Recent archaeological research in the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada

The Northeast is comprised of interior and coastal areas that were historically occupied by Iroquoians and Algonquians respectively. This brief review sets aside most Euroamerican historical archaeology and developments prior to A.D. 900 to concentrate on recent research that has dominated regional attention and is most likely to be of interest to archaeologists working elsewhere. The review argues that while Iroquoian archaeologists often work with or against broad controlling models of long standing, archaeologists in the Maritimes and New England more often focus on technical problems that are relevant to shared interests in broad topical issues. The contrast relates to both differences in the their databases and differences in how archaeological research is conceived.     

Recent Norwegian archaeological publications

The part of the Helg?y Project presented here deals with the Norwegian and Sami populations in Helg?y from their supposed immigration to the Region about 13/1400 AD to approximately 1700. Some findings and the methods developed by the project to establish them will be presented, the question of how to distinguish Sami from Norwegian settlements in historical and pre‐historical times being central in the study of North Norway.     

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.     

The last 200,000 years (or thereabouts) in Eastern Africa: Recent archaeological research

Research in Eastern Africa is hampered by a variety of logistical constraints common in underdeveloped and politically fragmented regions. The later Middle and early Upper Pleistocene are attracting attention in the debate over the origins of anatomically modern humans. There has also been considerable field research and discussion of the development of specialized pastoralism. Archaeology, history and several other disciplines have combined to study the development of social complexity in the Great Lakes region and along the Swahili coast, the Aksumite civilization and African agricultural systems. Finally, the rise of a cadre of indigenous archaeologists is fostering debate over what constitutes explanation and over the relevance of the discipline within Africa.     

Recent French archaeological work In Syria and Jordan

Abstract

The French connection with the late antique and Byzantine archaeology of the Levant is now more than a century old. Between 1864 and 1877 Melchoir de Vogue published his great Syrie Centrale: architecture civile et religieuse, a work which revealed for the first time the great richness of the archaeological record for the period. With its superb drawings and elegant plans it remains indispensable, especially since it describes some buildings, like the praetorium at Mismiyya, south of Damascus, which have long since disappeared. In these days when so much worthless nineteenth-century travel literature about the Middle East has been reprinted, it is sad that this masterpiece remains unavailable. The French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon from 1921 onwards gave a great impetus to these studies. Although most attention was given to great classical sites like Palmyra or Crusader ones like Crac des Chevaliers, late antiquity was not neglected and there was a growing interest in the deserted towns of the limestone hills of the north from J. Mattern, li travers les villes mortes de Haute Syre (Beirut 1944) and J. Lassus' study of the ecclesiastical architecture, Sanctuaires chretiens de Syrie (1947). This activity culminated in G. Tchalenko's great work Les villages antiques de fa Syrie du Nord (1958) which was based on field work done before 1939.     

A review of archaeological research on sami prehistory

Abstract

The English botanist and gardener John Tradescant the Elder's diary from a voyage to northern Russia in 1618 has lately attracted attention as a potential source on early Russian sea mammal hunting on the Svalbard archipelago. This article examines the usefulness of Tradescant's diary in this respect, but comes to a negative conclusion.     

大宛考古学文化初探

大宛 ,中亚古国名 ,首见于《史记·大宛列传》。目前学界普遍认为其所在地即今乌兹别克斯坦的费尔干纳盆地。该国自西汉以来 ,我国史书屡有记载 ,南北朝时名为洛那、破洛那 ,唐代名为宁远。该古国和历代的中原王朝均有着密切的联系。囿于材料所限 ,我国学界对其研究仅限于史学方面 ,目前还没有从考古学方面来认识大宛的研究性成果。近来笔者在撰写博士论文时 ,从苏联考古学者的发掘材料中发现了一种考古学文化 ,从其时代和分布地域来看 ,均与我国史书中记载的大宛相符。故而不揣冒昧 ,介绍如下 ,并稍作分析研究。望同行批评指正。一2 0世纪…     

Reliability of a new X-ray analytical microscope in archaeological research

In this report we assess both the reliability and sensitivity of a new X-ray Analytical Microscope (XAM) in specific archaeological studies. The instrument's precision is measured here by its ability to repeatedly produce similar data each time it analyzes the same sample. The accuracy, sensitivity and detection limits of the XAM were evaluated through the quantification of spectra acquired from certified reference materials (CRM), while potsherd identification was assessed by analyzing several potsherds found at different archaeological sites, then correlating their chemical compositions to determine compatibility and possible grouping. Repeatability standard deviation percentages for relative intensity values ranged between 1% and 4% for major elements, while the system's sensitivity for detecting trace elements was in the 50–100 ppm range. Quantification accuracy was excellent with a fitting factor of 0.98 between measured and certified element concentrations. Archaeological potsherds were clearly distinguished according to their elemental compositions, and grouped using bivariate graphs.     

Investigation of lime mortars and plasters from archaeological excavations in Hippos (Israel) using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

This study presents the preliminary results of investigation of the lime mortars and plasters from archaeological excavations in Hippos (Israel), using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The research was conducted in order to characterize the building material and its reaction to ionizing radiation. The ancient settlement Hippos, situated on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee, functioned from the 3^rd cent. BC until it was destroyed by the earthquake in 749 AD. Lime mortars and plasters show carbonate and locally gypsum character of binder and different kind of aggregate. Samples were γ-irradiated and measured using X-band EPR spectrometer. Computer Resolution Enhancement Method was applied to the complex spectra. Some of the γ-induced EPR signals were attributed to CO₂ ^? and CO₃ ^3? paramagnetic centres. Exponential growth of the dose response curve above 1 kGy and saturation for doses above 20 kGy was observed. For doses lower than 1 kGy the dose response curve has a linear character. The presence of γ-sensitive carbonate paramagnetic centres could indicate that, after further studies, well-chosen samples of mortars and plasters might be suitable for EPR dating, assuming the centres have been sufficiently bleached during the manufacturing process.     

Recent research in west Mexican archaeology

The last decade has seen the greatest increase in archaeological research in western Mexico since the 1940s. Unlike previously heralded renewals, this one is accompanied by widespread skepticism of the dominant culture-historical paradigm linking west Mexico to the rest of Mesoamerica, to the American Southwest, and to South America. Current research offers substantive new data and interpretations bearing on issues such as the definition of Mesoamerica, the role of South American long distance contacts, the human ecology of highland lakes, the role of river systems in Mesoamerican prehistory, and the nature/role of prehispanic elite exchanges.     

Recent advances in magnetospheric substorm research

More than two decades of magnetospheric exploration have led to a reasonably clear morphological picture of geomagnetic substorms, which is often summarized in terms of the near-Earth neutral line (NENL) model of substorms. Although this qualitative theory is quite comprehensive and explains a great many observations, it is hard pressed to explain both recent observations of consistently earthward flow within 19 R_E and also the prompt onset of magnetic turbulence at 8 R_E at the time of substorm onset. Other theories have recently been proposed which tend to be more quantitative, but which explain a more limited number of substorm observations. The challenge seems to be to understand the essential physics of these various quantitative theories and integrate them into a larger structure such as is provided by the near-Earth neutral line model.