Evaluation of underwater surveying techniques

The paper discusses the application of a number of manual trilateration surveying systems, an acoustic surveying system and a photogrammetric system applied to a rigid test frame. Results and relative merits are compared and discussed.     

Sex estimation using cervical dental measurements in an archaeological population from Iran

Sex estimation of skeletal remains is one of the major components of forensic identification of unknown individuals. Teeth are a potential source of information on sex and are often recovered in archaeological or forensic contexts due to their post-mortem longevity. Currently, there is limited data on dental sexual dimorphism of archaeological populations from Iran. This paper represents the first study to provide a dental sex estimation method for Iron Age populations. The current study was conducted on the skeletal remains of 143 adults from two Iron Age populations in close temporal and geographic proximity in the Solduz Valley (West Azerbaijan Province of Iran). Mesiodistal and buccolingual cervical measurements of 1334 maxillary and mandibular teeth were used to investigate the degree of sexual dimorphism in permanent dentition and to assess their applicability in sex estimation. Data was analysed using discriminant function analysis (SPSS 23), and posterior probabilities were calculated for all produced formulae. The results showed that incisors and canines were the most sexually dimorphic teeth, providing percentages of correct sex classification between 86.4 and 100 % depending on the measurement used. The combination of canines and other teeth improved significantly the level of correct sex classification. The highest percentages of sex classification were obtained by the combination of canines and incisors (100 %) and canines and molars (92.3 %). The present study provided the first reference standards for sex estimation using odontometric data in an Iranian archaeological population. Cervical measurements were found to be of value for sex assessment, and the method presented here can be a useful tool for establishing accurate demographic data from skeletal remains of the Iron Age from Iran.     

Applications of integrated geophysical method in archaeological surveys of the ancient Shu ruins

The Jinsha site is one set of excavated ruins of the ancient Shu state, late Neolithic, early Bronze Age. The archaeological survey of the site is especially important for study of Shu culture, because there is hardly any written record of this period. As technology progresses, more and more advanced techniques and equipment have been used to conduct archaeological surveys. In this study, four nondestructive methods of geophysical detection were used to locate ancient relics at the site. The validity of these different types of archaeological detection methods (method of high-density resistivity, induced polarization, multi-frequency electromagnetic, ground-penetrating radar and so on) and techniques were analyzed. And a multi-scale, multi-method detection system to non-destructive detection of cultural relics was established.     

An underwater photomosaic technique using Adobe Photoshop™

A simple technique for taking systematic runs of vertical underwater photographs is described. Computer-based procedures for rectifying, matching, and assembling the photographs into mosaics using Adobe Photoshop™ software are then explained.     

The evolution of sociopolitical complexity in prehistoric Hawaii: An assessment of the archaeological evidence

The sociopolitical system of late prehistoric Hawaii was among the most complex of any Oceanic chiefdom, as indexed by such characteristics as scale, rate of energy extraction, degree of functional specialization, and political hierarchy. Various anthropologists and archaeologists have advanced models of how this complex sociopolitical system developed out of an earlier Ancestral Polynesian society. Recent advances in Hawaiian archaeology have now begun to provide a wealth of data on the course of prehistoric change in the archipelago over some 1500 years and, thus, provide evidence which can be used to test alternative models of the evolution of sociopolitical complexity. This paper reviews the major alternative models that have been put forward and provides a synopsis of the archaeological evidence relevant to their testing.     

Integrated geophysical surveys at the archaeological site of Tindari (Sicily,Italy)

The results of geophysical survey carried out at the archaeological site of Tindari, located 70 km west-north-west of Messina (Sicily, Italy), are presented and discussed. The site is one of the most important archaeological sites, about 90 ha large, on the north-eastern side of Sicily and it was one of the last Greek settlements in Sicily. Keeping in mind the vastness of the site, according to the archaeologists an area, of about 1200 m² was selected, for a geophysical survey. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), including induced polarization (IP) measurements, and seismic refraction tomography were applied in the course of geophysical exploration in the area. The objective of this preliminary geophysical investigation was to verify the effectiveness of the technique for a spatial definition of the buried archaeological structures (mostly walls, columns, etc.) to determine their characteristics and to study the presence of collapsed columns within the zone of archaeological interest, in view of their application in the rest of the site, that, for obvious reasons, could not be entirely excavated in brief times. The geophysical data, visualized in 3D space, revealed a distribution of low-contrast shallow anomalies that indicate the presence of different types of buried structures in the surveyed area. Also, the probable accumulations of collapsed columns could be determined. These results confirm the hypothesis of a large northern extension of the archaeological site and provide useful information to design a more efficient excavation plan.     

An interpretation of mosses found in recent archaeological excavations

Recent archaeological excavations at Vindolanda, Northumberland and at York have uncovered considerable quantities of bryophytic material. The mosses are considered here not in terms of their value to the archaeologist as indicators of prevailing environmental conditions but from an ethnological viewpoint. There is strong reason to believe that the mosses at both sites were deliberately harvested in large quantities and employed mainly for their bedding, packing, insulatory and absorbent qualities.     

An assessment of the value of bone density measurements to archaeoichthyological studies

This paper reviews the meaning of the term ‘density’ and the problems associated with the methods of density determination for animal bones in archaeology. It has often been assumed that density is the intrinsic property of most influence in controlling the rate of a bone's decay. Values for whole bone density have been published only for large mammal bone, however. Fish bone appears to be particularly vulnerable to decay, and usually a restricted range of skeletal elements are recovered from archaeological sites. The object of this study was to examine the relationship between fish bone density and the ability of the bone to survive on occupation sites and in archaeological deposits. A set of ‘density’ measurements was established for the bones of cod (Gadus morhua). The usefulness of these measurements as a predictive tool in archaeoichthyological studies is assessed. It was found that ‘density’ as measured did not explain adequately the relative survival of skeletal elements after mechanical abrasion and weathering, or within archaeological deposits.     

An investigation of climatic change in the holocene epoch using archaeological charcoal from Swaziland, Southern Africa

A methodology is described for the analysis of Holocene charcoals excavated from a rock shelter in the Lubombo Mountains of northeast Swaziland. Scanning electron microscopy was used to compare these with modern reference woods. Of the ancient material 96·6% could be identified, in some cases at specific level. It is in such a subtropical area, where the woody flora is so rich, that assemblages of local taxa can be used in palaeoclimatic reconstructions. The changing taxa indicated by the charcoal fragments from the rock shelter clearly reflect minor shifts in Holocene climate, from moist to dry and back to moist in recent times. This is of relevance to the fluctuations in Stone Age populations in southern Africa. The wider use of such evidence to complement other palaeoenvironmental and archaeological data is advocated.     

Hedonic analysis and time‐varying capitalization: An application using school quality

This paper investigates the dynamics of school quality capitalization during the boom–bust cycle of the housing market. We find that the housing downturn led to a sharp increase in capitalization for high‐quality schools, whereas the boom and recovery periods saw a decline in valuation for top schools. Hence, the capitalization of school quality exhibits a strong countercyclical trend with the overall housing market. We test whether our findings are driven by households “trading down” from private schools during downturns or the fact that the housing supply responds asymmetrically during the boom and bust, but we find little support for these propositions.     

Collagen deamidation in archaeological bone as an assessment for relative decay rates

Attempts to extend methods for dating archaeological bones beyond that of radiocarbon dating, such as amino acid racemization, have met with limited success owing to the dependence on multiple environmental factors and controls. Despite facing similar challenges, deamidation of glutamine has recently been investigated as a potential indicator of ‘thermal age' in archaeological bones, as well as a measure of their preservation quality. In this study, we undertook a series of simulated diagenetic experiments to understand the various factors affecting deamidation. Further, we analysed bones from different Middle Palaeolithic layers from Grotte Mandrin (France), with the results suggesting potential use of deamidation for relative dating, but only in case of extremely well‐preserved layers. The results also suggested the possible use of attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier transform infrared (ATR‐FTIR) spectroscopy as a screening test for soluble collagen before proteomic analysis.     

A preliminary study on using enzymes in cleaning archaeological wood

The main goal of this study was to study and evaluate the effect of hydrolyzing enzymes on the anatomical structure and chemical composition of archaeological wood samples. Pine and beech wood samples, which were taken from anonymous mashrabia, have been cleaned with three types of enzymes then a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study were undertaken, to see if any significant structural or chemical differences could be detected between “untreated” and “treated” wood. No dramatic changes in functional groups on the wood surface, as monitored by infrared spectroscopy, occurred in the samples before and after enzymatic cleaning. SEM data, however, show that protease and lipase enzymes may give good results in cleaning wood surface, but the enzyme residues remaining on the cell walls of archaeological wood are another point to consider.     

Continuity and disruption in the ancient Hejaz: an assessment of current archaeological strategies

In this study I review two conflicting scenaria of the history of northwestern Arabia from approximately 1300 to 200 BC and discuss their theoretical and methodological determinants. The still sparse archaeological and historic information on this topic has been used in two quite different ways. On one hand there is the traditional culture historical approach which subordines all social interpretation to the precise strictures of an interrupted ceramic typology, on the other a recent attempt to interpret archaeological and textual data within the theoretical framework of a long-term historical model that integrates the Hejaz into the broader Near Eastern world system. I argue that these two approaches reflect fundamentally different approaches to the study of ancient society and that each incorporates a conceptual approach that necessarily determines its interpretational outcome. Furthermore I conclude that use of an inclusive theoretical model permits better integration of the growing archaeological and textual information bases and obviates much of the inconsistency and interpretational naivity that unavoidably derives from the culture historica approach.     

Stone anchors from the Mediterranean coasts of Anatolia, Turkey: underwater surveys and archaeometrical investigations

This study is mainly based on the expeditions and underwater study of stone anchors from the Cilician coast, Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology and the Kaš Uluburun wreck. The stone anchors found on the Cilician coast are very similar to eastern Mediterranean stone anchors with respect to shape and characteristics. The stone anchors from BMUA and KUW were examined by thin section and XRD analysis. They are made of volcanic, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. The study indicates that the anchors are similar to others found in the Mediterranean.