Analysis Of Archaeological Remains Research Articles

Multispectral remote sensing for post‐dictive analysis of archaeological remains. A case study from Bronte (Sicily)

AbstractIn recent years, the use of remote sensing in archeology has rapidly grown, having being proven particularly useful for landscape archaeology investigations. The quality of results obtained through remote sensing mainly depends on the number of bands that can be exploited, the spatial and spectral resolution of imagery and the methodology used. In this work, adopting a post‐dictive approach, multispectral remote sensing data from World‐View 2 (WV‐2) were used in order to detect archaeological features in the volcanic area of Bronte (Sicily, Italy), a town 40 km from Catania. The selected area lies in the western slope of Etna, inside the boundary of Etna Park. Here, the archaeological research is affected by specific problems. The geology and the spontaneous vegetation of this fascinating environment represents one of the biggest issues. The entire research was conducted using free and open source software (FOSS) within a low‐cost logic that allows study of landscapes using limited budget. The strategy developed in our study is directed towards a post‐dictive approach to archeological data and remote sensing techniques. We analyzed an area where archeological buildings are now visible, but WV‐2 multispectral images have been deliberately selected prior to the archaeological excavations carried out in 2015. In this way, we can evaluate and test instruments and techniques at our disposal, emphasizing weaknesses and strengths. The final results illustrate the benefits and challenges of performing multispectral imagines for archaeological investigations. The use of some of the most promising vegetation indices, especially Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Simple Ratio Index (SRI), is analysed and discussed, while the post‐dictive approach suggests that the more useful bands are undoubtedly NIR_1 and RED_EDGE.

The Application of Digital Reconstruction in the Documentation and Interpretation of Candi Kampung Baru, Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah

The site of Candi Kampung Baru was discovered in 2015, making it one of the most recent archaeological discoveries in the Bujang Valley. 2 phases of excavation had been carried out by archaeologists from the Institute of Malay World and Civilization (ATMA), in which a single unroofed, rectangular brick structure had been unearthed. Based on the analysis of archaeological remains, the candi has been identified as a 9th-10th century structure. Using measurements taken on-site, a digital model had been constructed to visualize the ancient structure, interpret its function and facilitate potential physical reconstruction in the future.

VESTÍGIOS MACROBOTÂNICOS CARBONIZADOS NA AMAZÔNIA CENTRAL: O QUE ELES NOS DIZEM SOBRE AS PLANTAS NA PRÉ-HISTÓRIA?

Until recently the study of human occupation in the Central Amazonia focused on the analysis of archaeological remains with better preservation in this tropical context. The scenario has changed in recent years with contributions from research on micro and macrobotanical remains. We add to this with the analysis of charred macrobotanical remains from the archaeological sites of Osvaldo, Lago Grande, and Acutuba, Amazonas State. In these sites, food resources such as palm nut fragments, tubers, seeds, and maize were retrieved, in addition to wood. The distribution of these botanical elements in the archeological layers suggests that different cultural activities were responsible for the composition of the record. Moreover, they suggest that at different times during the occupation of these sites the usage of some types of the charred plant remains prevailed over others.

Morphoneotectonics and lithology of the eastern sector of the Gulf of Trieste (NE Italy)

ABSTRACTThe paper aims to describe and map the geomorphological and lithological features of the Gulf of Trieste and its eastern coasts and to define its neotectonic behaviour by means of the analysis of the morphoneotectonic evidence. The final map, produced at a scale of 1:30,000, shows the outcome of field investigations carried out along the coast and the sea bottom and a detailed geomorphological classification of the coastline. Published and new data coming from the analysis of archaeological remains, geomorphological and sedimentological sea-level indicators and geophysical researches are discussed in order to provide a complete overview of the study area.

The Introduction of Wheat in Mendoza, Argentina During the Sixteenth Century A.D.: Archaeobotanical Evidence

During the colonial era, southern Mendoza, Argentina, functioned as a frontier where indigenous and Spanish-speaking people interacted. Contact caused major transformations to indigenous economic, social, and political organization. Archaeological analysis is fundamental to understanding the characteristics of local indigenous populations that rapidly incorporated European products into their diets. Analysis of archaeological remains from the region, therefore, can cast light on important aspects of Spanish-indigenous interactions. The aim of this work is to describe the archaeobotanical record of Cueva de Luna—located in the Rio Grande Valley and containing occupations dated between ca. 3800 B.P. and European contact—and to understand how plants were exploited by the inhabitants of southern Mendoza. Preliminary analysis of the archaeobotanical record, consisting primarily of seeds and woody endocarps in a dry state of preservation, indicates the use of native wild taxa, among which algarrobo (Prosopis sp.), molle (Schinus polygamus), solupe (Ephedra), and jarilla (Larrea nitida) abound. American cultivars including beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are also present. Significantly, the record includes Eurasian taxa, including wheat (Triticum sp.) and walnut tree (Juglans sp.). The Cueva de Luna record is important in this regard for it may correspond to the nineteenth century, when the area was inhabited by what may have been the last indigenous Pehuenche group preceding the current ranchers. Our results provide a basis for future work related to change and continuity in the prehistoric use of plants.

Tecnologia e Território no Centro-Norte mineiro: um estudo de caso na região de Montes Claros, MG, Brasil

Since the middle of 1970’s the center-north region of Minas Gerais state has been studied by different researchers, contributing for the construction of knowledge available related to lithic technology and the occupation processes of the Central Brazilian Plateau. In order to contribute to this discussion, we present some results of excavation and analysis of archaeological remains from two rock shelters in Montes Claros region. Based on these data we offer same hypothesis about the dynamic and the occupation processes of this macroregion, articulating Montes Claros region with regions of the central and northern parts of Minas Gerais state in different periods during the Holocene.

DNA and Pacific Commensal Models: Applications, Construction, Limitations, and Future Prospects

ABSTRACT Components of the Pacific transported landscape have been used as proxies to trace the prehistoric movement of humans across the Pacific for almost two decades. Analyses of archaeological remains and DNA sequences of plants, animals, and microorganisms moved by or with humans have contributed to understanding prehistoric migration, trade, exchange, and sometimes revealed the geographic origins of particular plants and animals. This paper presents the basic elements of a DNA-based commensal model and discusses the phylogenetic and population genetic approaches these models employ. A clear delineation of the underlying assumptions of these models and the background information required to construct them have yet to appear in the literature. This not only provides a framework with which to construct a commensal model but also highlights gaps in current knowledge. The ways in which commensal models have enriched archaeological reconstructions will be highlighted, as will their current limitations. With these limitations in mind, options will be outlined for augmenting commensal models through the application of established techniques and new technologies in order to provide the best tools for reconstructing ancient human mobility and behavior in the Pacific and beyond.

Reburial and Analyses of Archaeological Remains in the Marine Environment — Investigations into the Effects on Metals

The treatment and long-term storage of recovered cultural material from underwater heritage sites is becoming less cost effective, and reburial of archaeological sites and the associated artefacts in the marine environment is becoming increasingly common practice in managing the submerged cultural resource. Following recent large-scale underwater archaeological excavations in Marstrand harbour, Sweden, the majority of recovered finds were reburied in defined trenches in the harbour sediment. Subsequently, the Studio of the Western Sweden Conservators in conjunction with the Bohus County Museum initiated a fifty-year research project to evaluate reburial as an appropriate method of preserving waterlogged archaeological artefacts in the long term. The research project, entitled ‘Reburial and Analyses of Archaeological Remains’, was launched in 2002 and consists of six sub-projects. The main aims of these sub-projects are to analyse the extent of deterioration of the most common material types found on underwater archaeological sites, assess the stability of packing and marking materials used in archaeological documentation, and monitor the reburial environment.The aim of the metals sub-project is to investigate the short- to long-term corrosion behaviour of metals buried in the marine environment by examining the deterioration of reburied and exposed modern metal coupons and eventually compare these results to the analysis of actual shipwreck artefacts. The environmental monitoring sub-project is designed to complement the other sub-projects by assessing the physico-chemical changes occurring in the reburial environment over time and the effect on the deterioration of the different reburied material types. In comparing the results obtained over the past seven years from both the metals and monitoring sub-projects, it should be possible to more accurately evaluate the effectiveness of reburial as a long-term in situ preservation strategy for metallic archaeological remains.

The RAAR Project — Heritage Management Aspects on Reburial After Ten Years of Work

The general purpose of the international reburial project, Reburial and Analyses of Archaeological Remains (RAAR), is to evaluate reburial as a method for the long-term storage and preservation of waterlogged archaeological remains. Since 2001 material samples have been buried, retrieved, analysed systematically, and the results reported.RAAR has mainly focused on the degradation of materials commonly encountered on archaeological sites, and on environmental monitoring techniques in order to determine what type of material can be reburied and for how long. The project has concluded that a heritage institution could provide short- or long-term curation for its archaeological archive by using reburial depots provided they are set up according to guidelines and restrictions stipulated by the RAAR project.However, there are management and legal aspects that need to be discussed and resolved before each reburial project. Actual reburials that have been carried out so far are often a solution to emergency situations and lack collection and management policies. The questions ‘what’, ‘why’, and ‘for how long’ have been forgotten and need to be addressed. The legal protection of a reburial site is also important. This paper discusses these aspects and their consequences and highlights possible differences in approaches between the countries involved in the RAAR project.

PALEOEPIDEMIOLOGY OF INTESTINAL PARASITES AND LICE IN PRE-COLUMBIAN SOUTH AMERICA

Some human parasites originated in prehominid ancestors in Africa. Nematode species, such as Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm), hookworms and Trichuris trichiura are shared by humans and other close phylogenetic primates (Pan and Gorilla), showing that they infected a common ancestor to this group. When humans migrated from Africa to other continents they carried these parasites wherever climate conditions allowed parasite transmission from host to host. Other parasites, however, were acquired throughout human biological and social evolutive history when new territories were occupied. Paleoparasitology data is a valuable source to recover emergence and disappearance of parasite infections through analysis of archaeological remains. Parasites can be used as biological markers of prehistoric human migrations. They are also indicators of diet, as parasite life cycles are related to specific kinds of food consumed by human groups in the different habitats they occupied. We review paleoparasitological findings in South America, comparing human-host and intestinal parasites with life conditions and environmental relationships through time.

EL ROL DE LA PESCA EN LA INTENSIFICACIÓN DE LAS OCUPACIONES COSTERAS DURANTE EL HOLOCENO MEDIO-TARDÍO (BAHÍA DE CONCEPCIÓN, REGIÓN DEL BÍO-BÍO, CHILE)

** ABSTRACT We present results from the excavation and analysis of archaeological remains from the Playa Negra 9 site (PN-9), located in Concepcion Bay, Chilean region of Bio-Bio. Our studies provide important information about mid to late Holocene littoral occupations, demonstrating an emphasis on the exploitation and consumption of littoral and maritime resources, and suggesting that fishing may have had played a key role in enabling intensive occupations of these environments. In this connection, the diversity of activities represented, the structure of the