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•Petrographic and geochemical characterisation of Hellenistic to Early-Middle Imperial fine pottery samples from the archaeological site of Sagalassos in SW Anatolia.•Hellenistic Colour Coated Wares (CCW) and Gray Wares with Black Slip (GWBS) were locally produced at the site using the same raw materials as the ones used for the subsequent mass-produced Sagalassos Red Slip Ware (SRSW), namely clays from the nearby NW parts of the valley of Çanaklı.•SRSW appears as a continuation of the Hellenistic tradition in slipped pottery at Sagalassos in terms of clay raw materials used.•The geochemical signature of pottery from Sagalassos and environs shows great potential for elucidating patterns of economic production and distribution and exploring the territorial development of the city in Hellenistic and Roman times.

•The binder is dominated by calcite, indicating standardized use of lime.•The aggregates are dominated by ceramic and volcanic materials in different frequencies.•Five different recipe types are observed, showcasing versatility in mortar-making.•Mortar making was an empirical and semi-standardized process at Sagalassos.

In order to improve the understanding of glass production and provenance, we present trace element and Sr, Nd and B isotope ratio data for 15 samples of raw natron glass from a single tank furnace in Apollonia (6th–7th century CE) and eight glass samples from two tank furnaces in Bet Eli'ezer (8th century CE) in Israel. This data provides information about the geochemical homogeneity within a single batch of raw glass and about the differences and/or similarities between different tank furnaces on a single site. Four glasses from a secondary workshop at Tell el-Ashmunein, Egypt (8th–9th century CE) are analysed for comparative purposes.

This study sought to investigate the extent and processes through which indigenous technologies were passed on in the production of indigenous pottery in the Greater Antilles, the Caribbean, during the early colonial period in the late 15th and early 16th centuries AD. We examined a selection of black wares and red wares recovered from an early colonial archaeological site of Pueblo Viejo de Cotuí, Dominican Republic. We devised an integrated approach, which combined anthropological theory of cultural transmission and archaeological science. Thin-section petrography was used to characterise five main aspects of the production of the ceramic assemblage, including raw materials selection, paste preparation, forming, surface finish, and firing methods. We then compared the results with the analyses we had previously conducted on the production of pre-colonial Meillacoid and Chicoid ceramics, which allowed us to delineate the extent and processes of technology transmission. Our findings reveal that indigenous technologies were neither fully replicated nor discontinued in the production of black wares and red wares at Cotuí during the early colonial period. Instead, the producers of both black wares and red wares continued to use certain aspects of indigenous technologies, but each with varying extents. The black wares largely followed the local indigenous ways as expressed in the selection of local raw materials, low level of standardisation in paste preparation, the use of coiling and low firing temperatures. As for the red wares, it is certain that their production continued with the use of local raw materials and low firing temperatures, whereas it is possible that the use of grog temper and red slips also represents the transmission of indigenous technologies that were linked to roots other than the Meillac and Chican ceramics.

•We have used mechanical sounding for a stratigraphic study of the site locale.•We have identified the Lower Valley Fill as the likely window of human occupation.•We found matching geochemical compositions of sediments and accretions on lithics.•The probable chronostratigraphic position of the Rotselaar site is final Eemian.

Estimating wood extraction rates from forests based on archaeological and historical evidence is an important step in evaluating the sustainability of past social-ecological systems. In this paper, we present a calculation tool to estimate human wood resource use for a selected location during a defined period in the past. We illustrate the method by its application to the ancient town of Sagalassos (South-west Anatolia, Turkey) during the Roman Imperial period, with a focus on pottery production and the Roman Baths. Based on archaeological data, thermodynamic formulas and calorific values, an estimation is provided of the amount of wood used within a time step of one year. Because quantitative information on ancient technology and lifestyle is rather scarce and uncertain, input values consist of ranges. In order to take this uncertainty into account, a Monte Carlo procedure is included, offering a probability distribution of possible outcomes. Our results indicate that wood consumption in 2nd century Sagalassos was quite high, with a lifestyle including frequent hot bathing, export driven pottery production and a climate that required heating during winter months. Based on the available woodland area, we conclude that the community of Sagalassos was intensively using the surrounding forests.

•The role of copper resources for the Iron Age city-state of Paphos, Cyprus.•An interdisciplinary study of the ancient copper slag heaps in the hinterland of Paphos.•Investigation of slag found in two Iron Age built monuments of Paphos.•Chemical, microscopic and lead isotope analysis of ancient slag from Paphos.

This paper presents the latest provenance results of cedar wood (Cedrussp.) from three ancient watercraft: the Carnegie boat (Middle Kingdom Egypt), the wrecked merchant ship at Uluburun (Bronze Age Mediterranean), and the galley comprising the Athlit Ram (Hellenistic Mediterranean). Comparing the ratios of 87Sr/86Sr of the archaeological wood and cedar from modern forests has helped augment the existing hypotheses pertaining to where the wood used in the construction of these vessels originated. The results demonstrate that strontium isotopic analysis can provide valuable information to assist wood provenance research in ancient and maritime contexts, which in turn may elucidate ancient forestry and shipbuilding practices.

This paper investigates the production of indigenous ceramics in northwestern Hispaniola before the encounters with Europeans in the late 15thcentury. Rather than using the conventional method which focuses on pottery style, a technological approach was employed to study a selection of indigenous ceramics, namely ceramics of the Meillacoid and Chicoid styles, from the sites of La Luperona and El Flaco, Dominican Republic. The application of thin-section petrography on 32 ceramic samples has permitted the reconstruction of production, in particular raw materials procurement and paste preparation method, of indigenous ceramics; and more importantly, provided an insight into the socio-cultural dynamics involved in the organisation of producing these ceramics during the pre-Colonial times. Our findings show that the production of Meillacoid and Chicoid ceramics was marked by the following characteristics: (1) A wide variety of raw materials was used as reflected in the identification of three broad petrofabric groups, each comprising several subgroups owing to mineralogical and textural variation; and in some cases, the raw materials were likely extracted from sources local to the site of recovery. (2) Low level of standardisation can be observed in certain aspects of technical practices, especially paste preparation method and firing condition. (3) No petrofabric group is linked to a specific ceramic style, or recovered from a specific site; highlighting the presence of exchange mechanism with regards the raw materials and/or end products. We suggest that such exchange was crucial to shaping the pre-Colonial socio-cultural landscape in the Greater Antilles.

Core-formed glass vessels of Mediterranean Group I were produced in the Mediterranean area between the sixth and fourth centuries BC. Indirect archaeological arguments have pointed to Rhodes as the primary glassmaking centre for these vessels. By comparing the elemental composition of hypothetical glasses produced from sand raw materials collected along the coastline of Rhodes to the reduced base glass composition of the core-formed vessels, it can be suggested that such sands are unsuitable for the production of these ancient glasses. Other locations in the Aegean area, i.e. Crete, Corinthia and central Macedonia, can also be largely excluded. A primary Syro-Palestinian provenance is more likely, based on the similarities in elemental and strontium/neodymium isotopic composition between the Mediterranean Group I glass vessels and raw glass chunks and sand raw materials originating from the Levant.

This paper presents SrIsoMed, an open access and open source searchable database of published 87Sr/86Sr values from countries that have coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean has been characterized by pronounced human mobility at different regional scales, as well as extensive material cultural networks, making it a prime area for strontium isotopic analyses for palaeomobility and provenance studies. SrIsoMed follows the example of several recent initiatives that have compiled isotopic data in searchable web-based databases, and its interactive maps and search functionalities are anticipated to make it an important research tool. With this paper we wish not only to increase the visibility and subsequent use of this database, but also to invite scholars to contribute data and bring to our attention omissions or suggestions for further future improvement.

•Research history of archaeological sediment geochemistry.•Trace metal analysis.•Past anthropogenic soil pollution.•Habitation effects on soil chemistry.•Soil chemistry and land use history and prehistory.

•Research history of archaeological sediment geochemistry in Central Greece.•Past anthropogenic soil pollution.•Habitation effects on soil chemistry.•Soil chemistry and urban history.•Greco-Roman urban transformation.

•Elemental and lead isotopic analysis of recently excavated Luristan bronzes.•Contexts from Iron Age western Iran (ca.1000-800 BCE).•Tin bronze metallurgy as the main technology in first millennium BCE western Iran.•Complex use of metal resources to produce tin bronze alloys.•Use of copper sources from the Iranian Plateau and neighbouring areas.

•Dating a Protodynastic chisel from Elkab and implications for provenance research.•Towards a nuanced interpretation of LI ratios for early Egyptian copper alloys.•Reflecting on the provenance of a rare silver-arsenic-copper alloy from Giza.•“Foreign metals” at Abusir and Giza: alternative perspectives.

In this paper, a solution is proposed to answer the problematic issue of the type of fuel used in the early Middle Kingdom smelting furnaces at Ayn Soukhna based on a strict experimental protocol. The protocol was repeated 17 times, for a total of approx. 1500 h of experimental work. In correspondence with the archaeological data obtained at Ayn Soukhna, the combined use of fresh acacia and donkey dung as fuel for smelting is proposed; the use of charcoal for smelting can be excluded.