a few documented ceramic studies from the Nusa Tenggara Timur archipelago. The assemblage is characterised by idiosyncratic decorative features along with a range of surface finishes not commonly emphasised in other research in the region. The Makpan pottery exhibits
-
Barely scratched the surface: Development and future directions of lithic use-wear analysis in Island Southeast Asia Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-11-16 Riczar Fuentes, Alfred Pawlik
Use-wear, microwear, or traceological analysis is a method for the identification of prehistoric tool use and associated activities. While this method can be applied to any lithic and some non-lithic materials, use-wear analysis plays, in particular, an important role in understanding amorphous flake tools from Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) during the Late Pleistocene. The absence of formal tool types
-
A materiality approach to moveable containers in the Indus tradition Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-11-12 J. Bates
The “humility of things”, their physicality and often mundanity, can allow objects to escape our notice in the everyday whilst also making them indispensable to our daily lives. Affordances, the potential relationships that form when people and objects interact, relationships shaped by the physical properties of the objects, further enmesh material culture and people. This paper applies these concepts
-
Boar or bear? Rock art of the Shakhty rock-shelter (Eastern Pamir) Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-11-10 Lydia V. Zotkina, Dmitry G. Malikov, Svetlana V. Shnaider, Nuritdin N. Sayfulloev, Ksenya A. Kolobova
One of the fundamental lines of rock art research is chronological attribution of images. State-of-the-art methodology includes a set of direct and indirect approaches aimed at correlation the imagery with specific archaeological cultures or at least at definition of the chronological boundaries. The highlands of Eastern Pamir (Tadjikistan) is known by a very few rock art sites among which the Shakhty
-
The newly-found petroglyphs of Ariyeh in Khorasan Razavi province, North-Eastern Iran Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-11-10 Hassan Basafa, Farshid Masihniya, Dario Sigari
Despite the distribution of known rock art in Iran showing a main concentration in central and western Iran, research activities undertaken in the very last decades led to the identification of sites in eastern Iran as well. In 2018 a new rock art site was discovered close to Ariyeh, Khorasan Razavi province, NE Iran. Here we present a case report on these newly found petroglyphs that are now in imminent
-
Architecture and function of salt-producing kilns from the 8th to 18th century in the coastal Sundarbans mangrove forest, Central Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, Bangladesh Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-11-10 H.R. Kudrass, T.J.J. Hanebuth, A.M. Zander, J. Linstädter, S.H. Akther, U.M. Shohrab
Subsidence along the central coast of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta and a subsequent rapid burial by mangrove mud have preserved a hundred earthen kilns at 11 localities, exposed due to recent coastal erosion. The associated pottery indicates that the kilns were used for salt crystallization in brine pots mounted on perforated hotplates. Four kiln varieties were found at successive elevations. The kiln
-
Preliminary archaeological findings from recent excavations of a Sarmatian (Iron Age) kurgan site at Karaoba, Kostanay Region, Kazakhstan Archaeological Research in Asia (IF 0.9) Pub Date : 2022-11-10 Akhan Onggaruly, Reed Coil, Christina Pugh, Zhuldyz Tashmanbetova, Arhat Kairmagambetov, Tamarakhonum Davlatova, Madina Makulbekova
This paper presents Karaoba, a 4th-2nd centuries BCE Sarmatian burial complex in the Kostanay Region of northwestern Kazakhstan, which exists on the very eastern margins of Sarmatian cultural influence. The undercut burial style is common in the southern Urals and western Kazakhstan, but rare in this region; Karaoba is one of the few examples of its presence this far east. Preliminary findings from