Morphometric distinction between bilobate phytoliths from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Panicum miliaceum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Setaria italica</Emphasis> leaves

The development of identification criteria for crop plants based on phytoliths is of high relevance for archaeology, palaeoecology and plant systematics. While identification criteria are available for major food crops, these are mostly based on phytoliths from inflorescences, while other plant parts remain undetected. This paper focuses on bilobate phytoliths from leaves of Panicum miliaceum L. (common millet) and Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv. (foxtail millet), two taxa that co-occur in regions of Asia and Europe since prehistory and regularly occur at archaeological sites in Eurasia. Leaves of the investigated taxa were systematically sampled to explore the variation of short cells and to collect 27 morphometric variables of bilobate phytoliths with newly developed open-source software. The data was analysed by discriminant analysis, analysis of variance and multiple comparison tests. The resulting morphometric data from five populations per species enables a distinction between the bilobate phytoliths of P. miliaceum and S. italica. Observed differences between populations within species affect only few parameters. This possibility to classify populations of bilobate phytoliths from P. miliaceum and S. italica leaves offers a new method for the detection and identification of these taxa in archaeology, amongst others.     

Early Neolithic funerary diversity and mitochondrial variability of two Iberian sites

An analysis of the burial characteristics of the individuals recovered from two Early Neolithic sites in Navarre (Los Cascajos and Paternanbidea), in the Spanish Basque Country, revealed a complex funerary ritual. The individuals recovered from the Paternanbidea site were distributed in three double graves and a multiple one, while the individuals from Los Cascajos were buried in individual pit-shaped tombs; furthermore, the tombs had a variety of cultural and funerary features. The aim of this study is to evaluate the burial ritual by means of mitochondrial DNA data and the funerary characteristics of 36 individuals recovered from these two sites. The results show that the diversity of these Early Neolithic burial practices from the northern Iberian Peninsula cannot be explained by means of maternal kinship relationships.     

Food for thought: using game cameras to better understand the movement of bones by scavenging in archaeological faunal assemblages

This paper questions our understanding of the movement of bones by animal scavengers in the archaeological record. Since assumptions regarding the effects of animal scavenging shape final interpretations of skeletal element frequencies in archaeological faunal assemblages, they are important for our understanding and reconstruction of ancient human behaviour. The results of a 4-year actualistic kangaroo scavenging study from Australia are used to question our understanding of the movement of the bone by contrasting visual data captured by motion-activated digital game cameras with traditional taphonomic studies using skeletal element frequencies. Game cameras are commonly used by ecologists to capture the behaviour of living species but have not yet been used in experimental archaeology where visually documenting animal scavenging behaviour can be used to understand the movement of carcasses and individual bones. Results suggest that traditional zooarchaeological analyses may not be accurate indicators of hunted versus scavenged prey in archaeological faunal assemblages. Moreover, they most certainly fail to document the entire suite of animals scavenging a carcass. These implications are discussed with particular reference to the ability to definitively ascertain the role of humans in the megafaunal extinction debate in Australia.     

Functional,symbolic or ritual?

Tools for determining the value of metal appear as symbols among grave goods in prehistoric and early medieval Europe and the Near East. Also, five boat burials excavated in eponymous Vendel contained touchstones. This article presents the results of chemical microanalyses of metal traces preserved on them and discusses the linear streaks of zinc in light of extraordinary ore deposits in central Sweden, exploited as early as the Early Middle Ages. In addition, forging tools found in four boat burials in Vendel are interpreted as symbols belonging to the funerary assemblages of ancient leaders. However, although both forging tools and tools for determining the value of metal were used in the treatment of metal, it would be misleading to search for their functional connection. They are linked in prehistoric and early medieval graves exclusively by their function as a symbol, one which they share with other objects, regardless whether exclusive or common.