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The late seventh-century introduction of silver coinage marked a transformation in the economy of north-west Europe, yet the source(s) of the silver bullion behind this change remains uncertain. Here, the authors use combined lead isotope and trace element analysis of 49 coins from England, Frisia and Francia to provide new insights into north-European silver sources during the 'long eighth century' (c. AD 660-820). The results indicate an early reliance on recycled Byzantine silver plate, followed by a shift c. AD 750 to newly mined metal from Francia. This change indicates the strong role of the Carolingian state in the control of metal sources and economic structures across the North Sea zone. Keywords: North-west Europe, Middle Ages, Byzantine period, silver mining, lead isotope analysis, coinage, Introduction The adoption of silver currency in north-west Europe from c. AD 660/70 marked a profound transformation in the early medieval economy. The replacement of gold with large silver coinages [...]

Modern and contemporary archaeology, the French equivalent of historical archaeology, emerged in the 1970s. Subsequent attempts at theorising this sub-discipline have been hindered by a lack of broad professional recognition and funding. While the archaeology of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries is now more widely recognised in France, studies of the post-nineteenth-century period remain limited to a few specific contexts. Here, the author offers an overview for the Anglophone readers of modern and contemporary archaeology in France and argues that greater theorisation, cross-fertilisation with other archaeological traditions and a diversification of the range of themes considered might enhance recognition of this sub-discipline within and beyond France. Keywords: Western Europe, France, historical archaeology, contemporary archaeology, archaeological theory, Introduction Is there a unified theory of historical or contemporary archaeology in France? Since the late 1970s, there have certainly been many attempts to achieve common theoretical grounds but the [...]

The widespread significance of tobacco in Mesoamerica is documented in historical and ethnographic sources, yet recovery of the organic remains of this plant from archaeological contexts is rare. Here, the authors present evidence for the ritual use of tobacco at Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala, during the Late Classic period (AD 650-950). Detection of nicotine in residue analysis of three cylindrical ceramic vases recovered from cache deposits near the El Baul acropolis suggests that these vessels contained tobacco infusions or other liquid preparations. These results suggest an ancient ritual practice involving tobacco for which there was previously no physical evidence in Mesoamerica. Keywords: Guatemala, Cotzumalhuapa, El Baul, Late Classic period, LC-MS, nicotine, Nicotiana, Introduction Tobacco (Nicotiana sp., Solanaceae) is one of the most significant and ubiquitous ritual plants of the Americas (Linton 1924; Mason 1924; Wilbert 1987, 1979; Winter 2000). Early colonial accounts [...]

The remains of black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) are relatively common at archaeological sites as it grows naturally around settlements in north-western Europe. All parts of the plant may be used as a medicine or a narcotic but its natural prevalence in built environments makes it difficult to interpret any intentionality behind its presence in the archaeological record. Evidence of the deliberate collection and use of black henbane seeds in the Roman Netherlands is presented here for the first time. Examination of Classical texts and interrogation of the archaeobotanical data allow the authors to place the discovery at Houten-Castellum of a hollowed bone containing hundreds of black henbane seeds within the context of the wider Roman understanding of the plant and its properties. Keywords: north-western Europe, Roman period, archaeobotany, GC-MS, medicinal plants, birch-bark tar, Introduction Black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) is an extremely poisonous plant species that can also be used as a medicinal or psychoactive drug. It is a ruderal species, preferring dry, nutrient-rich [...]

Exogamous marriage alliances involving royal women played a prominent role in the conversion of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to Christianity in the seventh century AD. Yet the large number of well-furnished female burials from this period suggests a broader change in the role of women. The authors present the results of isotopic analysis of seventh-century burials, comparing male and female mobility and the mobility of females from well-furnished versus poorly/unfurnished burials. Results suggest increased mobility during the Conversion Period that is, paradoxically, most noticeable among women buried in poorly furnished graves; their well-furnished contemporaries were more likely to have grown up near to their place of burial. Keywords: England, Anglo-Saxon, Conversion Period, stable isotope analysis, burials, gender, exogamy, Introduction During the conversion of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to Christianity in the seventh century AD--referred to as the Conversion Period--women briefly took centre stage in English history. Written sources--above all, [...]

In this article, the authors present an analysis of radiocarbon dates from a stratified deposit at the Greek Geometric period settlement of Zagora on the island of Andros, which are among the few absolute dates measured from the period in Greece. The dates assigned to Greek Geometric ceramics are based on historical and literary evidence and are found to contradict absolute dates from the central Mediterranean which suggest that the traditional dates are too young. The results indicate the final period at Zagora, the Late Geometric, should be seen as starting at least a century earlier than the traditional date of 760 BC. Keywords: Mediterranean Europe, Greece, Early Iron Age, Geometric period, radiocarbon, chronology, Introduction The Greek Geometric period, named after the patterns painted on the ceramics produced at the time, spanned the latter part of the Early Iron Age. One of its sub-phases, [...]

Sedentary occupation of the southern Levantine coast spans from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic C to the Early Bronze Age Ib phase (c. 7000-3100 BC). Sites dating to the Early Pottery Neolithic (c. 6400-5500 BC) are scarce, however, potentially reflecting the effects of the 8.2ka climatic event. Here, the authors present the investigations at the submerged site of Habonim North off the Carmel Coast. Typological and radiocarbon dating indicate an Early Pottery Neolithic occupation and evidence for continuity of subsistence and economic strategies with both earlier and later Neolithic cultures. The results indicate the resilience of coastal communities in the face of significant climatic uncertainty and contribute to understanding human responses to environmental change. Keywords: Israel, Neolithic, climate change, sea-level rise, subsistence, resilience, Introduction The centuries leading up to the sixth millennium BC are perceived as a key period of development for Neolithic societies across southern Europe, the Aegean, Anatolia, Syria and Mesopotamia. [...]

The settlement of Ban Non Wat charts the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in north-eastern Thailand. Examination of grave inclusions and mortuary treatment at this important site allows insights into social change during this key period. Increasing complexity and the inclusion of exotic items in the mortuary treatment of some individuals early in the Bronze Age is suggested to show the rise of a lineage of aggrandisers who controlled access to these symbolic articles. But, the author argues, their elevated status was ephemeral, forfeited as local bronze casting became established. Keywords: Ban Non Wat, Bronze Age, copper, exotic ornaments, aggrandisers, mortuary practices, social change, Introduction This article explores social changes that occurred when copper-base artefacts entered exchange circuits in Southeast Asia. It centres on the prehistoric settlement of Ban Non Wat, located in a [...]

Broomcorn millet and foxtail millet were first cultivated in Neolithic China then the process spread west across Asia during the Bronze Age. But the distinctive ceramic, and later bronze, vessels utilised in East Asian cuisines for boiling and steaming grains did not move west alongside these crops. [ere, the authors use measurements of 3876 charred millet grains to evaluate regional variations and implications for food preparation. In contrast to wheat grains, which became smaller as their cultivation moved east, millet grains became larger as they spread from northern China into Inner Asia and Tibet. This indicates the decoupling of millets from associated cooking techniques as they reached geographical and cultural areas. Keywords: East and Central Asia, Neolithic, Bronze Age, archaeobotany, foxtail millet, broomcorn millet, grain size, cuisine, Introduction For many cereals, domestication corresponds with an increase in the size of the grain or caryopsis (Zohary & Hopf 2000; Fuller et al. 2014; Stevens et al. 2021). Grain [...]

Historically, urban centres are seen as consumers that draw in labour and resources from their rural hinterlands. Zooarchaeological studies of key urban sites in Southwest Asia demonstrate the movement of livestock, but the region-wide application of these findings has not been tested and the logistics of urban provisioning remain poorly understood. Here, the authors analyse zooarchaeological data from 245 sites in the Levant and Mesopotamia to examine patterns of livestock production and consumption over a 5000-year period. They find that although preferences varied over time and space, urban sites consistently relied on rural satellites to overcome local limitations to support their large and diverse populations. Keywords: Middle East, Levant, Mesopotamia, zooarchaeology, urbanism, land use, food production, Introduction Urban centres in most regions of the ancient world, including Southwest Asia, are characterised by relatively high population densities and the presence of inhabitants who do not engage in [...]

The deposition of intentionally damaged metal arte-facts within burials and hoards is a phenomenon attested in areas as disparate as Ireland and the Caucasus during the Bronze and Iron Ages. While ritual significance is often attributed to such damage in burial contexts, the intentions behind the inclusion of damaged objects in hoards remain enigmatic. This article synthesises evidence for the intentional destruction of metal artefacts from 70 sites in the territory of modern Georgia and analyses patterns of deliberate damage over time and space. The study of these damaged artefacts enhances our understanding of ritual practice at a local level and locates the south Caucasus within the wider networks of this phenomenon. Keywords: Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, damage analysis, identity, Introduction The phenomenon of intentionally damaged metal artefacts deposited in burials and hoards is well known to archaeologists studying the Bronze and Iron Ages. The practice is documented over an [...]

Explanations for the emergence and abandonment of the Chalcolithic Trypillia mega-sites have long been debated. Here, the authors use Gini coefficients based on the sizes of approximately 7000 houses at 38 Trypillia sites to assess inequality between households as a factor in the rise and/or demise of these settlements. The results indicate temporarily reduced social inequality at mega-sites. It was only after several generations that increased social differentiation reemerged and this may explain the subsequent abandonment of the mega-sites. The results indicate that increases in social complexity need not be associated with greater social stratification and that large aggregations of population can, for a time at least, find mechanisms to reduce inequality. Keywords: Eastern Europe, Chalcolithic, Gini coefficient, wealth inequality, households, population agglomeration, Introduction Between c. 4200 and 3600 BC, the so-called Trypillia mega-sites were established on the northern limits of the Pontic Steppe (Zbenovich 1996; Videiko 1998; Menotti & Korvin-Piotrovskiy 2012; Muller [...]

Lack of contextual evidence for the use of small personal ornaments means that much of our understanding of ornamentation traditions within archaeological cultures is reconstructed from ethnographic comparisons. New in situ finds from the areas around the ears and mouth in burials at Boncuklu Tarla, a Neolithic settlement in Turkiye, add a novel dimension to the interpretation of stone 'tokens' or 'plugs'. This article presents a new typology for these artefacts and argues for their use as ear ornaments or labrets in a practice involving significant and lasting corporal alteration. Keywords: South-west Asia, Neolithic, body augmentation, perforation, ornamentation, labret, Introduction Small, disc or nail-like objects similar to modern and ethnographic examples of labrets--worn through piercings beneath the lower lip--are well documented in the material culture of Neolithic South-west Asia [...]

Hypertrophic 'giant' handaxes are a rare component of Acheulean assemblages, yet have been central to debates relating to the social, cognitive and cultural 'meaning' of these enigmatic tools. The authors examine giant handaxes from the perspective of the British record and suggest that they are chronologically patterned, with the great majority originating from contexts broadly associated with Marine Isotope Stage 9. Giant handaxes tend to have higher symmetry than non-giants, and extravagant forms, such as ficrons, are better represented; they may therefore be linked to incipient aesthetic sensibilities and, potentially, to changing cognition at the transition between the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic. Keywords: Britain, Lower Palaeolithic, MIS 9 (~300 000 years ago), Acheulean handaxes, stone-tool morphology, symmetry, Introduction The extreme paucity of hominin fossils and organic artefacts from the Lower Palaeolithic means that our understanding of early hominin culture, society and cognition is largely reconstructed from lithic [...]

Fog oases (lomas) present pockets of verdant vegetation within the arid coastal desert of Andean South America and archaeological excavation within some of the oases has revealed a long history of human exploitation of these landscapes. Yet lomas settlements are under-represented in archaeological datasets due to their tendency to be located in remote inter-valley areas. Here, the authors employ satellite imagery survey to map the locations of anthropogenic surface features along the central Peruvian coast. They observe two categories of archaeological features, large corrals and clustered structures, and document a concentration of settlement features within lomas landscapes that suggests a pre-Hispanic preference for both short- and long-term occupation of these verdant oases. Keywords: South America, Andean central coast, pre-Hispanic, settlement patterns, satellite imagery survey, fog oases, lomas, Introduction Lomas (fog oases) are vegetation islands along the Peruvian coastal desert belt, fed by dense fog that results from the interaction between warm moist air from the Pacific Ocean [...]

Recent archaeological research in the Andes suggests that Indigenous herders carefully managed their environments through the modification of local hydrology and vegetation. However, the limited geographical scale of previous research makes it challenging to assess the range and prevalence of pastoralist land management in the Andes. In this article, the authors utilise large-scale, systematic imagery survey to examine the distribution and environmental contexts of corrals and pastoralist settlements in Huancavelica, Peru. Results indicate that corrals and pastoralist settlements cluster around colonial and present-day settlements and that a statistically significant relationship exists between pastoral infrastructure and perennial vegetation. This highlights the utility of remote survey for the identification of trans-regional patterns in herder-environment relationships that are otherwise difficult to detect. Keywords: South America, Andes, satellite imagery survey, optimised hot-spot analysis, pastoralism, bofedales, corrals, estancias, Introduction Archaeologists and ecologists have documented the persistent importance of bofedales--high altitude, anthropogenic wetlands that provide high-quality, perennial vegetation--for pastoral ecologies (e.g. Verzijl & Guerrero Quispe 2013; Lopez-i-Gelats et al. [...]

Archaeological surveys conducted through the inspection of high-resolution satellite imagery promise to transform how archaeologists conduct large-scale regional and supra-regional research. However, conducting manual surveys of satellite imagery is labour- and time-intensive, and low target prevalence substantially increases the likelihood of miss-errors (false negatives). In this article, the authors compare the results of an imagery survey conducted using artificial intelligence computer vision techniques (Convolutional Neural Networks) to a survey conducted manually by a team of experts through the GeoPACHA platform (for further details of the project, see Wernke et al. 2023). Results suggest that future surveys may benefit from a hybrid approach--combining manual and automated methods--to conduct an AI-assisted survey and improve data completeness and robustness. Keywords: South America, Andes, satellite survey, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, deep learning, GeoPACHA, Introduction: the potential of AI-assisted surveys Archaeological surveys conducted through the manual inspection of high-resolution satellite imagery hold transformational promise for regional and supra-regional research. Traditional pedestrian surveys covering many [...]

The north coast of Peru is among the most extensively surveyed regions in the world, yet variation in research questions, sampling strategies and chronological and geospatial controls among survey projects makes comparison of disparate datasets difficult. To contextualise these issues, the authors present a systematic survey of satellite imagery focusing on hilltop fortifications in the Jequetepeque and Santa Valleys. This digital recontextualisation of pedestrian survey data demonstrates the potential of hybrid methodologies to substantially expand both the identification of archaeological sites within difficult terrain and, consequently, our understanding of the function of defensive sites. Keywords: South America, Andes, Middle Horizon, Moche culture, satellite imagery survey, pedestrian survey, fortifications, Introduction Pedestrian surveys of the coastal valleys of northern Peru have painstakingly recorded archaeological traces of complex social relations through time (Willey 1953; Daggett 1987; Wilson 1988; Dillehay et al. [...]

Imagery-based survey is capable of producing archaeological datasets that complement those collected through field-based survey methods, widening the scope of analysis beyond regions. The Geospatial Platform for Andean Culture, History and Archaeology (GeoPACHA) enables systematic registry of imagery survey data through a 'federated' approach. Using GeoPACHA, teams pursue problem-specific research questions through a common data schema and interface that allows for inter-project comparisons, analyses and syntheses. The authors present an overview of the platform's rationale and functionality, as well as a summary of results from the first survey campaign, which was carried out by six projects distributed across the central Andes, five of which are represented here. Keywords: South America, Andes, satellite survey, settlement pattern analysis, big data, large-scale imagery survey, QGIS, Scalar challenges in archaeology One of archaeology's most substantial challenges is aligning the scales of our datasets with those of the social worlds that we seek to study. At the [...]

Comparative studies of inequality based on archaeological data rely on universal notions of status or prestige that are not always meaningful across diverse cultural contexts. Here, the authors evaluate three broadly contemporaneous urban communities (Marothodi, Molokwane and Kaditshwene) in the southern African interior in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries AD. The study combines a statistical measure of inequality, the Gini coefficient, with insights from the rich ethnohistorical archives of African knowledge systems. The results suggest markedly different levels of inequality, but contextualisation points to divergent social strategies for settlement organisation and for managing sociopolitical insecurity. The findings raise important questions about cross-cultural indices of social inequality. Keywords: Southern Africa, farming communities, settlement, inequality, Gini coefficient, Lorenz curve, Introduction How can remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and statistical tools be used to assess and promote African knowledge systems and the continent's heritage? In what ways can such [...]

In the Andean highlands, hilltop fortifications known as pukaras are common. Dating predominantly to the Late Intermediate Period (AD 10001450), pukaras are important to archaeological characterisations of a political landscape shaped by conflict but the distribution of these key sites is not well understood. Here, the authors employ systematic satellite imagery survey to provide a contiguous picture of pukara distribution on an inter-regional scale covering 151 103[km.sup.2] in the south-central highlands of Peru. They highlight the effectiveness of such survey at identifying pukaras and capturing regional variability in size and residential occupation, and the results demonstrate that satellite surveys of high-visibility sites can tackle research questions at larger scales of analysis than have previously been possible. Keywords: South America, Andes, Late Intermediate Period, satellite imagery survey, fortification, conflict, Introduction In the Andes, the term pukara, meaning fortress in both Quechua and Aymara, refers to a wide range of defensive sites that are strategically positioned on hills and ridges [...]

Innovations in horse equipment during the early Middle Ages provided advantages to societies from the steppes, reshaping the social landscape of Eurasia. Comparatively little is known about the precise origin of these crucial advances, although the available evidence points to early adoption in East Asia. The authors present new archaeological discoveries from western and northern Mongolia, dating to the fourth and fifth centuries AD, including a wooden frame saddle with horse hide components from Urd Ulaan Uneet and an iron stirrup from Khukh Nuur. Together, these finds suggest that Mongolian groups were early adopters of stirrups and saddles, facilitating the expansion of nomadic hegemony across Eurasia and shaping the conduct of medieval mounted warfare. Keywords: Mongolia, Middle Ages, horse riding, stirrup, saddle, Introduction Across Eurasia, the development of sophisticated cavalry had tremendous consequences for ancient societies. Beginning with the domestication of the horse and the subsequent invention of the chariot in the [...]

Durable architecture is a hallmark of Polynesian chiefdoms, associated with centralised control of residential and agricultural land. Previous work in West Polynesia has indicated a relatively late date for the onset of such construction activity--after AD 1000--suggesting that political development was influenced by events such as post-colonisation migration. The authors report new dating evidence from the excavation of a large earth mound on the island of Tongatapu. Its construction 1500 years ago indicates that, in contrast to previous findings, well-developed chiefdoms and field monuments probably dominated the landscapes of West Polynesia substantially prior to the colonisation of more easterly island nations. Keywords: Polynesia, first millennium AD, AMS radiocarbon dating, LiDAR, stratigraphy, chiefdoms, social complexity, Introduction The archaeological record of the first millennium AD in West Polynesia is central to our understanding of the in situ development of chiefly polities and the nature of political [...]

Wine was deeply embedded in all aspects of Roman life and its role in society, culture and the economy has been much studied. Ancient Roman texts and archaeological research provide valuable insights into viticulture and the manufacture, trade and consumption of wine but little is known of the sensory nature of this prized commodity. Here, the authors offer a novel oenological approach to the study of Roman dolia through their comparison with modern Georgian qvevri and associated wine-production techniques. Far from being mundane storage vessels, dolia were precisely engineered containers whose composition, size and shape all contributed to the successful production of diverse wines with specific organoleptic characteristics. Keywords: Italy, Georgia, Roman archaeology, viticulture, vinification, dolia, qvevri, An underexplored phenomenon Wine played a fundamental role in Greco-Roman Antiquity (Van Limbergen 2020). A quintessential tool in Roman winemaking was the dolium, a large earthenware vessel with a rounded [...]

Myanmar is located within an important geographic corridor of prehistoric demographic and technological exchange, yet relatively few archaeological sites have been securely dated. Here, the authors present a new radiocarbon chronology for Halin, a UNESCO-listed complex in the north-central Sagaing Division of Myanmar, which contributes to the generation of nuanced regional chronologies and to improving the temporal resolution of Southeast Asia more generally. Discussion of 94 radiocarbon determinates, together with site stratigraphy and pottery traditions, provides a chronological sequence from the early third millennium BC to the early second millennium AD. Corroboration of the beginning of this sequence would place Halin as the oldest currently dated Neolithic site in Mainland Southeast Asia and would provide support for the two-layer model of Neolithic migration. Keywords: Southeast Asia, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Pyu, radiocarbon, Introduction The national territory of the Union of the Republic of Myanmar (henceforth, Myanmar) constitutes the sub-Himalayan corridor for terrestrial human interactions from Initial Human Colonisation about 60 kya to [...]

Relatively few examples of Palaeohispanic writing have been recovered from the Vasconic territories of present-day Navarre, leading to the assumption that the Vascones were a pre-literate society. Here, the authors report on an inscription on a bronze hand recovered at the Iron Age site of Irulegi (Aranguren Valley, Navarre) in northern Spain. Its detailed linguistic analysis suggests that the script represents a graphic subsystem of Palaeohispanic that shares its roots with the modern Basque language and constitutes the first example of Vasconic epigraphy. The text inscribed on this artefact, which was found at the entrance of a domestic building, is interpreted as apotropaic, a token entreating good fortune. Keywords: Iberian Peninsula, Circum-Pyrenean region, Late Iron Age, Vasconic epigraphy, Palaeohispanic, linguistic analysis, Introduction The Vascones--mentioned in Classical sources including Ptolemy (Geographia 2.6.67; Garcia Gil & Molinero Hernando 2006) and Pliny (Naturalis Historia 3.3.24; Rackham 1942) --were a Late Iron Age cultural group [...]

Grain-cooking traditions in Neolithic China have been characterised as a 'wet' cuisine based on the boiling and steaming of sticky varieties of cereal. One of these, broomcorn millet, was one of the earliest Chinese crops to move westward into Central Asia and beyond, into regions where grains were typically prepared by grinding and baking. Here, the authors present the genotypes and reconstructed phenotypes of 13 desiccated broomcorn millet samples from Xinjiang (1700 BC-AD 700). The absence in this area of sticky-starch millet and vessels for boiling and steaming suggests that, as they moved west, East Asian cereal crops were decoupled from traditional cooking practices and were incorporated into local cuisines. Keywords: Central Asia, western China, Bronze Age, ancient DNA, phenotype, millet, starch, culinary traditions, Introduction When the cultivation of millet moved westwards into Central Asia, did traditional East Asian culinary practices travel with it? In this article, we use ancient DNA (aDNA) to determine [...]

The late third-millennium BC Longshan period was a crucial time for state formation in central China. During these centuries, long-distance networks expanded and shared material culture and then cultural practices spread across wider areas precipitating social and ideological developments that presaged the rise of states and cities on the Central Plain. In this research, the authors use multiple (strontium, oxygen and carbon) isotope analyses from the dental enamel of 67 individuals buried at the Xiajin cemetery, Shanxi Province. The results indicate significant long-distance migration among females during the Longshan period, which the authors interpret as evidence of exogamous marriage for political alliance-building--a phenomenon found more widely across Eurasia at the start of the Bronze Age. Keywords: central China, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Taosi culture, burial, isotopic analysis, migration, exogamy, Introduction The Longshan period (c. 2500-1900 BC) was a crucial time for state formation in central China. During this period, inter-regional networks developed rapidly, transmitting shared material forms and cultural [...]

Between c. 300 BC and AD 350, the Meroitic kingdom dominated the Middle Nile Valley; following its breakdown, it was replaced by a series of smaller successor polities. Explanation for this change centres on socio-political and economic instability. Here, the authors investigate the role of climate and environment using stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of human and faunal dental enamel from 13 cemeteries. The results show increasing [delta][sup.18]O values towards the end of the Meroitic kingdom and in the postMeroitic period, combined with less negative [delta][sup.13]C values. These trends suggest a shift towards more arid conditions associated with changes in agricultural practices and land use that may have contributed to the kingdom's dissolution. Keywords: Sudan, Upper Nubia, Meroitic kingdom, isotope analysis, climate change, collapse, Introduction Kush was one of several early states that formed along the Middle Nile, flourishing for centuries until its fall towards the end of the Meroitic period (c. 300 BC-AD [...]

Excavated by Leslie Alcock in the 1950s, the inland promontory fort of Dinas Powys is widely cited as a type site for elite settlements of post-Roman western Britain. Alcock's interpretation and dating of the main defences as a Norman-period castle were effectively disproven in the 1990s, but the excavator's original chronology continues to be cited. Here, the authors present a revised chronology, integrating new radiocarbon dates and stratigraphie analysis to re-evaluate the history of occupation. The new phasing redates the main defences to the early medieval period, which aligns with the site's notable early medieval assemblage. The findings contribute to understanding of post-Roman western Britain and the (re)occupation of late antique hilltop sites more generally. Keywords: Wales, hillfort, early medieval, radiocarbon dating, multivallate fort, Introduction Fortified sites dominate our view of the central places of power and governance in the early medieval period, particularly in northern and western Britain (Alcock 2003: 179; Seaman 2016: [...]

The expansion of the early Islamic state (c. AD 700-900) was underpinned by the minting of silver coins (dirhams) on an enormous scale. While the wider effects of this coinage have been studied extensively, the sources of silver have attracted less attention and research has relied on literary texts pointing to mines in Arabia and Central Asia. Here, the authors use lead isotope and trace element analyses of more than 100 precisely dated silver coins to provide a geochemical perspective on Islamic silver. The results identify multiple new sources, stretching from Morocco to the Tien Shen, and indicate an Abbasid-period mining boom. These source locations have implications for contemporary geopolitics including on the Islamic-Byzantine frontier. Keywords: North Africa, Iran, south-west and Central Asia, Islamic caliphate, coinage, silver mines, lead isotope analysis, Introduction The expansion of the Islamic Caliphate to become one of the most powerful early-medieval polities was underpinned by vast reserves of silver coin--dirhams-- produced in their millions across a [...]

During a pioneering aerial survey of the Near East in the 1920s, Father Antoine Poidebard recorded hundreds of fortified military buildings that traced the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire. Based on their distribution, Poidebard proposed that these forts represented a line of defence against incursions from the east. Utilising declassified images from the CORONA and HEXAGON spy satellite programmes, the authors report on the identification of a further 396 forts widely distributed across the northern Fertile Crescent. The addition of these forts questions Poidebard's defensive frontier thesis and suggests instead that the structures played a role in facilitating the movement of people and goods across the Syrian steppe. Keywords: Levant, Late Roman Empire, aerial photography, remote sensing, military frontier, human mobility, Introduction In the 1920s, at the beginning of the 'age of aviation', the Jesuit French priest Father Antoine Poidebard undertook one of the world's first aerial archaeological surveys, using a [...]

Although first identified 120 years ago, knowledge of the Toalean technoculture of Middle Holocene Sulawesi, Indonesia, remains limited. Previous research has emphasised the exploitation of largely terrestrial resources by hunter-gatherers on the island. The recent recovery of two modified tiger shark teeth from the Maros-Pangkep karsts of South Sulawesi, however, offers new insights. The authors combine use-wear and residue analyses with ethnographic and experimental data to indicate the use of these artefacts as hafted blades within conflict and ritual contexts, revealing hitherto undocumented technological and social practices among Toalean hunter-gatherers. The results suggest these artefacts constitute some of the earliest archaeological evidence for the use of shark teeth in composite weapons. Keywords: Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Toalean, weapons, residue analysis, use-wear, hafting, Introduction Between c. 8000 and 1500 years ago, the south-western peninsula of Sulawesi was home to the Toalean hunter-gatherers, a group identified from characteristic archaeological assemblages first excavated in 1902 [...]

During the mid-first millennium AD, centres of royal power with large halls emerged across southern Scandinavia. No evidence for such sites, however, was known from Ostergotland in south-east Sweden. Here, the authors present results from fieldwork at Aska near Vadstena, identifying the principal manor of a petty royal lineage occupied between c. AD 650 and 1000. Excavations have revealed a 50mlong hall raised on a 3.5m-high platform and the largest known assemblage of small gold-foil figures from the first-millennium kingdom of Ostergotland. Aska represents a 'second-generation ruler' site, similar in form and date to Old Uppsala, Borre, Old Lejre and Tisso, revealing Ostergotland as an integral part of the political geography of early medieval Scandinavia. Keywords: Sweden, first-millennium AD, royal centre, long-house architecture, ritual closure, gold-working, Introduction Societies in Scandinavia, c. AD 540-1000, shared many similarities with those of England during the same period. There were also important differences: the Scandinavian kingdoms were smaller, urbanisation was [...]

Climate change is often cited in the 'collapse' of complex societies and linked to agricultural resilience or lack thereof. In this article, the authors consider how demand affected agricultural strategies as farmers navigated the transformations of the Late Harappan phase (c. 1900-1700 BC) of the Indus tradition. Through the modelling of monocropping/multicropping, low/high yield crops, and supply-driven versus flexible production, various economic, environmental and social demands are explored with reference to the choices of farmers and how these decisions differed regionally, and how they impacted the wider Late Harappan de-urbanisation process. The authors' archaeobotanical perspective on the Indus contributes to wider understanding of how urban societies and their agricultural bases change over time. Keywords: South Asia, Indus civilisation, climate change, archaeobotany, cities, agriculture, collapse, Introduction How cities and civilisations produce and sustain their food supplies is fundamental to their survival. Across both the Old and New Worlds, researchers have investigated the nature of past [...]

During the third millennium BC, new types of anthropogenic landscape emerged across northern Europe: heathlands and pasture. These open landscapes afforded mobile pastoralism and the arena for a new funerary practice: barrow building. Here, the authors define this entanglement of people, animals and landscapes as a literal and figurative 'ancestral commons'. Focusing on western Jutland, they combine palaeoecological and archaeological evidence to characterise the form and temporal depth of the co-emergent links between pastoralism, barrows and mobility. Conceptualising the ancestral commons as a deep-time entanglement, characterised by rhythms of physical and metaphorical movement, reveals a landscape that afforded shared understanding of the ancestral past and a foundation for the subsequent Nordic Bronze Age. Keywords: Denmark, Neolithic, Bronze Age, landscape, palaeoecology, transhumance, emergence, affordance, Introduction During the third millennium BC, the landscapes of northern Europe were radically transformed by human-induced deforestation and the emergence of heathlands and other extensive areas of pasture. In some [...]

Domesticated cattle were brought to Ireland during the Neolithic. By the early medieval period, 4000 years later, these animals were central to social and economic status in Irish communities and the landscape was organised around cattle husbandry to a degree unattested elsewhere in Europe. How this socio-economic importance developed is unclear. Here, using isotope data spanning six millennia, the authors identify a culturally driven shift towards the creation and management of open pastures, which began in the Iron Age, eventually supplanting woodland grazing. Cattle continued to dominate the economy until the later medieval period when a shift to participate in silver-based trade led to a reassessment of Ireland's unique human-cattle relationship., Introduction Cattle have long been of central importance to Irish societies (Lucas 1989; Kelly 1997: 28-29), yet we have limited evidence for how these livestock were managed prior to the [...]

The Poverty Point site, located in the Lower Mississippi Valley of the south-eastern United States, is commonly considered a centre of innovation that exported new material culture, practices and identity to presumably contemporaneous sites in the region. Recent radiocarbon data, however, show that Jaketown, previously interpreted as a peripheral expression of Poverty Point culture, is earlier than the type-site. Using the revised chronology at Jaketown as a case study, the authors argue that assuming a radial diffusion of cultural innovations biases our understanding of social change and obfuscates complex histories. Their study demonstrates how examining local sequences can challenge generalised models of regional cultural change. Keywords: American Southeast, Jaketown, Late Archaic, AMS chronology, earthworks, occupation site, Introduction Interpretative approaches that rely on categorising archaeological evidence necessarily require the definition of normative types and designations as a way of organising the source material, especially in the absence [...]

The European far north is an improbable location for a large prehistoric hunter-gatherer cemetery. Tainiaro, 80km south of the Arctic Circle, was first excavated four decades ago but the unpublished findings and their potential significance have evaded wider recognition. Despite the absence of skeletal evidence, dozens of fifth-millennium BC pits have been tentatively interpreted as burials. Here, the authors present the first analytical and comparative overview of the site. Many of the pits are consistent in form with those used for inhumation at contemporaneous sites suggesting that Tainiaro is one of the largest Stone Age cemeteries in northern Europe and raising questions about the cultural and subsistence practices of prehistoric societies in the subarctic. Keywords: Fennoscandia, Mesolithic, Neolithic, human burial, cemeteries, ochre, burning, Introduction In 1959, within the vast boreal forest of northern Finland, local workers extracting sand encountered an assemblage of stone artefacts, which they diligently reported to the authorities in Helsinki [...]

Archaeological narratives have traditionally associated the rise of social and political 'complexity' with the emergence of agricultural societies. However, this framework neglects the innovations of the huntergatherer populations occupying the Siberian taiga 8000 years ago, including the construction of some of the oldest-known fortified sites in the world. Here, the authors present results from the fortified site of Amnya in western Siberia, reporting new radiocarbon dates as the basis for a re-evaluation of the chronology and settlement organisation. Assessed within the context of the changing social and environmental landscape of the taiga, Amnya and similar fortified sites can be understood as one facet of a broader adaptive strategy. Keywords: Mesolithic, Neolithic, Eurasia, radiocarbon dating, palaeoenvironment, 8.2 ka event, fortification, Introduction The subarctic boreal landscapes of the Siberian taiga may seem remote, but it is here, 8000 years ago, that hunter-gatherers built fortified settlements, many centuries before comparable enclosures first [...]

Medieval hospitals were founded to provide charity, but poverty and infirmity were broad and socially determined categories and little is known about the residents of these institutions and the pathways that led them there. Combining skeletal, isotopic and genetic data, the authors weave a collective biography of individuals buried at the Hospital of St John the Evangelist, Cambridge. By starting with the physical remains, rather than historical expectations, they demonstrate the varied life courses of those who were ultimately buried in the hospital's cemetery, illustrating the diverse faces of medieval poverty and institutional notions of charity. The findings highlight the value of collective osteobiography when reconstructing the social landscapes of the past. Keywords: England, Cambridge, medieval hospitals, osteology, palaeopathology, isotope analysis, charity, Medieval hospitals, poverty and charity The medieval poor included both an entrenched underclass and individuals experiencing poverty at specific points in their lives, perhaps as they became unable to work [...]

Hedeby was the largest town in the Viking North. Investigations have identified imports at the site from central and northern Scandinavia revealing long-distance connections. The chronology of this trade, however, is unclear. Here, the authors use a typological-biomolecular approach to examine connections during the early Viking Age. The application of ZooMS to an assemblage of antler combs, stylistically dated to the ninth century AD, reveals nearly all were made of reindeer antler. As most craft production waste from Hedeby comprises red deer antler, it is argued that these combs were manufactured elsewhere, perhaps hundreds of kilometres further north. The results have implications for understanding of production and regional connectivity in early medieval Scandinavia. Keywords: Scandinavia, Viking Age, ZooMS, reindeer, antler combs, trade network, connectivity, Introduction An emerging trend in the study of Viking Age Scandinavia is the connectivity of towns and elite residences with outlands: that is, areas that lay outwith a settlement's associated [...]

During the early fifth millennium BC, Linearbandkeramik groups along the Danube in Central Europe constructed hundreds of circular enclosures, or 'rondels'. These monumental sites signalled major social, economic and ideological change among these early farming communities. Their absence north of the Carpathian and Sudeten Mountains has been taken to suggest that this area lay on the periphery of this Early Neolithic world. Here, the authors report on a systematic programme of non-invasive prospection, including aerial photography, in Lower Silesia. The survey has identified eight previously undocumented rondels, significantly extending their distribution. Their detection emphasises the importance of combining prospection methods, and calls for a re-evaluation of core-periphery interpretations of Early Neolithic Central Europe. Keywords: Central Europe, Poland, Early Neolithic, enclosures, aerial photography, remote sensing, Introduction Neolithic circular enclosures, or 'rondels', are considered to be one of the earliest forms of monumental architecture in Central Europe, first appearing c. 4800 BC (Kovarnik et al. 2006; [...]

The article explores the evolving nature of fieldwork in anthropology, highlighting the increasing presence of research participants in the anthropologist's own society. It discusses the author's encounters with Yemeni refugees in their hometown, reflecting on the complexities of identity and positioning in anthropological research, and proposes a perspective of the migrant anthropologist to understand interconnectedness and positionalities within globalized societies.

This article provides an overview of the published archaeological, geological, anthropological, and paleontological research that has been undertaken at Švédův stůl Cave at Ochoz u Brna in the southern part of the Moravian Karst. Most of these excavations took place from the end of the 19th century to the present and have already been described in the literature; however, to date, there has been no comprehensive review for an English-speaking audience. The authors focus on the excavations of Bohuslav Klíma between 1953–1955 and the discovery of a Neanderthal’s mandible by the student Karl Kubasek in 1905, and the circumstances under which this find entered the collections of the Moravian Museum in Brno. The article also includes, for the first time ever, photographs from the Bohuslav Klíma archive documenting his excavations in the cave in the 1950s. This documentation was also used to place the test pits excavated in front of the cave in 2019 by an international research team in the spatial framework of Klíma’s excavations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immersion in the arts is often associated with complex, cutting-edge technology. However, this technology-focused view limits our understanding of immersion. Immersion should be seen as the normal state of perception, while non-immersion is a historically and culturally specific mode created by "old media." The aesthetics of contemporary immersion are shaped by digitization and climate breakdown, leading to two main directions: creating simulations or experiences of re-entanglement with the wider world. The idea that the world is in front of us goes against human experience, but was created by a techno-cultural environment, with the central perspective and printing press as key elements. Digitization and climate change challenge this notion and the belief that the world is populated by passive objects. The crisis of classic Western aesthetics is not new, but its articulation had little impact outside the arts. The question of the aesthetics of immersion is urgent, as different aesthetics make different aspects of digitization and climate change accessible to our perception, shaping how we experience the world and our place within it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]