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Bark cloth (‘tapa/kapa’) is a fabric made from beaten plant fibres. In the Pacific tapa made of paper mulberry has been of great cultural importance and its use is associated with both utilitarian and ceremonial contexts. In the 19th century, traditional bark cloth was largely replaced by Western cloth. On some islands, tapa making was banished with the arrival of missionaries and Christianization. This is the case for the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia. Only a few tapa pieces from this island group survive and are held in Museum collections. In this work, we present results of the analysis of a bark cloth bundle discovered at the Te Ana o te Tetea cave on Agakauitai in the Gambier Archipelago. The bundle was made up of large and small strips of thin tapa, with some watermarks left by the beaters. Associated with the tapa, were a piece of wood and cordage. A few of the bark cloth samples showed symmetrical black lines along some of the folds. This paper presents the results of a number of analyses performed on the bark cloth bundle from this island with the aim of determining its age, if the decorations were man-made and the plant species used for its manufacture. Samples were dated by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) and the designs were analyzed by portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Scanning Electron Microscopy - Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) for elemental characterization. Raman spectroscopy was also performed in order to assess the chemical nature of pigments. These analyses allow us to conclude that the finds date to the pre-European contact period for this island group and that these lines can be attributed to man-made designs. In addition, genetic analysis of the ribosomal region were performed to identify the species used in its manufacture, which indicate that the plant used to make the tapa cloth was Broussonetia papyrifera or paper mulberry. The availability of new genetic sequencing techniques allow for new and very sensitive analyses of archaeological material that require careful handling from the beginning in order to avoid sample contamination.

In a recent paper, Benson and Grimstead (2019) determined that only minimal amounts of maize could have been grown in Chaco Canyon due to its aridity, short growing season, and frequent summer flooding of the valley floor. In this paper it is shown that deer and rabbit densities within semiarid regions such as the Canyon are such that 2300 Canyon residents would eliminate essentially all small and large mammals within a year. This implies that food (meat and maize) must have been imported from one or more outlying areas to feed the Canyon's residential population. This would have entailed ~18,000 annual trips to the Canyon by porters carrying 45 kg. Although some Sr-isotope data on archaeofauna and maize recovered from Chaco match Sr-isotope values of soil extracts collected in the Canyon (Benson, 2010, 2012; Grimstead et al., 2016), the Canyon's low mammal densities and poor agricultural potential led to a search for other food-source areas with matching Sr-isotope ranges. New isotopic data indicated that the Chuska mountain region appears to be a primary source of these materials. However, there are also a number of other high-elevation relatively wet regions on the periphery of the San Juan Basin with soils having Sr-isotope values that match Chaco Canyon archaeofaunal values, especially values obtained on deer.

The issue of resource exploitation, both plants and animals, by Neolithic communities has always attracted vast interest. In particular, resource exploitation at mountain cave sites is still being widely discussed. This paper explores the use of grass resources at the archaeological site of Els Trocs (Aragón, Spain), a Neolithic mountain site in the Pyrenees. The analysis of phytolith samples suggests that grasses growing in the surrounding of the site were widely used. The morphological assemblages identified, and their spatial distribution, indicate that wild grasses were probably used as floor spread. The integrated approach used in this study, combining phytolith, spherulite and micromorphological analyses, confirms this hypothesis. Furthermore, the analysis of phytolith assemblages and micromorphological traits indicate the seasonal occupation of the site, placing human frequentation at this location during late spring/early summer. Several studies have highlighted the presence of charred seeds of domesticated cereals in the archaeological record of mountain cave sites however, in many instances, whether these crops were cultivated near the sites or whether the grains were transported to the cave from the valley bottom remains under debate. This paper also contributes to this debate by showing that no crop-processing activities were taking place at the site, The main research of this work developed within the project “Los Caminos del Neolítico” (HAR2009-09027), granted by the General Management of Research and Management of the National R+D+i/ Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation, led by Professor Manuel Rojo-Guerra and co-funded by the Government of Aragón. The paleoenvironmental research and part of the funding is provided by the AGRIWESTMED project of the European Research Council (ERC-2008-AdG 230561) coordinated by Dr Leonor Peña-Chocarro

This paper establishes a chronological framework for selected pieces of Caribbean (Taino/Lucayan) wooden sculpture, enabling previously ahistoric artefacts to fit back into the wider corpus of pre-colonial material culture. Seventy-two 14C AMS determinations from 56 artefacts held in museum collections are reported, including 32 ceremonial duhos, or seats. Far from being constrained to the last few centuries prior to contact, the dates for these objects extend back to ca. AD 250, and include the artistic legacies of various cultures. Duhos in both low and high back styles are present from about AD 600, if not earlier, in a distribution that spans the Antillean island chain from Trinidad to Cuba. Complex, drug-related paraphernalia and elaborate ancestral reliquaries are in evidence by AD 1000, as are some distinctive regional styles – such as the unique iconography from the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos islands. This paper explores relevant methodological issues – from the challenges of working with museum pieces (e.g., uncertain provenance, discrete sampling techniques, impact of previous conservation treatments on dating results), to dealing with potential ‘in-built’ age in tropical hardwoods.

The reasons for megafaunal extinction in Australia have been hotly debated for over 30 years without any clear resolution. The proposed causes include human overkill, climate, anthropogenic induced habitat change or a combination of these. Most protagonists of the human overkill model suggest the impact was so swift, occurring within a few thousand years of human occupation of the continent, that archaeological evidence should be rare or non-existent. In Tasmania the presence of extinct megafauna has been known since the early twentieth century ( Noetling, 1912 , Scott, 1911 , Scott, 1915 ) with earlier claims of human overlap being rejected because of poor chronology and equivocal stratigraphic associations. More recent archaeological research has not identified any megafauna from the earliest, exceptionally well-preserved late Pleistocene cultural sites. In 2008 however an argument for human induced megafaunal extinctions was proposed using the direct dates from a small sample of surface bone from two Tasmanian non-human caves and a museum sediment sample from an unknown location in a cave, since destroyed by quarrying ( Turney et al., 2008 ). Turney et al. (2008) supplemented their data with published dates from other Tasmanian caves and open sites to argue for the survival of at least seven megafauna species from the last interglacial to the subsequent glacial stage. To investigate the timing of extinctions in Tasmania and examine the latest claims, new excavations and systematic surveys of limestone caves in south central Tasmania were undertaken. Our project failed to show any clear archaeological overlap of humans and megafauna but demonstrated that vigilance is needed when claiming survival of megafauna species based on old or suspect chronologies. The results of our six-years of fieldwork and dating form the first part of the present paper while, in the second part we assess the data advanced by Turney et al. (2008) for the late survival of seven megafauna species. A model of human prey selection and the reasons for the demise of a range of marsupials, now extinct, are discussed in the third part of the paper.

This paper focuses on the description and characterization of the nature of isotropic and silicon-rich particles observed in plaster samples from the Maya archaeological sites of Calakmul and Lamanai. Based on the composition and morphology of these particles, it is proposed that volcanic ash and glass were incorporated into some of the ancient Maya plasters in order to produce hydraulic reactions. From a technological point of view, the intent on the part of the Maya to produce such reactions is relevant because it would reflect resource planning and complex knowledge of materials. Results also confirm previous reports of the presence of volcanic ash layers at the site of Calakmul and suggest that there were considerable ash falls in the Maya lowlands during Prehispanic times which may have made the material available in many areas of the Central Lowlands. If, as we propose here, volcanic ash was employed in lowland Maya plasters, then the use of volcanic materials by the lowland Maya was more intensive than has been recognized. Our paper also reviews the literature about the use of volcanic materials in lowland Maya materials and suggests future lines of research.

Based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis, this paper assesses the defensibility of winter village sites in the Mid-Fraser region on the Canadian Plateau during the Late Prehistoric Period (ca. 3500-200 B.P.), particularly the Plateau and Kamloops Horizons (ca. 2400-200 B.P.). Although there is variability in prehistoric village locations in terms of defensibility, highly defensible prehistoric sites in the Mid-Fraser region are concentrated in two localities. The high defensive values of these village sites indicate that the threat of intergroup conflict had a significant impact on choice of settlement location. The approach used in this paper demonstrates the importance of past defensive considerations in the decision making processes pertaining to settlement locations. As conflict is a common feature of many cultures and time periods throughout the world, this approach has potential applications to other defensive sites globally.

Graphic and metric archaeological documentation is an activity that requires the capture of information from different sources, accurate processing and comprehensive analysis. If monitoring of the state of conservation is required, this task has to be performed before intervention, during and after the completion of the works in a repetitive way. This paper presents the use of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) in order to effectively produce, prior to intervention, accurate and high-resolution 3D models of a cave with engravings dating back to the Upper Palaeolithic era. The processing of the TLS data is discussed in detail in order to create digital surface models. The complexity of the cave required the integration of two techniques, TLS and close range photogrammetry to yield not only traditional drawings such as sections and elevations, but also photo-realistic perspective views and visual navigation worlds fully operational in 3D environments. This paper demonstrates the potential of integrating TLS and close range photogrammetry to provide both accurate digital surface models and photo-realistic outputs. This processed data can be used to systematically improve archaeological understanding of complex caves and relief panels of prehistoric art with tiny engravings.

The dhole (Cuon alpinus) has been documented on the Iberian Peninsula throughout the Middle and Upper Pleistocene in archaeological and palaeontological contexts. However, this is an uncommon species among the Iberian quaternary faunae as a whole. This paper focuses on the remains of the genus Cuon recovered in three different sites of the Iberian Mediterranean region and their morphological and osteometrical study. By comparing these with fourteen complete skeletons of Canis lupus, as well as with other remains of C. alpinus, we intend to highlight some anatomical and metrical differences between Cuon and Canis that, added to those already published, could be a functional base-line for the identification of this genus. The identification of this species is complex, especially in archaeological contexts, and in some cases the dhole has been identified as Canis or Canidae. Furthermore, this paper explores the chronology of the presence of the dhole in the Iberian Peninsula and the different contexts where these animals have been recovered from.

In 1854 Chief Mugombane and members of his Kekana Ndebele chiefdom took refuge in what is now known as Historic Cave, in the Makapan Valley, South Africa. The chiefdom retreated into the cave following an attack on a party of Trekboers. The subsequent siege of the cave, which lasted just under a month, ended in the death and surrender of its occupants and their dispersal among the Trekboers and their African auxiliaries. However, the number of people and the composition of the group that hid in the cave, as well as factors that led to the demise of the Kekana became blurred in the various renderings of the historical event. During the 1980s researchers began to cast doubt on the original Trekboer documents and the magnitude of the event when it became apparent that the Kekana oral histories remained silent on the matter. Between 2001 and 2007 the material remains of the siege were excavated to provide new data from which to judge the scale and impact of the siege event. Human remains, the primary focus of this paper, afford this perspective. This paper provides the result of the analysis of the human remains excavated from the cave, as well as an account of those remains that have been recorded or are housed in collections. The study of two naturally mummified individuals removed from the caves and stored in collections is also presented.

This paper examines changes in the organization of lithic technological systems during the later Middle Stone Age (MSA) of South Africa. Using principal components analysis (PCA), the study looks at the lithic data from two important South African MSA sites: Blombos Cave and Klasies River Mouth. The paper uses PCA to describe the transition to (1) the biface-dominated Still Bay industry at Blombos Cave and (2) the microlithic Howiesons Poort industry at Klasies River Mouth. Based on these analyses, the paper offers a synthetic scenario of the emergence of the Still Bay industry from earlier MSA industries, closely followed by the dramatic transition to the Howiesons Poort. Using a few principles of tool design and behavioral ecological models derived from the study of modern foragers, the paper suggests that the Still Bay came about as the result of deteriorating environmental conditions at the beginning of Oxygen Isotope Stage 4, which caused resources to become scarce and more widely distributed. The study proposes that the bifacial point strategy of the Still Bay was a response to wider mobility patterns and increased movement away from lithic raw material sources. The paper then suggests that Howiesons Poort emerged as information sharing strategies improved, and resources in the environment could be more efficiently targeted with more task-specific tools. The paper closes by reviewing the implications of these findings for modern human origins in South Africa.

This paper establishes an eight thousand year history of anthropogenic metal pollution at one of the oldest, most important and longest sustained sites of the extraction and smelting of copper ores in the Old World: the Faynan Orefield in Jordan, which is located between the hyper-arid southern desert and the front of the wetter Mountains of Edom. The modern land surface is shown, in significant part, to be a complex palimpsest of archaeological sites, metal pollution of various ages and ore processing deposits. Quantitative and qualitative observations of the storage and cycling of heavy metals through the local natural and domestic systems have produced a body of information on processes with which the past has been interpreted. Heavy metal concentrations in semi-continuous sedimentary bodies indicate that over the last 1500 years, metals were removed by natural processes at a comparatively slow rate given the scale of the original anthropogenic metal burden: the proportions of lead with respect to copper have increased as the overall metal burden has been lowered. Distinctive anthropogenic metal-pollution signatures have been detected in ash- and charcoal-rich deposits that were discarded onto the banks of a perennial stream in the late Neolithic. At present, the nature of the human activities that might have produced these pollution signatures is unknown. Substantial metal pollution from industrial-scale smelting activity was present from the Early Bronze Age. The intensity of heavy metal pollution produced in Classical Times locally exceeded that recorded at major European copper smelting centres in the nineteenth century A.D. The pollution evidence indicates that intensive copper smelting at the immediate area took place until approximately the end of the Byzantine period; with the exception of one further minor episode of smelting radiocarbon dated to cal. BP 530–330. An observed partial, but perhaps significant, parallelism is also noted between this local record and the records of the metal burdens of the northern hemisphere determined at mire or ice-sheet sites at high-altitudes or high-latitudes. The paper discusses the extent to which this parallelism might be a geochemical indicator of the actual existence of “economic systems” of a geographical scope and scale to have both exercised substantial “pull” upon the resources of such isolated and difficult locations at the Wadi Faynan, and to have generated sufficient overall metal pollution to have materially altered the chemistry of the global atmosphere. The comparative absence of quantitative information upon the nature, spatial scale and impacts of human, industrial and natural processes affecting metal-pollution in other metal-rich arid lands provides a significant impediment to such approaches that seek to research “locally and think globally”.

Criticisms levelled by Tim Church on a previously published paper (Hoard et al., Neutron activation analysis of stone from the Chadron Formation and a Clovis Site on the Great Plains, Journal of Archaeological Science 19, 655–665, 1992) are addressed. We maintain that the methods and conclusions of our previous paper are sound. Our ongoing research is refining our methodology and continuing to produce significant archaeological interpretations.

This paper proposes that the additional acid-loading brought about by the deposition of large quantities of acid aerosols from Icelandic volcanic eruptions may be responsible for environmental stress and settlement abandonment postulated by previous authors for northern and western Britain in the late 2nd millennium BC. The mechanism is predicted to have been of significance only in those ecosystems that were already significantly acidified. The paper discusses and counters suggestions that the volcanically-induced climatic change was the principal mechanism for both an apparent abandonment of settlement over large areas of northern Scotland, and the stress experienced by oak trees growing on raised bogs in Ireland.

The ability to geologically classify stone artefact materials is crucial because it is the first step in provenance allocation and geochemical grouping that inform archaeological models used for understanding exchange systems within prehistoric social networks. Geochemical analyses have revolutionised exchange studies by making it possible to match stone artefacts back to quarry sources, sometimes hundreds or thousands of kilometres away. Most archaeological basalt characterisation and provenance studies have relied on destructive sampling techniques to obtain the major trace elements NaO2, K2O and SiO2 (wt%) to identify volcanic rock types on the Total Alkali Silica (TAS) diagram. To overcome this limitation, this paper presents an alternative method, the Pearce W-F diagram, that determines volcanic rock type and alkalinity using elements TiO2, Zr, Y and Nb that are accurately detected by non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF). This new method is proven to be effective in a comparison with recent XRF archaeological basalt studies in the Pacific. The power to classify volcanic rock types non-destructively with pXRF significantly increases the number of artefacts and museum objects available for inclusion in archaeological exchange studies.

This paper presents new stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope data obtained from human and animal remains from the Kamennyi Ambar 5 cemetery (KA-5) (Southeastern Urals, Russian Federation) and represents one of the largest stable isotope datasets from a single prehistoric site in the steppes of Central Eurasia. These results are compared with other regional faunal, botanical and archaeological datasets to examine late prehistoric trends in pastoralism and human dietary patterns. The findings of this research emphasize a subsistence regime consisting of broad-spectrum resources that include domestic and wild animal species, wild plants and fish. This study contributes to current knowledge regarding the diversity in isotopic values of human and animal remains and indicates that variation in subsistence was related to distinct local resource biomes and economic strategies. These results suggest a more complex model of late prehistoric subsistence trends in the steppes that emphasizes the need for enhanced micro-regional studies combining environmental, biological, and archaeological datasets. The study presented here also provides information on the most detailed bioarchaeological study of human remains and stable isotopes to date related to the Sintashta archaeological pattern.

Long-standing arguments regarding the early cultural transition, the domestication of plants and the impacts of climate change on past Egyptian societies remain contentious. In this paper, we demonstrate that grazing started at our study site, Kom El-Khilgan in the NE Nile Delta, ca. 7000 years ago, which was several hundred years prior to crop farming. We examined pollen-spores and non-pollen palynomorphs (NPP) in a 1-m-deep sediment profile (KH-1) in the study site, defined archaeologically as the Pre-Dynastic (>5.9 ka) in age. Our results show that before ca. 7.0 ka, major floods prevailed in the Nile Delta, as highly-concentrated Podocarpus and Polypodiaceae were transported from the East African highlands and Cyperaceae of higher Nile flow indication. This humid phase was succeeded by a brief period of drying climate ca. 7.0–6.6 ka, allowing the entry of the first settlers who commenced grazing their animals on previously inundated wetlands. This change is indicated by the remarkable increase in fungal spores (Cercophora, Sordaria, Coniochaeta cf. Ligniaria) from accumulations of animal dung. At ca. 6.6 ka, the abrupt appearance of domesticated cereal pollen (Poaceae >35 μm) and cereal grass pathogens (Pericornia and Sorosporium) suggests an amelioration of the climate that allowed the introduction of cereal crops and related water management activities. Grazing and cropping co-existed for the remainder of the record during the time when there occurred a mega-tendency of climate drying towards recent time. A drought event recognized ca. 4.2 ka led to the collapse of the Old Kingdom.

The Norse Greenlanders were dependent on wood for making houses, boats, utensils, tools and as fuel. Due to Greenland's northerly latitude and short, cool summers, the local woody taxa include relatively few species, most of which are low-growing shrubs. Consequently, it has been argued that import of timber was necessary to meet the wood requirements of the Norse Greenlanders. The taxa of archaeological wood assemblages from five Norse sites in Greenland, the episcopal manor Garðar/Igaliku (O47), Tatsip Ataa Killeq (O172), Tasilikulooq (O171), Narsaq (O17a) and Garden under Sandet (GUS) were analysed to determine whether the wood was native, import or driftwood. This paper demonstrates that farmers in Greenland used mainly driftwood and native wood, while high-status sites like Igaliku had access to sporadic timber imports from mainland Europe and North America. Furthermore, the proportions of driftwood taxa from the Norse settlements are more or less the same as of Inuit and pre-Inuit cultures in Greenland and the Smith Sound. These results suggest that the Norse Greenlanders were not reliant on imported wood but were in fact mostly self-sufficient in regard to their timber resources.

In the 19th and early to mid-20th centuries, a rush to better understand the European Palaeolithic led to the substantive removal of deposits from limestone caves. In the 21st century the situation has changed. Many caves are now excavated, leaving behind a human-made environment of diminished cave sediments and large spoil heaps, with the latter now targeted by those searching for artefacts missed during the original excavations. In an age in which archaeologists are increasingly attempting to balance their roles as cultural heritage educators and destroyers, the question remains - how much do we know about the taphonomy of these features? In this paper we report results from the excavation of a large spoil heap outside Svedův Stůl Cave, in the Moravian Karst region of Czech Republic. Results show heterogeneous sediment formation (revealed primarily through their field characteristics and ED-XRF and Itrax geochemical analyses) and patterns in artefact distributions (evident through assessment of Iron Age, Neolithic and modern artefacts) and faunal remains. This allows partial context to be provided for some artefacts and a methodology to be developed for excavation of overburden.

Intertidal archaeological deposits occur worldwide, particularly in the temperate latitudes. These deposits can contain archaeological sites that were constructed at the time these were terrestrial landscapes, but subsequently were inundated as a result of rising sea levels. Part of this process can include the development of salt marshes. There is a need, therefore, to identify where archaeological sites lie within the cline of past tidal regimes. This paper presents the results of a survey of UK archaeoentomological data recovered from intertidal deposits which was undertaken in order to identify patterns in archaeoentomological data that might indicate a deposit's position within a saltmarsh. Such an approach has potential to establish ‘indicator groups’ for saltmarsh zones, thereby facilitating archaeological interpretation of intertidal deposits. A statistical ordination of the archaeoentomological dataset has been undertaken to explore the security and strength of proposed archaeoentomological indicator groups for various ecological zones within saltmarsh/intertidal environments and the results are presented here. These indicator groups also are crossed-checked against the known modern ecology of the various beetles included within each grouping, to determine if they make good ‘ecological sense’. The dataset discussed here is specific to Northern Europe, but the approach is applicable worldwide.

The Southern Montane Forest-Grassland mosaic ecosystem in the humid subtropics southern Rift Valley of Africa comprised the environmental context for a large area in which modern human evolution and dispersal occurred. Variable climatic conditions during the Late Pleistocene have ranged between humid and hyperarid, changing the character of the ecosystem and transforming it at different points in time into a barrier, a refuge, and a corridor between southern and eastern African populations. Alluvial fans presently blanket the areas adjacent to major river systems, which were key areas of prehistoric human habitation. These sets of variables have created conditions that are both challenging and advantageous to conduct archaeological research. Lateritic soil development has resulted in poor organic preservation and facilitated insect bioturbation, which has demanded an integrated micro-macro scale approach to building a reliable geochronology. An integrated field and analytical methodology has also been employed to identify the nature and degree of post-depositional movement in alluvial deposits, which preserve a wide range of spatial integrity levels in buried stone artifact assemblages between 47 and 30 ka in Karonga, northern Malawi. This paper describes the methodological advances taken toward understanding open-air Middle Stone Age archaeology in sub-tropical Africa, and explores the inferential potential for understanding Pleistocene human ecology in the important southern Rift Valley region.

Kuk Swamp is a globally significant archaeological site of early agriculture in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Mixed-method and multi-scalar investigations of the stratigraphy and selected feature fills at Kuk were instrumental in determining the character of plant exploitation and agricultural practices there during the early and mid Holocene. In this paper, macro-scale (field recording), meso-scale (X-radiography) and micro-scale (thin section micromorphology) analyses are presented in summary form for a stratigraphic column, as well as for a palaeochannel and palaeosurfaces associated with plant exploitation at c.10,000 cal BP and cultivation at 7000–6400 cal BP. Major and minor stratigraphic units have been characterised, primary and secondary formation processes differentiated, and the anthropic associations of specific stratigraphic units determined, especially in regards to cultivation. The Kuk research highlights several methodological problems with the investigation of early cultivation on allophane-rich soils in tropical environments.

The post-depositional alteration of cave sediments is of critical importance for the recognition, identification and investigation of geoarchaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence. There have been relatively few studies of tropical cave sediments using micromorphology and this work represents one of the most detailed with 26 samples taken from deposits in the West Mouth of the Great Cave of Niah that cover the last >∼55,000 BP, and contain the earliest known evidence for the remains of modern humans in Southeast Asia. Cave sediments situated in the humid tropics are subject to relatively high temperatures and moisture conditions that promote high rates of chemical alteration and geomorphic change. This paper outlines those post-depositional features that occurred in situ in the West Mouth and include: translocation and concentration; bioturbation; excrement; bone alteration; plant alteration; clast alteration and guano decomposition. It examines their implications for recognising past human activities (e.g. fire-altered materials), the preservation of archaeological remains, the nature of palaeoenvironments and of localised physical and bio-geochemical processes.

The detection and interpretation of variability in archaeological data has been a long-standing effort in the field. This paper aims to introduce the application of Bayesian multilevel modelling as a tool for the detection of variability at levels within nested archaeological data. Model structure, ways of construction, and the potential of using variability information to enhance archaeological interpretations is presented. This is demonstrated through the analysis of two case study datasets: Neolithic pottery finds from Mala (Nova) Pecina cave excavations in Croatia and stone finds from the Bronze Age site of Akrotiri, Thera, Greece. This is followed by a discussion of the multilevel model results and the possible interpretations that can be derived from them. Finally, propositions are made on how these and other models can be extended.

This paper addresses the plain common pottery associated with Beaker contexts in the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. The detailed systematic study focuses on the pottery assemblage provided by one of the region’s most important settlements, San Blas (Badajoz, Spain), while comparisons are made with other important sites in the study area. By means of the stratigraphic, typological and statistical analysis of the data, the main patterns of change in this material culture throughout the temporal sequence are identified and the historical explanatory factors are inferred. Specifically, during the second half of the 3rd millennium cal BC, an important change took place in the management of economic risk, which is materialised by a significant reduction in food storage and by the more immediate direct or indirect consumption of resources. We suggest that these patterns reflect a shift towards a short-term projection of the future, in a context with strong evidence of instability.

This paper presents the analysis of the anthropogenic signal documented by four time-series in the highlands of the South-Central Andes (Puna of Argentina and North Chile) spanning the period between 12,500 and 600 cal years BP. Our goal is to extract demographic and occupational histories from temporaldata. In this way, based upon the full radiocarbon dataset and the sites of provenance of the dates, we built the following time-series: the summed probability distribution of calibrated ages; the relative frequency of calibrated ages; the relative frequency of sites per unit of time; and the frequency of new sites per unit of time. For controlling the effects of site destruction on the anthropogenic signal, we used the exponential model as well as the volcanic empirical model of taphonomic bias. The four time-seriescoincide in showing a regional pattern with a phase of low and fluctuating demography of relative long term duration, followed by an growth phase well evident at 5000 cal BP in a context the economic intensification. The long-term demographic success of the hunter-gatherers in the highlands manymillennia before the consolidation of food production exemplifies the flexibility of this mode of subsistence for achieving human adaptation to extreme selective environments as the Puna Fil: Muscio, Hernán Juan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Arqueología; Argentina Fil: Lopez, Gabriel Eduardo Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Arqueología; Argentina

In this paper we generate chronological constraints through optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on extensive prehistoric stone structures that stretch out in the Arabian Desert and appear as geometric lines, known as the “Works of the Old Men”. Two major types of the “Works” that are common throughout the Arabian Desert are the “wheels” and the more intensively investigated “desert kites”. Here, OSL dating was applied to “wheels” in the Wadi Wisad area, in the eastern badia of Jordan. OSL dating generated ages that fall into the Late Neolithic to Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age periods. This chronological spectrum is consistent with the well-documented prehistoric activities at the archaeological site of Wisad Pools, also located in the Wadi Wisad area. Spatial analyses of the “Works” in Wadi Wisad and in the Azraq Oasis revealed that: 1) the wheels are organized in clusters, 2) the spatial distribution of the wheels is predetermined by the kites, 3) the kites were most probably created earlier than the wheels in the study areas and 4) a cluster of wheels nearby the Azraq Oasis tentatively demonstrates ranking and, perhaps, tendency for alignment, although this is not the case for the other wheel-clusters studied. Despite the progress toward understanding the chronological and spatial aspects of the wheels, a great deal of research remains to resolve the actual nature of these enigmatic stone structures.

This paper assesses the use of radiocarbon dates as a population proxy during the north European Mesolithic–Neolithic transition. By addressing data from the Jutland peninsula, it is shown that the sum probability distributions are influenced by three human-inflicted biases. Two of these – changed ritual behaviour and changes of subsistence strategies – refer to past human activity, while the third consists of modern research strategies. The analysis questions the validity of sum probability distributions as a population proxy in a period where a society experiences a transformation process.

The introduction of pottery in North Patagonia (Argentina), approximately 2000 years BP, allowed hunter-gatherers to exploit resources in new ways, but also required alterations to lifeways to accommodate this new technology, especially in territoriality, exchange, and home ranges. Ceramic provenance analysis allows us to focus on the characteristics of pot circulation and conveyance in the region. In this paper, we explore the topic applying neutron activation analysis to ceramic sherds from six archaeological sites distributed in the Atuel river basin, from Northern Patagonia (Argentina) (Fig. 1). Results show a minimum of six distinctive compositional groups spread in a non-random fashion across the six sites. The distribution suggests a restricted circulation of selected ceramic vessels between two different environments -- highlands vs. lowlands-- that may be related to the exploitation of complementary resources in those contexts. We interpret the compositional data as a reflection of how ceramic technologies were embedded in a residentially mobile settlement pattern. Groups may have produced ceramic vessels (“geared up”) in one location and brought them to other locations during short-term visits to exploit locally abundant resources.

The present paper shows a GIS-based analysis for understanding the mobility system of the mound-builders (cerriteiros) of Patos and Mirim lagoons, located in southern Brazil, during the late Holocene. A geospatial model of mobility and centrality was developed using the least-cost path and network analysis methodologies. The degree of traffic and the settlement centrality allowed the interpretation of movement patterns and the connectivity of people in the coastal aquatic environment. The comparison between the terrestrial and aquatic models of mobility illustrates the permeability of the landscape suggesting the higher efficiency of movement via canoe in some environments as opposed to a purely walking-based model. Considering the GIS modeling and the archaeological and ethnohistorical data, we suggest that settlement and mobility patterns in some parts of the coastal plains were driven by the water-heavy landscape and the settlement positioning acted as mechanism of ordering the landscape.

The archaeobotanical (seeds and fruits) dataset of the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula for the Neolithic period is presented and discussed in this paper in order to approach how early farmers produced their crops and how farming spread in the region. Ten crop plants were identified, including cereals (Triticum aestivum/durum/turgidum L., Triticum dicoccum Schubl., Triticum monococcum L., Hordeum vulgare L./distichon L. and Hordeum vulgare var. nudum), legumes (Vicia faba L., Lens culinaris Medik. and Pisum sativum L.) as well as oil plants (Linum usitatissimum L. and Papaver somniferum L.). Two different traditions were observed by looking at the crop assemblages of the early Neolithic (5400–4500 cal BC). It is proposed that one group of farmers settled in the northeastern area of the region and chose to grow free-threshing cereals, especially naked wheat, while a second group settled in the central Catalan coast and along the Llobregat river and included glume wheats as important crops. These different patterns seem to survive during the middle Neolithic period, when naked barley becomes the main crop at some sites, maybe due to contacts with northern groups. The late Neolithic seems to translate into further changes but more investigations are needed. The weed assemblages available are meagre but the lack of indicators for shifting agriculture allowed confirming that crops were sown in permanent fields. It is concluded that early Neolithic settlements must have been more sedentary and farming practices more effort-demanding than previously thought.

The Philippine archipelago spans over two distinct biogeographic zones, Sundaland and Wallacea. We report in this paper on finds from Ilin Island just off the coast of SW-Mindoro, and El Nido in Northern Palawan. While the island of Palawan is linked to Sundaland, Mindoro and Ilin Island belong to Wallacea, east of Huxley's Line. Ongoing archaeological investigations at Bubog 1 Rockshelter on Ilin Island and Ille Cave & Rockshelter in northern Palawan, delivered obsidian artefacts, found in Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene layers. PXRF analysis of the obsidian samples from Mindoro and Palawan shows that they were coming from the same, yet unknown source. They clearly indicate that the two distinct paleogeographical regions were linked to each other, suggesting human interaction and maritime networks as early as ca. 12ka BP. The results of this study contribute substantially to our understanding of the mobility of early islanders during the Terminal Pleistocene and the processes of human island adaptation and enhance our current knowledge of subsistence strategies across the region.

This paper presents and discusses the results of the studies of pollen and micro-mammal remains associated with the human burial in El Miron Cave, dated in the Lower Magdalenian. The sedimentological integrity of the deposit has been confirmed through its comparison with the penecontemporaneous level in other parts of the cave. From the environmental point of view, this unit, like others of the same age in northern Spain, attests a very cold and arid climate. However, the pollen study reveals that it can be differentiated by the large quantity of Chenopodiaceae pollen (occasionally in the form of aggregates of grains), exclusively in the funerary context. In the discussion, various hypotheses are considered (funerary offering, food, to hygienize the grave or medicinal use) to interpret this over-representation. Although all the possibilities remain open, the most likely is thought to be the direct deposit of flowers at the time of the burial, either as a ritual element or for a more practical and hygienic purpose.

This paper presents a preliminary summary of lithic and osseous artifacts recovered from El Miron Level 504, whose ochre-stained sediments were associated with a Lower Magdalenian human burial. The lithic artifacts were concentrated to the south of the human remains. Debris indicate that manufacture was focused on late-stage bladelet reduction, which followed preparatory flake or blade removals. The lithic industry is rich in bladelet tools and other Lower Magdalenian diagnostic artifacts that were made on very high-quality flints. Osseous artifacts—principally antler sagaies—are highly fragmented, but their attributes are consistent with others known from El Miron. Lithic and osseous artifacts are typical of the Lower Magdalenian of Cantabria. These artifacts were recovered from a level with significant microstratigraphic variation associated with cultural and natural formation processes, leaving unknown how extensively these materials were spatially and/or temporally displaced from their primary discard locations as part of Level 504 deposition. Interpreted as a single unit and compared with those from the underlying Level 505, these burial area materials testify to spatial continuity with the similarly rich Lower Magdalenian occupations identified in the El Miron mid- and outer-vestibule into the vestibule rear. The artifacts found in Level 504 provide additional evidence that confirm the site's importance as a major Lower Magdalenian residential site in the montane zone of the Cantabrian region.

This paper presents the results of phosphorus mapping conducted on a number of coastal activity zones on the multi-period, archaeological farm site of Vatnsfjorður, northwest Iceland. The aim of the study was to detect the exact levels and extents of shorelines contemporary with the archaeological site's activities and to use sea-level change to establish a relative chronology of coastal activity zones. Absolute dating of the coastal zones and sea-level changes was achieved by integrating an existing sea-level curve with a novel tephrochronology-based curve, created for the purpose of this research. Results were projected onto a detailed digital terrain model of the area in order to reconstruct the extent of the coastline contemporary with human activity in the respective zones. A significant component of the research was an attempt to develop the existing approach to phosphorus mapping results interpretation. This has resulted in an improved methodology that can be applied to the dynamic and challenging environments of coastal sites worldwide.

This paper presents the results of petrographic and electron microprobe study of the steatite-tempered pottery of the Stroke Ornamented Ware culture from Silesia (SW Poland). The examination was performed with an emphasis on techno-functional aspects of ceramic production, nevertheless some preliminary data concerning provenance and distribution of the temper are also briefly discussed. Typological variability of investigated potsherds corresponds with distinguished fabric groups of steatite-tempered pottery. Fabric group A, linked to kettle-shaped vessels and thick-walled bowls, contains abundant admixture of microscopically observable steatite fragments (24–48 vol.%) and significant amounts of pulverized steatite in the clay groundmass. It may be supposed that the crushed talcose rock was added as a key-component in order to improve thermal properties of ceramic bodies. On the other hand, fabric group B, to which pear-shaped vessels and fine bowls belong, is characterized by minor quantities of steatite inclusions (usually less than 10 vol.%) accompanied by a variety of other non-plastics. Regardless of the widespread distribution of steatite-tempered pottery in Silesia, petrographic features of the steatite (talc-chlorite schist containing relics of antigorite) are very uniform at each of the investigated sites, indicating a specific source of raw material, most likely related to one of the Lower Silesian serpentinite massifs. The multigenerational persistence of this technological innovation sheds some new light on long-debated questions of cultural continuity at the regional level in the first half of the 5th millennium BC. The presented findings, viewed from a broader perspective, do not correspond with commonly held assumption considering the Neolithic pottery as produced from widely available raw materials and intended for own use.

Geophysical science offers a large range of methods that have been adapted for the detection of archaeological structures beneath the surface. Magnetometry is among others the most successful, and with respect to large survey areas, the most widely-used scientific toolkit that is used by archaeologists. New developments in instrument techniques and real-time GPS enlarged the role of magnetometer prospecting for archaeological science considerably and allow even the detailed prospecting and analysis of landscapes. An integral part of this method however should be the archaeological interpretation of the geophysical result. In this paper the rock magnetic and soil magnetic background will be discussed, which is necessary for a comprehensive understanding of survey results. The diversity of the magnetic anomalies is exemplified on the basis of selected survey results, and explains the role of magnetic prospecting in the field of archaeological science.

Evidence from the Severn Estuary demonstrates that this region was exploited by Mesolithic hunter-gatherer-fishers (Bell 2007). The potential for future archaeological discoveries (Bell 2007; Webster 2007, 273; Bell and Warren 2013, 39), and the well-preserved palaeoenvironmental evidence in the fine-grained and organic sediments of the Somerset, Avon and Gwent Levels (Hosfield et al., 2007a, 40) makes the area of importance for archaeological study. Small quantities of worked flint have been recovered from the foreshore around Stolford, Porlock and Minehead Bay (Mullin et al., 2009; Canti et al., 1995) implying human activity in the present intertidal zone, which is further enhanced by the suggestion of possible deliberate burning of reed swamps (Jones et al., 2005) similar to that postulated in the Severn Estuary (Brown 2005; Timpany 2005; Bell 2007). While considerable research has been carried out within terrestrial and intertidal contexts, remarkably little archaeological work has been undertaken below the mean low water mark (Webster 2007, 273). The Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary has seen considerable change in sea-level since the Last Glacial Maximum (Long et al., 2002; Philips and Crips 2010). Extending our knowledge beyond the intertidal zone is therefore of key importance for understanding the Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic palaeogeography of the region (Hosfield et al., 2007b). Developments in the recovery of offshore Holocene peat and sediment sequences now permit the production of multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental datasets and landscape reconstructions from submerged sample sites. This paper uses evidence from three cores, recovered from submarine peat deposits at Hinkley Point, Bristol Channel, UK, to explore the issues and challenges associated with producing radiocarbon chronologies from deeply submerged peat sequences within a marine environment. We emphasise the importance of analysis of multiple sequences to construct robust chronologies for local hydrological change and landscape reconstruction (Edwards 2006). The need for local evidence is critical if we are to move beyond generalised and potentially misleading models of human-environment interaction (Scaife 2011), because as this case study demonstrates, complex processes and landscape variability might have been features of even highly-localised palaeoenvironments.

The Cova des Pas (Ferreries, Menorca) is a cave that was used as a collective sepulcher during the late Bronze Age (1100–800 B.C.). Apart from the archaeological and paleoanthropological attractiveness of the site, it stands out for its excellent preservation of organic remains. In this paper we study the micromorphology of the human and organic remains in order to assess the preservation conditions and in particular to elucidate the presence of gypsum, found mainly on human remains, plant fibers and shrouds. In order to do this, a detailed description of the geological and geomorphological environment of the cave is provided. Gypsum is present as microcrystalline gypsum resulting from diagenetic process in this cave. Due to the lack of any other gypsum source, and based on its location and morphology, the gypsum is interpreted to be a consequence of the oxidation of organic sulphur from the buried bodies which later precipitated with the calcium present in the substrate. The location, morphology and lithology of the deposit have contributed to the arid environmental conditions, thus avoiding the leaching of gypsum and favouring the preservation of the remains and materials of organic origin, which is rare in archaeological contexts.

The paper reports on the urban archaeobotany of Modena, a town that lies on the southern Po Plain of the Emilia Romagna region, Northern Italy. Founded in 183 BC, it was an important Roman colony known as Mutina. The integrated study of micro- and macro-remains, the interdisciplinary archaeological and botanical approach, and the comparison of on-site/off-site records allow the reconstruction of an urban environment of the past. Pollen and macroremains from four archaeological sites located in and around the ancient walls, along with pollen from an off-site trench, were studied with an integrated approach, aimed at reconstructing the main floristic, vegetational and palaeoecological features of the town and its surroundings between the 6th century BC and the 10th century AD. During the Roman age, the natural plant landscape was characterised by wetlands, thinly scattered mixed oak woods, cereal fields, gardens and other human environments; during the Late Roman and Early Medieval age, the woodlands increased. Some currently rare, or locally extinct, species lived in the area. The fragmentation of the landscape has been evident since the Roman times because pieces of the natural environments have survived near lands strongly modified by inhabitants.

This paper evaluates a long sequence of zooarchaeological remains from Klissoura Cave 1 (southern Greece) within the paradigm of evolutionary ecology. The prey choice, central place foraging, and patch choice models are applied to the dataset in order to understand subsistence shifts related to local resource depression and changes in the intensity of site use from the Middle Paleolithic through Mesolithic. Major trends in prey choice indicate that Middle Paleolithic hominins tended to focus on high-ranked large game resources, while Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic occupants shifted to lower-ranked small game, fast-moving animals in particular. Overarching shifts in prey use do not correspond to environmental change, so they likely reflect human impacts on local prey populations. Reconstructions of body part profiles indicate that hunters exploited large game animals locally, possibly as they passed through the gorge or drank at a nearby stream. Occupation intensity at the site was highest at the beginning of the Aurignacian, which is reflected by an increase in material culture such as lithics and hearth features, as well as different subsistence strategies. Specifically, bone marrow processing is more important, evidenced by ungulate transport decisions that focus on marrow-rich elements, and an overall increase in marrow processing intensity. Environmental data indicate that conditions in southern Greece were particularly favorable at the beginning of the Aurignacian, which supported rich ungulate faunas and larger populations of their hominin predators in the area. In general, faunal data from Klissoura Cave 1 fit within larger trends found in the Mediterranean over the course of the Late Pleistocene, which indicate that human hunting pressures were on the rise. However, many aspects of prey use are specific to Klissoura Cave 1, reflecting unique environmental and cultural circumstances of southern Greece at various phases in the occupation of the site.

The Great Basin's earliest inhabitants relied heavily on wetland systems that underwent a great decline culminating in the early Holocene. In this paper, we derive expectations for regional Paleoindian archaeology by modeling the distribution and disappearance of lake-margin wetland habitats. Basin geomorphology and hydrology are used to predict change through time in the occurrence of these habitats. Fifty-two pluvial lakes are drained from their Pleistocene highstands by computer simulation using GIS, and the changing extent of associated wetlands is quantified. We find that as these lakes declined to shallow depths, many experienced corresponding increases in wetland habitat prior to complete desiccation; thus, while the total area of wetland habitat in the region could have maintained some stability through this process, the number of available basin wetlands would have dropped relatively rapidly as smaller basins completely dried up. The model therefore implies that those lakes that disappeared earliest should hold the archaeological signatures most restricted to early Paleoindian times. Assemblages associated with these lakes should also reflect higher forager mobility corresponding with the greater number of basin wetlands available. We find preliminary support for the model in several archaeological cases but emphasize the need for further basin-specific research to clarify the nature and timing of wetland habitat loss and the extent to which this was a constraint for Paleoindian populations.

In September 2013 pigment samples were taken by one of the authors from pictograms inside the Goda Roriso rock-shelter. 1 The samples originated from white beeswax, previously analysed by micro-Raman Spectroscopy. In addition to the samples, a series of chronometric dates were made from the same substance. The radiocarbon dates were produced using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). Stylistically, the pictograms from Goda Roriso originate from an Ethiopian pastoral rock-art tradition that is associated with a Neolithic agro-pastoral economy, chronologically attributed by the scholars to 4000 until 1300 BP. Our initial thought was that, based on style, the pictograms, in particular the images of humped bovines, fell into a date range of between 2000 and 2500 years BP. The results revealed an unexpected range of dates: AD1021–1060 and AD1062–1155 (for sample Beta358358) and AD894–928 and AD934–1017 (for sample Beta358359). Absolute dating demonstrated that beeswax application was not a recent event, but doesn't belong to Neolithic Period. Based on secure chronometric dating, the beeswax paintings of Goda Roriso are the oldest of their type outside Australia. In this brief paper, we argue that beeswax forms an important by-product of beekeeping and that its dates from this remote corner of Africa are synchronous with beeswax paintings found elsewhere, in particular, within pre- and post-colonial Australia.

This paper presents the first record of fatty acids recovered from archaeological sediment samples in Southeast Asia. Fatty acid analysis in archaeology provides a good source of evidence for the identification and interpretation of prehistoric dietary patterns by identifying organic remains of animal and plant foods. Prehistoric hard floor sediment samples excavated from prehistoric sites of Ban Non Wat and Nong Hua Raet located in the upper catchment of the Mun River valley in Thailand, were analysed for this study. The samples are from compressed sediment features identified during excavation as ‘floors’ and interpreted as some form of living or working surfaces, dated to the Iron Age and Neolithic periods, around 2000 BC–AD 500. Triglycerides were extracted in hexane, derivatized to fatty acid methyl esters and analysed using Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Twenty fatty acids, including saturated and unsaturated counterparts, were identified in the hard floor sediments. Comparison with control samples indicate that the floor samples have distinctive fatty acid assemblages, interpreted to relate to the anthropogenic activity associated with the formation of the floors. Results suggest that many of the fatty acids are mainly of degraded animal origin, possibly from ruminants, including cow and deer.

The Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) is one of the smallest vultures in the Old World. Today, this vulture is seasonal in Europe, spending winter in North Africa and returning to Europe in spring; however, some permanent populations reside in the south of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. These birds feed mainly on carrion but are opportunistic and will prey on small mammals, birds and reptiles. The remains of Egyptian Vultures have been found on archaeological sites dated to the Pleistocene and Holocene, raising the possibility that they may have been active bone accumulating agents in caves and shelters, a practice evidenced by contemporary observation. Taphonomic studies on prey remains consumed by this vulture are very scarce and its role as an agent responsible for bone accumulations on archaeological sites is not fully understood. In this paper, we analyse bone remains recovered from three well known Egyptian Vulture nests situated in cliff rock shelters from Osona and Ripollès regions (Northeast Spain) with the aim of characterising their accumulations. Specifically, we detail taxonomic and anatomical representation, bone breakage, beak marks and digestion damage. Results show that very diverse taxonomic groups can be accumulated in Egyptian Vulture nest assemblages. The anatomical representation pattern varies greatly depending on the size of prey. Skeletal remains show a low degree of fragmentation and digestion, whilst the proportion of beak marked bones is high. Comparisons with other agents of bone accumulation (birds of prey and terrestrial mammalian carnivores) reveal that the taphonomic signature of Egyptian Vultures differs from most predators., Ll. Lloveras was funded by a postdoctoral grant (BP-A 00334 2011) from the Secretaria d'Universitats i Recerca Del Departament d'Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Financial support from research projects HAR2011-26193 from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) and SGR2009-1145 from the Generalitat de Catalunya are gratefully acknowledged.

The Stonehenge bluestones were first sourced to outcrops in the high parts of the eastern Mynydd Preseli in SW Wales by H.H. Thomas in the early 1920s. He recognised the distinctive ‘spotted dolerite’ from his fieldwork in that area and suggested that the tors of Carn Meini (also known as Carn Menyn) and Cerrigmarchogion were the most likely sources. In the early 1990s, in a major contribution to our understanding of the Stonehenge bluestones, the geochemistry of a set of samples from Stonehenge monoliths and debitage was determined and compared against the geochemistry of dolerites from the eastern Mynydd Preseli by a team from the Open University led by R.S. Thorpe. They argued that the majority of the Stonehenge dolerites could be sourced from outcrops in the Carn Meini-Carn Gyfrwy area, based on the concentrations of the so-called ‘immobile’ elements (elements which are not affected by rock alteration processes), in particular TiO2, Y, and Zr. However, these elements are incompatible during crystallization of mineral phases in basaltic systems (that is they do not enter into the mineral phases which are crystallizing but are concentrated in the residual liquid) which severely hampers their use in discriminating between different pulses of an evolving magma (as is the case of the doleritic sills emplaced high in the crust and now exposed in the Mynydd Preseli). An alternative strategy in this study re-examines the data set of Thorpe's team but investigates the concentration of elements which are compatible in such basaltic systems (that is elements which do enter into the crystallizing mineral phases), namely MgO, Ni, Cr and Fe2O3. On the basis of the abundances of these elements on bivariate plots and also by using Principal Component Analysis on the dataset available and various sub-sets we identify three compositional groupings for the Stonehenge doleritic monolith and debitage samples and conclude that the majority of them (Group 1 of this paper) can be sourced to the prominent outcrop in the eastern Mynydd Preseli known as Carn Goedog. We also offer potential sources (with one exception) for those Stonehenge dolerites which appear not to relate to Carn Goedog.

At the transition from the Middle (2100–1700 BC) to Late Bronze Age (1700–1400 BC) in the central Eurasian steppe, significant changes occurred in patterns of settlement and mortuary practice. Traditional interpretations link these changes to shifts from semi-settled agro-pastoral communities to more mobile forms of pastoralism. However, correlations between subsistence strategies and shifts in social and ritual practices have been infrequently tested. This paper explores the nature of subsistence economies in two populations from the sites of Bestamak (MBA) and Lisakovsk (LBA) in northern Kazakhstan. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of bone collagen was undertaken to understand dietary intake. The close clustering of isotope values indicates homogeneity in subsistence practices for these two communities spanning the transition. Therefore, while changes occurred in social and ritual practice, subsistence regimes stayed relatively uniform at the transition. Results of this research add to previous literature, revealing that dietary intake of pastoral populations in the Eurasian steppe are much more intricate than previously believed.

This paper uses typological analyses and image-enhancement software called DStretch to eliminate an engraved and pigmented monolith as a chronological marker for dating the largest concentration of supposed Mesolithic rock art in the world – the “classic” schematic engravings of the Massif de Fontainebleau. It shows that part of the block, which was thought to have lain undisturbed for over 7000 years and has been referred to as a “Rosetta Stone” for dating the area's art, actually bears historic letters. The orientation of these painted letters, whose tops all point towards the block's narrow end, and absence of both the letters and apparent medieval engravings around the other end indicate that the monolith's broader end was planted in the soil and more tapered one was exposed when the markings were made. This means that the monolith was upright. The only candidate we could find for keeping it vertical for long on a sandy floor was an oval cluster of small rounded boulders in the Mesolithic layer underneath. If these stones were used to brace the block, its exposed section could have been marked at any time between the monolith's erection and collapse up to 7 millennia later. But they also indicate that the monolith may be one of the oldest known menhirs in France.

This paper presents the results of a magnetic susceptibility survey at Ocmulgee National Monument, a large archaeological site located in central Georgia. Ocmulgee consists of numerous bluffs, each subjected to plowing and erosion. Archaeological remains preserved differentially better on some bluffs, while remains on other bluffs have been obliterated. Magnetic susceptibility readings were recorded in the plow zone on Mound X Ridge, an area of the site that is significantly disturbed. Although the archaeological site is no longer intact, superparamagnetic micro-particles from daub, ceramics, or charcoal have been mixed from 100 years of plowing and remain in the plow zone. The goal of the project was to delineate the northern boundary of this activity area. Thirty posthole tests were excavated and the presence or absence of artifacts from each posthole test was recorded. Magnetic susceptibility values were also recorded in the plow zone following excavation of each test. The positive correlation of high susceptibility values with presence of artifacts indicates this method is useful for mapping disturbed site boundaries of plowed archaeological sites. This method is quicker than more traditional invasive testing and does not further disturb archaeological remains if posthole tests are not excavated below the plow zone.

This paper examines application of the provenance hypothesis in areas of complex regional geology, where all potential sources of raw materials cannot be isolated or taken into account. With a few notable exceptions most pottery of the Late and Final Neolithic in Central and Southern Mainland Greece is considered to be locally produced by non-specialist household potters. Nevertheless small quantities of pottery with fresh volcanic fabrics have been found in largely non-volcanic areas and interpreted as imports. This interpretation has been questioned and alternative local sources proposed either in isolated palaeovolcanic units amongst otherwise non-volcanic rocks or through reuse of imported artefacts such as millstones made from fresh volcanic rock. In this study we examine evidence for pottery exchange at the Cave of Euripides, located opposite the island of Aegina, a potential source of imported volcanic materials in the region. The analysis uses petrography to identify raw materials, production technologies and provenance of the pottery. Results show that most pottery at the cave was produced locally. It is argued that grog and sparry calcite tempered fabrics are indicative of shared technological knowledge amongst potters in different communities. Pottery imports are identified based on their fresh volcanic inclusions. They are consistent with pottery fabrics from Aegina and distinguished from the local palaeovolcanic rocks that occur in close proximity to the cave.