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To understand the implications of archaeological site recording practices and associated inventories for studying Indigenous persistence after the arrival of Europeans, we examined the documentary record associated with nearly 900 archaeological sites in Marin County, California. Beginning with the first regional surveys conducted during the early 1900s and continuing into the present, the paper trail created by archaeologists reveals an enduring emphasis on precontact materials to the exclusion of more recent patterns of Indigenous occupation and land use. In assessing sites occupied by Indigenous people from the late sixteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries, we discuss how the use of multiple lines of evidence--including temporally diagnostic artifacts, chronometric dating techniques, and historical documentation--may help illuminate subtle but widespread patterns of Native presence that have been obscured by essentialist assumptions about Indigenous culture change. Our findings further reveal the shortcomings of traditional site recording systems, in which archaeologists typically categorize sites within the prehistoric-protohistoric-historic triad on the basis of commonsense decisions that conflate chronology with identity. Instead, we argue for recording practices that focus specifically on the calendric ages of occupation for any given site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study of the San Isidro archaeological site in El Salvador, providing significant insights into the development of Preclassic settlements in the region. Through analysis of ceramic sequences, radiocarbon dating, and excavations, the study traces the site's evolution and its contextual significance within Mesoamerican and Isthmo-Colombian spheres. We report on the discovery of over 50 mounds constructed around 400 b.c., indicating the emergence of a complex social structure at that time. The unearthed artifacts, including jade objects and Bolinas-type figurines, suggest cultural exchange with often distant regions of Mesoamerica and the Isthmo-Colombian area. This research not only contributes to understanding the chronological and geographic development of San Isidro but also highlights the site's role in broader Preclassic Mesoamerican cultural dynamics. Our findings challenge existing perceptions of cultural peripherality and emphasize the need for nuanced regional studies in reconstructing ancient Central American history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents, from an approach of archaeothanatology, osteobiography, bioarchaeology of care and palimpsest, the analysis of one of the most important archaeological findings recently made in western Mexico. It is about a female person buried in a lavish tomb in the Tingambato archaeological site, Michoacán, Mexico, dated 1400 years ago, with more than 19,000 objects covering her body. This research presents the results of the work of almost a decade of studies carried out by different methods on this individual: morphophysical studies, taphonomy, dating, genetics, as well as various techniques of virtual archaeology among others. Through the Index of Care it was possible to systematize all the information obtained by different study methods and integrate it for analysis. The use of archaeothanatology and the Index of Care makes it possible to perform analyses on specific individuals from the past to establish their health conditions and the probable causes of death. The main limitation that arose was the poor state of preservation in which we received the bones, which unfortunately did not allow us to carry out some morphoscopic and taphonomic studies that would have been relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Later Stone Age (LSA) site of Zuurberg in the Cape Fold Mountains of South Africa was excavated in the 1920s by F.W. FitzSimons. As with his other excavations, not much is known about the exact provenance and detailed archaeological context of the remains. This paper reports the re-analysis and dating of the human skeletal remains from Zuurberg. The remains were commingled but here sorted according to previously published sources. The remains of eight individuals are present, of which only one (Zg3) is fairly complete. The assemblage includes four older adults, two younger or middle-aged adults, an adolescent and a child. Two of the three individuals who could be assessed showed signs of enamel hypoplasia, which probably attests to some hardship. One of the individuals was dated to 4795 ± 42 BP (Ua-61976), which places this site into the Wilton period of the South African LSA. However, the different levels of burials, as well as the presence of potsherds, may suggest an extended use of the site. Isotopic analysis suggests a mixed diet, which was not depleted of protein. The reassessment, sorting and dating of these remains add value to the collection, especially as they come from an open-air, non-coastal forager site. This assemblage can now be included in future studies of southern African Stone Age foragers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narva, Estonia's easternmost city, was once famous for its baroque Old Town, but this was sadly destroyed during World War II. When Estonia regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the border town quickly became a site of complex memory politics, intensified by a widely felt loss of its former architectural and industrial status. This was particularly manifested in growing nostalgia for the Old Town and discourses on rebuilding it, despite the changed urban dynamics. Building on a media archaeological approach, this paper explores the role of nostalgia and local memory politics in conditioning the emergence of novel kinds of mediations of the 'lost city', especially in the form of specific mobile media and augmented reality (AR) applications aimed at mapping the whole of the city and allowing experiencing it first-hand. Second, the paper studies the roles these same forms and mediations play in further channelling the nostalgia and modes of reproducing Narva's destroyed Old Town. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first attempts to identify amorphous organic substances in archaeology date to the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The 1960s saw the development of infrared spectrometry, and then separative and mass spectrometry analyses were implemented in the 1980s. But it is only since the 1990s that extended and systematic research programmes were devoted to these substances. The number of publications has not stopped growing and is becoming exponential. To get an overview of the lipid studies in archaeology, we conceived the ARchaeological Organic residues Literature Database (AROLD) as a first structured and collaborative research tool. This paper describes the challenges of setting up such a database, details its architecture, presents the choices involved in its implementation, and discusses the possibilities of sharing and evolving this tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent radiocarbon redating of key sites and events in Huron-Wendat archaeology has shaken dominant accounts of early colonial history. This paper emphasizes the importance of storytelling in archaeology. I consider how refined date estimates for key Huron-Wendat archaeological sites have impacted understandings of conflict, confederacy-formation, and the reception (or not) of early European materials and persons. The paper highlights how this work affects processes of commemoration and collaboration, as well as the importance of shared authority and Huron-Wendat leadership in rewriting contact-era archaeological histories. This project has generated productive new directions for meaningful collaboration between archaeologists and Indigenous researchers and heritage managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a summary of work undertaken by the authors and their teams on a series of Qe'an (plural of Qa'), in the Badia of eastern Jordan. These basins are foci for settlement in the region, with the sites described here (Shubayqa, Wisad and the Qa' Qattafi) edged by archaeological sites dating from the late Epipalaeolithic (ca. 14,500 - 11,600 cal BP) and the Neolithic (ca. 11,700 - 6100 cal BP), and in areas still used by people today as seasonal wetlands for watering animals and growing cereal. We assess here the potential for the Qe'an sediments to provide what would be rare continuous palaeoenvironmental records for this part of SW Asia. The paper presents the first dates from the Qe'an of this region and the outline sedimentology. Much of the fill is of Holocene age, which leads to discussion of climate and landscape change over the last 15,000 years, particularly due to the close geographical relationship between these basins and archaeology. Our optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating of the basin fill suggests that there was significantly more space in the landscape for water storage in the early Holocene, which may have therefore provided this resource for people and their livestock or game for a longer duration each year than that seen today. Linked to this are hypotheses of a more vegetated landscape during this time period. Given the environmentally marginal nature of our study area subtle changes in landscape and/or climate, and human exploitation of these resources, could have led to significant, and likely detrimental for its inhabitants, environmental impacts for the region, such as desertification. Our data are suggestive of desertification occurring, and sets up a clear hypothesis for testing by future work in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper communicates a suitable laboratory protocol for settling the 4 - 11 µm fine grain fraction for OSL dating of archaeological samples from museum artefacts sampled using the minimum extraction technique. It provides a step-by-step methodology to facilitate adapting this protocol for use more broadly and demonstrates its ability to successfully isolate the fine grain fraction from tiny samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss how the history of our discipline continues to shape how we think with material culture to produce narratives. We argue that recent developments in scientific dating—in combination with New Materialist and Big Data approaches—offer the potential to produce radical new interpretations. However, we can only achieve this if we adopt 'ethically Bayesian' approaches which recognise that some of the most fundamental aspects of our epistemological structures are highly situated, reflecting a Eurocentric, colonial legacy. This legacy is especially important when we study societies that did/do not produce texts—so-called 'prehistoric' societies. We suggest that the revolutionary potential of radiocarbon dating on archaeology has not been fully achieved, precisely because chronometric data have not yet been made sufficiently independent from materials-determined narrative structures. We outline the importance of ethically Bayesian approaches as means to challenge this disciplinary inheritance. We argue that we need to describe the richness and specificity of the pasts we bring into being in ways that take better account of the historical processes through which heterogeneous assemblages emerge, rather than to search for preconfigured entities (like 'the Bronze Age'). Times have changed; we need our approaches to time to catch up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boston's "Big Dig" construction project resulted in the excavation of multiple archaeological sites dating from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, including the Great House/Three Cranes Tavern in Charlestown, Massachusetts (USA). An otherwise unremarkable pit below the tavern foundation contained bones originally identified as a cat skeleton, which has subsequently been reidentified as a dog. This paper discusses site context, osteological evidence for the dog's reclassification, and the shifts in cultural meaning this may indicate. Employing an osteobiographical approach, it draws together points of connection between the modern skeletal assessment, a series of 1980s excavations, and the motivations of eighteenth-century tavern inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the 17th to the 19th century, a score of military events, campaigns and battles took place in the Czech lands, leaving numerous traces and distinctly changing the appearance of the cultural landscape in some regions. The results of long-term aerial-archeological surveys in the Czech lands have demonstrated that this detection method is advantageous in identifying buried sites built in the past in the context of military conflicts. Experience hitherto has made it possible to label archeological remote sensing as a collection of the potentially most effective methods for uncovering sites of field fortifications dated to the modern period and the beginning of the industrial era. This includes finds of both solitary sites and segments of strategically built fortification lines. This paper is an attempt to critically evaluate these hitherto recorded landmarks which have been discovered and documented via aerial prospection from the 1990s to the present. At the same time, this study reflects on the possibilities offered by the modern methods of remote sensing which have played a significant role in the discovery, mapping, documentation, digital terrain modelling, and the 3D virtual reconstructions of these sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological textiles are suitable material for radiocarbon dating as they are mainly made of organic matter, such as plant and/or animal fibres. Radiocarbon dating provides objective age estimates of archaeological finds, based on measurements of the carbon-14 isotope present in the organic matter against an internationally used reference standard. However, the quantity and quality of carbon present in the organic matter of archaeological textiles can be affected either by the conditions under which the find was preserved (such as carbonisation, chemical change of organic matter to carbon, and mineralisation, which is the gradual replacement of organic matter by metal degradation products), or by the application of certain interventive methods of conservation (such as, consolidation and the application of organic adhesives that add foreign organic matter/carbon to the textile). Six case studies of archaeological textiles dated using the carbon-14 method are presented here. Two carbonised textile finds, two which were mineralised (one treated with adhesives in the past), and a final two which come from inhumation burials (similar to the textile previously treated with adhesives). This paper includes a discussion and review of the dating method, focusing on sample selection, sample preparation, and by evaluating the efficiency of the technique on textile finds at various states of preservation. This study shows that efficiency of the technique is highly dependable on the amount of carbon present in the finds, which does not seem to be affected by carbonisation, but is greatly affected by mineralisation and the incorporation of foreign organic matter, like synthetic consolidants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faid was a major pilgrim Islamic oasis located 120 km southeast of the Ha'il Province, northwest of Saudi Arabia. It was founded on the major Hajj Road between Baghdad/Kufa and Medina and was developed by Zubaydah bint Ja'far, granddaughter to the Caliph Abu Ja'far al-Mansur (the founder of Baghdad) and wife to the fifth Abbasid Caliph, Harun Ar-Rasid 775-785 CE. Therefore, during the reign of Harun Ar-Rasid Caliph, the major pilgrim road was renamed from Darb Heerah to Darb Zubaydah. The archaeological site in Faid was referenced and described by several travellers and scholars and excavated by the Heritage Commission, Ministry of Culture, Saudi Arabia 1998-2012. From 2014-2022, the University of Ha'il conducted nine fieldwork seasons at the site. The authors directed the last four seasons, which revealed numerous new discoveries from stratified excavations. This study aims to reconstruct the occupation chronology at the site based on stratigraphic contexts and supported by radiocarbon dating, artefact studies, and written resources. Three occupation horizons were identified at the site; the early Abbasid period was the dominant occupation. The resulting radiocarbon calibrated ages were consistent with the preliminary archaeological studies carried out by the authors. The results presented in this paper represent an attempt to reconstruct the chronology of the study site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a preliminary but a comprehensive examination of a terracotta juglet retrieved from the Islamic site of Umm Zweitineh, in central Jordan. This article attempts to pinpoint a fresh addition to our knowledge of the Mameluke period pottery assembly known elsewhere in the Levant. Since neither coherent architectural remains were exposed nor stratigraphic sequence was discerned, however, the unearthed archaeological objects, including the juglet being studied, have not been attributed to specific contexts (e.g., rooms), or loci or strata. Due to budget constraints, there was no possibility to conduct a petrographic analysis. Instead, the authors set out to explore the fabric and decorative scheme of the juglet by the naked eye and to describe the fabric and decoration colours according to the Munsell Chart. We presented it typologically and dated it based on parallels from well-dated sites, especially Hesban, since its decorative scheme, production technique and shape were commonplace in the region of Syria–Palestine from the 12th through the 14th centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than one hundred years, archaeologists in southern New Mexico and the neighboring west Texas and northern Chihuahua have studied the prehispanic lifeways of the Jornada Mogollon culture. Identifying when occupations at Jornada sites occurred largely relies on chronometric dates and on cross dating of previously defined local pottery types – El Paso Brown, El Paso Bichrome, and El Paso Polychrome. Through a study of approximately 130 painted Jornada Mogollon vessels, this paper improves site dating capabilities by describing temporally sensitive El Paso Polychrome subtypes. This study was possible thanks to advances in digital media, museum collections, and substantial volume of new archaeological data, all of which remained unavailable even two decades ago. It is our hope that the newly defined El Paso Polychrome subtypes offer more accurate dating of sites and also provide a brand-new perspective of understanding the variation in painted designs on El Paso Polychrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This correction notice is for an article titled "Origins and evolution of oasis agriculture in the Sahara: Evidence from morphometric analyses of archaeological date palm seeds" published in the journal Holocene. The authors of the article overlooked acknowledging the Libyan Department of Antiquity in their acknowledgments. The authors have requested that the acknowledgement be added to the article, and the journal editor confirms that this correction does not affect the results or conclusions of the paper. [Extracted from the article]

Cyprus, the third largest Mediterranean island, is located at an exceptional crossroad in the eastern Mediterranean, where cultures from the Middle East, Africa and Europe have interacted for more than 10 000 years. The aim of this paper is to present an exhaustive review of the past archaeological geophysical surveys on the island. The result of our research indicates that to date, more than 30 archaeological sites spanning from the Pre‐Pottery Neolithic (ca. 10 000 BC) to the Venetian period (up to 1571 AD) have been investigated through noninvasive ground‐based techniques. The investigations concern the mapping of the extent of ancient occupation (settlements and cemeteries), the study of the internal organization of settlements (domestic architecture, palaces and fortifications), the investigation of funerary structures (tombs) and the use of space within buildings. The methods implemented are multiple and often used in combination. Emphasis has been given to ground penetrating radar (GPR), electromagnetic induction (EMI) and magnetic and electrical resistance techniques. Most surveys have been targeted towards the production of maps representing the spatial distribution of the subsurface architectural residues, and sometimes these have been accompanied by soundings, tomographies, as well as 3D reconstructions of the ancient structures. Very few sites have been subjected to the measurements of the chemical or magnetic properties of the soils in relation to the results of geophysical prospection. Further discussion concerns (i) the targets of the archaeo‐geophysical surveys in Cyprus, (ii) the limitations of the application of the specific techniques in relation to the Cypriot archaeological and geological context, (iii) the geophysical signatures of archaeological remains and (iv) the metadata accompanying the geophysical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a quantitative chronology for the spread of rice, based on the global Rice Chronology Database that builds upon direct datings of archaeological rice remains. Bayesian and spatio-temporal modelling suggest eastern China (lower Yangzi, middle Yangzi, southern Huai River, and Shandong) and northeastern South Asia as two key origins of rice cultivation, dating to ca. 7430 and 6460 BCE, respectively. At least two episodes of spread of rice are identified. The first, dating to the 4th and 3rd millennia BCE, accounts for the appearance of rice in the middle Yellow River and Wei River regions, southeastern China, southwestern China, and Southeast Asia. An examination of population dynamics in China shows that this episode of spread might be associated with farmers whose subsistence was based largely on millets. During a second episode of spread, dating between the 1st millennium BCE and 1st millennium CE, rice spread to the Liao River region, Central Asia, and Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatise "Gothic Migrations: In Search of the Truth" by Andrzej Kokowski discusses the various interpretations of the Goths as a multiethnic formation. Archaeology distinguishes four Gothic cultures: the Wielbark culture, the Masłomęcz group, the Chernyakhov culture, and the Sântana de Mureş culture. DNA tests can support the thesis of multiple multiplicity. However, the author criticizes a 2019 publication that is based on untrue materials and contradicts the current state of knowledge about the chronology of the analyzed materials. The conclusions of the publication contradict the scientific output of historians and archaeologists. The authors of the article made numerous mistakes in their research at the University of Poznań. They misinterpreted the numbering of the graves and spread false information. Additionally, they did not consider the previously published results of other researchers. The authors also had difficulties determining the gender of the skeletons and made false statements. Therefore, the research results of the article should be considered unreliable. The article discusses the problems with dating archaeological finds from the Roman period. It is pointed out that the authors of the article do not have sufficient knowledge in archaeological dating and that their datings are therefore unreliable. It is emphasized that radiocarbon-based dating is only valuable when compared with archaeological datings. It is also noted that the results of aDNA analysis and the migration theories based on them are only meaningful if the graves are accurately dated. The article criticizes the lack of precision and expertise of the authors in dating finds from the Hrubieszów Basin. The article discusses the results of aDNA analysis of skeletal remains from the Wielbark culture cemetery in Masłomęcz. The authors criticize the faulty identification of the materials and the inadequate historical argumentation in the article. They emphasize that aDNA analysis can contribute interesting insights to the historical debate, but that it contradicts historical and archaeological research. The authors call for a more careful consideration of the historical context and improved editorial review of such articles. The text contains a list of publications by archaeologist Andrzej Kokowski on various topics, including the Goths and the Masłomęcz group. Other authors and their works on similar topics are also mentioned. The focus of the text is on archaeological investigations and research on these ancient cultures. The text includes a list of publications and research papers on various topics related to archaeological finds and cultures in Poland. Various authors and their works on topics such as the Goths, Oksywie culture, Chernyakhov culture, and others are mentioned. The publications cover topics such as migration, anthropological investigations, and cultural interpretations. [Extracted from the article]

Since Darwin, studies of human evolution have tended to give primacy to open 'savannah' environments as the ecological cradle of our lineage, with dense tropical forests cast as hostile, unfavourable frontiers. These perceptions continue to shape both the geographical context of fieldwork as well as dominant narratives concerning hominin evolution. This paradigm persists despite new, ground-breaking research highlighting the role of tropical forests in the human story. For example, novel research in Africa's rainforests has uncovered archaeological sites dating back into the Pleistocene; genetic studies have revealed very deep human roots in Central and West Africa and in the tropics of Asia and the Pacific; an unprecedented number of coexistent hominin species have now been documented, including Homo erectus, the 'Hobbit' (Homo floresiensis), Homo luzonensis, Denisovans, and Homo sapiens. Some of the earliest members of our own species to reach South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania and the tropical Americas have shown an unexpected rapidity in their adaptation to even some of the more 'extreme' tropical settings. This includes the early human manipulation of species and even habitats. This volume builds on these currently disparate threads and, for the first time, draws together a group of interdisciplinary, agenda-setting papers that firmly places a broader spectrum of tropical environments at the heart of the deep human past. This article is part of the theme issue 'Tropical forests in the deep human past'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence for specialised bone tools has recently been reported for the Middle Stone Age of North Africa [one], which complements similar finds of slightly younger age in South Africa [two, three]. However, until now scant reference has been made to lesser known tools also made of bone ('bone retouchers') that were employed specifically as intermediaries for working or refining stone artefacts, that are sometimes present in these assemblages. In this paper we describe 20 bone retouchers from the cave of Grotte des Pigeons at Taforalt in north-east Morocco. This is the largest stratified assemblage of bone retouchers from a North African MSA site, and the biggest single collection so far from the African Continent. A total of 18 bone retouchers was recovered in securely dated archaeological levels spanning a period from ~ 84.5 ka to 24 ka cal BP. A further two bone retouchers were found in a layer at the base of the deposits in association with Aterian artefacts dating to around 85,000 BP and so far represent the earliest evidence of this type of tool at Taforalt. In this paper we present a first, detailed description of the finds and trace the stages of their production, use and discard (chaîne opératoire). At the same time, we assess if there were diachronic changes in their form and function and, finally, explore their presence in relation to stone tools from the same occupation layers of the cave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we refine the colonisation timeframe of pine marten (Martes martes) and Algerian hedgehog (Atelerix algirus) to the Balearic Islands synthesising their occurrence records and providing an accurate chronology through new directly 14C dated archaeological bone samples. The new dates are significantly earlier than previously reported finds; therefore, both cases currently represent the earliest records for the human‐mediated translocation of these species in Europe. These new data not only provide further accurate resolution for previous historical translocation hypothesis but also expand the geographical scope throughout the archipelago. The sequence and timing of introduction events are embedded in different historical timeframes. The time of arrival of the pine marten is now established in the early Roman period, a period that supported a huge wave of introduced alien species into the Balearics. For the Algerian hedgehog, the new records further support the hypothesis that the Almohads were responsible for its introduction to these islands. Both examples illustrate how important it is to connect past translocation records to tighter radiometric chronologies through direct dating on bones of the implicated species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modernist archaeology involves the dating and ordering of events, construction phases, objects, people, or processes in well-bounded and discrete sequences. The notion that objects or monuments date to one time or one cultural phase, however, is problematic, particularly in the case of large stone monuments, such as megaliths, whose construction and use are generally dated to the Neolithic, between 6000 and 2500 BCE. This paper examines the methodological challenges of such work and surveys what the archaeological record reveals about the nature of Andalusi engagements with megaliths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Popular culture presents a deep‐rooted perception of medieval warhorses as massive and powerful mounts, but medieval textual and iconographic evidence remains highly debated. Furthermore, identifying warhorses in the zooarchaeological record is challenging due to both a paucity of horse remains relative to other domesticates, and the tendency of researchers to focus on osteological size, which makes it difficult to reconstruct in‐life usage of horses and activity related changes. This paper presents the largest zooarchaeological dataset of English horse bones (n = 1964) from 171 unique archaeological sites dating between AD 300 and 1650. Using this dataset alongside a modern comparative sample of known equids (n = 490), we examine trends in size and shape to explore how the skeletal conformation of horses changed through time and reflected their domestic, elite and military roles. In addition to evidencing the generally small stature of medieval horses relative to both earlier and later periods, we demonstrate the importance of accurately exploring the shape of skeletal elements to describe the morphological characteristics of domestic animals. Furthermore, we highlight the need to examine shape variation in the context of entheseal changes and biomechanics to address questions of functional morphology and detect possible markers of artificial selection on past horses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the use of a planet-dating technique to simulate early Earth and discusses related studies by the team of Markus Lagos, a geochemist affiliated with the University of Bonn. Lagos argues against the previous belief that core formation could explain the lead isotope signature of the Earth by asserting that lead does not have a preference for metallic iron.

This paper presents the discovery of a unique and widespread type of petroglyphs in the Western Negev Highlands, depicting human figures with crescent-shaped headgear, knee-high garments, and crescent pommel daggers. It proposes a methodology for dating this style and its historical context by: (1) analysis of presence or absence of specific animal species in the engraved scenes; (2) examination of the occurrence of particular attributes that appear in the scenes within dated contexts across the ancient Near East; and (3) study of the fit between the incised panels' locations and the distribution of dated archaeological sites in the region and the routes connecting them. Based on this composite analysis, it is proposed that these petroglyphs are associated with groups participating in the copper trade that operated in the Sinai-Negev-Edom region during the Intermediate Bronze Age (ca. 2500–2000 b.c.e.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines chronological methods for reoccupied archaeological sites with surface arrangements of stone features in the alpine tundra. It is challenging to interpret feature dates in the tundra due to sample scarcity and poor context. I use a case study from a communal hunting site in the Rocky Mountains of North America to argue that archaeologists should use multiple dating methods to disentangle complex site formation histories. The High Grade (5BL148) game drive is located in Colorado's Southern Rocky Mountains and includes 30 stone walls, 52 hunting blind pits, and a short line of cairns. Dating results suggest occupations from 4650 b.c.–a.d. 1850, based on artifact typologies, radiocarbon dates on charcoal and bone collagen, and lichenometric dates on stone walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the discovery of the first archaeological evidence of early historic transhumant settlement at the Shati Das. The site is located on the left bank of Indus River near the famous Shatial rock carving sites at District Upper Kohistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. The settlements are located around dried-up lakes at Shati Das. The present discovery shed lights on possible contemporary settlements of the Shatial and Shatial Das rock carving sites. The abandoned settlements are spread around 21 hectares and the structures within, based upon the construction methods and buried nature, belonged to two chronological phases. The settlement of both phases are mainly located in the south and south eastern sides of the lakes. More than 50 percent of the structures are less than 100 square metres in area, while few of the structures cover more than 500 square metres area. Almost all the structures seem to have been divided into two functional areas for animals and humans. The lack of chronometric and environmental datasets from the site hinders the accurate dating of the site. However, the settlements were probably contemporary with the rock carving sites at Shatial and might have belonged to 1st millennium CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the approximate date that an ink was deposited on a document is an increasingly pressing judicial need. Standardised analytical methods are required for this that allow inks to be dated. Existing methods require a comparison and validation for different kinds of ink. This validation and comparison must be done using real samples of known age and in conditions of controlled storage. This paper will present the main existing dating methods that are being used in forensic laboratories, and they will be applied to six different blue and black inks for the Inoxcrom®, Montblanc® and Sigma® brands for ink samples deposited in a period of 0 to 2 years, stored in controlled conditions and analysed every month. These methods are based on determining solvents and dyes using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and high-pressure liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) respectively. Dating methods can be simple or combined, using either a single parameter or multiple parameters, enabling concentration ratios to be determined irrespective of the amount of the sample. The combined methods that determine both solvents and dyes are the ones that present the most reproducible results over longer periods after the ink has been deposited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principal findings of a project begun in 2001, of introducing scientific methodology into the study of the rock art of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are briefly summarised in this paper. They include the first scientific and direct rock art datings reported from the Middle East. The project, commenced by the Deputy Ministry of Antiquities and Museums, is continuing under the auspices of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage. It has led to the discovery of large rock art site complexes numbering tens of thousands of motifs, and to the successful nomination of major rock art properties to the UNESCO World Heritage List. More specifically, the work of this project has also resulted in a preliminary chronological sequence of Arabian Peninsula rock art, the basis of which is briefly presented in this review paper. All petroglyphs analysed so far in Saudi Arabia have been shown to be of the Holocene, with specimens dating from the Pre- Pottery Neolithic (PPN) up to the historical period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is part of a broad special issue exploring the Cultures of the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in Western Europe. In this context our aim is to offer a state of the art review of the figurative Palaeolithic art spanning the period between 15000 and 11500 cal BP (12500-10000 BP) in the Mediterranean Iberia. We start with a short description of the few, but singular, finds published to date in the archaeological literature and ascribed to this period based on both absolute and relative dating techniques, assessing the quality and reliability of the ascription suggested. The aim is to offer an updated review of the main features, the evolution and sequencing of final Palaeolithic art in the study area, of interest for comparative analysis and for more global debates on the latest changes and final disappearance of figurative art of Palaeolithic style in this part of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tibetan Plateau is one of the last areas populated by modern humans because of its harsh environment. Due to the paucity of reliably dated archaeological sites, the history of the peopling of Tibet is unclear. However, more than 110 microblade sites discovered on the Plateau indicate large-scale migration. This paper reviews microblade assemblages in seven geographical regions in terms of the specific techno-typologies, and divides them into three types. Based upon results obtained from 17 archaeological sites and techno-typological comparisons, we argue that microblade sites on the Plateau fall within three periods, 14-10 ka BP, 8-7 ka BP and 5-3 ka BP. The techno-typology of sites in the first period is still unclear. Assemblages are dominated by flake blank exploitation cores represented by wedge-shaped nuclei during the second period. Conical microblade cores and pottery coexisted during the latest period. A combination of chronology, techno-typology and the locations of microblade sites discovered on and around the Tibetan Plateau supports the conclusion that people bearing microblade technology originating in North China migrated to the Plateau via a northern route. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors comment on an article about zircon dates that contribute to terrane demarcation in the eastern Namaqua mobile belt. They commend the paper's authors for providing information on terrane definition of the mobile belt. They agree with the paper's claims about the relationship between crustal blocks and craton. However, the author argues that correct terrane definition for the eastern part of the mobile belt should involve exposed outcrops to the west.

Dating of wood is a major task in historical research, archaeology and paleoclimatology. Currently, the most important dating techniques are dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating. Our approach is based on molecular decay over time under specific preservation conditions. In the models presented here, construction wood, cold soft waterlogged wood and wood from living trees are combined. Under these conditions, molecular decay as a usable clock for dating purposes takes place with comparable speed. Preservation conditions apart from those presented here are not covered by the model and cannot currently be dated with this method. For example, samples preserved in a clay matrix seem not to fit into the model. Other restrictions are discussed in the paper. One model presented covers 7,500 years with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 682 years for a single measurement. Another model reduced to the time period of the last 800 years results in a RMSE of 92 years. As multiple measurements can be performed on a single object, the total error for the whole object will be even lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to present the Roman products found in Arad County (West Romania), to analyse the Roman-Dacians connections, and the avenues by which the Roman goods made their way into the Dacian world, west of the Carpathians. Excluding the coins, Italian goods are sporadically found in Dacian sites dating from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD: some fragmentary bronze and glass vessels, terra sigillata , and various ceramic plates. Most of the imports occur in settlements and hoards, but except for the coins, other types of Roman items were not treasured. The preponderance of the Republican denarii (and imitations) over the imperial ones can be easily distinguished – no matter where they were struck. The conspicuously high quantity of coins could indicate special donations received by the Dacians from the Romans, particularly during the reign of Burebista and Decebalus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses on human remains uncovered from Potočani, a Copper Age (Eneolithic) mass burial site in continental Croatia. The remains of at least 41individuals were uncovered in a pit in 2007 during rescue excavations in Požeško‐Slavonska county. Skeletal evidence of violence and the disorganized arrangement of bodies suggest that burial took place over a short period of time. Radiocarbon dates and associated ceramics indicate these people were part of the Lasinja cultural group, dating to the Middle Copper Age (ca.4200 cal BC). Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses on 40individuals indicate higher than expected nitrogen values in comparison with other regional populations and significant differences between children, juveniles, and adults at the site of Potočani. Bioarchaeological and stable isotope results support the interpretation that the people buried at Potočani likely experienced dietary stress in the years leading up to their violent deaths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, the most powerful research technique available for assigning chronometric age to human cultural objects is radiocarbon dating. Developed in the United States in the late 1940s by an alumnus of the Manhattan Project, radiocarbon dating measures the decay of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 (C14) in organic material, and calculates the time elapsed since the materials were removed from the life cycle. This paper traces the interdisciplinary collaboration between archaeology and radiochemistry that led to the successful development of radiocarbon dating in the early 1950s, following the movement of people and ideas from Willard Libby's Chicago radiocarbon laboratory to museums, universities and government labs in the United States, Australia, Denmark and New Zealand. I show how radiocarbon research built on existing technologies and networks in atomic chemistry and physics but was deeply shaped by its original private philanthropic funders and archaeologist users, and ultimately remained to the side of many contemporaneous Cold War scientific and military projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palaeoclimatic records from southern tip of South America during the Last Holocene, indicate important climate intervals, such as the Medieval Climate Anomaly and Little Ice Age, which offered new scenarios to hunter-gatherer groups who inhabited the region. The aim of this paper is to explore the social practices carried out by hunter-fisher-gatherer societies of the southern part of the Atlantic Coast of Tierra del Fuego island (53–55°S, 66–74°W) in order to deal with these environmental changes. From our perspective, foragers have played an active role in designing strategies to cope with environmental fluctuations. Consequently, we argue that in a context of ecological uncertainty, these societies would have developed flexible strategies in terms of subsistence, technology and settlement patterns. In order to test this proposal, zooarchaeological and technological analysis of different archaeological assemblages dated between the 1300 to 220 BP were undertaken. The results show that these hunter-fisher-gatherer societies exploited a broad range of faunal resources using a versatile technology which encompassed tools with low production values and high use values. Likewise, the analysis of landscape organization revealed a settlement strategy centered on the most productive habitats, which were preferentially reoccupied. We suggest that these strategies, supported by cumulative knowledge and material conditions, could have enhanced social resilience and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is devoted to the cross-guard of the fragmentary dagger found in 1984 in the princely nomad burial near the village of Kosika in the Lower Volga area, belonging to the type of ceremonial daggers which were widespread in Eurasia in the 1st century BC-1st century AD and which became one of the insignia of power as testified by the finds in the princely nomadic burials and depictions on the royal figures on the stelae from Commagene. The dated (year 238) dotted inscription preserved on the gold overlay of the cross-guard found by one of the authors in 2015 and completely cleaned from the iron oxides in 2017 contains an indication of the craftsmen and the weight of gold, confirmed by the eklogistes , which means estimated on the highest state level. The inscription allows us to suggest, with high degree of probability, that the dagger may have been manufactured either as a tax payment of the corporation to the state or rather was ordered by a king to serve as a gift to an equal person. Moreover, the analysis of the inscription suggests that the object could have been made in Asia Minor, perhaps in Commagene, in 74 BC (that means the date falls in the Seleucid era), rather than in 59 BC, because the existence of the eklogistes in the Pontic Kingdom has not been confirmed by any documents. This date corresponds well to the archaeological date of the burial in Kosika to the early third quarter of the 1st century BC and the already published hypothesis, that the deceased could have been a participant of the Asia Minor campaign of the Bosporan King Pharnakes in 49-47 BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the architectural remains from Layer X of the important site of Tille Höyük, located in the Euphrates Valley, in modern-day Turkey. The architectural complex identified there is usually considered to belong to the Achaemenid period. In the paper the analysis of certain characteristics of the Tille X complex and considerations regarding the dating of this important phase are discussed; a pre-Achaemenid period date (first half of the 6'h century BC) is proposed for the construction of the complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origins of agriculture in Southwest Asia over 10,000 years ago and its subsequent spread into Europe during the Neolithic have been the focus of much archaeological research over the past several decades. Increasingly more sophisticated analytical techniques have allowed for better understanding of the complex interactions that occurred amongst humans, animals, and their environments during this transition. The Aegean Islands are critically situated where Anatolia and the mainland Greece meet, making the region pivotal for understanding the movement of the Neolithic into Europe. Located on the largest Turkish Aegean island of Gökçeada, the site of Uğurlu Höyük dates to the early Neolithic and has been the subject of ongoing excavations and research integrating a rigorous dating program with comprehensive zooarchaeological research. This paper focuses on the combination of bone collagen and tooth enamel stable isotope data with existing archaeological data to develop a fine-resolution picture of the spread of the Neolithic, particularly the importation and management of domestic fauna on Gökçeada, with broader relevance for understanding Aegean-Anatolian interactions. The stable isotope values from the fauna at Uğurlu have been used for both diachronic intrasite analyses and intersite comparisons between contemporaneous mainland sites. Integrating stable isotope and zooarchaeological datasets makes Uğurlu one of the first island sites to provide a comprehensive understanding of the geographic origin of Neolithic livestock populations and the timing of their spread from Anatolia into Europe during the process of Neolithization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, high-resolution magnetometry surveys have led to the discovery of a special category of buildings–so-called ‘mega-structures’–situated in highly visible positions in the public space of Tripolye giant-settlements of the late 5th and first half of the 4th millennium BCE. In this paper we explore what these buildings actually are and how they can contribute to the understanding of the development of social space in Tripolye giant-settlements. For this investigation, we linked newly obtained excavation data from the giant-settlement Maidanetske, Ukraine, with a much larger sample of such buildings from magnetic plans obtained in the region between the Carpathian foothills and the Dnieper River. Accordingly, Tripolye mega-structures represent a particular kind of integrative building documented in many non-ranked ethnographic contexts. Based on our results we are interpreting that these buildings were used for various ritual and non-ritual activities, joint decision-making, and the storage and consumption of surplus. In Tripolye giant-settlements at least three different categories of mega-structures could be identified which most likely represent different levels of socio-political integration and decision-making. The emergence of this hierarchical system of high-level integrative buildings for the whole community and different low-level integrative architectures for certain segments of local communities was related to the rise of Tripolye mega-sites. The presence of different integrative levels most likely reflects the fusion of different previously independent communities in the giant-settlements. Later in the mega-site development, we observe how low-level integrative buildings increasingly lose their importance indicated by shrinking size and, finally, their disappearance. This observation might indicate that the power which was previously distributed across the community was transferred to a central institution. It is argued that the non-acceptance of this concentration of power and the decline of lower decision-making levels might be a crucial factor for the disintegration of Tripolye giant-settlements around 3600 BCE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longitudinal and transverse relaxation time correlation (T1-T2) is employed as a nuclear magnetic resonance noninvasive characterization tool for archeological ceramics. This paper is aimed at investigating whether the most relevant firing-induced changes in ceramics, including those involving pore space properties and paramagnetic mineral structures, could be used as markers of the firing process and therefore of ceramics themselves. Ancient ceramics are made up of naturally available clays, often rich in iron impurities, which undergo relevant modifications of pore distribution upon firing. The firing process also assists chemical and physical rearrangement of iron-bearing species, yielding mineral structures with different magnetic properties. That being so, T1-T2 maps are expected to show the interdependence between ceramic structure and firing technology. T1 and T2 distributions are basically proportional to pore-size distribution, but T2, which is also sensitive to magnetic susceptibility effects, may give information on the porous matrix composition as well. Such a methodology has first been employed on laboratory-prepared ceramic samples, with different paramagnetic compositions and controlled firing temperatures, in order to tackle the problem of model-ceramic selection. Then, the T1-T2 correlation approach has been used on medieval ceramic findings in order to get information about their thermal and compositional history. The information obtained by means of two-dimensional correlation maps proves coherent with archeological dating, thus illustrating the capabilities of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aboriginal people have lived in Australia, continuously, for tens of thousands of years. Over that time, they developed complex knowledge systems that were committed to memory and passed to successive generations through oral tradition. The length of time oral traditions can be passed down while maintaining vitality is a topic of ongoing debate in the social sciences. In recent years, scientists have weighed into the debate by studying traditions that describe natural events, such as volcanic eruptions and meteorite impacts, which can be dated using scientific techniques. Here, we bring together a trans-disciplinary team of scholars to apply this approach to Tasmanian Aboriginal (palawa) oral traditions that were recorded in the early nineteenth century. These traditions describe the flooding of the Bassian Land Bridge connecting Tasmania to mainland Australia and the presence of a culturally significant "Great South Star", identified as Canopus (α Carinae). Utilising bathymetric and topographic data of the land and sea floor in the Bass Strait, we estimate the Bassian Land Bridge was finally submerged approximately 12,000 years ago. We then calculate the declination of the star Canopus over the last precessional cycle (26,000 years) to show that it was at a far southerly declination (δ < −75°) between 16,300 and 11,800 years ago, reaching its minimum declination approximately 14,000 years ago. These lines of evidence provide a terminus ante quem of the Tasmanian traditions to the end of the Late Pleistocene. This paper supports arguments that the longevity of orality can exceed ten millennia, providing critical information essential to the further development of theoretical frameworks regarding the archaeology of orality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of a zooarchaeological analysis conducted on the occupation layer of a compound structure (Residential Unit 1) of the Pucara de Tilcara archaeological site (Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina). Its occupation span extends between the 13th and 15th centuries AD, but evidence diagnostic of the Inka Period (AD 1430–1536) is predominant. Residential Unit 1 was a house-workshop that hosted specialized crafts like metallurgy and lapidary during the Inka Period. It was proposed in previous works that artisans living at Pucara de Tilcara were provisioned with agropastoral products by the Inka administration. This paper aims to test that hypothesis against the zooarchaeological evidence of Residential Unit 1. Three variables were used as proxies for state-sponsored distribution: taxonomic diversity (family and species ranks), and skeletal and age profiles of the predominant zoological family (Camelidae) in the assemblage. The results show a high degree of continuity with the regional record, characterized by a herding-hunting strategy focused on domestic and wild species of Camelidae and a mixed mortality pattern. The skeletal profile shows a strong and negative correlation with the desiccation potential of elements, which could be indicative of local production of chalona. Overall, faunal evidence does not show any sign of centralized distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how former hunter-gatherers living along the southern North Sea coast in NW Europe adapted to long-term and short-term climatic and environmental changes at the beginning of the Holocene. It is argued that contemporaneous hunter-gatherers repeatedly changed their hunting equipment in response to changing climate and environment, not just for functional reasons but mainly driven by socio-territorial considerations. Based on a Bayesian analysis of 122 critically selected radiocarbon dates a broad chronological correlation is demonstrated between rapid changes in the design and technology of stone projectiles and short but abrupt cooling events, occurring at 10.3, 9.3 and 8.2 ka cal BP. Combined with the rapid sea level rises and increased wildfires these climatic events probably impacted the lifeways of hunter-gatherers in such a way that they increasingly faced resource stress and competition, forcing them to invest in the symbolic defense of their social territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cereals, in addition to being a major ingredient in daily meals, also play a role in the preparation of foodstuffs for ritual purposes. This paper deals with finds that may correspond to such ritual preparations retrieved from the hillfort site of Stillfried an der March. The site, spreading across an area of ca. 23 ha, held a very important position among settlements of Late Urnfield period (particularly during the 10th– 9th c. BCE), acting as a central place where large scale storage of grain as well as textile and metal production took place under the control of local elites. Three incomplete ring-shaped charred organic objects, found together with 14 rings and ring fragments made of clay were discovered in a secondary filled silo pit, excavated among a total of about 100 pits of this kind at the site. The overall good state of preservation of the organic ring fragments suggests that they were deposited intact on the bottom of the pit and covered well so that no re-deposition or damage occurred. This could be indicate their intentional placement in this position. Light and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the charred organic rings are cereal products containing hulled barley and a wheat species. Indications that the objects were shaped from a wet cereal mixture and had been subsequently dried without baking are discussed, as well as the possible significance of the find assemblage. The annular objects are put in context with the contemporary cereal spectrum as well as other cereal preparations from Stillfried, outlining their different chaînes opératoires for handling cereal food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition in Europe covers the last millennia of Neanderthal life together with the appearance and expansion of Modern Human populations. Culturally, it is defined by the Late Middle Paleolithic succession, and by Early Upper Paleolithic complexes like the Châtelperronian (southwestern Europe), the Protoaurignacian, and the Early Aurignacian. Up to now, the southern boundary for the transition has been established as being situated between France and Iberia, in the Cantabrian façade and Pyrenees. According to this, the central and southern territories of Iberia are claimed to have been the refuge of the last Neanderthals for some additional millennia after they were replaced by anatomically Modern Humans on the rest of the continent. In this paper, we present the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition sequence from Cova Foradada (Tarragona), a cave on the Catalan Mediterranean coastline. Archaeological research has documented a stratigraphic sequence containing a succession of very short-term occupations pertaining to the Châtelperronian, Early Aurignacian, and Gravettian. Cova Foradada therefore represents the southernmost Châtelperronian–Early Aurignacian sequence ever documented in Europe, significantly enlarging the territorial distribution of both cultures and providing an important geographical and chronological reference for understanding Neanderthal disappearance and the complete expansion of anatomically Modern Humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]