四川汉源县麦坪遗址2008年发掘简报

2008年度对麦坪遗址的发掘,共清理房址5座、墓葬13座、灰坑102座,出土陶器、石器、铜器等各类遗物200余件。该遗址是大渡河中游地区的一处中心聚落,本次工作区分出四类不同的文化遗存,对遗址的分期和年代有了更深刻的认识,为研究本区域的考古学文化谱系提供了重要资料。     

Protecting a Cemetery in Saqqara: Site Works 1975–2009

Abstract

This article considers the varied threats to Ancient Egyptian architectural remains that have been exposed by modern excavation. A number of possible measures that counter such threats are outlined, together with the practical difficulties facing the architectural conservator working in this context. The approach taken at the New Kingdom Necropolis in Saqqara — a group of elite tombs constructed c. 1350–1250 BC — during the post-excavation phase is detailed, with an emphasis on the works carried out by the author from 2004 to 2009. This encompasses the conservation of surviving limestone relief decoration in situ, the reconstruction of missing masonry elements, and the final presentation of the site to visitors.     

Archaeological Investigation of Military Sites on Inchkeith Island

Abstract

In August 2001, a programme of survey and trial excavation was carried out on the island of Inchkeith in the Firth of Forth in Scotland. The work was carried out as part of the first series of the BBC TV series Two Men in a Trench, and examined the WWII defences, together with some of the Victorian defences and a midden that probably dates to the 16th century.     

The Franchthi Cave Flint Survey: Some Preliminary Results (1974)

Abstract

Six seasons of excavation have been conducted at Franchthi Cave, a large prehistoric site in southern Greece which has given evidence of essentially continuous human occupation from ca. 20,000 B.C. to ca. 3000 B.C. (in radiocarbon years). A detailed survey of the raw materials used in the local chipped stone industries was initiated in 1973 and is being carried out by one of the authors (DMVH). The objectives of this survey include the identification of the types and the distribution of locally available raw materials with the hope that this information will contribute further to our understanding of the human ecology of the site and its environs. A summary of some of our preliminary observations resulting from a modification of original sampling procedures will be given in the following paragraphs.     

Site conservation during excavation: treatment of masonry,wall plaster and floor mosaic remains of a Byzantine church in Petra,Jordan

Abstract

The conservation treatments carried out between June 1992 and August 1993 on the architectural remains of a Byzantine basilica in Petra, Jordan, during and immediately after the excavation are described. The treatments completed during excavation included: stabilization and consolidation of certain sections of the basilica's sandstone ashlar masonry; cleaning and consolidation of the unpainted lime wall plaster decorating the basilica interior; cleaning and consolidation in situ of the extensive remains of a figurative mosaic pavement in the two side aisles, and the fragmentary remains of the opus sectile pavement in the central aisle. The consolidation treatments included injection grouting using hydraulic mortar mixes produced in Italy, and mortar repairs using slaked lime and hydraulic lime. The existence of the mosaic required preventive conservation measures during the excavation, such as the construction of a temporary shelter over the site during the winter, the use of temporary protective facings over damaged areas of the mosaic, as well as the temporary backfilling of the mosaic with soil over a layer of geotextile in order to protect the mosaic between the initial phase of conservation work and the construction of a permanent shelter for the site in the near future. The importance of having a conservator present on site during the critical phase of excavation, when all materials are most susceptible to damage, is emphasized. The Petra Church Project will hopefully serve as a model for future excavations in that it employed two conservators from the beginning of the excavation: one for small finds, the other responsible for the site and the architectural remains removed from the site during the excavation.     

Pre‐Columbian Tuberculosis in Northwest Argentina: Skeletal Evidence from Rincón Chico 21 Cemetery

Systematic excavation of collective burial sites makes possible the recovery of skeletal series which may show bony evidence of infectious pathological conditions. This paper presents the first evidence of the existence of tuberculosis in prehistoric populations of NW Argentina with a subsistence economy based on agriculture and pastoralism. The study was carried out on individuals from Rincón Chico 21 cemetery, a burial site located in the Santa María Valley, Catamarca, used between the Late Ceramic Period and the onset of the Inca empire expansion (AD 1000–1400). Six individuals out of the 70 so far excavated showed destructive lesions in the vertebral bodies and periosteal reactions in other bones. The morphology and distribution of bone lesions led us to rule out several diseases from a broad spectrum of possible diseases that could have affected the skeletal system. Thus, the lesions were interpreted as caused by mycobacterial infections (Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex). Considering previous studies on the dynamics of biocultural interactions which take into account information related from contextual associations and chronology, we can conclude that a tuberculosis‐like disease was present in prehistoric populations from NW Argentina. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

毕节青场瓦窑商周遗址发掘主要收获

青场瓦窑遗址是贵州商周时期非常重要的一处古文化遗址。2008年10月至12月对其进行了第二次发掘,清理出更加丰富的遗迹,出土大量陶石器等遗物,对其文化特征和发展演变有了突破性认识。出土资料表明,它与分布在乌蒙山西缘的鸡公山文化遗存有一定联系但是独立发展的两个文化系统,原因与地理阻隔有关,瓦窑遗址在发展中更多地受到来自其北部四川盆地商周时期古文化的影响。     

ARCHAEOLOGICAL VOLCANIC GLASS FROM THE SITE OF ROCCHICELLA (SICILY,ITALY)*

The site of Rocchicella, near Catania, in eastern Sicily, has yielded important archaeological evidence from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Extensive archaeological investigations of cultural layers dating from the Palaeo‐Mesolithic to the Copper Age have recently been undertaken, and volcanic glass, mainly obsidian, has been collected in the course of excavation. To determine the provenance of this volcanic glass, a non‐destructive elemental analysis was carried out to measure the concentration of characteristic trace elements. The analysis was carried out using a new XRF spectrometer equipped with a beam stability controller and a quantitative method developed at the LANDIS laboratory of the INFN–CNR Institutes of Catania. In addition to the obsidian, it was demonstrated for the first time that a local vitreous material similar to obsidian, but displaying a completely different composition, was used during all the investigated periods. This material was identified as a basaltic glass, characterized by a superficial product of devitrification called palagonite. Analysis of the obsidians has led to the identification of the island of Lipari as the provenance source. High‐ and low‐power microscopic use‐wear analysis on obsidian and basaltic glass artefacts indicated that soft wood and plant matter might have been processed at the site.     

Arsenic in Danish and Swedish Mesolithic and Neolithic human bones – diet or diagenesis?

Arsenic has previously been measured in a bone sample of a c. 5-year-old Mesolithic child from Nivaagaard in Denmark yielding an anomalously high value of 13 μg/g. In the present work we show that other individuals at a nearby site also exhibit elevated arsenic levels, whereas individuals from other Mesolithic sites in Denmark are found to have quite low As-concentrations. Several attempts to reveal the source of the arsenic are reported: A railway track near the site, where the railway sleepers were suspected to have been impregnated with As leading to transport or diffusion of As into the adjacent soil; Several food items, the remains of which were found at the site, and one food item not preserved in the excavation, i.e. seaweed. Finally, it is shown that the most likely explanation of the elevated arsenic levels in human bones at Nivaa is diagenesis.     

Site Conservation in Morocco: The Emergence of a Practice at Aghmat

Abstract

It is still uncommon for foreign and national archaeological excavations in Morocco to include architectural or site conservators during the excavation and post-excavation periods. The few existing examples of conservation have all been carried out long after the site or the building had been excavated. The site conservation activities during the Aghmat excavations in summer 2006 illustrate how the presence of archaeological conservators, advising the archaeological team and implementing urgent interventions, has ensured a safe excavation and has contributed to the preservation of the physical integrity of the excavated buildings. The excavation of the imposing archaeological features of the medieval bath of Aghmat provided the first opportunity in Moroccan archaeology for Moroccan archaeological conservators to be involved in condition assessment, planning, and provision of conservation activities to preserve the bath.

The primary aim of this paper is to present the site conservation experience in the Aghmat project, which is the first such project to be initiated during an excavation, and to be conducted mainly by a Moroccan team; it aims also to highlight the conservation procedures adopted and to incite discussion.     

重庆万州区上沱口南朝墓葬发掘简报

2000年9月,山东省博物馆考古队为配合三峡库区建设,对重庆万州区上沱口墓群进行了抢救性发掘。清理 了3座南朝墓,墓葬形制呈刀形,墓室、券顶均遭破坏,但随葬品保存较好,出土陶器、瓷器、铁器、钱币及装饰品46件。 上沱口南朝墓出土的较丰富的青瓷器,为重庆市南朝墓的研究提供了新资料。     

Wareham West Walls

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK which has been carried out in Norwegian towns in recent years has resulted in the medieval town being regarded as a single monument. Permanent excavation offices have been established in the most important medieval towns. Survey accounts of archaeological data and other relevant information form important tools for safeguarding archaeological interests, both in connection with excavation and with the administrative co-ordination of the clauses in the Cultural Heritage Act. The large number of excavations in recent years has left little time for research but this is now being given the highest priority.     

隋唐长安城东北角夹城及十王宅遗址2020年度发掘简报

隋唐长安城东北角夹城及十王宅遗址位于隋唐长安城遗址东北部。2020年,西安市文物保护考古研究院对该遗址东城墙与夹城墙之间的道路南段进行了主动发掘,清理道路、车辙等遗迹,并解剖了东城墙墙基。本文即是对2020年度发掘工作主要收获的简报。     

Compositional and Microstructural Study of KoryŎ Celadon and Whiteware Excavated from SŎRi Kiln in Kyŏnggi Province

An extensive study of the composition and microstructure of celadon and whiteware sherds excavated at Sori, one of the most important sites that were active during the founding stage of the stoneware and porcelain industry in Korea, was carried out. The analysed sherds were organized according to four different levels of the excavation and four different styles of haemurigup foot rim. Principal component analysis of the chemical compositions of the sherds revealed slight differences in their body and glaze compositions between the levels of excavation. Porcelain stone with high silica and low aluminium contents was generally used as the body material and wood ash as the chief flux in the glaze. Over the period of operation, the aluminium content in the bodies of the ceramics decreased and the P₂O₅ content in the glazes increased. Glazed bodies were fired in a single step, in contrast to the two‐step method used in later ceramic production. Firing conditions were adjusted to produce vitrification of the glazes, which meant that vitrification of the ceramic bodies occurred to varying extents, mostly determined by the relative contents of flux in the body and the glaze.     

Palaeolithic Human Subsistence in Mount Carmel (Israel). A Taphonomic Assessment of Middle and Early Upper Palaeolithic Faunal Remains from Tabun,Skhul and el‐Wad

Detailed archaeozoological studies of Middle and Early Upper Palaeolithic (250–40 kya) faunal assemblages from Tabun, Skhul and el‐Wad caves, located in Mount Carmel (Israel), are presented here, expanding on the previous palaeontological analyses carried out by Garrod and Bate in the 1930´s and by Garrard five decades later. Despite the well‐known excavation bias of the older excavations, this study makes greater use of modern taphonomic techniques and statistical procedures, providing new palaeoeconomic insights into the subsistence behaviour of modern humans, Neanderthals and their predecessors in the Levant. The results show that anatomically modern humans (AMH) were more efficient at hunting and foraging in terms of human mobility as well as an incipient prey specialisation. In addition, different uses of the Tabun cave through time have been identified. Tabun B, initially considered as a palaeontological accumulation, was also occasionally accessed by Neanderthals in order to exploit naturally trapped ungulates, and there were sporadic and logistic occupations in Tabun D, one of the oldest Middle Palaeolithic assemblages in the area. Contrastingly, Tabun C showed a comparatively more residential use, which coincided with the new mobility capabilities of AMH. Whereas the intensity of human occupation at el‐Wad varied through time, levels G and F showed very brief occupations in comparison with levels D and E, which showed abundant evidence of human activity. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Early Man Site at Warm Mineral Springs,Florida

Abstract

An excavation in stratified sediment more than 13 m. below the present surface of Warm Mineral Springs in Florida has yielded human remains 10,000 years old. Samples of wood from the same level of sediment in the spring in which a human vertebra was discovered provided a radiocarbon date of 10,260 ± 190 years: 8310 B.C. (Gak-3998). Wood samples from the next two superior 0.10 m levels of the test also yielded dates in excess of 10,000 radiocarbon years. A second human bone, a fragmentary ilium, was recovered a few centimeters outside the excavation in the sedimentary zone. These specimens may represent the earliest closely dated human skeletal remains so far discovered in North America.

Results of a geological study are in agreement with the archeological information. Radiocarbon dates on selected charcoal samples are only slightly younger than those reported above. The stratified deposit containing the human remains accumulated on a ledge between 10 m. and 12 m. below present sea level as a series of leaf deposits interbedded with calcitic muds containing fresh-water and land snail fauna. This lower leafy bed represents a stage of fluctuating water level in an open cenote. An overlying calcitic mud with only minor amounts of terrestrial plant debris represents a higher stand of the water table in the cenote. An upper algal sludge layer represents subsequent conditions of a flowing connate spring.

It is evident that the rising potentiometric water level in this large feature correlates with the post-Wisconsin eustatic rise in sea level. The fluctuations suggested by the lowest bed containing the human remains probably indicate variation in amount of precipitation. However, even the calcitic mud and tufa encrustations and formations that formed at the highest stand of water within this event are indicative of a climate considerably more arid than now existing.

Summary geological and archeological data acquired at two other similar solution features in Florida, Little Salt Spring (8 So 18) and Devil's Den (8 Lv 44), where unarticulated human skeletal material and artifacts dating from the late Paleo and A rchaic periods have been found, are included to extend and strengthen the interpretation of the geological sequence and the theory advanced that these sites were primarily utilized as water sources during periods when surface water on the peninsula was less available. There is no evidence that the sinkholes were utilized for habitation or sites of primary burials as has been suggested.

The recovery effort marks the first successful adaptation of standard archeological techniques to the excavation of a submerged prehistoric site.     

江苏徐州市户部山青瓷窑址调查简报

徐州户部山青瓷窑址位于徐州市区南部户部山西、南麓。 1996年 1月 ,为配合基本建设 ,徐州博物馆在此进行了调查与试掘 ,发现三处青瓷烧造堆积 ,发掘出土较多窑具和青瓷残片 ,其年代当在北朝末至唐代早期。该处遗址的发现 ,填补了苏北地区这一时期窑址的空白。     

THE CHARACTERIZATION OF WATERLOGGED ARCHAEOLOGICAL WOOD: THE THREE ROMAN SHIPS FOUND IN NAPLES (ITALY)*

Three apparently well‐preserved shipwrecks dating back to Roman times were brought to light near Piazza Municipio in Naples (Italy), during the excavation for the construction of Line 1 of the subway. The shipwrecks were covered by marine sand and silt, below the water table. In order to establish the nature and the extent of wood degradation and, therefore, determine how best to preserve the shipwrecks, a diagnostic investigation was carried out. The study involved the identification of wood species, chemical characterization of the residue component and physical and micro‐morphological characterization.     

新疆沙湾宁家河水库墓地发掘简报

宁家河水库墓地位于新疆塔城地区沙湾县克孜勒乔克村。2011年6~8月,新疆文物考古研究所对墓地进行了抢救性发掘,共清理墓葬115座,出土有陶、金、银、铜、铁、石、骨器等。墓葬类型丰富,可分为竖穴石室墓、竖穴偏室墓、竖穴土坑墓、无墓室墓,各自具有鲜明的文化特征。这些墓葬的年代属于青铜时代中晚期、早期铁器时代、汉代、唐至元四个时期。本次发掘为研究天山北麓考古学文化序列及文化交流提供了新资料。     

The Roman Shipwreck of Antirhodos Island in the Portus Magnus of Alexandria,Egypt

Between 1998 and 1999 three excavation campaigns were undertaken on a shipwreck at the now‐submerged site of the ancient Portus Magnus, off the coast of Alexandria. The site, close to the island of Antirhodos, was identified through geophysical and archaeological surveys carried out by the Institut Européen d’Archéologie Sous‐Marine (IEASM), directed by Franck Goddio. The remains of the ship lie c.5 m deep and are spread over c.350 sqm. No cargo has been found. Artefacts recovered, the details of the ship's architecture and radiocarbon dating all suggest it sunk between the end of the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE. Its dimensions correspond to those of commercial ships of the Roman era. Identification of the wood used contributes significantly to our knowledge of materials used in naval architecture of this period.