Archaeological Artefacts Research Articles

РАКОВИНЫ КАУРИ ИЗ АРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ ПАМЯТНИКОВ ТУВЫ: ИСТОРИЯ И СОВРЕМЕННОСТЬ

In this article, cowrie shells from the family of cypriae have been studied, which have been used since ancient times by many peoples, and which served as a kind of money. The fnds of cowrie shells in the territory of the Minusinsk Basin and the modern Republic of Tuva in archaeological sites are analyzed. In Tuva, the period of the Scythian culture is considered, where it begins to be found in archaeological artifacts as an object of study. In addition, the practical signifcance of the use of kaori shells today in shamanic rites is revealed

Геоэкологические аспекты археологических памятников различных типов на северо-западе русской равнины

The study of geo-ecological factors allows not only to determine the nature of human economic activities but also reveals natural influences affecting the placement of archaeologi­cal objects in the past. Special attention is given to «Stone piles» («Lappish cairns») — stone piles widely found within the studied territory. Despite years of archaeological research, the nature of these structures remains enigmatic, though archaeological artifacts are often absent. The application of geo-chemical research methods enables the assessment of ancient human impact on the surrounding environment and also provides insights into their activities and motivations for selecting specific locations. Analysis of geo-chemical indicators such as SiO2, Al2O3, MgO, CaO, Fe2O3 helps reveal distinct microrelief features. The examination of an­thropogenic activity-related geo-chemical modules within the archaeological site, such as P2O5(anthrop), CaO(anthrop), K2O(anthrop), Rb(anthrop), facilitates the reconstruction of functional zones within the site and identifies the type of economic activities conducted there. This study has for the first time identified geo-ecological factors influencing various types of archaeologi­cal sites, including settlements, burial grounds, and ritual objects. Through the analysis of geo-chemical, archaeological, and landscape parameters, it was possible to establish the influ­ence of these factors on the distribution of such objects in the past.

Analytical investigation and electrochemical conservation treatment for archaeological copper alloy artifacts from Jordan

This study presents an analytical investigation and electrochemical conservation treatment for a group of four copper alloy artifacts excavated from the archaeological cemetery that was located on the site of the Queen Alia International Airport, Jordan. The chemical analyses of internal alloys showed that a bracelet and a spatula were made of a quaternary copper–zinc–tin–lead alloy, a bracelet was made of a copper–silver–zinc alloy, and a spatula was made of a copper–tin, a bronze alloy. The corrosion products analyses indicated the presence oxides, carbonates and chlorides of copper, in addition to silver chlorides for the copper–silver–zinc alloy bracelet. The metallographic examination showed various degrees of working and heat treatment in the manufacturing process of the artifacts. The potentiostatic reduction technique was effective in reducing the corrosion products on the artifacts, which were finally coated with Paraloid B–72 to prevent corrosion reoccurrence.

Archaeological Artifacts of Screen Culture: Historical and Cultural Prospects

Archaeological Artifacts of Screen Culture: Historical and Cultural Prospects

The Earliest Armenian Thunder God, Hurro-Urartian Teššub/Teišeba and the Greek Theseus: Image and Name

The most outstanding monuments of ancient Armenia are the huge stone steles vishaps (“dragons”), the first samples of which date back to the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age (14th c. BC). A detailed analysis shows that the vishaps were attributes of the cult of the Indo-European thunder god, and before the Iranian word višap was borrowed, they were called by an Indo-European name of the mythological Serpent (geɫ < *wel-), the adversary of the god. Echoes of this Indo-European myth are also found in other archaeological artifacts of pre-Urartian Armenia. The most interesting of them, the so-called axe-bull, a bronze object with something resembling both a bull’s head and an axe in the center, surrounded by two or three open or closed concentric circles. According to L. Abrahamyan, this composition can be best explained by the Greek mythologeme “Minotaur in the Labyrinth.” The Indo-European thunder god represented the military function and thus embodied the image of an archaic warrior. His weapon was a hammer or an axe, and his symbol was a bull. The name of the Hurrian-Urartian thunder god (Hurr. Teššub, Urart. Teišeba /= Theišewa/) has no acceptable etymology in these languages. Its attributes, symbol, and myths (axe, bull, victory over a stone monster) resemble the image of the Indo-European thunderer. The article proposes an Armenian etymology for this theonym from the Indo-European *tek’s- + *h1ep- ‘axe holder.’ His image, Grecized as Theseus, was borrowed by the Greeks (apparently, through the Cilician Achaeans of the end of the 2nd millennium BC) becoming one of the key figures of the Cretan cycle.

Creation of topographic plans using unmanned aerial photography

Program Agisoft Photoscan is a universal tool for generating 3D surface models of surveyed objects from photographic images of these objects. Photoscan is successfully used both for building models of objects and objects of different scales - from miniature archaeological artifacts to large buildings and structures, and for building terrain models based on aerial photography data and generating DEMs and orthomosaics based on these models . Data processing in Photoscan is extremely automated: the operator is entrusted only with the functions of monitoring and managing the operating modes of the program. This article discusses the use of aerial photography from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) when creating digital orthophoto and topographic plans. On the improvement of the applied complexes with the use of UAVs for obtaining APS materials for cartographic purposes. Ease of UAV control, deadlines and quality, timeliness of the data transmitted from them, in our opinion, confirms the feasibility of performing these works on the creation of digital topographic maps and plans.

Lead isotope analysis for provenancing ancient materials: a comparison of approaches.

Lead isotope analysis has been used to determine the provenance of metals such as lead, silver and bronze for many decades. Nevertheless, different approaches to interpret lead isotopic ratios have been proposed. In this study, three methods to couple the lead isotopic signature of archaeological artefacts to their possible mineral resources will be compared: the conventional assessment of biplots, a clustering method combined with calculating model ages (as applied by F. Albarède et al., J. Archaeol. Sci., 2020, 121, 105194), and relative probability calculations using kernel density estimates (as proposed by De Ceuster and Degryse, Archaeometry, 2020, 62(1), 107-116). The three different approaches will be applied to a dataset of lead isotopic analyses of 99 Roman Republican silver coins previously analyzed, pointing to a primary origin of the silver in the mining regions of Spain, NW-Europe and the Aegean, but showing signs of mixing and/or recycling. The interpretations made through the different approaches are compared, indicating the strengths and weaknesses for each one. This study argues that, although the conventional biplot method gives valid visual information, it is no longer feasible due to ever growing datasets. Calculating the relative probabilities via kernel density estimation provides a more transparent and statistically correct approach that generates an overview of plausible provenance candidates per artefact. The geological perspective introduced in the cluster and model age method by F. Albarède et al., J. Archaeol. Sci., 2020, 121, 105194 broadens the analytical spectrum with geologically informed parameters and improved visualization. However, the results when applying their method as a stand-alone approach are of low resolution and may lose archaeological relevance. Their approach regarding clustering should be revised.

Chrysoprase – history and present

Abstract The authors present the history of chrysoprase discovery and the progress of knowledge about this material over the millennia, based on the extended review of world literature. Tracing the oldest archaeological artifacts from before 9,000 years, the lens of history turns on a stone that has not been properly identified mineralogically for centuries. In the 1830s, chrysoprase was finally included into the chalcedony group and its green color was associated, very correctly, with nickel compounds dispersed in its structure. After all, the most current mineralogy of chrysoprase is presented on the basis of the results of modern analytical studies. These data clearly indicate that chrysoprase is a mixture of several SiO2 polymorphs with varying degrees of structural order (opal, chalcedony, moganite, quartz). This radically changes the previous taxonomy of chrysoprase and its position in current mineralogical and petrographic systematics.

Simultaneous TG/DTG-DSC analysis – application in ceramic artefacts

The aim of this paper is to promote thermal analysis as a method for the study of archaeological ceramics. In order to achieve this goal, the nature of the thermal methods (thermal processes, types of thermal methods and their application) is described. Specific experimental measurements by simultaneous TG/DTG-DSC analysis of ceramic archaeological artifacts are also presented.

ALEXANDRU BĂRCĂCILĂ ȘI REVISTA „ARHIVELE OLTENIEIˮ

Alexandru Bărcăcilă (March 31, 1876, Bughea de Sus, Muscel - February 6, 1970, Bucharest) - one of the great personalities of Oltenia, archaeologist, professor and founder of cultural institutions, had close ties with the magazine Arhivele Olteniei. He created the magazine together with Dr Ch. Laugier, C.D. Fortunescu, Șt. Ciuceanu and others and supported it during 1922-1943, when it was printed. As a member of its board, he promoted the magazine in Mehedinți, and as a scholar he published numerous articles, studies and reading notes on subjects beyond his specialty - classical archeology and Latinism - but also more recent history documents related to the area where he lived and worked. Many of these concerned: the Romanian revolution of 1821 and its leader, Tudor Vladimirescu, as well his friend, Nicolae Zoican, villages and estates of Mehedinți (e.g., Nadanova, Studina), Roman and Romanian antiquities of Hațeg, funerary and religious monuments of Drobeta, its thermal baths, archeological artifacts from the Iron Gates area, the medieval life in Turnu Severin, the correspondence of Bishop Calinic of Râmnicu, travel notes from Gorj county, the cultural life of Turnu Severin and the intellectual movement Casa Luminii, the biography of I.G. Bibicescu and the library he founded. Also, indirectly, Al. Bărcăcilă made himself present in the magazine Arhivele Olteniei through a rich series of reviews of his scientific works, all published by C.D. Fortunescu. In short, Bărcăcilă was given the recognition he deserved by the magazine Arhivele Olteniei as a true scholar and historian.

New Materials on the Stone Temple Construction of the 18th Century in Tsaryovokokshaysk – Yoshkar-Ola

The article deals with new archaeological materials concerning one of the objects of the Tsaryovokokshaysk temple complex – the Cathedral of the Resurrection built in 1759. A brief overview of the temple construction at Tsaryovokokshaysk since the founding of the town is presented. On the basis of archival sources and scientific works on the Tsarevokokshaysk temple complex, basic information on the history of the Cathedral of the Resurrection is given, in particular, about the previous wooden temples on the place of the future cathedral, about its construction and further reconstructions, architectural features and parishioners of the church. The second part of the article presents the results of archaeological studies of the foundation of the southern chapel of the cathedral dedicated to the Hieromartyr Feodor, that was carried out in 2021 by Y.A.Zeleneyev. The features of the church architecture that have been traced archaeologically are highlighted, such as the stages of construction and reconstruction of the building, the structure features of the foundation, the dimension of the brick and the order of masonry. Special attention is paid to the heating system of the cathedral revealed during the excavations. Brief information is given on other archaeological sites and artefacts identified during the research of the church. In the course of the study the data of archival sources were confirmed, which, when compared with the results of archaeological studies, give an idea of this object of stone temple architecture of the Mari Krai in the middle of the XVIII century.

Rola Józefa Łepkowskiego w pozyskaniu dla krakowskich instytucji zbiorów Karola Rogawskiego i Bolesława Podczaszyńskiego

The Role of Józef Łepkowski in Acquiring the Collections of Karol Rogawski and Bolesław Podczaszyński for Krakow Institutions During many years of scientific activity, Józef Łepkowski (1826–1894), archaeologist, the first Polish professor of this discipline and protector of monuments, looked after the collections belonging to the Krakow Scientific Society (the predecessor of the Academy of Arts and Sciences), the Jagiellonian University, and the Czartoryski dukes for whom he acquired the collection items. The archaeological artifacts, works of art, works of artistic craftsmanship, collections of weapons, and other artifacts obtained by him constitute a valuable part of the resources of Krakow institutions to this day. The article shows the methods by which, in the 19th century, objects were acquired for state institutions, scientific societies and large, aristocratic collections. The author takes as an example the fate of the collections of Karol Rogawski (1820–1888) and Bolesław Podczaszyński (1822–1876). Encouraged by Łepkowski, Rogawski donated the book collection, archaeological artifacts, and works of art and crafts to the Jagiellonian University and the Czartoryski dukes. However, a specialized part of Podczaszyński’s collection – archaeological artifacts with notes on prehistoric finds from the territory of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth – was purchased by the Academy of Arts and Sciences as a result of Łepkowski’s efforts. Therefore, thanks to the long and complicated measures taken by this tireless researcher, museum expert, and protector of monuments, the collections survived in their entirety to the present day, avoiding the dispersion to which many other private 19th-century collections were subjected.

Stamps of the Legio V Macedonica from Potaissa. The old collections of the Turda History Museum

The tegular material produced by the Fifth Macedonian Legion during its stationing at Potaissa (Turda, Cluj County) is stamped with a wide variety of signacula containing the name of the legion in abbreviated form. In order to establish the complete repertory of signacula and to verify the old typologies we have taken up the old finds that have entered into the collections of the Turda History Museum before the beginning of the systematic excavations in the fortress of the Fifth Macedonian Legion in 1971. We are thus able to identify some of the stamps previously located in the István Téglás collection, but also a series of stamps resulting from Ioan Țigăra’s investigations in Turda and its surroundings or acquired by the Turda Museum from various private individuals. In the following, we want to present them as archaeological artifacts, integrating them into the already created typology and emphasizing the importance of new variants.

Graphite and multilayer graphene detected on ~70,000‐year‐old stone tools: Geological origin or constituent of hafting resin?

AbstractRaman spectroscopy identified graphite and multilayer graphene on ~70,000‐year‐old stone tools from Middle Stone Age deposits at Sibudu Cave, KZN, South Africa. The graphite/multilayer graphene appeared to be concentrated on the hafting side of the artefacts, suggesting that it was added to the hafting glue. However, graphite/multilayer graphene was only identified on stone tools made of hornfels and not on those made of dolerite and quartzite. A geological origin is therefore not out of the question. In this paper, we present arguments for and against its origin as geological or as constituent of the hafting resin. Our results favour its geological origin and serve as a cautionary tale for interpreting residues on archaeological artefacts without an in‐depth study of the raw materials used to produce the tools.

3D imaging of micro-segregation and corrosion behavior of alloying elements in archaeological artefacts from Motya (Sicily, Italy)

Multiscale X-ray Microscopy, SEM, HR-FESEM- EDS and EMPA techniques have been used to explore the corrosion behavior of copper-based artefacts from the Phoenician-Punic site of Motya (Sicily, Italy). The stress corrosion, due to forging conditions, and dealloying have been investigated using 3D-imaging. At sub-micro-scale the results highlighted grain boundaries micro-segregations induced by As and the occurrence of copper-iron arsenate layers in a Cu-nail. Binary and ternary alloys revealed a marked enrichment of Sn content and a selective corrosion of Cu as determined by the calculation of dissolution factors.

Technology Focus: Water Management (December 2022)

2022 has presented many challenges—not just inflation. Lowering water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell resulted in water crises in many states. Globally, many rivers dried, and that brought to surface over-5,000-year-old archeological artifacts that had been buried. An United Nations report says that nearly 4 billion people (approximately 60% of the world population) face water crises at least for a month every year. Despite all these admonishments, water—an essential raw material in industrial sector and a vital resource for human living—could be handled with more value and respect. The dollar value of water usage is much lower in the US compared with other regions, where it is more than twice its purchased value. The last 30 years or so have seen scientists and environmentalists apply conscientious use of technologies that focused on making water resources sustainable—chemistries that help us treat water, and intuitive and intelligent technologies that minimize need and maximize its purpose and benefit, remove contaminants, and ready it for repurposing. We can agree that awareness is universal, but when it comes to enforcing the actions needed to protect the resource as sustainable, questions about scalability and economic feasibility of many of the novel technologies arise. The three papers chosen for publication share different approaches to chemically managing high-salinity produced water through commercially viable approaches. The identification of processes to treat high salinity levels and the approaches to alter and control the process make the papers not only good for discussion but also practical for all players, big and small. The introduction of chemistries that are tagged and measurable positively influence discharge restrictions in different regions and could be exploited to stretch water reuse and the dollar value of water. The advent of smart sensors, probes, handhelds such as portable X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction sensors, and machine learning make the treatment and reuse of high-saline water feasible to alleviate the water crisis. Technologies have advanced to lower the energy consumption and usage cost of membrane separation most commonly used in the water-reuse sector. The use of fresh water by the industry could be reduced significantly with the adaptation of some or all the smart technologies available today. The industry and the public are at a crossroads today, fighting for the right to use water. Governments are struggling to keep the balance and make the scarcest resource available to both sides. Let there not be another Akkadian empire that becomes extinct because of water. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 200171 Optimizing Waterflood Performance in Mature Fields Using Autonomous Inflow Control Valve Technology by Sufyan Shihab, Petroleum Development Oman, et al. SPE 209256 Improved Reverse-Osmosis Membranes for Treating Produced Water by Rich Franks, Nitto-Hydranautics, et al. SPE 204840 A Nano Method for a Big Challenge: Nanosilica-Based Sealing System for Water Shutoff by Ayman Almohsin, Saudi Aramco, et al.

The debris flows in the Lozenska Mountain from Subboreal and Subatlantic periods

This research was conducted in June 2020 in connection with carrying out rescue archaeological excavations of a site recorded during the construction of the Sofia Ring Road, in the northern foothills of the Lozenska Mountain. On the basis of sedimentological studies of cultural layers, the flow of two mudflows with a southeast-northwest direction were proven at different depths. The discovered archaeological artefacts, mainly fragmented ceramic vessels, help to date these two flows through the Subboreal and the lower Sub-Atlantic. The first, located deeper than the modern surface flow, is dated after the 2nd millennium BC. (i.e., from the Subboreal). The second is the shallower stream, after the Roman era, II–IV centuries AD. (i.e., Sub-Atlantic). Both flowed into the Iskar River. Nowadays. it is difficult to determine their exact location. The archaeological sites from the two streams brought artifacts located in a south/southwest direction, closer to the northern slope of the Lozenska Mountain.

Archaeomagnetism in the Levant and Mesopotamia Reveals the Largest Changes in the Geomagnetic Field.

Our understanding of geomagnetic field intensity prior to the era of direct instrumental measurements relies on paleointensity analysis of rocks and archaeological materials that serve as magnetic recorders. Only in rare cases are absolute paleointensity data sets continuous over millennial timescales, in sub-centennial resolution, and directly dated using radiocarbon. As a result, fundamental properties of the geomagnetic field, such as its maximum intensity and rate of change have remained a subject of lively discussion. Here, we place firm constraints on these two quantities using Bayesian modeling of well-dated archaeomagnetic intensity data from the Levant and Upper Mesopotamia. We report new data from 23 groups of pottery collected from 18 consecutive radiocarbon-dated archaeological strata from Tel Megiddo, Israel. In the Near East, the period of 1700-550BCE is represented by 84 groups of archaeological artifacts, 55 of which were dated using radiocarbon or a direct link to clear historically dated events, providing unprecedented sub-century resolution. Moreover, stratigraphic relationships between samples collected from multi-layered sites enable further refinement of the data ages. The Bayesian curve shows four geomagnetic spikes between 1050 and 600BCE, with virtual axial dipole moment (VADM) reaching values of 155-162ZAm2, much higher than any prediction from geomagnetic field models. Rates of change associated with the four spikes are ∼0.35-0.55μT/year (∼0.7-1.1ZAm2/year), at least twice the maximum rate inferred from direct observations spanning the past 180years. The increase from 1750 to 1030BCE (73-161ZAm2) depicts the Holocene's largest change in field intensity.

Depopulation of the Northern Border of Mesoamerica during the Early Postclassic: Evidence from the Reappraisal of Archaeomagnetic Data

The Mesoamerican Postclassic and Epiclassic were periods of drastic change and transformation related to social, political and economic aspects as well as settlement patterns. Mexico’s northern boundary expansion, rise, and subsequent demise is a matter of debate which remains essentially unsolved. Possible causes include climatic changes, landscape degradation or prolonged bellicose relations with nomadic groups. Still, no consensus exists on why such apparent instability and decline occurred at major archaeological settlements on the northern Mesoamerican border, also known as the septentrional frontier. The scarcity of absolute chronological constraints is definitively a handicap that impedes the assessment of northern Mesoamerica’s development from its apogee to its decline. The archaeomagnetic method has been used during the last decades to analyze burned archaeological artifacts belonging to Mesoamerica’s north and central-west frontiers, including different Mexican states. Namely, high-resolution studies were carried out at Aguascalientes (El Ocote), Guanajuato (El Cóporo, Lo de Juárez and Plazuelas), Jalisco (Cerro de Los Agaves, La Palma and El Palacio de Ocomo) and Zacatecas (La Quemada). It was successfully proved that archaeomagnetic dating might greatly contribute to refining the chronology and development of major pre-Hispanic settlements. These studies were based on available geomagnetic curves at the time of publication. However, global geomagnetic models have experienced substantial improvement with the development of local/regional reference archaeomagnetic curves during the last few years. Hence, the need arises for a critical reassessment of reported age intervals and corresponding chronological contexts. Updated archaeomagnetic ages are recalculated considering the geomagnetic models SHA.DIF.14K and SHAWQ.2K as well as the two regional paleosecular variation curves for Mesoamerica. A bootstrap resampling method is used to obtain an optimal age range for each studied structure. These new absolute chronologies indicate that the last fire exposure of the vast majority of the analyzed artifacts unequivocally corresponds to the Mesoamerican early Postclassic related to the depopulation stage apparently caused by environmental changes.

A new perspective on the evolution of "Kawara" roof tiles in Ryukyu: A multidisciplinary non-destructive analysis of roof tile transition at Shuri Castle, Ryukyu Islands, Japan.

A unique historical architecture was created at Shuri Castle (Shuri-jo) in the Ryukyu Islands by its "Kawara" roof tiles. After the 13th and 14th centuries, Kawara tiles were introduced to the Ryukyu Islands from several regions, including China, Korea, and mainland Japan, and evolved shapes and patterns that are unique to this island region. However, the transition of some internal features, such as the chemical components and microstructure, had not been analyzed. This study used a multi-faceted approach for such internal data and non-destructive quantitative methods to propose a new perspective on the evolution of historical Ryukyuan Kawara. We analyzed two styles of Ryukyuan Kawara from the 13th to 15th centuries and found that the material processing and firing conditions of the two styles were very similar, even though it had been suggested that they had different origins. A quantitative analysis of tiles from the 16th to 19th centuries revealed a transition in color tone to red, leading to the modern traditional Ryukyuan tiles; traces of changes in firing conditions were also found along with this transition. Finally, the study revealed that the evolution of Ryukyuan Kawara consisted of changed factors, e.g. surface color, and unchanged factors, e.g. paste density. Previous archaeological studies mainly focused on changing external characteristics, such as form and pattern; however, our analysis showed that the internal features changed, while the elemental composition and paste density remained constant from the appearance of the roof tiles until the 19th century. We propose that this is related to different responses of individual factors to external stressors, such as the social context, which may be common to other archaeological artifacts as well. Our study provides a new perspective on the evolution of Ryukyuan Kawara and presents a different discussion of and methods for the chronological study of material culture.