Archaeological Methods Research Articles

A strontium isoscape for the Conchucos region of highland Peru and its application to Andean archaeology.

Strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human skeletal remains is an important method in archaeology to examine past human mobility and landscape use. 87Sr/86Sr signatures of a given location are largely determined by the underlying bedrock, and these geology specific isotope signatures are incorporated into skeletal tissue through food and water, often permitting the differentiation of local and non-local individuals in past human populations. This study presents the results of a systematic survey of modern flora and fauna (n = 100) from 14 locations to map the bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr signatures of the Conchucos region, an area where the extent of geologic variability was previously unknown. We illustrate the necessity to examine the variation in 87Sr/86Sr values of the different geological formations available to human land use to document the range of possible local 87Sr/86Sr values. Within the Conchucos region we found significant variation in environmental 87Sr/86Sr values (0.7078–0.7214). The resulting isoscape represents the largest regionally specific bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr map (3,840 km2) to date for the Andes, and will serve as a baseline for future archaeological studies of human mobility in this part of the Peruvian highlands.

Approaching Skyscape Archaeology: A Note on Method and Fieldwork for the Case Study of Pompeii

The urban layout of Pompeii presents several orientations, possibly due to an uneven bare ground plateau. However, its main east-west axes have the same orientation of Herculaneum ones, suggesting that not only geomorphological constrains acted as topographical factors. Starting from a hypothesis by Nissen (1906), the method of skyscape archaeology was applied to Pompeii urban grid and temples, testing digital models with fieldwork measurements. The results show that the main east-west axes aligned with the rising summer solstice sun above the local horizon. Furthermore, the Doric Temple was oriented with the sunset on the same time of the year, suggesting an intentional design.

The Trzciniec Cultural Circle barrow from Nieciecz Włościańska in the Southern Podlasie

Abstract:
 The societies of the Trzciniec Cultural Circle (TCC) were characterized by a complex and unique funeral rite. Despite its multidimensionality, it is possible to identify a number of patterns repeated in the ritual activity of these populations. This especially concerns barrow cemeteries erected during the classical phase of TCC development. To date, these types of structures are known from the southern (upland) provinces of this cultural formation. However, the barrow from Nieciecz Włościańska in Southern Podlasie that is comprehensively described here is the first richly equipped monument discovered in the northeastern (lowland) province of the TCC. The aim of this article is the complex characterization of the barrow and the interpretation of remains associated with the funeral rite. The authors apply standard archaeological methods supported by typochronological and radiocarbon analyzes to establish the chronology of this feature. The presented data is essential and crucial for understanding the northerneastern area of the TCC, which remains insufficiently recognized to date.

Beyond Tomb and Relic

The representation of archaeology and archaeologists in video games is notoriously flawed, having been deeply influenced by other popular cultural media. This representation is perpetuated by both video game designers who create artificial environments in which players “do” archaeology, and the players who occupy these digital environments. Rather than turn away from video games as lowbrow culture, video game cultures, both digital and real, are fertile fields for exploring anthropological and archaeological method and theory, cultural heritage, and historical realism. This article explores the intersection of video games, anthropological theory, and popular and academic pedagogy.

Construction of archaeology and ancient history research methods based on cooperation with astronomy

Professor Hojo Yoshitaka is leading a research team which is aiming to construct archaeology and ancient history research methods that are based on astronomical methods and understanding. Although archaeological astronomical methods have been introduced in the study of calendar history in the field of literature history, the lack of basic knowledge of astronomy makes it difficult to apply them effectively in a wide range of research settings in Japan. With the establishment of this project, the team hopes to overcome the situation by combining philology, archaeology, astronomy and folklore. The team includes researchers from the National Astronomical Observatory, Chiba Institute of Technology, Kwassui Women 's University, Sapporo University, Nanzan University, Kyushu University, Senshu University and the National Institute of Cultural Properties.

Literal niche construction: Built environments of hunter-gatherers and hunting architecture

Built structures to aid hunting activities, such as drive lanes and hunting blinds, have been documented on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. This global phenomenon dates to at least 12,000 years ago and is found across time, space, environments, and cultures. While there is increasing study and documentation of such sites, they are prone to destruction and are not always recognized, resulting in a lack of large-scale comparative studies. However, this widespread pattern deserves greater attention as it can reveal unique facets of social and economic life, particularly in the context of hunter-gatherer societies. Such constructions are literal niche construction, created to increase the yield and predictability of wild animal resources. They represent an investment in the landscape, organization of communal labor, a detailed knowledge of animal behavior, all the while creating socioeconomic tensions concerning permanent facilities and who owns them and the resources they generate among otherwise egalitarian populations. This paper presents a global overview of such features, and the anthropological theory and archaeological method to systematically study such sites. This methodology will be applied to a brief case study, analyzing some of the oldest hunting architecture on the planet, those submerged beneath Lake Huron.

In search of the invisible hearth: An experimental perspective on early Levantine iron production

Conclusive evidence has surfaced for the production of iron objects in urban workshops in the Southern Levant during the early Iron Age. While nearly a dozen sites with metallurgical debris and technical ceramics dating to the 10th–8th c. BCE have contributed to the visibility of the craft, in situ high-temperature installations remain enigmatic in the archaeological record. Our ability to reconstruct the chaîne opératoire of iron production processes within each working context is restricted by the lack of this critical data. In this study we employ methods of experimental archaeology in order to investigate and interpret an assemblage of vitrified technical ceramics found in an early Iron Age metal workshop at the site of Tell es-Safi/Gath situated on the border between the southern coastal plain and the Judean foothills of Israel.As part of a broader research framework, iron smelting experiments were carried out in a simple, clay-built bowl furnace. Materials analogous to the archaeological ceramics were employed to address high temperature alterations occurring in a single installation. Using structural mineralogical and chemical analyses (FTIR, pXRF and SEM-EDS) we characterize the experimental and archaeological technical ceramics to identify the processes that affect and transform these materials during iron production activities. Results were then utilized to interpret production processes and the implementation of technical ceramics in ironworking at Tell es-Safi/Gath. Based on our observations, we address the specialized preparation of technical ceramics in early ironworking, possible reasons for the alteration and preservation of metallurgical installations following their abandonment and attempt to improve the interpretation and classification of vitrified ceramic waste from ancient metallurgical contexts.

Recommendations for Safety Education and Training for Graduate Students Directing Field Projects

AbstractGraduate schools provide students opportunities for fieldwork and training in archaeological methods and theory, but they often overlook instruction in field safety and well-being. We suggest that more explicit guidance on how to conduct safe fieldwork will improve the overall success of student-led projects and prepare students to direct safe and successful fieldwork programs as professionals. In this article, we draw on the experiences of current and recent graduate students as well as professors who have overseen graduate fieldwork to outline key considerations in improving field safety and well-being and to offer recommendations for specific training and safety protocols. In devising these considerations and recommendations, we have referenced both domestic and international field projects, as well as those involving community collaboration.

Ground penetrating radar exploration at archaeological site in Shi Village, Xia County, Shanxi Province

With the rapid development of city construction, it’s necessary to make archaeological exploration process more convenient, efficient and undamaged. As a result, some geophysical methods begin to be used firstly to find anomaly roughly during exploration. Ground penetrating radar (GPR), as a non-destructive and high-resolution method, should be an effective method in relatively shallow archaeological exploration. To verify the effectiveness of GPR, this paper mainly discusses the application of a combining method of GPR and Luoyang Spade – a traditional archaeological method at pre-Qin period site in Shi Village, Xia County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, used GPR to find the anomaly area, then used Luoyang Spade to excavate to verify. This method can greatly shorten exploration time and reduce damage of culture relics.

Using strontium isotopes to determine philopatry and dispersal in primates: a case study from Kibale National Park.

Strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) allow researchers to track changes in mobility throughout an animal's life and could theoretically be used to reconstruct sex-biases in philopatry and dispersal patterns in primates. Dispersal patterns are a life-history variable that correlate with numerous aspects of behaviour and socio-ecology that are elusive in the fossil record. The present study demonstrates that the standard archaeological method used to differentiate between ‘local’ and ‘non-local’ individuals, which involves comparing faunal isotopic ratios with environmental isotopic minima and maxima, is not always reliable; aspects of primate behaviour, local environments, geologic heterogeneity and the availability of detailed geologic maps may compromise its utility in certain situations. This study instead introduces a different methodological approach: calculating offset values to compare 87Sr/86Sr of teeth with that of bone or local environments. We demonstrate this method's effectiveness using data from five species of primates, including chimpanzees, from Kibale National Park, Uganda. Tooth-to-bone offsets reliably indicate sex-biases in dispersal for primates with small home ranges while tooth-to-environment offset comparisons are more reliable for primates with larger home ranges. Overall, tooth-to-environment offsets yield the most reliable predictions of species' sex-biases in dispersal.

The Dilemma of ‘Science’: ‘Tradition’ and Archaeology in Early Twentieth-century Bengal

The study of history as a genre became important not only as an academic concern but to recover the lost pride and dignity of the indigenous people in a colonized land. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Bengal, the study of the past assumed prime importance in the context of nationalism to counter the disdain of colonial historians and revive national pride. History as a ‘scientific’ discipline functioned as a tool in this regard, where the vernacular emerged as the principal medium of communication. Individuals from diverse backgrounds debated whether a more rigorous understanding of the past through Western ‘scientific’ methods could supplant the information from traditional texts and legends. Material culture or ‘hard’ evidence considered more suitable for a ‘modern’ objective historical account gained precedence over the traditional texts, dismissed as imaginary and mythical. A heated debate emerged between two groups, the archaeologists who believed in the objectivity of material evidence and the traditionalists who subscribed to the view that classical literature was not irrelevant to understanding the past. However, this division remained nebulous, and both groups remained in a liminal interstitial space engaging and contesting with their notions of ‘tradition’ and ‘science’. It was from this contested space that emerged an ambivalent archaeological method which formed an important characteristic of Indian archaeology in the post-Independence era.

Полиморфизм ДНК собак (Canis familiaris L.). I. Происхождение, распространение собак в свете молекулярно-биологических данных об их митохондриальных и ядерных геномах

Information is given on the size and organization of the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes of dogs, including information on polymorphisms of some loci used to clarify the phylogenetic relationships of wolves and the first dogs, including hypotheses about the places of domestication of ancient now extinct wolves and the dates of these events. It is noted that the introduction of molecular biological methods in archaeology has allowed to obtain the principally new data on ancient wolves and dogs. Based on mtDNA polymorphism and nuclear DNA polymorphism, migration routes of already domesticated dogs together with humans have been tracked. The previously existing points of view about the origin of the first dogs in Western Europe, as well as in East Asia, have been supplemented in recent years by assumptions about the appearance of the first proto-dogs in Siberia.

Study of history purpose and methods of archaeology

Study of history purpose and methods of archaeology

Demak Kingdom: Study of Environmental Condition and Geographical

Many experts have written about the history of the Demak kingdom, therefore the role of this kingdom in politics, economics and especially in the spread of Islam in Indonesia in the past. With the geophysiographical, historical and archaeological approach used in this study, it can be revealed about the environmental conditions and the location of the palace and the royal city of Demak. The research methods used in this research are observation, geophysiographical (drilling, geoelectrical measurement), historical (reading of documents) and archaeological (test pit excavations) methods, to obtain credible conclusions. The result is that the kingdom, which has a fairly large influence in the archipelago, is located on the island of Demak between Java and the Muria peninsula, which is still in a separate condition, which is surrounded by swamps, rivers and the sea. the tombs of kings, the names of places/villages (toponyms), have proven that the existence of the central city of the kingdom is concentrically arranged and the settlement patterns are grouped according to position, profession, ethnicity and religion.

Square-Shaped Belt Fittings from the 10th Century in the Carpathian Basin : Archaeological and Archaeometric Analysis

When analysing archaeological finds, some questions cannot be answered using traditional archaeological methods, therefore the involvement of the natural sciences is extremely important when examining certain types of objects. Thanks to modern technologies, the relationship between workshops and objects in different remote areas can also be explored. Decorated and undecorated square-shaped belt fittings, which are rare amongst the 10th-century relics of the Carpathian Basin, can be traced back to the Altai region. The castings that can be connected to the first generation of conquering Hungarians are very diverse. Every single one of them is unique in terms of size, materials, and ornamentation. The study below reports the new material analyses of the square fittings of Tiszaeszlár–Bashalom, Budaörs–Tűzkőhegy, and Hajdúböszörmény–Erdős tanya, comparing them to the metal composition of foreign analogies.

Геофизические исследования на могильнике Катартобе в Казахстане

Purpose. In 2015–2017, geophysical prospection (GPR survey and aerial photography) was conducted on Saka tombs of Katartobe burial ground in southeastern Kazakhstan. Modern methods of studying mounds supported new information to reconstruct tomb characteristics and supplement archaeological research of ancient nomads in Kazakhstan. Results. A GPR survey was carried out with mound and near-burial space at 27 tombs. On the radargrams, round, square, and oval shaped mounds covered with stones was traced. The centre of the mounds gave a weak reading, presumed to be the result of a wooden outer coffin. The boundary stones surrounding the mounds appear to be in two rows with disconnected sections on the east and west central sides. Occasionally, the role of the boundary stones was executed by a ditch enclosure. All the burial sites were damaged by robbers. Archaeological work as a whole confirmed the results of geophysical studies. Meanwhile, the GPR’s low wavelength depth is less effective to reveal inner structures of the large mounds. Aerial photography and photogrammetry methods compose an estimation model of all of Katartobe. This supplemented the accurate information regarding the amount of tombs on the site, due to the confirmed existence of eight additional mounds. It also provides data on the size and volume of each mound. According to the photo topographic analysis, ten small tombs of the Wusun period, represented by circular mounds were detected close to the big mounds. Conclusion. The results of geophysical prospection showed information about construction of mounds covered by stone and boundary stone around mounds. It also offered information about new mounds not detected by traditional archaeological methods. GPR survey and aerial photography provides a new method to be an important part for archaeological studies of ancient culture.

ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЕ К ВОПРОСУ О РОЛИ КЕЛЬТЕМИНАРСКОЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ В ИСТОРИИ ЕВРАЗИИ ЭПОХИ НЕОЛИТА - РАННЕЙ БРОНЗЫ

Understanding the issues of the historical development of Eurasia that have accumulated over many years is impossible without the equal participation of all scientific disciplines. Due to the specificity of its methods, archaeology seems to recede into the background, giving way to the natural sciences (genetics) and the most accurate of the humanities, namely linguistics. This article is nothing more than another attempt, using traditional archaeological methods, to draw attention once again to archaeological cultures located on a vast territory in the very heart of Eurasia. First of all, we are talking about the Kelteminar cultural and historical community, its relationships with neighboring communities, participation in the genesis of the Yamnaya and especially Fatyanovo cultures. Inevitably, this analysis touches upon the problems of the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language community, its localization and areal connections.

СИСТЕМА ПИТАНИЯ НАСЕЛЕНИЯ ЛЕСНОЙ И СТЕПНОЙ ЗОНЫ ВОСТОЧНОЙ ЕВРОПЫ IV–III ТЫС. ДО Н. Э. И ПИЩЕВЫЕ РЕСУРСЫ: ИНТЕРПРЕТАЦИЯ ИЗОТОПНЫХ ДАННЫХ

Reconstruction of food components by traditional archaeological methods has been successfully complemented by stable isotope analysis. Traditional archaeological materials and data of archaeozoological analysis suggest that the Meshchera population diet had many food components associated with hunting and fishing. Steppe inhabitants consumed meat and milk of domesticated animals, hunted the kulan and saiga; the analysis of vessel residue and interdental teeth space revealed importance of the plant component. Determination of the nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios in the diet system components of the Volosovo and Shagara populations inhabiting the forest belt and the Yamnaya population living in the steppe areas of Eastern Europe in 4000–3000 BC provided an opportunity to discuss the relationship between isotopic values of other diet components and specific isotopic composition of ancient humans. Our study has demonstrated that the Volosovo population actively exploited forest resources and consumed mushrooms, probably, nuts and fish in smaller quantities as evidenced by a lack of the reservoir effect in the human bones. The Shagara group was supposed to include more fish in its diet in addition to meat which led to apparent age of the humans. Elevated values of δ13С and δ15N in the Yamnaya population bone tissue were, probably, also caused by consumption of food products with an elevated δ15N value, most likely, mushrooms and nuts as well as water components. Differences in the isotopic composition of human bones can help clarify the areas of the exploited natural resources.

Aufdeckung und Modellierung des geographischen Wissens über alte Gesellschaften

To what degree is geographical knowledge reflected in material remains, how we can investigate it, and is it adequate to map material remains as a category of past people’s geographical knowledge? These questions hold the strongest importance for geosophy. This paper argues that spatial knowledge - namely knowledge represented in spatial structures - is a manifestation of social knowledge up to a certain level, and material remains enable discovering spatial structures. We can reveal and model spatial knowledge of the past using landscape archaeological methods, although there are certain limitations. Spatial knowledge is reflected by material remains but the material remains may be under-determined or biased. This paper discusses the meaning of space, the different kinds of space, and spatial knowledge, turns to modelling as an important research tool and presents different kinds of spatial knowledge, namely topological, metrical, and structural knowledge.

Paradoxes of freedom. An archaeological analysis of educational online platform interfaces

ABSTRACT Many schools and students across the globe are now engaging with educational digital platforms in their teaching and learning experience. Platforms are changing what education is and how it is experienced. In response, educational research has devoted increasing attention to the so-called platformisation of education. This article contributes to this focus of attention, proposing a conceptual framework for the analysis of the configuration of platforms and the kinds of learning experience and learners they create the conditions of possibility for. Using Foucauldian archaeological methods, we present an analytics that focuses on three interrelated axes, the spatial, temporal and ethical configurations of educational platforms. We identify some theoretical tools for the analysis of the educational experience that platforms make possible, thinkable and desirable. We show how digital platforms produce a paradoxical kind of digital learner, whose autonomy and freedom to choose, connect, produce, accumulate, perform and enact is configured within an epistemological space demarcated by the tensions between modularisation and hypertextuality, linearity and co-existence, performance and character/potential. Reflecting on this, we consider the working of a careful, unrelenting, and empirically vigilant digital gaze, which secures a very specific educational experience.