Relative and absolute dating of the human skull and skeleton from Galley Hill,Kent

Over a period of some 100 years it has gradually been accepted that the human skeletal remains found in the late nineteenth century in ancient gravels at Galley Hill, Kent are not those of early man, but are of much more recent date. This conclusion was finally verified by means of relative (N, F) and absolute (¹⁴C) dating. Here we present the results of further analysis of the remains from Galley Hill for their uranium content by a method having general application to the relative dating of fossil human and other mammalian bone.     

Comparison of fluoride and direct AMS radiocarbon dating of black bear bone from Lawson Cave,Missouri

Abstract

After a 20-year hiatus (1955–1975) during which few archaeologists discussed fluoride dating, the method again received attention in the 1980s and 1990s when some argued for its validity. As a dating method, fluoride dating depends on the rate at which fluorine ions replace hydroxyl ions in osseous tissue. The rate of replacement is influenced by the properties of the skeletal part (SP), sediment chemistry (K), and sediment hydrology (H), and the replacement rate influences estimates of time. Calibrated AMS radiocarbon assays of 10 black bear (Ursus americanus) femora from a natural-trap cave in central Missouri are weakly correlated with fluorine concentrations, determined by neutron activation analysis in the 10 femora. Despite minimal variation in SP, K, and H, results indicate fluoride dating can be considered a valid dating method only in cases when the chronological validity of its results are confirmed with independent chronometric data. As similarities in fluorine amounts across specimens increase, provenience information and bone orientation data as well as fine resolution data on K and H become critical to the application of fluoride dating.     

The domestic fowl and other birds from the Roman site of Mons Claudianus,Egypt

At the Roman quarry settlement of Mons Claudianus in the Eastern Desert of Egypt extreme aridity has preserved large amounts of organic matter. Amongst the faunal remains were several hundred bird bones, together with feathers and egg shell. The majority of the bird bones have been identified as domestic fowl Gallus gallus. Other species are rare: they include a few passage migrants and resident species. Finds of spurred tarsometatarsi and bones with medullary deposits indicate that both male and female domestic fowl are represented. It is likely that they were transported to the site from the Nile valley alive; some may have been kept at the settlement. Cut marks suggest that some at least were eaten, but the birds may have been used for different purposes, both secular and ritual. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) skeleton from seamer carrs, Cleveland, England: Provenance of the skeleton and palaeoecology of the site

A Red deer, Cervus elaphus L., skeleton from Seamer Carrs was excavated and the collagen fraction of one of the bones dated to 4330 ± 100 bp (Birm. 977). The bones were embedded in a limnic sediment that was dated to 7360 ± 120bp(Birm.882). This date was confirmed by the pollen assemblage, which indicated a Flandrian I/II chronozone age. The date of the Cervus bone is explained by its movement vertically downwards in the limnic sediment. Attention is drawn to the number of large mammalian skeletons that have been recovered from Seamer Carrs during drainage operations and subsequently, and to the mesolithic and neolithic artifacts recovered from the slopes around the Carrs.     

四川广汉三星堆遗址四号祭祀坑的碳十四年代研究

2020年,广汉三星堆遗址新发现祭祀坑的田野考古发掘工作正式启动,为解决祭祀坑的年代问题,四川省文物考古研究院委托国家文物局考古研究中心与北京大学考古文博学院考古年代学联合实验室对四号祭祀坑开展了碳十四年代研究,得到6个碳十四年代数据,经过贝叶斯统计树轮校正计算得到其埋藏年代有95.4%的概率落在距今3148—2966年的时间范围之内,属商代晚期。     

Early use and production of iron in the northern Shaanxi: A perspective on iron objects excavated from the Yuejiazhuang cemetery site

Yuejiazhuang is a cemetery site of Qin people in the Northern Shaanxi, China, and it is dated to the mid-late Warring States Period. Ninety-two iron objects were excavated from the Yuejiazhuang cemetery site, which provide an opportunity to understand the use and production of iron in the Northern Shaanxi. The metallurgical and statistical study has revealed that bloomery iron, cast iron, and steel made from cast iron were adopted in the Northern Shaanxi during the mid-late Warring States Period. In the meanwhile, cast iron and steel made from cast iron became dominant in the Northern Shaanxi.     

A New Type of Composite Anchor Dated to the Fatimid-Crusader Period from the Dead Sea, Israel

Two composite anchors of a kind not hitherto identified, each composed of a re-used ashlar block, a wooden shank, two arms and a rope, were discovered recently on the Dead Sea shoreline. Two additional anchor weights of identical type were found in the same region. The two well-preserved anchors were dated to the Fatimid-Crusader period. The shank and the arms were made from local tree species: Christ thorn and tamarisk, and both ropes of date-palm.
© 2008 The Authors     

Radiocarbon Dating and the Historical Archaeology of Korea: An Alternative Interpretation of Hongryeonbong Fortress II in the Three Kingdoms Period,Central Korea

Relying heavily upon historical records to build archaeological chronologies, many Korean historical archaeologists question the utility of radiocarbon dating. To challenge this tendency, we test a model based on historical records by analyzing radiocarbon dates. We dated two bulk samples from Hongryeonbong Fortress II, Seoul, South Korea, which is known historically to have been occupied between a.d. 500 and 551. By dividing bulk samples into smaller aliquots, we dated 40 subsamples and statistically estimated consensus dates. The consensus dates do not support expectations of the historical model, as they do not lie within the temporal range provided by historical records. We propose an alternative model that explains both the radiocarbon dates and the historical records. It is suggested that radiocarbon dating can be successfully applied to the reconstruction of historical periods and is a way of mitigating possible biases of models based solely on historical records.     

‘Guard the Good Deposit’: Technology,Provenance and Dating of Bipyramidal Iron Semi‐Products of the Durrenentzen Deposit (Haut‐Rhin,France)

In the early days of iron metallurgy in Western Europe, the most widespread type of ‘trade iron’ (semi‐product) was bipyramidal in shape. Although they are frequently found, little is known about how they were manufactured and circulated, or even about their age. An interdisciplinary approach was applied to the Durrenentzen deposit (Haut‐Rhin, France), the third‐largest in Europe in terms of artefact quantities, in an attempt to reconstruct the technological, social and economic context that caused them to be abandoned. A morphometric study of the 51 iron bars revealed a high degree of homogeneity, despite variations in detail. Four objects were selected for archaeometric studies. Metallographic analyses show internal differences (quality of the material, nature of the alloys and manufacturing techniques). Chemical analyses also showed different provenances. Finally, radiocarbon analyses of the carbon in steel (iron/carbon alloy) linked this deposit to the early Iron Age. This study provided the first benchmark for more general research, significantly changing perceptions of the economics of iron at the beginning of the Iron Age.     

上海青浦福泉山遗址出土崧泽至良渚时期玉器的材质特征与玉料来源

上海青浦福泉山遗址出土玉器中的绝大多数没有做过科学测试,本次研究对其中6件崧泽玉器和478件良渚玉器进行了显微放大观察和红外光谱(FTIR)、便携式X射线荧光光谱(pXRF)、拉曼光谱(Raman)无损测试分析。结果表明:福泉山遗址出土崧泽玉器材质含透闪石玉、蛇纹石玉、萤石3类;良渚玉器材质含透闪石玉、蛇纹石玉、石英质玉、云母质玉、萤石、滑石质玉、绿松石7类。确认部分透闪石玉样品为含石墨包裹体的青花玉品种,所有透闪石玉样品的Sr含量都小于50 μg/g,与已知江苏小梅岭透闪石玉不符。揭示福泉山遗址所用透闪石玉和蛇纹石玉均存在超基性岩型、大理岩型两种成因类型,有多产地来源的特点,为从玉料使用角度全面认识南方史前文明化进程提供了新的重要材料。     

Non-ferrous metallurgy from the Phoenician site of La Fonteta (Alicante, Spain): a study of provenance

The lead isotope composition of 22 samples from the excavation of the Phoenician site of La Fonteta (Guardamar del Segura, Alicante, Spain) has been analysed in a preliminary study of their provenance. These materials span chronologically from the first half of the 8th century BC to the middle of the 6th century BC.The samples have been selected to include materials used in lead and silver production, as well as in copper-based metallurgy. Therefore, lead droplets, galena nodules and fragments of litharge have been analysed, together with a fragment of a copper ingot, an object, a melting waste composed of a Cu–Pb alloy, and two fragments of a material that we have provisionally labelled ‘Pb–Cu cupellation debris’.All these materials have been initially analysed by X-Ray Fluorescence-Spectrometry to identify their bulk compositions. Some of them have been also analysed by SEM–EDX and ICP–OES. Subsequently, lead isotope analyses (LIA) have been performed using Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS). The new LIA data obtained has been compared with published lead isotope data from the Mediterranean area. The identification of different groups suggests a significant complexity of the internal and external trade routes during the Orientalising period. For this reason, the provenance study of these materials is especially important in shedding light on the commercial dynamics that the Phoenicians established with native people to control the raw materials and to commercialise finished products.     

西沙群岛“石屿二号”沉船遗址出水青花瓷器的测年研究

“石屿二号”沉船遗址位于西沙群岛石屿东侧的珊瑚礁石上,是西沙群岛海域一处重要水下文化遗存。该遗址出水了青花、卵白釉、白釉、青灰釉、酱釉等多种瓷器,是探索古代海上丝绸之路和外销瓷贸易的关键窗口。虽然前人通过青花瓷器类型学分析确定了遗址的相对年代,但由于未发现船体痕迹无法进行碳十四测年,而热释光测年方法则为确定遗址的绝对年代提供了一种替代手段。为了探究该遗址出水青花瓷器的热释光性质及年代,本研究利用前剂量饱和指数法对16件青花瓷片进行了古剂量测试。使用电感耦合等离子体质谱仪(ICP-MS)和电感耦合等离子体发射光谱仪(ICP-OES)分析样品的放射性元素U、Th、⁴⁰K的含量。在剂量率的计算过程中综合考虑了样品的经纬度、埋藏深度、含水率以及放射性元素含量等参数,并首次使用综合矿物分析(TIMA)揭示了瓷胎中的石英粒径分布情况,以提高剂量率计算的准确度。热释光年代结果表明,这批青花瓷烧制于元代至明代早期,在释光有限的误差范围内符合传统鉴定方法得出的该遗址属于元代这一结论。这有助于揭示该历史时期相关器物的制作工艺、实际用途和可能的产地。此外,这也为理解该历史时期青花瓷器在...     

Smelting and recycling evidences from the Late Bronze Age habitat site of Baiões (Viseu,Portugal)

Many aspects of bronze production during Late Bronze Age in Western Europe are so far unknown. In the present study selected artefact fragments and metallurgical debris, which include a slag fragment, from the emblematic Late Bronze Age habitat site of Castro da Senhora da Guia de Baiões (Viseu, Portugal) have been studied by optical microscopy, micro-EDXRF, SEM–EDS and XRD. Evidences were found for bronze production involving smelting and recycling. Compositional analysis showed that the artefacts are made of a bronze with 13 ± 3 wt.% Sn (average and one standard deviation) and a low impurity pattern, namely <0.1 wt.% Pb, being comparable with the composition of other bronzes from the same region (the Central Portuguese Beiras). This alloy is generally different from elsewhere Atlantic and Mediterranean bronzes, which show frequently slightly lower Sn contents and higher impurity patterns, namely Pb which is often present as an alloying element. The present study gives further support to early proposals suggesting the exploration of the Western Iberian tin resources during Late Bronze Age, and besides that, it indicates that metalworking and smelting could have been a commonplace activity requiring no specific facilities, being bronze produced at a domestic scale in this Western extreme of Europe.     

U-series and radiocarbon dates on mollusc shells from the uppermost layer of the archaeological site of KHB-1, Ra's al Khabbah,Oman

The archaeological site of KHB-1, Oman, has been investigated in order to improve the chronological knowledge of the site, which is dated to the beginning of the fourth millennium B.C. on the basis of the archaeological context. Mollusc shells of the genus Anadara, coming from the uppermost layers of the site, have been dated using two different methods, radiocarbon and U-series technique. The results of the two techniques date the last occupational phase of the site from the end of the fourth millennium B.C. to the beginning of the third millennium B.C.     

Bioarchaeological preservation and non-elite diet in the Bay of Naples: An analysis of the food remains from the Cardo V sewer at the Roman site of Herculaneum

Due to its burial by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, the level of biological preservation in the Roman town of Herculaneum is very high. The recovery and analysis of large quantities of material from the city's Cardo V sewer has provided the rare opportunity to study the diet of middle and lower class Romans living in an urban context in mid-1st century AD Italy. The sewer lacked an outflow point and instead functioned as a cesspit to collect the human and kitchen waste generated by those living in the multi-storey shop and apartment complex (Insula Orientalis II) situated above. In total, 220?l of soil was examined for carbonised and mineralised material, seashells, eggshells, otoliths and fish bones. 194 taxa were identified, including 94 botanical, 45 fish, 53 shellfish and two bird taxa. One-hundred and thirteen of the 194 taxa can be considered edible foodstuffs indicating a high level of dietary diversity. This article compares preservation conditions with those found in Pompeii and assess diet in relation to these findings. The level of preservation is found to be comparable between the two sites and no major taphonomic biases are observed. The diet of non-elite individuals in Herculaneum is found to consist of a few staple foods that are frequently supplemented by a wide range of other goods. Subtle differences in diet are observable within the sewer assemblage, most likely related to differences in wealth.     

Stories behind the fortress: Stable isotope analysis and 14C dating of soldiers' remains from the Bayanbulag site,Mongolia

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of 15 individuals buried closed to Bayanbulag site or the Shouxiangcheng fortress in southern Mongolia revealed complex dietary features. Only one individual had a diet similar to that of the pastoral population in northern China, while the others, who had varying carbon isotope values and low nitrogen values, might have been from different agricultural areas. ¹⁴C dating results suggest that the earliest interment could be much earlier than the building of Shouxiangcheng fortress recorded in Han texts. Analysis of the burial arrangement further confirmed that these deceased were not buried at the same time.     

Starch grains analysis of stone knives from Changning site,Qinghai Province,Northwest China

Plant residues recovered from prehistoric stone artifacts can be used to help explain tool function and plant use. At the Changning site in Qinghai Province, Northwest China, dating from 4000 yr BP, we examined starch granules extracted from three slate stone knives. A total of 153 starch grains were retrieved from three stone knives, from which we identified starches from legumes, the Triticeae tribe, foxtail millet (Setaria italica), broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum), roots and tubers. These results indicate that the stone knives may have been used for a variety of activities that included reaping grasses and food processing. The species of starch grains retrieved from the study sample reveal that diverse crops were cultivated at the Changning site 4000 years ago.     

Recovery of DNA from archaeological insect remains: first results,problems and potential

We report the recovery of short fragments of PCR amplifiable ancient DNA from exoskeletal fragments of the grain weevil Sitophilus granarius (L.) extracted from Roman and medieval deposits in Northern England. If DNA preservation in archaeological insect remains is widespread then many applications in the spheres of evolutionary studies and archaeology can be conceived, some of which are outlined.     

Archaeobotany,vine growing and wine producing in Roman Southern France: the site of Gasquinoy (Béziers,Hérault)

Unequivocal evidence of Roman vine cultivation and wine making is provided from studies of combined archaeological remains from the site of Gasquinoy (Southern France). Waterlogged and charred plant material (fruits/seeds/wood) collected from wells located in the close vicinity of cultivated fields and wine making establishments confirms the local significance of this activity. The results offer insights on particular aspects of wine production (‘traumatic’ treading of grapes and straining) and provide evidence of secondary agricultural activities such as cereal production and fruit tree cultivation. The potential use of monocotyledonous stems such as Arundo/Phragmites in the farming system is discussed.     

河曲坪头遗址龙山时期陶器及其制陶原料的化学成分分析

为了对山西省忻州市河曲坪头遗址出土的龙山时期的陶器以及制陶原料中的粘土原料的种类和来源进行相关探讨,利用ICP-OES对出土的陶器、坯料,以及遗址附近采集的土样进行了化学成分测试,并使用SPSS软件对分析结果进行了降维处理和主成分分析。结果显示:坪头遗址不同质地的陶器陶土原料相同,只是在钙含量方面存在细微差异。制作陶器所用的粘土原料很可能取自附近的红色古土壤层。该遗址是古人在当地制作陶器的一个场所。