Diet,social differentiation and cultural change in Roman Britain: new isotopic evidence from Gloucestershire

This study uses stable isotope analyses (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) of human bone collagen to reconstruct the diet of three Romano-British (first to early fifth century AD) populations from Gloucestershire in South West England. Gloucestershire was an important part of Roman Britain with two major administrative centres at Gloucester (Glevum) and Cirencester (Corinium) and numerous smaller settlements and farmsteads. To investigate potential dietary differences between the rural and urban populations of Roman Gloucestershire, we compared human bone collagen stable isotope values from 32 individuals from urban Gloucester with those of 46 individuals from two rural cemeteries at Horcott Quarry and Cotswold Community, respectively. Seven individuals from urban Gloucester were buried in a mass grave; all others were buried in single inhumations. Results show small but significant differences in stable isotope ratios between the urban and rural populations which indicate that the urban population might have consumed slightly more marine and/or freshwater resources than the people living in the rural communities. We interpret this difference as a direct reflection of Rome’s influence on Gloucester’s population and the town’s economic status. Subtle differences in stable isotope ratios were also observed at the site level, as burial practice does correlate with diet in some cases. Overall, the results from this study demonstrate that diet, as reconstructed through stable isotope analysis, is a very sensitive, if settlement-specific, indicator of social differentiation and culture change.     

New exposure of loess deposits in Boyanychi (Ukraine) — Results of thermoluminescence analyses

The loess site at Boynychi (the Volyn Upland) is of essential importance for the stratigraphy of Middle and Upper Pleistocene in Central Europe. The profile was recently dated by Fedorowicz and Prylypko in 2007 (parallel dating), and by Kusiak in 2009. The Upper Vistulian loesses are much thicker in the exposure from 2009 than in the earlier examined one (2007). The list of results obtained in the Gdańsk, Kiev and Lublin laboratories, respectively, can be divided in two. The first group contains the results obtained for the Horohiv and Korshiv pedocomplexes and for the loess from the penultimate glacial, which separates these pedocomplexes. The results from all laboratories are very similar and rather well describe the real age of dated deposits. The second group contains the widely differing results of dating of the Vistulian loesses. The TL ages obtained by Fedorowicz and Prylypko are considerably older than those obtained by Kusiak in the new exposure. The latter ones excellently correspond to the geologic-stratigraphic interpretation of the profile. Two incompatible series of TL dating results indicate that local variability of loess accumulation conditions in different stages of their formation may have resulted in incomplete luminescence zeroing of mineral material before deposition.     

Mexico: A Leader in Ratification of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History established an ethical program for the protection and research of the country’s underwater cultural heritage (UCH). Its Vice-Directorate of Underwater Archaeology trains archaeology and conservation students, participates in national and international initiatives regarding UCH, and develops multidisciplinary projects in maritime and continental waters. During negotiation of the UNESCO Convention, the Latin American and Caribbean Group united in a strong voice and contributed to its adoption in 2001; in 2006, Mexico ratified the Convention. This article highlights Mexico’s adoption of the 2001 UNESCO Convention as a case study, to stimulate all countries to ratify the convention and to cooperate in protecting the world’s UCH.     

Miliacin in palaeosols from an Early Iron Age in Ukraine reveal in situ cultivation of broomcorn millet

During the archaeobotanical investigation of Scythian–Sarmatian period (Early Iron Age), pits with crop processing waste, discovered in the floodplain of Donets River, eastern Ukraine, and charred remains of cereal grains, dominated by broomcorn millet, were recorded. The grains from the pits were radiocarbon dated to the fifth to first century BC. Those pits are distant from any known contemporaneous settlement. The apparent disconnection of these pits from any local settlement suggests that (1) millet was brought from other locations by mobile groups, or (2) millet was cultivated locally by populations whose settlements have left no discernible archaeological trace. The analysis of molecular biomarkers preserved in palaeosols that are stratigraphically connected to the pits revealed high levels of miliacin, a molecule that can be preserved in ancient soils and sediments, and that is consistent with broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum). High levels in miliacin in soils stratigraphically connected to the pits are interpreted as the result of a large biomass of P. miliaceum produced at time of soil formation. Our biogeochemical results applied to a palaeosol thus attest to the in situ cultivation of crops dominated by the broomcorn millet during the early Iron Age in the floodplain of Donets River. Biochemical examination of soils and palaeosols can thus provide useful information on past dynamics of land-use by ancient population, especially when settlements or macrobotanical remains are absent.     

A statistical view for Chinese zooarchaeology: from the Neolithic to Pre-Han periods

More than 80 years have passed since zooarchaeology first began in China in the early 1930s. Currently, this discipline is one of the most active fields in Chinese archaeology, engaging with other sub-disciplines such as archaeogenetics, archaeobotany, and stable isotopic studies. But how did we end up like this? This paper explores this question by surveying existing zooarchaeological publications from the Neolithic to Pre-Han periods (c. 8000–202 bc). Results show that journals are the most popular publishing type, followed by archaeological reports. Postgraduate theses are also taken into account. With consideration of publication numbers, three chronological periods can be recognised. These phases are associated with political/social events of the twentieth century in China. While the majority of articles concern basic identification, there has been an increasing interest on human-animal interactions during recent years. In addition, while central China is the overwhelming focus of zooarchaeological research, some areas may have been overlooked.     

Social stratigraphy in Late Iron Age Switzerland: stable carbon,nitrogen and sulphur isotope analysis of human remains from Münsingen

The Iron Age cemetery of Münsingen in Switzerland with 220 abundantly equipped burials marked a milestone for Iron Age research. The horizontal spread throughout the time of its occupancy laid the foundation for the chronology system of the Late Iron Age. Today, skulls of 77 individuals and some postcranial bones are still preserved. The aim of the study was to obtain information about diet, mobility and social stratification of the individuals. Stable isotope ratios of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur were analysed for 63 individuals. For all of them, C₃ plants were found to be the staple food. There are significant differences between males and females in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values. This points to a gender restriction in the access to animal protein with males probably having more access to meat and dairy products. Differences in δ¹⁵N values were also observed for different age classes. δ³⁴S values indicate a terrestrial-based diet with no significant intake of marine or freshwater fish. Seven adults with enriched δ³⁴S values might have immigrated to Münsingen, four of which were found in the oldest part of the cemetery. Furthermore, possible changes of the vegetation are indicated by the more positive stable carbon ratios in the later phases. The results lead to the suggestion that especially males buried with weapons might have played a special role in the Iron Age society.     

Finding millet in the Roman world

Examining the evidence for millet in the Roman empire, during the period, circa 753 bc–610 ad, presents a number of challenges: a handful of scant mentions in the ancient surviving agrarian texts, only a few fortuitous preserved archaeological finds and limited archaeobotanical and isotopic evidence. Ancient agrarian texts note millet’s ecological preferences and multiple uses. Recent archaeobotanical and isotopic evidence has shown that millet was being used throughout the Roman period. The compiled data suggests that millet consumption was a more complex issue than the ancient sources alone would lead one to believe. Using the recent archaeobotanical study of Insula VI.I from the city of Pompeii, as a case study, the status and role of millet in the Roman world is examined and placed within its economic, cultural and social background across time and space in the Roman world.     

Local diversity in settlement,demography and subsistence across the southern Indian Neolithic-Iron Age transition: site growth and abandonment at Sanganakallu-Kupgal

The Southern Indian Neolithic-Iron Age transition demonstrates considerable regional variability in settlement location, density, and size. While researchers have shown that the region around the Tungabhadra and Krishna River basins displays significant subsistence and demographic continuity, and intensification, from the Neolithic into the Iron Age ca. 1200 cal. BC, archaeological and chronometric records in the Sanganakallu region point to hilltop village expansion during the Late Neolithic and ‘Megalithic’ transition period (ca. 1400–1200 cal. BC) prior to apparent abandonment ca. 1200 cal. BC, with little evidence for the introduction of iron technology into the region. We suggest that the difference in these settlement histories is a result of differential access to stable water resources during a period of weakening and fluctuating monsoon across a generally arid landscape. Here, we describe well-dated, integrated chronological, archaeobotanical, archaeozoological and archaeological survey datasets from the Sanganakallu-Kupgal site complex that together demonstrate an intensification of settlement, subsistence and craft production on local hilltops prior to almost complete abandonment ca. 1200 cal. BC. Although the southern Deccan region as a whole may have witnessed demographic increase, as well as subsistence and cultural continuity, at this time, this broader pattern of continuity and resilience is punctuated by local examples of abandonment and mobility driven by an increasing practical and political concern with water.     

Taphonomic study in Argentinian Patagonia: analysis of variability through time and space in the Central Plateau (Santa Cruz Province)

The basin of the Zanjón Rojo and Blanco is located in the northeast of the Central Plateau of Santa Cruz province (Argentina). Each sector of the basin has specific characteristics which represent different microenvironments. We have studied two different archeological contexts in the period from the Final Pleistocene to Late Holocene in each of these sectors. In this paper, we analyze the effects of different taphonomic processes and agents on the zooarcheological assemblages in order to evaluate the role played by those that can redeposit or move bones pre- and post-depositionally during site formation in this sector of Patagonia. The bone specimens that were analyzed come from two stratigraphic contexts with wide sequences of human occupation; one is AEP-1 at Piedra Museo and the other is Cueva Maripe at La Primavera, located in the lower and upper sectors of the basin, respectively. The comparison between both sites was based on different modification patterns identified on bone surfaces for the different phases of settlement in Patagonia. The results showed complex and different taphonomic histories in both sites, and while the main processes involved in bone movement were roots and rodents, both had little significance in comparison with others, such as manganese and carbonate.     

Classifications of Sacred Space: A New Understanding of Mass Rock Sites in Ireland

As locations of a distinctively Catholic faith, Mass Rocks are important historical, ritual and counter-cultural sites that present a tangible connection to Ireland’s rich heritage for contemporary society. Recent authors have begun to fill a gap in published literature yet few go beyond traditional assumptions. This paper offers a more contemporary approach to the study of Mass Rocks based on extensive field research in county Cork. It argues for the introduction of new and innovative classifications that expand the accepted archaeological definition and proposes a set of criteria for the more robust verification of potential sites.