A Multidisciplinary Approach to Environmental Reconstruction and Viticulture at Roman St. Petkina Niva in the Ohrid Region, North Macedonia

Organic Geochemical Evidence for Pine Tar Production in Middle Eastern Sweden During the Roman Iron Age

An alabaster lid with a resinous accretion burnt or stuck next to the handle and on the base was uncovered in the Nabataean rest stop in Moyat Aawad (Moa) in the Arava valley in Israel. The analysis of this resin sample utilising GC-MS revealed several types of compounds. The chemical analysis revealed compounds typically present in pine tar and plant lipid material (probably oil). The use of pine resin, tar and pitch derived from plant resins is documented in antiquity, not only as a sealant or caulking material but also as medicines, antiseptics and ritual balms.

Tragtbægerkulturens slutfase. Nye C-14 dateringer

Articolul de faţă prezintă analiza unui eşantion de faună provenit din campaniile arheologice 2010– 2012, din locuirea Cernavodă I, de la Radovanu – Gorgana întâia. Din cele 636 fragmente, 433 provin dintr- o groapă menajeră - Gr. 11, restul din trei locuinţe, o anexă şi alte şase gropi menajere. Potrivit statisticilor, spectrul faunistic este dominat de mamiferele domestice cu o pondere de 91,69% pe resturi şi 66,67% pe indivizi. Speciile vânate au o cotă de numai 8,31% pe resturi şi 33,33% pe indivizi. Cu un procent de 37,36% pe resturi rumegătoarele mici prevalează în segmentul domestic, urmate de bovine cu 35,85% şi suine cu 17,73%. Câinele înregistrează doar 0,75%, neexistând dovezi clare de consum. Notăm absenţa oaselor de cal, apariţie rară, dar constantă, în aşezările perioadei respective. Pe lângă creşterea oilor, caprelor, vitelor, porcilor şi vânătoare, ocazional se pescuia şi se adunau scoici. Din păcate, resturile lor sunt nesemnificative cantitativ, fiind vorba de un os de peşte şi două cochilii de scoică de râu. Profilele de abataj ale rumegătoarelor mici şi viţeilor diferă puţin ; per ansamblu, se urmărea acelaşi lucru, exploatarea cărnii, laptelui şi pieilor după sacrificare.

<i>Hellenistic and Roman Gerasa: The Archaeology and History of a Decapolis City</i>. Edited by Achim Lichtenberger and Rubina Raja. Turnhout: Brepols 2020. Pp. xviii + 390. €110. ISBN 978-2-503-58504-8 (paper).

Iron Age Ritual, a Hillfort and Evidence for a Minster at Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

Nieznane bagienne miejsce ofiarne z okresu rzymskiego na terenie Wielkopolski

This study aims to assess the state of material cultural heritage in the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of North Macedonia, focusing on identification and promotion at both national and international levels, with an emphasis on digitization and improving the register of cultural assets. The recommended approach, which supports sustainable development, not only enables the comprehensive protection of all cultural resources, adding new value, but also minimizes the risk of permanent loss. The authors stress the importance of ongoing efforts to identify previously undiscovered cultural heritage and protect it from damage, decay, neglect, and theft. Given that cultural heritage is continuously exposed to natural elements and human activities, policymakers are encouraged to further raise awareness of cultural values and recognize threats arising from the short-term interests of local communities, which might result in erosion and loss of protected cultural monuments and landscapes. The research utilized an opportunistic, convenience sampling method, surveying residents of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of North Macedonia across five or eight regions (n1=163, n2=96, n=259). The findings revealed that 77% of respondents believe the protection of material cultural heritage is inadequate. Citizens of the Republic of Serbia identified unsatisfactory maintenance and a lack of financial resources as the greatest threats, while respondents from the Republic of North Macedonia pointed to unsatisfactory maintenance and weak enforcement of management regulations as their primary concerns. The research also indicated that individuals with advanced degrees (Magister, Master, and Doctor of Science) have a better understanding of material cultural heritage. Overall, the primary cause cited for a good knowledge of material cultural heritage was an interest in customs and traditions, while the key reason for insufficient knowledge was the lack of media representation.

This review article considers the following aspects: naturally distributed chemical elements and their enrichments, and the increased occurrence of PTEs due to anthropogenic and urban activities, as well as due to the geochemical uniqueness of certain geochemical landscapes, depending on the lithological environment. The review article is the result of many years of successful cooperation between the Geological Survey of Slovenia and the Faculty of Natural Sciences in Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, as well as several other institutions from North Macedonia, Russia and Romania but, also, through the voluntary and enthusiastic work of Prof. Trajče Stafilov’s PhD and Master’s students. To create the Geochemical Atlas, the territory of North Macedonia was covered with 995 sampling locations, but 16 separate areas with soil contamination were additionally sampled. The total sum of all collected soil samples was 3983 from 2449 different sampling sites in the period from 2006 to 2017. The analyses were performed at the Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences in Skopje, at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia, at the Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation (ICIA), Cluj-Napoca, Romania, at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Moscow Region, Russia, and at Acme Labs in Vancouver, Canada. The sum of all analysed soil samples in all four mentioned laboratories was 7991 from 2006 to 2017. Using advanced mathematical methods such as multivariate statistical methods (HCA, FA, PCA) and artificial neural networks–multilayer perceptron (ANN-MP), predictions were made about the concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and their distribution in real space. In less than two decades (2007–2023) of fruitful collaboration, a large number of scientific works have been published: 188 scientific publications, 8 geochemical atlases and 23 chapters in monographs.

The main objective of this study is to present the distribution of different chemical elements in soil samples from the Skopje region, North Macedonia. To determine the level of presence of chemical elements, soil samples are collected from a total of 60 locations. From each location, from an area of 5 × 5 km2 samples of soil are collected: topsoil (0–5 cm) and subsoil (20–30 cm). The soil samples were analyzed for 69 elements by using two instrumental methods: inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) for macro-elements and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for trace elements. A factor analysis was applied to analyze the factors affecting the linear combination variables grouped at the same factor. Spatial distribution maps of each factor as well as distribution maps for the analyzed elements were prepared by universal kriging interpolation. It was found that the distribution of most elements follows the lithology of the examined area, except for some elements (Cd, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Pb, and Zn) whose higher contents are found in the area of the city of Skopje as a result of urban and industrial activities (traffic, metal processing, fossil fuel combustion for heating).

This research studies the copper contents in vineyard soils under vineyards affected by the long-term use of copper-based fungicides and evaluates the extent of this influence on the super accumulation in the main viniculture growing regions in North Macedonia. The soil samples were taken from individual vineyards located in the Tikvesh region, from two depths: 0-30 and 30-60 cm. At the same time, control samples were collected from each of the visited sites. The control samples were taken from untreated nearby locations under natural conditions in order to determine the background concentrations. The available copper (Cu) contents were analysed on soil samples taken from 100 locations, 50 of which represent vineyard soils (organic and conventional farming) and 50 control samples from nearby forests and sites. The main finding is that the average available copper concentrations are significantly higher in soils under vineyards, compared to the background concentration in control samples, especially in these with organic farming where the use of coper-based fungicides is more intensive. A comparison of the copper contents in vineyards to the background concentrations of control samples clearly confirmed the anthropogenic influence. A significantly very high level of copper (10.70-18.77 mg/kg) was measured in the soil samples from organic farming. The control samples contained a significantly lower concentration of copper, between average 1.39- 1.62 mg/kg (0-30 cm) and 0.68-0.88 mg/kg (30-60 cm). According to the micronutrient rating as related to a soil test with the DTPA extraction reagent (Jones, 2001) applied in this study, a significant potential ecological risk has been noticed in the agricultural soil samples (organic and conventional production).

Development and application of tests for microplastic detection in soil

The phenomenon of prehistoric ritual pits: Several examples from the central Balkans

:<i>Metal Finds and Coins: Final Publications from the Danish-German Jerash Northwest Quarter Project II</i>

Macedonia originally was a Greek region, with a Greek tribe and a Greek kingdom. Macedonian and Greek culture spread until the period of Hellenism. With the conquest by the Romans in the first century before Christ, Macedonia became part of the Roman Empire. With the partition of the Roman Empire in the third century after Christ, Macedonia became part of the eastern Roman Empire, later called Byzantium. The region of Macedonia remained part of Byzantium until the conquest of the Ottomans in the fifteenth century. It remained under Ottoman rule and cultural influence until the first Balkan War of 1912, when the northern part of Macedonia became Serbian. The southern part became Greek in 1912.