Behavioural implications of temporal change in cariogenesis

The understanding of process in the archaeological record can only be achieved through the use of a wide range of information. This paper utilizes data from biological anthropology by looking at change in frequency of dental caries with the shift to an agricultural based economy on the prehistoric Georgia coast after c. AD 1150. There is an increase in frequency of carious lesions which is more marked in the females, thus indicating a relatively greater impact of the dietary shift on them than on the males. Most likely, this disparity is due to subsistence role differences between the sexes: males maintained hunting responsibilities, while females were responsible for agricultural related activity, including food preparation.     

Natural degradation of earthworks,trenches, walls and moats,Northern Thailand

We here investigate the geometry, age, and history of several enigmatic northern Thailand earthwork entrenchments that are mostly located on hills and could not have held water to form moats. The earthworks are either oval or rectangular in plan view and typically encircle 0.3 to 1?sq km areas with no potsherd debris that would indicate former towns. Most trenches are 3–5?m deep with inner walls 4.5–8?m high. Some encircling earthworks are concentric double trenches spaced approximately 10?m apart. Historians have suggested these earthworks enclosed defensible areas where people in outlying villages sought refuge when under attack by neighboring rulers, the Chinese Ho, or the Burmese. We argue that some encircling entrenchments may have been for the capture or containment of elephants. Nearly all of the once near-vertical original walls have degraded to slopes of 32–47°. Fitting calculated curves of the diffusion-based scarp-degradation model to our height-slope data, and assuming most scarps have degraded since the end of La Na Kingdom time a.d. 1558, we derive a diffusion coefficient of 0.002?m² y^?1. Slopes of the rectangular earthwork at Souvannkhomkham, Laos, across the Mekong River from Chiang Saen Noi, are significantly more degraded (approximately 32°), indicating an age of 800–1200 years. Locations of these earthworks are established in hope that they will be preserved as part of the Thai and Lao archaeological legacy.     

Holey Goats: Multiple Cases of Supratrochlear Foramina in the Humerus of Caprines from the New Kingdom Pharaonic Town of Amara West,Northern Sudan

Supratrochlear foramina (STF) were recorded in fifteen per cent of goat and sheep/goat humeri from the New Kingdom pharaonic town of Amara West, in modern northern Sudan. To the authors’ knowledge, this trait has never before been reported in the published literature for goats or sheep, whether from archaeological or modern contexts. The aim of this work is twofold: to contribute to the growing corpus of studies addressing the incidence and aetiology of STF, and to raise awareness for their possible presence in caprines, thus encouraging their identification and recording in archaeological assemblages.     

Expansionary dynamics of the nascent Monte Albán state

The Monte Albán state emerged in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, between 300 and 100 BC. Archaeological evidence indicates that this case of state formation was linked to the territorial expansion of the Monte Albán polity. We argue that rulers at Monte Albán adopted an expansionist strategy in order to acquire resources they could use to fund campaigns against rival polities and to bolster their position in a competitive sociopolitical environment. Logistical challenges associated with expansion favored experimentation with new (state) forms of administrative control, while importation of exotic goods contributed to the development of social stratification. Multiple lines of evidence—including excavation data from Tilcajete and Yaasuchi, survey data from the Sola Valley, and a GIS model of potential transportation routes—indicate that the Pacific coast of Oaxaca likely was a target of Monte Albán’s expansion. Our model explains the variable nature of that expansion and its impact on the developmental histories of neighboring regions, as well as the synergistic increase in complexity among interacting societies in Late Formative Oaxaca. Cross-cultural comparison demonstrates that key factors in the formation of the Monte Albán state (e.g., status rivalry, inter-polity conflict, territoriality, militarism, trade) are evident elsewhere in the world.     

A flock of sheep,goats and cattle: ancient DNA analysis reveals complexities of historical parchment manufacture

Parchments comprise one of the most common and valuable sources of archaeological and historical data. Previous studies have shown that parchment also preserves genetic data. These data could be valuable for population studies, to understand past animal husbandry, the development of breeds and varieties and to comment on the provenance of parchments. To improve our understanding of DNA contained in parchments, we analysed genetic data, including both mitochondrial and autosomal loci, from 18th to 19th century English parchments which stable isotope analysis had indicated were well-preserved. DNA results were unexpected. All but one of the parchments produced multiple sequences matching several different species. Ion beam analysis ruled out surface treatments of the parchments (including ink and animal glues) as the origin of these multiple sequences. Our results suggest that the DNA content of parchment is more complex than previous research has suggested and that multiple stages of parchment manufacture, treatment and storage are preserved in parchment DNA extracts.