Between rocks and a hard place: prehistoric funerary practices at Wādī Ḍebayʿān,northern Qatar

Archaeological survey by the Qatar National Historic Environment Record Project (QNHER) in 2009, led to the discovery of a Neolithic flint scatter, a settlement and an ancient, raised shoreline associated with higher, mid‐Holocene sea levels at Wādī ?ebay?ān, north‐western Qatar (Al‐Naimi et al. 2010, 2011; Cuttler, Tetlow & Al‐Naimi 2011). The QNHER project is a collaboration between Qatar Museums and the University of Birmingham, which over the past five years has developed a national geospatial database for the recording of archaeological sites and historic monuments in Qatar. A significant aspect of the project involved archaeological survey and excavation in advance of major construction projects. Between 2012 and 2014 excavations at Wādī ?ebay?ān revealed a burial of a typology previously unknown in Qatar, the unmarked graves (Cuttler, Al‐Naimi & Tetlow 2013).     

《敦煌碑铭赞辑释》补订

本文核校了《敦煌碑铭赞辑释》一书的部分原文,指出录文、标点、考释方面的问题,并力求作出正确的答案。可供读者阅读与作者修订时参考。     

Camels and Arabian balîya and other forms of sacrifice: a review of archaeological and literary evidence

The paper surveys the recent archaeological information for the balîya immolation tradition of pre-Islamic Arabia, whereby a camel or other valued animal was slaughtered to accompany a person of status in death so that they had an animal to ride or to maintain their status in the afterlife. In contrast to the dhibh immolation, which is prescribed in the Holy Qur'ân in memory of the sacrifice of the Prophet Ibrâhîm, the balîya is forbidden in Islam. Unlike the dhibh immolation, the balîya sacrifice was interred whole and provides precise archaeological information about the circumstances of its slaughter and burial. Information about such immolations derives largely from excavations in southern and eastern Arabia.     

Dwelling(s) in a north‐west Arabian oasis: decoding residential architecture at Taymāʾ

The definition of an ancient, autochthonous north‐west Arabian residential architecture is still a major void in the archaeology of the region. This preliminary case study is intended to shed some light on this “blind spot” by presenting and analysing the architectural complex E‐b9 from Taymā? (c. fourth/third century BCE until the first/early second century CE). A meticulous study of the architecture identified a modular concept as a key to understanding the complex. Furthermore, underlying patterns of household organisation can be deduced from the architectural remains resulting in the definition of potential household units. Those are indicated by a set of activity areas which are congruent with patterns of accessibility and the use of specific wall types. These findings provide insights into the organisation of households and daily life in the oasis of Taymā?, and may help to define local or regional traditions in the future.     

Deep Regolith Weathering on the Summit Surface of the Southern Mount Lofty Ranges,South Australia: a Contribution to the ‘Laterite’ Debate

Chemical and mineralogical analyses of samples from a 102 m deep borehole and from road cuts on the summit surface of the Mount Lofty Ranges near Willunga Hill, are used to assess critically the view that the regolith here developed as a result of tropical, so‐called ‘lateritic’ weathering processes that developed a standard ‘laterite’ profile of great antiquity. There is no evidence of a former surface crust that comprises the upper part of a ‘standard laterite profile’. Moreover, there is no dramatic variation in chemical composition down the profile, with largely in situ localised weathering transformations explaining mineralogical variability. The presence of 2:1 layer silicates and the absence of gibbsite do not favour the operation of former intense tropical weathering, but the possible presence of chloritised smectite may have inhibited gibbsite formation. An iron‐depleted pallid zone does not occur at depth in the profile, but is present on the plateau margin. Many of the weathering features exposed in the road cuts can be explained in terms of modifications and developments under environmental conditions similar to those of the present, arguing against the view that the summit surface and its associated weathering mantle have been preserved in pristine form since the Mesozoic.     

Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) isotopic ecology in southern South America: spatial and temporal tendencies, and archaeological implications

We synthesize and discuss available isotopic data on Holocene guanaco samples from southern South America, extending from Tierra del Fuego Island to northern Patagonia and the Pampean region. We evaluate temporal and spatial tendencies on the basis of 91 samples (mainly based on δ¹³C_collagen values), presenting implications for paleodietary research in archaeology. We conclude that there are no strong correlations with latitude in the macro-spatial scale, while there is a set of interesting patterns at smaller regional scales. These patterns lead us to evaluate the role of ecologic and topographic variables (e.g. canopy effect, variations in altitude, ecotones) in structuring isotopic variability. Finally, on the basis of the present analysis we suggest a number of hypotheses and perspectives for the use of stable isotopes as geographic tracers of guanaco distribution in the past, and specific implications for the paleodietary study of human samples.     

A new map of Qâni’ (Yemen)

Qâni’, the main seaport for the export of goods from South Arabia, was founded by the Hadramawt kingdom in the first century BC. A geomorphological survey and a general surface reconnaissance of Qâni’ have revealed a new image of the site. Originally a royal entrepôt in a fortress on an ancient island, separated from the mainland by a silted channel lined with a mangrove forest, Qâni’ gradually grew and spread around the beach fronting the mooring place of the trade ships that arrived by sea. Sacred spaces, cemeteries, dwellings and trade quarters appear to be well‐defined areas forming a real town within the limits imposed by the surrounding sea.     

Macroscopic analysis of the bead assemblage from the South Arabian port of Sumhuram,Oman (seasons 2000–2013)

The city of Sumhuram (300 BC–AD 500) is the most important pre‐Islamic settlement in Dhofar, southern Oman. Since the time of its discovery it was evident that its commercial vocation placed it within a complex system of exchange between India and the Mediterranean. Sumhuram was a key site of the kingdom of Hadramawt, built in a place that was geographically strategic to control the most important Indian Ocean trade routes. The importance of the site made the bead assemblage exceptionally rich in materials, technologies used in the production, and provenance. The study of the relationship between materials and shapes, necessary for the creation of a specific typology, has revealed a number of trends. These, in connection with the reference stratigraphy have, in some cases, enabled the identification of differences on a chronological basis. Furthermore, it is possible to detect different uses of materials in different areas of the city. The variety of imported products (raw materials and products) once again underlines the importance of this city‐port in the international maritime trade and its strong connections with India.     

Stability in the South Pacific surface marine C reservoir over the last 750 years. Evidence from American Samoa, the southern Cook Islands and the Marquesas

Although minor climatic and sea-level changes have been documented for the South Pacific during the late Holocene, our understanding of the consequent impact of these changes on the marine ¹⁴C reservoir, and therefore the ¹⁴C content of shellfish, is limited. Ultimately, this has implications for documenting the chronology of human movement and adaptation in this region. In this paper we compare marine reservoir (ΔR) data obtained from tightly controlled archaeological proveniences with known-age, pre-AD 1950 shells from the southern Cook Islands, American Samoa, and Marquesas Islands. Results indicate that there has been no significant change in the near-shore marine reservoir in these three locations over the last ca. 750 years. Furthermore, known-age, pre-AD 1950 shell samples provide more precise ΔR values for use in sample calibration than archaeological paired shell/charcoal samples. This is attributed in part to the limitations of assigning provenance and age to material from archaeological sites. On the basis of these results we conclude that the known-age, pre-AD 1950 shell derived ΔR values can be used to calibrate shell ¹⁴C results from deposits of late Holocene age.