DNA in cremated bones from an early bronze age cemetery cairn

The discovery of polymeric DNA in charred wheat grains and other burnt plant remains prompted us to examine a set of cremated bones for the presence of ancient DNA. Extracts of cremated bones from an early Bronze Age cemetery cairn were analysed by hybridization probing and the polymerase chain reaction. Hybridization with two probes targeting human DNA resulted in strong positive signals. Polymerase chain reactions directed at a multicopy sequence in human nuclear DNA were successful, extracts of five burials giving amplification products of the expected size. Exploitation of ancient DNA in cremated bones could be of great value in archaeology as it may enable information pertaining to sex and kinship to be obtained from fragmented material.     

Looking for circular structures in post hole distributions: Quantitative analysis of two settlements from bronze age England

A statistical procedure is suggested for the analyses of hypothetical round-house plans among post hole patterns. The data are compared with an analogous random scattering of points and differences are noted. Plausible interpretations are contrasted with chance configurations to determine their strength. Single-link cluster analysis and statistical geometry are used. The emphasis throughout the paper is on data analysis rather than hypothesis testing.     

The life cycle of bronze age metalwork from the Thames

The high proportion of Bronze Age metalwork found in the Thames has aroused interest for many years, but all too little is known of the circumstances in which this material was deposited. Much of it is weaponry, but there are finds of tools as well. This paper examines the material found upstream of Teddington and considers its treatment before it entered the river. A high proportion of the artefacts had been used and some of them deliberately destroyed. There are marked variations in the selection and treatment of these artefacts along different lengths of the river and in different periods of the Bronze Age, but it seems likely that the proportion of fine metalwork that was deliberately damaged before it entered the river increased sharply over time.     

The neolithic and early bronze age of the Lake Baikal Region: A review of recent research

Rich settlement and burial evidence from the Baikal/Angara region in Central Siberia provides one of the most promising opportunities in the global boreal forest for studying Holocene foragers. The Neolithic and Early Bronze Age prehistory of the region is known to western scholars only through a few English translations of the works of A. P. Okladnikov. Since the publication of Okladnikov's model, the region has witnessed large-scale archaeological fieldwork that has produced abundant quantities of new evidence. Moreover, the model has been partly invalidated by extensive radiocarbon dating. Research advances over the last couple of decades have augmented the area's previous reputation but have also revealed the need for new theoretical perspectives and modern analytical techniques.     

Two‐needle knitting and cross‐knit looping: early bronze age pottery imprints from anatolia and the caucasus

There is ample evidence for the use of prehistoric loom‐woven, tabby fabric (made by plain warp and weft technique) in the construction of pottery. Ancient potters from the steppe regions of central Asia through to Anatolia and in some parts of Europe sometimes built their wares aided by old fragments of cloth and basketry, which left impressions on and in the walls of their vessels. In the highlands of eastern Turkey at the site of Sos Höyük and at Chobareti, in Georgia, the impressions on Early Bronze Age pottery include an array of textiles and, notably, what appears to be the earliest known evidence for two‐needle knitting and for the continued use of the single‐element, cross‐knit looping (also known as Coptic ‘nalbinding’) made using an eyed‐needle, a craft which has been found in Pre‐Pottery Neolithic contexts of the Levant. Various basketry techniques are also represented.     

Radiocarbon dating of the bronze age bone pins from Eurasian steppe

Bone catapult and hammer-headed pins played one of very specific roles in funerary offerings in the Bronze Age graves uncovered in the Eurasian Steppes and the North Caucasus. Scholars used different types of pins as key grave offerings for numerous chronological models. For the first time eight pins have been radiocarbon dated. ¹⁴C dating of bone pins identified the catapult type pin as the earliest one. They marked the period of the Yamnaya culture formation. Then Yamnaya population produced hammer-headed pins which became very popular in other cultural environments and spread very quickly across the Steppe and the Caucasus during 2900–2650 cal BC. But according to radiocarbon dating bone pins almost disappeared after 2600 cal BC.     

Provenance study of early and middle bronze age pottery from Kaman-Kalehöyük,Turkey, by heavy mineral analysis and geochemical analysis of individual hornblende grains

The provenance of Early Bronze Age and early Middle Bronze Age pottery produced between 2100 and 1970 B.C. and excavated from Kaman-Kalehöyük, Turkey was studied using mineralogical methods, including heavy mineral analysis and geochemical study of individual hornblende grains. The relative abundances of heavy minerals in the fabrics of 20 Early Bronze Age (EBA) and early Middle Bronze Age (MBA) pottery sherds, together with 27 local sediments collected within a radius of 25 km of the site were studied. The heavy mineral distributions in the Kaman region were statistically analyzed for consistencies in their occurrence. Amphibole was found to be the most abundant heavy mineral in most of the analyzed samples, followed by titanite and epidote. The amounts of other minerals such as garnet, clinopyroxene, and zircon are subordinate. Different proportions of heavy minerals in the fabrics allow categorization of the EBA and early MBA potteries into 5 groups. Comparative study of heavy mineral assemblages of local sediments and pottery suggests that half of the EBA and most of the MBA potteries were produced from sediment near the excavation site, whereas the other half of the EBA potteries were produced from sediment occurring at 25 km east or more east of the site. The geochemistry of individual amphibole grains was studied by electron-microprobe analysis. Most of the studied amphibole grains are calcic and aluminous, corresponding to hornblende. They can be further characterized into four types based on their chemical composition. The combination of heavy mineral identity and hornblende geochemistry provides diagnostic evidence for the origins of Kaman-Kalehöyük pottery. These and analogous heavy mineral techniques are effective archaeometric tools for determining pottery provenance.     

昌宁出土铜镯的工艺及合金成分分析

铜镯是"西南夷"地区青铜时代最为常见的青铜器种类之一,考古发现数量众多,造型和纹饰因地而异。这种装饰品对于研究青铜时代西南先民的青铜艺术、技术等具有重要的价值。之前关于西南夷青铜器的研究,更多集中于铜鼓、铜兵器等主要铜器类型,而专门对铜镯展开的专题研究较少,因此目前对云南各地域铜镯的合金成分与制作技术特征缺乏整体性认识。与此同时,由于铜镯是一类常见的装饰品,对其进行研究可更直接地反映不同文化人群对金属资源的掌控、青铜技术的选择等考古学问题。根据文献记载,云南西部保山昌宁一带是西南夷中哀牢的主要分布区,近年来对该地展开的考古发掘工作为研究哀牢青铜文化提供了科学的实物资料。为了探讨昌宁地区哀牢青铜文化铜镯的合金成分及制作工艺特点,深化对云南不同地区出土铜镯技术特征的认识,本研究利用金相显微镜和扫描电镜能谱仪对昌宁出土的6件铜镯进行了成分分析和金相观察。结果显示,此批铜镯全部为锡青铜,含有少量的砷、硫、锑等杂质元素;其制作工艺多样,铸造、热锻和热锻后冷加工等多种方法并用。在此基础上,收集云南其他地区出土铜镯的科技分析数据,并结合类型学展开对比分析,把握各地铜镯制作技术的差异和联系。结果表明,云南各地出土铜镯,均以锡青铜为主,制作工艺上铸锻并重,这反映了西南夷青铜技术体系的一个重要特征。但进一步观察发现,铜镯的合金配比和加工方式又表现出明显的当地特色,如哀牢铜镯的平均含锡量最高且十分稳定,而滇、昆明夷铜镯的锡含量范围非常离散。各西南夷族群所采用的铜镯制作方法的同与异,究其原因,可能和铜镯造型、族群对资源的掌控能力、人的审美喜好等方面有关。本研究的创新性在于从铜镯这一被较少关注的青铜器类出发,结合成分、金相与类型学分析,综合以往研究对云南各地域出土铜镯工艺技术的共性及区别展开讨论。总之,铜镯作为云南地区常见的人体装饰品,不仅展现了不同区域少数民族对铜镯这一器型采用的合金配比与青铜制作工艺,而且从非实用器的角度反映了西南夷对资源的利用与掌控、审美思想等方面的信息。     

荥阳小胡村墓地出土部分铜器的科学分析

小胡村墓地为殷墟晚期"舌"氏家族墓地,为探讨其出土铜器的腐蚀特征,揭示其所蕴含制作技术和相应考古学信息,从而为器物保护修复提供科学依据,采用金相显微镜和扫描电镜及能谱仪对墓地出土12件铜器进行基体锈层结构和制作技术分析研究。研究表明,相较纯铜、铜锡和铜锡铅合金,铜铅合金耐腐蚀能力较弱,腐蚀严重;铜器经冷热加工处理易造成内部组织结构不均内应力残存,间接加速铜器腐蚀;12件铜器材质:纯铜2件、铜铅合金4件、铜锡合金3件和铜锡铅合金3件;仅2件兵器(刀M28:1、戈M38:1)经有意铸后热锻和冷加工,其余皆直接铸造成型。M21墓4件铜器皆为铜铅合金明器,小胡村墓地作为殷墟周边商文化系统,趋同商文化中心区,亦呈现部分中小贵族随葬铜器明器化现象。研究结果可为器物修复保护提供科学依据。     

从蟠虺纹簠的分析结果看青铜器修复非遗技艺

故宫藏蟠虺纹簠是一件战国时期青铜器。借助X射线影像技术、X射线荧光技术、X射线衍射技术和激光拉曼光谱仪、紫外荧光照相技术和显微红外光谱仪对蟠虺纹簠内部伤况、锈蚀物相和锈蚀层次、蟠虺纹簠原修复痕迹、断口疑似“胶状物”等进行了科技检测。结果表明：蟠虺纹簠原破损严重，基体成分为铜锡铅合金，锈蚀物相主要为黑铜矿、赤铜矿和孔雀石。原修复材料中使用的有机物为虫胶，做旧中使用了硫酸钡、硫化锌、碳酸钙、铅铬黄、群青、巴黎绿和氯铜矿等颜料。最后，基于对蟠虺纹簠的研究，对“京派”青铜器修复技艺的特点进行了说明，蟠虺纹簠原修复技艺与故宫博物院传统青铜器修复技艺相差不大，应均属于“京派”青铜器修复技艺范畴。     

Iron age chronology and biblical history rejoinders: The late bronze/iron age transition,Tel ʿEton and Lachish

ABSTRACT

In this article, I review three recent articles. In the first, Asscher and Boaretto (2018 Asscher, Y. , and Boaretto, E. , 2018. ‘Absolute time ranges in the plateau of the Late Bronze to Iron Age transition and the appearance of Bichrome pottery in Canaan, Southern Levant’, Radiocarbon 60, 1–25. doi: 10.1017/RDC.2017.96 [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]. ‘Absolute time ranges in the plateau of the Late Bronze to Iron Age transition and the appearance of Bichrome pottery in Canaan, Southern Levant’, Radiocarbon 60, 1–25) suggest that the Late Bronze/Iron I transition occurred in neighboring sites a century and more apart. In the second, Faust and Sapir (2018. ‘The “Governor's Residency” at Tel ?Eton, the United Monarchy and the impact of the old-house effect on large-scale archaeological reconstructions’, Radiocarbon 60, 801–820.) date the construction of a solid building at Tel ?Eton to the tenth century bce and interpret this as validation for the historicity of the United Monarchy of ancient Israel. In the third, Garfinkel et al. (2019a Garfinkel, Y. , et al. , 2019a. ‘Lachish fortifications and state formation in the Biblical kingdom of Judah in light of radiometric datings’, Radiocarbon 61, 1–18. doi: 10.1017/RDC.2019.5 [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]. ‘Lachish fortifications and state formation in the Biblical kingdom of Judah in light of radiometric datings’, Radiocarbon 61, 1–18) announce the discovery of a city-wall belonging to Level V at Lachish, and affiliate it with the building operations of King Rehoboam of Judah, described in 2 Chronicles. Scrutiny of the methods and facts dismisses all three theories.     

山东济南刘家庄遗址商代青铜器科学分析研究

山东济南刘家庄遗址发掘出土一批带有铭文族徽的商代青铜器,其形制多与殷墟同类器物极为相似,表明晚商时期刘家庄地区居住着一支与商都殷墟有密切关系的氏族。针对该遗址出土动植物遗存、铜器铅同位素等方面已有学者开展了相关研究,取得了一定的研究成果。但总体上看,针对这批青铜器制作工艺、合金技术及矿料特征等科技分析数据偏少,与商都殷墟遗存的关系尚待进一步讨论分析。 本研究选取该遗址三座墓葬中29件青铜器(56个样品)为研究对象,利用扫描电镜及能谱仪、金相显微镜、VG Elemental型多接收电感耦合等离子体质谱仪和利曼Prodigy电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱仪,从青铜器合金组成、金相组织、铅同位素比值及特征微量元素等方面采集数据加以分析,再结合器物形制等考古学资料进行综合研究。 结果表明,刘家庄青铜器主要为铸造成型,合金组成为铅锡青铜、锡青铜、铅青铜、纯铜及铅砷青铜。大部分青铜器金相组织以α固溶体为基体,呈树枝状偏析,枝晶间分布(α+δ)共析体,部分共析体完全腐蚀,Pb相呈颗粒状零散分布或者完全腐蚀,局部区域如孔洞、枝干与缝隙间析出不规则形状铜晶粒。少数器物金相组织内部存在滑移线,推测器物可能经过铸后冷加工。铅同位素比值显示,此批青铜器高放射成因铅占比较高,与殷墟二、三期含高放射成因铅器物数据分布范围相对吻合,与殷墟一期、殷墟四期分布范围稍有差异。微量元素总体趋势以高含量Bi、As、Ag元素为特征,结果与殷墟青铜器微量元素分布模式相较接近。综合对比发现,刘家庄青铜器似乎与殷墟青铜器的主体原料相同。从器型上看,刘家庄青铜鼎、簋、觚形制与纹饰风格等,多与安阳殷墟青铜器尤其是与殷墟二期、三期保持较高的相关性。 本研究表明晚商时期海岱地区与殷墟中原地区交流密切,为商晚期青铜器生产来源与流通关系提供了新的证据。同时,该研究深化了对刘家庄商代青铜器本身的认识,补充完善了济南刘家庄青铜器科技分析内容及考古学研究信息,为深入了解商代时期海岱地区与殷墟之间的关系提供一个新的视角。     

“Copper people” of the bronze age: The reconstruction of their health and social status

“After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth” Dan. 2: 39 The Metal Age opened up new prospects for mankind and led to the emergence of a new category of professionals – miners, founders, smiths. With relation to the Bronze Age, these may be called “copper people.” The article explores new methods that can be used to identify their skeletal remains in museum collections. Based on biological data, certain aspects of the lifestyle of a male (presumably a smith) buried in an Abashevo collective grave at Pepkino, the Republic of Mari-El, Volga Federal District, and of other individuals buried in the same grave are reconstructed. Morphological, paleopathological, radiographic, and computer tomography examination of skeletal remains, as well as the results of histological, atomic absorption, and isotopic analyses of bone tissue provide information concerning diet, physiological stress, beginning of professional specialization, and the effects of heavy physical stress on their health status.