Abundant Artifacts Research Articles

Sitwe 23, a Complex ESA/MSA Locality in the Northern Luangwa Valley, Zambia

This paper describes the lithic aggregates from Sitwe 23 (SW23), a Stone Age locality in a previously unstudied region of the northern Luangwa Valley, Zambia. This area yielded two surface lithic scatters containing abundant artifacts derived from Pleistocene sediments on uplifted terrain and exposed by recent erosion on two adjacent terraces. The scatters are time-averaged palimpsests formed by deflation, but most of the lithics lack evidence of significant fluvial transport or post-depositional damage, indicating minimal horizontal displacement. Typological and attribute analyses of samples from both spurs reveal predominantly simple and expedient core and flake technologies, as well as sophisticated biface manufacture and Levallois technique producing flakes and points that are differentially distributed between the terraces. The artifacts identified in this analysis include types conventionally considered diagnostic of the Acheulean, Sangoan, and Middle Stone Age, suggesting that the collections may document one or more temporal windows during the Chibanian age (770–126 ka). Whether artifacts in these samples were originally deposited sequentially or concurrently is not yet known and alternative hypotheses are presented and discussed. The collections are compared to sites in Zambia and the northern Lake Malawi basin and found to be similar technologically but typologically different. Given the paucity of previously known Ston Age archaeological sites in the region, our work now demonstrates that northern Luangwa has significant archaeological potential and deserves further study.

Use of sediments and soils (paleosols) in construction fills of La Joya archaeological site, Veracruz, Mexico: micromorphological evidence

In this paper, we study the materials used for the construction of earthen structure in the La Joya archaeological site, on the Gulf of Mexico coast, built on top of a paleodune, from the Late Preclassic (400 BC) to the Classic period (AD 100-1000). The first constructions arise around 100 BC, on a paleodune top rising slightly above the surrounding alluvial terraces of the Jamapa river; then it grows into a 15-ha monumental compound. The total construction volume reaches 250,000 m3, all made of earth, surrounded by large artificial water pounds (reservoirs). To understand the kind of components found in the structures and their provenance, we compare the micromorphological features of the materials from the earthen constructions with the sediments and paleosols located in the surrounding areas. Samples were taken from the fills of three first building stages, as well as from a natural soil profile and the natural paleosol horizons found beneath the structures. Micromorphological features found in fills permit to establish the correlation between them and their parent material. The fills from the first stage of construction have fragments of a Btb horizon, mixed with an A horizon, compacted and crushed, in which abundant artifacts are identified. However, these artifacts were not intentionally incorporated to the fills, but had been accumulated on the pre-occupation A horizon as residential and agriculture trash. Particular attention was paid to a gley material occurring in the third building stage, that was believed to come from the sediments accumulated in the original borrow pits transformed into water reservoirs, enclosing the main architectural compound. These reservoir fills share properties of the natural sediments and paleosols but transformed by the waterlogging conditions. In consequence, these materials are interpreted as a case of anthropogenic pedogenesis, where the gley micromorphology indicates waterlogging conditions, but in artificially made reservoirs, as they do not have dark organic sediments that would result of the vegetation typical of a natural pond in a humid tropical environment.

A Late Pleistocene Wetland Setting in the Arid Jurf ed Darawish Region in Central Jordan

Current conditions in the southern Levant are hyperarid, and local communities rely on fossil subsurface water resources. The timing of more favourable wetter periods and also their spatial characteristics are not yet well constrained. To improve our understanding of past climate and environmental conditions in the deserts of the southern Levant, sedimentary sections including artefact-bearing beds from Jurf ed Darawish on the Central Jordanian Plateau were investigated using sedimentological and micropalaeontological analyses and OSL dating. Grain-size analysis and structures of the clayey-silty sediments show that they mainly represent reworked loess deposits. The OSL ages suggest that these fine-grained sediments were accumulated during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 5-3. Recorded ostracod valves (mostly Potamocypris, Ilyocypris and Pseudocandona), remains of aquatic and terrestrial gastropod shells, and charophyte gyrogonites and stem encrustations indicate that an in-stream wetland existed at the location of Jurf ed Darawish during MIS 5-4 which was replaced by a vegetated alluvial plain in MIS 3. The prevailing aggradational setting was replaced by an erosional setting sometime after 30 ka. Abundant artefacts, distributed over a vertical range of up to 40 cm in a bed covered by a sedimentary sequence of 12-m thickness, provide evidence for the presence of humans in the region during a relatively long period from ca. 85 to 65 ka. The reconstruction of an in-stream wetland at Jurf ed Darawish, and the presence of humans at the site and in other desert regions of the Jordanian Plateau, the Wadi Arava/Araba, and the Negev and the Nefud deserts, show that the regional climate in the late MIS 5 and MIS 4 was significantly wetter than today and provided favourable conditions for humans in the Southern Levant and the northwestern Arabian Peninsula.

The place beyond the trees: renewed excavations of the Middle Stone Age deposits at Olieboomspoort in the Waterberg Mountains of the South African Savanna Biome

Olieboomspoort is one of the few rock shelters in the vast interior of southern Africa documenting pulses of occupation from the Acheulean until the end of the Later Stone Age. Revil Mason excavated the site in 1954 and attributed the large Middle Stone Age (MSA) lithic assemblage to his middle phase of the so-called Pietersburg Industry. Recent work at the site has focused on the Holocene layers, but little is known about the earlier phases of shelter use. Here, we provide some background to the shelter, give a history of past research and present initial results following renewed fieldwork at the site. The MSA deposits contain abundant lithic artefacts and ochre, and we present an initial description of these cultural remains. Palynological analysis reveals limited potential for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, but some faunal remains indicate open grasslands. We dated two equid teeth that provided highly consistent combined U-series-ESR estimates, resulting in a mean age of 150 ± 14 ka (1σ). Even when considering potential sources of uncertainty such as variations in water-intake, these fossils can securely be dated to Marine Isotopic Stage 6. Our reappraisal of site formation processes highlights the fact that the archaeological assemblage is strongly time-averaged. We discuss these different results in the context of a recently rekindled interest in the so-called Pietersburg Industry.

Middle Dorset communal living at Alarniq, northern Foxe Basin, Inuit Nunangat (Arctic Canada)

Our understanding of Dorset communal living is largely derived from the Late Dorset period when longhouses are prevalent throughout the Eastern Arctic. However, based on the recent identification of large multi-family dwellings that date to the Middle Dorset period communal living was seemingly a significant part of Dorset lifeways much earlier. To date, few such dwellings have been excavated, and none have been published in detail. In 2015 a large Middle Dorset multi-family dwelling, Feature 9, was excavated at Alarniq, northern Foxe Basin, Nunavut— one of the largest Dorset sites found across the Eastern Arctic. Feature 9 is the fourth large Middle Dorset multi-family dwelling recorded at Alarniq and radiocarbon dates indicate that these dwellings were not a short-term phenomenon, but instead were built (and rebuilt) at the site for several centuries. Unlike Late Dorset longhouses, which appear to be warm season occupations containing few artifacts and faunal material, Feature 9 was occupied during the cold season, perhaps even year-round, and contained abundant artifacts and faunal material. Undoubtedly, it is an enlarged version of the more typical winter dwelling used in the region. However, since all known large Middle Dorset multi-family dwellings are associated with dwellings of a more typical size they may have also served as gathering spaces, in some ways resembling qaqqiq used in traditional Inuit society.

Hunter-gatherers on the basin’s edge: a preliminary look at Holocene human occupation of Nangara-Komba Shelter, Central African Republic

ABSTRACT Limited excavations at Nangara-Komba Shelter along the northern margin of the Congo Basin have recovered evidence for intermittent and at times intensive human visits beginning approximately 5100 cal. BC. Numerous rock art panels adorn the shelter’s walls and ceramics appear to have initially been brought to the site between 1050 and 900 cal. BC, if not earlier. Charred Canarium schweinfurthii endocarp fragments were collected in all stratigraphic aggregates and reflect the use of canarium for food, fuel and/or medicinal purposes during the middle and late Holocene. Abundant quartz and quartzite artefacts occur throughout the deposits and mark a continuous and stable microlithic tradition. The site was used only by foraging groups who ultimately interacted with Bantu and later Ubangian farmers and possibly smelters. Nangara-Komba represents a sheltered context where the use of lithic tools appears to have persisted well into the late Holocene and is the only known site in the Central African Republic and Sangha River Interval with episodic occupations spanning the past 7000 years.

Un bastón multiperforado de la ocupación del Magdaleniense Final de la cueva Aizkoltxo (Mendaro, Gipuzkoa)

La cavidad de Aizkoltxo se encuentra junto a la orilla del río Deba, próxima a otras cavidades con ocupaciones del Magdaleniense Superior-Final (Agarre, Ermittia, Praileaitz I y Urtiaga). A consecuencia de la actividad de furtivos se decidió realizar un sondeo para evaluar la estratigrafía del yacimiento y contextualizar los restos recuperados. En el curso de dichos trabajos se identificó un nivel atribuible al Magdaleniense Superior-Final, cuyo proceso de formación es poco habitual. En él, además de una abundante industria lítica y ósea datada en 14864-14160 cal BP se localizó el bastón que describimos, que conserva al menos cuatro perforaciones y que está profusamente decorado con motivos figurativos (un ciervo en visión frontal, y dos astas de ciervo además de dos équidos o, quizás, lepóridos) y signos (trazos simples, ahusados, Vs embutidas, Vs paralelas, etc.). Este excepcional objeto, junto a otros frecuentemente señalados, corrobora la estrecha relación de los yacimientos de la Cornisa Cantábrica con los del Golfo de Bizkaia, Pirineo Occidental y Central.

Analysis of lead-based archaeological pottery glazes by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the potential of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) in the analysis of pottery shards, which are commonly the most abundant artefacts recovered at archaeological sites. The analytical capability of LIBS in identification of elements characteristic to inorganic pigments used for decoration was assessed. Based on the specific elements detected in the LIBS spectra of glazes, correlations between the elemental composition of the glaze and the colours of the glazed surface were established. The results were in accordance with the previously reported Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) and Raman analyses of some of the samples, and with the presently performed XRF analysis. Two important parameters for plasma characterization, temperature and electron number density, were estimated from the spectral data. A potential use of LIBS for depth profiling was also investigated by analysing the silicon to aluminium intensity ratio as a function of the number of laser shots applied. Profilometry analysis of the damages created on the glazed surfaces by laser shots was used to estimate the average ablation depth and ablated mass.

Fluvial or aeolian? Unravelling the origin of the silty clayey sediment cover of terraces in the Hanzhong Basin (Qinling Mountains, central China)

This study is focused on a silty clayey sedimentary sequence on a terrace in the intramontane Hanzhong Basin, located in the Qinling Mountains (QLM), central China. Traditionally, the QLM are considered to have blocked dust transport from northwest to southeast China. However, in recent years, geo-archaeological studies have documented loess-palaeosol sequences at numerous locations in and surrounding the QLM. In the loess deposits overlying the terraces of the Hanjiang River in the Hanzhong-, Ankang- and Yunxian basins, abundant artefacts, flakes, stone tools (e.g., scrapers and choppers) and cores are commonly found. The loess deposits have been deposited with lower sedimentation rates, and they are finer grained and more intensely weathered compared to the loess deposits on the Central Loess Plateau (CLP). The loess deposits overly coarse sandy and gravely fluvial deposits (terraces). Silty fluvial deposits are situated in between them. Discrimination between these two types of deposits could prove difficult because both deposits are fine grained (silt and clay) and can have similar grain size distribution characteristics. This is, however, crucial for palaeo-environmental interpretations during hominin occupation, understanding fluvial morphodynamics, and for pedostratigraphic correlation with the typical loess-palaeosol sequences on the CLP. The aim of this research is to determine and characterize the transition of the fluvial to aeolian depositional environment in a fine grained sequence, based on field observations, organic matter and carbonate content, grain size and shape analyses, mineral content (mica's) and end-member modelling of the grain size dataset. In addition, terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides (TCN) burial dating is used to determine the age of the basal, coarse grained fluvial deposits. The determined age, 0.6 ± 0.14 Ma, allows for a chronological correlation of the deposits to the loess-palaeosol sequence on the CLP independent from the pedostratigraphic correlation. This age also gives insight in terrace abandonment and the fluvial morphodynamics of the Hanjiang River.The result indicates a clear distinction between sediments deposited in a fluvial environment and those formed in an aeolian depositional environment. However, the aeolian (loess) deposits show some atypical characteristics. For example, the end-member model results show a coarsening in the five palaeosol layers. This is in contrast with the fine grained nature of palaeosols on the CLP. The coarsening observed in the studied palaeosol layers is interpreted as the result of local surface runoff processes, eroding fine sediment and/or depositing relatively coarse material during interglacial periods.Because of the known depth of the fluvial-aeolian transition and the absolute age of the TCN burial dated terrace deposits, pedostratigraphic correlation of the palaeosol layers with the Central Loess Plateau is possible. The oldest palaeosol is correlated with S5 (0.625–0.503 Ma). The transition from a fluvial to aeolian environment takes place in L6, between 0.625 and 0.693 Ma. This is consistent with the TCN age of 0.6 ± 0.14 Ma. This age also marks the abandonment of the terrace caused by incision of the Hanjiang River, which is possibly related to an uplift phase of the QLM.

Paleoflooding reconstruction from Holocene levee deposits in the Lower Meuse valley, the Netherlands

This study investigates the Holocene levee deposits and paleoflooding history of the Lower Meuse in the Netherlands based on archeological investigations and sedimentary analyses (grain size, end-member modelling, magnetic susceptibility and thermogravimetric analyses). The levee on the left bank in the study area near Ooijen contains a continuous sedimentary record in the NW downstream part. The archeological evidence and sedimentary results, including a grain size based flood energy index (LFEI), indicate that the Lower Meuse experienced a quiescent flooding period and low sedimentation rates during the mid-late Mesolithic when the levee was low and human influence was minor. Deposition during the Mesolithic shows a fining-upward trend and a highly-developed soil containing abundant artefacts. During the Neolithic and Bronze Age, the flooding intensity was low but gradually increased to a moderate level probably because of deforestation and increased runoff. Limited Bronze Age findings may reflect decreased human activity because of the increased flooding. Starting from the Iron Age, the Meuse experienced a generally enhanced flooding regime, which is reflected by erosion and coarsened sedimentation in the Iron Age and Roman Period. The high peak discharges during the Iron Age may have re-opened a low-lying paleochannel near to the levee during the intensified floods. This general increasing trend is interrupted by the lower flooding phase in the early Middle Ages (Dark Ages). From the middle to the late Middle Ages, the floods intensified again. The coarsening deposition and higher sedimentation rates since the Iron Age resulted from increased floods and higher sediment supply by deforestation and soil erosion. The findings of this study agree with a recent paleoflood reconstruction for the Lower Meuse by using a floodplain archive, implying that levee sediment records have potential in paleohydrological studies if the completeness of the record and chronological information is guaranteed.

Fluvial terrace formation and its impacts on early human settlement in the Hanzhong basin, Qinling Mountains, central China

The Qinling Mountains (QLM) form the climatic boundary between the temperate north and subtropical south of China. Many important Paleolithic archaeological sites located on fluvial terraces in this area have been reported in recent decades. Abundant artifacts have been excavated in silt layers overlying fluvial gravels and coarse sands. These silt layers have thus far been interpreted as aeolian deposits. However, in principle they could also represent (in part) fluvial (floodplain) deposits, especially near the base of fine-grained sequences. Reconstruction of fluvial terrace formation is crucial for the correct interpretation of the environment of hominin occupation. In this paper, two sediment sequences from two Paleolithic sites, located on different terrace levels of the Hanjiang River in the Hanzhong basin, are studied mainly using grain-size and grain-shape analyses. In addition, grain-size distributions have been unraveled by applying end-member modelling to distinguish different sedimentary environments. The results show that three different units can be discriminated in each section. The lower unit, consisting of gravelly sand mixed with fine silt, is interpreted as shallow-channel-fill sediment deposited during the start of the transition from a channel to a floodplain environment. The middle unit comprises a fine-grained, gradually fining-upward sequence, representative a floodplain environment. At its base, it reflects a high-energy floodplain situation; at its top, the sequence is interpreted as a low-energy floodplain environment with aeolian input (settling in static water). The third, uppermost unit consists of aeolian loess interbedded with paleosol(s) and sediments that are interpreted as the results of episodic surface runoff. The gradual transition between the 3 units and the gradual fining upward trend of the middle unit indicates that there is no considerable age gap (no hiatus) between the fluvial- and aeolian sedimentary environments. Stone artifacts have been found in all 3 units, with difference abundance, indicating that both the aeolian and floodplain depositional environments provided favorable living conditions. For the floodplain environment, the resources of water and raw materials (fluvial gravels) for tool making may have offered fundamental resources for hominin settlement. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.

Feasibility of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Monitoring of Postoperative Total Knee Arthroplasty without Metal Artifacts: A Preliminary Study of a Novel Implant Model.

Background Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide superior detailed images of tissues without ionizing radiation, the imaging evaluation of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) complications and posttherapy changes can be limited because of abundant artifacts on MRI scans due to metallic implants and endoprosthesis in limb salvage and fracture fixation. This study aimed to develop a novel model of TKA using a polyetheretherketone- (PEEK-) on-highly cross-linked polyethylene (HXLPE) implant and to investigate its feasibility for MRI monitoring of peri-implant bone formation, the healing process, signs of infection, and tumor recurrence after TKA. Methods Three skeletally mature goats underwent TKA with the PEEK-on-HXLPE implant. Radiographic and MRI examinations were performed at 4 weeks postoperatively. Images were analyzed for the existence of artifact interruption and postoperative changes in the bone and peripheral soft tissue. Results The results showed that PEEK and HXLPE were invisible, but the metal wires were clearly visualized on X-rays. On MRI scans, PEEK and HXLPE materials showed a low signal intensity, fine metal wires generated no obvious metal artifacts on MRI scans, and the marrow and soft tissue showed a continuous signal intensity without artifact interruption. Conclusions This preliminary study introduced a novel model using PEEK-on-HXLPE knee implant for in vivo MRI monitoring of the region around the implant without metal artifacts. This novel model may be used to apply MRI to observe bone formation and the healing process around the prosthesis and the signs of infection and tumor recurrence after TKA. This model may be used to improve the diagnostic accuracy of postoperative complications of TKA clinically.

Acheulean technology and landscape use at Dawadmi, central Arabia

Despite occupying a central geographic position, investigations of hominin populations in the Arabian Peninsula during the Lower Palaeolithic period are rare. The colonization of Eurasia below 55 degrees latitude indicates the success of the genus Homo in the Early and Middle Pleistocene, but the extent to which these hominins were capable of innovative and novel behavioural adaptations to engage with mid-latitude environments is unclear. Here we describe new field investigations at the Saffaqah locality (206–76) near Dawadmi, in central Arabia that aim to establish how hominins adapted to this region. The site is located in the interior of Arabia over 500 km from both the Red Sea and the Gulf, and at the headwaters of two major extinct river systems that were likely used by Acheulean hominins to cross the Peninsula. Saffaqah is one of the largest Acheulean sites in Arabia with nearly a million artefacts estimated to occur on the surface, and it is also the first to yield stratified deposits containing abundant artefacts. It is situated in the unusual setting of a dense and well-preserved landscape of Acheulean localities, with sites and isolated artefacts occurring regularly for tens of kilometres in every direction. We describe both previous and recent excavations at Saffaqah and its large lithic assemblage. We analyse thousands of artefacts from excavated and surface contexts, including giant andesite cores and flakes, smaller cores and retouched artefacts, as well as handaxes and cleavers. Technological assessment of stratified lithics and those from systematic survey, enable the reconstruction of stone tool life histories. The Acheulean hominins at Dawadmi were strong and skilful, with their adaptation evidently successful for some time. However, these biface-makers were also technologically conservative, and used least-effort strategies of resource procurement and tool transport. Ultimately, central Arabia was depopulated, likely in the face of environmental deterioration in the form of increasing aridity.

At the margins of the high country: a terminal Pleistocene to late Holocene occupation record from Wee Jasper, southeastern Australia

The archaeological deposit of cave site Wee Jasper 99 (WJ99), in the foothills of the Namadgi Ranges, spans an uninterrupted 12,000 years beginning in the terminal Pleistocene. Archaeological patterns for the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene reflect the sparse, short-term occupation seen elsewhere in the region, with a simple lithic technology, and several bone implements reflecting cultural practices involving perishable organic materials. A mid-Holocene phase (7,000 to 4,500 cal BP)—possibly reflecting a small but widespread wave of exploration into the high country—sees increased evidence for site use coinciding with more complex lithic technology, including abundant retouch and backed artefacts. A decrease in cave use follows, perhaps associated with a more general withdrawal of people from high elevations around 4,500 cal BP. The evidence for this latter phase is a reduction in artefact discard and subtle technological changes. In the context of related archaeological records and a local environmental history, the findings contribute to our understanding of the Aboriginal history of the Australian high country and its margins. The unique chronostratigraphy, excellent preservation conditions and abundant unexcavated deposit, establish WJ99 as a regionally important site with high archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research potential.

Chronology of a late Neolithic Age site near the southern coastal region of Fujian, China

An archaeological site at Anshan in the coastal area of Fujian province, southern China, was excavated in 2007, 2009 and 2015. Abundant artefacts including adzes, cores, bronze fishhook, pottery and bone arrowheads are found in the aeolian sediments. The aim of this article is to understand the geomorphological backdrop and process of Anshan site, and the coupling relationship between human activity and environmental evolution. In this study, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) technique was employed to establish the chronological framework of the site. Samples from the top and bottom of cultural layer yield OSL ages ranging from 1.4 to 6.1 ka, providing a systematic geochronological evidence for the development of ‘Anshan culture’ in coastal area of southern Fujian province and eastern Guangdong province. In the meantime, there is a clear link between the varying regional sea levels, the chronology of regional wind-sand deposition and the period of Anshan culture since the mid-Holocene.

Behaviour and process in the formation of the North European Acheulean record: Towards a Unified Palaeolithic Landscape Approach

The Acheulean record of northern France and southern Britain has long been acknowledged as internationally important, having played an important historical role in the development of the discipline. Abundant artefacts have been recovered, primarily from fluvial gravel archives, allowing the responses of Middle Pleistocene human populations on the edge of their geographical distribution to be interrogated. The richness of the record from such deposits can most simply be read as reflecting absolute population numbers – and changes in this over time. However, factors such as regional super-abundance of high quality flint (related to solid geology) and intensity of aggregate exploitation also played their part in generating the apparently regionally dense record of finds. This paper investigates the inter-related patterns of human behaviour, preservation, artefact release and research tradition which underpin these basic distribution maps. We here present a framework for understanding the processes which have created the current distribution map – in terms of where we find material, and which periods are best represented within it. We term this the Unified Palaeolithic Landscape Approach and outline ways in which the spatial and temporal range of the Acheulean record can be addressed through the archaeological record of its heartland.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Postoperative Fracture Healing Process without Metal Artifact: A Preliminary Report of a Novel Animal Model.

Background. Early radiological diagnosis and continual monitoring are of ultimate importance for timely treatment of delayed union, nonunion, and infection after bone fracture surgery. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could provide superior detailed images compared with X-ray and computed tomography (CT) without ionizing radiation, metal implants used for fracture fixation lead to abundant artifacts on MRI and thus prohibit accurate interpretation. The authors develop a novel intramedullary fixation model of rat femoral fracture using polyetheretherketone (PEEK) threaded rods and investigate its feasibility for in vivo MRI monitoring of the fracture healing process without artifact. Methods. Femoral fractures of 3 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were fixed with intramedullary PEEK threaded rods. X-ray and MRI examinations were performed at day 7 postoperatively. Radiological images were analyzed for the existence of artifact interruption and postoperative changes in bone and peripheral soft tissue. Results. Postoperative plain film revealed no loss of reduction. MRI images illustrated the whole length of femur and peripheral tissue without artifact interruption, and the cortical bone, implanted PEEK rod, and soft tissue were clearly illustrated. Conclusion. This preliminary study introduced a novel rat model for in vivo MRI monitoring of the fracture healing process without metal artifact, by using intramedullary fixation of femur with PEEK threaded rod.

To the vicinity and beyond! Production, distribution and trade of cooking greywares in medieval Catalonia, Spain

Utilitarian greyware ceramics are one of the most abundant artefacts at rural sites in Medieval Catalonia, Spain, and were manufactured by numerous long-lived production centres. The stylistic homogeneity of this class of pottery has traditionally restricted its contribution to the archaeological interpretation of the region. However, recent scientific analyses of excavated kiln sites are offering new perspectives via the establishment of compositional reference groups for greyware ceramics. Using one such dataset, from the large workshop of Cabrera d’Anoia, this paper examines the distribution and consumption of utilitarian grey pottery at 25 Medieval sites across Catalonia. The study reveals a pattern of several regional production centres distributing their goods to small villages within the surrounding countryside and, in some cases, competing for rural markets. This is interpreted in terms of the mechanisms by which greyware pottery was distributed, as well as the socio-political and religious influences on its supply and demand in Medieval Catalonia.

FT-IR and Micro-Raman spectroscopic studies of archaeological potteries recently excavated in Poompuhar, Tamilnadu, India

Ancient ceramics are the abundant artifacts that give the knowledge of the past societies. Therefore it is of great importance to acquire knowledge about the chemical composition of the clay in archaeological artifacts. The spectroscopic techniques represent one of the most powerful tools to investigate the structure of all the materials and chemical composition of the cultural object like potteries. An attempt has been made in the present work to estimate the firing temperature of the archaeological pottery shreds excavated from the archaeological site Poompuhar in the state of Tamilnadu in India. The firing temperature of the archaeological pottery shreds were estimated by recording the corresponding FT-IR spectra in the range 4000–450cm−1 and Micro Raman spectra in the range 1800–400cm−1. The clay mineral present in the pottery samples are identified through FT-IR method and was confirmed with Micro Raman spectroscopy as both are complement to each other. The major primary mineral present in the samples is Kaolinite and the secondary mineral present is quartz and the accessory minerals present in the samples are hematite, magnetite and feldspar. The results of Raman spectra showed that the potters of this site used a mixture of clays as raw materials. The firing temperature for some of the samples did not exceed 800°C which suggests the use of open fire.

Ostracod evidence for the Acheulian environment of the ancient Hula Lake (Levant) during the early-mid Pleistocene transition

Ostracod shells from the archaeological site Gesher Benot Ya'aqov (GBY) in the upper Jordan River Valley (Israel) were investigated to improve the understanding of the environmental conditions of the Acheulian occupation site during the early-mid Pleistocene transition (0.78Ma). The diverse ostracod assemblage consists of 28 species. The distribution of most of the recorded species in the region today shows that the hydrological conditions at the early-mid Pleistocene transition were not fundamentally different from the modern ones. However, the predominance of Candona neglecta shells in the GBY sequence probably indicates cooler climatic conditions than today. Shells of Candona angulata in the artefact-richer upper half of the sequence suggest a slight salinity increase in the ancient Hula Lake from pure freshwater to slightly oligohaline conditions. This shift probably resulted from wetter conditions and a more stable lake environment with increased residence time of the lake water and stronger influence of evaporation. Shells of the brackish water ostracod Cyprideis torosa and the slightly halophilic Heterocypris salina and Plesiocypridopsis newtoni were recorded only rarely suggesting that the lake maintained an outlet through the entire period represented by the GBY sequence. Shells of Gomphocythere ortali in GBY cycles 1 and 2 imply that a permanent freshwater stream existed close to the site. Humphcypris subterranea shells in cycles 3–5 provide further evidence that a tributary entered the lake from the south in contrast to the modern setting with the north–south flowing Jordan River at GBY. Statistical analysis of the quantitative ostracod data from GBY identified a group of samples from layers containing more abundant stone artefacts and another group of samples from layers with scarce artefacts. Samples from layers containing more abundant artefacts have relatively high abundances of C. angulata, Darwinula stevensoni and Physocypria kraepelini shells and include rare shells of Ilyocypris hartmanni, Ilyocypris salebrosa, Heterocypris incongruens and Pseudocandona sp. 2 which do not occur in the other samples. The presence of P. kraepelini and H. incongruens shells in artefact-richer sediments possibly indicates poor bottom water oxygenation in the ancient Hula Lake sometimes during the periods of Acheulian occupation. However, more detailed studies are required to assess whether lower dissolved oxygen levels in the lake resulted from a slight lake level rise and possibly higher nutrient flux to the lake during wetter conditions or whether hominins already impacted lake's nutrient status by butchering at its shore or by burning of near-shore vegetation.