Ground truthing of remotely identified fortifications on the Central Coast of Perú

Remote imagery, including freely available satellite images viewed in Google Earth^® and historic aerial photographs, was used to identify anomalies in a 25,000 km² macroregion encompassing 13 river valleys along the Peruvian coast. These anomalies, located atop hills and mountains, were hypothesized prehispanic fortifications. A sample of remotely identified anomalies was ground truthed in the Huaura and Fortaleza Valleys on the Central Coast of Perú. 140 positive anomalies were documented and assessed using a simple defensibility index. Our results significantly increase the number of fortifications identified in both valleys. We demonstrate the efficacy of this method for locating fortifications in a very large region to facilitate the systematic documentation of these durable indicators of warfare.     

Problems of Analysis by FTIR of Calcium Sulphate–Based Preparatory Layers: The Case of a Group of 16th‐Century Portuguese Paintings

This paper provides a contribution to FTIR analysis of calcium sulphate‐based grounds of paintings when a mixture of compounds with different degrees of hydration is present. The study is based on the analysis with that technique, electron microscopy coupled with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectrometry and X‐ray diffraction of both the grounds of 16th‐century Portuguese paintings and reference samples prepared with anhydrite and calcium sulphate dihydrate bound in an animal glue solution. It is shown that the interpretation of the degree of hydration of calcium sulphate ground samples using FTIR cannot be based solely on the study of the hydroxyl bands, as is usual in routine work, but that small deviations of the S–O vibration bands are an important indicator of the presence of anhydrite in the grounds.     

Pitted stone cobbles in the Mesolithic site of Font del Ros (Southeastern Pre-Pyrenees,Spain): some experimental remarks around a controversial tool type

The presence of cobbles with activity-related marks in the Mesolithic site of Font del Ros (Berga, Spain), and in particular one group of artefacts – pitted stones – raises problematic issues associated with the characterization of percussion activities. Although these artefacts have generated an extensive bibliography on ethological, ethnographic, ethnoarchaeological and archaeological levels, various questions persist in relation to their possible contextual function. In this paper we present the results of an experimental programme in which three types of activities that could create pitted stones are reproduced: bipolar knapping of vein quartz, hazelnut cracking, and hazelnut grinding. The aim of this experimental programme is to describe marks and use-wear traces related to such activities.