Archaeological Work Research Articles

Representaciones, sentidos y prácticas en torno a la arqueología en el Sur del Valle de Punilla, Córdoba: procesos de subjetivación de aficionados y arqueólogos/as

This work addresses the study of the representations, meanings and practices of amateurs and archaeologists around archeology in the south of the Punilla valley, in the province of Córdoba. From Public Archaeology, focusing the analysis on the dialogue of knowledge, the processes of subjectivation are explored and understood, in order to provide elements for the anthropological discussion of the places and links of subjects in the construction of knowledge about past societies of the region. The methodological proposal of virtual ethnography was initially adopted, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequently the interviews were in person. Based on the proposed questionnaires, it was possible to contemplate a change of perspective on archaeologists, from considering amateurs as destroyers of archaeological sites, to seeing them as collaborators in archaeological work. On the part of the amateurs, there was an understanding regarding the importance of the public nature of the objects and the knowledge that is produced through them, realizing the importance of the interaction and integration of multiple voices.

The Zooarchaeology of an Iberian Medieval Jewish Community: The Castle of Lorca (Murcia, Spain)

ABSTRACTArchaeological excavations at the castle of Lorca (Murcia, Spain) led to the identification of part of the Jewish district of the town. This area, occupied between the 14th and 15th centuries, represents a unique example of a medieval frontier Jewish quarter defined by complex urban planning, a synagogue, and various domestic units. Archaeological work allowed the recovery of a large number of animal remains. This paper deals with the results of the zooarchaeological study of this archaeofaunal assemblage, aiming to shed light on the ways in which animals were exploited, distributed, prepared and consumed by medieval Jewish population of Lorca. The results reveal a model of animal economy centered on the exploitation of caprines (sheep/goat) and, to a lesser extent, cattle, chickens and other secondary species, although the presence of non‐kosher species such as pigs and rabbit is noteworthy. The identification of butchery marks attributed to the porging of the hindquarters of caprines, a practice typical of medieval Jewish communities, represents a marker of ethno‐religious identity of great historical interest.

The Capability Approach and Archaeological Interpretation of Transformations: On the Role of Philosophy for Archaeology

Abstract Over its history, archaeology has seen a varied set of uses made of philosophy and philosophical concepts. A persistent critique has been that too often philosophical or more generally theoretical debates have made little difference in terms of empirical archaeological work and interpretation. In this article, we present results from an interdisciplinary study on the operationalisation of the Capability Approach in archaeology. We trace some of its implications as regards the understanding of identity and social organisation in archaeology and represent a model by way of which the Capability Approach can be operationalised in archaeology with the Cucuteni-Trypillia societies from 5050 to 2950 BCE as our case study. An analytic scheme is developed that relates archaeological categories to those of the United Nation’s Human Development Index.

An algorithm based on multi-branch feature cross fusion for archaeological illustration of murals

Archaeological illustration is a graphic recording technique that delineates the shape, structure, and ornamentation of cultural artifacts using lines, serving as vital material in archaeological work and scholarly research. Aiming at the problems of low line accuracy in the results of current mainstream image generation algorithms and interference caused by severe mural damage, this paper proposes a mural archaeological illustration generation algorithm based on multi-branch feature cross fusion (U2FGAN). The algorithm optimizes skip connections in U2Net through a channel attention mechanism, constructing a multi-branch generator consisting of a line extractor and an edge detector, which separately identify line features and edge information in artifact images before fusing them to generate accurate, high-resolution illustrations. Additionally, a multi-scale conditional discriminator is incorporated to guide the generator in outputting high-quality illustrations with clear details and intact structures. Experiments conducted on the Dunhuang mural illustration datasets demonstrate that compared to mainstream counterparts, U2FGAN reduced the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) by 10.8% to 26.2%, while also showing substantial improvements in Precision (by 9.8% to 32.3%), Fβ-Score (by 5.1% to 32%), and PSNR (by 0.4 to 2.2 dB). The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms other mainstream algorithms in archaeological illustration generation.

To the issue of identifying multi-temporal complexes in urban cultural layer (based on excavations of Sophia-Uspensky Cathedral, Tobolsk Kremlin)

The paper describes archaeological complexes identified among materials of the excavations inside Sophia-Uspensky Cathedral in Tobolsk Kremlin. The archaeological works were imposed on the cape. The cape hosted the town, the Kremlin and, later, the residency of the highly placed clergyman. History of these processes is kept as records. It helps compare the processes with archaeological materials and distinguish multi-temporal complexes among them. The excavations revealed traces of an ancient settlement. The settlement dated back to the early Iron Age – early Middle Ages and had existed long before the town was established. The research apparently identifies the cultural layer dated the late 1500s – middle 1600s. This layer refers to the activities of the first Russian settlers in Siberia. The same period applies to discovered burials of the Orthodox Christian cemetery by the wooden Church of Our Savior. The researchers especially highlight layerings and objects from the construction of brick Sophia-Uspensky Cathedral (late 1600s). They reflect the beginning of stone construction in Siberia. In the excavations, the researchers discovered several brick tombs. These tombs were made for burying highly placed clergymen known by their names. The findings and multi-temporal complexes allow to describe main phases of Troitsky cape development. They also show how the status of this territory changed. The archaeological materials are a valuable source of information about the material culture, funeral rites, stone architecture of both the town and the whole vast Siberian region.

Towards a political ecology of piracy in the Age of Sail

ABSTRACT Although historians and archaeologists have been quick to point out the political and economic conditions that tend to foment sea piracy, less attention has been given to the ecology of ‘blue crimes’. This article offers an empirical synthesis of recent archaeological work on piratical sites from the Age of Sail (ca. 1570–1860) while drawing parallels to both ancient Mediterranean and contemporary sea piracy in order to highlight some common patterns and explore the broader potential of a political ecology framing. I argue that sea piracy is in part an effect of ecological conditions and in turn produces its own political and ecological effects. I also consider Graeber and Wengrow’s transhistorical argument about the ‘ecology of freedom’ as it applies to sea piracy.

GPR survey for the precise location of early Christian ecclesiastical components in ancient Messene, Greece

We used ground-penetrating radar to detect and map artifacts related to an early Christian church located in the ancient city of Messene, Greece. Despite significant archaeological work in the area, archaeologists needed to know where to dig next to save time in the field. We identified areas that correlate with existing findings to guide future excavations.

Preliminary Results of the Study of Kuraily-Asar Necropolis

The article deals with the introduction into scientific discourse new data on the burial structures of the Dzhetyasar culture of Eastern Aral Sea region. In 2023, archaeological work was carried out on the necropolis of one of the Dzhetyasar monuments – the Kuraily-asar fortified settlement. The research was carried out by the “Aral Sea detachment” of the Margulan Institute of Archeology an under the leadership of A. Ongarruly and A.A. Tazhekeyev. The four underground burial sites were uncovered, as a result of the excavations. All the mounds have an identical design and burial rite. The mounds are surrounded by a moat with an entrance on the north and south sides, in the center of which there is a burial pit. Burials: three of them were women, and one was a child, were located on the dorsal surface and the head was oriented to the north. The anthropological characteristics of the burials show that the ontological constitution of post cranium is generally characterized by a morphological variant of the addition allocated to the Dzhetyasar population. The burial inventory included ceramic vessels and spindle whorl, buckles, a mirror and an amulet, the analysis of which allowed these mounds to be attributed to the Dzhetyasar II stage and dated to the II-IV centuries AD.

Archaeological Excavation, Protection, and Display Engineering Design Practice: A Case Study in the Ruins of the Imperial City of the Minyue Kingdom

The Han Dynasty Ruins in Chengcun Village of Wuyishan City, also known as the Ruins of the Imperial City of the Minyue Kingdom, are located on the hilly slope southwest of Chengcun Village, Xingtian Town, Wuyishan City, Fujian Province, China. These are ruins of a Han Dynasty city. Wuyi Mountain’s World Cultural and Natural Heritage Committee declared it a World Heritage Site in 1999. It is also the only imperial city site from the Han Dynasty that has been declared a World Heritage Site in China, and it is the most well-preserved large-scale imperial city site from the Middle Ages on the Pacific Rim. This study used comprehensive archaeological techniques, including archaeological excavation work, site information recording, erosion situation analysis, and geological surveys, to design and implement protective engineering projects in response to existing problems. In this study, the researchers conducted a geological survey of the study area to analyze the topography, rock and soil distribution characteristics, groundwater storage conditions, and geotechnical engineering conditions. At the same time, they explored the preservation status of the site, including the preservation status of the East Gate and the East City Wall, and they analyzed the causes of damage. Finally, the investigation and analysis results guided the design of a site display project, which included safeguarding against collapse and erosion, treating trees and shrubs, and designing the exhibition project for the East Gate. This study provides some practical reference for the excavation and archaeological work of the royal city in the surrounding areas. At the same time, in terms of the technical process of the project, it is also hoped to provide ideas for international ancient city excavation, display, and protection projects.

DEMOGRAPHIC PATTERNS IN HYLLIE MOSSE (SCANIA, SWEDEN): ESTIMATING ABSOLUTE POPULATION BETWEEN THE LATE NEOLITHIC AND THE EARLY BRONZE AGES

SummaryThis paper reconstructs the population dynamics within the Hyllie Mosse region (Scania, Sweden) from 2400 to 1600 BC. South‐western Scania is particularly well‐known thanks to extensive archaeological work in the past decades, making it one of the most thoroughly investigated areas in Sweden. The Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age periods are of paramount importance in understanding the socio‐cultural transformations within the Baltic region. By integrating a comprehensive database of longhouses from Scania with the available archaeological data from the Hyllie Mosse area, this study provides absolute demographic estimates through a transparent and replicable methodology. It highlights that the region experienced a significant peak in human occupation between 2000 and 1800 BC, followed by a decline. In prehistoric times, the area was covered by a relatively large bog, and was therefore not uniformly settled. At its peak, it is estimated that the region, approximately 9.7 km2 in size – 4 km2 of which have been archaeologically investigated – could have supported 75 to 150 inhabitants.

Ideological Uses and Management Policies of Archaeological Sites in Post-Socialist Albania: The Case of Saranda Area (Finiq and Butrint)

This article is a sample of the research I am conducting in the wider area of Saranda as part of the wider framework of critical analysis of cultural heritage, this scientific field that is placed at the meeting point of archaeology and anthropology. The two sciences have intersected in many different ways since the 1980s. Archaeology as a science that studies the archaeological remains of the past was confronted with anthropology whose purpose is the cultural analysis of social phenomena and relationships. The result of this partnership is a wide range of approaches, which are called post-process archaeologies . These approaches represent a variety of analyses, which emphasize a contextual, and thus contemporaneous, nature of archaeological evidence, the critique of archaeology as a scientific search for objective truth, its links with history and the contested nature of archaeological data and of the archaeological work. This perspective turns the interest of research from explanation to interpretation and from the positivist tradition of natural science to the tradition of interpretational philosophy, i.e. the preeminent study of meaning.

Living Seaward: Maritime Cosmology and the Contemporary Significance of Natar Fampompar, a Stone Boat Ceremonial Structure in the Village of Sangliat Dol, Tanimbar Islands

ABSTRACT Natar Fampompar is a stone boat ceremonial structure (natar) in the village of Sangliat Dol on Yamdena Island, Tanimbar Islands, Island Southeast Asia. Located in the village center, it is the only Tanimbarese natar that continues to be used for clan meetings and ceremonial events. As such, it arguably represents the most significant cultural site for understanding Tanimbarese tradition. This article documents the Natar Fampompar and six associated cultural heritage sites. We discuss their historical origins and relevance to the people of Sangliat Dol; how maritime cosmology and maritime identity are evident in social organization, settlement organization, ceremonies, and people’s daily lives; and the function of natar before and after the introduction of Christianity. Initial archaeological work is reported. Finally, this research raises the issue of heritage theft and sale, particularly the carved prow stones of the Natar Fampompar, and how the people of Sangliat Dol hope for their return.

Products of time: Matchboxes as scientific containers and the social lives of archaeological ephemera

Archaeological work leaves material histories, from archival notes to containers that used to store artifacts. Rarely, however, are these containers preserved or valued as technologies that codified and organized archaeological information. This paper analyzes a collection of matchboxes that were formerly used as artifact containers in a 1940s excavation in Coahuila, Mexico. The matchboxes, never formally accessioned and yet still saved by collections staff, are housed In the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) Museum Support Center. By tracing the labor regimes the matchboxes passed through, the specimens they once contained, and the hands that used them in a multitude of ways, this project uses the matchboxes’ microhistories to reveal how archaeological containers influenced archaeological science. This research argues for a treatment of the matchboxes as artifacts themselves, worthy of formal accession and of value for their role in the history of archaeological science.

Misadventure in Little Lon: augmented reality and the question of historical ’presence’

ABSTRACT True Crime Games is an award winning Melbourne-based game company headed by artist and designers Andy Yong and Emma Ramsay. This paper explores the first of their games–Misadventure in Little Lon – a case study that brings to light local histories that have been lost, elided or marginalized in traditional accounts of Melbourne and its development around the time of Federation. Drawing upon the phenomenology of Vivian Sobchack and the microhistory of Carlo Ginzburg, the article argues that implementing AR in historically driven game contexts allows for an improved grasp of the microhistory of a specific area. It does this by bringing the agency to the ‘ghost in the machine’ –characters in the AR game who enable players to resituate themselves and reorientate themselves to city streets through game play. This method of resituating historical sources so that players discover ‘opaque zones’, new ways of viewing located history that encourages reading ‘against the grain’ , is coincidental with important archaeological work that has been undertaken in the Little Lon district of Melbourne. Misadventure in Little Lon therefore joins a larger effort to reveal, circulate and celebrate the communities, individuals, and stories that traditional histories have ignored.

“Temple” at the Baba-ata fortifi ed settlement, a monument of fallacies

The article deals with the results of the archaeological works, conducted at the Baba-Ata fortified settlement in 1950s. During the study of the settlement citadel, three building horizons, connected by a well with a total length of 15 m, were identified. The lower horizon of the citadel with a central domed room, where there was a well with an underground passage, turned out to be unique in its own way. Having no similar analogues, the construction on the lower horizon gave rise to a lot of different interpretations among specialists, who considered this building as a homestead, castle, temple, sanctuary, khanqah, etc. The architectural archaeological analysis of the entire complex of sources (articles, excavation journals of expedition participants, drawings and photographs of objects under study, etc.), some of which have not been published anywhere, made it possible to give a completely different interpretation and dating of the site. The Baba-Ata fortified settlement is identified with the city of Baruket in Arabic sources, it was built by the Samanids at the beginning of the 10th century as a border point in the northeast of the empire against the Guzes Initially, the lower horizon construction consisted of two floors. The lower – semibasement, which caused a lot of controversy, was a shelter with the possibility of evacuation through the underground passage during the hostilities and has no analogues, being a kind of only building in medieval architecture of Central Asia.

S-shaped cheek-pieces from burial mounds of the nomads of the Scythian period in the Southern Urals

The article is devoted to the presentation of the typology of cheek-pieces used by the nomads of the Southern Urals in the VI–IV centuries BC and received the name S-shaped in special archaeological works. The relevance of the development is due to a significant increase in the number of cheek-pieces of various shapes found in mounds that were studied in the territory of the specified region. The number of these pieces of horse harness currently published in the scientific literature is about 200. The S-shaped cheek-pieces discussed in the article are metal rods with two holes in the body for fastening to a rein and ends bent in opposite directions at an angle to the central part. The development is based on the typology published by K.F. Smirnov in 1961, who considered S-shaped cheek-pieces as one type, represented by three options. The types were identified based on a set of characteristics that formed specific combinations and characterized the material from which the cheek-piece was made, the general configuration of the object, as well as the nature of its decoration. A sample of 57 specimens of these bridle parts was used to write the article. It is proposed to distinguish 6 types of two-hole S-shaped cheek-pieces. The dates proposed by researchers for the burial complexes containing these objects made it possible to establish the time of existence of each type among the South Ural nomads. Nomads of the Southern Urals used such cheek-pieces from the end of the 6th to the 4th centuries BC inclusive. The article examines the features of the spatial distribution of types represented by the largest number of copies.

From the grave to the lab: evaluation of archaeological human bone preservation based on micro-computed tomography analysis

Timely understanding of the preservation status of archaeological human bones is the foundation for conducting scientific archaeological work. This paper applies Micro-CT technology to analyze the microscopic preservation status of ancient human femora unearthed from the Rui State site in Liangdai Village, Hancheng, Shaanxi, the Chejiasi Cemetery in Baoji, and the Ouerping Cemetery in Xizhou Village, Yushe, Shanxi, and obtained imaging results and cortical bone porosity (Ct.Po), bone volume fraction (BV/TV), and bone density (BMD) parameters for 9 samples. The results show that the poorly preserved fragile group has lower Ct.Po, BV/TV, and BMD, and macroscopically presents fragile and porous features; while the well-preserved dense group has relatively higher Ct.Po, BV/TV, and BMD, and macroscopically appears solid and dense. This study employs Micro-CT technology to analyze the micro-preservation status of human bones from historical periods, confirming the effectiveness of this technology in revealing the microstructure of ancient human bones, and providing a reference for establishing a human bone preservation status evaluation system.

Prediction and classification of chemical composition of ancient glass objects based on generalized Shapley functions.

Ancient glass products have suffered from the baptism of time and experienced changes in the burial environment and weathering, resulting in a change in the proportions of their chemical composition and interfering with their accurate identification by later generations. In this paper, the chemical composition of ancient glass products is predicted and identified. First, the multivariate statistical ANOVA test is applied to explore the relationship between whether the cultural relics samples are weathered or not and the glass type, decoration, and color to derive a law of chemical composition of the cultural relics and to analyze the correlation and difference among the four factors. Second, compared with the relevant data of the existing glass products, the missing values are processed by using the method of filling in the plurality. The weathering condition of the sampling points of the samples whose surfaces are not weathered is judged by the "distance discrimination method." Combined with the characteristics of the lead-barium glass and the high-potassium glass, the law of the chemical composition content on the surface of the samples, weathered or not, is explored. The modeling of the gray prediction method was applied again to predict the chemical composition content before weathering. Finally, the generalized Shapley function of fuzzy measurement was used to analyze the correlation between indicators and the chemical compositions and their differences. The scheme proposed in this paper can solve the difficult problem of category judgment in archeology, which is of great significance in promoting the smooth progress of archaeological work.

A Paperless and 3D Workflow for Documenting Excavations at Insula I.14, Pompeii, Italy

ABSTRACTIn the summer of 2022, Tulane University, in collaboration with archaeologists from other institutions, began excavations at the site of Pompeii. The archaeological work was focused on Insula 14 of Region 1, located in the southeastern sector of the site. To overcome the challenges of recording a complex urban excavation, and of working with a collaborative team, we designed and implemented a unique workflow that combines paperless and 3D data-capture methods through the use of GIS technologies. The final product of our documentation workflow was a robust and easy-to-use online geodatabase where archaeologists can revisit, explore, visualize, and analyze each excavated context using virtual tools. We present our workflow for digitally documenting observational and spatial data in the field, and how we made these data available to project archaeologists during and after the field season. First, we describe the development of digital forms in ESRI's Survey123. Then, we explain our procedures for 3D documentation through SfM photogrammetric methods and discuss how we integrated the data and transformed it into an accessible format by using interactive dashboards and online 3D web scenes. Finally, we discuss the components of our workflow that are broadly applicable and that can easily be adapted to other projects.

Virtual Reality in Cultural Heritage: A Setup for Balzi Rossi Museum

This study presents the creation of a virtual reality experience for the Museo Preistorico dei Balzi Rossi e Zona Archeologica (hence Balzi Rossi Museum) commemorating the centenary of Prince Albert I Grimaldi’s archaeological work at the site. The project aims to preserve and convey the site’s heritage through advanced VR technology. Photogrammetry was used for 3D reconstruction of the entire Balzi Rossi coastal cliffs, including the notable “Caviglione” and “Florestano” caves, known for their upper Paleolithic rock engravings. Two subsequent development phases produced the final public VR experience, incorporating Nanite technology for enhanced visual fidelity. This advancement resulted in a more detailed and immersive VR experience, presenting the Balzi Rossi cliffs across different historical periods, including the Würm glaciation. Key to this phase was optimizing the VR experience for performance, focusing on stable frame rates and minimizing motion sickness, and integrating a multi-lingual interface for broader accessibility. Since November 2023, the VR setup at Balzi Rossi Museum has been an educational and interactive feature enabling visitors to virtually explore the site’s history. This study aims to describe a process for optimizing and enabling the creation of VR experiences while maintaining a high polygon count within the context of small teams.