Archaeological Survey Research Articles

Plan of prehistoric stilt village in Maranhão Brazil may resemble the Pleiades

Archaeological surveys conducted in the Maranhão estuaries of Brazil, near the Atlantic coast, revealed the remnants of 21 prehistoric stilt villages constructed on piles of Tabebuia handroanthrus hardwood above three seasonal flood water estuaries. Radiocarbon dates of 27 samples from 11 of those sites yielded an Archaic Period of construction (6622 ± 119 calibrated years before present) followed much later by consecutive construction periods from approximately the first century B.C. to the thirteenth century A.D. (1994 to 728 cal. yrs BP). The Formoso site—currently dated as the longest occupied site (1509 to 930 cal. yrs BP)—yielded early Incised-Punctate/Arauquinoid pottery, a previously unreported pottery style in the Amazon region. Additionally, using StarryNight astronomy software, the night sky at Formoso was compared with a map of the pile dwelling layout, revealing a statistically significant resemblance to the Pleiades. This paper focuses on the Formoso site, suggesting that it may have served cultural significance to the Pleiades as early evidence for the later widespread ethnographic use of the star cluster’s annual sighting to mark the seasonal flood cycles and the management of agricultural and ecological activities throughout tropical South America.

Roma, Sepolcreto della via Ostiense: le pitture murali e la loro conservazione. Tecnica, modalità decorative, cronologia

 Along via Ostiensis, near the St. Paul’s Basilica, an important part of a roman cemetery was digged up in 1917 during roadworks and now it is still visible. This funerary area, where the most common typology is a small familiar building (columbarium), was dated from the 2nd century B.C. to 3rd-4th century A.D. At the end of the archaeological survey, only a little part of the funerary area was restored, provided with a covering and opened to the public. Elegant paintings of natural and mythological elements decorate most of the tombs, in some cases also connected with stucco decorations, and they constitute one of the most significant testimonies of the funerary art in Rome. Actually, an interdisciplinary research is focused to the study of the painted decorations, with the analysis of the painting technique and the pigments used. Moreover, based on the study of the successive restorations carried out during the twentieth-century and actual conservative state of the funerary building decorations, the investigation of the degradation phenomena of these architectural surfaces is in progress, in order to the monitoring, the maintenance and the conservation of these important frescos.  

Archaeology for the courtroom: the Ayodhya Case and the fashioning of a hybrid episteme

On 1 August 2002, the Allahabad High Court in India, adjudicating the Ayodhya Case, ordered archaeological excavations by the central government agency Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at the site of the demolished mosque Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh. The order marked a new moment for the convergence of law and archaeology in India, with archaeological knowledge being produced on judicial demand as evidence in a civil dispute. This paper argues that this marked the emergence of a hybrid episteme of archaeology-as-legal-evidence which redefines archaeology within the framework of law. It traces these tendencies by a close reading of three documents: the judgements of the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya Case and an order issued by a lower court in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on 8 April 2021 in the GyanVapi Case. I argue that the new role that archaeology is assuming in courtrooms in India is destabilising the standing of the ASI as the authority of archaeological knowledge and the protector of the nation’s material past. It has also produced a category of assertive public that successfully demands production of archaeological knowledge towards ideological ends.

Tabo Monastery (996 CE) A Vernacular Architecture of Lahaul and Spiti Region of Himachal Pradesh, India: A Preliminary Investigation of Deterioration and Conservation of Murals of gSer-Khang Gumpha

Tabo monastery of 996 CE, an example of vernacular architecture of the Lahaul and Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh, is one of the most significant examples of world cultural heritage, being not only a globally significant Buddhist site but also the oldest earthen building in India. Cultural heritage acts as a mirror of human civilization, culture, history, and development. This monastery has its own identity, which tells the story of its glorious past;  the structures of the monastery are the most authentic example of the use of earthen raw materials and indigenous architectural features. The major creative forces for these structures are rooted in the local needs and traditions, which have evolved slowly over time. The mural paintings of the monastery, which are deteriorating due to natural and human induced activities, depict Buddhist Indian History. The main aim of this study is to determine the causes of this deterioration, and identify conservation measures that can be undertaken to protect the mural paintings. In fact, remarkable conservation works are already being conducted by Archaeological Survey of India, which is laudable. However, the investigation of the monastery’s structural features, techniques used in mural execution, and the relevant climatic conditions of the region, with identification of causes of deterioration can be used to develop a more effective and sustainable conservation approach for preservation of these murals in the future.

The Pre-Aksumite Period: indigenous origins and development in the Horn of Africa

ABSTRACT The Pre-Aksumite Period (mid-second to late first millennia BC) witnessed the rise of complex societies in the Horn of Africa. Archaeological survey and excavations in the Gulo Makeda region of Eastern Tigrai by the Eastern Tigrai Archaeological Project (ETAP) have produced new data and insights into this critical juncture in the cultural history of the region. Based on data from Mezber and other archaeological sites, we present a new Pre-Aksumite chronology and discuss the material culture, settlement, political organisation, economy, agricultural history and regional interactions of this period. We recommend the use of the term ‘Pre-Aksumite Period’ to encompass this time when the earliest polities developed in the region. Mezber provides us with a glimpse into the lifeways of indigenous peoples inhabiting the northern Horn of Africa who encountered South Arabian visitors to the region during the early first millennium BC. Data from Mezber shift our focus from external influences to considering the culture and development of autochthonous peoples of the Ethiopian/Eritrean highlands who had an active role in negotiating cultural contacts. This perspective constitutes a missing piece of the puzzle needed to better understand the broader socio-economic, political and cultural dynamics of the Pre-Aksumite Period.

The Offerton Hat Works and Stockport’s Felt Hat Industry

ABSTRACT Stockport became one of the leading centres for the British felt hat industry in the 19th century. An archaeological survey of the Offerton Hat Works that was carried out between May 2019 and February 2020 in advance of redevelopment has provided a detailed record of one of the best surviving 19th-century hat works in the town. The Offerton Hat Works was hailed as a state-of-the-art ‘model factory’ when established in 1886 by William Battersby, who emerged as one of the leading manufacturers of felt hats. This article summarises the conclusions drawn from the archaeological survey of this important works, with reference to other surveys and excavations of earlier 19th-century hat factories elsewhere in Stockport and in the neighbouring towns of Oldham, Hyde and Denton that together chart the key stages in the transition of hat production in north-west England from a cottage craft to a specialised factory-based industry of international repute.

Trenggalek dalam Panggung Budaya Masa Lampau di Jawa Bagian Selatan: Ragam dan Karakternya

Trenggalek Regency is one of the regencies of East Java Province located in the southern part of Java Island. Trenggalek Regency is surrounded by Tulungagung, Pacitan, and Ponorogo Regencies which have abundant cultural heritage potential, Trenggalek Regency has the potential for archaeological remains as many as 17 points. Archaeological research in Trenggalek Regency was initiated by the Yogyakarta Archaeological Center in 1983 in the form of surveys or excavations that continued until 2020. The purpose and purpose of writing this article is to know the variety and character of cultural heritage in Trenggalek. This article data was obtained through an archaeological survey in eight sub-districts in Trenggalek Regency in 2020. Based on the results of the study, Trenggalek Regency has a variety and character including the form, distribution of locations, and chronology of its cultural heritage. Archaeological data in the form of moveable and monumental artifacts and features. The dominance of moveable artifact data is in the form of stone piles, stone dies, terracotta pole shell fragments, dakon stones, and Yoni while monumental artefactual data in the form of pillboxes and inscriptions. Chronologically, the discovery of objects suspected of cultural heritage in Trenggalek Regency shows the influence of Hindu-Buddhist until the Islamic Mataram era of the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Sultanate around the XIX century AD. Keywords: Trenggalek; Panggul; yoni; dakon stone; pillbox  

The study and analysis of Semiran City-Castle based on the results of archaeological surveys

Semiran city-castle consists of a series of monuments dated in the 10th century AD1, located on the banks of the Qezel Owzan River, in north-western Iran. On this river, Sefid-rud Dam has been built (1956-1962), behind which a lake has developed. At the time of its dewatering, it turned the Semiran landscape into a peninsula, causing significant damage to the ancient sites. The following study presents the results of an archaeological survey, made in 2016, which recorded the actual conservation state and structural features of the surviving monuments. Semiran Castle consists of the remains of a castle and of several mausoleums established on the surrounding hills (four mausoleums on the highest part of the hill), with the same design as a barbican, some scattered enclosures, as well as the domed monument of Imāmzādeh Qasem, which is later. The Sallarids dynasty who had captured the Tarom region and lasted from about 917 to the middle of the 10th century AD, built mausoleums for themselves. In the early 10th century, the Sallarids captured the mountain castle of Semiran, from where they subsequently reached Tarom. This dynasty has been called by different names such as Mosaferian, Kangriyan, Langarian, Solarian, and Sallarids. Tarom was the capital of the dynasty. The rule of its monarchs, however, in different periods went beyond the Tarom region, and included parts of Deylaman as well as Gilan. The head of the Mosaferian dynasty, Muhammad Ibn Musafer, had made this castle his base. The castle had several houses as well as summerhouses and was magnificent. As the discussed region enjoys a special crossroad position, it has always been among the most important and influential routes of cultural exchanges and developments at the regional, national, and international levels. In July 2016, a survey was conducted in the north and northwest of the city-castle site in order to identify and record possible paths and structures that remained visible. Three defensive baileys, three cemeteries, a barrel-drain ceramic path, and a round stone barbican were identified during this study. The archaeological study of this city-castle revealed its growth and development in the early Islamic centuries.

Settlement Patterns of Bronze-Age Sites of the Upper and Middle Atrak Basin in Northeastern Iran

In archaeological studies of Southwestern Asia, during the period from the late fourth millennium BC to the beginning of the Iron Age (second half of the second millennium BC), phenomena such as growth of settlements in terms of area and population, emergence of early cities, trans-regional trade, formation of government institutions, emergence and spread of gray-and-black pottery, extensive changes in technology, dramatic development of smelting and use of bronze tools were identified. In this process, an extensive communication network aimed at controlling trade routes and access to raw materials across the plateau, by land and sea, connected many areas. Economically, remote trade was established in this period of time, various communities establishing ties with places located thousands of miles away in order to obtain their needed resources. Bronze-Age cultures are well-known in most parts of Iran, but Khorasan is an exception since the data are rare and insufficient. Moreover, information about the chronology and distribution of sites during different periods of prehistoric times in different parts of it is minimal. Thirty-eight sites from the Bronze Age have been studied in this research. These sites were identified in the archaeological surveys of the upper and middle Atrak during the last decade. This study was done using the descriptive-analytic method. GIS and SPSS software and Correlation and Cluster analysis methods were used for data analysis. The settlement pattern in the upper and middle Atrak basin is similar. It consists of two-rank models with a large main site and several small sites around it. The results of this study indicate that due to the lack of water resources in the region, access to constant water resources has been an essential factor in the shaping of Bronze-Age settlements. Most sites were also formed during the early Bronze Age, and we also faced a decrease in the number of sites in the middle and late Bronze Ages.

Investigation of Paleolithic Localities in the Faid Area of Ha’il in Northwest Saudi Arabia

The ongoing archaeological survey and excavations in the Faid area in northwest Saudi Arabia has uncovered remains of a large early Islamic settlement. Paleolithic artefacts discovered in the building foundations of that settlement during the 2019 excavation showed that a Paleolithic site was buried partially by the settlement ruins. An archaeological exploration was carried out in the area around the site in March 2020 that documented three Paleolithic sites (Faid 1 – Faid 3). In February 2021, the archaeological survey was extended to the east and west of the settlement, resulting in the discovery of four additional Paleolithic sites (Faid 4 – Faid 7). The archaeological sites represented two main Paleolithic traditions: Acheulean, identified from the presence of bifaces, and Middle Palaeolithic, represented by production of prepared cores and points referable to the Levallois method. Faid 2 is an Acheulean site, where a systematic survey shows agglomeration of large cutting tools (LCTs) covering an area of 15 hectares. Handaxes and cleavers are the most conspicuous artefacts. Thus, the locations of these archaeological sites and lithic technocomplexes have direct relevance in assessing hominin dispersal routes through Arabia to the rest of Eurasia.

Still on UNESCO’s “Tentative List of World Heritage”? Heritage, Tourism, and Stunted Growth in Sarnath (Varanasi), India

It is not unusual for a place to wait for years before being inscribed on the World Heritage List, but Sarnath—the place where the Buddha delivered his first sermon—has been on UNESCO’s “tentative list” for close to 25 years. As a sacred place for Buddhist pilgrimages, Sarnath continues to attract thousands of visitors annually and yet, remains under-developed, unlike other pilgrim towns or religious tourism destinations. This paper examines the reasons for the stunted growth of Sarnath. The findings are based on fieldwork conducted in Sarnath in 2019. The analysis of stakeholder interviews suggests several reasons for Sarnath not being able to capitalize on its religious and cultural heritage for tourism-led development. It was found that the protection of the site as an archaeological park by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which has been controlling development surrounding the park as well as prohibiting the performance of any rituals, have been the key endogenous factors that have contributed to the relative under-development of a Buddhist pilgrimage economy in the town. A handful of monasteries are where Buddhist followers stay and perform their pilgrimage rituals, rendering them as enclaves. Private-sector accommodation is also limited to around 15 hotels and guesthouses. Administratively, Sarnath does not have an independent governance structure. It is governed as just one ward (an electoral constituency) by the Municipal Corporation of Varanasi and is, thus, always under the shadow of Varanasi city. Varanasi is one of the most significant Hindu sacred cities and, hence, visitors stay there for much longer durations to soak in cultural offerings, including religious ceremonies around the Ganga River; a visit to Sarnath is secondary and often limited to a half-day tour. Moreover, the archaeological park at Sarnath serves a recreational purpose as a picnic site for domestic visitors. The exogenous factors mean that the interests of Sarnath (as a Buddhist site) are hardly acknowledged by the Hindu city of Varanasi. This paper argues that the multi-layered contestations that exist at the site level, the town–ward level, and between visitors and managers have further contributed to the poor state of heritage and tourism in Sarnath.

Field Survey Mobile Application: Enhancing Spatial Information for Natural Resource Management

This research paper introduces a field survey mobile application designed to address the challenges associated with spatial information gathering. The application enables users, including Ph.D. and PG students of Agriculture, as well as professionals in different organizations, to digitally store crop information with GIS spatial attributes and real-time maps. The paper explores the application's utilization in various fields such as land surveying, environmental studies, urban planning and infrastructure development, natural resource management, archaeological surveys, and real estate surveys. Additionally, it provides an overview of the application's functionalities and explains how it operates in real-time. The paper concludes with a discussion on the results obtained from using the field survey mobile application.

Stone artefacts on the seabed at a submerged freshwater spring confirm a drowned cultural landscape in Murujuga, Western Australia

We report the discovery and identification of five ancient stone artefacts associated with a submerged freshwater spring at the underwater archaeological site WH1 in Murujuga (Dampier Archipelago), Western Australia. A limiting date applied to the site based on timing of inundation suggests it was occupied in the Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene. The site is situated well below the intertidal zone having been recorded at 14 m depth in Flying Foam Passage. This discovery highlights the high potential of these submerged springs as archaeological survey targets. We discuss results of a recent survey that expands the number of confirmed artefacts located at WH1 and the geomorphological context in a large calcareous depression associated with a freshwater source. This study demonstrates how submerged landscape research using a suite of technologies can reveal archaeological assemblages in this tropical geomorphological environment, and that adapted techniques could be applied to other tropical conditions such as mangrove coasts, large deltaic plains, or reef-building environments. There are likely thousands of drowned archaeological sites on the continental shelf of the tropics, extending from the intertidal zone to the lowest point of the culturally occupied landmass, at approximately 130 m below modern sea level.

Indigenous Agave Use in the Ocampo Caves Vicinity, Tamaulipas, Mexico

AbstractThe symbiotic relationship between people and the genus Agave spans millennia and a vast geographical area encompassing Mexico, the southwestern United States, and the Texas borderlands. In the early 1950s, Richard MacNeish's investigations in Tamaulipas yielded evidence of past agave use in the mountains of northeastern Mexico. Excavations in the Ocampo Caves revealed 9,000 years of sporadic occupations by hunter-gatherers, mixed forager-farmers, and finally, periodic visits by residents of nearby agricultural villages. Although these discoveries are incompletely published—and existing publications largely underemphasize the range of utilized wild resources in favor of domesticated maize, beans, and squash—agave is among the wild plant taxa most often mentioned in use throughout the Holocene. Unpublished field notes, curated plant assemblages recovered during MacNeish's excavations, and data from recent archaeological survey complement the published literature to explore the role of this prominent plant in this important archaeological region.

Gendered Crafts in the Great Salt Lake Desert: A Comparative Analysis of Late Holocene Cordage and Coiled Basketry

AbstractPerishable artifacts are invaluable tools for reconstructing past lifeways of hunter-gatherers, and when preserved in arid settings, they can inform on dynamic interactions between communities and the environment. Many such materials were recovered from early archaeological surveys in Utah and Nevada but were largely excluded from contemporary analyses because of small sample sizes, their fragmentary nature, and insecure proveniences. This synchronic reanalysis of cordage and coiled basketry from 10 late Holocene sites in the Great Salt Lake Desert utilizes newer approaches to perishables analysis so as to collect data more conducive to statistical comparisons of subsistence and craft traditions absent from earlier Great Basin studies. Regional trends of conformity of fine cordage contrasted with a diversity of basketry manufacture suggest contemporaneous social stressors directing the production of materials and two potentially gendered subclasses of utilitarian objects. Feminine and masculine perishable crafts in the Bonneville Basin follow separate manufacturing traditions, observable despite small sample sizes and poor dating of these curated collections.

Archaeological investigation in the future capital city of Indonesia (IKN) at Sepaku, East Kalimantan

The Indonesian government plans to relocate the capital city from Jakarta to Sepaku in East Kalimantan. So far, the location is known as a vast industrial-scale plantation area and one of the selected places for the transmigration program during the 1970s. Being planned as a constructed capital city from scratch, of course several studies have been carried out by experts on multiple aspects of the project. However, it is still lacking an archaeological assessment to calculate the loss of cultural heritage and historical information of the area. While history is obviously essential in the realm of identity, no archaeological study designed to contribute to the cultural development of the future capital city of Indonesia has been proposed. Our project recommends an array of archaeological surveys, followed by the excavation of two newly discovered archaeological sites in Sepaku. The study reveals a cave habitation site dated to 9–7 ka and a more recent iron workshop from the XV–XVII century AD. The two sites significantly contribute to revealing a complex past on the site of this future capital city, a past that was previously assumed to be only quite recent; typically based on the historical notes of the Paser Sultanate from the XVI century AD and remnants of Dutch-Japan colonization.

Recent Archaeological Survey of Gidan Boji Settlement Site at Kwatarkwashi, Zamfara State, North-Western Nigeria

This paper presents a report and the findings of an archaeological survey carried out at Gidan Boji, an ancient settlement site in the Kwatarkwashi area in Zamfara State, northwestern Nigeria. The Kwatarkwashi area is one of the early centres of human occupation in Hausaland. The paper identified new sites of ancient human settlements in the Kwatarkwashi area that have not been described by previous studies. However, the most impressive of these newly identified sites in terms of size and structure is the Gidan Boji, which is the focus of this paper. The survey yields a wealth of archaeological finds including traces of homesteads, granary foundations, different types of defensive systems, grinding stones and pottery. Above all, the existence of defensive walls and several cave shelters suggests a fairly developed system of defense. This further confirms the existence of a settled society which a fairly well-developed material culture at a particular time in the past. For a clearer picture of the history, peopling and settlement pattern of Gidan Boji to be understood, the paper call for more attention towards systematic documentation of the entire sites and excavation around the Kwatarkwashi inselbergs. With more funds and collaborations, thorough archaeological investigation can be activated to study different aspects of the cultural history of the area as a similitude to the Nok Culture archaeological project.

The hoard of the Early Iron Age at the settlement of Dianovo-II (Belozersk district of the Kurgan region)

In 2016, in the area of Dianovo village of the Belozersk district of the Kurgan region (West Siberia), a hoard of the Early Iron Age artifacts was found. While examining the area for the identification of structures of the Civil War period, a round-bottomed vessel was accidentally discovered. Inside the container, there was a massive rectangular bronze plate, glass beads, and fragments of jewelry, including bronze strings, bronze plaques in the shape of fish and four-petal plaques strung on leather cords, all wrapped in organic material (felt?). In total, the Dianovo treasure contains 370 ob-jects made of bronze and glass, assembled within a single set, classified as women’s. At present, this is one of very few elements of the women’s costume of the Early Iron Age that have been best preserved in the Southern Trans-Urals. These finds were transferred to the archaeological laboratory of the Kurgan State University, and later the archaeologi-cal survey was carried out at the discovery location by I.A. Spiridonov. The purpose of this research is a typological description of the contents of the hoard, its chronological analysis, and a possible reconstruction of the bronze orna-ment. The main research materials are the container in which the treasure was found — a ceramic round-bottomed vessel, a set of bronze objects that piece together a female (breast?) adornment, a set of glass beads of three types (rounded blue, black (square and rounded) with festoon-like white and yellow pattern), and a massive bronze plate with traces of manufacturing, which probably had the purpose of an ingot. Based on the analysis of the materials, it has been established that the hoard was most likely left by the population of the Gorokhovskaya Culture. This conclusion was made on the basis of the shape and features of the ceramic vessel. This is also supported by the location of the treasure and the general dating of individual items: glass beads of the Black Sea origin have numerous similarities in the sites and are quite clearly dated by these analogues to the 4th–3rd c. BC. The dating of other items of the hoard — elements of the bronze ornament and a bronze ingot-plate is complicated due to the lack of clearly dated analogues or chronological duration of their use. Judging by the composition and carefulness of packing of the items, this hoard ap-parently was of a situational (possibly in the event of an attack) and returnable character.

ON TRACKS THE POLISSIA EXPEDITION OF 1932: THE NEWEST EXPLORATION OF MINERIES OF 17th—19th century ON THE MALYN REGION

In 2019 the authors conducted an archaeological survey near the city Malyn in the Zhytomyr region. The main task of the work was to find the locations of iron workshops known from historical sources of the 17th—19th centuries as «rudnia». Archival materials of the Poliska expedition of 1932, led by Oleksandr Ogloblin, were used to draw up the survey route. Photographs, location diagrams and descriptions of individual workshops of those studies made it possible to select priority points for a new visit to the sites of ancient industrial complexes.
 A total of 6 locations were surveyed. In their place, it was possible to record a concentration of swamp ore and iron slag, nearby — samples of ceramics, glass and other findings related to the functioning of miners’ villages. Near the humlet Antoniv, on an area of more than 1000 m2, a 3—5 m high slag accumulation was discovered, which was the place of storage of iron production waste from the local «rudnia» on the Voznia River.
 During the exploration several well-known and newly discovered archaeological sites were surveyed, including settlements from the times of Kievan Rus of the 10th—13th centuries near the villages of Nedashky, Ukrainka, Pyrizhky. Many samples of ceramic dishes of the 17th—19th centuries found in Malyn and Pyrizhky. Some of these ceramics have signs of local production. Fragments of tiles were found in some places, in Malyn — samples of ceramic tiles of the 18th (?) century. Near the village Korolivka, a previously unknown site of glass production — guta — was opened. Fragments of crucibles, vitreous mass, slag, ceramics of the 18th—19th centuries were found here. In several places fragments of molded ware, splinters of flint were found, which can be attributed to the Bronze Age (III—II millennia BC) and other eras.
 Near the humlet Antonov the remains of the Roman Catholic church of the end of the 18th (?) century were examined. The building was built by the Polish noblemen Penkowski, who owned a large estate on the Irsha River. Specimens of figured (patterned) brick were taken from this architectural monument. It is important to fix two stone tombstones made of red quartzite in the village Vorsivka near the church. They contain partially legible inscriptions, one of which is dated 1640. These finds testify to the existence in the first half of the 17th century industry of the manufacture of stone tombstones, the place of production of which is located 100 km to the north, in the area of the city of Ovruch, depending on the type of stone.

Review of The Archaeological Survey of the Desert Road between Berenike and the Nile Valley: Expeditions by the University of Michigan and the University of Delaware to the Eastern Desert of Egypt, 1987–2015


 
 
 The Archaeological Survey of the Desert Road between Berenike and the Nile Valley: Expeditions by the University of Michigan and the University of Delaware to the Eastern Desert of Egypt, 1987–2015. Edited by Steven E. Sidebotham and Jennifer E. Gates-Foster. American Schools of Oriental Research, Archaeological Reports, vol. 26. Boston: American SchooLs of Oriental Research, 2019. Pp. xxiii + 480, illus. $84.95. [Distributed by ISD, Bristol, CT]