3D electrical prospection in the archaeological site of El Pahñú, Hidalgo State,Central Mexico

The implementation of a 3D Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT-3D) survey was carried out in El Pahñú archaeological site, Hidalgo State, Central Mexico. A combination of a new ERT arrays allowed studying the subsoil beneath the Main Pyramid built near the edge of a plateau, along with another important structure (the Tecpan), which was a smaller structure that lodged the governmental council in pre-Hispanic times. The recorded information was acquired through the combination of several electrodic designs: L-Corner (LC), Equatorial (Eq), and Minimum Coupling (MC). For the Main Pyramid, the electrodes were set up around the perimeter of the structure, since they were not permitted to be inserted over the edifice, thus preventing damages to the architectonic elements. The second structure allowed inserting electrodes on selected spots within the architectonic space. The combination of the different arrays made possible the acquisition of 1204 apparent resistivities beneath the Main Pyramid and 2460 resistivity data beneath the Tecpan. The apparent resistivity data were inverted to obtain a three dimensional display of the subsoil electrical resistivity beneath the archaeological structure. The interpreted resistivity model under the Main Pyramid displayed a highly resistive structure towards its northern face that could be associated with infill. Such material was employed by the ancient constructors to level the terrain close to the edge of the cliff. Another interesting anomaly was found towards the central portion of the structure that could be associated to a foundation offer. The interpretation of data beneath the Tecpan identified the structural foundations and other interesting anomalies related to the different occupational times. The investigation supported the archaeological investigation of the site, suggesting areas of potential geological risk and of archaeological interest. For example, the Main Pyramid presents serious stability problems, indicating that the infill has weakened, producing cracks threatening long-term pyramid integrity.     

The Antiquities of South Jutland or Sleswick

A category of small vessels fashioned in samian ware has conventionally been interpreted as representing inkwells. This identification seems valid given their typological characteristics. The type is fairly rare in Roman Britain, as in other western provinces. Nonetheless, it is well known through illustration and is sufficiently frequent to be familiar to those who study the period. Given the likely close form-function relationship of this type, its distribution is assessed in this paper as an archaeological index of the locations of writing and recording in Britannia using ink. Indeed, study of samian inkwells offers a seemingly reliable indicator of such activity. This prospect is almost unique given the rarity of other types of direct and indirect evidence for writing in ink from Roman Britain.

Analysis shows, for the first time, that there is a clear pattern to the occurrence of samian inkwells. Most examples come from sites associated with the Roman military, with a sizeable proportion also recorded from major civil centres; elsewhere they are particularly infrequent. Examination of the spatial occurrence of these finds from within sites reveals a notable pattern. Many come from contexts at or close-by to locations where writing in ink might be expected. This is testimony to the rich potential of the archaeological record of this era to inform upon cultural practices.