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In the western Great Lakes region of the United States, late prehistoric and early historic Indigenous fields are often difficult to investigate because their archaeological signatures are faint and easily destroyed. They have been identified largely via rare remnants of raised fields and historical records. With the majority of Indigenous fields destroyed, important aspects of cultivation remain ambiguous, especially the ecology of cultivated areas. In addition to archaeological indicators of field location, the choice of specific environmental settings (prairie, wetland, upland forest, etc.) can be encoded in the stable isotope ratios of cultigens. Stable carbon‐ and nitrogen‐isotope ratios of maize kernels and wood charcoal from the Middle Grant Creek site (11WI2739), an early 17th century village in northeastern Illinois, are used to better understand agricultural practices during one of the coldest periods of the Little Ice Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Golasecca Celtic Civilization (GCC) developed in the Italian Iron Age, between the 9th and 4th centuries BCE, and is characterized by the predominant use of cremation as a funerary ritual in the Italian area. Reconstructing the steps of the cremation ritual in archaeology is a complex challenge, as many anthropic actions leave only faint traces in cremated remains. Within the funerary rituals of prehistoric and protohistoric Italy, the skull has received particular attention from numerous archaeological cultures and civilizations. The context of via Marconi 2020 (Sesto Calende, Varese, northern Italy) has allowed hinting at this practice also in GCC, through the anthropological analysis of cremated remains found in two different but spatially close tombs. The analysis of the cremated remains identified the selection of some elements of the skull of an adult individual and the post‐cranium of a non‐adult individual in the first tomb, and the presence of only the skull of the non‐adult individual in the second tomb. The possibility of a ritual attention of the GCC reserved for the skull has been proven for the first time thanks to the analysis of these subjects. This work provides new data on funerary ritual behaviors of the GCC, allowing for a better understanding within the Italian and European panorama. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excavated Japanese zithers are likely the oldest surviving stringed instruments in East Asia. This article reviews diachronic changes that occurred in the forms of wood zithers in pre- and protohistoric Japan over approximately two millennia (ca. 1500 B.C.-A.D. 600). It highlights developments such as the addition of resonator boxes, average size increase, and inclusion of figural ornamentation. Results indicate that these formal developments, in addition to the adoption of a seated playing posture as portrayed in Kofun haniwa musician figurines, were driven by the needs of growing communities and their leaders. This analysis suggests that examining changes in musical instruments can be used alongside traditional lines of evidence to research the origins of social complexity and thereby carves out space for a humanistic approach to the study of prehistory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution delves into the ways of archaeological reasoning based on material remains, tackled as minute physical traces or signs capable of shedding light on underlying and otherwise unapproachable past phenomena. This is indeed the basis of Microhistory or the conjectural paradigm in History. This article identifies key characteristics regarding this way of inductive or "bottom-up" inference and demonstrates its prospects when applied to prehistoric contexts. To illustrate this point, the article draws on a case study from the protohistory of Iberia: The treasure of Aliseda (seventh–sixth centuries BCE). This one-off assemblage – a true anomaly in its time, past, and present – was accidentally found in 1920 and has thenceforth been subject to assorted interpretations – mainly as individual burial goods from a feminine tomb – using deductive reasoning constrained by strong prejudices. A recent and comprehensive revision of this issue from an inductive and multi-stranded approach – mobilising several independent lines of evidence – has led to a fresh, sounder, and finer-grained micro-narrative. This case exemplifies a successful microhistorical enquiry, which has tracked retrospectively an array of inadvertent observations – from legacy dataset, new fieldwork, and science-based analyses – to illuminate the deviant circumstances framing this occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This contribution aims to provide a detailed diachronic analysis of the settlement patterns in the Salmas plain, in north-western Iran. The chronological period taken into consideration goes from Prehistory to the Sasanian period, covering the entire pre-Islamic period. The work is based on a comprehensive re-evaluation of the archaeological data available to us, as well as new data produced using remote sensing. The contribution analyses the forms of interaction and control of the territory operated by the sites, in particular the fortified ones, and reconstructs for the periods for which the data are sufficient the management strategies of the plain using GIS software, as well as the analysis of the points of sight and intervisibility. The result is a highly complex and articulated situation where the settlement patterns have not always been the same over time although some forms of continuity can be noted. Due to its position and geographical characteristics, the Salmas plain is in all respects a place of great importance in the study of the archaeology of north-western Iran. It is no coincidence that key-sites such as Haftavan Tappeh or Qara Tappeh have had a long history spanning from Protohistory to the historical period. The aim of this contribution is therefore to be a first review and re-evaluation of the archaeological information of the Salmas plain and a recontextualisation of the sites in the pre-protohistoric and historical dynamics of the area examined using tools like G.I.S.

Se presentan nuevos datos sobre la explotación de la piedra con fines constructivos en la protohistoria del sudeste de la península ibérica, concretamente del yacimiento de Los Cucos (Bogarra, Albacete) y una posible cantera de aprovisionamiento. Este estudio pretende conectar los inéditos datos arquitectónicos con la aplicación del análisis mediante infrarrojos por transformada de Fourier (FTIR). ENGLISH: We present new data on the exploitation of stone for construction purposes in the protohistory of the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, specifically from the site of Los Cucos (Bogarra, Albacete) and a possible supply quarry. This study aims to connect the unpublished architectural data with the application of Fourier transform infrared analysis (FTIR).

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Copyright of Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueologia is the property of Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revue Archéologique de Picardie is the property of Revue Archeologique de Picardie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revue Archéologique de Picardie is the property of Revue Archeologique de Picardie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This contribution aims to provide a detailed diachronic analysis of the settlement patterns in the Salmas plain, in north-western Iran. The chronological period taken into consideration goes from Prehistory to the Sasanian period, covering the entire pre-Islamic period. The work is based on a comprehensive re-evaluation of the archaeological data available to us, as well as new data produced using remote sensing. The contribution analyses the forms of interaction and control of the territory operated by the sites, in particular the fortified ones, and reconstructs for the periods for which the data are sufficient the management strategies of the plain using GIS software, as well as the analysis of the points of sight and intervisibility. The result is a highly complex and articulated situation where the settlement patterns have not always been the same over time although some forms of continuity can be noted. Due to its position and geographical characteristics, the Salmas plain is in all respects a place of great importance in the study of the archaeology of north-western Iran. It is no coincidence that key-sites such as Haftavan Tappeh or Qara Tappeh have had a long history spanning from Protohistory to the historical period. The aim of this contribution is therefore to be a first review and re-evaluation of the archaeological information of the Salmas plain and a recontextualisation of the sites in the pre-protohistoric and historical dynamics of the area examined using tools like G.I.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zephyrus is the property of Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Differentiating cremated non-human bones from human ones in archaeological contexts is a challenging task. This analysis aims at proposing a rather solid criterion based on an osteoarchaeological sample. In this work, the main issues of taxonomic identification of cremated remains are analysed and a research methodology tested on an Italian protohistoric sample is proposed. The 314 subjects composing the sample come from 298 tombs of the Golasecca Civilization (1st millennium BC in north-eastern Italy). On a morphological basis, 246 bone fragments were selected from which as many thin sections were obtained for a histomorphological evaluation. From the analyses, we identified the presence of animals in burials, whereas a mere morphometric analysis was not able to recognize them. Furthermore, the taxonomic identification has allowed us to propose new hypotheses on the funerary rite of Golasecca linked to the zooarchaeological remains.

We present new data on the exploitation of stone for construction purposes in the protohistory of the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, specifically from the site of Los Cucos (Bogarra, Albacete) and a possible supply quarry. This study aims to connect the unpublished architectural data with the application of Fourier transform infrared analysis (FTIR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differentiating cremated non-human bones from human ones in archaeological contexts is a challenging task. This analysis aims at proposing a rather solid criterion based on an osteoarchaeological sample. In this work, the main issues of taxonomic identification of cremated remains are analysed and a research methodology tested on an Italian protohistoric sample is proposed. The 314 subjects composing the sample come from 298 tombs of the Golasecca Civilization (1st millennium BC in north-eastern Italy). On a morphological basis, 246 bone fragments were selected from which as many thin sections were obtained for a histomorphological evaluation. From the analyses, we identified the presence of animals in burials, whereas a mere morphometric analysis was not able to recognize them. Furthermore, the taxonomic identification has allowed us to propose new hypotheses on the funerary rite of Golasecca linked to the zooarchaeological remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of material culture, particularly ceramics, is an important aspect of archaeology. The classification and typology of ceramics is often a key focus, with traditional methods based on the observation of specific morphological characteristics and the creation of taxonomies based on these types. However, recent advances in digital technologies and the use of Machine Learning have led to the development of new, digital approaches to ceramic classification. These approaches rely on statistical methods and computer science techniques to quantify vessel morphology and create multivariate datasets. The aim of this study is to compare a traditional approach elaborated by Renato Peroni and applied by many of his students, especially in the field of Italian protohistory, with a proposed digital method of ceramic classification. The comparison will be conducted using a database of approximately 1400 records from several Italian Bronze and Iron Age funerary contexts, including Casinalbo and other contexts in the Po Valley and northern Italy, as well as Pianello di Genga and Torre Galli. The proposed digital approach involves a combination of a non-linear dimensionality reduction algorithm and density-based clustering for the automated classification of ceramics. The study will consider the similarities and differences between the two methods and the potential for combining them in a complementary manner. The results of the study will provide a deeper understanding of traditional typologies and explore the potential for digital methods to enhance, improve, and complement them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Batujaya Temple Complex is located in Karawang, West Java Province. This complex is located in the Segaran and Telagajaya administrative area. There are more than 20 scattered ruins of monument temples in the range of 5 km square which consists of rice fields. The main focus of this study is to look into the local wisdom of communities in brick making technology used as the main building material in the Batujaya Temple Complex. This study was conducted by using two sources, the primary source was in the form of scientific data obtained from the brick chemical content analysis and the secondary sources is through early writings that have been published by researchers before. Chemical composition analysis as the primary source was obtained from two methods by using XRay Diffraction to determine the mineral content of the brick and X-Ray Fluorescence to determine the trace and major elements of the brick. For this study, samples are taken from six temple’s bricks namely Candi Jiwa, Candi Blandongan, Candi Asem, Candi Damar, Candi Lingga and Candi Serut. Mineral content analysis in the bricks show the presence of anorthite and hematite in most of the brick samples. It shows that the bricks were burned at temperatures exceeding 850oC. It shows that the raw materials used have a high in sand content. Sample group distribution showed that the raw material used to make bricks were taken from the surrounding area. Comparison between distribution of bricks samples and clay samples from the complex area show that there are similarities in the content of the main elements. This proves that the raw materials used for bricks manufacture were taken from the nearby Batujaya Temple Complex. Local raw materials used for bricks manufacture have proven the local communities’ role in building and developing monuments in Batujaya Temple Complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to present a stamp seal on the handle of a Punic amphora manufactured originally in the Central Mediterranean and recovered in the fill of an abandoned silo at the Iberian site of Mas Castellar de Pontós (Girona, Spain) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Complutum is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Complutum is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In order to reconstruct local environmental changes affecting wetlands in middle mountain ranges, this study presents a multi-proxy analysis of the Pialeloup peat record on the Béage Plateau (South-Eastern Massif Central, France). It combines macrofossil, beetle, palynological, and geochemical data. The results are compared with other palaeoecological studies and archaeological data from the Massif Central, Jura Mountains and Alpine regions to discuss the links between local environmental changes and socio-economical dynamics at larger scales. Based on this approach, early environmental changes were highlighted between 6500 and 4800 BC, most certainly due to animal trampling on the Pialeloup bog. These events seem synchronous with human presence from the Late Mesolithic to Early Neolithic. It suggested that wild animals and human/livestock might have frequented the Béage Plateau wetlands. Then, long-term landscape management was documented for the last 3000 years. Local palaeoecological insights (synanthropic plants, beech-forest clearings, increasing erosion) and archaeological evidence for human settlements (pottery, millstones, and anthropogenic soils) were revealed to start during the Iron Age (400–200 BC). From the Late Iron Age to the Early Medieval period (150 BC–AD 725), human activities combined livestock pasture and local cereal cultivation (such as rye, Secale cereale, as a winter crop). This long-term management produced an open landscape where only small beech/fir woods persisted (Fagus sylvatica/Abies alba). This step was essential for the further development of extensive livestock grazing since the Medieval period in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thanks to the analysis of archaeological data relating to the agricultural and pastoral practices of a territory, it is possible to obtain numerous information, both of an ecological nature, and about the populations who lived there. With the reconstruction of the agro-pastoral dimension of a community it is however possible to understand not only the aspects linked to the exploitation of a territory, the subsistence and demography of a given group, but also more generally the social organization itself. Through this particular approach, which we could define as “agro-economistic”, it is therefore possible to investigate in a more articulated way the ancient communities, the relationships between them and the historical phenomena that occurred to them. Through a model developed in a GIS environment and with the application of Land Evaluation techniques it is possible to reconstruct and simulate the agro-pastoral exploitation of a territory (here the Ager Tarquiniorum at the end of the first millennium BC), calculating the food production of each settlement, as well as the consequent demography maximum sustainable. At the same time, through these data, it is possible to verify - on a quantitative basis - the socio-political models proposed by scholars for the communities or to propose new ones. Thanks to the identification of sites specialized in particular productions, villages capable of producing a surplus, or vice versa non-self-sufficient settlements, it will be possible to articulate in detail these socio-political models, hypothesizing exchange networks, hierarchical relationships, or competitive relationships between the different sites. Through this approach, it is also possible to describe the historical events that occurred also from a demographic point of view, with a rough reconstruction of the population involved, further enriching the reconstructions proposed. The scenario obtained will also be compared with similar studies applied to the territory of the Monti della Tolfa and Valle del Fiora. Doing so, the different choices made by the community, will further enrich the picture hypothesized up to now about the passage from the villages… to the cities, in Southern Etruria.

The rural site of Mezraya (Jerba), which was the subject of a rescue excavation in 2018, has revealed a range of interesting archaeological results. The stratigraphy documents continuous use and occupation of the site from protohistoric to Roman times. Systematic pottery analysis has been used to establish, for the first time, a cultural-chronological sequence covering almost a thousand years. Interpreted as a farm, the remains of amphora, as well as important small finds, give clues to the range of agricultural and artisanal activities carried out on the site, including spindle whorls and loom weights, providing direct evidence of textile production. Beginning in the second half of the 8th century BCE, evidence of archaic Phoenician ceramics indicates that Mezraya developed contact and connections with the wider Mediterranean world. After a long existence, the site was completely abandoned during the first half of the 3rd century CE.

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The phenomena of colonial contact have been central to the history of research in protohistoric archaeology. The forms and results of these processes have been analysed through the material culture from tombs and large settlements, their defences, and iconographies, all of which are linked by snippets of written sources. This article deals with the problematic of the Balearic archipelago in the protohistoric period, when Punic Ibiza deployed an entire commercial policy as a spearhead for Carthage which absorbed a large part of the western Mediterranean. Meanwhile, in Majorca and Minorca, the autochthonous groups, foreseeably isolated from external influences, began to manifest a series of changes and transformations that are not understood within the traditional framework of the colonial debate. Therefore, these interactions are explored through the dialectics of everyday life, an approach that places the emphasis on individuals and domestic groups and their dwellings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Revue Archéologique de Picardie is the property of Revue Archeologique de Picardie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revue Archéologique de Picardie is the property of Revue Archeologique de Picardie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Complutum is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Zephyrus is the property of Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Zephyrus is the property of Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Los estudios sobre grabados rupestres al aire libre de cronología postpaleolítica, adolecen de importantes carencias que, en el valle medio del Ebro, se han visto superadas con la llegada del tercer milenio. Con la presentación de este trabajo se pretende dar a conocer un nuevo núcleo de grabados rupestres, localizado en el extremo suroeste de la provincia de Zaragoza, en las gargantas calcáreas del río Mesa. Entre los nuevos enclaves rupestres, destacan los abrigos con grabados protohistóricos, pero muy especialmente los de cronología medieval andalusí y los de iconografía cristiana entre los siglos XIV y XVIII, con perduraciones hasta mediados del siglo XIX y algunas escenas relacionadas con la primera Guerra Carlista en Aragón. La distribución de los hallazgos, su tipología e iconografía y los restos arqueológicos asociados, permiten documentar una importante ocupación del territorio desde la Iª Edad del Hierro y la sacralización del paisaje a través del arte rupestre, con pervivencias que se perpetúan a lo largo de la Edad Media y Moderna, destacando como novedad la presencia de un importante conjunto de inscripciones epigráficas islámicas que deben situarse entre los siglos XI y XII. Abstract The studies on open-air rock engravings in post-Paleolithic chronology suffer from important deficiencies, which in the middle valley of the Ebro, have been overcome with the arrival of the third millennium.With the presentation of this work, the aim is to make known a new nucleus of rock engravings, located in the extreme southwest of the province of Zaragoza, in the limestone gorges of the River Mesa. Among the new rock engravings, the shelters with protohistoric engravings stand out, but especially those with a medieval Andalusian chronology and those with Christian iconography between the 14th and 18th centuries, which lasted until the middle of the 19th century and some scenes related to the first Carlist War in Aragon. The distribution of the findings, their typology and iconography and the associated archaeological remains, allow us to document an important occupation of the territory since the First Iron Age and the sacralization of the landscape through rock art, with survivals that are perpetuated throughout the Middle and Modern Ages, highlighting as a novelty the presence of an important set of Islamic epigraphic inscriptions that must be located between the 11th and 12th centuries.

El presente trabajo expone los resultados preliminares obtenidos del estudio de uno de los aljibes de tipo a bagnarola documentados en el Cerro de la Cruz (Almedinilla, Córdoba). Primeramente, presentamos los contextos en los que se han localizado los aljibes, mientras que la segunda parte del estudio se centra en los resultados del análisis mineralógico y petrográfico de la bagnarola 6. Estos resultados permiten señalar una factura indígena de tradición púnica. ENGLISH: This paper presents the preliminary results obtained from the study of one of the bagnarola-type cisterns documented at Cerro de la Cruz (Almedinilla, Córdoba). Firstly, we present the contexts in which the cisterns have been located, while he second part of the paper is centered on the results of the mineralogical and petrographic analyses carried out on the bagnarola 6. The results point to an indigenous manufacture linked to Punic tradition.

For the end of the Early Iron Age and for the beginning of the Late Iron Age in Dobroudja, the scheme proposed 4 decades ago by Bernhard Hänsel on the basis of the Dobrina and Ravna necropoleis is still relevant today. The late phase of the Ravna necropolis (III) can be relatively synchronized to the period of use of the "Murighiol" type necropoleis, as well as with the well-known rich burial at Agighiol. After the abandonment of the necropoleis of "Murighiol" type (approximately at the end of the LT B phase) a surprising lack of funeral expressiveness followed. This period of very discrete funerary practices lasted from the mid-3rd century BC until the integration of the southern bank of the Lower Danube to the Roman Empire (mid-1st century AD). For this period, the only viable landmarks for a relative periodization are offered by the oscillations of the Satu Nou dwelling. The first dwelling on the Valea lui Voicu site (levels IX - IV) could correspond to the LT C1 phase. The dwelling from Vadul Vacilor site could correspond to the LT C2 and D1 phases. A newer dwelling on the Valea lui Voicu site (levels III - I) could correspond to the LT D2 phase in the chronology of the pre-Roman Dacia.

The X-ray fluorescence analyses of 19 harnesses pieces and 13 beads from Agighiol show that they were made from silver, gold and copper; some items include copper to strengthen the alloy and some phalerae were gilded and contain more gold in the protome. The X-ray fluorescence analyses of ten Histrian obols from the first stylistical and weight system (475-410 BC), plus three didrachmas and 26 obols of the second group (410-380 / 350 BC) show that they were made principally of silver. The earlier obols contain a higher percentage of copper and lead than the later obols; the copper and lead do not indicate an intentional alloying, but they belong to the process of extraction of silver from ores, because the silver was not purified. The phalerae and the beads differ from the coins in the proportions of gold and silver, differences that can be explained functionally and technologically: most of the phalerae were gilded, but the coins were made using pure silver. The coins and the phalerae differ with regard to trace elements, from example iron and bismuth, because of the different original ores from which the silver was extracted. The phalerae and coins could not have been cast using Histrian silver coins.

The following analysis emerged as an attempt to explain and contextualize a very rich grave, already historiographically notorious, with analogies equally famous, traditionally dated around the middle of the 4th c. BC, discovered in 1970, at Peretu, Romania, 40 km north of the Danube. The main objective of the study was to explore how (and if) this ostentatious display of authority, consumed in the symbolic domain, was linked with other processes of rising collective identities in North Danube Thrace, as suggested to had taken place by a series of neighbouring fortified sites dated approximately in the same period with the grave. These sites stand out through their particular technique of building defences based on using burnt clays in the construction of their enclosure walls. The interpretations will be partially based on recent interdisciplinary investigations (geophysical & aerial) undertaken in several fortified sites of the Teleorman region. In the two-three decades before the Macedonian rule, these fortified sites were already focusing the attention of regional communities around a cultic component, several of them developing into residential central places, beginning with the last quarter of the 4th c. BC. In a broader framework, the study examines the processes of social growth, authority centralization and emergence of collective identities occurred during the early Hellenistic period in peripheral territories of the Macedonian rule. North Danube Thrace exhibited, after the wars of Philip II and especially during those of Alexander’s Successors, a particular vivid demographic development. It is stated that this development, including the wealth visible in several graves, was triggered by the Macedonian coin and political interests of the Diadochi that used North-Eastern Thrace as a secondary stage in their power competition through proxy.

Archaeological research carried out between 2006 and 2008 on Henchir Tawrirt, a site located in the southeast of the island of Jerba, yielded remains dating from protohistory to Roman period. The most ancient traces of occupation on this site consist of remains of floor of huts which have delivered, besides flint tools, a pottery entirely unknown on the island until now, Basket Ware. This is related to protohistoric ceramics characteristic of the Libyan Sahara. In the Punic period, this site was open to the Mediterranean probably since the 5th century BC, as shown by the imported wine amphorae from Carthage and Magna Graecia. At the end of the 1st or the beginning of the 2nd century AD, a large building, probably a rural villa, was constructed to exploit the agricultural production in the territory.

The multidisciplinary research programme of regional interest, VOLAILLES, from 2018, has in particular made it possible to carry out an exhaustive collection of archaeozoological data produced in the Centre-Val de Loire region for almost 60 years. The information gathered concerns 282 archaeological sites and covers a period from Prehistory to the present day. Within the framework of this project, it has made it possible to establish a detailed map of the distribution of the various farmyard birds over time, but above all to define the precise dynamics of the introduction and spread of domestic fowl, goose, duck, pigeon, turkey and peacock within the region and over the long term. This unprecedented study also made it possible to synthesise morphological data, drawn from bone measurements of the domestic fowl, and to take stock of knowledge on poultry on a French and European scale.

We present the investigation of two rather ephemeral archaeological sites located in the municipality of Oprtalj/Portole (Croatian Istria) by means of integrated archaeological, geophysical and remote sensing techniques. The results obtained confirm the first interpretation of these contexts; a protohistoric burial mound and a small hillfort, respectively. We further obtained detailed information about both deposits through 2D and 3D remote sensing and geophysical studies that produced maps, volumes, profiles and cross-sections. At the first site, the volume reconstruction of both the inner stone core and the superimposed earth of the putative stone mound also allowed us to estimate the labour necessary to erect the structure. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that the integrated approach can be valuable not only to acquire novel data about the archaeological deposits but also to calibrate future investigations and to plan effective measures for heritage management, monitoring and valorization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protohistoric place names, created before written history and related to extinct languages, are analysed in this article. Our case study deals with place names of current towns (over 20,000 inhabitants) in the Spanish region of València. Linguistics is needed when dealing with the origin of an opaque protohistoric place name, but observation of landscape features is crucial when finding or choosing the most plausible origin of a place name if there is more than one theory. Protohistoric names are thus interpreted in this article from two perspectives: landscape feature observation and philology. This multimethod analysis produces more reliable results. The main results reveal that protohistoric town names in our case study derive from natural features of landscape, while historic town names refer mainly to cultural features of landscape. Place names are one of the most valuable sources available to explain the concerns of protohistoric peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen data were collected from a one-meter peat succession recovered from the top of the Tropea Promontory (Calabria), a territory continuously inhabited throughout Prehistory and Protohistory. The peat was deposited in a small pond/marsh that was gradually filled up. Six 14C dates allowed the peat growth to be constrained to between ca. 3000 and 1000 calBC. Considerable landscape and land use changes occurred in the area in that time interval, due to both environmental changes and intensive human activities. An open landscape with scattered oak woods characterized the high plain, whereas on the wet soils surrounding the marsh, wet woodlands (Alnus), and hygrophilous vegetation (Cyperaceae) developed, their relative abundance being used to mark the local environmental evolution. The occurrence of different anthropogenic indicators reveals that the area was exploited for agricultural practices (cereal cultivation) and livestock grazing, the latter being the main activity practiced around the marsh between the Eneolithic (stable settlements) and the Early-Middle Bronze Age (seasonal presence). The possibility of climatic influence on the peat evolution was studied by comparisons with well-dated isotope records. The marsh contraction phase roughly coincides with the 4.2 ka calBP event, while the end of peat accumulation postdates the 3.0 ka calBP rapid climate change event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the horizontal and vertical stratigraphy of the site of Bolnica in Paraćin, based on both earlier and the latest archaeological excavations and the material which had been collected for decades by the Hometown Museum in Paraćin, as a result of the construction works connected with the constant urbanisation of the area. The presented archaeological material is attributed to a period from the Early Neolithic to the so-called Dacian La Tène, meaning the 2nd century AD. One of the subjects discussed in this paper is the possibility that the sites of Bolnica and Motel Slatina, in fact, represent one large site, which was artificially divided by the E 75 highway and the Serbian Glass Factory. The comparative analysis, which encompassed the sites positioned on the right bank of the Velika Morava River, showed that this is one of the sites with the most independent chronological sequences in the Central Morava Region. Likewise, the importance of this site as a strategic point and an important intersection on the route from the Danube River to the Central Balkans, and further towards the south and east is underlined. Finally, we analysed the appearance of Dacian material culture during the 1st and the 2nd century AD and compared the occurrence of certain forms and decorations with relevant sites in present-day Romania. The paper cautiously suggests that the Dacian material culture represents traces of the deportation of 100,000 Transdanubians to the territory of Moesia by the legate Silvanus Aelianus, possibly between 61 AD and 64 AD, during the reign of Emperor Nero, which has been partially confirmed by new archaeological excavations at the site of Gloždak-Lidl during 2018. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 177020: Cultural Identity, Integrating Factors, Technological Processes and the Role of the Central Balkans in the Development of European Prehistory]