Macusani obsidian from southern Peru: A characterization of its elemental composition with a demonstration of its ancient use

Transparent obsidian artifacts have been reported for the northern Lake Titicaca Basin. Based on instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of these artifacts a distinct chemical group was identified. Yet, the location of the source of transparent obsidian in the southern Andes remained unreported in the archaeological literature. This paper reports on the chemical composition and geographic location of a source of transparent obsidian from the Macusani region of Peru. Through the use of INAA and portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) we demonstrate that Macusani obsidian or macusanite comprises (at least) two chemical groups. One of these groups was used for making artifacts during the Archaic Period. Artifacts made of this obsidian were found more than 120 km from the source and yet, one-third of the obsidian artifacts encountered at Macusani were from the non-local source of Chivay which is 215 km to the southwest.     

Survey and excavations at Solomon’s Pools,Palestine: 2018 preliminary report

This article provides an initial archaeological and historical overview of the Lower Pool at the Pools of Solomon south of Bethlehem, Palestine.     

Assessing the preservation potential of temperate,lowland alluvial sediments using airborne lidar intensity

Archaeological applications of airborne lidar topographic data are now well established and documented. However, less well explored by archaeologists and palaeoenvironmentalists are the potential applications of lidar intensity data. Here we explore this potential to remotely determine the differential preservation potential of valley floor sediments, within a temperate, lowland environment, especially where preserved within palaeochannels. We compare airborne lidar intensity data with simultaneously collected terrestrial records of sediment organic content, moisture and stratigraphy. Results suggest that while a correlation exists between lidar intensity values and sediment properties, it is neither linear nor robustly predictable. Nevertheless it is suggested that examination of lidar intensity data serve a useful purpose when assessing valley floor alluvial sediments.     

Isotopic and technological variation in prehistoric Southeast Asian primary copper production

The ‘Southeast Asian Lead Isotope Project’ (SEALIP) is intended to provide reliable geochemical proxies for late prehistoric through early historic (2nd/1st millennium BCE and 1st millennium CE) local, regional, and inter-regional social interactions, in an archaeological arena lacking established ceramic typologies with which to cross modern national boundaries. We present lead isotope characterisations of the three currently known Southeast Asian prehistoric primary (mining/smelting) copper production centres: Phu Lon and the Khao Wong Prachan Valley in Thailand, and the recently discovered Xepon complex in Laos. Kernel Density Estimation shows that these production centres can be clearly distinguished isotopically, as such fulfilling the core tenet of the ‘Provenance Hypothesis’ (Wilson and Pollard, 2001: 508) and permitting SEALIP to proceed as a research programme tracing regional copper/bronze/lead exchange and provenance patterning. In addition we provide a provisional technological reconstruction of copper smelting processes at Phu Lon to complement our more established understanding of the Khao Wong Prachan Valley. Combined lead isotope and technological datasets allow us to tentatively identify trends in the evolution of Southeast Asian metal technologies and of regional social perceptions of metal exchange.