Archaeological Research Project Research Articles

Isla del Fraile. Reconstructing Coastal Dynamics in Southeastern Spain Through Underwater Archaeological Survey

ABSTRACTA new archaeological research project analyses the history of Isla del Fraile (Águilas, Spain), a small island off the coast occupied since at least Roman times. Its isolation means that the sea has always conditioned its connectivity and relationship with land. Despite some underwater studies carried out in previous decades, its underwater surroundings, El Hornillo Bay, continue to be relatively unexplored. In parallel to the excavation work on the island's surface, an underwater survey was carried out in the area, which is known for its archaeological wealth. The objectives of this paper are to study the underwater contexts associated with the archaeological site, to determine whether there were any ports or anchorages and to analyse the phases of greatest activity in the bay between Antiquity and the Modern Age. New data are provided, and earlier finds, either previously unpublished or from private donations, are also reviewed. The findings are discussed and related to their local and interregional contexts. The main purpose is to offer a new contribution to the study of the maritime cultural landscape of the Western Mediterranean through a region underrepresented by research.

Impact of trading networks on a small island at the end of Late Antiquity: Isla del Fraile

AbstractThis terrestrial and underwater archaeological research project around a Mediterranean islet identifies that it was a commercial centre during the fifth century AD. The results shed light on Late Roman island occupation dynamics.

A Medieval Drawbridge Pit and the Stories it Tells Us, Excavations at Pontefract Castle, 2019–2020

DigVentures was commissioned by Wakefield Metropolitan District Council (WMDC) to undertake a programme of archaeological investigations as part of the Gatehouse Project, a community-focused archaeological research project based at Pontefract Castle, West Yorkshire. The social impact of the archaeological investigations, including project outcomes for heritage, for people and for the community, have been analysed and published in an earlier article. This article focuses on the archaeological evidence recovered during the excavations, and the conclusions drawn about the construction and chronology of the gatehouse at this part of the site.

The Early Medieval Peasant Economy: An Analysis of Archaeological Data from Central Portugal

ABSTRACT This article presents and compares direct and indirect markers of economic and social strategies of peasant communities from two territories in central Portugal. Over the last fifteen years, several archaeological research projects have revealed new data on the settlements and economic strategies of peasant communities between the fifth and the eleventh centuries. These new data revealed much about the daily lives of such communities, the products consumed and their economic activities. Archaeological markers of peasant economic strategies can be approached through direct evidence: remains of productive structures, tools, produce, and material culture. Likewise, indirect markers, such as occupation patterns and settlement layout, help shed light on shifting priorities and alterations in land use. To adequately frame these peasant communities in relation to broader economic scales, it is also necessary to consider the possible relationships between rural settlements and contemporary administrative, political, and religious centres.

THE WOODEN TRACKWAY PR6, ASCHENER BOG, LOWER-SAXONY, GERMANY

Abstract. In northern Europe, wetlands hold valuable cultural heritage and enable the conservation of organic material. The region of Lower-Saxony (Germany) boarders the Netherlands in the West and the North Sea in the North. Until the era of cultivation and drainage large parts of northern Lower-Saxony were covered by bogs. Human populations have been living in this environment and developed strategies for crossings since the Neolithic period. There are about 500 wooden trackways listed in Lower-Saxony and several of them have been excavated.The wooden trackway PR6 located in the Aschener Bog, district of Diepholz has been excavated from 2019 to 2021 in cooperation with the natural park Dümmer and the Lower-Saxony State Service for Cultural Heritage (NLD). The project aimed to study a segment of about 550m, which was endangered by peat mining.The company DENKMAL3D (D3D) was contracted for the project and conducted the excavation on site supervised by Dr. M. Heumüller (NLD). Additionally, several staff members from D3D were involved in different capacity: 3D documentation, surveying, and conservation-restoration. This contribution shows the importance of interdisciplinarity in an archaeological research project involving organic material, which is very challenging to excavated and to conserve long-term. Which ethical decision had to be made and how did 3D documentation played a central role in supporting this process? The technical details will be presented as well as future perspective will be discussed and the following research project shortly mentioned.

Storkyrkan i Edsleskog – Historia, arkeologi och arkitektur

Between 2019 and 2021 an archaeological research project was conducted with the aim to study the early medieval brick church of Edsleskog. The results showed that it was constructed as a Romanesque cruciform church, dating at least to the beginning of the 13th century. In this article the focus is the architectural design and history of the building. By comparative examples and historical documentation, it was possible to get a better understanding of how the church was designed. A few changes were made to the church through different building phases. The northern semitransept and a sacristy or chapel on the northern side of the choir were added later to the building, during the first half of the 13th century. A tower or a ridge turret were likely built during the late Middle Ages. Its position or type of construction has not been possible to determine. In 1568 the church burned down and was only rebuilt in reduced size.

Digital Technologies and the Transformation of Archaeological Labor

The use of computers and other digital technologies have had a long history in classical archaeology, but in the last decade, advances in software and especially hardware have begun to transform the way that archaeologists work in the field. This paper explores three examples of this phenomenon from my perspective as co-director, director, or assistant director of three different research projects between 2010 and 2019. These are the Pompeii Quadriporticus Project (2010–2013), the Pompeii Artistic Landscape Project (PALP, 2018–present), and the Tharros Archaeological Research Project (TARP, 2019–present). As a whole, these projects trace one history of digital technology’s impact on the organization of archaeological labor, from intensifying work due to increased efficiency, to increasing the pressure due to newly available data sources, and to reorganizing the in-field procedures that at once takes advantage of efficiencies and frees up labor at the trench edge.

Gamla Uppsala – the emergence of a centre and a magnate complex

The emergence of Gamla Uppsala as a centre has been discussed for centuries. During the past years, old excavations have been incorporated into the frame-work of the archaeological research project Gamla Uppsala - the emergence of a mythical centre (GUAM), with GIS and excavations in combination with survey results and reinterpretations, as old excavations are placed in relation to new investigations. This article is based on the results from excavations in 2011 and 2015 and studies of previous investigations in the light of new results. We have chosen to present a stand der forschung of what we currently know about the 6th to 8th century estate in the centre of Gamla Uppsala, how it emerges as part of an unparalleled monumentalization of the area, what we know of a Migration Period prelude and its transformation during the 8th/9th century. Today we can discuss the relationship between a multitude of elements in the complex, such as individual mounds, the great hall, workshops, economy buildings, fences, paved courtyards, post-row monuments and not least landscape development and resource exploitation on a broad scale. In our strategic work, previously isolated monuments are tied together in a project that will continue in the years ahead.

Os Dolia da Antiguidade Tardia do Castro de Guifões (Matosinhos)

This text aims to present a group of ceramics belonging to large containers for conservation or storage, conventionally known as dolia. Recovered during the fi rst excavation campaign carried out under a research project in Archaeology (PIPA), named GUIFARQ - Guifões Archaeological Research Project, they come from four distinct stratigraphic units framed in the Late Antiquity. The defi ning features of the multiple fragments exhumed, belonging to different vessels, and the contextual relationship attested with other materials, with well-defi ned chronologies, will be explored to understand aspects related to the dynamics of occupation of the Castro in that period. In parallel, interpretative proposals will also be put forward for the documented occurrences in the light of the new contextualized data and the comparison with other similar material previously recovered.

Cercetări arheologice preventive în orașul medieval Târgoviște – Strada Calea Domnească nr. 192 / Preventive excavations in the medieval town of Târgoviște – 192 Calea Domnească St.

Towards the end of 2020, across the street from what is today Princely Court Openair Museum, the formally Princely Court of Târgoviște, as part of a rescue archaeological research project, on a relatively small surface, several medieval features were discovered. These structures unveiled several historical sequences from the timeframe of XVth– XVIIIth century. The oldest objects, consisting of a few ceramic fragments, indicate the existence of dwellings from the La Tène period and from the IIIrd– IVth centuries, somewhere in the area. Artifacts and features dated to the XVth– XVIth centuries documented the existence of a craftsman’s workshop in the same area. The most important discovery, however, is a necropolis (18 features), partially captured in the surveyed area, previously untraceable in terms of documentary information. The same chronostratigraphic context revealed a sidewalk pavement and a collapsed building, probably a bell tower. These discoveries suggest the existence of an ecclesiastical complex, dated in the second half of the XVIth century, but whose existence, according to some clues, seems to have been rather short. The first‑hand observations during the excavation on the youth of many of those buried were also confirmed by anthropological research. Thus, the interdisciplinary research corroborated information from contemporary documents, about Wallachia and implicitly Târgoviște, between the end of the XVIth and the first three decades of the XVIIth century, a series of military events took place whose negative effect was enhanced by natural calamities, translated into famine and disease. The necropolis and the medieval structures discovered at Strada Calea Domnească nr. 192, on a surface of about 70 square meters, are yet another layer from the complex chronostratigraphy of the city and, at the same time, proves, on one side, still the remarkable archaeological potential of Târgoviște, and on another, that research of its past entered in another stage.

Probing the Gendered History of Aegean Survey Archaeology

Probing the Gendered History of Aegean Survey Archaeology

The Kotroni Archaeological Research Project (KASP): evaluating ancient Aphidna using multimodal landscape analysis

The Kotroni Archaeological Research Project (KASP) seeks to understand the relationship between the natural and human landscape of Aphidna from prehistory through to the present, and how such rural communities contributed to the economic, social and cultural life of larger, ‘core’ centres in the region. As one of the constitutional demes of Classical Athens, Aphidna was steeped in the foundational history of the Athenian polis, which saw in it a primordial, ancestral place tied to myths and legends. It accommodated a Middle Bronze Age cemetery, a Mycenaean/Late Bronze Age citadel, a Classical-Hellenistic fort on the citadel, and a Geometric, Archaic, Hellenistic, and Roman settlement. Furthermore, it was later settled in the form of Byzantine and Frankish monastery estates, Turkish chifliks, Arvanite villages, and the contemporary community of nearby Kapandriti. Being that the area of interest (AOI) is both remarkably well preserved due to construction prohibitions necessitated by the nearby Marathon water reservoir and features a diverse history spanning four millennia, it is an excellent case-study for human landscape inquiry, i.e. understanding diachronic inhabitation and the changing meanings of landscape in the longue durée. Important tasks in this direction include clarifying the spatial extent, chronological framework, and nature of settlement as well as the environmental affordances of the landscape, the combination of which permits a thick description of its cultural history. The main method for this investigation is intensive pedestrian survey. Additional conventional methods include the study of ground historical photographs, conventional maps, older field reports, published scholarship, ancient literature and inscription corpora, traveller accounts (17th-19th century AD), in situ buildings or architectural membra dispersed in the landscape, and artefacts (both those collected during the survey and legacy finds in museum storage, e.g. the National Archaeological Museum). Science-based methods consist of geophysical prospection, geological/geomorphological study, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) analysis, as well as geospatial informatics focusing on satellite and aerial imagery and Lidar-derived digital terrain models. The results of the intensive survey, the geophysical prospection, and the geological/geomorphological and OSL study are presented elsewhere. In this paper we present the outcomes of remote sensing, arguing that the relevant tools play an important role in the study of human landscapes at all stages of archaeological inquiry (prior, during and after ground truthing), especially when revisiting underexplored areas and employing a multimodal ‘third-wave’ survey methodology. The latter weaves in a multitude of analyses, both conventional and digital, and integrates old and new data.

The End of the Ubaid Period in the Upper Tigris River Valley

Excavations at Kenan Tepe by the Upper Tigris Archaeological Research Project (UTARP) revealed four phases of Ubaid period occupation. The goal of this paper is to place the final phase of occupation at the site, Kenan Tepe Ubaid phase 4 (KTU phase 4), into a broader regional context, and to situate the KTU phase 4 ceramic assemblage within the Ubaid to post-Ubaid transition (Late Chalcolithic 1) of greater Mesopotamia. Recent excavations and studies from throughout Greater Mesopotamia have highlighted the local variation of this transition. This paper will compare the materials from KTU phase 4 to other sites in the Upper Tigris region to provide an overview of regional character during this time in the Tigris Valley in southeastern Turkey. Additionally, I will present the results of the use-alteration analysis from the KTU phase 4 occupation to outline the function of ceramics and the daily practices of the inhabitants of Kenan Tepe. This analysis could aid in identifying regional variations of ceramic use that can highlight differences in social and economic organizations within communities during the Ubaid to post-Ubaid transition.

Architectural Distinctiveness of the 15th Century Ottoman Tombs in Skopje: Learning from the Recent Archeological Excavation

Grave structures are architectural works reflecting the cultural accumulation, continuity and political power of societies. In addition, graveyards or necropolises and grave structures themselves, have an important contribution in shaping urban forms of cities. This article aims to evaluate the impact of crypted tombs (mezar odalı türbe), originating from the Kurgan culture of the Turks, in shaping the urban morphology of Skopje, as a Turkish city during the 15th century. Crypted tombs, which are very few in the Balkan geography, are a type of tombs mostly built during the Seljuk and Early Ottoman periods. The rich architectural forms and local aesthetic qualities of tombs have attracted a lot of research attention. As a result, tomb typology was defined by classifying the tombs according to the architectural peculiarities such as plan, volume shape, roofing system and applied materials. For the purpose of this paper, available sources were examined and the typology for six crypted tombs of Skopje was prepared. In addition, the archive documents describing the immediate surroundings of the tombs were examined, and the confusion of information about the tombs was clarified. After the definitions and typology of the tombs were determined, the locations of these tombs in the city of Skopje were defined, confirming the urban development approach applied since the Early Ottoman period. This paper relies on the results of Archaeological Excavation and Research Project of the Pasha Yiğit Bey Tomb, which was done under the auspices of the Şarık TARA, in Skopje, during which three crypted tombs were found beside the previously known ones. In this study, the tombs unearthed as a result of archaeological excavations are defined in the context of the 15th century Early Ottoman city structure. The crypted tombs found in Skopje are discussed for the first time in this study.

Ritual, settlement and land-use practices: Towards a social history of Neolithic though Medieval period Maski, southern India

This article discusses the current outcomes of the Maski Archaeological Research Project (MARP), a multi-year investigation of the relationships among settlement and land-use practices, developing social differences and inequalities, and economic and ritual production in a 64 km2 study area in the Raichur District of Karnataka. Here we discuss the results of MARP's systematic pedestrian survey, remote sensing, salvage activities, and excavation, which include 46 radiocarbon assays from both prehistoric and historic period contexts. These dates document a long chronology of differential burial practices spanning the middle of the Neolithic Period to the early Iron Age, and a diversity of settlement and land-use activities practiced during the Medieval Period. These data speak to the social and political significance of these activities and point to the historically complex character of landscape and place-making practices within the long-term social history of the Raichur Doab.

INTEGRATING GIS AND PHOTOGRAMMETRIC RECORDING FOR EXTENDED SEABED ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, MARSA BAGOUSH, EGYPT

Abstract. Photogrammetry and GIS technologies are developing rapidly and becoming more affordable. They have also emerged as significant archaeological tools as a result of an increasing level of automated workflow in data acquisition and processing. Moreover, these techniques offer considerable reduction in the cost of underwater archaeological research. That is in addition to significant enhancement in research plans, management, and results, especially in extended seabed archaeological projects. Therefore, these technologies are utilized as essential aspects of the underwater archaeological research project in the site of Marsa Bagoush, Egypt. The site is located 250 km west of Alexandria, and it takes the form of a bay, almost 650,000 m2. Marsa Bagoush (ancient Zygris) was mentioned by Claudius Ptolemaeus in the 2nd century AD as one of the main anchorages along the northwest coast of Egypt between Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh (ancient Paraetonium).This paper presents the results of the on-going digital documentation of the site which is a major part of an underwater archaeological investigation project. The paper will discuss the promising application of photogrammetry in underwater archaeology. It will also look at the integration of GIS Database techniques, which represent accurate methods of documenting topographical and archaeological elements and obtaining three-dimensional digital models of the site and its contents.

The conflict archaeology of the 19th–20th century in Hungary

Conflict archaeology has significant traditions in Hungary. This paper presents conflict archaeological research on three military sites of the 19th and 20th centuries (the battlefield of Kismegyer, the POW camp of Ostffyasszonyfa and the aircraft wreck of Bágyogszovát) associated with the Ministry of Defence Military History Institute and Museum. Finally, the Appendix concludes the study by presenting 25 more Hungarian conflict archaeological research projects from the Napoleonic Wars to the Cold War.

The Bethlen castle in the light of written sources and the latest excavations

Probably one of the most beautiful Renaissance castles in Transylvania, attracting numerous visitors every year, it is situated in Criș/Keresd4 (Kreisch in German), on one of the ancient properties of the Bethlen family. A considerable amount of educational writings, art historical analyses, and historical works discuss the history of the castle and the Bethlen family. However, there is hardly any scientific work synthesizing the relatively rich set of available written sources, the results of the previous excavations, and the conclusions that can be drawn from the still-standing building parts. Although archaeological excavations have been carried out on the castle’s territory, relatively little is known about the preceding manor or manor houses. It must be highlighted that the results of the earlier archaeological excavations and wall surveys are difficult to summarize because of a lack of documentation and never-completed publications; however, the historical and architectural importance of the building complex makes it necessary for us to survey the previous work and present a current state of research before starting new investigations. Therefore, this study aims to briefly summarize the results of the historical research and previous archaeological excavations and to formulate the research questions to be addressed by the new archaeological research project that has started in 2020, as well as the ones that may arise during a complex (historical, archaeological, art historical and architectural) investigation of the castle.

The medieval parish church of Baia Mare: preliminary results of an archaeological research project

Baia Mare (Nagybánya in Hungarian, a town today in Northwestern Romania) was an important mining town in medieval Hungary. It was called Rivulus Dominarum, meaning “Lady’s Creek.” The town owed its emergence and prosperity to gold and silver mining and related minting. The town, therefore, was an important economic centre, not only in the region but also for the whole Hungarian Kingdom. Once a large parish church stood near the main square, but it became almost entirely dismantled, only its tower standing since the second half of the 19th century. From 2012 to 2014, archaeological excavations were carried out in the parish church and its surroundings; the results allow us to outline a much more detailed picture of this significant medieval building.

The Tracing the Potter’s Wheel Project (TPW): An Integrated Archaeological Investigation of the Potter’s Wheel in the Bronze Age Aegean

This backstory article discusses the work of the Tracing the Potter’s Wheel Project (TPW), an integrated archaeological research project using the potter’s wheel as a prism through which to investigate the transmission of craft knowledge in the Bronze Age Aegean. The TPW methodology integrates theoretical perspectives on social interactions, technological processes and innovation, with experimental, 3D digital and analytical methods for visualising and interpreting ceramics. Two central goals have emerged: to provide high-quality resources and standardised guidelines for researchers to learn how to technologically assess assemblages in their own research, and to broadly define the nature of the uptake and use of the pottery wheel in the Aegean during the Late Bronze Age.