Economy and Settlement Pattern 1350–1600 AD,Based on Evidence from Farm Mounds

The examination of Norse farm sites in Greenland has been taking place for nearly a century, and a reasonable picture has been built up from several disciplines of the nature of the settlements. There has, however, been little integration of the research between the various scientists. Using the example of a recent interdisciplinary palaeoecological study at Nipáitsoq in the Western Settlement, this paper summarizes the interrelated results of the work of an archaeologist (C.A.), historian (G.S.), animal bone specialist (T. McG.), entomologists (P.C.B. &; P.S.), and plant macrofossil researcher (D.S.). A detailed picture of the demise of the farm and of living conditions is attempted, and the paper ends with a plea for further integrated multi‐disciplinary studies.     

Copper supply during the Final Neolithic at the Saint-Blaise/Bains des Dames site (Neuchâtel, Switzerland)

The Saint-Blaise/Bains des Dames stratified site in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, contains several occupations that span the Late through Final Neolithic, including the Horgen, Lüscherz, and Auvernier-Cordé periods. As part of a study on prehistoric metallurgy in western Switzerland, we compare the lead isotope ratios (multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer) and elemental compositions (instrumental neutron activation analysis) of the site’s numerous copper finds to a database of corresponding measurements for copper ores throughout Europe. The results show a considerable variation in copper compositions present at the site, suggesting complex economic relationships and multiple chaînes opératoires during the time in question. Specifically, during the Final Neolithic, we distinguished ten coherent clusters, confirmed by both the elemental compositions and lead isotope ratios. When compared to the Europe-wide database of copper ores, we observed significant changes in the provenance of the copper through time that reflect equally significant changes in social, cultural, and economic interactions.     

The Planking Clamp from Tårnby: a Medieval Danish Boatbuilding Tool

At the bottom of a well on a medieval farm on the Danish island of Amager, archaeologists found a planking clamp dated by dendrochronology to 1405 AD. ¹ The clamp is of great importance: very few examples have been found or recognised in Northern Europe to date, and this is the best preserved, and thus provides data about its shape and use; and the size of boat it was used in the construction of. It is discussed whether the clamp was used exclusively for boatbuilding or whether it might also have been used in other crafts. It is suggested that copies of the Tårnby planking clamp might be used in future experimental boatbuilding projects.
© 2004 The Nautical Archaeology Society     

Millet cultivation history in the French Alps as evidenced by a sedimentary molecule

We report on the detection, in a sediment core drilled in Lake Le Bourget (French Alps), of a fossil molecule (miliacin) that was synthesized by broomcorn millet cultivated in the watershed, and then exported to the sediment. The variation in abundance of this molecule allows us reconstructing the history of millet cultivation around Lake Le Bourget. Our results support the introduction of millet around −1700 BC in the region. After an intensive cultivation during the Late Bronze Age, the failure of millet cropping during the Hallstatt period coincides with a phase of climatic deterioration. Millet cultivation recovers during the Roman and Mediaeval periods before falling most probably due to the introduction of more productive cereals. These pioneering results constitute the first continuous record of an agrarian activity covering the last 6000 years and emphasize the close relationships between local hydrology, land use and agro-pastoral activities around Lake Le Bourget.