New Evidence of the Purple‐Dye Industry at Tel Shiqmona,Israel

Pottery sherds stained with purple dye were found in the excavations at Tel Shiqmona, and were dated to the Iron Age II period. Analysis by HPLC‐DAD identified the dye as ‘true purple’, derived from the Hexaplex trunculus sea snail, which is associated with the purple‐dye industry that flourished in the coastal area at that time. This result is compatible with the classification of over 1000 Muricidae shells that were found in the excavation. Hexaplex trunculus constitutes 80% of this group, indicating that it was the most commonly used species in the dye production at Tel Shiqmona.     

PURPLE CASHMERE GOATS IN TSOCHEN COUNTY

Dashing across the lush grassland on the bank of Trari Namtso Lake,flocks of purple cashmere goats are scattered like pearls on the wide grassland.These are local purple cashmere goats.These goats produce special cashmere,which is well known as a soft,smooth,warm product that is calledsoft goldanddiamond fabric.The cashmere goats in Tsochen can produce high-quality cashmere,milk, tender meat,and other products.It has become a unique specialty product without any comparison in Tibet Autonomous Region.     

The potential of chironomid (Insecta: Diptera) larvae in archaeological investigations of floodplain and lake settlements

The head capsules of chironomids (Insecta: Diptera) are well preserved in sediments and can be recognised to a high taxonomic level, usually genus and sometimes species. Work on lake sediments has shown that they can be accurate indicators of water temperature, oxygen regimes, and nutrient status (particularly total phosphorus and chlorophyll-a), as well as heavy metal pollution. No systematic chironomid analyses, however, have previously been undertaken on archaeological deposits. In order to address this we assessed the use of chironomids in three types of archaeological deposit; firstly, a lake core at the edge of a lake settlement (crannog), secondly, a palaeochannel infill adjacent to a multi-period settlement site and lastly, a Roman well deposit from a floodplain environment. The chironomid assemblages are shown to vary significantly both between and within the sites and reflect the immediate environment and the adjacent area. The lake sediment assemblage reflects the construction of the crannog through elevated levels of organic detritus, wood and woody debris. The palaeochannel assemblage reveals changing natural conditions and nutrient enrichment probably associated with settlement during the Saxon period. The well assemblage is taxonomically restricted and indicative of organic debris, dead plant material, animal dung and possibly human effluent deposited after abandonment of the well. Dry storage of the palaeochannel and well sediments for several years did not appear to affect the concentration or state of preservation of the head capsules. The chironomid reconstructions are shown to provide an additional indicator of human activity which has the potential to provide quantitative data on the character of aquatic environments associated with archaeological sites.     

Indications of embalming in Roman Greece by physical,chemical and histological analysis

The partially mummified remains of a high-status female (ca. 1700 BP, Thessaloniki, Greece) were found inside a Roman-type marble sarcophagus containing a lead coffin. The individual was positioned on a wooden pallet, wrapped in bandages, and covered with a gold-embroidered purple silk cloth. Besides the clothes, remnants of soft tissue as well as the individual's original hair style and eyebrows were exceptionally well preserved. In addition to the macroscopic examination, microscopic and biochemical analyses were undertaken. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were applied to examine the tissue preservation and probable mechanisms of mummification. The presence of chemical components, such as sesquiterpenes, triterpenoids, and diterpenoids, originating from coniferous and pistacia resins, myrrh, and other spices, verify ancient information on preparation methods of the dead in Greek and Roman times. These chemical components are thought to have played a prominent role in the mummification mechanism in this particular case. The potential effect of the lead coffin in the mummification process was also examined. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis failed to detect lead penetration into the tissues, suggesting that the coffin played a limited role in the preservation of soft tissue.     

Mapping Medieval Geographies: Geographical Encounters in the Latin West and Beyond, 300‒1600

Abstract

As the most important specialized enterprise in eighteenth‐century Germany, the Homann map printing firm affords a good case for an investigation of the factors underlying map production. Commercial success seems to have rested on the production of maps which made a political statement as well as presenting geographical and topographical information. Publication of maps concerning specific events, such as sieges, or based on new surveys had no chance of success until the publishing firm had achieved commercial stability with its basic stock of maps.     

Cannibalism in muricid snails as a possible explanation for archaeological findings

Shells of the rock murex, Trunculariopsis trunculus (Linné, 1758), used in the purple dye industry in ancient maritime civilizations, have been found in archaeological sites along the coasts of Israel. Some of these shells bear drilled holes. Biological study revealed that such holes were probably drilled by cannibalistic conspecifics, but only under artificial conditions. This indicates that the ancients may have maintained these snails alive in captivity until they accumulated a sufficient quantity of fresh snails for their dye industry.     

RETHINKING THE SMALL PIG HORIZON AT YORK MINSTER

Summary.   The small pig horizon within the headquarters building of the legionary fortress of Eboracum (York) is a unique assemblage of early post-Roman animal bones. Originally interpreted as evidence of an impoverished Dark Age community scratching out a living within the ruined fortress, reinterpretation of this deposit suggests that it may be evidence of the economic power of a post-Roman elite conspicuously consuming suckling pig, perhaps in an echo of high-status Roman dietary preferences.     

FTIR imaging and HPLC reveal ancient painting and dyeing techniques of molluskan purple

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and imaging coupled to optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to diode-array detection are used to investigate two samples removed from a painted decoration of a burial kline and a textile fragment, both found in Koru tumulus (fifth century BCE) in Daskyleion. Tyrian purple and kaolinite were identified in both samples, thus suggesting that the aluminosilicate compound had an important role in the applied painting and dyeing processes. The textile fragment is composed of undyed cotton and silk yarns dyed with the molluskan dye. The relative compositions of the molluskan materials used in the two archaeological objects are similar and comparable with the corresponding composition measured for a purple sample originated from Murex trunculus mollusks according to the HPLC results. This result is supported by principal component analysis (PCA) which, furthermore, takes into account the relative compositions of the extracts of the three Mediterranean mollusks, published in previous reports.     

GRANARIES AND GARRISONS IN ROMAN FORTS

Summary.   A statistical investigation into the relationship between granary floor area and garrison in Roman forts suggested that for a year's corn an auxiliary infantry cohort was typically allotted 2,500 sq. feet of granary area, or 5 sq. feet each for 500 men. Cavalry fort granaries were insufficient for a year's corn but each cavalryman probably had 7.5 sq. feet of granary area which gave 3,600 sq. feet for 480 men. Information from Polybius suggested that legionary and auxiliary infantrymen had 16 cu. feet of corn per year, an auxiliary cavalryman 152 cu. feet and the legionary cavalryman 216 cu. feet. This paradigm facilitated the issue of corn by the modius and the granary model allowed ten modii per sq. foot of floor area so that the input for an infantryman was 50  modii per year. This allowed for a 4 per cent loss during storage so 48  modii per man could be withdrawn. But granary areas varied and some forts appear to have been depots for others. A simple algorithm is given to list the possible options for known granaries in terms of the numbers of men and duration of supply. With two floors, the Chester granaries would hold a year's corn for a legionary establishment, while the wooden granaries at Inchtuthil would have held a year's corn for some 6,800 infantry on one floor. The Severan base at South Shields could have held a year's corn for about 11,000 infantry.     

THE OBSIDIAN IN THE AEGEAN BEYOND MELOS: AN OUTLOOK FROM YALI

Summary.   Obsidian is an important material circulated throughout the Aegean. Melian obsidian is found at many sites and researchers have concentrated on Melos without acknowledging obsidian from other sources. This article endeavours to highlight obsidian of non-Melian origin, such as that from the Carpathians, central Anatolia, Antiparos and, particularly, Yali. It is demonstrated that this latter source was a central one for certain islands, with its obsidian found at a number of sites in the Dodecanese and beyond. It is also emphasized that there were circulation modes of obsidian parallel to that of Melos, as well as different procurement conditions. Therefore, by including important regional sources such as Yali in the obsidian discourse, our understanding of obsidian exchange and circulation is enriched.     

The Colour Purple? Reconsidering the Greek Word halourgos (ἁλουργός) and its Relation to Ancient Textiles

The aim of the present article is to reconsider the interpretation of the Greek word halourgos (?λουργ??) and its relation to textiles and purple dye by reinvestigating its recordings in Greek epigraphy and the papyri, as well as comparative examples from Greek literary sources, in the period from the fourth century bc to the seventh century ad — thus combining the source material from ancient Greece and the Greek-speaking part of the Roman world. This will illustrate the wealth of information one can get from the exploration of one single word: not only on the significance and appearance of textiles and garments in the ancient world from Greece to Egypt, but also on the diversity of colours and the subtleties in their use and terminology.     

The Ixtacamaxtitlán kaolinite deposit and sinter (Puebla State, Mexico): a magmatic-hydrothermal system telescoped by a shallow paleoaquifer

The Ixtacamaxtitlán hydrothermal deposit is made up of a succession, from bottom to top, of: (1) a porphyritic subvolcanic body, crosscut by quartz veins, and a stockwork with subordinate sulfides (pyrite and chalcopyrite), showing propylitic alteration haloes overprinting a previous potassic alteration event (biotitization); (2) an overlying, kaolinized lithic‐rich rhyolitic tuff; and (3) a layered opal deposit with preserved sedimentary structures. This vertical zonation, coupled with the distribution of the alteration assemblages, lead us to the interpretation of the whole as a porphyry‐type deposit grading upwards to a barren, steam‐heated, acid‐leached, kaolinite blanket with a partially preserved silica sinter on top. Both the fluid inclusion study carried out on the veins and stockwork, and the stable isotopic analyses of the kaolinized bodies, suggest the presence of two major hydrothermal events. The older event is characterized by the occurrence of hot hypersaline fluids (up to 320°C and 36 wt% NaCl equivalents), likely of magmatic origin, closely associated with the emplacement of the underlying early Miocene porphyry‐type deposit. The later event is characterized by the presence of cooler and dilute fluids (up to 140°C and 4 wt% NaCl equivalents) and by advanced argillic alteration close to the paleosurface. The calculated isotopic composition of water in equilibrium with the kaolinitic sequence plots close to and underneath the meteoric water line, partially overlapping the Los Humeros present‐day geothermal fluids. This evidence coupled with the petrographic observations suggests that steam‐heated phreatic waters altered the lithic‐rich rhyolitic tuff. This would have occurred when acid vapors, exsolved from deeper hydrothermal fluids by boiling, reached the local paleowater table and condensed, after a sector collapse that changed the system from lithostatic to hydrostatic conditions.     

WEALTH AND STATUS IN IRON AGE KNOSSOS

Summary.   Knossos Tekke tomb 2 is one of the richest tombs in the Iron Age Aegean, renowned for its deposits of gold. The tomb is widely attributed to a family of goldsmiths, who migrated to Knossos from the Near East. This article, however, questions this attribution. An alternative interpretation is pursued through surveys of the distribution of some luxury materials, amply represented in the Tekke tomb, in all known Knossian tombs. By setting the Tekke find against the large corpus of Knossian burial material, I identify the Tekke occupants as members of a local élite. This group is shown to have had privileged access to the products of a goldsmith's workshop, as well as to the sources of some lavish, mostly imported, raw materials, and to have regulated their distribution within Knossian society during the eighth century. The means through which the Tekke élite claimed and defended their wealth and status are assessed and their possible Late Bronze Age pedigree is conjectured.     

Fluid inclusion and stable isotope constraints on the genesis of the Jian copper deposit,Sanandaj–Sirjan metamorphic zone,Iran

The Jian copper deposit, located on the eastern edge of the Sanandaj–Sirjan metamorphic zone, southwest of Iran, is contained within the Surian Permo‐Triassic volcano‐sedimentary complex. Retrograde metamorphism resulted in three stages of mineralization (quartz ± sulfide veins) during exhumation of the Surian metamorphic complex (Middle Jurassic time; 159–167 Ma), and after the peak of the metamorphism (Middle to Late Triassic time; approximately 187 Ma). The early stage of mineralization (stage 1) is related to a homogeneous H₂O–CO₂ (XCO₂ > 0.1) fluid characterized by moderate salinity (<10 wt.% NaCl equivalent) at high temperature and pressure (>370°C, >3 kbar). Early quartz was followed by small amounts of disseminated fine‐grained pyrite and chalcopyrite. Most of the main‐ore‐stage (stage 2) minerals, including chalcopyrite, pyrite and minor sphalerite, pyrrhotite, and galena, precipitated from an aqueous‐carbonic fluid (8–18 wt.% NaCl equivalent) at temperatures ranging between 241 and 388°C during fluid unmixing process (CO₂ effervescence). Fluid unmixing in the primary carbonaceous fluid at pressures of 1.5–3 kbar produced a high XCO₂ (>0.05) and a low XCO₂ (<0.01) aqueous fluid in ore‐bearing quartz veins. Oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions suggest mineralization by fluids derived from metamorphic dehydration (δ¹⁸O_fluid = +7.6 to +10.7‰ and δD = ?33.1 to ?38.5‰) during stage 2. The late stage (stage 3) is related to a distinct low salinity (1.5–8 wt.% NaCl equivalent) and temperatures of (120–230°C) aqueous fluid at pressures below 1.5 kbar and the deposition of post‐ore barren quartz veins. These fluids probably derived from meteoric waters, which circulated through the metamorphic pile at sufficiently high temperatures and acquire the characteristics of metamorphic fluids (δ¹⁸O_fluid = +4.7 to +5.1‰ and δD = ?52.3 to ?53.9‰) during waning stages of the postearly Cimmerian orogeny in Surian complex. The sulfide‐bearing quartz veins are interpreted as a small‐scale example of redistribution of mineral deposits by metamorphic fluids. This study suggests that mineralization at the Jian deposit is metamorphogenic in style, probably related to a deep‐seated mesothermal system.     

Low‐temperature dunite hydration: evaluating CH4 and H2 production from H2O and CO2

Abiotic methane (CH₄) and hydrogen (H₂) produced after hydration of mafic/ultramafic rocks represent energy sources for microbes that may thrive in the deep subsurface regions of Earth and possibly on other planets. While H₂ is a direct product of serpentinization, CH₄ can form via Fischer–Tropsch Type (FTT) reactions (carbon reduction) that, due to potential H₂ migration, can be spatially and temporally detached from serpentinization. We tested an alternative process hypothesized by some scholars, in which CO₂ can be reduced through dunite hydration without initially added H₂, implying that CH₄ can form in the same serpentinized fluid–rock system. The experiment used natural dunite sand (Forsterite 92), CO₂ with δ¹³C ~ ?25‰ (VPDB), and a 1 mm dissolved SiO₂ solution mixed in 30 glass bottles (118 mL) stored for up to 8 months at low temperature (50°C) to simulate land‐based serpentinization systems. In addition, 30 control bottles without olivine were used as blanks. Trivial amounts of CH₄ (orders of 0.2–0.9 ppmv) were detected in both samples and blanks, likely representing analytical noise; essentially, no significant amount of CH₄ formed under the experimental conditions used in this work. Low amounts of H₂ (~2.55 ± 1.39 ppmv) were generated, with production yields that were one order of magnitude lower than in previously published experiments. Moderate concentrations of SiO₂ appeared to hinder low‐temperature H₂ production. Our experiment confirms that the low‐temperature reduction of CO₂ into CH₄ through direct olivine hydration, without initial H₂, is sluggish and not straightforward, which is consistent with previous studies. The presence of substantial amounts of H₂, as well as suitable metal catalysts, appears to be essential in the low‐temperature production of abiotic CH₄, as observed in published FTT experiments.     

SHAPE OF THINGS: UNDERSTANDING A LOOM WEIGHT

Loom weights are common finds in archaeological excavations in Europe and the Near East. They represent the only remains of warp-weighted looms. The function of the warp-weighted loom is well known from ethnographic studies. The function of loom weights, however, has not been investigated and cannot be deduced directly from ethnographical data, since loom weights in antiquity were very different from those used in the twentieth century AD. This paper reviews the functional elements of a loom weight. The weight and thickness of loom weights are established as the defining functional parameters for the operation of the warp-weighted loom. A series of systematic tests demonstrated that the weight of a loom weight defines what yarn to use and the thread density. The thickness of a loom weight, and thus the width of the row of loom weights hanging closely together, defines the width of a fabric and – together with the weight of the loom weight – the thread count and density of the fabric. This new knowledge provides the methodological framework for archaeologists to calculate textile production possibilities from any given loom weight, as long as the weight and thickness are preserved. Furthermore, it allows scholars to assess textile production on sites where no textiles are preserved.     

周陵贺家战国秦墓出土紫色八棱柱的科学检测

目前,对我国出土的紫色八棱柱形文物的研究内容主要集中在材质和制作工艺上,对其形制来源、功能用途等方面的系统论述相对较少。为探究周陵贺家战国秦墓出土的一件紫色八棱柱器物的表面特征、颗粒形态、材质成分、制作工艺等信息,利用超景深三维视频显微系统、偏光显微镜、X射线荧光光谱仪(XRF)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、激光拉曼光谱仪(Raman)等分析方法进行了检测。并在此基础上对八棱柱形制的来源与演变、材质的来源、功能用途等方面进行初步推测,结果表明该紫色八棱柱微观形态为紫色和黄色晶体颗粒夹杂分布,主要成分为中国紫(硅酸铜钡),推测为二到三次烧制而成。通过文献查阅及梳理,推测八棱柱的形制受中国本土道家文化的影响较大,其主要功能为口含或窍塞。本工作对于我国出土紫色八棱柱的系统研究具有重要的借鉴意义。     

EARLY BRONZE AGE METAL TRADE IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN. NEW COMPOSITIONAL AND LEAD ISOTOPE EVIDENCE FROM CYPRUS

Summary.   This paper presents the results of chemical and lead isotope analyses of 17 Early and Middle Bronze Age artefacts from Cyprus. These suggest that a number of objects are of non-Cypriot copper and lead to the identification of several as imports, a new explanation for some artefact types as ingots and a discussion of the nature of deposits at the key Cypriot site of Vasilia. This in turn allows a reconsideration of the role of Cyprus in an Aegean/eastern Mediterranean metals trade in the early years of the second half of the third millennium BC and of the development of metalworking on the island.     

Pests in an ancient Egyptian harbor

Our investigations combine detailed identification and interpretation of plant remains and associated fauna and their mode of arrival in one of the rock-cut galleries, Cave 3, at the site of Mersa/Wadi Gawasis on Egypt’s Red Sea coast. The site served as a staging area and harbor from which Middle Kingdom pharaohs launched seafaring expeditions to the land of Punt in the early second millennium BC. Quantities of wood, including ship timbers, fastenings, debris related to ship dismantling and reworking, and charcoal were excavated and analyzed. Evidence of marine mollusk infestation (shipworm) was abundant in Cave 3, as were the remains of insect pests of stored foods. We also report on a unique find of a plaster “spill” that preserved the floor of Cave 3 as it was when people worked in the gallery ca. 3800 years ago. The plaster spill created a sealed deposit of plant and insect remains with a diagnostic ceramic fragment, allowing us to securely associate insect remains and “hollow” spikelets of emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum) recovered from the gallery. An impression of the beetle Trachyderma hispida and its associated exoskeleton fragments provide new evidence of this species as a potential pest not yet reported from an archaeological grain storage site in Egypt. The finding of Tenebroides mauritanicus from the same deposit is the earliest known association of this pest with stored grains. These unique finds shed new light on the risks associated with preserving food supplies, combating pest infestation, and dealing with marine organisms on land and at sea in the pharaonic harbor.     

VIVARIA IN DOLIIS. CERAMIC JARS FOR DORMOUSE FATTENING FOUND IN ARUCCI

The excavation of the north house at the archaeological site of Arucci (Aroche, Huelva) has provided interesting data for understanding city planning in general, and domestic architecture in particular. Investigation of their environments has allowed the identification of the distinct functions for which they were intended, including two significant tabernae that were connected to one of the main thoroughfares of the city. In one of them, an interesting set of ceramic fragments has been recovered, whose features allow us to recognize them as ceramic containers for fattening the much-appreciated dormouse. This find signifies an interesting novelty in the archaeological record of the city from which various aspects of the diet of its inhabitants can be inferred, as well as the breeding and production of the rodents.