豫北地区二里头时代的地域间关系——以陶器资料分析为中心

本文在充分收集豫北地区二里头时代遗址资料的基础上,对遗址中出土的陶器构成的变化进行了详细的分析,并从多地域间交流的角度,对豫北地区和其他周边地区的动态关系进行了检讨,以确定豫北地区在中国初期国家形成过程中应有的地位。     

Archaeobotanical inference of Bronze Age land use and land cover in the eastern Mediterranean

Charcoal and charred seeds at five Bronze Age archaeological sites discern ancient land use in the eastern Mediterranean. Seed frequencies of orchard crops, annual cereals and pulses, and wild or weedy plants are used to characterize plant utilization at different archaeological sites on the island of Cyprus, in the Rift Valley of Jordan, and in the Jabbul Plain and along the upper Euphrates River valley in Syria. Seed to charcoal ratios provide proxies to determine the relative usage of dung versus wood for fuel across the ancient Mediterranean landscape. Greater charcoal and lower charred seed values are interpreted to represent a wooded environment, while higher amounts of charred seeds and minimal wood charcoal suggest a much great use of dung as a fuel source. Interestingly, Politiko-Troullia (Cyprus, Cypriot archaeological sites are, by convention, named for the nearest modern village (Politiko), followed by an italicized toponym (Troullia) referring to the plot of land that incorporates the site) has the lowest seed to charcoal ratio, suggesting its residents primarily burned wood and that the landscape surrounding Troullia remained relatively wooded during the Bronze Age. In contrast, villagers at Tell el-Hayyat (Jordan) utilized a mixture of wood and dung, in contrast to Tell Abu en-Ni’aj (Jordan), and especially Umm el-Marra and Tell es-Sweyhat (Syria), where inhabitants relied solely on dung fuel. Comparative analysis and interpretation of seed and charcoal evidence thus illustrates the variety of fuel use strategies necessitated by the dynamic and diverse Bronze Age landscapes of the Eastern Mediterranean.     

云南滇池地区聚落遗址2008年调查简报

经国家文物局批准,云南省文物考古研究所与美国密歇根大学人类学系签订为期3年的合作协议,进行"滇池区域史前聚落形态考古调查"项目,目的是通过开展全面的区域系统调查,寻找并确认与石寨山文化(亦称滇文化,时代约从春秋时期至西汉末期)有关的遗址和聚落[1],揭示这些聚落的     

Early Settlement and Archaeological Sequence of Northeast Yorubaland

This work examines the archaeological evidence for settlements in Northeast Yorubaland, using data obtained during fieldwork undertaken between 1985 and 1988. A reconnaissance survey was carried out in the vicinity of Iffe-Ijumu providing a comprehensive inventory of important archaeological features in the area. Excavations indicate that human settlement certainly extended into the ceramic phase of the West African Late Stone Age and that by at least 300 BC the rockshelters had been occupied. Evidence from the principal sites of Itaakpa, Oluwaju, and Addo indicates continuous occupation in the area during at least the last 2000 years.     

Economy and society of the Remi and Suessiones in Gallia Belgica during the last two centuries BC through the prism of archaeozoology

The Remi and the Suession territories, in northern France, are well known from an archaeological point of view thanks to the extensive excavation campaigns in the region of the Aisne Valley over the past 30 years. Focusing on the last two centuries BC – a crucial period for the Gallic peoples, right before the Roman invasion of Gallia Belgica – reveals evidence of extended urbanised sites, specialised production processes and complex social organisations. These results lead us to consider the Remi and the Suession populations not as barbarians as ancient textual sources tend to describe. Through the study of faunal remains accumulated on several archaeological sites of both territories, specific social behaviours linked to well-organised peoples emerge, for whom animal husbandry has become, over time, an important resource of production and trade, allowing them to develop economical and political alliance over borders. This study, adopting a territorial approach, examines the trading networks of animal resources for the Remi and Suession people to reach a better understanding of these complex societies. It also aims to expand our vision of Gallic communities by raising questions about animal husbandry in various regions of Gaul, such as Britain, the Netherlands and Switzerland.     

The Peopling of Iceland

In recent years intensive archaeological research on the Viking Age in Iceland has produced much new evidence supporting a late 9th century colonization of the country. It can now be stated not only that people had arrived in Iceland before AD 870 but also that comprehensive occupation only took place after that date. The increased temporal resolution of the new archaeological data not only allows the characterization of different phases of the colonization but also supports assessments of the scale and rate of the immigration. In this paper we report the results of fieldwork in Mývatnssveit, NE-Iceland, where more than 30 sites have been investigated, ranging from small test trenches to large-scale open area excavations. We argue, based on the Mývatnssveit data, that a minimum of 24,000 people must have been transported to Iceland in less than 20 years to account for the dates and density of the Mývatn sites. In the absence, so far, of comparable data from other parts of the country these conclusions must remain hypothetical but if supported by further work they will have significant implications for our understanding of first peopling of Holocene farming populations in general and of Viking Age migrations in particular.     

Chronology during the Bronze Age in the archaeological site Tell Qubr Abu al-‘Atiq, Syria

Archaeosediments are deposits with a direct or indirect anthropogenic component. They provide useful information about past human activities and interaction with the environment. When other materials, such as pottery, are present in archaeosediment layers, the combination of TL ages from pottery and OSL ages from sediments can provide complete data about the occupation and evolution of an archaeological setting. In Mesopotamia, tells are mounds formed by the debris of human occupation and the accumulation of muddy sediments mainly due to the decomposition of mud bricks in ancient towns. Many other materials such as pottery fragments, bones and charcoal can be found in the sediment layers. The combination of OSL, TL and radiocarbon ages can be very useful in the case of the Bronze Age Period in Syria, allowing the occupation sequence of such archaeological sites to be reconstructed. Tell Qubr Abu al-’Atiq, is located on the left bank of the Middle Euphrates River (Syria). The archaeological artefacts found in the sediment layers (pottery) collected during excavations in two areas of the site, indicated the occupation of the tell during the Early and Late Bronze Age by typological pottery classification. The radiocarbon ages of charcoal indicate that human occupation fits the archaeological hypothesis, providing an older and maximum occupation period between 2800 and 2300 BC and a younger period between 1400 and 900 BC. OSL dating of sediments shows ages younger than charcoal, while TL ages of pottery are generally older than sediment and charcoal ages. This can be explained as the different materials correspond to different events. The charcoal and pottery correspond to occupation periods, while sediments correspond to the further destruction of the site.     

A pre-Columbian fisheries baseline from the Caribbean

A pre-Columbian (ca. AD 500–1500) fishery baseline is established for Anguilla, British West Indies from analyses of the remains of captured fishes from five archaeological sites. The zooarchaeological fishery baseline shows pre-Columbian communities captured diverse fishes, many of which are vulnerable to overexploitation. Composition of the captured fish community varies by site underscoring the potential importance of including samples from sites located adjacent to different marine habitats. Analyses of abundance–biomass relationships, community trophic structure, fish size and taxonomic composition indicate the Anguillian pre-Columbian fishery and coral reef ecosystem was healthy and sustainable. By providing a thorough baseline of Amerindian use of fishes on Anguilla, we provide a foundation that aids researchers asking questions about long-term change in Caribbean coral reef fisheries.     

Use-wear analysis of obsidian artifacts from Later Stone Age shell midden sites on the Red Sea Coast of Eritrea,with experimental results

This paper presents results of use-wear study on lithic artifacts from two Later Stone Age sites (Gelalo and Misse) on the Red Sea Coast of Eritrea. The sites produced large quantities of lithic artifacts in association with mollusk shells and ostrich eggshell beads, but it is unclear if all the stone tools were required for bead and mollusk shell processing. The study involved recording of microfracture damage traces in order to infer the use-material and the manner in which the artifacts were used. A large percentage of the analyzed samples from Gelalo and Misse preserve wear patterns suggestive of human use. The diagnostic wear types include: (1) dense step, snap (crushing) and hinge fractures typically confined on the working edges, and (2) feather scars organized in a scalar manner visible on the ventral and dorsal surfaces of the active parts. The observed damage patterns suggest cutting and engraving medium to hard materials. The evidence is incomplete for more generalization about the specific activities carried out at the sites. A brief experimental study involving ostrich eggshell drilling, oak twig sawing and bark scraping, meat slicing, and mollusk shell sawing and drilling was carried out to aid interpretation of wear features observed on the archaeological specimens. Wear traces produced by sawing mollusk shell and oak wood showed close affinity to those observed on the archaeological specimens. The study contributes important information about early Holocene site use on the Red Sea Coast of Eritrea. The close association of used lithic artifacts, symbolic objects (beads) and broken shell remains indicates that the sites were habitation areas.     

Pigment analysis in Bronze Age Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean painted plaster by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) was used in the examination of Bronze Age painted plaster samples from several sites in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. The elemental content of paint materials was determined in most cases leading to the identification of the pigment used in agreement with data from analyses of the same samples with other established techniques. The analyses demonstrate that a virtually non-destructive technique such as LIBS provides sufficient data for the elemental characterisation of painting materials while in parallel has the capability for routine, rapid analysis of archaeological objects enabling the quick characterisation or screening of different types of artefacts. This certainly shows an important way forward in technological studies of fragile and scarce archaeological material.     

Aegean Prehistory as World Archaeology: Recent Trends in the Archaeology of Bronze Age Greece

This article surveys archaeological work of the last decade on the Greek Bronze Age, part of the broader discipline known as Aegean prehistory. Naturally, the literature is vast, so I focus on a set of topics that may be of general interest to non-Aegeanists: chronology, regional studies, the emergence and organization of archaic states, ritual and religion, and archaeological science. Greek Bronze Age archaeology rarely appears in the comparative archaeological literature; accordingly, in this article I place this work in the context of world archaeology, arguing for a reconsideration of the potential of Aegean archaeology to provide enlightening comparative material.     

河北省中南部新石器时代遗址分布与成因的探索

河北省中南部地区现今发现的新石器时代遗址多分布太行山东麓的低山河谷地带及山前洪积冲积平原区,东部平原发现的则很少,这一分布特点的形成极可能是平原地区深厚的黄土淤积及考古踏查的局限性造成的,广袤的河北平原也应是新石器时代人类的主要活动地区之一。     

Rewriting the end of the Early Bronze Age in the United Arab Emirates through the anthropological and artefactual evaluation of two collective Umm an-Nar graves at Hili (eastern region of Abu Dhabi)

The Hili archaeological complex in Al Ain (U.A.E.) is important for its wealth of third-millennium BC Umm an-Nar burial and settlement sites. Two of the most significant burial sites are Tomb N at Hili and Tomb A Hili North. The latter is a classic circular Umm an-Nar monumental grave, while Hili N is a pit-grave, one of only two Umm an-Nar period pit-graves discovered so far in the U.A.E. Both of these tombs contained the remains of hundreds of individuals, in the case of Tomb A Hili North, more than 300, while around 600 people had been deposited in Hili N. Both population groups have been the subject of anthropological and artefactual analyses and a comparison of the findings help to shed light on the chronology of the end of the Umm an-Nar period.     

Multiple inventories and divided archaeology in the West Bank: An assessment of databases in the Etzion Bloc

This paper presents and discusses an assessment of the scope, priorities, and coverage of existing archaeological datasets, via database comparison and on-the-ground re-survey of all accessible known sites in one region of the West Bank, the Etzion Bloc. The main goal of this survey was to assess the current inventories listing archaeological sites in the Etzion Bloc, an area that brings together an interesting range of archaeological and geographical issues that result directly from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This database assessment and review of listed archaeological sites included the verification of site existence and the examination of sites’ modern context, accessibility, current condition, potential threats, and the accuracy of their recorded location. The results of this fieldwork demonstrate the importance of keeping data up-do-date, provide suggestions on how to enhance the structure and contents of current inventories, and help prioritize and inform plans for further archaeological fieldwork in this region.     

潮湿土遗址隔水防潮技术对比研究

潮湿土遗址的破坏,很大程度上是受水的影响,目前国内几个潮湿土遗址经常使用的防水隔水措施主要有:挡水墙、隔水廊道、拱券法和抽水法。经过对几种方法进行总结评价,可看出拱券法是最有效的方法。     

Recent archaeological research at Saruq al‐Hadid,Dubai, UAE

In September 2014, the University of New England (UNE), Australia, began a three‐year programme of archaeological fieldwork and post‐excavation analyses focused on the site of Saruq al‐Hadid. In this paper, we present the initial results of our current field and laboratory research particularly related to site stratigraphy and formation processes, relative and absolute chronology, and the preliminary results of various programmes of post‐excavation analyses including archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, ceramic and archaeometallurgical studies. These studies provide new data to build into the archaeological understanding of Saruq al‐Hadid that has, to date, focused largely on intensive excavation.     

Wild or domesticated? An ancient DNA approach to canid species identification in South Africa's Western Cape Province

The fragmentary remains typical of archaeological fauna can prove impossible to identify when confronted with closely related sympatric species. In southern Africa domesticated dogs (Canis familiaris) and black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) pose just such a problem, rendering difficult an accurate assessment of the timing of arrival of domesticated dogs in the region. Contextual evidence has suggested that canid remains from four Later Stone Age archaeological sites were likely to be domesticated dogs rather than jackals, and were subjected to ancient DNA analyses to determine species. Every tested specimen proved to derive from black-backed jackals. These data provide not only an unexpected window on southern African prehistory, but also highlight the value in applying ancient DNA techniques to archaeological species identification.     

Violence in the Central Iberian Peninsula during the Bronze Age: A Possible Prehistoric Homicide

One of the most interesting sites of the Bronze Age in the central area of the Iberian Peninsula is La Motilla del Azuer (Daimiel, Ciudad Real), dated between 2200 and 1350 bc . The main objective of this study was to investigate interpersonal violence in this site and to report an uncommon case of violent death. No traumatic injury was detected in any child, and men and women significantly differed in the frequency of traumas. More traumatisms were found in men from the earlier stages of occupation, including a young man with at least three blunt force traumas and 26 sharp force traumas. The archaeological findings and trauma patterns in the skeletons of the 65 individuals studied suggest a relatively intense level of exposure to violence for adult men in the earlier stages of occupation of this settlement. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.