Search

The article offers information on the Yadkin River Sites in the Blue Ridge Mountain Foothills of North Carolina (N.C.), U.S. It further discusses that three clay vessels recovered by Buddy Grubbs in the 1970s at the Forbush Creek Site, the west side of the Yadkin River at the U.S. Highway 421 crossing in eastern Yadkin County, N.C.; and in 1981 John Retherford of Stony Point, N.C., recovered an antler flaker, four triangle points and a relatively short Woodland stone celt.

Abstract: This work reports on the technological study of a unique group of ceramic beehives, discovered at the archaeological site of Kastraki, Agathonisi island (Tragaia) in South-east Aegean. Kastraki is an important late Hellenistic site, situated just off the Ionian coast, near Miletus. The island has a rich history in craft production as witnessed from the variety of findings, which besides the ceramic beehives include a large number of storage and transport amphorae, cooking vessels and agricultural tools. The present study examines ceramic microstructure, chemical and mineralogical composition of ceramic fragments and two samples of local clays, providing a first insight into the ceramic technology of Aegean beekeeping and honey production. Moreover, it is expected to contribute towards the understanding of the role of Agathonisi in the production and trade of commodities in the Eastern Aegean. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: 161 late medieval copper-based day-to-day items have been analysed, mostly consisting of small artefacts such as dress fittings. The items were all recently excavated from a 14th century AD metallurgical workshop located in Paris. Eight well-defined copper alloys have been identified that refer to various constraints, the most important one being economics. According to the model proposed, most of the alloys were obtained by dilution of a fresh brass master alloy by scrap metal containing small amounts of zinc, tin and lead. Pure lead was added separately in relatively large quantities, with a limit of 6 wt% Pb marking the boundary between leaded and unleaded alloys. It has been found that the less the cost of the artefact, the more the fresh brass is diluted. For the medium-size castings such as cast vessels, alloys containing large quantities of lead or alloys rich in antimony were used. Such complex alloying strategy pertains more to a small industrial-like plant organisation rather than to craftsman activity, as further supported by a variety of archaeological and historical evidence. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the period between May 23, 2011 and June 11, 2011 the tenth stage of the archaeological excavations at the site Stari Grad in Ivanec was conducted by the Institute of Archaeology. On this occasion, the research of some previously opened sectors was finished, and few new probes were opened. The graves found north of the nave of the Gothic church were explored as well as some of the older burials. In total, so far, 55 graves were explored in the sector north of the nave; based on their mutual relations and the difference established between the individual phases of burials they were chronologically divided into three groups. Cultural layers have been documented and removed - black, medieval, and brown, Roman - from which pieces of pottery and daub were collected. The remains of three large circular cut with the diameter of cca 40 cm, older than the graves excavated earlier and younger than the Medieval cultural layer, were established and excavated - they probably represent traces of an older wooden architecture. East of the Northern tower the last layer which prevented the ditch slopes from drifting was excavated. West of the Northern tower a complex of Modern Era walls and other structures filled with abundance of material, primarily fragments of ceramic vessels and tiles, was discovered. There is a possibility that these deeply buried structures completely annihilated the foundation of an assumed facade of a Romanesque church. The exploration of the defensive wall was also undertaken. Along its northern face a two meters wide probe was open which, together with the material left behind by the inhabitants of Stari Grad, provides an insight into an intense architectural activity during the Modern Era . This year's campaign brought Stari Grad even closer to our goal: the presentation of the most interesting architectural remains, and display of an exceptional complexity of life at the site in the very heart of the city of Ivanec. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The site of Finch Camp in the middle Queen Creek area of Arizona, southeast of Phoenix, has produced some of the earliest evidence of utilitarian pottery use in the US Southwest. Using multiple lines of evidence from vessel morphology, surface alteration, and minute fatty acid residues in vessel walls, I evaluate the nascent function of the earliest vessels (mostly neckless jars, or tecomates) and infer a diachronic process of functional expansion from about 350 B.C.–A.D. 400. This evidence provides robust evidence for evaluating various theoretical models of pottery origins. I argue that utilitarian pottery was initially adopted in connection with the intensification of small particulate plant foods (e.g., seeds, grains) and increasing household-level control over resources. Further, vessel functions may have expanded during the early centuries A.D. in response to women’s task-scheduling conflicts stemming from increasing residential stability and growing reliance on low-level horticulture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses the temporal and stylistic character of Late and Historic Caddo fine ware found in the upper Neches River valley in East Texas. Five new varieties from the area represent over 73% of the Poynor Engraved vessels that include Blackburn, Cook, and Freeman. There is an indication of clear stylistic link between Poynor Engraved and Patton Engraved of Freman variation. Defined varieties of Patton and Hume Engraved are also illustrated.

The article discusses the implications and origin of edge-ground and waisted axe of Western Pacific Islands. According to the author, the history and origin of the axes are recorded in various localities of the region as well as the chronological essence it manifests as an example of the implements found at the Iriomote Island in Japan. In addition, the author notes that the implement bears a resemblance, however, the artifact poses a unique archaeological structure wherein its history is associated with late Pleistocene in the western Pacific area.

Archaeological and ethnographic evidence from the Sepik coast of Papua New Guinea documents the survival in the western Pacific of a stylized symbol or motif — the so-called ‘Lapita face’ — on pottery and possibly other kinds of material items (such as wooden bowls and serving platters) for at least 3300 years. A plausible reason for the persistence of this iconography is that it has referred to ideas about the living and the dead, the human and the divine, and the individual and society that remained socially and spiritually profound and worth expressing long after the demise of Lapita as a distinct ceramic style. We detail evidence for saying that the ‘faces’ on Lapita vessels from thousands of years ago and certain stylized designs on historic and modern carved wooden bowls and platters from this coast are historically linked ways of alluding to sea turtles, creatures figuring prominently in the lore and cosmology of Pacific Islanders. Here we describe four prehistoric wares (or ‘phases’ or ‘periods’) in the Aitape ceramic sequence on the Sepik coast that, considered in series, fill the temporal gap between practices and beliefs in Lapita times and present-day realities in this part of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stone tools were reduced during use, with implications both for classification and curation rates. Ballenger's "expended utility" (EU) is a continuous reduction measure devised for Dalton bifaces, described by its mean but also its distribution among specimens. We validate EU as a reduction measure by reference to experimental and contextual controls. We compare EU between the "special context" Dalton assemblages Sloan and Hawkins in Arkansas and Ballenger's eastern Oklahoma "occupation context" ones. Then we fit EU distributions to mathematical functions to model the curation process. Results show that Oklahoma bifaces were better curated than Arkansas ones. Fitting distributions to the Gompertz-Makeham model efficiently describes distributions' shape and scale, which are as important to know as central tendency. Curation is not a categorical state but a continuous variable whose complex variation implicates complex causes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A category of small vessels fashioned in samian ware has conventionally been interpreted as representing inkwells. This identification seems valid given their typological characteristics. The type is fairly rare in Roman Britain, as in other western provinces. Nonetheless, it is well known through illustration and is sufficiently frequent to be familiar to those who study the period, Given the likely close form function relationship of this type, its distribution is assessed in this paper as an archaeological index of the locations of writing and recording in Britannia using ink. Indeed, study of samian inkwells offers a seemingly reliable indicator of such activity. This prospect is almost unique given the rarity of other types of direct and indirect evidence for writing in ink from Roman Britain. Analysis shows, for the first time, that there is a clear pattern to the occurrence of samian inkwells. Most examples come from sites associated with the Roman military, with a sizeable proportion also recorded from major civil centres; elsewhere they are particularly infrequent. Examination of the spatial occurrence of these finds from within sites reveals a notable pattern. Many come from contexts at or close-by to locations where writing in ink might be expected. This is testimony to the rich potential of the archaeological record of this era to inform upon cultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents additional information about shell vessels from the Aqui Esta Mound in Florida. Variation in the shell vessel types; Speculation about the functional reasons for the creation of whelk shell vessels by the American Indians; Accounts of the link between whelk shell vessels and black drink.

This is the first of a series of regional studies on the distribution of stone mortars and pestles in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The pan distribution of these artefacts in New Britain, in conjunction with preliminary results from other parts of PNG, supports the view that there is a positive correlation in the distribution of stone mortars and pestles and taro cultivation. This result raises the possibility that these artefacts provide a signature of where people were growing taro in PNG from about 7,000 to 3,500 years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws attention to thirty unpublished Iron Age softstone vessels from Qarn Bint Sa'ud held in the Al Ain Museum. They are compared with softstone vessels from other Iron Age sites in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Mesopotamia, in order to study distribution patterns and exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixty-two softstone vessels found at the coastal site of ed-Dur, Umm al-Qaiwain (U.A.E.), less than 1% of the total amount of artefacts registered at the site, are examined for evidence of (inter)regional exchange. Emphasis is laid on the vessels from the PIR C phase. In recent research much attention has been paid to the spatial distribution and trade of softstone vessels of earlier times. An attempt will be made to do the same for the dark grey softstone vessels dating ca . 300 BC–300 AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rak 5115 is a unique example of a tri-compartmentalised soft-stone vessel from the Oman Peninsula. This vessel was reconstructed, having been found in a fragmentary from in the National Museum of Ras al-Khaimah. It appears that the vessel comes from the lomb of Wa'ab 4 in the Wadi al-Qawr. Rak 5115 is datable on stylistic grounds to the earlier part of the Iron Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates spouted vessels and cacao use among preclassic Maya. Role of the spouted vessels in the daily social and ritual activities of the ancient Maya; Presentation of results of chemical analysis on residues collected from sprouted vessels; Significance of the discovery of chocolate in the sprouted vessels.

Archaeologists generally argue that early (ca. 11,000–8000 B.P. populations on the North American Great Plains moved over very large areas, relying on sophisticated, biface-based flaked stone technology and on extensive resharpening and recycling of tools to cope with unpredictable access to raw material sources. This paper reviews the development of this reconstruction and considers the degree to which data from assemblages of Paleoindian flaked stone tools support it. Published information implies that patterns of raw material use vary greatly over the Plains, that bifaces were not the centerpiece of Paleoindian technology, that there are no published efforts to document an unusual degree of resharpening or recycling, and that the data that are available on these topics do not suggest that either was important. Detailed analysis of one assemblage, from the Allen site in southwestern Nebraska, carried out with these issues in mind, shows similar patterns. The great difference between what the literature says about Paleoindian technology and the documented character of that technology suggests that Paleoindian lifeways were far more variable than current discussions suggest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A raw material form scarcely mentioned in the literature on lithic production—chipped stone artifacts manufactured by members of still earlier cultures—is used for a substantial portion of the toolkits in certain industries of Dakhleh Oasis, south-central Egypt. In one group of early Holocene (Masara) sites, the majority of double- patinated tools are chunky burins, systematically manufactured from Levallois flakes and similar thick-sectioned older artifacts. Since fresh chert and other workable stone is available in the area, it appears that old, recycled lithics constitute the preferred raw material for these tool classes. The sites in question seem to be field camps where the burins were both made and used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A discussion is presented of an analysis of lithic specimens recovered from the Calico Early Man Site in California. The purpose of the analysis was to determine whether there are consistent patterns of attributes that are characteristic of lithic manufacturing by man. For comparison, the same analysis was also performed on the products of experimental knapping of lithic raw materials obtained near the Calico Site. A number of conclusions from this study support the concept that the Calico lithic collection contains man-made specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes a method to photograph stone tools. The method allows one to have a photograph of even large assemblages of stone tools in a relatively short time. The equipment consists of a 35mm single lens reflex camera with a 35-70mm zoom lens and a bellows attachment or a set of intermediate rings, a stable tripod equipped with a horizontal extension which positions the camera for vertical shots, and two light sources with 70-100w bulbs, which can be adjusted to various positions. The article highlights the key features and benefits offered by the technique.

Past studies of the quantitative relationships between sherds and the whole vessels from which they are derived have remained theoretical because the data used were from archaeological contexts where only information from sherds was available. By recording data from a set of whole vessels, breaking them, and then recording data from the resulting sherds, it was possible to determine which measures of sherd quantity may be used to estimate given measures of vessel quantity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prehistoric jasper quarrying and tool production at the Vera Cruz site, located near Allentown, Pennsylvania, are investigated through studies of quarry design, lithic heat treatment, intrasite spacing of tool production, and through functional and temporal analyses of artifacts. A methodology combining neutron-activation analysis and discriminant analysis is outlined, and the chemical profiles of seven regional jasper quarries are offered as a first step toward resolving speculation concerning the long-distance trade of this material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that the Millingstone Culture of Southern California (7560-785 B.P.) adapted from an agave subsistence strategy to one of yucca subsistence because of climatic change in the late Holocene. A diagnostic tool of this period was the scraper plane. One researcher believes that to designate the scraper plane as a tool confuses form with function because the use-wear patterns are the result of platform preparation, not utilization. During the excavation of the Liberty Grove Millingstone site (CA-SBr-901) near Cucamonga, California, many scraper planes were recovered, thereby providing an adequate sample for determining wear patterns. An experiment was conducted utilizing scraper planes knapped from the site's quarry material. It was observed that the scraper plane was the most efficient of several scrapers utilized to prepare yucca. A low-power microwear analysis verified a similarity between utilization patterns on both the site and the experimental artifacts. The experiment also suggests the origin of the "yucca cuds" often found in the dry caves in the Southwest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author offers a response to a critique to his article "An Artefact of Colonial Desire: Kimberley Points and the Technologies of Enchantment," published in a 2006 issue of "Current Anthropology." He notes that his article discusses the function of Kimberley points within Kimberley Aboriginal societies in Australia and how they are received by non-Indigenous collectors, ethnographers and archaeologists during the late 19th and 20th centuries. He stresses that in his article, he did not argue that Kimberley points serve as a late 19th century phenomena.

The article offers information on an assemblage of Old Copper Culture artifacts found by Sam Wasion. It mentions that Mississippian pottery vessels were found near the town of Coldwater in Cross County, Arkansas, in 1962 by W.M. Jordan. It mentions about a mall vessel from Alabama that resembles either an animal pelt or is perhaps a representative of a mace previously collected by Ray Kilgore and Marty Martin.

El artículo habla de la vasija de obsidiana de Texcoco, México. Esta pieza con forma de mono está en el Museo Nacional de Antropología de la ciudad de México. Ha aparecido en numerosas catálogos y publicaciones por ser uno de los mejores ejemplos de lapidaria azteca. Sin embargo, la historia de este artefacto ha sido perdido. Ni siquiera se sabe de que sitio vino. Solo se sabe que un campesino lo entregó al director del museo por una talega de maíz.