河南禹县阳翟遗址出土古玻璃的科学分析

考古发掘中出土玻璃器历来受到研究者的重视。其中,通过对古玻璃化学组成和结构特征的科学分析,以探讨其工艺技术及产地问题,是古玻璃研究的重要组成部分。经过多年的研究,学界已对中国古代玻璃的起源、工艺技术特点及产地等问题     

The ‘invisible’ hearths: a contribution to the discernment of Mesolithic non-structured surface hearths

In the cover sand area of the NW European plain very little is known about fireplaces within Mesolithic settlement areas. Yet the frequent occurrence of burnt ecofacts (hazelnut shells and bone) and artefacts (flint and quartzite) clearly indicates the presence of (surface) hearths on nearly every campsite. Most of these hearths are non-structured and are thus barely visible in the soil. Furthermore in most spatial studies minimal effort has been made to locate these ‘invisible’ hearths as accurately as possible. This paper discusses the potential and modalities of detailed spatial analysis of burnt artefacts and ecofacts, using recently obtained archaeological and experimental evidences. It is concluded that such an analysis can offer interesting insights into the dynamics of Mesolithic hearths.     

九连墩墓地1、2号墓出土青铜器上锈蚀产物分析

采用XRD、XRF和显微照相等方法,测试分析了九连墩1、2墓中出土青铜器锈蚀产物的成分和物相组成,发现该产物的物相主要为氧化亚铜.结合埋藏环境土壤的理化分析,探讨了这些锈蚀产物的形成原因,以及其对青铜文物的影响.同时使用XRD分析方法研究了这批青铜器在大气中的腐蚀情况,发现了一部分文物已经滋生了"粉状锈".     

A useful measure of the desirability of different raw materials for retouch within and between assemblages: the raw material retouch index (RMRI)

Due to their predictable fracture and the quality of the edge that can be produced on them, fine-grained raw materials such as chert have long been favoured by prehistoric toolmakers for the production of relatively small retouched artefacts. It is common to find far higher frequencies of retouch in such materials than is the case in all other rock types. In order to quantify the desirability of different materials for retouch I propose a simple index relating the frequency of retouched tools in a raw material to the frequency of that material in the entire assemblage. Using the ‘raw material retouch index’ (RMRI) one can compare relative raw material desirability both within and between assemblages.     

Microscopic examination of ground sections – a simple method for distinguishing between bone and antler?

Both bones and antlers have been used throughout history for manufacturing various products. Therefore, archaeologists often have to distinguish between these materials. The more the raw material (bone or antler) has been treated, the more complicated it is to distinguish. For this study, recent macerated and archaeological samples of bone and antler and their products have been compared. Antler is usually very easy to distinguish based on the characteristic surface structure; however, the original surface is not preserved in all artefacts. The inner surface of the diaphysis of long bones is mostly compact with prominent trabeculae and lamellae, whereas, after removal of the spongiosa, the inner surface of antler is characterised by numerous grooves. Sometimes, however, artefacts are found which are composed only of the compact bone substance, without inner and outer surfaces, and it is not possible to distinguish between bones and antlers macroscopically. Haversian systems can be found in histological and ground sections of both bones and antlers. In contrast to bones, antlers have few interstitial lamellae. The osteons of antler seem to be smaller and to consist of fewer layers than those of bone. Inner and outer circumferential lamellae cannot be distinguished in antlers. Although microscopic examination of sectioned samples does not allow distinction between bones and antlers in every case, it represents a valuable additional tool for distinguishing between these two materials in historic artefacts. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A zoomorphic sickle terminal from the Natufian site of Wadi Hammeh 27 in Jordan

Excavations at the Natufian site of Wadi Hammeh 27 in Jordan undertaken in 2014 led to the discovery of several new portable art pieces, including the representation of an ungulate mammal (RN 140226), probably intended as a gazelle, carved in the round from bone. The small object was extensively damaged by fire and had become separated at its neck from longer pieces of fragmented, burnt bone lying distally to it. This configuration and the style of the animal head leads us to interpret the piece as the decorated terminal of a bone sickle haft. The piece is unusual in that is it is one of the few figurative Natufian art pieces with incised geometric decoration added to its surface. Its finding extends the distribution of the ‘gazelle-headed’ sickle haft from Mount Carmel, where three well-known examples were unearthed in the early twentieth century, to the northern Jordan Valley. The piece adds to the limited repertoire of zoomorphically rendered Natufian artefacts associated with plant gathering and processing.     

Multiple Optima in Hoabinhian flaked stone artefact palaeoeconomics and palaeoecology at two archaeological sites in Northwest Thailand

High resolution analyses of flaked stone artefact technology coupled with palaeoecological reconstruction from oxygen isotope analyses of freshwater shells from two rockshelter in the highlands of Northwest Thailand are described. Previously undocumented scales of technological variation are observed in response to environmental variation across the prehistoric landscape and through time. Three models of human behavioural ecology are used to test predictions about how foragers adapted their stone artefact technology to variation in climatic conditions and proximity to stone resources. These models are found to be problematic and are modified by including multiple optima that reflect the specific ecological conditions under consideration.