Plant use and crop husbandry in an early Neolithic village: Vaihingen an der Enz,Baden-Württemberg

Abstract

Rescue excavations carried out during the 1970s at the Iron Age hillfort of Broxmouth in East Lothian produced a small assemblage of fish bone. Despite some uncertainties surrounding the recovery of this material, recent analysis has produced highly unusual results. In particular, the presence of large specimens of ling and other species raises the possibility that the Broxmouth community was, at least periodically, engaged in deep-sea fishing. This suggestion is at variance with present understandings of Iron Age fishing strategies which generally envisage more expedient practices, such as line fishing from the shore. Indeed, it has even been suggested that the consumption of fish was avoided altogether in Iron Age Britain, for religious or cosmological reasons. The composition of the Broxmouth assemblage thus has potentially important implications for our understanding of Iron Age marine exploitation.     

Catastrophic Limestone Decay at the Central Sanctuary of Iupiter Dolichenus at Dülük Baba Tepesi in Southern Turkey: Causes and Implications for Future Conservation

Dramatic deterioration of Hellenistic-Roman limestone remains recently excavated at Dülük Baba Tepesi (Southern Turkey) has been observed following the cold, wet winter of 2011/2012. A conceptual model is presented to explain the dramatic deterioration in which case hardening develops and initially strengthens the stone against deterioration, but then makes it more prone to exfoliation and blistering. Data collected using non-destructive techniques (Equotip surface hardness tester and Karsten tube for water uptake) on F?rat and Gaziantep formation limestone time series excavated in 2005, 2007, and 2013 demonstrates the progress of case hardening and deterioration after excavation. In combination with meteorological data from Gaziantep weather station the results are used to test and revise the model taking into account non-linear and threshold effects. Future excavation and conservation efforts should take into account the often-complex interactions between post-excavation case hardening and extreme winter conditions which can cause catastrophic deterioration.     

Archaeobotanical investigations in a settlement of the Horgener culture (3300 BC) 'Torwiesen II' at Lake Federsee,southern Germany (Archäobotanische Untersuchungen in einer Siedlung der Horgener Kultur (3300 BC) 'Torwiesen II' am Federsee,Süddeutschland)

Abstract

The results of 46 archaeobotanical samples from the site 'Siedlung Torwiesen II' in the Federseereed, Stadt Bad Buchau, Kreis Biberach are presented here. The dendrochronological datings of the piles from this settlement of the Horgener culture are (placed) between 3293 and 3281 BC. The samples were taken from the refuse areas under or beside of the house forecourts or the entrance areas of the houses. As main crops naked barley (Hordeum vulgare L.ssp. nudum) and a tetraploid naked wheat species Triticum durum Desf./turgidum L.) were found. Emmer (Triticum dicoccon Schübl.) was rarely detected. Further crops were flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and poppy (Papaver somniferum L.). The spectrum of the cultivated plants show a clear cultural connection with the regions further south, as the Lake Constance and Switzerland. Huge amounts of flax remains suppose that settlements at the lake Federsee were specialised on flax production already during the Late Neolithic period.

Aus der dendrochronologisch auf 3293–3281 BC datierten und damit der frühen Horgener Kultur zuzuordnenden Siedlung Torwiesen II im Federseeried, Stadt Bad Buchau, Kreis Biberach konnten 46 Einzelproben archäobotanisch untersucht werden. Die Proben stammen aus Abfallzonen unterhalb oder seitlich der Hausvorplätze oder Hauseingangsbereiche. Hauptgetreide sind Nacktgerste (Hordeum vulgare ssp. nudum) und ein tetraploider Nachtweizen (Triticum durum vel turgidum). Emmer (Triticum dicoccon) ist selten. Weitere Kulturpflanzen sind Lein (Linum usitatissimum) und Schlafmohn (Papaver somniferum). Hervorzuheben ist eine durch die Anbaupflanzen nachweisbare kulturelle Verknüpfung zu weiter südlich gelegenen Siedlungen am deutschen Bodenseeufer und in der Schweiz. Die große Menge an Leinresten aus endneolithischen Siedlungen am Federsee, lässt eine Spezialisierung auf Leinanbau vermuten.     

The In Situ Preservation in the Unsaturated Zone: Results from Environmental Investigations at the ‘Schultz Gate’ Case Study in the Medieval Town of Trondheim,Norway

Medieval Trondheim is located on the eastern part of Nidarneset, a small peninsula formed by the river plain at the mouth of the River Nid on the southern shore of Trondheimsfjord. The topographic conditions for medieval Trondheim differ from those of the other Norwegian medieval towns (notably Bergen, Oslo, and Tønsberg), and the protected, historic part of Trondheim contains anthropogenic sediments which lie entirely within an unsaturated environment. A large proportion of these sediments contain wood and other types of organic material. The thickness of the anthropogenic sediments varies greatly from more than 4 m to less than 0.5 m, and they overlie well-drained alluvial sands and gravels. The Directorate for Cultural Heritage (Riksantikvaren) and the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) have different roles in the management of cultural heritage sites. However, they cooperate in developing sustainable management and a scientific approach to research, as well as finding practical solutions aimed at securing stable preservation conditions for anthropogenic sediments that are vulnerable and sensitive to environmental changes, both chemical and mechanical. In this paper we present results from environmental investigations conducted in 2007 and 2012 at a location in the central part of medieval Trondheim where an in situ preservation project has been established on the site of new construction work. The project is cross-interdisciplinary, combining archaeological retrieval methods with the sampling and analysis of soil chemical parameters and the monitoring of present basic parameters such as temperature, moisture and redox potential. The monitoring has been ongoing since the beginning of 2013 and will continue until 2017.     

Preservation Status and Priorities for In Situ Monitoring of the Weapon Sacrifice in Illerup Ådal,Denmark

Abstract

Excavations of the southern part of a very rich sacri?cial bog in Illerup Ådal, Denmark between 1950 and 1985 recovered approximately 15,000 Iron Age artefacts. At the time, 60 per cent of the area was left unexcavated and thousands of objects are now preserved in situ, but the present preservation status has not been investigated for approximately twenty-?ve years. Extensive in situ monitoring was carried out for one year in order to present a prioritized plan for further monitoring of the unexcavated areas, producing documentation of groundwater table variations, water quality and vegetation in the area. Results show that the remaining artefacts are generally well preserved in a waterlogged and anaerobic environment. However, in the north-eastern part of the bog, the groundwater table is too low even in a year when net precipitation and hydrological conditions were near normal. In the centre of the bog elevated salt concentrations have been measured in the groundwater.     

Beyond flexible specialization: the rearrangement of regional production orders in Emilia‐Romagna and Baden‐Württemberg

Emilia‐Romagna and Baden‐Württemberg are two highly successful industrial regions. Their economic success is based on a specific industrial and institutional order, on regionally concentrated production network based mainly on small and medium enterprises and on ‘cooperation enhancing’ institutions. This regional production order was the basis for strategies of flexible specialization’. The fundamental restructuring of mass production concepts as well as harsher worldwide competition over innovation and costs, however, undermined previous advantages of these regions. Emilia‐Romagna and Baden‐Württemburg handle these new challenges in different ways: while Baden‐Württemberg counts on technology‐ and research‐based restructuring, Emilia‐Romagna's restructuring is service‐based—increasing the demand for new production‐related services (quality control, financial services, marketing). These different patterns of reorganization and institutional learning point out institutional and industrial differences between the two regions undervalued in the concept of ‘flexible specialization’.     

‘In summer we go and drink at the lake’: young men and the geographies of alcohol and drinking in rural Estonia

In this paper, we explore the role of place in drinking practices of young people in the context of rural Estonia. We draw on a participatory research project carried out during seven months with a group of eight young men (15–18 years of age). We focus on three locations identified as the most popular drinking places by the young men in our research – familial homes, a local hamburger kiosk and the outdoors. The findings indicate that youth drinking practices as well as the drunkenness-related risks are spatially contingent. Characteristics of individual drinking locations influence the negotiation of local and national opportunities, restrictions and attitudes toward drinking, and the associated risks. We argue that, when developing public health tools, it is fruitful to pay attention to the local context and specific places in which young people's drinking practices are negotiated.     

Economic development and industrial policy in Baden — Württemberg: Small firms in a benevolent environment

Baden‐Württemberg is one of the strongest regional economies in Germany. Quite commonly, its success is explained by the technological competence of its industry, by the flexibility and ingenuity of its many small and medium‐sized firms, and by the impact of an active industrial policy. Today, however, the region has to cope with severe economic problems, and there is some evidence that these problems — at least partially — are due to its praised specific industry structure. On the other hand, there is reason to believe that the region will manage the required structural adjustment — not at least because of its well developed institutional profile. Thus, although the story of success of Baden‐Württemberg has to be revised somewhat, there are lessons to be learned with regard to industrial policy and the promotion of (regional) economic development.     

Folklore Survivals in the Southern “Lake Counties” and in ESSEX: A Comparison and Contrast

LE ROND DES SORCIERS. Par CLAUDE SEIGNOLLE. Éditions des Quatre-Vents. Paris. 1945. Reviewed by Leslie F. Newman.

TRINIDAD VILLAGE. MELVILLE AND FRANCES HERSKOVITS. Published by Alfred A. Knopf. 1947. $4.75. Reviewed by Leslie F. Newman.

PAPAGO INDIAN RELIGION. By RUTH M. UNDERHILL. Columbia University Press. New York. 1946. London, Geoffrey Cumberlege. 25s. 6d. net. pp. 359. Reviewed by E. O. James.     

An Assessment of the Status and Condition of Archaeological Remains Preserved In Situ in the Medieval Town of Trondheim Based on Archeochemical Investigations Conducted During the Period 2007–2010

Abstract

In recent years systematic archeochemical investigations in the medieval town of Trondheim have provided the heritage management authorities with a rich and complex set of data concerning the status and condition of the cultural deposits in the anthropogenic material. The collected data raises important questions for the long-time management of in situ preservation for archaeological material in non-saturated zones. In this paper we present the standardized scientific methods used in these archeochemical investiga- tions. We examine the results from several sites in the town and discuss the challenges facing modern heritage management in its efforts to protect a complex body of archaeological material in the non-saturated zone. We show that sediments with a thickness of 1–2 m have low levels of moisture and organic matter, and most of the inorganic parameters analysed are found in oxidized form with low preservations. The 2–3 m thick anthropogenic sediments showed better preservation conditions.     

Partial Solutions to Partially Understood Problems — The Experience of In Situ Monitoring and Preservation in Somerset’s Peatlands

Abstract

The peat moors of lowland Somerset contain a wealth of waterlogged archaeological sites, including some of the most significant prehistoric monuments in the country. There has been a long history of attempts to preserve archaeological sites in situ and monitoring of the burial environment began in 1982. The monitoring has become more complex over time, but the results suggest the same continuing problem of a drop in the water table over the summer months across the whole landscape. With the sole exception of the portion of the Neolithic Sweet Track that benefits from an irrigation system, all the other known sites remain at risk of gradual destruction. The solutions must be found on a landscape scale using agri-environment payments to secure sustainable management of the peat resource. Unfortunately, short-term changes to these payments and long-term changes to the climate are likely to worsen the situation and eventually to require a more drastic solution to the problem. Evidence has been generated to support an ecosystems approach to sustainable peatland management.     

How was Bell Beaker economy related to Corded Ware and Early Bronze Age lifestyles? Archaeological,botanical and palynological evidence from the Hegau,Western Lake Constance region

Abstract

The Europe wide spread of what has been called the Bell Beaker phenomenon remains an enigma of European prehistory. While most of the recent research stresses the ideological aspects of using Bell Beaker material culture, here we take a regional and economical perspective. We look for the chronological relationships and the economic choices of the Bell Beaker phase and of its closest neighbours in time and space: the Late Neolithic Corded Ware and the Early Bronze Age. We focus on the regional archaeological settlement history and present the hitherto richest European Bell Beaker-associated collection of palaeobotanical macro-remains, together with our high-resolution palynological work on annually laminated lake sediments. These different lines of evidence are tied together by an absolute chronology derived from new radiocarbon accelerated mass spectrometry (AMS) dates (now more than 200) and from the dendrodates from the World Heritage wet preserved pile dwellings. We show the preceding Late Neolithic, the actual Bell Beaker, and the following Early Bronze age economies each relying on different agricultural strategies that focus on distinct parts of the landscape. There is no link obvious between Late Neolithic and Bell Beaker, but there is between Bell Beaker and Early Bronze Age. Related to different modes of production, differences in ideology become visible in food preferences as well as in other parts of the material culture. We conclude that the Bell Beaker economy represents a re-orientation of the mode of production focusing on single, rather small farmsteads which often do not leave a distinct signal in the archaeological record.