Archaeological Work Research Articles

Discovery of a German V-2 Rocket Fall Site in the Area of Chodzież, in Greater Poland

In the 1930s, in the town of Peenemünde on the northern edge of the Usedom Island in the Baltic Sea, the Germans established a military research centre to work on rocket engines. In Peenemünde, the Aggregat 4 – the first ever rocket to cross the space frontier – was constructed and launched. However, it went down in history under the name V-2. This weapon was the world’s first ballistic missile used in combat. At the end of World War II, V-2 rockets were a technological marvel of the time. Reaching supersonic speeds, they were an unrecognized design for the Allies in terms of control and targeting principles. They were a weapon almost impossible to shoot down. The RAF’s destruction of the Peenemünde facility in 1943 was the reason for its relocation to the Heidelager military training ground in the village of Blizna, Subcarpathian province, out of the range of Allied aviation. Threatened by the Soviet Army’s offensive, it was moved again in 1944 to the Heidenkraut training ground in Wierzchucin, Kuyavia-Pomerania province. As a result of archaeological work in the area of Chodzież, in northern Greater Poland province, the so far unknown site of the fall of a German V-2 rocket fired from the Heidekraut training ground, from a distance of 108 kilometres, has been located. Analysis of the finds, the appearance of the fall site and GPR surveys lead to the conclusion that a version of the rocket with little or no explosive material exploded in Chodzież. The current state of research into the active use of the Heidenkraut training ground at the end of the War leads to the conclusion that the Chodzież region, located in northern Greater Poland, was a zone of not very intensive experimental firing of V-2 rockets. Much more intensive was the firing of the Kalisz region located in southeastern Greater Poland. Further research into the sites of V-2 rocket falls both in Greater Poland and in other parts of Poland may contribute to a better understanding of the poorly known German experiments with ballistic missiles. The Polish lands are particularly interesting in this regard, as they were training grounds for rocket experiments at the end of World War II.

Monitoring of large-scale archaeological excavations using photogrammetric techniques - Nea Paphos case study

This paper presents the results of the experience of introducing large-scale photogrammetric documentation during the excavation of the Nea Paphos site in Cyprus. Photogrammetric documentation of the archaeological contexts explored was carried out in two stages. The first was under the full control of a qualified photogrammetrist between 2016 and 2018. In the second phase between 2019 and 2021, documentation was carried out largely independently by archaeologists. As the statistical analyses showed, the implemented documentation methodology met the needs of the archaeological work perfectly and became a convenient tool to improve the archaeological research. The research results presented here are the first analysis of the long-term large-scale application of photogrammetric techniques in archaeology fieldwork.

Investigation of the Bolshye Pamyaly Burial Ground in 2022

The article discusses the results of rescue archaeological work on the territory of the identified object of cultural heritage "Bolshye Pamyaly village. Burial ground", located in the Kilemarsky district of the Republic of Mari El. The research was carried out by the archaeological expedition of the Mari State University under the leadership of B.S. Solovyov. Excavations were carried out on the territory of laying communications to the building of the school under construction. During the construction, part of the archaeological site was destroyed. During the work, two male and two female burials were discovered, oriented to the west. Ornaments and details of women's costume characteristic of the Mari culture were found within women's burials. Male burials are accompanied by household equipment and tools. All the burials contained numismatic material sufficient to date the burial ground to the second half of the XVIII century. The information obtained during the study of the burial ground is significant for characterizing the historical, cultural, religious and economic aspects of the life of the Mari population in the Russian Empire.

Tang dynasty Tuyuhun royal tombs in Wuwei, Gansu

Abstract In 2019, the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and other institutions excavated the tomb of Murong Zhi, the King Xi of Tuyuhun, located at Chashan Village, Qilian Town, Tianzhu County. A comprehensive archaeological survey of the Binggou and Dashui river valleys in Qilian Town in 2020 revealed the existence of 23 Tuyuhun royal tombs across four areas. Three tombs at the Changling-Machangtan area in Qilian Town, excavated in 2021, are identified as a probable section of the Tuyuhun Pengzi clan’s family cemetery during the Tang dynasty. Through ongoing archaeological work, three large mausoleum areas have been confirmed in Wuwei’s Nanshan district: Yanghui Valley, Great Khan Mausoleum, and Baiyang Mountain. The tomb distribution is characterized by being widely dispersed but mutually connected. Excavations also confirm that Tuyuhun tombs were constructed without aboveground mounds. Additionally, rare Tang artifacts were discovered.

Archaeological Research at the Jewish Cemetery on Okopowa Street in Warsaw

The paper presents preliminary results of the archaeological research conducted in quarter 1 at the Jewish Cemetery at 49/51 Okopowa Street in Wola in Warsaw in the years 2020-2021, which was carried out in accordance with the guidelines of the Rabbinical Commission for Jewish Cemeteries in Poland, as well as respect for tradition and halakhic law. The results of archaeological work contribute to a better understanding of the history of the entire Warsaw necropolis from the time of its foundation, with a particular emphasis on the late 19th and early 20th century, to the times of the battles fought at the necropolis during World War II.

How Cooperation between Archaeologists and Art Conservators helps us discover more Information: Archaeological Investigations at the Jewish Cemetery on Okopowa Street in Warsaw

The article concerns archaeological research in plot 1 at the Jewish cemetery at 49/51 Okopowa Street in Warsaw (Wola necropolis). Thanks to simultaneous archaeological works and tombstone conservation, it is possible to examine the underground parts of the matzevot. Archaeologists present at the removal of matzevot for conservation have the opportunity to document the profiles of burial pits created during the demolition of tombstones. The information obtained in this way is very valuable in reconstructing the ways in which tombstones were made and decorated. Traces of polychromies are often preserved in the lower part of the matzevot covered with soil. Such observations are not possible during archaeological research, which is carried out at shallow depths, as recommended by the Rabbinical Commission for Jewish Cemeteries in Poland.

Новые данные о ландшафте северной части византийского города на плато Эски-Кермен

Introduction. At the end of the 6th century in the South-Western Crimea, on the Eski-Kermen plateau, Byzantine engineers built a fortress to protect the local Goto-Alan population as well as to protect the approaches to Cherson, the main outpost of the empire on the peninsula. Methods. In 2022, during archaeological work in the northern part of the Eski-Kermen plateau, which was considered by researchers to be an undeveloped territory, a Christian church was opened, which made it possible to reconstruct the urban landscape of this part of the city in a new way. Analysis. The southeastern part of the church with a semicircular apse, sections of the southern wall, and the naos were excavated. In the center of the apse in situ, there is an altar made in the form of a table on a faceted pillar. Crosses are carved on the western and eastern sides of the pillar, and depressions are made for two relics. The base of the altar was cut into a rock monolith during the preparation of the site for the construction of the church, when the surface of the rock was leveled and cramped. The walls of the church were already being built around the base made for the altar. Results. Thus, a Christian church functioned in the northern part of the city on the Eski-Kermen plateau from the early medieval period until the death of the city at the end of the 13th century. It was the second-largest building in the city after the main basilica. The church was built for the residents of the neighborhoods located nearby, along the eastern edge of the plateau. Throughout its existence, the church was renovated, as evidenced by a small reconstruction in the apse and an opening for an additional relic on the western side of the altar. In the 10th century, after the city necropolis on the southeastern slope of the plateau ceased to exist, and chapels for burials began to be built in the quarters on the plateau, a necropolis appeared next to the “Northern” church where residents of the northern quarters buried their dead.

STUDY OF THE KARAKALPAK PEOPLE IN ETHNOLOGICAL SCIENTIFIC WORKS HISTORY

The works of ethnographers and archaeologists used as primary sources were analyzed while working on the article on the living conditions, climate and characteristics of the materials used by Karakalpaks over the centuries. The article talks about customs and traditions related to the country. It reveals the role and importance of the house in the life of the Karakalpak people, as well as its educational component.

‘Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations’

The study of chapel-sites in any part of north and west Britain and Ireland is not easy. Contemporary documentary references are rare, and archaeological work has traditionally been site-specific, with interpretations often contested. In Lewis, the northernmost island of the Outer Hebrides, or Western Isles, of Scotland, this situation is magnified due to an almost complete lack of any surviving historical documents relating to the island prior to the 17th century, and of any archaeological work other than ad hoc rescue work. As the first extensive survey of chapel-sites to be undertaken in Lewis, the completion and publication of the Lewis Coastal Chapel-sites Survey is therefore a crucially important starting point in the analysis of these understudied sites. The survey identified 37 known chapel-sites on the Lewis mainland and outlying islands, and thus testifies to a vibrant landscape of Christian belief from the early medieval period onwards. Since being published (Barrowman 2020) it has provided a baseline, to which this paper adds an overview and brief discussion of site distribution, building form, landscape setting, potential dating, relation of sites to place-names and local traditions, and the setting of chapel buildings within the local identity and culture of medieval Lewis. In common with the Hebrides as a whole, most chapel buildings in Lewis, where discernible, are single-chambered with a doorway in the south wall and a window in the east gable wall, and most have approximated length–breadth ratios of 1:1.5 or 1:1.6. The exceptions to this are the small chapels on the outlying islands of North Rona and the Flannans, and on one mainland site in Lewis situated on a high headland. Visible from the busy routeways around Lewis, associated with early place-names, it is suggested that these sites, while potentially early, were not secluded and remote from the world. The evidence within the suite of sites for Viking Age or Late Norse chapels is also explored, particularly those bicameral chapels built directly into mounds or areas of earlier material. Finally, the place of chapel-sites in the Lordship and beyond is discussed, with particular emphasis on local identity and tradition in the district of Ness at the north end of Lewis.

‘Sae lofty and wide’

Archaeological investigations undertaken by Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd as part of the Clyde Wind Farm and Clyde Wind Farm Extension construction project produced a body of evidence that tells the story of human occupation and settlement in the Upper Clyde Valley. The investigations conducted between 2007 and 2015 included evaluations, site excavations, and the monitoring of groundworks across four distinct landscapes: Clyde Valley North (Woodend), Camps Valley, Midlock Valley, and Clyde Valley South (Newton Plantation). The results of this work, together with those from specialist studies and scientific analyses, have allowed for a range of key research questions to be addressed. These include an exploration of prehistoric upland activities, the role of pits and special places, and the development of settlement patterns and structures. Evidence for mobile Mesolithic and Neolithic communities was identified across the landscape with indications of the repeated visitation of specific locations. The role of pits in the creation of special places was particularly evident across Camps and Midlock Valleys. In the 2nd millennium bc, the hillsides were transformed by the creation of platform settlements. Enclosed settlements and hillforts appeared along the banks of the Clyde Valley in the 1st millennium bc marking a distinct shift in the role of landscape in expressing status and identity. In addition to prehistoric remains, limited evidence of early historic metalworking and medieval rural settlement was uncovered. Across all landscapes and periods, the themes of transition and transformation came to the fore, painting an increasingly dynamic picture of life in the Upper Clyde Valley. The scale and complexity of the archaeological works also allowed for a review of current methodologies, including the role of an Archaeological Clerk of Works, with implications for future strategies.

5 Archaeology in southwest Anatolia: research from Ionia and Caria in the last decade

This paper presents a review of recent archaeological work in Ionia and Caria, located in southwest Anatolia. In this paper we focus on archaeological research conducted in the past decade and we present a synthesis of recent discoveries and published research. Southwest Anatolia is a region where the earliest archaeological work dates back to the 19th century. However, there are research areas that have been long neglected, and archaeological work has been stifled until recent decades. As a result, the last decade of research has seen significant transformations in approaches and methodologies, with new research agendas to report. Owing to their presentation in historical accounts, Ionia has been perceived as more embedded within the world of Greek archaeology, whereas Caria, viewed from an Atheno-centric perspective, has been regarded as peripheral and provincial. Therefore, it is interesting to present a synthesis of archaeological research for both regions together. It is promising that archaeological practice in both regions has begun to embrace a longue dureé approach and has shifted research focus from major urban centres and monuments to new research foci by making use of interdisciplinary research, including rural landscapes, domestic space, cultural identities, and daily practices.

The composition of roman metals from Moinho do Castelinho and Quinta da Bolacha (Portugal)

The work involved the elemental characterisation by micro energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry of copper-based objects recovered during archaeological works at the neighbouring roman sites of Moinho do Castelinho and Quinta da Bolacha (Lusitania province). The set of 9 artefacts comprised ornaments, tools and implements of different type (fibula, shroud pin, punches, spatula, hook and nail), in addition to small fragments of unknown functionality (a fragmented handle and a small bar). Micro-EDXRF point analyses identified a diversified metallurgy including copper, bronze and leaded bronze, in addition to iron, nickel, arsenic and antimony as minor elements. Furthermore, micro-EDXRF elemental mappings identified the presence of Pb-rich inclusions in the bronze alloys with higher lead content. The composition of these roman artefacts suggests a selection of alloys according to the functionality of the artefact, as evidenced by a nail composed of copper, a handle with a more complex shape made with leaded bronze and a bronze fibula with a higher amount of tin. Finally, the choice of distinct alloys for everyday objects was viewed in the light of technological, symbolic and economic concerns, and compared with the use pattern of roman sites in the western end of the Iberian Peninsula.

4 The past 15 years of archaeological work on Roman and Byzantine Crete

This article aims to overview the last 15 years of archaeological work on Crete (2007–2022) for the Roman and Byzantine periods. It is a resource that can provide the first step in the research process for those looking to investigate these time periods in Crete. It not only communicates recent discoveries and research, but also directs scholars to earlier key publications – which this article follows on from – and to an extensive bibliography of recently published research. After covering the main publications of the last 15 years and the workshops, congresses, and conferences that have taken place, it organizes the recent archaeological discoveries by site type. It begins by covering surveys of both the landscape and those conducted underwater that have been extensive across and around Crete. It then covers public buildings and infrastructure, domestic architecture, production and craft, and cemeteries. While it is not a complete listing of all finds, it summarizes the key discoveries, publications, and events in order to demonstrate the major developments for study of these time periods in Crete.

Identifying disappeared historic buildings of port of Callao using georeferencing

The port of Callao is important for its varied historical and archaeological heritage, which includes several military buildings that were the main actors and witnesses of the colonial era of Peru (from the 16th century to the country’s independence from Spain early in the 19th century). Despite the studies that have been carried out on the basis of documents and some eventual archaeological excavations, the port’s main monument, namely, the Real Felipe Fortress, continues to hide very important information that could be used to understand the role that the fortress played in numerous historical events throughout the centuries. The main contribution of this study is the use of photogrammetry software and a Geographic Information System (GIS) to examine the Real Felipe Fortress. In this way, the nature of the atypical construction within the fortress is determined. As a result, it is possible to accurately establish the location of the defensive wall that surrounded the ancient city of Callao, as well as its first churches, whose records were lost after being destroyed by the 1746 earthquake and tsunami in Lima, the worst cataclysm registered in the history of Peru and South America. As a result, this study demonstrates that technology can be successfully used to establish and validate with great precision the existence of the location of churches that have been built in the port of Callao since the founding of Lima in the 16th century. Such identification allows architects, engineers and students who are interested in the history of monuments to discover hidden structures and buildings and carry out the necessary restoration and archaeological works, with the aim of recovering the history of the colonial architecture of Callao and other similar cities and ports worldwide.

Malthi in Media: Peopling an Ancient Village in Virtual Space

Digital applications have increased the possibilities for the visualization of archaeological material. This paper presents two reconstructions of the Bronze Age settlement Malthi, created using Minecraft and Twine, both readily accessible programs. These recreations draw on data from archaeological work at the site and are intended to depict alternative interpretations of the settlement, allowing for the uncertainty inherent in archaeology. They are likewise intended to invite interaction with the site beyond physically visiting, with the goal of increasing participation in the formation of knowledge about Malthi. The approach advocated here is applicable to other projects struggling with ambiguous data.

Intertwined maritime Silk Road and Austronesian routes: A Taiwanese archaeological perspective

AbstractThis article analyses recent archaeological work on the flow of materials and their influences on the communities in the South China Sea maritime regions, primarily from a local, Taiwanese perspective. The intertwined Austronesian Routes and maritime Silk Road acted as the primary conduit for the movement of both people and materials. Archaeological findings demonstrate intermittent interaction and cultural exchange between Taiwan and the regions around the South China Sea during the period 1,500-500 BCE. However, starting from 500 BCE, the gradual increase of glass beads, agate beads, and metal products which were made in mainland Southeast Asia and adjacent regions indicate an intensified interaction between Taiwan and Southeast Asia via the Maritime Silk Road and the Austronesian Routes. The author hypothesizes that trade diasporic craftspeople were the carriers of these exotic materials and knowledge, and that external cultural elements had a profound impact on the development of contemporary prehistoric Formosan society. This can be seen most notably in the shifting of decoration systems, the changing methods of subsistence, and technological leaps. Some of the impacts have faded into the archaeological records, but others are still traceable in the modern Indigenous society of Taiwan.

Utilizing Imperial Knowledge: Japan’s Self-Promotion in Sweden through Its Archeological Work in Colonial Korea

This paper examines Japanese archeological missions during the colonial period and how archeological knowledge was exploited by the imperial authorities both domestically and abroad. The Swedish Crown Prince Gustaf VI Adolf’s visit to Korea is an important case study to examine the connection between Japanese academia and the politics of the Japanese Government-General of Korea and to show why the Japanese government invested in acquiring hegemony in the sphere of knowledge. The history and tensions surrounding Sŏbongch’ong show the characteristics and limitations of archeological research in the colonial era and after the liberation of the country. This paper explores the Swedish Crown Prince’s visit to Japan and Korea in 1926 and its diplomatic background, along with the set-up of the excavation in Kyŏngju. After the excavation, Imperial Japan maintained its connection with the Swedish Crown Prince through scholars. The paper also examines two other events. The first is Hamada Kōsaku’s (1881–1938) and Korean Prince Yi Ŭn’s visit to Sweden in 1927, which shows the tensions between Japan and Korea. The second event is a series of lectures on Japanese archeological missions in Korea by Serge Elisséeff (1889–1975) and Sekino Tadashi (1868–1935). The Japanese used their archeological research and achievements as a propaganda tool to support their imperial power abroad. These propaganda operations were carried out not only by Japanese scholars but also by prominent Western ones who were experts on East Asia. The Japanese government thus established its authoritativeness in the colonies while at the same time displaying its “cultural rule” and imperial power and knowledge to the world. Furthermore, the Japanese repeatedly made contradictory attempts to incorporate the superior culture of the colonies into their own history while, on the domestic level, they sought to highlight the inferiority of the colonies. This paper examines the connection between modern scholarship in imperial universities and social or diplomatic policies in colonial Korea, along with the role and influence of modern scholarship in the country.

P.D. BARANOVSKY AS AN ARCHAEOLOGIST: KOLOMENSKOYE IN THE 1920s–1940s

The article addresses the question of the need to publish a part of the archive of the renowned 20th century architect-conservator Pyotr Dmitrievich Baranovsky. It is associated with his studying of the regal residence of the 16th–19th centuries in the settlement of Kolomenskoye (now the territory of Moscow). This paper publishes part of the review of archaeological works in Kolomenskoye compiled by the researcher in the 1940s and newly found in his archive. The document contains a brief account of the 1930 excavations at the site of the “Wooden Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich”, a Moscow’s masterpiece of architecture. So far, no materials recording these works have been known. The found document also includes a description of the restoration of the palace’s stone structures conducted by P.D. Baranovsky in 1923–1928 and presents the context of the archaeological work of 1933 and 1935. Particular attention is paid to the reconstruction of the layout of the palace on the ground and the localization of its stoves, as well as the characteristics of their tiled decor. The article also publishes the analytical graphics by the architect of the 1940s associated with the reconstruction of the remains of the palace and the development of its new model.

Bioarchaeology and Paleoclimate Aspects of the Study of the Upper Don Region Population of the Middle Bronze Age

The paper presents the reconstruction of the lifestyle, environment, and climate conditions of the inhabitants of the forest-steppe zone of the East European Plain in the Middle Bronze Age. Presented study is based on the results of archaeological work on the territory of the archaeological heritage site «Volkhonskiye Vyselki 1, kurgan» carried out in 2021 by the expedition of the Lipetsk regional scientific public organization «Archaeological Research». The mound belongs to the Middle Don Catacomb culture and contains 9 graves. It was demonstrated that the climate at the time of the creation of the mound were more arid than at modern times by soil-archaeological method. Levels of mobile P forms in soils suggest that the site was used for feasts, both before the creation of the mound and after. The gender and age, osteometric and pathological characteristics of the skeletons of 15 buried are given. Because of the results of isotope analyzes it has been assumed that the diet of the deceased was based on plant food.

Открытие Н. Н. Диковым палеоэскимосской стоянки на острове Врангеля

The article provides the data on the ancient aboriginal population stay on Wrangel Island. The N. N. Dikov archaeological expedition to the island and his discovery of the Chyortov Ovrag Paleoeskimo site on the coast of Krasin Inlet (Somnityelnaya Bay area) is comprehensively reported. Brief information about the subsequent archaeological work at this site is given. It has been established that the appearance of the Paleoeskimo tradition of about 3.5 kyr in the Far North-East of Asia is associated with the migration of Arctic America's Paleoeskimo groups to the Bering Strait zone. An important conclusion made by N. N. Dikov is that the Wrangel Paleoeskimo culture tends to the Pacific coastal cultures and, apparently, is a part of the oldest single and broad cultural layer, which served as a basis for many North Pacific coastal cultures Today's researchers consider Paleoeskimo the settlement of Unenen, discovered in the south of the Chukchi Peninsula, the Dolakhtin sites in the Northwestern Beringomorye, the Tokarev culture in the Northern Priokhotye. The Paleoescoaleutian tradition had a certain influence on the development of the Tarya culture of the II-I millennia BC in Kamchatka.