Joined-Up Archaeology at Old Scatness,Shetland: Thin Section Analysis of the Site and Hinterland

Abstract

Excavations on the multi-period settlement at Old Scatness, Shetland have uncovered a number of Iron Age structures with compacted, floor-like layers. Thin section analysis was undertaken in order to investigate and compare the characteristics of these layers. The investigation also draws on earlier analyses of the Iron Age agricultural soil around the settlement and the midden deposits that accumulated within the settlement, to create a 'joined-up' analysis which considers the way material from the settlement was used and then recycled as fertiliser for the fields. Peat was collected from the nearby uplands and was used for fuel and possibly also for flooring. It is suggested that organic-rich floors from the structures were periodically removed and the material was spread onto the fields as fertilisers. More organic-rich material may have been used selectively for fertiliser, while the less organic peat ash was allowed to accumulate in middens. Several of the structures may have functioned as byres, which suggests a prehistoric plaggen system.     

The integration of chronological and archaeological information to date building construction: an example from Shetland,Scotland, UK

This paper presents new chronological data applied to the problem of providing a date for the construction of a prehistoric building, with a case study from the Old Scatness Broch, Shetland. The innovative methodology employed utilises the combination of radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates with the archaeological information, which includes the stratigraphic relationships of sampled deposits, context information, and evidence relating to the formation of the deposit. This paper discusses the scientific validity of the dates produced, and the advantages that the methodology employed at this site offers for archaeological interpretation. The combined dating evidence suggests that the broch at Old Scatness is earlier than the conventionally accepted dates for broch construction. More broadly it shows the value of integration of the specialists at the planning stages of the excavation. The application of a Bayesian statistical model to the sequences of dates allowed investigation of the robustness of the dates within the stratigraphic sequences, as well as increasing the resolution of the resulting chronology. In addition, the value of utilising multiple dating techniques on the same deposit was demonstrated, as this allowed different dated events to be directly compared as well as issues relating to the formation of the sampled deposit. This in turn impacted on the chronological significance of the resulting dating evidence, and therefore the confidence that could be placed in the results.     

基于机器学习和图像形态学的彩色近代地图数字化——以近代上海地区地表水体信息提取为例

利用科学测绘技术绘制的近代地图作为一类珍贵的历史地理资料,不同程度上反映着过去的地表覆盖情况,数字化则是复原地图所载地表覆盖信息的重要途径。以《华东·上海》地图为例,实现并验证一种基于机器学习和图像形态学的彩色近代地图数字化方法。结果表明,该方法能够充分挖掘地图中的颜色信息和形态结构信息,以半自动方式快速准确地将彩色近代地图中的地表水体信息提取出来。该方法对数字化一类彩色近代地图具有参考价值,有望为精准复原近代以来地表覆盖变迁,深入理解人地关系变化提供数据和方法基础。     

Perspectives on an Early Bronze Age Island Centre: An Analysis of Pottery from Daskaleio-Kavos (Keros) in the Cyclades

Island central places occupy a prominent position in archaeological, anthropological and historical debate, but the number of early examples of such centres that have to date been investigated in detail remains small. One such central place in the Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC) Cycladic islands of the Aegean was the site of Daskaleio-Kavos on Keros, although the interpretation of this site's functions is controversial. Fieldwork at the site in 1987 generated a large sample of pottery that allows the site's local and inter-regional connections to be explored in detail for the first time. The results of ceramic analysis indicate that Daskaleio-Kavos operated as the active maritime centre of an intensive network of inter-island exchange.     

Historicizing Food Production in Polynesia: A Case Study of 2700 years of Land Use on Ofu Island,American Samoa

Strategies and techniques of food production change throughout the world reflecting the influence of a range of social and ecological factors. Often excluded in discussions of changing cultivation strategies, however, are the structuring effects of history. Within this paper, an examination of how history structured changing food production over the last 2700 years is presented using a case study of the island of Ofu in the archipelago of Samoa. The environment of Ofu has been altered significantly since human colonization, and many of these changes were caused or modulated by cultivation strategies. These cultural landscapes were inherited by subsequent generations of producers, impacting future productive strategies. Far from being simple artifacts of the past, these modified landscapes created by past producers continue to be inherited and cultivated by modern groups.     

基于内容分析法的城市历史街区意象研究——以上海衡山路-复兴路历史街区为例

本文从个性、结构和意蕴这个3个意象理论的基础性构成元素出发,以国内外游客的网络游记、评论等文本为研究材料,采用内容分析法对国内外游客游览过历史街区后产生的意象进行对比分析.研究发现,国内外游客感知到的意象在个性和结构方面存在较大差异.在个性方面,将提取出的特征词归纳为4个主题特征并计算出了4个主题的强度:国内游客对于丰富的历史文化遗存(338.43)和优美的城市景观(377.91)的感知分别高于国外游客(140.32,179.05);而国外游客对于独特的人文风情(400.96)与现代的都市生活(300.96)的感知分别高于国内游客(188.84,254.54).在结构方面,从国内外样本中提取出的高频地名分别为29个和4个,国内游客对于区域的空间感知度明显高于国外游客.意蕴方面,国内外游客差别不大,国内外游客的正面情感数量分别占到各自总数的59％和55％,大多数游客从中获得了较好的旅游体验;但国外样本中的负面情感(16％)高于国内样本中的负面情感(9％).因此,需要针对国内外游客的不同特点,有针对性地对上海历史街区的旅游进行开发.     

数学分析方法在考古学中的应用

本文主要以文物产地研究为例,介绍国内外学者在考古学研究中常用的几种数学方法的原理及应用情况,指出数学分析方法已经成为考古学研究的热点,中国金属文物产地研究需进一步开展和深化,考古学家熟练运用现代数学知识是考古学现代化的重要步骤之一。     

西方旅游者在华旅游活动研究——基于西方旅游批发商的中国游产品分析

有关西方旅游者在华旅游活动的现有研究缺乏系统性,且几乎都借助于中国官方机构的统计信息。由于统计方法存在明显的缺陷,这些统计信息往往无法有效地反映旅游者的实际活动轨迹和活动内容。本文以西方旅游批发商的产品样册为基础,运用自创的分析方法研究西方旅游者的在华旅游活动。研究表明,西方旅游者主要是受中华文明吸引而来华旅游,西方各国旅游批发商推出的中国游产品没有明显的差异性。     

Micromorphological perspectives on the stratigraphical excavation of shell middens: a first approximation from the ethnohistorical site Tunel VII,Tierra del Fuego (Argentina)

Due to their problematic stratigraphy, shell middens have traditionally been excavated by artificial stratigraphical cuts. This approach has often led to the obliteration of the original depositional sequence, removing important information regarding depositional and post-depositional processes, and human frequentation. Since the 1970s, an Argentinian team has been excavating archaeological shell middens in the Beagle Channel with a detailed stratigraphical approach, based on the excavation of actual depositional units (peeling), rather than artificial cuts. In the 1980s, Spanish archaeologists joined the Argentinean team and launched a series of new projects involving the excavation of ethnohistorical Yamana fisher-hunter-gatherer sites. The first excavated midden site was Tunel VII, from which two monolith columns of about 50 cm each (C11 and C12) that spanned the whole stratigraphy were extracted. The two columns were consolidated with resin, and two series of thin sections produced to corroborate stratigraphical observations made in the field, and to verify hypotheses related to the formation of archaeological shell midden sites. We present here the first results obtained from the microscopical observation of seven thin sections from column 11 (West column), extracted from a portion of the profile originally described as corresponding to the hut entrance and associated floor. The observation of microscopical features invisible in the field has provided supplemental information about the depositional and post-depositional processes affecting shell midden sites. We have also preliminarily defined a number of micromorphological characteristics identifying human activities such as discrete shell deposition events, phases of preparation of the hut floor, and compression by repeated trampling. Finally, we have explored the possibility of establishing some guidelines to characterise the length and character of frequentation phases of the site previous to its final abandonment at the beginning of the 20th century.     

The Newshot Island Boat Graveyard: an assemblage of 19th‐century vessels on the Clyde

A project by SCAPE, NAS, and local volunteers at Newshot Island on the Clyde near Glasgow has documented an important ships graveyard dating to the early 20th century. The vessels tell the story of the creation of the Clyde Navigation, represent a significant aspect of the river's history, and exemplify the technological and industrial development of the region. The survey and research revealed that the remains on site include the earliest diving support vessel known to have been recorded, and has resulted in the designation of the remains as a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland.     

The Agote Map of Hainan Island,China: A Case Study for Cultural Dialogue in Eighteenth-Century Cartography

The idea of cartography as an example of Western imposition or process of cultural transfer is one that has long fascinated scholars interested in the margins of empires. This article analyses the maps in the possession of Manuel Agote, a Spanish factor in Canton at the end of the eighteenth century. The focus is on the use made by Agote of a Chinese map of Hainan, together with the European maps available already in China for commercial interests, and the way this reflects the cultural dialogue that was operating among local and foreign cartographers engaged in similar European mapping activities in the region.     

Pioneer Life on the Bay of Quinte: an Evaluation of Genealogical Source Data in the Study of Migration

The movement of people, goods, and ideas into new frontiers is one of the most important and prevalent themes in Canadian historiography.¹ For all that emphasis, however, the literature on the historical demography of the Canadian frontier does little to address the dynamics of frontier migration at the family level or to draw out the contributions of successive generations of pioneer families to the movement of the frontier itself. The difficulty of obtaining data is an obvious explanation, although a few recent studies have shown the usefulness of such sources as church registers, newspapers, residence histories, and naturalization records.² The purpose of the present essay is to draw further attention to the value of this approach by focusing on a specific Ontario example - a volume entitled Pioneer Life on the Bay of Quinte. ³ This book was published in 1904 and it contains data which permit the nineteenth-century migrations of some Bay of Quinte families and their descendants to be traced.     

The Use of Mineralogy to Identify Sources of Soapstone Artefacts: an Example from Soapstone Ridge,Georgia (USA)

The late Archaic Soapstone Ridge quarries, near Atlanta, Georgia, are the largest sources of archaeological soapstone in the south‐eastern USA. Ten soapstone artefacts from the coastal plain, over 200 km south of Soapstone Ridge (SSR), were used in an attempt to relate their mineralogy to that of the Soapstone Ridge quarries and to investigate the utility of mineralogy in the sourcing of soapstone. There is an overall similarity in the abundance of the major soapstone minerals, talc, chlorite and amphiboles in the artefacts and the SSR soapstone. Differences in the variety of amphibole (tremolite/actinolite, magnesiohornblende and magnesiocumingtonite/anthophyllite) and FeTi oxides (magnetite and ilmenite) eliminate SSR as a source for some of the artefacts. The compositions of chlorite (Cr), magnesiohornblende (Si, Al) and Fe oxides (Cr, Mn) in other artefacts are not consistent with a Soapstone Ridge source. The talc compositions are identical in the artefacts and the SSR soapstone. The mineral assemblage and compositions of two artefacts are consistent with a Soapstone Ridge source. Despite an overall similarity in the modal mineralogy of the artefacts and Soapstone Ridge quarries, there is enough diversity to distinguish between artefacts from Soapstone Ridge or some other source. Mineralogy is a useful tool for the evaluation of soapstone sources.     

Analysis of the Size,Shape, and Modeled Age of Common Limpets (Patella vulgata) from Late Norse Middens at Sandwick,Unst, Shetland Islands,UK: Evidence for Anthropogenic and Climatic Impacts

Zooarchaeological faunal remains are commonly examined to investigate harvesting behavior. We determined limpet (Patella vulgata) shell size and shape, and estimated shell age from several middens at the Late Norse Sandwick South Site, Unst, Shetland, UK, whose strata represent distinct occupational phases (Phase 1: AD 1100–1200, Phase 2: AD 1200–1250, Phase 3: AD 1250–1350). Our goal was to determine if the many limpets found there could provide insight into Norse harvesting behavior. Shell length, conicity, and modeled age all declined between Phases 1 and 2, suggesting intensive, size-selective harvesting of limpets and a shift to harvesting lower in the intertidal zone between phases. Length and conicity varied in Phases 2 and 3 and no major changes seem to have occurred over these periods, indicating that harvesting maintained the limpet population at an impacted level throughout the later phases. The conicity decline between Phases 1 and 2 may also have been caused by increased storminess that accompanied the onset of the Little Ice Age. The mean length of modern limpet populations near the Norse site did not differ from the archaeological phases, but did vary among collection years. Limpets were 26% larger in 2015 than in 2012 and 2013, indicating that large interannual variations in population structure can occur over short time periods. Potentially the result of extreme storms removing small limpets, this result raises the possibility that size and conicity changes during the Sandwick South Site occupation, as well as in other early populations, could also be the result of environmental factors rather than human harvesting alone. We feel, however, that the most parsimonious explanation for the patterns we document is human harvesting.     

试论陶器生活遗存所见西汉铁器手工业作坊的性质——以邰城铸铁作坊为案例

汉代铁器手工业的组织形式,一直以来讨论较多,却未有定论。本文提出,手工业作坊出土的陶容器的组合,有助于讨论作坊工匠的居住与组织形式,提供解决上述问题的线索。本文以陕西邰城铸铁作坊为案例,首先利用类型学建立分期框架,探讨作坊可能的运营持续时间。经统计分析,本文发现邰城作坊中炊煮陶容器的比例甚少。这一现象在西汉时期其他县级手工业作坊中相对普遍,但与战国时期作坊工匠居住于作坊范围内的情况不同,进而提出这一现象可能与工匠的居住和工作模式密切相关。本文指出,作坊出土的陶容器组合情况表明工匠可能不在作坊区内长期生活;铸铁作坊中工匠的身份可能也为雇佣工人,家庭式手工业作坊生产者的可能性不高。     

旅游目的地形象演变的策略研究——典型区域分析及对澳门的启示

澳门旅游业历来以博彩娱乐业见长。近五年来,澳门正借助中央政府推进澳门经济产业多元化的契机,大力发展会展及商务旅游业,并希望能在游客心目中树立会展商务旅游城市的形象。然而,从目前的游客感知情况来看,澳门旅游形象的转变仍然存在较大的困境。本文在分析旅游形象演变典型区域的基础上,提出了旅游形象演变的一般路径,并为澳门实施旅游形象的演变提出了相关策略。     

The production and technology of glazed ceramics from the middle ages,found in the saepinum territory (Italy): a multimethodic approach*

A collection of ceramics from the Middle Ages found in Altilia and Terravecchia (the Saepinum area, Campobasso, Italy) were characterized by using different mineralogical analyses to investigate their provenance and production techniques. The body ceramic was investigated using Rietveld phase analysis of X‐ray powder diffraction patterns, X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. The chemical compositions of the coatings were measured by scanning electron microscopy and their mineralogical compositions were determined using a particular technique of X‐ray small‐angle scattering (SAS) optimized for studies of thin films. Moreover, the material used for decoration was studied using micro‐Raman spectroscopy. The archaeometric results confirmed the distinction into two different ceramic classes, already individuated from archaeological analysis: the Altilia objects belong to the protomajolica class, whereas the objects from Terravecchia are RMR (ramina‐manganese‐red) ceramics. A comparison between the chemical and mineralogical compositions of good‐quality ceramic objects and those of waste products indicated local production of the ceramics. A sharp distinction was found in the chemical composition of the coatings: the Altilia products have tin‐opacified lead glazes, while the Terravecchia ones have transparent high‐lead glazes. Among the Altilia products, the unsuccessful process that produced a large quantity of discarded materials was attributed to the high lead content of the glazes. In fact, the principal advantage of the high lead content was to make the preparation and application of the glaze suspension easier, but the risk of reduction of lead oxide to metallic lead was greatly increased. Using micro‐Raman spectroscopy, the following minerals were identified as pigments: pyrolusite for the dark colour, malachite for green, lepidocrocite for yellow and hematite for red.     

Fishing in the Northern Isles: a Case Study Based on Fish Bone Assemblages from Two Multi-period Sites on Sanday,Orkney

Abstract

We describe six cervid bones — a distal humerus, three distal tibiae, and two astragali — from two Roman sites, São Pedro Fronteira and Torre de Palma, in the Alentejo of Portugal. They are identified on morphological and osteometric grounds as fallow deer, Dama dama. They represent the earliest Holocene evidence for this species in Portugal, and it is suggested that, like the camel, the Romans were responsible for its spread within their Empire. While remains of this animal have not so far been reported in any Moslem period assemblages, there is documentary evidence for the existence of fallow deer in Portugal in the 12th and 13th centuries AD, although the possibility that fallow deer disappeared with the end of Roman rule should be considered.     

The Use of Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) in Taphonomy: The Case of Middle Helladic Asine,Greece

The goal of this paper is to investigate whether multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), a multivariate statistical technique, is a useful dimensionality‐reduction tool in zooarchaeological and taphonomic studies. For this purpose, the focus is to detect and discuss traces of waste management. Animal bones from waste‐related contexts at the Bronze Age site Asine, Greece, are investigated. The data consist of bone fragments dating to the Middle Helladic from this site. Unidentified fragments were categorised in size classes, where possible. Information on taxa, skeletal parts and the presence or absence of several taphonomic markers is included in the data set. The MCA reveals several correlations of zooarchaeological interest. For example, the association between indeterminate fragments and calcined bone points to issues concerning identification and preservation. Floors are characterised by weathered long‐bone fragments from medium‐sized mammals. Additionally, the results of MCA indicate that the material might have suffered from density‐mediated attrition, based on the abundance of axial fragments, which did not differ between different contexts and taxa. The results show that MCA can be used to detect zooarchaeological and taphonomic patterns. This multivariate technique is useful when investigating large data sets, as is often the case with large zooarchaeological assemblages. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.