The Palaeo‐Environmental Contexts of Three Possible Phoenician Anchorages in Portugal

The 2002 Joint Expedition of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and the Centro Nacional de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática examined Phoenician maritime involvement in Portugal, combining archaeological, geological and geophysical surveys of former coastal sites—Santa Olaia, Abul and Castro Marim—where previous excavations have uncovered Phoenician remains. Significant geomorphic evolution of bay‐head delta and estuarine settings masks the fact that Phoenician sites were situated at the head of marine embayments or on estuary margins, had easy access to the sea, and immediate access to at least one natural anchorage. All sites exhibited topographical criteria familiar from Phoenician trading‐stations and merchant outposts in the Mediterranean. © 2009 The Authors     

Phoenician–Punic amphorae in northern coastal Etruria: New evidence from Pisa (Italy)

This study outlines the circulation of Phoenician–Punic amphorae in northern coastal Etruria, with a particular focus on Pisa (Italy), where their presence has been attested since the mid-eighth century BCE. A set of specimens from Piazza del Duomo was analysed by minero-petrographic and geochemical techniques. The results were compared with literature data from Mediterranean production areas. The research allowed a better definition of the role of Etruscan Pisa in the frame of commercial and cultural routes in the Mediterranean, specifically in the Tyrrhenian area, also providing the opportunity to review the attestations of Phoenician–Punic amphora on a regional scale.     

COULD YOU TAKE A PICTURE OF MY BOAT,PLEASE? THE USE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF MEDITERRANEAN SHIP REPRESENTATIONS

Representations of ships, sailors and seafarers are common in many ancient societies. They were carved, drawn or painted on a great variety of raw materials – stone, wood, metal, textiles and pottery – and can be found in settings such as caves, tombs or royal palaces. Their presence at these sites raises the possibility that these images of maritime life have symbolic or ritual connotations. This paper presents examples of representations of Phoenician and Punic ships from the first millennium BC, in an attempt to understand the role of both their creators and their audiences. These images are subsequently analysed in more detail, focusing on their technical features and their historical contexts. This paper concludes with a consideration of the social and religious aspects of ancient Mediterranean navigation.     

A Unique Case of Prone Position in the Primary Cremation Tomb 252 of Monte Sirai Necropolis (Carbonia,Sardinia, Italy)

A series of graves belonging to the Phoenician period were investigated after the campaign excavation of 2007 in the Phoenician‐Punic necropolis of Monte Sirai (Carbonia, Sardinia, Italy). One tomb in particular (labelled 252) is presented here because of its uniqueness. Tomb 252 contained the cremated remains of an individual, probably male, and comparison of the excavation records alongside reconstruction of the bone material itself makes clear that the individual was cremated in a prone position. It represents the first case of prone cremation reported in the literature. To investigate whether the temperature of the cremation was homogenous across the entire body, we have conducted a combined physical–chemical analysis using X‐ray diffraction spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Direct evidence of the use of beehive products in pre-Roman Sardinia

Written sources and iconographic evidence suggest that honey and beehive products, used in culinary, medicinal, and technological functions since pre-Neolithic times, were likely known and used in Phoenician and Punic Sardinia. The role of these resources is nonetheless poorly understood because no direct evidence survives on a macroscopic level. Significant advances in the knowledge about beeswax and beehive products processing in the past have been offered in recent decades by organic residue analyses (ORA), an approach that enables the characterisation of surviving chemical compounds or suites of compounds that provide information relating to human activity in the past. The relatively recalcitrant nature of lipid compounds comprising beeswax means that this commodity is among the products that can be unambiguously identified through ORA. Here we present and discuss the results of analyses undertaken on 368 pottery sherds from Phoenician and Punic Sardinia (eighth to third century BCE). These analyses offer direct evidence for the presence of beehive products on the island, suggesting the use of honey for culinary purposes in pots, and possibly connecting one specific vessel category with beeswax decanting during beekeeping and honey production processes. Our results also now clearly illustrate the widespread use of beehive products in pre-Roman Sardinia.     

广东潮州潮安鸡岽山遗址发掘简报

2015年12月-2016年2月,考古工作者对鸡岽山遗址进行了抢救性考古发掘,发现并清理了先秦时期的文化遗存。遗迹仅见灰坑,遗物主要为陶器、石器,发掘区域可能是聚落的生产生活垃圾倾倒场所。鸡岽山遗址的发掘对认识后山文化面貌,完善本地区考古学文化序列具有积极的意义。     

From commodity to money: The rise of silver coinage around the Ancient Mediterranean (sixth–first centuries bce)

The reasons why the Western Mediterranean, especially Carthage and Rome, resisted monetization relative to the Eastern Mediterranean are still unclear. We address this question by combining lead (Pb) and silver (Ag) isotope abundances in silver coinage from the Aegean, Magna Graecia, Carthage and Roman Republic. The clear relationships observed between ¹⁰⁹Ag/¹⁰⁷Ag and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb reflect the mixing of silver ores or silver objects with Pb metal used for cupellation. The combined analysis of Ag and Pb isotopes reveals important information about the technology of smelting. The Greek world extracted Ag and Pb from associated ores, whereas, on the Iberian Peninsula, Carthaginians and Republican‐era Romans applied Phoenician cupellation techniques and added exotic Pb to Pb‐poor Ag ores. Massive Ag recupellation is observed in Rome during the Second Punic War. After defeating the Carthaginians and the Macedonians in the late second century bce , the Romans brought together the efficient, millennium‐old techniques of silver extraction of the Phoenicians, who considered this metal a simple commodity, with the monetization of the economy introduced by the Greeks.     

Tell Abraq during the second and first millennia BC: site layout,spatial organisation,and economy

Research recommenced at Tell Abraq in 2007, carried out by Bryn Mawr College with an international team in co‐operation with the Sharjah Archaeology Authority. Between 2007 and 2010 fieldwork was limited to documenting sections of the previous excavations and one small sounding while our attention focused mainly on the nearby shell‐midden site of Hamriya and the fortified Iron Age settlement site of Muweilah. Since 2010, large‐scale excavations have been conducted which have fundamentally altered our understanding of the layout of the settlement and its economic relations during the second and first millennia BC. In this report, we detail the results of this work and present preliminary interpretations.     

河南省文物考古研究所建所五十周年回眸

河南省文物考古研究所的前身是河南文物工作队 ,它成立于 1 952年 6月 ,至今已走过了 50个春秋。 50年的开拓进取 ,50年的发展壮大 ,职工队伍由建队时的 2 0余人增至现在的 1 0 5人 ,基础设施从开初的两座二层楼房扩展为一幢五层办公楼、一幢六层库房楼和一幢五层住房楼 ,并拥有现代化的摄录像设备、修复设备、办公通讯和交通工具等。全所设置有第一、二、三研究室、业务科、编辑部、资料室、办公室、计财科、保卫科、老干部科和科技服务部等 1 1个科室 ,在三个研究室下面还有郑州商城、郑州西山、新郑、登封、三门峡、济源等六个工作站 ,承…     

Mosaic art in modern Israel and the construction of a sense of place

The article deals with the construction of a narrative and sense of place among the Jewish immigrant‐settler society in 20th century Israel in the context of its efforts to establish a national collective identity on indigenous (i.e. authentic) foundations and with the symbolic struggle with the Palestinian national movement as its backdrop. The case study under discussion is the instalment in public spaces of mosaic decorations inspired by ancient Jewish mosaics unearthed in archaeological excavations. I argue that intentionally or unintentionally, these decorations functioned as agents in the construction of an authentic narrative and a sense of place by producing a link between the current and the ancient Jewish presence in the place. This practice went hand‐in‐hand with the hegemonic national dogma about the link between an ancient, allegedly glorious era of the Jewish people in Palestine, and the modern Zionist project.     

东方考古学协会述论

北京大学国学门考古学研究室 ,是中国乃至东亚最早的专门考古学独立机构。 192 6年 ,国学门考古学会与日本东西两京帝大合组的东亚考古学会结成东方考古学协会 ,计划以联合发掘、交流成果、互派留学等方式 ,共同推进东方考古事业。可惜双方对于如何利用这一机缘并发挥各自的作用 ,利益和想法不一致。结果北大在考古发掘方面更形困顿 ,无法在重建古史的活动中占据重要位置 ,不得不将在这一领域的应有地位拱手让人。     

湖北巴东义种地墓葬发掘报告

2001年秋冬,武汉市文物考古研究所对巴东义种地墓地进行了发掘,发现了几座砖、石室墓.墓葬被破坏严重,年代从六朝、隋唐到宋代.从发掘中可见,宋代墓葬明显是利用了早期的墓室.墓葬出土文物丰富,是近年来三峡考古中少见的.     

Managing the maritime heritage: the National Maritime Archaeological Museum and National Centre for Underwater Research, Cartagena, Spain

The rapid developmental work of the Museum-Centre and its policies within a limited budget are set in the context of world-wide problems of management and preservation of the underwater heritage in the face of accelerating threats to its survival. The impact of engineering projects and lack of official control or supervision of developer-funded maritime archaeological interventions is something of which governments are insufficiently aware. The construction of a marina at Mazarron has resulted in progressive denudation of the bay, exposure of two Phoenician wrecks and thousands of Phoenician potsherds, necessitating the annual resurvey of 70,000 m² of seabed. Among protective measures an iron 'strongbox' has been designed and successfully used on small wreck-sites. © 2000 The Nautical Archaeology Society     

The Possibility of Provenancing A Series of Bronze Punic Coins Found At Tharros (Western Sardinia) Using the Literature Lead Isotope Database

A sample set of 42 bronze Punic coins dating from the third century bc and excavated in the Phoenician, Punic and then Roman town of Tharros (western Sardinia) has been used to test the performance of the literature lead isotope database and to establish a well defined provenancing procedure. A selection from the available database, including Cypriot, Sardinian and Spanish ore deposits, has been used. The complete assignment has been carried out twice, using both statistical methods (linear discriminant analysis) and the conventional raw data plots. Three major and one minor disagreements have been found, suggesting that the two procedures, when properly employed, may be acceptably compatible. Almost one third of the coins exhibit a characteristic Cypriot signature, whereas only very few samples are compatible with Sardinian ores. However, the majority of the coins (c. 60%) cannot be associated with any known source, which suggests the possibility of extensive metal recycling.     

Memory as Archaeology: An Experience of Public Archaeology in the Atacama Desert

Conducting archaeological projects in areas inhabited by Indigenous Communities who dislike both excavations and archaeologists leads to an ethical conundrum, one requiring a reconsideration of the research methodologies utilized in these settings, and a turn toward Public Archaeology as a means to find alternative pathways. This article describes a research project conducted in the Indigenous Atacameño Community of Peine, in the Atacama Desert, Chile, where, through a principal methodology of Participatory Action Research, it became possible to explore the past of this community in ways that were both meaningful and valid for its members. The results drawn from this experience differ markedly from traditional archaeological approaches (i.e. excavations, analysis of material culture), both in terms of the nature of the knowledge recovered and the temporal depth achieved. In this particular instance, collective remembrance and embodied memory featured prominently in accounting for the past of Peine.     

回望曲村——山西晋文化墓地发掘历程

1963年,北大和山西开启了至今已近半个世纪的合作探索晋文化之路,从1980年至今,天马一曲村遗址的发掘持续进行了多次,以大量的材料,确凿的证据证明曲村—天马遗址是又一处西周晋国的都城,已发掘晋侯及夫人墓9组19座、陪葬墓、祭祀坑各数+座,车马坑1座《发现10座),发掘者确定这批晋侯墓葬属于晋国第二代国君燮父至第十代文侯共9位晋侯及其夫人之墓,这是迄今西周考古最重大的发现。它不仅证实了司马迁《史记·晋世家关于晋国世系记载的正确,复原了西周晋国的历史,还为西周考古提供了更为准确的分期标尺,而今天,在已经建成晋国博物馆的曲村遗址上,分别走过60年发展历程的北大考古专业和山西考古研究所的合作,注定会铸成一座丰碑,     

河南考古六十年 保护科研结硕果

河南省文物考古研究所成立于1952年。60年以来,本所配合国家、省、市建设项目,相继开展了大量文物普查和考古发掘工作,并为解决学术课题进行了一系列主动发掘项目,取得了许多重要考古发现及重大学术突破。在旧石器时代向新石器时代过渡研究、裴李岗文化研究、仰韶文化研究、中国古代文明起源研究、夏商文化研究、古代冶金研究、古代陶瓷研究等诸多重要考古研究课题中取得突出成就,文物保护、科技考古等工作也得到了长足发展。科研合作硕果累累,编著出版大型考古报告专集、图录与论文集、学术专著180余部,在专业刊物上累计发表考古发掘报告、简报、简讯、研究论文和其他文章2500余篇,取得了丰硕的科研成果。     

The Augustan Temple and Forum of the Colony of Barcino: A 90 Degree Turn

The Augustan Roman temple at Barcino has been a key element during the last 60 years in the research of the colony's urban development. Its peculiar elongated and narrow plan, first proposed in 1835, and its location at the highest point of the ancient city have dictated our understanding of the urban layout of Barcino by conditioning the shape of the city's forum and affecting the interpretation of the archaeological excavations carried out in the area since then. This paper proposes an alternative plan of the temple, based on data drawn from recent archaeological excavations, topographical analysis, typological comparisons, and the study of written sources. Our alternative hypothesis for the temple permits an in‐depth reinterpretation of the plan of the forum and the evolution of the urban plan.     

Modeling tides and tsunami propagation in the former Gulf of Tartessos,as a tool for Archaeological Science

After the last Holocene sea level rise (about 6900 BP), the Gulf of Tartessos extended over the south-western area of the nowadays Guadalquivir Valley (Spain). With the development of some depositional littoral landforms and the progressive infill, the system evolved towards an inland lagoon. The first political system in the area emerged and collapsed from the fourth to the second millennium BC. Around the first millennium BC the culture of Tartessos flourished in this area under the Phoenician influence, but it vanished by the sixth century BC. The quest of its lost capital, the city of Tartessos, has been one of the most exciting archaeological enterprises in the past century. The former coastline and the bathymetry of the gulf can be reasonably reconstructed from geo-archaeological studies, and it can be used for the numerical modeling of tide and tsunami propagation in this water body. Models, with a spatial resolution of 30 s of arc, are based on the 2D non-linear hydrodynamic equations and have been previously validated under nowadays conditions. Computed tidal elevations and currents can provide some insight on the ancient trades for ship traffic and fisheries. The simulation of tsunami propagation, like the catastrophic one of 1755, allows estimating their potential hazardous effects on ancient coastal cities.     

河南罗山县擂台子遗址发掘简报

擂台子遗址位于河南省罗山县城西偏北16公里处。1991年秋,为探讨淮河流域古代文化面貌及与周邻文化相互关系这一学术课题,河南省文物考古研究所等对该遗址进行了发掘,发掘面积75平方米。其文化遗存可分三期,年代分别相当于仰韶文化晚期、龙山文化中晚期、商末周初。