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The authors present an early evidence for the use of complex fishing techniques for obtaining variable fish resources in prehistoric south-east Europe as recovered at the Neolithic site of Vinča – Belo Brdo in Serbia. In particular, a group of bone artefacts have been analysed through the application of an integrated approach combining technological, use-wear, and residue analyses as well as the comparisons with ethnographic artefacts. The results of the functional analysis indicate that these artefacts were parts of lure hooks, i.e. composite hooks, probably used to catch large predatory fish. On methodological grounds, the discussion proposed in this paper could be relevant for other case studies worldwide where one finds prehistoric communities with evidence of fishing activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct evidence for the intentional patination of metal objects is difficult to ascertain and therefore studies concerning this technique are controversial. Only a couple of objects with artificially patinated surfaces have been positively identified, ranging in date from the early 2nd millennium BC to Roman and medieval times. In this paper a skillfully crafted and coloured Early Iron Age bronze axe belonging to the Villanova culture of ancient Italy was selected for examination. Optical microscopy and multiple mineralogical analyses of the surface of this object demonstrate that it was patinated deliberately by a thermal treatment technology (thermal patination). So far, this Iron Age axe is the oldest European object where this technology had been applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a geochemical analysis of a remarkable assemblage from the early La Tène period (4th century BCE): the Duchcov hoard found in the late 19th century in north-western Bohemia. More than a thousand pieces of bronze jewellery (mostly brooches and bracelets) in a bronze cauldron were deposited in a natural spring. This possibly ritual offering of unknown purpose might have involved a large community whose origin and structure could be discussed using archaeometric data from the hoard. The typologically and chronologically highly homogeneous assemblage with stylistic parallels across western and central Europe offers a unique opportunity to study Iron Age bronze metalworking, for which scientific data in Europe are still sparse. The assemblage was studied using a range of methods to derive information on the composition of the alloys and to determine their provenance using trace element patterns and lead isotope analysis. The results show that this seemingly homogeneous assemblage contains several chemically distinctive groups that are compatible with the spread of the so-called Duchcov-Münsingen horizon in the 4th century BCE. Mobility patterns or economic networks that may have resulted in such diverse geochemical data are discussed. The paper also discusses the multi-statistical approach to evaluating data in order to determine provenance. The findings and their narrative are discussed in the historical framework of the 'Celtic migrations' in Europe in the 4th century BCE. • First publication of the geochemical analysis of early La Tène objects in Europe. • Lead isotopes revealed a remarkably wide geographical spread for the samples. • Object origins identified across western and central Europe. • Robust statistical methods were used to discuss provenance. • The provenance of metals is linked either to people's mobility patterns or possible exchange networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The transition from hunter-gathering to agriculture (Neolithic) spread gradually across Europe from the Southeast. A reduction in cultural diversity of crop farming practices has been previously observed by comparing pre-LBK Neolithic sites in Greece and the Balkans (dated about 8500 yr BP) to LBK Neolithic sites in Central Europe (dated about 7000 yr BP). The decrease in crop diversity is statistically significant even when considering only the species less likely to have been subject to smaller productivity due to climatic factors (reductions in growing season, temperature, daylight, etc.). This reduction in cultural diversity has not been explained previously. In this paper we show that spatial drift, which occurred on the front of the advancing wave of pioneer settlements, can explain the observed loss of diversity during the LBK range expansion. Our results suggest that spatial dimensions can have a relevant effect also in other case studies in which cultural drift is important. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper deals with the importance of chemical analyses in characterising prehistoric pottery fabrics. Two three-year projects focussed on the minero-petrographic and SEM/EDS analyses of the oldest pottery from south-east Europe (ca. 6000 cal BC). Whereas in the Impressed Ware culture of the Adriatic region, optical microscopy was sufficient to identify provenance, the more uniform geological background of the central Balkans required chemical analyses to be able to differentiate between different raw materials. Multiple bulk analyses of each sherd were obtained to gauge the variability in composition within each vessel. The limiting factor in determining provenance in this area appears to be the similarity of clay sources, not the inhomogeneity of the coarse pottery. This is shown here using results from four of the sites, including three where petrographic analyses could not establish provenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Diatoms recovered from archaeological features on a Viking Age farmstead excavation in the Mosfell Valley in southwestern Iceland are utilized as microscopic indicators of turf-based structures. Eroded turf can be difficult to distinguish macroscopically from naturally occurring sediments because turf foundations erode and melt into the landscape over time, leaving minimal evidence of site use. Turf was a principle building component in Iceland until the early 20th century. Turf strips and blocks were harvested from lowlands where organically rich peat and abundant water contributed to the development of bog plants with thick root mats that produced premium turf. Diatoms embedded in turf reflect the ecological conditions of the peat-bog at the time of deposition. Turf was cut from the bog and transported to higher elevations where drainage was more conducive to house construction. Siliceous diatom frustules are resistant to decay and preserve well archaeologically. The presence of diatoms in archaeological sediments is considered a marker of sediment provenience and an indication of human site use and anthropogenic modification of natural substrates. This paper demonstrates how diatom analysis can determine the presence and delimitation of archaeological features otherwise difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper we examine ways to predict the distribution of siliceous rock in Europe, using a Bayesian technique known as ‘Weights-of-Evidence’. We use the technique to classify bedrock geological formations in terms of their likelihood of yielding tool-quality lithic raw materials, and we use the results to re-examine possible causes of a west–east cline in maximum lithic raw material transfer distances observed when comparing sites in both Middle and Upper Palaeolithic Europe. It is evident from our results that there is a decline in abundance of geological formations highly predictive of tool-quality rock along a west–east cline, predominantly reflecting a decrease in abundance of Jurassic and Cretaceous chert-bearing sedimentaries. Our results are consistent with an interpretation of the Upper Palaeolithic record of transfer distances as indicating special-purpose procurement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents new AMS radiocarbon dating results of six ungulate bones from the current excavation of Isturitz Cave, France, layer C 4c4. The assemblage from this layer exhibits a suite of traits closely aligned with the Early Aurignacian, but with some aspects that bear strong similarities with the Protoaurignacian, with possible in situ technological transformation. Accurate and precise dating of the late Middle Palaeolithic and the early Upper Palaeolithic periods is critical to our understanding of the possible relationship between final Neanderthals and early modern humans in Europe. As such, a rigorous set of sample selection and evaluation protocols was developed and used in this research. Among these, only cutmarked bones were selected and a total of 31 targets were made, giving a weighted average of 37,180±420BP for this assemblage and providing a terminus ante quem for the ornaments, decorated artefact and amber pendants beneath it. The implications and importance of these results to debates concerning the chronological relationship between the Châtelperronian, Protoaurignacian and Early Aurignacian and associated debates regarding hominin dispersal, interaction and the timing of technical and cultural innovations are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Barnacles of the species Pollicipes pollicipes are crustaceans that nowadays live on wave-beaten rocky substrates in the intertidal and low-shore zones on the coasts of Atlantic Europe and North Africa. At the present time, the exploitation of this species is profitable, especially in northern Spain where this sea-food is highly valued, as well as expensive. However, the gathering of this resource, which is carried out manually by the percebeiros or “goose barnacle fishers” entails great risks. The exploitation of goose barnacles is, however, not a recent activity, as evidence of it has been seen in southwest Europe in the Mesolithic (about 8000 BP), and above all from the early Neolithic (about 6000 BP). This paper analyses the archaeological evidence of barnacles (tergum, scutum and carina, calcareous plates located in the capitulum) that have been found at one Spanish Neolithic site located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula (Los Gitanos Cave, in Cantabrian Spain). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper brings together the results of five present-day studies of arable weed ecology, and applies these to the identification of past crop husbandry regimes on the basis of archaeobotanical weed assemblages. The contrasting husbandry regimes covered by the present-day studies include irrigation and dry farming, fallowing and rotation, intensive and extensive cultivation, and autumn and spring sowing. The weed floras associated with these regimes were analysed in terms of the functional ecology of the species represented. These same functional attributes, that distinguished contrasting regimes, were then measured for the weed species found accompanying crop seeds in two archaeobotanical studies, of the Islamic site of Khirbet Faris, S. Jordan and Neolithic sites in central Europe. Analyses using these functional measurements resulted in the identification of irrigation at the former and in the identification of sowing time and intensive cultivation at the latter. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Widespread layers of well-preserved organically and archaeologically rich palaeosols dating to the Bronze Age and Iron Age are known from across the Atlantic seaboard of Scotland, including the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland. The survival of these soils has been facilitated by an overburden of Aeolian sand forming dunes above them. Whilst these soils display archaeological importance, they are constantly under threat from erosion through storm damage due to their exposed coastal position. This presents certain challenges with regard to heritage management, since their extents are largely unknown, normally only being identified when exposed by wind and storm erosion. Consequently, following such damage mitigation can only be reactionary in response to archaeological deposits being uncovered, and left open to threat, Without accurately mapping the extent of these important deposits, archaeological landscape management is compromised. This paper presents a case study aimed at enabling proactive management of these deposits through rapid three-dimensional mapping undertaken using a combination of borehole-calibrated GPR survey and GIS modelling. The results demonstrate how effective baseline data can be generated to highlight areas of greater or lesser risk thereby providing the potential for quantifying and predicting the effects of damage from future storm events. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Baked materials from three archaeological sites in Switzerland and one in Bulgaria have been examined and dated archaeomagnetically. The detailed rock-magnetic properties of the burnt clay collected have already been studied therefore and have been published elsewhere (Geophysical Journal International 153 (2003) 146). The main aim of this paper is to determine the terminus ante quem for the last firing of the clay collected from pottery kilns or burnt layers. The directional and intensity results of the ancient geomagnetic field corresponding to the time of the structure''s last firing are given for each site. These geomagnetic parameters are then compared with reference curves to provide archaeomagnetic dates for the last use of the kilns. Application of archaeomagnetism as a dating tool is only possible for those regions that already have reference curves. Bulgaria is fortunate in having established reference curves covering almost the last 8000 years. Two Swiss sites were dated using only directional results on the basis of existing palaeodirectional results for Switzerland as well as the French directional reference curves. The archaeomagnetic dates of three of the sites were then compared to archaeological evidence and available radiocarbon dates. The palaeointensity data obtained from this study will enrich the existing archaeomagnetic database for western Europe. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mathematical models of Neolithic spread use dispersal histograms to estimate some of the parameters necessary to obtain quantitative spread rates that can be compared to those inferred from the archaeological record. However, it has been never determined if dispersal histograms are a reasonable approximation to the complete distribution of dispersal distances. Indeed, it is unknown if long-distance dispersal events are important in Neolithic spread, similarly to what happens in many ecological invasions. In this paper, we first exemplify the possible importance of long-distance dispersal by using a detailed histogram for a modern, industrialized population. We show that using such an histogram yields substantially faster spread rates than those of Neolithic waves of advance, and that this is due to the existence of long-distance dispersal events (of several hundred kilometers). Next we address the question of whether such a behavior is also observed in pre-industrial populations. For this purpose, we use a complete set of dispersal distances for the individuals of a pre-industrial population for the first time, and we find that long-distance dispersal events (i.e., of several hundred kilometers) are absent. We also show that, using this complete set of dispersal distances, the spread rates predicted by a mathematical model are consistent with those of the Neolithic, both in continental Europe and in Scandinavia. Moreover we observe, quite surprisingly, that computing histograms (even with only 4 bins) from the complete set of individual distances introduces negligible changes in the results. We argue that these results (the absence of long-distance dispersal events, the agreement with the archaeological record, and the validity of the histogram approach) imply that the propagation of Neolithic waves of advance can be described using a sound mathematical approach, which also yields reliable estimates on the relative importance of demic and cultural diffusion. This is applied to several case studies (Europe, Scandinavia and some specific ceramic cultures in Neolithic Europe). • We apply a pre-industrial census to estimate dispersal distances between birthplaces of parent and their children. • Dispersal histograms (even with only 4 bins) are a reasonable approximation to the complete set of dispersal distances. • We analyze the spread of the Neolithic in Europe, Scandinavia and some specific ceramic cultures in Neolithic Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In various research fields, from archaeology to landscape history and ecology, it is important to know the date of the origin of historical settlements (i.e. towns, villages, hamlets, isolated farms) as precisely as possible. In Central Europe, there are two primary ways to obtain the date when a settlement was founded: "historical dating" (based on historical written sources) and "archaeological dating" (based on archaeological findings). Historical dating usually does not reflect the real time of origin, since the first reference to a settlement in written sources can be recorded many years after the real origin of the settlement. However, the time lag is unknown. Until now, no study has attempted to show exactly how the time lag differs in different centuries, or whether the time lag has been affected by any geographical factors. This paper compares the dates of origin from archaeological data and from written sources of medieval and early modern settlements (n = 527, AD 850–1600) in the present-day Czech Republic. We also tested the influence of local environmental conditions on the time lag. Our comparison shows that the time lag has been decreasing with the passing of calendar years (from a time lag of 250 years for AD 1000 to approx. 80 years for AD 1400). Towns and places close to major towns also have a shorter time lag in their historical dating (the difference is almost 100 years). These results make an interpretation of the historical dating of medieval towns and villages more complicated. The length of the time lag and its dispersion means that, for the purposes of settlement dating, historical dating needs to be combined with other dating methods (especially in the medieval period). Our results also identify a possible bias in the chronology of landscape transformation. • Written sources are not reliable for dating medieval settlements in Central Europe. • We have assessed the concordance between written sources and archaeological data. • The usual time lag in written sources decreases with increasing calendar year. • Around AD 1200, the typical time lag of written sources is 150 years. • Around AD 1600, written sources agree with archaeological data in 70% of the cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]