Archaeological Sites Research Articles

Chemical Control of the Invasive Tree Ailanthus altissima

Many natural areas are colonised by the invasive species Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. Its presence in natural ecosystems damages the ecological richness while competing with native flora. A. altissima is one of the most widespread weed species in natural areas of temperate regions such as conservation parks, archaeological sites and communication corridors. Not many active ingredients are available to control this weed since the most popular, glyphosate, has been banned by many municipalities. To test the efficacy of alternative herbicides, naturally occurring populations in Collserola Conservation Park in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) were treated with different herbicides using three different techniques. Aclonifen, metribuzin, flazasulfuron, metsulfuron-methyl, fluroxypyr, isoxaflutole + thiencarbazone-methyl and triclopyr mixed with 2.4-D, fluroxypyr, aminopyralid and clopyralid were applied by stem injection, cut stump injection or basal bark techniques to trees of about 5 cm diameter. Cut stump and stem injection both gave almost total control of the trees while basal bark showed more varied results depending on the herbicide. The best control was achieved when flazasulfuron or triclopyr were present as active ingredients and poorer control was observed when using metsulfuron-methyl or isoxaflutole + thiencarbazone-methyl. Aclonifen showed no damage to the trees. Metribuzin worked better if the cut stump injection technique was used. These results showed that several alternatives are available to the use of glyphosate, which has been banned for some uses due to environmental concerns.

Archaeology on the edge: radiocarbon chronologies for Aboriginal cliff-top sites of the Murray River, South Australia

Abstract This paper presents new radiocarbon dates for two Aboriginal archaeological complexes situated on the cliff-lines of the Murray River in South Australia (SA); at Pooginook Flat and Tanamee. These dates represent the first age estimates for archaeological sites within the Upper Gorge section of the Murray River. The dates ranged from ca. 11 cal ka to the Late Holocene. The research supports previous evidence which has indicated that sites located along the Murray cliffs preserve much of the oldest evidence of Aboriginal peopling along the Murray River corridor in SA. The new dates also allow us to contribute to discussions concerning broader chronological trends in Aboriginal lifeways within the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). Specifically, the new ages add some insight into the nature and timing of early Aboriginal occupation along the Murray River corridor in SA and further evidence that the LGM acted as a significant inhibitive factor for intensive occupation of this riverscape. The conservation of these significant and informative cliff-top sites remains precarious, however, and there is an imperative to continue to record and sample the extant sites.

Sea-level changes and human economic development in the northern flank of the Yangtze River Delta during the Middle to Late Holocene

The environmental dynamics in coastal regions are inevitably influenced by fluctuations in sea levels and human interventions. Evidence derived from archeological site remains and sediment cores indicates that sea-level change has been the primary driving force behind the continuous relocation of human settlements since the Holocene epoch. However, the understanding of the Holocene land formation process and its relationship with human activities in the northern flank of the Yangtze River Delta remains limited. The Guoqing Temple, located in southwest Juegang and serving as a hub for sea salt production during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, was established in the Tang Dynasty and served as one of the pivotal points along the Maritime Silk Road. A sedimentary core was obtained in close to the Guoqing Temple, and the sedimentological and micropalaeontological data were analyzed to investigate the process of sedimentary evolution from marine to terrestrial environments, as well as the environmental factors facilitating the development of the salt industry. Analysis results explained that: Between 6360 and 1750 cal yr BP, the study area was situated in a shallow sea on the outermost periphery of the sandbank, with a maximum water depth of 20 m. After 1750 cal yr BP, it underwent a transition to a supratidal low-salinity shallow marsh environment that continued to be influenced by marine conditions. The climate in the study area is primarily influenced by the Asian monsoon: Before 3000 cal yr BP, the overall climatic conditions were characterized by warm and humid conditions; After 3000 cal yr BP, climate stability prevailed in the region. Meanwhile, due to the newly formed wetlands that facilitated extensive salt production, economic shifts toward southern regions, and reforms in salt laws during the Tang Dynasty, Juegang emerged as a flourishing commercial trade hub and a prosperous center for Buddhist culture.

La Disponibilidad de cuarzo apto para la talla en las Sierras Pampeanas Australes

This paper presents the results of the study on the availability and use of quartz suitable for flintknapping in the Ongamira Valley (Córdoba, Argentina. At the archaeological sites studied—which correspond to late Holocene hunter-gatherer groups (ca. 1900-3600 BP)—more than 90% of the lithic assemblages were quartz. Researchers articulated different analysis techniques (remote sensing, prospecting, XRF, XRD and petrographic analyses) to understand the origin and local availability of this raw material. The results reveal the location and abundance of the primary quartz sources, estimate the material quality, and help us comprehend the variability between sources. Based on the data, the paper proposes a methodological model for discussing quartz use in the mountainous regions of Central Argentina and its integration into interpretations of human mobility circuits.

A refined output-only modal identification technique for structural health monitoring of civil infrastructures

The increasing installation of structural health monitoring systems has raised the need for efficient and rapid data interpretation algorithms. Operational modal analysis is currently one of the most used techniques for extracting modal properties, and some attempts have been made to automate this procedure. However, automated techniques often require manual calibration of hyperparameters and show inconsistencies across different case studies. This paper proposes a refined version of the automated frequency domain decomposition (AFDD) using the modal assurance criterion (MAC) to obtain natural frequencies and mode shapes. Sensitivity analyses were conducted on the ambient vibration response of the Yonghe cable-stayed bridge in China, accounting for influential factors including noise levels, acceleration record length, sensor layouts. A novel approach is then introduced to interpret the results of the sensitivity analyses. The approach consists in plotting the result of each analysis in a stabilization diagram and then using a Gaussian mixture model that clusters the poles into core and outliers. This allows to identify regions where the MAC thresholds are optimal. By comparing the results of all the sensitivity analyses it was possible to define a single optimal MAC threshold, avoiding the need for fixing a value based on the user’s experience. Three substantially different case studies were analyzed to extensively test the methodology: the Yonghe cable-stayed bridge, the PolyU footbridge in Hong Kong, and Moletta Tower in the Circus Maximus archeological site in Italy. The analysis compared the proposed AFDD algorithm to the traditional frequency domain decomposition and covariance-driven stochastic subspace identification. Specifically, the efficiency in identifying close frequencies, weakly excited modes, spurious peaks, and complex modes was evaluated for each method, which highlighted the robustness of the proposed optimized AFDD. The analysis showcases peculiar characteristics and drawbacks of each method when trying to identify complex vibrational modes of the specific case studies. It was found that the proposed AFDD procedure performs better than traditional methods despite it may misidentify complex modes due to the constraints of a narrower modal domain and similar geometries.

Prehistoric Italian foodways: Meta-analysis of stable isotope data from the Neolithic to the Iron Age

Italian Later Prehistory was characterised by profound changes that impacted everyday life in many aspects. Whether or not and how such changes were reflected in the subsistence practices of ancient populations is an ongoing question in the archaeological debate. This question has been investigated using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis for several decades. Here, we present a 6000-year-long review of isotopic studies in the Italian Peninsula from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. We reconstruct chronological variations in food practices by observing δ13C and δ15N trends for 776 humans, 382 animals, and 432 C3 plants from 111 archaeological sites. During the Neolithic, when farming is first introduced, a homogenous signal characterised by terrestrial protein consumption is visible. The Copper Age, instead, shows a more varied pattern, possibly representative of a more diversified use of the landscape, characteristic of those millennia. The new cultural paradigm that invested Europe during the Bronze Age is also reflected in food practices in Italy, with the introduction of millets - signalled by high δ13C values in the Northern regions - possibly representing a pivotal shift. Not much data is available for the Iron Age, as only two sites from Northern Italy, showing a diffused consumption of C4 plants, and one site from Southern Italy, with a diet centred around C3 plants, are available for this period. The analysis of this extensive set of data suggests that the “Secondary Products Revolution” probably meant a shift in subsistence practices, with secondary sources substituting meat rather than integrating it.

Machine learning-based identification of geomorphological units in Quintero Bay (32°S) and its implications for the search for early drowned archaeological sites on the western coast of South America

High-resolution predictive modeling of submerged landscapes has successfully allowed the detection of early archaeological sites that are presently underwater. These models have traditionally relied on geophysical techniques, which can be both time-consuming and expensive, especially for extensive survey areas. In contrast, geomorphological mapping using Machine Learning (ML) techniques has emerged as a rapid and accessible alternative with numerous advantages over conventional methods. In this work, we employ ML algorithms (Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, Partial Least Squares, and Principal Component Analysis) trained on land to analyze the seabed of Quintero Bay to identify relic landforms that characterize the paleolandscape within which the submerged early site GNLQ1 formed. The methodology also included a multicriteria analysis that integrated geological (geomorphological, tectonic, eustatic) and archaeological (attributes of non-submerged records in the region) approaches to delineate potential areas of archaeological interest. The findings of this work can guide and enhance future archaeological research. The results underscore the importance of possessing a comprehensive understanding of the study area and its associated variables to the successful application of ML techniques. This also applies to modeling drowned paleolandscapes. Nevertheless, despite these challenges, ML-based modeling of drowned paleolandscapes can provide an overview of the distribution of geoforms comprising the paleolandscape, which in turn can help identify future geophysical survey areas to focus on in the search for archaeological evidence, thereby improving our understanding of the relationship between early human groups and these landscapes.

HBIM for conservation and valorization of structural heritage: The Stylite Tower at Umm ar-Rasas, Jordan

The Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) is a consistent approach to support the multidisciplinary process of knowledge, conservation, and valorization of the historical building heritage, exploiting the combination of advanced 3D modelling and heterogeneous informative data. In the present paper, a highly customized HBIM workflow is developed for the enhancement and conservation of the byzantine Stylite Tower in the Jordan archaeological site of Umm ar-Rasas. The case study is considered a benchmark to test the effectiveness and the scalability of the proposed methodology for the broader set of ancient structures located in archaeological sites. The proposed HBIM process has a dual aim: the organization of heterogeneous and fragmented sources concerning the history and the actual state maintenance of the Tower and the development of a flexible tool to perform fast qualitative and quantitative analysis oriented towards conservation and management projects. The small scale of the structure and an innovative semi-automatic modelling process based on visual coding allowed for a stone-by-stone segmentation of the Tower. The model procedure is based on an information management workflow based on CIDOC-CRM ontology and the interchange format Industry Foundation Classes to ensure interoperability, developing an open-access interactive visualization of the model of the Tower, embedding organized document sources. The proposed HBIM model can also be a valuable tool for enhanced monument fruition and dissemination activities of the structure.

A Novel Machine Learning Automated Change Detection Tool for Monitoring Disturbances and Threats to Archaeological Sites

A Novel Machine Learning Automated Change Detection Tool for Monitoring Disturbances and Threats to Archaeological Sites

Hybrid siloxane oligomer: A promising consolidant for the conservation of powdered tremolite jade artifacts

Jade has played a pivotal role in the political, economic, cultural, and technological development of ancient societies. However, numerous tremolite jade artifacts unearthed from archaeological sites exhibit various deterioration patterns due to natural weathering and human activities. Among these, powdering is the most detrimental form of degradation, significantly affecting the physical characteristics of artifacts, as well as archaeological research and museum exhibitions. This paper develops a novel hybrid siloxane oligomer as a potential consolidant for powdered tremolite jade artifacts and compares it with traditional consolidants, including acrylic resin and ethyl silicate. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses show that the jade samples used in the experiment are predominantly composed of tremolite. Various techniques are employed to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of the three consolidants, including color variation tests, open porosity tests, contact angle measurements, peeling tests, hardness tests, ultra-depth-of-field microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The novel hybrid siloxane oligomer demonstrates superior consolidation effects, with consolidated samples showing significant improvements in mechanical properties, reaching a Leeb hardness of 163 HL, while maintaining color variations within acceptable limits (ΔE = 3.87). The results demonstrate the potential of the novel hybrid siloxane oligomer in consolidating powdered tremolite jade artifacts.

A dual bivalve approach for interpreting past sea surface temperatures and seasonality from shell midden sites using oxygen isotope sclerochronology

Stable oxygen isotope (δ18O) analysis of archaeological shellfish remains combined with sclerochronology can be used to precisely reconstruct past sea surface temperature (pSST), season(s) of shellfish collection, and thus the season(s) of archaeological site occupation. Our study tests if δ18Oshell and sclerochronological analyses of marine bivalve species Leukoma staminea – with previously unassessed seasonality and pSST potential – can provide additional insights not captured by the better studied species, Saxidmous gigantea in British Columbia (BC, Canada). We analyzed live-collected L. staminea and S. gigantea shells from Sechelt, BC, and compared results to archaeological shell data from Powell River, BC, in the territory of the Tla'amin First Nation (1065 to 797 cal. B.P.). The seasonality of shellfish harvest differed between species, with S. gigantea preferentially collected in the spring, whereas L. staminea collected year-round. This highlights that sole-species seasonality studies may miss important variability harvesting strategies. Additionally, comparisons between instrumental (5.7 to 20.4 °C) and reconstructed SST from modern L. staminea δ18Oshell (5.6 to 18.4 °C) showed good agreement in annual range. Our results indicate that archaeological S. gigantea record a wider range of pSST (−1.6 to 22.9 °C) than archaeological L. staminea (5.8 to 25.9 °C), suggesting that S. gigantea may be a more sensitive palaeotemperature recorder. Further, we found that using the same reconstructed δ18Owater value for both species in pSST reconstruction caused an overestimation of temperature. Accordingly, we argue that it is critical to calibrate the equation with corresponding species-specific δ18Oshell values, regardless of both having aragonite mineral structures. Our study highlights the potential of L. staminea to broaden seasonality interpretations while clarifying that its use for pSST reconstruction may not capture the lower range of temperature.

Enhancing biodiversity: historical ecology and biogeography of the Santa Catalina Island ground squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi nesioticus.

People have influenced Earth's biodiversity for millennia, including numerous introductions of domestic and wild species to islands. Here, we explore the origins and ecology of the Santa Catalina Island ground squirrel (SCIGS; Otospermophilus beecheyi nesioticus), one of only five endemic terrestrial mammals found on California's Santa Catalina Island. We synthesized all records of archaeological/palaeontological SCIGS, conducted radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis of the potentially earliest SCIGS remains and performed genetic analysis of modern SCIGS. Squirrels were not identified in island palaeontological deposits, but at least 12 island archaeological sites contain SCIGS bones, including some that are butchered or burned. All directly dated SCIGS bones are Late Holocene in age and younger than approximately 1290 cal BP. The first mitochondrial genome for modern Otospermophilus beecheyi and 15 modern SCIGS mitogenomes document at least one introduction of squirrels. Stable isotope data indicate variable SCIGS diets and potential subsidies from marine environments to terrestrial plants consumed by some individuals. We cannot rule out a natural overwater dispersal, but the earliest SCIGS remains post-date the earliest evidence for people by several millennia and, along with other lines of evidence, support a human-assisted translocation of squirrels during the Late Holocene. These data illustrate the important role of Indigenous people in shaping and enhancing island biodiversity and ecology around the world.

Taxonomic and metabolic characterisation of biofilms colonising Roman stuccoes at Baia’s thermal baths and restoration strategies

Stuccoes are very delicate decorative elements of Roman age. Very few of them survived almost intact to present days and, for this reason, they are of great interest to restorers and conservators. In this study, we combined metabarcoding and untargeted metabolomics to characterise the taxonomic and metabolic profiles of the microorganisms forming biofilms on the stuccoes located on the ceiling of the laconicum, a small thermal environment in the archaeological park of Baia (southern Italy). We found that some samples were dominated by bacteria while others by eukaryotes. Additionally, we observed high heterogeneity in the type and abundance of bacterial taxa, while the eukaryotic communities, except in one sample (at prevalence of fungi), were dominated by green algae. The metabolic profiles were comparable across samples, with lipids, lipid-like molecules and carbohydrates accounting for roughly the 50% of metabolites. In vitro and in vivo tests to remove biofilms on stuccoes using essential oils blends were successful at a 50% dilution for one hour and half. This integrative study advanced our knowledge on taxonomic and metabolic profiles of biofilms on ancient stuccoes and highlighted the potential impacts of these techniques in the field of cultural heritage conservation.

The Palamas Archaeological Project 2023. A preliminary report of the Greek–Swedish collaboration in the municipality of Palamas, region of Karditsa, Thessaly

The 2023 fieldwork in the area of Palamas, Thessaly, was severely hampered by catastrophic weather events affecting the area. In spite of this, the project managed to conduct excavations, surface and architectural surveys, as well as geophysical prospection at a number of sites in the region. The work continues to highlight the chronological breadth of archaeological remains in the area, as well as further details regarding little-known periods of Thessalian history.

Arts préhistoriques : un tournant ontologique ?

Social anthropology and archeology have long been seen as sister disciplines. However, when social anthropology has taken up the question of ontologies as early as the 1990s, archeology did not follow in such a blatant manner. For the study of prehistoric arts, ontological approaches remain few. In archaeology, such attempts face major methodological challenges, which relate to the archaeologist's point of view, the materiality of archaeological remains, the difficulty or impossibility of using ethnography, the polysemy of images, the pervasiveness of the tradition of representation, and finally to the fact that anthropologists have not yet provided a unified epistemological framework. This contribution proposes to portray and analyze past and current ontological approaches to prehistoric arts, by offering a short critical history, followed by a study of the paths taken to meet “the challenge of alterity” (Moro Abadía and Porr, 2021).

New data about the stability of skills for creating clay vessel shapes

The article analyzes the relative stability of skills for creating the shapes of clay vessels, both wheel-made and hand-made ones. Sources of the study included a series of “identical” vessels that were made as part of experiments conducted by employees of the Joint Team for Pottery Study in the 1970s and the Samara Expedition for the experimental study of ancient pottery in 2019–2022. Shape parameters have been identified that exhibit the greatest stability, regardless of the method of making the vessel, the type of building elements and the skill level of a craftsman. These parameters are the inclination angles of the lateral line of the shoulder-brachium frame and the body. The results of the study lead to the conclusion that these parameters can be considered as the most reliable for making conclusions based on the pottery shapes about the degree of cultural and ethnocultural homogeneity of the population groups that left archaeological sites.

The Current Phyto-Scape and Foodplants of Holley Shelter, KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) and Its Potential for Past Foragers

AbstractCurrent phyto-scapes (plant populations in their geo-spatial context) are not exact replicas of past foraging potential, yet they provide valuable data about the carrying capacity or potential of a foraging-scape. Knowledge about contemporary micro-ecologies and ethno-historical plant use can inform on behavioral aspects, should such plants be found in archaeological deposits. It is in this context that we explore existing information (data and literature) to establish the current vegetation types and micro-ecologies around Holley Shelter, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, that contains Middle and Later Stone Age occupations. We present the first plant species inventory consisting of > 1500 taxa growing approximately a day’s foraging distance from the site, compiled from records provided by the South African National Biodiversity Institute and other sources. From this list, we generated separate checklists for foodplants (n = 450) and plants that have other uses (n = 337), to gain insight into the site’s current phyto-fitness potential. The resulting database is intended as a modern proxy for future work on the site’s archaeo-botany and palaeo-climatic reconstructions. The data is also applicable to other sites on the Savanna/Grassland Biomes of southern Africa with records of the same species. Here we use the foodplant checklist and what is known about the edible plant parts, their seasonality and the distribution of some species to speculate about land-use patterns. These hypotheses can be tested for the past with future archaeo-botanical work. We demonstrate that, compared to archaeological sites in the Eastern and Western Cape for which comparable data exist, Holley Shelter is rich in foodplants, and especially so in plant foods that are known to buffer against famine during the periodical droughts of inland South Africa.

Old Data and New Investigations The Urartian and Orontid Fortress of Körzüt in Muradiye Plain, Turkey

This article presents an important archaeological site located on the north-eastern shore of Lake Van, Turkey. The site was one of the first to be associated with the kingdom of Urartu, thanks to the grandeur of its characteristic architecture and the pottery visible on the surface. Körzüt is composed of a vast fortified complex, within which there were certainly a temple, palatine structures, storage rooms, a settlement, and a necropolis. Presumably contemporary hydraulic works have been documented near the site. Körzüt has been the subject of numerous illegal excavations in past and present times, which over the years have brought to light a considerable amount of epigraphic material. This has allowed us to attribute the construction of the complex to King Minua, between the end of the ninth and the beginning of the eighth century BCE. Numerous recent illegal excavations on the site have led to emergency excavations. These investigations have led to the discovery of important remains, which are discussed and contextualised in this paper, together with what was already known in terms of epigraphic and architectural evidence. Furthermore, Körzüt can be added to the list of settlements that were also used in the post-Urartian era in the years in which the Armenian Highlands was dominated by the Orontid dynasty.

Rock art in the stone age of Gobustan: an archaeologist’s view

Gobustan is home to a large group of archaeological sites and many thousands of rock images dating from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages. Due to its extraordinary scientific and artistic significance, the Gobustan complex is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. This paper focuses on rock images dating back to the Stone Age. An attempt is made to systematize petroglyphs, taking into account their types, artistic styles, techniques of their creation, and themes of the images. The author considers relative dating and correlation of the distinguished styles with Gobustan sites of various stages of the Stone Age. Based on the analysis, style 1 of the region’s petroglyphs is dated from the first half of the Upper Palaeolithic (no later than 25–24 kya). Style 2 is synchronized with Mesolithic sites, and styles 3a and 3b are dated, with a certain degree of conditionality, from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic.

Assessment of Metal Pollution in Umm el-Surab Archaeological Layers, Northeast Jordan

This study aims to assess the extent of the anthropogenic pollution of Area A at the Umm el-Surab archaeological site, Jordan. It examines the concentrations of 21 metals from four Roman, Byzantine, and early and late Ayyubid-Mamluk layers. The site, located near Bosra and Umm el-Jimal, was continuously settled from the Roman till the Islamic periods. The chemical analysis and pollution indices (enrichment and contamination factors (EF, CF), and geo-accumulation index Igeo) show low enrichment in Zn, K, Sr, Na, Pb, Ba, Li, Mn, Mg, Mo, and Cu, and moderate enrichment in Cd, Ag, Ca, As, and Ni. Co is significantly enriched in one sample and moderately enriched in the other ones. The results show pollutant metals more enriched in the Byzantine layer than the rest of the layers. A likely primary source of the limited pollution is organic fuels and their firing product of ash, while a likely secondary source might be the pottery fragments spread in the layers. The results agree with the fact that the site was rural with limited industrial activities, especially metal production, like iron and copper, that would have increased the concentration of the analyzed metals.