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Archaeological Record (archaeological + record)
Selected AbstractsPerils of Carts before Horses: Linguistic Models and the Underdetermined Archaeological RecordAMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 1 2009PHILIP L. KOHL No abstract is available for this article. [source] Human-caused stratigraphic mixing of a coastal Hawaiian midden during prehistory: Implications for interpreting cultural depositsGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 5 2010Sasiphan Khaweerat Archaeologists rely on the spatial and temporal distribution of artifacts and other site-based materials to understand the stratigraphic integrity of the matrix in which remains are embedded. Although they are aware of taphonomic and site formation processes that can cause post-depositional movement of objects, misinterpretation can occur. We used high-precision 230Th dating of branch corals found throughout cultural layers of a coastal Hawaiian midden to identify the effects of post-depositional disturbances to the archaeological record. Fifteen corals distributed in three cultural layers of a Mo'omomi bay site on west Moloka'i, Hawaiian Islands, were 230Th dated between A.D. 1513 and A.D. 1623. Even though the cultural layers appeared visually intact, the positions of the dated coral samples indicate stratigraphic mixing as there is no positive age,depth correlation. Consequently, all cultural layers should be considered one analytical unit for analysis of contents. This study is applicable to other Pacific archaeological sites, especially throughout Hawaii and East Polynesia generally, that have well-preserved branch coral for 230Th dating. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] The surface archaeological record in arid Australia: Geomorphic controls on preservation, exposure, and visibilityGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009Patricia C. Fanning The conventional approach to assessing the archaeological record in most parts of the world involves a combination of excavation of stratified deposits and extensive survey of surface deposits. Although widely applied in Australia, in both research-based and management archaeology, the method does not conform well to the nature of the surface archaeological record here. Over much of semi-arid and arid Australia, archaeological "sites" are, in fact, accretion phenomena that are not easily interpreted as the outcome of short-term behavioral events. Using results from twelve years of geoarchaeological research in western New South Wales, we demonstrate that there is considerable variability in landsurface age, and hence the "availability" of archaeological surfaces, over relatively short distances. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that stone artifact deposits, for example, that appear to be similar in character are of similar age. Data are also presented that demonstrate that the presence of artifacts on the surface, their apparent absence in sediments buried beneath the surface, and the apparent recent ubiquity of the archaeological record are all a function of geomorphic processes that, at the same time, expose some artifact deposits at the surface and erode and bury others amid large volumes of sediment. Interpreting the surface artifact record within a spatial and temporal geomorphic framework is crucial to understanding the past human behavior that the artifact deposits represent. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] A dating intercomparison study on Late Stone Age coastal midden deposits, South AfricaGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 6 2008Mark D. Bateman The southern and western coastlines of South Africa have an extensive archaeological record with many sites associated with widespread eolian deposits. While much of this rich archaeological record is based on cave sites, evidence of Late Stone Age occupation is additionally preserved in the form of open-site shell middens. We present here a comparative study of the application of amino acid racemization (AAR), optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), and radiocarbon analyses to three Late Stone Age (LSA) midden sites found within dunes on the southern coastline of South Africa. Preliminary geochronological analyses suggest that middens offer opportunity to fill in gaps in what is still a fragmentary archaeological record. Results show OSL and radiocarbon ages in good agreement, illustrating the potential to date not only the middens but also the surrounding dunes that constituted the dwelling sites. AAR results show increasing ratios with age and also that the application of paired shell and "whole rock" AAR can provide insights into the degree of biogenic sediment recycling at buried midden sites. However, the work also highlights that caution is required when OSL sampling sediment associated with middens which may have undergone human disturbance and that further work is required to improve the regional marine reservoir correction for radiocarbon dating in this part of South Africa. The study also illustrates that AAR will only provide useful data provided that middens have been sufficiently deeply buried to overcome fluctuations in environmental variables that affect the racemization rate and that inter-genus comparisons should be avoided. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene lake-level fluctuations in the Lahontan Basin, Nevada: Implications for the distribution of archaeological sitesGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 5 2008Kenneth D. Adams The Great Basin of the western U.S. contains a rich record of Late Pleistocene and Holocene lake-level fluctuations as well as an extensive record of human occupation during the same time frame. We compare spatial-temporal relationships between these records in the Lahontan basin to consider whether lake-level fluctuations across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition controlled distribution of archaeological sites. We use the reasonably well-dated archaeological record from caves and rockshelters as well as results from new pedestrian surveys to investigate this problem. Although lake levels probably reached maximum elevations of about 1230,1235 m in the different subbasins of Lahontan during the Younger Dryas (YD) period, the duration that the lakes occupied the highest levels was brief. Paleoindian and Early Archaic archaeological sites are concentrated on somewhat lower and slightly younger shorelines (_1220,1225 m) that also date from the Younger Dryas period. This study suggests that Paleoindians often concentrated their activities adjacent to large lakes and wetland resources soon after they first entered the Great Basin. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Geological processes and site structure: Assessing integrity at a Late Paleolithic open-air site in northern FranceGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 6 2006James G. Enloe The difficulty of reading the archaeological record of caves and rock shelters is becoming increasingly obvious to Paleolithic researchers. Although some open-air sites are thought to avoid such taphonomic complications, interpreting their archaeological record is less straightforward than assumed. Postdepositional processes may obscure structure in configurations of features and artifacts. Recently developed techniques for the excavation and analysis of Paleolithic cave sites can be applied to open-air sites before spatial patterning is interpreted for inferences about prehistoric social organization. Analysis of the orientation of elongated artifacts on the occupation surface of the late Upper Paleolithic site of Verberie, France, is employed for evaluation of the integrity of site structure. Results indicate spatial structure largely undisturbed by geological processes. The lack of disturbance in the configuration of archaeological materials allows for a behavioral interpretation of those remains. The proposition that Verberie was a hunting campsite for initial carcass processing is supported. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Taphonomy and site formation on California's Channel IslandsGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 6 2006Torben C. Rick Inhabited by humans for over 12,000 calendar years, California's Channel Islands contain thousands of archaeological sites, ranging from dense shell middens and villages to small lithic scatters and camps. Similar to many islands around the world, the Channel Islands have a dearth of burrowing animals and limited historical development leading to generally good preservation of archaeological constituents and relatively high stratigraphic integrity. Despite these favorable preservation conditions, numerous natural and cultural processes have impacted the island's archaeological record. Channel Islands archaeologists, however, have given relatively limited attention to the effects of taphonomic and formation processes. The authors provide an overview of taphonomic and formation processes affecting Channel Islands archaeology, illustrating the importance of regional taphonomic syntheses in the management, preservation, and interpretation of archaeological sites. These data also demonstrate the significance of detailing formation processes in islands and other areas where burrowing rodents and other disturbances are thought to be absent or limited. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Experimental hearths and the thermal alteration of Caliche on the Southern High PlainsGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 7 2005Paul N. Backhouse Throughout the Holocene, caliche has been a ubiquitous technological resource for the people of the Southern High Plains. Archaeological sites on the Southern High Plains often contain thermal features that appear to utilize caliche nodules in various cultural processes. These processes usually involve some degree of thermal dynamic alteration to the caliche, identified in the archaeological record as fire-scorched or blackened nodules. Previous studies of the pyrodynamic properties of caliche have focused on quantification of color and fracture patterns within a laboratory setting, without direct involvement of cultural processes or problems associated with thermal features. Thermal alteration variables of caliche are examined from an actualistic perspective, utilizing previously excavated basin feature geometry and local caliche outcrops. Results indicate that sustained, intense heating of caliche (above 204°C) causes significant, but variable, structural transformations at the specimen level. The experimental use of shallow basin hearths demonstrates that hearth structures were easily capable of achieving and sustaining temperatures that would result in the physical alteration of individual caliche nodules, defined here as hearthstones. The broader implications of this study suggest that the interpretation of archaeological hearthstone assemblages should reflect variability, as observed during this experiment. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Quaternary paleoenvironments and potential for human exploitation of the Jordan plateau desert interiorGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 4 2005Caroline P. Davies The physical, chemical, numerical, and radiometric analyses of a 31-m sediment core from the Qa'el-Jafr basin provide an important record of Quaternary paleoenvironments for the Jordan Plateau and evidence for several significant changes in climate regime. Cluster and PCA analyses of the geochemical data support the designation of major sedimentation regimes identified by stratigraphic and sediment analyses. Multiple cycles of alluvial deposition, lacustrine units, and erosional unconformities characterize the deepest sediments, followed by a period(s) of intense evaporation. Radiocarbon ages of charcoal in the uppermost 7 m place the aeolian/alluvial phase between 16,030 ± 140 yr B.P. and 24,470 ± 240 yr B.P. Deflation processes may explain the lack of a Holocene sequence. Despite lacking radiometric ages for the lower sediments, the thickness and degree of calcium-carbonate cementation suggest considerable age for the basal sediments, which suggests that a very long terrestrial record of Quaternary climate changes has been preserved in the Jafr basin. This new record of paleoenvironments provides important context to the archaeological record of the Jordan Plateau during the Quaternary. Several archaeological surveys demonstrate extensive human exploitation of lakes and springs of the major wadis along the western margin of the Rift Valley. However, little is known of human exploitation of the desert interiors. Qa'el-Jafr sediments demonstrate significant lacustrine and high moisture phases sufficient for human exploitation of the eastern desert during the Pleistocene. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] The effects of burrowing activity on archaeological sites: Ndondondwane, South AfricaGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 5 2004Kent D. Fowler Burrowing activity is a widely recognized source of site modification. Most taphonomic studies of burrowers emphasize their destructive aspects on the archaeological record. Excavations at Ndondondwane, South Africa, suggest burrowing activity is destructive in some ways, but may also preserve cultural behavior. Drawing on both direct and indirect sources of evidence, we discuss how burrowing activity by rodents, earthworms, and termites can inform about pedogenic and depositional processes at archaeological sites and both preserve and destroy evidence of intra-settlement patterns and early African cultigens. Specifically, we demonstrate the limited effect of earthworms on site stratigraphy, how the localized activity of termites have preserved casts of early African cultigens, and how the ability of archaeologists to distinguish the devastating effects of rodent burrowing from remains of architectural features have permitted important inferences about social and ritual life in early African farming communities. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Inverted clast stratigraphy in an eolian archaeological environmentGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 7 2002Brenda J. Buck Understanding the geomorphic history of eolian basins is important in interpreting the archaeological record and human responses to past environments. One hundred forty soil profiles were excavated and described in southern New Mexico and West Texas. Seven major late Quaternary stratigraphic units were found: La Mesa, eolian Jornada (I, II), eolian Isaacks' Ranch, eolian Organ (I, II, and III), Historical Blowsand, and the playa deposits of Petts Tank and Lake Tank. Each unit represents a period of landscape instability, eolian erosion, and concurrent deposition, followed by landscape stability and soil formation. Eolian erosion can form local surficial lag deposits if materials larger than the competence of the wind are present. However, erosional processes alone cannot explain the presence of older clasts at the surface with intact, younger deposits underneath. We propose a combination of processes: deflation in eolian windows, followed by lateral movement of clasts over areas that have not been deflated. The effects of these processes on artifact stratigraphy and archaeological interpretations could be significant. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Micromorphological studies of Greek prehistoric sites: New insights in the interpretation of the archaeological recordGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2002Panagiotis Karkanas Ongoing micromorphological studies in several prehistoric sites of Greece (Theopetra cave, Boila rockshelter, Alonnisos, Drakaina cave, Kouveleiki cave, Lakonis cave complex, and Dispilio lake dwelling) provide new information on the relationship between environmental changes and the cultural history of the sites. The frequent climatic oscillations during the last glacial directly influenced the occupational mode of Theopetra cave and Boila rockshelter in northern Greece. Soil micromorphology may be a promising tool in unraveling differences in the occupational history due to climatic changes among diverse areas of Greece. Some preliminary observations from the Lakonis cave complex, in southern coastal Greece, support the existence of such differences. Evidence brought forward with the micromorphological study of Dispilio lake dwelling and Theopetra cave suggests that during the Holocene, aridification phases evident in the Mediterranean region might have also played a role in the Greek prehistoric settlement pattern. So far, evidence for aridification phases is present for the end of the Mesolithic and probably for part of the Final Neolithic. In several cases, micromorphology has revealed details of the cultural nature of the sites. Questions related to occupational intensity (Theopetra, Lakonis, Kouveleiki, and Drakaina caves), post-depositional changes and cultural modification of the sediments (Alonnisos, Theopetra, and Drakaina caves), constructions (Theopetra and Drakaina caves), and stratigraphic correlation (Boila) have been satisfactorily addressed along with the analysis of the microstructure of the sediments. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] The effects of temporal and spatial patterns of Holocene erosion and alluviation on the archaeological record of the Central and Eastern Great Plains, U.S.A.GEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2002E. Arthur Bettis III Patterns of erosion and deposition act as a filter that strongly influences the disposition of the archaeological record of the Central and Eastern Plains of the North American Midcontinent. Detailed studies of alluvial valley stratigraphy in four drainage basins in the region reveal temporal and spatial patterns of fluvial system behavior that control the preservation and visibility of past human activity. These basins are located on a 600-km-long longitudinal gradient extending from semiarid southwestern Kansas to moist-subhumid central Iowa. Despite significant environmental variability along this transect, basin-wide patterns of Holocene erosion and deposition are similar across the study area. From ca. 11,000 to 8000 yr B.P., aggradation, punctuated by slow alluviation and/or stability around 10,000 yr B.P., was the dominant process in large and some small valleys. The early and middle Holocene (ca. 8000,5000 yr B.P.) was a period of net erosion and sediment movement in small valleys, sediment storage in large valleys, and episodic aggradation on alluvial fans. During the late Holocene (post-5000 yr B.P.), alluvial fans stabilized, small valleys became zones of net sediment storage, and aggradation slowed in large valleys. Basin-wide aggradation followed by entrenchment and channel migration characterizes fluvial activity during the Historic period. Consideration of the effects of these temporal and spatial patterns of Holocene erosion and alluviation on the archaeological record is crucial for developing efficient cultural resource sampling strategies and for accurately interpreting the archaeological record. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Cultural Site Formation Processes in Maritime Archaeology: Disaster Response, Salvage and Muckelroy 30 Years onINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NAUTICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Martin Gibbs Thirty years after Muckelroy's seminal 1976 paper on shipwreck site formation, research on the cultural processes which contribute to the creation and modification of shipwrecks remains limited. It is proposed that by adopting a process-oriented framework, we can integrate and synthesize the documentary, oral and archaeological evidence of human response to shipwreck into a structure which parallels the physical progress of the disaster. Possible cultural responses to shipwreck are considered, from pre-voyage planning through to post-impact salvage, including physical correlations potentially visible in the archaeological record. © 2006 The Author [source] Who were the Meroites?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 4 2010A biological investigation into the Nubian post-hiatus group Abstract Scholars have identified a hiatus in the archaeological record of Lower Nubia that spans approximately 1000 years. This interval may represent a desertion of Lower Nubia by its inhabitants. Evidence of occupation did not reappear in the area until the Meroitic time period. However, the identity of the returning people has been the subject of speculation. In order to determine who the Meroites of Lower Nubia were, 20 cranial non-metric traits were observed on six Nubian groups, representing five time periods. Two groups date to time periods immediately before (Kerma) and immediately after (X-Group) the Meroitic period. Three additional Nubian groups (two Christian samples from different sites and Sesebi, a contemporary sample) were utilised as outgroups to elucidate a clearer picture of the relationship among the six samples. Mahalanobis D2 with a tetrachoric matrix was employed for calculating biological distances among the groups. Principal coordinates analysis produced two clusters of Nubians, where the Meroitics clustered with other Nubian groups. Specific distance scores indicate the Meroites were biologically similar to individuals from the time periods prior to and after their arrival in Lower Nubia. The Meroites therefore appear to be a Nubian group returning to Lower Nubia after its desertion. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Disentangling the Harrisson archive to interpret the spatial and temporal distribution of vertebrate remains at Niah Caves, SarawakINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 4 2009P. J. Piper Abstract During the 1950s and 1960s, excavations by the Sarawak Museum at Niah Cave in northwest Borneo produced an enormous archive of records and artefacts, including in excess of 750,000 macro- and micro-vertebrate remains. The excellent state of preservation of the animal bone, dating from the Late Pleistocene (c. 40,kya) to as recently as c. 500 years ago had the potential to provide unparalleled zooarchaeological information about early hunter-gatherer resource procurement, temporal changes in subsistence patterning, and the impact of peoples on the local and regional environment in Island Southeast Asia. However, the coarse-grained methods of excavation employed during the original investigations and the sheer scale of the archaeological record and bone assemblages dissuaded many researchers from attempting to tackle the Niah archives. This paper outlines how important information on the nature of the archaeological record at Niah has now finally been extracted from the archive using a combination of zooarchaeological analysis and reference to the extensive archaeological records from the site. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Vanishing carnivores: what can the disappearance of large carnivores tell us about the Neanderthal world?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 3-4 2004Jordí Estévez Abstract This paper examines the relationship between the extinction of carnivores and the disappearance of the Neanderthals. The Iberian Peninsula, as the westernmost point of Eurasia, is the key for an understanding of either the replacement or the continuity of hominids. Cave bear evolutionary history shares some trends with that of the Neanderthals. This means that most of the causes cited to explain the disappearance of Neanderthals have some implications that are linked with this carnivore's history. Some of the causes for the extinction of both are presented together and discussed. We analyse the contrast between the evidence from both central Europe and the Iberian Peninsula, which suggests a cause different from mere climatic stress for the extinction. The problems of the Iberian archaeological record are revised and we stress the need for a large European research programme to verify the data. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Archaeozoological evidence for pastoral systems and herd mobility: the remains from Sos Höyük and Büyüktepe HöyükINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Sarah Howell-Meurs Abstract Characterization of pastoral economics in the archaeological record is recognized as being particularly difficult. While architectural evidence may provide ambiguous indicators of nomadism, animal remains afford greater clarity concerning assessment of herd and thus economic mobility. To highlight archaeozoological applications towards the analysis of herd movement as it may relate to the analysis and definition of economic systems, the mobility of the pastoral systems practised at Sos Höyük and Büyüktepe Höyük during the Early Bronze and Iron Age periods was investigated in terms of various facets of archaeozoological evidence. Sedentary occupation of these sites was suggested by the faunal remains on the basis of evidence, including use of seasonally available resources, relative abundance and representation of the main domesticates and dental data. These results suggest that analysis based upon multiple lines of archaeozoological evidence provides the most fruitful means of investigating pastoral mobility. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Creole Materialities: Archaeological Explorations of Hybridized Realities on a North American PlantationJOURNAL OF HISTORICAL SOCIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010STEPHEN A. MROZOWSKI This paper explores the hybridized realities of European, Native American and Afro-Caribbean/Afro-American residents of Sylvester Manor, New York and Constant Plantation, Barbados during the seventeenth century. It draws on archaeological and landscape evidence from two plantations that were owned and operated by different members of the same family during the seventeenth century. One of plantations, known as Sylvester Manor, encompassed all 8,000 acres of Shelter Island, New York. It was established in 1652 primarily to help in the provisioning of two large sugar plantations on Barbados, Constant and Carmichael plantations. Sylvester Manor was operated by Nathaniel Sylvester; an Englishman who spent the first twenty years of life living in Amsterdam where his father was a merchant. Constant and Carmichael plantations were operated by his brother Constant Sylvester. Both the Barbados and New York plantations relied upon a labor force of enslaved Afro-Caribbean's. Archaeological evidence from Sylvester Manor has also revealed that Native American laborers played a prominent role in the daily activities of this northern plantation. Material and landscape evidence reveal the construction of hybridized identities that in the case of Barbados, are still part of the fabric of a postcolonial reality. Evidence from Sylvester Manor provides detailed insights into the construction of hybridized identities under the exigencies of a plantation economy whose global connections are dramatically visible in the archaeological record. [source] Fire and vegetation history on Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands, and long-term environmental change in southern California,JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 5 2010R. Scott Anderson Abstract The long-term history of vegetation and fire was investigated at two locations , Soledad Pond (275,m; from ca. 12 000,cal. a BP) and Abalone Rocks Marsh (0,m; from ca. 7000,cal. a BP) , on Santa Rosa Island, situated off the coast of southern California. A coastal conifer forest covered highlands of Santa Rosa during the last glacial, but by ca. 11 800,cal. a BP Pinus stands, coastal sage scrub and grassland replaced the forest as the climate warmed. The early Holocene became increasingly drier, particularly after ca. 9150,cal. a BP, as the pond dried frequently, and coastal sage scrub covered the nearby hillslopes. By ca. 6900,cal. a BP grasslands recovered at both sites. Pollen of wetland plants became prominent at Soledad Pond after ca. 4500,cal. a BP, and at Abalone Rocks Marsh after ca. 3465,cal. a BP. Diatoms suggest freshening of the Abalone Rocks Marsh somewhat later, probably by additional runoff from the highlands. Introduction of non-native species by ranchers occurred subsequent to AD 1850. Charcoal influx is high early in the record, but declines during the early Holocene when minimal biomass suggests extended drought. A general increase occurs after ca. 7000,cal. a BP, and especially after ca. 4500,cal. a BP. The Holocene pattern closely resembles population levels constructed from the archaeological record, and suggests a potential influence by humans on the fire regime of the islands, particularly during the late Holocene. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] THE MINOAN FALLACY: CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND MORTUARY BEHAVIOUR ON CRETE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BRONZE AGEOXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1 2009BORJA LEGARRA HERRERO Summary We are becoming increasingly aware of regional data patterning in the archaeological record of Prepalatial Crete, yet a theoretically informed and methodologically systematic study assessing the significance of such differences is still lacking. This article investigates variation through the rich mortuary record of the period and explores the significance of such diversity for our understanding of Prepalatial Crete. A detailed analysis using mortuary data reveals a complex spatial and temporal variation in the record which raises questions about social, political and ideological differences between communities on the island during the early periods of the Early Bronze Age. Prepalatial Crete emerges from this analysis as a complex context resulting from an intricate combination of local and regional histories and trajectories and far from the unified culture that the term ,Minoan' implies. [source] SOCIAL NETWORKS AND CROSS-CULTURAL INTERACTION: A NEW INTERPRETATION OF THE FEMALE TERRACOTTA FIGURINES OF HELLENISTIC BABYLONOXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 2 2007STEPHANIE M. LANGIN-HOOPER Summary. In the study of the Hellenistic period in Babylon, cross-cultural interactions between Greeks and native Babylonians have been primarily interpreted using colonialist theories of Hellenisation, domination, and cultural isolation. This paper finds, however, that such theories cannot adequately explain the types of cross-cultural combinations seen in the archaeological record of female Hellenistic Babylonian terracotta figurines. The forms and functions of these terracotta figurines were substantially altered and combined throughout the Hellenistic period, resulting in Greek-Babylonian multicultural figurines as well as figurines that exhibited new features used exclusively in Hellenistic Babylonia. In order to facilitate a greater understanding of the full complexity of these Greek,Babylonian interactions, a new interpretation of cross,cultural interaction in Hellenistic Babylon is developed in this paper. This Social Networks model provides an alternative framework for approaching both how a hybrid material culture of terracotta figurines was developed and how Hellenistic Babylon became a multicultural society. [source] Experiencing Texture and Transformation in the British NeolithicOXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 3 2002Vicki Cummings The Neolithic period saw the introduction of new material culture into Britain, including monuments, pottery and polished stone axes. Over recent years, the uses and meanings of these objects and places have been considered in depth, with emphasis now firmly placed upon their social role and symbolic value. However, a growing interest in a multi,sensual archaeology has highlighted the paucity of information concerning the role of texture in the experience of Neolithic material culture. This paper will examine the evidence for the use of texture in the archaeological record. I will suggest that texture may have been a fundamental part of the experience of objects and monuments, and may have imparted meanings and messages to those who came into contact with them. In particular, the transformation of differing textures may have been a crucial metaphor in the Neolithic. [source] The Tagus Middle Basin (Iberian Peninsula) from the Neolithic to the Iron Age (V-I Millennium Cal.OXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 3 2000BC): The Long Way to Social Complexity This study is the result of surveys and excavations carried out in a selected area of the middle basin of the Tagus river (Southern Meseta, Iberian Peninsula). The analysis of palaeoecological data, material assemblages, settlement patterns, domestic structures, funerary evidence and socio-economic context in the regional archaeological record from the Neolithic (5000 BC) to the beginning of the Iron Age (500 BC) allows us to identify several long-term historic processes; particularly, two habitational, demographic and socio-economic cycles, which contradict the traditional idea that the prehistory of inner Iberia presents almost no apparent change during these four millennia. [source] Adaptations to humeral torsion in medieval BritainAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2006Jill A. Rhodes Abstract Adaptations to the humeral torsion angle have been identified in the professional throwing athlete. This movement pattern increases the humeral torsion angle, and also increases the extent of external rotation movements in the dominant, throwing limb when compared with the nondominant limb. The purpose of this paper is to test the hypothesis that the humeral torsion angle is an adaptation to upper limb use. This project examines the humeral torsion angle in a number of medieval British populations, as well as a modern cadaver-based sample. The results identify significant differences in the humeral torsion angle both between and within male (P < 0.001, ANOVA) and female (P < 0.014, ANOVA) populations, although the results are not consistent with expected behavior patterns. Statistically significant differences between males and females within the same site were identified in 2 of the 5 samples examined. The mean level of bilateral asymmetry does not approach that reported for the professional throwing athlete. However, a number of individuals have high levels of asymmetry in excess of that identified in the professional throwing athlete. This analysis demonstrates the need for individual rather than population-based analyses, as the heterogeneity within population samples obscures individual variation in activity patterns. The diversity within British medieval society and a lack of specific known behaviors prevent further identification of the functional significance of the humeral torsion angle within the archaeological record examined here. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Former distribution and decline of the burbot (Lota lota) in the UKAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 4 2010T. Worthington Abstract 1.Species reintroductions are an increasingly fashionable tool among conservation practitioners for restoring locally and nationally extinct populations. For a reintroduction programme to be successful, an understanding of the causes of the decline of a species is required. This, however, proves challenging when baseline data on the distribution and abundance of the species are limited. 2.This paper uses evidence from historical literature to map the former distribution of the burbot (Lota lota) within UK rivers before its extinction in the early 1970s. A scoring system was developed to model anecdotal descriptions of burbot abundance from the collected literature. 3.The former distribution was divided into four geographical areas based loosely on catchment boundaries. The literature identifies 42 rivers in eastern England in which the burbot was likely to have existed. The status of the species in the Thames catchment is still unclear as information from written sources is contradicted by evidence from the archaeological record. 4.The findings indicate that the year of source data was a significant predictor of burbot abundance across the former population as a whole and for three of the four geographical areas (the Trent catchment, the Fenland rivers and the Yorkshire rivers). The timing of the burbot's decline showed differences between the geographical regions, with the Trent catchment exhibiting an earlier decline than the Fenland and Yorkshire areas. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The decline of eastern Arabia in the Sasanian periodARABIAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND EPIGRAPHY, Issue 1 2007Derek Kennet This paper lists and reviews the archaeological evidence for the Sasanian period in eastern Arabia (third,seventh centuries AD). Much of the published evidence is shown to be either erroneous or highly doubtful, leaving very little evidence that is reliable. It is argued that the paucity of evidence in comparison to the Hellenistic/Parthian period indicates that this was a time of marked and continuing decline in the number and size of settlements, the number of tombs and the amount of coinage in circulation, all of which probably result from a population that was both declining in size and participating less in the types of production and consumption that leave discoverable traces in the archaeological record. This is in contrast to the historical evidence, which, although patchy, is stronger for the Sasanian period than it is for the Hellenistic/Parthian period. The argument for decline challenges some generally accepted historical views of eastern Arabia at this time, which see the region as undergoing a notable period of growth. In conclusion, some brief consideration is given to the possible causes of the decline. [source] Using LiDAR to detect cultural resources in a forested environment: an example from Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, USAARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, Issue 3 2008Julie M. Gallagher Abstract This article discusses the use of light detecting and ranging (LiDAR) technology as an effective remote sensing tool for the location of cultural resources. Its use, particularly in Europe, has proven successful in the identification of archaeological sites obscured by dense vegetation or surface disturbances. This study used LiDAR-derived imagery to detect pre- and post-European contact sites, and their related features, in densely forested environments on Isle Royale, Michigan, USA. LiDAR bare-Earth models were used to ,see through' the vegetation in an effort to: (i) identify cultural features prior to the implementation of a pedestrian reconnaissance survey; (ii) aid in the development of a more informed survey strategy; and (iii) produce an overall safer, more efficient and more cost-effective research design. Three study areas were selected for investigation. Within these three study areas, a total of seven investigation locales containing 32 separate features were identified using LiDAR-derived imagery. Eighteen of the 32 features were found to have been previously recorded. Of the remaining 14 features, seven were confirmed in the field as being cultural features and were recorded for the first time as a result of this investigation. The remaining seven could not be located on the ground or were found to be non-cultural. The results of this study support the use of LiDAR as a viable method for the detection of cultural resources, particularly in remote and heavily forested environments. Despite its positive contributions, there is a limited range of archaeological (surface) features that can be detected using this technology. As applied to archaeology, LiDAR is not an exclusive investigatory technique. It must be part of a comprehensive research strategy that integrates field, laboratory and archival investigation in order to achieve the best possible interpretation of the archaeological record. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] GIS in archaeology,the interface between prospection and excavationARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, Issue 3 2004Wolfgang NeubauerArticle first published online: 12 MAY 200 Abstract Archaeological prospection and excavation have the same research objective, namely, the study of the material culture of humans. They investigate the archaeological record but are based on different physical properties and work with different resolution and instrumentation. In addition to the study of literature concerning antique discoveries and the collection and evaluation of surface finds, it is aerial archaeology and geophysical prospection that are the most suitable methods of achieving the intended goal. Aerial photographs provide the archaeologist with a large-scale overview, and digital photogrammetric evaluation provides very detailed topographic maps and orthophotographs of the archaeological structures visible on the surface. These structures appear in various forms, through contrasts in the physical properties between the structures themselves and the material that surrounds them. In geophysical prospection, the contrasts between the physical properties of the archaeological structures and the surrounding material usually can be investigated only in the near-surface or with direct ground contact. These contrasts are not directly visible, however, and must instead be measured and converted into a comprehensible visualization. The prospection methods used in the interpretation process are not significantly different from one to another. Interpretation encompasses the localization and classification of archaeological structures, the analysis of their spatial relationships, as well as the creation of models showing the main stratification at a site. Unlike excavations, through archaeological interpretation of prospection data, various accurate archaeological models of the entire site and the surrounding landscape can be made available rapidly. These models can be used for targeted excavations, so as to further condense the information and to refine the models. If all the data are made available in a geographical information system (GIS), it can be combined and further analysed by the excavator as well as by the prospector. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The identification of Roman buildings from the air: recent discoveries in Western Transylvania,ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, Issue 2 2003W. S. Hanson Abstract An ongoing programme of archaeological aerial reconnaissance in southwestern Transylvania, the first time such a programme has been conducted in Romania, revealed quite large numbers of negative cropmarks or parchmarks, particularly in the dry summer of 2000. These areas of restricted crop growth indicated the presence of buried stone-walled buildings, predominantly of Roman date, which were previously unknown. Important discoveries included much of the internal plan of the auxiliary fort at Cigmau; an extensive civil settlement to the east of that fort; buildings within the civil settlements outside the forts at Vetel (Micia) and Razboieni; buildings and property boundaries within the municipium at Apulum (Alba Iulia); and villas at Oarda and Vintu de Jos. By contrast, positive cropmarks, enhanced growth reflecting the existence of buried pits or enclosure ditches, were observed only rarely. Explanations for this phenomenon linked to a bias in the reconnaissance programme or to a general absence of enclosed sites within the archaeological record in the area are rejected. The preferred explanation relates to local soil conditions, whereby the widespread, deep alluvial soils reduce the contrast in moisture content between buried archaeological ditches or pits and the surrounding soil matrix so that positive cropmarks are rarely formed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||