Ancient Pottery Surface Treatments from Dakhleh Oasis,Egypt: an Experimental Study

This study examines the heating and cooling effectiveness of three common surface treatments associated with the prehistoric pottery from Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt. Experiments were conducted on replica vessels with plain, compacted and textured surfaces—observations on thermal damage were also taken to explore the relationship between surface treatment and vessel durability. The study is interested in understanding if, and how, these treatments perform differently in heating and cooling the vessel contents. This could help to explain long-term trends in the archaeological record at Dakhleh, particularly shifts in subsistence patterns. Importantly, the study highlights the potential to incorporate more experimental research within the expanding field of Egyptian ceramic studies.     

Her Mirror,His Sword: Unbinding Binary Gender and Sex Assumptions in Iron Age British Mortuary Traditions

At the site of Hillside Farm, Bryher, on the Isles of Scilly, a materially rich single Iron Age inhumation was discovered containing the unsexable fragmented remains of one adult with a number of high-quality metal grave goods including an iron sword with a bronze scabbard and a bronze mirror. Swords and mirrors have long been considered high-status, oppositionally gendered grave goods that crosscut regional divisions in the pre-Roman British Iron Age (c. 800 B.C.–A.D. 43). Their combined presence within the burial of a single individual represents a touchstone within the ongoing unraveling of a long-held, interconnected set of reified binary sex and gender assumptions that have permeated discussions of British Iron Age mortuary contexts. In better recognizing this web of “binary binds,” we can deconstruct the a priori, exclusionary, interconnected sex and gender assumptions that configure how we investigate the terms of engagement between materials and persons in these burial contexts. Crucial to this analysis is an approach to patterning that (1) does not begin with a search for sex and gender as evidence of male and female dichotomies, (2) sees the potentiality for any component of a mortuary assemblage to have multiple points of significance, and (3) embraces data ambiguity. Developing such critical approaches will ultimately contribute to the deployment of more inclusive forms of analysis that do not reify sex and gender as the primary organizing principles within mortuary contexts, aiding scholars in avoiding assumptions that bind sex and gender analyses into artificially binary paradigms.     

Developing a Collaborative Strategy to Manage and Preserve Cultural Heritage During the Libyan Conflict. The Case of the Gebel Nāfusa

The paper discusses the potential of a collaborative scheme for the development of a protocol for recording and managing the cultural heritage in Libya. The critical political situation in the country urges the development of cultural heritage management policies in order to protect it more thoroughly and consistently. Moving on from the numerous international initiatives and projects dealing with a mostly “remote” approach to the issue, the project here presented to engages with staff members of the Department of Antiquities (DoA) in the development of a joint strategy for the application of remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS) to the preservation and monitoring of Libyan cultural heritage. A series of training courses resulted in an initial development of new ways of recording and analysing field data for a better awareness of the full range of threats that the archaeology of the country is subject to. Focussing on the case of the Jebel Nafusa, the training involved the assessment of site visibility on satellite imagery, the analysis of high-resolution satellite datasets for archaeological mapping, the creation of a GIS spatial database of field data, and the mapping of risks and threats to archaeology from remote sensing data. This led to the creation of of a risk map showing the areas that are affected by a number of threats, thus giving the DoA a tool to prioritise future fieldwork to keep the assessment of site damage up to date. Only a collaborative approach can lead to a sustainable strategy for the protection of the invaluable cultural heritage of Libya.     

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.     

Opencast mines in South Brandenburg (Germany)—archives of Late Quaternary landscape development and human-induced land use changes

This study outlines the opportunities for geoarchaeological research in active opencast lignite mines in southern Brandenburg (Germany). Studies on extensive outcrops that address both archaeology and soil geomorphology, combined with a geographical information system (GIS) approach, provide unique insights into human-induced environmental changes in Lower Lusatia and generally improve our understanding of landscape dynamics. We present the most recent results from three case studies and review important findings from the last several years. Studies conducted in opencast mines of Cottbus-Nord and Jänschwalde focus on (i) Late Quaternary geomorphodynamics and soil development and (ii) past land use and the legacy of agriculture and woodland use. Our results are similar to those in other regions in Central Europe, but we also observe regional differences caused by the local setting, e.g. intensification of soil erosion coinciding with the expansion of farming of cultivated lands in the Slavic Middle Ages. Our research reveals the largest archaeologically investigated area of historical charcoal production in the Northern European Lowland (NEL). We are clearly only beginning to understand the massive dimensions of charcoal production in the region.     

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.     

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.     

Terrestrial and maritime taphonomy: differential effects on spatial distribution of a Late Pleistocene continental drowned faunal bone assemblage from the Pacific coast of Chile

Site GNL Quintero 1 (GNLQ1), located on the central coast of Chile, is the only documented Late Pleistocene drowned terrestrial site along the Pacific Coast of South America. Faunal evidence at the site is varied, and so far, remains of the following taxa have been found: extinct Camelidae, Cervidae, Equidae, Mylodontidae, Xenarthra, but also Myocastoridae, Canidae and Octodontidae. Both geological and paleoenvironmental data indicate that GNLQ1 developed in a floodplain or low-energy environment during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Prior to the post-glacial rising of the sea level, the site would have been located several kilometres inland as the paleoshoreline was farther out on the continental shelf. In accordance with this background, the present study addresses the analysis of the spatial distribution of the bone deposits of GNLQ1 by considering both scenarios, the terrestrial phase related to the formation and modification of the fossil assemblage prior to the transgression, and the marine phase, subsequent to inundation. Results indicate modifications related to low-energy flow environment and carnivore activity dominated during the terrestrial phase and the action of marine organisms during the marine phase. Other taphonomic modifications are not easily attributable to either one or the other environmental context.