Archaeological Research Research Articles

Environmental Change Documented in the Fluvial Landscape: A Case Study of the Late Neolithic Bršadin–Pašnjak Pod Selom Site (NE Croatia)

ABSTRACT The formation of Neolithic tell settlements in wetlands or near watercourses is documented in the published literature, but their research is not often based on environmental study. In this paper, we present the results from two sediment cores (BR1, BR2) collected from the case study archaeological site, located on the former bank of one of the Danube's tributaries in the southern Carpathian Basin. Although it has been suggested that a waterlogged environment was deliberately selected for this type of settlement in the regional Late Neolithic, the results of this study, based on both archaeological and environmental data, indicate dry and cool conditions prior and during the initial phase of the settlement formation. The abandonment of the settlement, possibly in the late 5th millennium, probably occurred due to alternating dry and wet episodes, rather than a gradual increase in wet conditions, as suggested elsewhere in the region. A large ditch encircling the settlement, not documented by archaeological research, can be indirectly confirmed by the BR2 core results and the analysis of aerial and satellite images. In general, there is a good correlation of results with the major global climate events, but there are differences in regional and wider south-eastern European context.

Living by the land, gazing at the sea: Hominin occupation of near-coastal landscapes on the western periphery of the Red Sea

The paper examines recently reported Acheulean and Middle Stone Age archaeological occurrences in near-coastal plains on the western periphery of the Red Sea (Sudanese coast) with the aim of illuminating the role of the region in hominin survival, and possibly as an out-of-Africa dispersal conduit. Using a Viewshed analysis in ArcGIS, the study sought to assess the extent to which the seashore may have been visible from the archaeology-bearing localities during conditions similar to the present or those more humid interglacial phases than today. The purpose of the Viewshed analysis is to gauge the range of habitat-options hominins had on the western periphery of the Red Sea. The result demonstrates that the seashore would have been visible from most of the archaeological sites. Thus, it is reasonable to surmise that the coastal margin may have remained an integral part of the space exploited by the hominins that inhabited the nearby inland plains. However, the observation cannot be regarded as attesting all the areas deemed visible were necessarily exploited by hominins. Overall, the archaeological evidence from the study area broadens our understanding of the range of environments hominins occupied in Africa prior to and during their expansion to Eurasia. A proximate goal of the paper is to drive archaeological research attention to near-coastal landscapes, as such places may provide a potent vantage point to assess hominin engagement with the seashore. I conclude with an appeal to the paleoanthropological community to expand field-centered research to the vast understudied regions of Africa so as to capture hominin experiences across diverse ecosystems of the continent. Only then will we be able to discern hominin biogeographic range at different periods and theorize about the ecological drivers of our species' success.

A mathematical perspective on Romanisation: Modelling the Roman road activation process in ancient Tunisia.

Romanisation is a multi-faceted historical phenomenon with profound and lasting cultural impact on the ancient world. In the modern-day territory of Tunisia, this is particularly manifest during the first four centuries AD, under the reign of the Roman Empire. We derive a reduced, operational concept of Romanisation as a cultural diffusion process that is observable in the archaeological remains of the Roman era settlement system. We then introduce a novel mathematical model that computes spatio-temporal approximations for the Romanisation of the settlement system. The model is based on the concept of temporal road activation and makes minimal assumptions regarding input data quality. The results of our study contribute to the understanding of the time dynamics of the region's road network, under the influence of Romanisation. Our model can be applied in similar archaeological research scenarios, to generate spatio-temporal backbones for the analysis of otherwise intractably complex social processes.

Ambiguous landscapes: A framework for assessing robustness and uncertainties in archaeological point pattern analysis.

Landscape research in archaeology has greatly benefited from the increasing application of computational methods over the last decades. Spatial statistical methods such as point pattern analysis have been particularly revolutionary. Archaeologists have used point pattern analysis to explore spatial arrangements and relations between 'points' (e.g., locations of artefacts or archaeological sites). However, the results obtained from these techniques can be greatly affected by the uncertainty coming from the fragmentary nature of archaeological data, their irregular distribution in the landscape, and the working methods used to study them. Furthermore, the quantification of uncertainty in spatial data coming from non-systematic surveys has never been fully addressed. To overcome this challenge, archaeologists have increasingly relied on applying advanced methods from statistics, data science, and geography. While the application of advanced methods from formal sciences will provide robustness to models based on uncertain datasets, as with uncertainty, robustness must be assessed in relation to the case study, the regional context, and the methods used. These issues are of great importance when the models from advanced methods are directly used to create narratives about past landscapes. In this paper, we gather previous research on uncertainty quantification in archaeology and formalize its best practices into a framework to assess robustness and uncertainty in spatial statistical models, particularly focusing on one commonly used in the discipline, i.e., the Pair Correlation Function. This framework allows us to understand better how incomplete data affect a model, quantify the model uncertainties, and assess the robustness of the results achieved with spatial point processes.

Some Notes on Aeolian Neonteichos and Temnos

According to Herodotus, the Aeolians, who migrated to the coast of Western Anatolia in waves, established 12 cities in the region. Among these, Neonteichos and Temnos played key roles in terms of geostrategic importance, especially during the rule of the Pergamon Kingdom. These settlements later became strongholds during Persian attacks. However, Neonteichos, situated between the cities of Temnos and Larisa, did not have a significant presence in historical events and is therefore rarely mentioned in ancient sources. The fact that the raw material for the coins minted in Neonteichos was copper indicates the city's passive development, as it remained overshadowed by its neighboring cities. Neonteichos was initially founded as a military base to capture Larisa, which hindered its growth into a well-established urban center. In contrast, Temnos gained a well-deserved reputation as a garrison city frequently mentioned in historical geography. Its strategic position overlooking the Hermos River, the absence of powerful nearby cities, and its location on important routes from the coast to the interior positively influenced its economy. Additionally, the city was the center of worship for the cult of Apollo Kynneios, which elevated its status to a level that could rival the city of Gryneion, a key city of the Aeolian League. This article analyzes the developmental trajectories of Neonteichos and Temnos—cities for which there is little comprehensive information in historical sources and which have not been sufficiently studied in modern literature due to the lack of archaeological research—focusing on their socio-cultural, economic, and political dimensions.

Открытые данные дистанционного зондирования для выявления археологических объектов

Archaeology, as a science, is constantly evolving and embracing various interdisciplinary methods. Currently, geoinformation technologies and aerospace remote sensing, along with other remote sensing methods, are becoming some of the primary tools at various stages of archaeological research. This study explores the potential of using open-source remote sensing data to identify archaeological sites. The findings suggest that data from Sentinel-2, SRTM, ALOS, and Copernicuscan be used as supplementary information for detecting and identifying different archaeological features. It is worth noting that the best results at the pre-excavation stage can be achieved through a comprehensive approach, which involves combining different types of remote sensing data and GIS modeling techniques.

“Letting the ancestors speak”: collaborative archaeology at the Hastings Natural History Reservation

Since 2021, collaborative research at the University of California (UC), Berkeley's Hastings Natural History Reservation between the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, UC-Berkeley, and the University of Oregon has demonstrated the mutual benefits of a co-created and Indigenous-centered archaeological research program within North America. While initial archaeological studies on the Hastings Reservation occurred over five decades ago, our project represents one of the first Tribal-centered archaeological field programs within the UC Natural Reserve System and, therefore, a model of collaborative research in the post-NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA era. The broader purpose of our research is to work with the Esselen Tribe to collect historical ecological information about the legacies of Native people and their relationship with the environment to help inform contemporary stewardship goals in their Tribal territory. Our archaeological research has confirmed the Indigenous occupation at the Hastings Reserve before, during, and after the Spanish Colonial period (1769–1821) in central California. By weaving archaeology, ethnobotany, ethnohistory, historical documents, ethnography, and Indigenous knowledge, this project documents the critical role of maintaining a connection to cultural landscapes despite three successive waves of European and Euro-American colonialism in the region. These findings provide an alternative narrative of cultural persistence, survivance, and resilience contrary to the narratives of culture loss and erasure espoused by 20th-century California anthropology regarding the Indigenous societies that occupied the central California coast.

The History of the Discovery and Archaeological Research of the Paleo-Eskimo Site on the Wrangel Island (Northern Chukotka)

The History of the Discovery and Archaeological Research of the Paleo-Eskimo Site on the Wrangel Island (Northern Chukotka)

Teniky: enigmatic architecture at an archaeological site in southern Madagascar

ABSTRACT Teniky is an isolated inland archaeological site in the Isalo massif of southern Madagascar, with enigmatic rock-cut architecture that is unique in all of Madagascar and the wider East African coast. In the first half of the twentieth century visitors described archaeogical structures within a fluvial cirque (i.e. an amphitheatre-shaped valley formed by fluvial erosion), which included man-made terraces, rock-cut niches in the steep cliffs and a rock shelter delimited by walls consisting of carved sandstone blocks. Our investigations at Teniky have led to the discovery of further archaeological structures beyond the cirque. These structures include further terraces, rock-cut niches, stone basins and carved sandstone walls on a hill 2.5 km to the west, as well as sandstone quarries and dry stone walls in the valley in between. AMS radiocarbon dating of charcoal found during excavations at the newly discovered rock-cut niches and carved sandstone walls indicates that they were constructed in the late first millennium/early second millennium c. tenth to twelfth century AD. Pottery sherds at Teniky include Chinese and Southeast Asian ceramics dating to broadly the eleventh to fourteenth centuries, concordant with the radiocarbon ages. The presence of imported ceramics indicates that those living at Teniky participated in Indian Ocean trade networks in medieval times, despite being over 200 km from the nearest coast. The closest stylistic parallels to the enigmatic rock-cut architecture at Teniky are found in present-day Iran, particularly in the Fars region, where rock-cut niches dating to the first millennium AD or earlier have been attributed to Zoroastrian communities. We tentatively interpret the rock-cut architecture at Teniky as part of a former necropolis made by settlers with Zoroastrian origins. More archaeological research is required to test this hypothesis and to address questions such as: where and when did these settlers first arrive on the coast of Madagascar; why and when did they move inland; how did they live and how did they interact with other populations on the island; and why and when was the site deserted?

SITES OF THE GAMAYUN CULTURE OF THE MOUNTAIN STEPPES OF THE SOUTHERN TRANS-URALS (SITES TELYASHEVO-4 AND ELIMBETOVO-7)

The regional peculiarities of archaeological research in the second half of the 20th century led to the fact that the boundaries of the Gamayun culture of the forest and mountain-forest Trans-Urals (X-IV centuries BC) allocated at that time did not extend to the territory of the Southern Urals within modern Bashkortostan. New studies in the mountain-forest (upper course of the Belaya River) and mountain-steppe (eastern foothills of the Irendyk-Krykty mountain range) zones show that both sites of the Gamayun and related Iset cultures of the Early Iron Age are present in these territories. The materials of the Telyashevo-4 and Elimbetovo-7 sites, identified and studied in 2020-2022 in the Bashkir Trans-Urals (modern Abzelilovsky district of the Republic Bashkortostan) show the presence in the mountain-steppe zone not only heterogeneous Isetian, but also pure Gamayun ceramic complexes with traditional cross-stamped ornamentation. According to available data, the time of penetration from the north into the mountainous steppes of the Trans-Urals and the existence of the Gamayun population in this territory may be limited to the end of the first half - the middle of the I millennium BC. The published materials also make it possible to draw the southern border of the Gamayun area in the Trans-Urals at the latitude of Magnitogorsk, i.e. 200 km south of the previously established border.

The Diversity of Archaeological Animal and Plant Remains Discovered at 18th–19th-Century Sites in Iași City (NE Romania)

Animal and plant remains recovered from two archaeological sites in Iași city (NE Romania) were analyzed in this work. The aim of this study was to contribute to the economic and environmental evaluation of an old urban settlement. The analyzed sites, both of value in archaeological preventive research, are dated to the 18th–19th centuries. The archaeozoological analysis consisted of anatomical, taxonomic, and taphonomic identifications, quantification, estimations of age at slaughter and sex, and osteometry. The results revealed that the animal remains are of domestic origin, as indicated by traces of butchering, and can be mainly described in terms of their frequencies (i.e., number of identified specimens and minimum number of individuals), selection for slaughter, morphology, and size. The results show that animal husbandry (e.g., cattle, sheep/goat, pig, and horse) had significant importance in the economy of the settlement, and cattle were preferred for consumption. Few remains were identified for wild mammals (i.e., red deer, wild boar, and hare), birds, and mollusks. The phytolith analysis indicated that some plant resources were used in the economy of this settlement. The identification of opal silica bodies revealed the presence of grasses and cultivated cereals.

토성의 등장과 축성기술의 형성

This paper examines the emergence of ancient earthen fortifications and the construction techniques that laid their foundations, under the premise that the appearance of ancient fortresses coincides with the formation of fortress construction techniques. Ancient fortresses first appeared as defensive structures characterized by walls and later evolved into significant political and administrative symbols for states. Among these, earthen fortifications, as suggested by the character ‘城’, represent an early form of such defensive walls, indicating a long-standing history. Literature records show that these fortifications existed prior to the Three Kingdoms period. Archaeological investigations of Bronze Age ditch enclosures indicate that the soil excavated from creating these enclosures was used to build earthen walls, which gradually developed into the defensive settlements known as earthen fortifications. In terms of the formation of construction techniques, the ability to build earthen fortifications likely did not emerge suddenly during the Three Kingdoms period. Constructing walls with soil requires appropriate techniques, specifically the technique of compaction, which means ‘to firmly pack soil.’ This compaction technique stemmed from accumulated civil engineering experiences since the Neolithic period and laid the groundwork for building earthen fortifications and other earthen structures. Recent findings of compaction marks in domestic earthen fortifications reveal that this technology had matured by the Three Kingdoms period. Therefore, it can be concluded that the practice of compacting soil began as early as the Neolithic period, evolving through the earthen walls of Bronze Age ditch enclosures into the form of fortifications. However, there remains a gap between the earthen walls of the Bronze Age and the construction of Three Kingdoms period fortifications. Future archaeological research is expected to further elucidate the emergence of these fortifications and the early techniques used in their construction.

Transparency at its best: neutrons probing archaeological glass finds from Romania

This paper demonstrates the suitability of Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) technique for the compositional study of ancient glass finds, illustrating this idea by presenting and commenting the chemical composition of 41 Roman glass fragments discovered in archaeological excavations at Tomis, Histria, and Beidaud, Romania. According to typological and stratigraphic criteria, most finds were dated to the 1st-4th centuries AD. The PGAA measurements were performed at the Budapest Neutron Centre (BNC), Hungary. Regardless of their color (or the lack of it), most of the analyzed vitreous items have compositional traits often encountered in coeval glass artefacts discovered at various sites all over the Roman Empire. The sample set turned out to include several examples of Foy Série 2.1 and a single HIMT glass item, in agreement with the later chronological attribution of the corresponding fragments. This study provides some information about the chemistry of the Roman glass finds unearthed during the archaeological research performed in the region of the western Black Sea coast.

АРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ ХОНАКО САЙФУТДИНА БОХАРЗИ В БУХАРЕ

The article examines the archaeological research of Khanako Saifutdin Bokharzi in Bukhara, conducted by renowned scholars V.A. Shishkin, N.B. Nemtsova, and S.N. Yurenyev. These studies played a crucial role in understanding the architectural, historical, and cultural aspects of this monument, as well as its significance for the development of Sufism in the region. The article discusses the main research directions, excavations, and architectural analysis, as well as the results of new excavations carried out by Yurenyev in 1954.

Archaeo-media: breaking the binary and building agency in archaeological news reporting

ABSTRACT The role of news media in the dissemination of archaeological research is beginning to receive some attention, but this is inadequate when considering the scale of the news media as a tool for public archaeology and mass-distribution of archaeological research in digital news sites. Archaeology needs to urgently address this oversight and begin to construct appropriate and sustainable working relationships with the news media, founded on a critical evaluation of current strategies, to regulate the information that is disseminated through this medium. This paper takes a British perspective, though the themes and necessary improvements have global significance. I suggest that we begin to appreciate the role of the archaeologist in the construction of knowledge through the mass media by embracing ‘archaeo-media’- a neologism here proposed to explore the intersections and interactions between archaeology and news media.

Applying a mask R-CNN machine learning algorithm for segmenting electron microscope images of ceramic bronze-casting moulds

Material characteristics of casting moulds are crucial for understanding the evolution and diversification of bronze ritual vessel production in Bronze Age China. During relevant studies, a Back Scattered Electron (BSE) image detector is commonly employed to analyze mould microstructure, effectively revealing the volume ratios and shape features of the clay matrix, silt/sand particles, and voids. It is always challenging to analyze and cross-compare these BSE images quantitatively since they typically contain numerous phases with highly irregular shapes. Traditionally, time consuming manual point counting or multi-step image processing were used to obtain semi-quantitative results. Addressing these challenges, we have proposed a deep learning method called BCM-SegNet, an optimized Mask R-CNN-based algorithm for segmenting BSE images of bronze casting moulds and cores. Using the proposed method, key parameters, such as area, Feret diameter, roundness, and solidity of segmented particles, can be provided based on well segmented results, even for the images with complex background. Experimental outcomes show that the algorithm achieves a segmentation precision of 95% and an accuracy of around 91%, demonstrating its strong generalization capability. This study provides a significant foundation for micro-feature analysis of archaeological ceramic materials, classification of particles, and determination of technological processes in archaeological research.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN 2023 ON THE TERRITORY OF THE DOMINICAN MONASTERY IN VINNYTSIA

Archaeological researches of 2023 on the territory of the site of architecture and urban planning «Dominican Monastery» in Vinnytsia was carried out by the Archaeological Expedition of the Vinnytsia Regional Museum of Local Lore as part of the «Program of Archaeological Research on the Territory of Sites which are part of the Vinnytsia City Territorial Community for 2022—2024» approved by the Vinnytsia City Council. The main task for 2023 was to open a preserved excavation area (excavation area 1) and to complete it. This excavation area was established and explored in 2013—2018 by the Archaeological Expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, headed by Dr. Larysa Vynogrodska. In the Excavation area 1 several objects in 2023 were discovered: building 1 — the remains of the foundations of a cult (?) building from the late 17th — the first half of the 18th century and constructive ditches of the building (the name and number according to the numbering of Dr. L. Vynogrodskaya); building 2 — the remains of the foundations of the building, constructed in the late 19th — the first half of the 20th century; building 3 is a deepened structure, explored in 2013—2014 (the name and number according to the numbering made by Dr. L. Vynogrodska); building 4 — a brick crypt (?) of the late 17th — early 18th centuries; object 1 — deepened with a step (partially explored) — late 16th — 17th centuries; object 2 is a burial contained the remains of five persons (burials 3—7), burials 5 and 6 are dated ca. late 17th — early 18th century; pits 1, 3 — objects of the 20th century (pit 2 is the object explored in 2013—2014); burial 1 — an animal skeleton in anatomical order which was discovered in the 17th—19th century layer (sector B6—B7 in the excavation area); burial 2 — a human burial approximately dated to the 18th century. Photofixation, processing and drawing of the material have been done, orthophoto plans and 3D modeling of objects in excavation area 1 were made based on the results of the archaeological expedition of the Vinnytsia Regional Museum of Local Lore in 2023. In addition to archaeological research, all known written sources of the 17th century about the territory of the Dominican monastery, its founders and clergy were widely involved. These sources were processed by researcher of Vinnytsia Museum Victoria Kolesnyk. Due to her sophisticated research in 2023 it was possible to attribute the architectural remains in excavation area-1 as the stone foundations of the Dominican monastery during its first phase of its existence. Probably, the discovered remains are traces of the renovation of the monastery building from the late 17th — the first half of the 18th century and existed until the time of the second phase of construction, which began in the second half of the 18th century. The result of the second phase of construction is the raising of a complex of buildings which are in use for now and as a complex with a status of National Importance, named the «Dominican Monastery».

Mesolithic Cultures of Ustyurt and Kyzylkum

The article explores the history of archaeological research on the Mesolithic sites of Ustyurt and Kizilkum and the potential for revising existing archaeological materials, as well as advancing the study of the Mesolithic period in Uzbekistan to a contemporary level.

Human population dynamics in Upper Paleolithic Europe inferred from fossil dental phenotypes.

Despite extensive archaeological research, our knowledge of the human population history of Upper Paleolithic Europe remains limited, primarily due to the scarce availability and poor molecular preservation of fossil remains. As teeth dominate the fossil record and preserve genetic signatures in their morphology, we compiled a large dataset of 450 dentitions dating between ~47 and 7 thousand years ago (ka), outnumbering existing skeletal and paleogenetic datasets. We tested a range of competing demographic scenarios using a coalescent-based machine learning Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) framework that we modified for use with phenotypic data. Mostly in agreement with but also challenging some of the hitherto available evidence, we identified a population turnover in western Europe at ~28 ka, isolates in western and eastern refugia between ~28 and 14.7 ka, and bottlenecks during the Last Glacial Maximum. Methodologically, this study marks the pioneering application of ABC to skeletal phenotypes, paving the way for exciting future research avenues.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE DOWNTOWN BERDYCHIV

Materials of 2024 scientific and rescue research in the downtown Berdychiv, at 11/4 Zhytomyrska Street are published in the paper. These are the first available results of archaeological research of the part of the city of the 18th—19th centuries outside the complex of the Barefoot Carmelite Monastery. The paper provides a brief outline of the settlement’s history and a description of the history of archaeological research in the central part of the city. In 2024, on an area of 61 m2 in the valley of the Kanava stream, materials of the late 18th—19th centuries were discovered. Some items can be associated with the functioning of a nearby marketplace that served the town. The research area belongs to the territory of the Jewish shtetl, and the found objects, including a metal dreidel, illustrate the material culture of its inhabitants. The 2024 field season is the first archaeological research on the territory of the exact settlement part of Berdychiv. These explorations supply the information of the 2018 research on the stratigraphic situation in the city. The survival of organic materials (bone, wood, leather) in the lower, waterlogged layers of the city raises the question of the need for a special program for the preservation of such organic artifacts dating from the nineteenth and even the late eighteenth century. The discovery of individual objects which are the ethnic and religious markers of the inhabitants (a dreidel) and evidence of trade relations (trade seals) helps to supply the information about the life of the city’s inhabitants. Now the processing of the artifacts obtained as a result of the research in progress. We hope that the analysis of the discovered artifacts will provide a more complete picture of the material culture of Berdychiv residents at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This research indicates the prospects, scientific and social feasibility of archaeological research in the city. The analysis of the current Historical and Architectural Reference Plan indicates the lack of enough information about archaeological sites and objects on the territory of the modern city. We hope that this publication will be an impetus for the future clarification of the protection and registration documents for the city’s archaeological sites and will initiate further scientific and scientific-rescue research not only in Berdychiv and its environs but also in other cities and towns.