Historical context and chronology of Bronze Age land enclosure on Dartmoor,UK

The upland of Dartmoor, southwest England, is one of the flagship prehistoric landscapes within Britain owing to the excellent survival of extensive prehistoric coaxial field systems. Archaeological surveys and rescue excavations during the 1970s and 1980s did much to further the understanding of this landscape; however, much remains to be explored, in particular the chronology of enclosure, the nature of the pre-enclosure landscape and the relationship between Bronze Age communities and their environment. Reconsideration of this landscape is important, given the place it holds in our understanding of subdivision of the landscape across northwest Europe during prehistory. This paper presents new palaeoecological data recovered as part of an integrated archaeological and palaeoecological project on northeast Dartmoor. The sequences detailed here include the first dated Neolithic period palaeoenvironmental data from within the prehistoric enclosed land on the moor, providing a longer-term context for enclosure. Neolithic groups are implicated in the first establishment of heathland in the study area at around 3630–3370 cal BC. During the early Bronze Age, reestablishment of hazel scrub in the study area implies reduced use of the upland, although it is not clear whether this is local or indicative of the wider landscape. A combination of pollen and fungal spore data indicates a substantial shift to species-rich grassland with grazing animals at c.1480 cal BC in a phase that lasted 400 years. The later Bronze Age and early Iron Age are characterised by low intensity use of the upland. These data provide new chronological data for land cover change on Dartmoor and whilst they broadly confirm existing models of upland land use in later prehistory, their proximity to the standing archaeology affords a more nuanced interpretation of local change.     

“Mycenaean” political domination of Knossos following the Late Minoan IB destructions on Crete: negative evidence from strontium isotope ratio analysis (Sr/Sr)

Strontium isotope ratio analysis of human dental enamel and bone is applied to investigate a highly debated question of population movement and cultural discontinuity in Prehistoric Aegean Archaeology. The Late Minoan IB (ca. 1490/1470 BC) destructions on Crete are succeeded by cultural upheaval. The novel cultural features that appear at Knossos (Crete) in this period have forerunners in the Mainland. In Cretan context, the Linear B writing system, the funerary architecture and burial practices of the Mainland style are interpreted as evidence of an actual “Mycenaean” long-term settlement and political domination of Knossos. Human skeletal material from tombs that are associated with non-locals from the Mainland based upon the material culture is analysed to measure ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr. The results of the analysis show that all the examined individuals from the Knossos tombs were born locally.     

Aegean Prehistory as World Archaeology: Recent Trends in the Archaeology of Bronze Age Greece

This article surveys archaeological work of the last decade on the Greek Bronze Age, part of the broader discipline known as Aegean prehistory. Naturally, the literature is vast, so I focus on a set of topics that may be of general interest to non-Aegeanists: chronology, regional studies, the emergence and organization of archaic states, ritual and religion, and archaeological science. Greek Bronze Age archaeology rarely appears in the comparative archaeological literature; accordingly, in this article I place this work in the context of world archaeology, arguing for a reconsideration of the potential of Aegean archaeology to provide enlightening comparative material.     

东周时期青铜剑首同心圆的制作技术研究

东周时期盛行佩剑之风,在剑上集中了多项杰出的装饰技术,其中位于青铜剑首端部的同心圆装饰以其精湛的制作技术引起了科技史界的关注。剑首同心圆由多圈高同心度、高凸起、薄壁状凸棱组成。对东周时期的多件剑首同心圆的考察表明剑首同心圆应用了类似轮制法成形工艺,预先单独铸造成形,后与剑茎铸接成一体。通过对车削法、石范铸造、失蜡铸造、陶范铸造等剑首同心圆可能的成形方法的分析,推测古人很可能不预制陶模,而是用轮制法直接车制出具有同心圆的剑首陶范,以陶范铸造法铸造剑首同心圆,此法是东周时期最可行的成形方法．其基础是新石器时代已采用的轮制法制陶技术及商周时期成熟的陶范处理技术。通过模板轮制法的模拟试验．成功地复制了青铜剑首同心圆。其过程为配制极细的泥料、制作带齿的模板、采用轮制法制作同心圆陶范并在相应的凸棱上刻下绳纹、焙烧陶范与浇注青铜液。     

青海民和县寺沟峡岩画调查简报

2019年,丝绸之路南亚廊道调查队在青海省民和县寺沟峡内发现了4幅6组个体102个岩画,并对岩画进行了详细的调查、测绘和数字化扫描。从整个岩面的制作技法来看,有直接磨刻法和敲凿法。岩画主要以抽象图案为主,有少量人像、持物人物、鸟等具象形象。其形象与新石器晚期至青铜时代彩陶图案纹饰相似度较高,与中原地区岩画有着密切关系,为研究官亭盆地早期文化提供了新的突破口。     

东汉连弧纹镜考述

东汉“长宜子孙流云纹连弧纹镜”、“长宜子孙连弧纹镜”和“素面连弧纹镜”是在西汉连弧纹镜基础上逐渐衍生出的一种世俗化、平民化的镜种,它们基于各自的设计理念而展开,并在冶炼铸造和研磨技术上较西汉铜镜更为精湛华美。从出土的铜镜来看,镜体外表色相多数取决于制镜材料、工艺技术和墓室的小环境,与南北方大的气候、湿度并没有直接关系。     

秦始皇帝陵园出土彩绘青铜水禽铜矿料来源探索

关于秦始皇帝陵出土彩绘青铜水禽铜矿料来源的研究,对进一步研究秦代的物质文化、青铜器冶铸工艺、装饰工艺以及铜矿来源均具有重要意义。本研究对部分秦始皇帝陵园出土彩绘青铜水禽基体进行了铅同位素分析及微量元素分析。并在此基础之上,与甘肃东部及关中西部出土的部分早期秦文化铜器、国墓地出土的部分铜器、周原李家铸铜作坊出土的部分铜器、山西中条山、江西瑞昌、江西铜岭、安徽铜陵以及湖北大冶铜绿山古铜矿以及秦岭山区的部分现代铜矿的相关数据进行了对比研究。结果发现,秦始皇帝陵园出土的青铜水禽使用了相同的矿料,且与绝大多数早期秦文化铜器所使用的矿料基本相同,但与国墓地以及李家铸铜作坊出土西周铜器的矿料明显有别。秦人使用的铜矿与秦岭山区现代铜矿较为接近,表明秦人的铜矿来源可能与秦岭山区有关。     

秦陵出土青铜水禽锈体组织结构的初步分析

本研究旨在研究秦始皇帝陵园出土彩绘青铜水禽锈体的结构形貌及其形成原因。采用扫描电镜能谱(SEMEDS)、X射线荧光光谱(XRF)、金相显微分析和离子色谱分析(IC)等多种分析手段,对青铜水禽锈体的组织结构及其埋藏土壤进行了分析检测。结果表明:高湿、火烧、人为破坏的特殊埋藏环境是该批青铜水禽严重矿化的主要原因,而有些矿化严重的部分为稳定的粉状锈蚀物,并非传统意义上的“有害锈”;从组织的微观腐蚀特征来看,铸态枝晶结构的样品α相优先腐蚀;而铸后受热组织则呈晶间腐蚀的特点,腐蚀由晶粒间界向晶粒发展;锈体层状结构的产生与Cu₂O溶解产生空隙,并在合适的环境条件下生成了孔雀石有关。     

甘肃崇信于家湾西周墓出土青铜器的金相与成分分析

为探索先周时代以至西周初年周人的活动地域和陇东地区先周文化的发展历史,运用光学金相显微镜、扫描电子显微镜和能谱仪,对甘肃崇信于家湾出土的先周至西周早中期16件青铜器的金相组织、合金成分和制作工艺进行研究。发现有13件为低锡青铜,3件为高锡青铜;就制作材质而言,共有锡青铜5件,铅锡青铜8件,铅青铜、CuS- nPbAs四元合金和CuSnPbFe四元合金各1件;其中4件经热锻加工制成,12件为铸造加工制成。5件铜盆中的4件是目前经金相分析确认的最早的锻打成形青铜容器。本工作为甘肃地区先周至西周时期青铜器和青铜文化研究提供了重要的科学信息。     

青铜病的闭塞孔穴腐蚀特征的研究

为探求符合文物保护要求的青铜器保护处理方法,对青铜病形成的过程和原因进行了模拟小孔腐蚀实验研究。对青铜模拟闭塞电池内的化学和电化学状态的变化,进行了不同Cl~-浓度和不同的pH值溶液条件下的电化学测试。实验结果证明,青铜闭塞孔穴腐蚀能导致蚀孔内Cl~-浓缩,pH值降低,腐蚀电流增大,局部腐蚀的加速,导致青铜病的形成。青铜病的闭塞孔穴腐蚀特征的研究,对进一步探求符合文物保护要求的青铜器保护处理方法具有较好的理论指导意义。