Displayed or Concealed? Cross Cultural Evidence for Symbolic and Ritual Activity Depositing Iron Age Animal Bones

Although Iron Age rituals involving the depositing of animal bones in pits have been discussed intensively in the literature, possible cross-cultural and ethnographic parallels for the symbolism of such activity have been neglected. This paper begins to remedy this deficiency. Archaeological and ethnographic examples occur world-wide, especially relating to the symbolism and treatment of animal heads and crania. They support previous arguments that at least some Iron Age bone deposits involved the renewal and protection of fertility, for example those associated with grain storage pits and other archaeological features, perhaps also foundation deposits, especially at later periods.     

Storage adaptations among hunter–gatherers: A quantitative approach to the Jomon period

Food storage economies among hunter–gatherers have been fundamentally important in research within anthropological archeology. It is well recognized that food storage was a key element in the evolution of hunter–gatherer societies. This paper examines storage facilities utilizing a digital planimeter to evaluate the volume and morphology of storage pits in the Jomon period (ca. 13,750–500 cal. BC). Quantitative analysis of Jomon storage pits shows temporal and spatial variability in terms of size. This research demonstrates that the quantitative analysis of storage pits is an effective way to improve our understanding of storage and its role in the Jomon economy in particular and subsistence adaptations in general. Thus, this approach has potential applications to other storage economies worldwide.     

秦雍城豆腐村制陶作坊遗址发掘简报

秦雍城遗址位于陕西省凤翔县城以南,东距西安市170公里,西南距宝鸡市50公里。据文献记载,从春秋晚期的德公元年(前677年)至战国中期的献公二年(前383年)的294年间,雍城一直作为秦国都城,成为秦人由西向东逐渐迁徙     

河南泌阳东高庄遗址发掘简报

2019年10～12月,为配合工程建设,河南省文物考古研究院联合驻马店市文物考古管理所对东高庄遗址进行了抢救性考古发掘,发现战国晚期及汉代的灰坑、灰沟、水井等遗迹17处,个别遗迹内出土有与冶铁有关的炉渣和铁矿石,其中4座灰坑为堆积冶炼废弃物炉渣的堆积坑,经检测与冶铁有关。该遗址至迟在汉代已出现冶铁活动。     

A microarchaeological approach for the study of pits

Abstract

The study of the technology underlying pre-industrial storage structures has an interest from an anthropological and archaeological perspective, in terms of the evolution of key cultural and cognitive capabilities, often related to the transition to food production.

Microarchaeological techniques offer a unique perspective on the study of pre-industrial storing technologies. In this work, examples are presented from two archaeological contexts in different climatic and socio-ecological situations during the Holocene in S Asia and SW Europe. Microarchaeological techniques used in this study include micromorphology, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and phytolith analyses. The comparative study of two pits highlights key aspects of the decision-making process involved in technological solutions of storage: ? The choice of a location for the construction of a given storage facility is highly affected by contextual climatic, microclimatic, soil and bioturbative factors

? The time taken to consume stored foodstuffs seems to affect technological investment as much as the intrinsic conservation requirements of the stored taxa

? The use of fire to hygienise pits implies that such structures were not conceived for single use

? Pre-industrial storage systems can be seen as modular structures, which components (e.g. topographical location, sediment type, lining type, hygienisation techniques and cover) can be recombined to improve storage performance for different climatic settings and foodstuffs.

     

Caching your savings: The use of small-scale storage in European prehistory

Understanding of European prehistoric storage practices tends to focus on the long-term and large-scale storage of cereals from the Neolithic onwards. In addition, storage is often associated with the development of sedentism and social complexity. Through the use of anthropological and ethnographic data this paper demonstrates that storage by both hunter-gatherers and farmers is more complex. New storage categories, such as closed and open caches, and portable storage, are suggested as ways of understanding whether similar storage practices were used during European prehistory. We learn that although direct evidence for storage is difficult to find in the archaeological record, a combination of ethnographic data and indirect evidence demonstrates that storage, especially this use of small-scale storage, was practiced in prehistory. In the conclusion, this paper demonstrates that storage during the Mesolithic (11,300-6000 BP) would have played a vital role in the lifeways of hunter-gatherers and that for the Neolithic (6000-4500 BP) the use of small-scale storage of a variety of foods would have been equally important as the storage of grain.     

郑州商城青铜大方鼎造型与纹饰研究

郑州商城的三处青铜器窖藏共出土了八件青铜大方鼎,目前学界一般认为铜方鼎的原型与陶方鼎有关。但通过造型与纹饰的细节分析,可发现大方鼎的原型应为方形木质容器,乳钉纹带模仿了容器边套、箍圈上的成排铆钉。南顺城街窖藏的四件大方鼎,其纹饰的演变体现出从模仿铆钉原型到向装饰化发展的过程。     

PIT-DIGGING, OCCUPATION AND STRUCTURED DEPOSITION ON RUDSTON WOLD, EASTERN YORKSHIRE

Summary.   Excavated Neolithic pit clusters, like those found on Rudston Wold in eastern Yorkshire, have often been seen as the remains of occupation sites. The features are interpreted as possessing practical roles, including their use for storing grain, and the incorporated material culture regarded as casually discarded waste. More recent interpretations, however, have emphasized these features' functional unsuitability, rather seeing pit-digging, and the deposition of ideologically-charged objects, as a deliberate attempt to inscribe meaning across a landscape. These two different approaches are considered by a detailed examination of the Peterborough Ware and Grooved Ware associated pits, dug-out swallow-holes and hollows of Rudston Wold. It is argued that their lithic assemblage demonstrates a conventionality best understood as representing occupation at and around the features, themselves once part of small-scale dwellings, but that this material nonetheless resulted from deliberate and purposeful acts which changed during the later Neolithic.     

Early Neolithic Sites at Brześć Kujawski,Poland: Preliminary Report on the 1976–1979 Excavations

Abstract

Since 1976, excavations have been conducted on two neighboring Early Neolithic sites at Brze?? Kujawski, Wloclawek district, Poland. The aim of this research is to improve the understanding of the developmental sequence of Early Neolithic cultures on the Polish lowlands as well as to recover palaeobotanical and archaeozoological materials to study the changes in subsistence patterns over time. There are three components of Early Neolithic settlement at Brze?? Kujawski: the Linear Pottery, Early Lengyel, and Late Lengyel cultures, which span the period between 4300 and 3000 radiocarbon years B.C. Large amounts of animal bones indicate a shift from cattle-centered stockbreeding in the Linear Pottery component to a very diverse pattern of animal exploitation in the Late Lengyel component. Early Neolithic house remains, storage pits, flint industries, and copper artifacts are also discussed.     

石寨山文化农业述略

以考古发现及既有研究成果为基础,可对战国秦汉时期滇池区域石寨山文化农业面貌进行讨论。石寨山文化有完整的农业技术体系。该文化居民有一套完整的以锄、铲、镰、斧等为代表生产工具体,且工具种类的使用具有倾向性,牛耕还尚未运用到农业生产中,稻、麦、粟复种的作物结构已形成,掌握一定的灌溉以及粮食储存技术,并且还可能有一套较为完整的农业仪式。     

Breadfruit Fermentation in Pohnpei,Micronesia: Site Formation,Archaeological Visibility,and Interpretive Strategies

Fermentation is a common method of processing and preserving breadfruit throughout the Pacific Islands. While these pits are often reported in the archaeological record, they can pose some interpretive challenges. This paper presents an analysis of probable archaeological breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg) fermentation pits on Temwen Island, Pohnpei, Micronesia. Using the existing ethnographic record as a guide, I present archaeological and paleoethnobotanical criteria for identifying fermentation features. Architectural and stratigraphic analyses from four excavated pits match ethnographic expectations. Phytolith analysis shows some concurrence in terms of taxonomic data, but is more useful for indicating disturbance specific to building activities. Based on the distribution and size of pits present in the survey area, I suggest that breadfruit fermentation took place as primarily a household level (rather than community level) activity during the late prehistoric and early historic period in Pohnpei.     

黑龙江大兴安岭呼中北山洞遗址2016年发掘简报

2016年对北山洞遗址的发掘,共清理灰坑3座、灶址16处,出土陶器、石器、玉器等遗物1800余件。依据层位关系及出土遗物特征分析,该遗址可分为六个时期文化遗存。第一期文化遗存属旧石器时代晚期,石器加工包含石片工业和石叶工业两种类型,剥片技术以锤击法为主,工具加工多采用打制修理技术。第二至第五期文化遗存属新石器时代,石器加工以细石核、细石叶等细石器工艺为主,剥片技术包括锤击法和间接压制法,工具加工多采用较为精细的压制修理技术。第六期文化遗存应与早期鲜卑遗存有密切关系,年代为东汉时期。北山洞遗址的发掘对大兴安岭东麓山区考古学文化编年体系的构建在一定程度上具有填补空白的意义。     

清代常平仓粮食储额的空间格局

根据嘉庆《大清会典事例》和不同年代刊印的《户部则例》中的记载,结合有关人口、灾害数据,恢复了清代常平仓粮食储额的空间格局。通过分析发现,康雍时期,各地常平仓粮食储额的确定,依据地区规模和人口数量,较为简单和整体划一;乾隆以来,常平仓储额在空间分布上呈现东部和西北地区高、中部和西南地区低的格局,它的形成受到了人口数量、受灾情况、地理条件、区域脆弱性和政治、军事等因素的影响,具有一定的合理性。     

甘肃礼县高寺头新石器时代遗址发掘报告

礼县高寺头遗址,位于礼县县城西南9公里处的石桥乡高寺村西南部的小山坡上,原称之为"礼县石桥镇遗址"。1986年,由甘肃省文物考古研究所组成考古队进行了发掘。同时,对该遗址的各台地进行了考古调查,发现在第二台地多为仰韶文化早、中期的遗存。第三、四级台地则多为仰韶文化晚期的遗存。故设置了上下两个发掘区进行了小规模的清理发掘,共清理出房址4座,灰坑8个,室内窖穴3个,出土陶器、石器、骨蚌器等遗物765件。均属于仰韶文化时期的遗存。     

秦雍城马家庄宗庙遗址祭祀遗存的再探讨

本文通过对陕西省凤翔县秦雍城马家庄宗庙遗址祭祀坑的分析 ,认为当时每一次祭祀活动以使用一种牺牲为主 ;使用牺牲种类不同 ,其埋入方式亦有差别 ;该遗址中打破宗庙主体建筑的人坑 ,其埋放时间、性质及目的当与分布于中庭的它类祭祀坑有别。     

广州榄园岭遗址先民祭祀遗迹的炭屑和植硅体分析

祭祀是先民生活的重要组成部分之一。尽管贵族祭祀活动的研究较多,但平民祭祀遗迹却由于发现较少而难以深入分析。广州榄园岭遗址春秋时期墓葬群中发现了越文化中常见的碎物祭祀坑。本研究对若干墓葬和相关祭祀坑中的填土开展了炭屑和植硅体分析。结果表明,先民在祭祀坑中有意燃烧过植物类祭品;用作祭品的植物种类较杂,包含扇型、棒型、方型或刺球型等植硅体。结合其他遗址中出现的类似现象,榄园岭先民的祭祀活动,应是在因地制宜、就地取材的基础上,吸收了苗蛮文化的因素,同时影响了其他地区。这一发现为探索先秦古人的祭祀行为提供了丰富信息;此外,炭屑和植硅体分析为确定祭祀遗迹提供了新的研究范式。     

潮湿环境下古象牙的现场提取与保护——以三星堆遗址三号坑出土象牙为例

2020年10月,三星堆遗址新发现祭祀坑正式启动考古发掘工作。随着发掘工作的推进,大量象牙相继出土。由于长期埋藏于潮湿的地下环境,象牙基本处于饱水状态,保存状况较差。为了使象牙保持相对稳定的状态,在考古发掘现场针对不同象牙的发掘情况,采用高分子绷带进行固形处理,然后整体提取回实验室清理。清理完成的象牙,经过保湿杀菌处理后存放至低温高湿专用库房。三星堆遗址三号祭祀坑出土象牙的成功提取与保护,表明医用高分子绷带具有超越石膏提取法的应用优势,对类似出土遗物的现场保护工作有一定的借鉴作用。     

Extraction of Hierarchical Surface Networks from Bilinear Surface Patches

Surface networks capture the topological relations between passes of a continuous surface, the paths of steepest descent and ascent starting at the passes, and the pits and peaks where the steepest paths end. Surface networks represent the topology of surfaces in a compressed form and allow fast investigation of the surfaces' convex and concave shapes. They are applied, for instance, for enhancing algorithms for surface analysis, for surface model simplification, and for surfaces visualization. Furthermore, they are themselves subjects of analysis as they are closely coupled to the intrinsic geometrical concepts and rules of continuous surfaces.
This article extends the topology of surface networks in four ways: (i) objects at the edge of the surface model are introduced; (ii) intersections between valley and ridge lines are found to be possible, and such intersections are incorporated into the topology; (iii) horizontal areas may represent passes, pits, or peaks, and therefore must be detected and explicitly incorporated; and (iv) valley and ridge line hierarchies are recognized as inherent components of the surface network. They are extracted and explicitly represented.
To ensure consistency and completeness of the surface network, a zero-order continuous surface is specified from the raster data prior to the extraction. This article presents a method to represent and derive valley and ridge line hierarchies. The results are illustrated with two examples. The extracted networks are found to be consistent and complete. However, the extraction method tends to produce spurious pits, peaks, and passes, which form a drawback if the surface data are affected by noise.     

‘Well,Sextus, what can we do with this?’ The disposal and use of insect-infested grain in Roman Britain

Abstract

Beetle (Coleoptera) pests of stored products such as the granary weevil may have entered the archaeological record by various routes, including: (1) deliberate dumping, and usually burial, of spoilt grain with the aim of preventing further infestation of grain in storage; (2) the use of infested grain as human and animal food; (3) the incorporation of infested grain and living or dead grain pests into deposits by accident and by reworking. It is suggested that these routes, although outlined specifically for beetle grain pests, can stand as a model for the way other insects and biological remains became incorporated into the archaeological record. It also is suggested that the identification of these different depositional routes depends strongly on taking a multi-proxy (‘indicator group’ or ‘indicator package’) approach to the archaeological and biological record of urban sites.     

Collapsing Commodities or Lavish Offerings? Understanding Massive Metalwork Deposition at Langton Matravers,Dorset During the Bronze Age–Iron Age Transition

The discovery of 373 intact and broken tin‐bronze socketed axes accompanied by 404 fragments in four pits at Langton Matravers collectively represents one of the largest hoards found to date in prehistoric Britain and Ireland. They were very probably never meant to be used as axes as the very high levels of tin they contain would have made them brittle. Many were poorly finished, with the majority still containing their casting cores. The axes are typologically dated to the Llyn Fawr metalwork phase (c.800–600 BC) and span the Bronze Age/Iron Age transition, when the production, circulation and deposition of bronze appear to have been substantially reduced throughout north‐west Europe. By placing the Langton Matravers hoard(s) in a broader metallurgical, material and archaeological context, existing theories for this phenomenon, such as the preference for iron, a collapse in bronze supply, or the sharp devaluation of a social or ritual ‘bronze standard’, are evaluated. It is proposed that the Langton Matravers axes belong to a short phase in the centuries‐long processes underlying the changing roles of bronze and iron.