Archaeological Research Research Articles

A review to the Desert Kite: State of the Art!

Although from the beginning of the historical period, known as the emergence of the writing, it has not passed more than several thousand years, but the history of human evolution can be rooted in an era much older than the one seen: in the age of the hunting-gathering culture! Hunter-gatherer culture was the way of life for early humans until around 11,000 to 12,000 years ago. The lifestyle of huntergatherers was based on hunting animals and foraging for food. Desert kites could be mentioned as a probable transition key from the age of hunting-gathering food to pastoralism, which can be dated today with the development of cosmogenesis and luminescence methods. ‘Desert kites’ are stone constructions made of two long low walls called antennae that converge into an enclosure flanked or not by several small cells. Their shape and archeological evidence suggest that these extensive stone structures may have functioned as game traps, designed to capture and kill large numbers of wild animals. The kite is a landmark that reveals a way of occupying territory. It is an architectural feature of social groups, which hence left a reflection of their territory and catchment. However, these people have sometimes left very few traces enabling their identification. Considering the extent and density of these settlements, the kite is a massive phenomenon whose role was probably crucial in the development of societies in arid regions. It has been seen from the eastern Mediterranean to the eastern Caspian, which suggested finding less of the same structure in the Iranian plateau, as the only suitable linkage, when the northern lands were nearly frozen! Thus, the perspective is reversed from traditional archaeological research, where groups are most often identified by their domestic settlements, with their still undefined modes of subsistence. Kites, as a phenomenon, are therefore a challenge for the archaeology that requires creative and novel approaches.

Ports for whom? Harbors in the early thirteenth-century Eastern Baltic

ABSTRACT The thirteenth-century crusades to Estonia and Livonia have traditionally been seen from the conquerors’ perspective, considering the local actors only as passive subjects of these processes. Recent archeological research has challenged this. Various centers, such as hillforts or harbors, were controlled by locals and functioned as more or less neutral places. This article examines three harbors, which may have possessed a central importance in the region: Daugavgrīva (Dünamünde) in the lower reaches of the Daugava River, portus novus (the New Harbor) in Saaremaa, and the port of Tallinn. The discussion treats local magnates as active participants in these places, thus creating a more nuanced picture of how different foreigners were treated in the ports of the Eastern Baltic.

Значение деятельности исторических научных сообществ конца XIX – начала XX вв. для сохранения объектов культурного наследия

The article reviews the main historical scientific communities that functioned in the Russian Empire in the post-reform period – the Moscow Archaeological Society, the Russian Archaeological Society, the Russian Geographical Society, and a number of church scientific and historical organizations. Their characteristics are given, brief historical circumstances of the emergence of such organizations are summarized, their activities, which directly influenced the processes of protection of cultural heritage objects, are considered. At the same time, some special methodological issues of cultural heritage protection are considered in detail, such as the “Notes for the Review of Russian Antiquities”, compiled by the famous ethnographer, folklorist, paleographer I.P. Sakharov, dedicated to Orthodox religious monuments. The main issues of monument protection of the first archaeological congress in 1869 are considered, such as: on the most accurate definition of the method and techniques in the study of monuments; on measures to preserve and make known monuments of pagan and Christian antiquity in Russia; drawing up detailed instructions for archaeological research; terminology of Russian archaeology; on the compilation of archaeology.

A significant contribution to the problem of unbalanced data in machine learning research in archaeology

A significant contribution to the problem of unbalanced data in machine learning research in archaeology

Exploring a Scientific Research Station from a Bygone Era: Historical Archaeology at Orr’s Camp, Santa Rosa Island (Wimaɬ), Alta California

ABSTRACT The northwest coast of Wimaɬ (Santa Rosa Island) has long been a focus of archaeological research, including former Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History archaeologist, geologist, and paleontologist Phil Orr's work from the 1940s–1960s. Orr pioneered the use of radiocarbon dating on the California Channel Islands, built extensive archaeological collections, and constructed a detailed cultural sequence. Here, we discuss the history and status of Orr's island research camp, archaeological site CA-SRI-766H, describing monitoring and erosion of the site during the past several decades. Two radiocarbon dates obtained from adjacent CA-SRI-7 (Orr's Camp shell midden) document Island Chumash occupation of the site between ∼2820–1160 cal BP, helping place the area into broader regional context. Revisiting the historical documents and physical remains of past research can help understand the evolution of archaeological practice, evaluate outdated procedures of conducting research without tribal consultation and consent, and promote a more inclusive future of the discipline.

“We Found People…”

This photo essay shows human remains. Viewer discretion is advised. Death Valley in Chojnice, Poland, is the site of mass crimes committed by officers of the Third Reich against citizens of the Second Polish Republic during World War II. This photo essay describes the circumstances of the discovery of mass graves dating from late January 1945, when several hundred Poles were taken to the outskirts of the town, murdered, and their bodies burned to cover up the traces of the crime. The text advocates the presentation of human remains as irrefutable material evidence of the crime and of the the cover-up attempt. The reason it is presented as a photo essay is because the visual arts, in the context of documenting mass graves, are able to capture aspects of the site – the materiality of the crimes committed and the aura of the exhumation itself – that are not usually taken into account in archaeological field research. Such elements, however, are inherent to any field research that involves the exhumation of innocent victims.

Isla del Fraile. Reconstructing Coastal Dynamics in Southeastern Spain Through Underwater Archaeological Survey

ABSTRACTA new archaeological research project analyses the history of Isla del Fraile (Águilas, Spain), a small island off the coast occupied since at least Roman times. Its isolation means that the sea has always conditioned its connectivity and relationship with land. Despite some underwater studies carried out in previous decades, its underwater surroundings, El Hornillo Bay, continue to be relatively unexplored. In parallel to the excavation work on the island's surface, an underwater survey was carried out in the area, which is known for its archaeological wealth. The objectives of this paper are to study the underwater contexts associated with the archaeological site, to determine whether there were any ports or anchorages and to analyse the phases of greatest activity in the bay between Antiquity and the Modern Age. New data are provided, and earlier finds, either previously unpublished or from private donations, are also reviewed. The findings are discussed and related to their local and interregional contexts. The main purpose is to offer a new contribution to the study of the maritime cultural landscape of the Western Mediterranean through a region underrepresented by research.

“The Dead Have Been Awakened in the Service of the Living”: Activist Community-Engaged Archaeology in Charleston, South Carolina

AbstractIn 2013, 36 Ancestors of African descent were identified in an unmarked eighteenth-century burial ground during construction in Charleston, South Carolina. The site, later referred to as the Anson Street African Burial Ground, was buried beneath the growing city and forgotten in the centuries that followed. The ethical treatment of these ancestral remains was of paramount importance to our community. Historically, narratives relating to the lives of African descendant people in Charleston have been inadequately documented and shared. For these reasons, we engaged the local African American community in a multifaceted memorialization process. Together, we sought to sensitively ensure that the Ancestors’ identities and lives were fully explored according to the collective descendant community's wishes. To this end, we involved the community in researching and celebrating the Ancestors’ lives through arts and education programs and analyzed their and community members’ DNA to elucidate their ancestry. Our engagement initiatives increased access for all ages to archaeological, historical, and genetic research and encouraged active participation in the design of a permanent memorial. The Anson Street African Burial Ground Project provides a successful example of community-engaged activist archaeology focused on honoring the Ancestors and their descendants.

Reflection of sacred symbols in folklore and dance culture of Chechens

The article is devoted to the study of sacred symbols represented in the petroglyphs of Chechnya and widely used in the material culture of the local population of the ancient and late medieval era: in the decoration of metal products, the ornament of carpets and ceramics. The author believes that sacred symbolism is reflected in spiritual culture. The circle, the cross, the spiral and other sacred symbols have been embodied in a variety of forms in oral folk art, dance culture, ritual traditions, the Nart epic, thereby defining the stylistic features of the culture of the North Caucasus. Sacred meanings are imprinted not only in the images of dancing anthropomorphic figures on the walls of residential and combat towers, but also the pattern of their movements and gestures repeats the outlines of ancient symbols, thereby testifying to the ritual nature of the origin of folk dance and many genres of oral folk art. The methodological basis of the research is a set of general historical, ethnographic and archaeological research methods, the use of which is determined by the nature of the material being studied. Thus, the internal space and structure of the phenomena of spiritual culture correspond to the forms of the main sacred symbols that existed in the culture of the peoples of the region in ancient times, thereby creating a special style of North Caucasian culture, which is characterized by inner sacredness. The reflection of mythological plots and symbols in petroglyphs and bronze plastics of the Koban culture of late Bronze and early iron testifies to the deep antiquity of folk dance and many genres of oral folk art of the population of the North Caucasus and speaks about the close intertwining of the phenomena of material and spiritual culture in that period, about the sacredness of being in its representations. Ritualism penetrates into all spheres of life (labor, funeral rite, wedding ceremony), protecting the ancient man from all bad things.

The Ordazy cities. The first archaeological research works in the cities of Sortobe 1, 2

The article presents written data on the sites, located in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya river and extensive information about the archaeological research conducted in the Sortobe group of cities. It examines the main written sources, works of Arab-Persian researchers of the 9th-12th centuries, including rare information related to sites of the Oghuz period in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya river, which is presented for the first time. In addition, detailed information concerning events in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya, mentioned in the works of Western researchers in the last quarter of the 19th century is considered, memories of some local historians of the Tsarist Russia times and archival data of the Khorezm archaeological-ethnographic expedition are аnalyzed. The article highlights the process of studying the site and the archaeological excavations conducted there with results. This paper discusses the current state of the medieval city of Sortobe. It highlights that half of the city has been eroded by the Syr Darya river, leading to the cultural layer of the site being in an emergency condition without state protection.

Bustanaevo Burial Mound – a New Great Migration Era Monument in the North-West of Bashkortostan

The article publishes preliminary results of archaeological research on mound No. 45, the Bustanaevsky burial mound, located on the territory of the Buraevsky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The monument was discovered in 2011, archaeological research began in 2015 under the leadership of A.G. Kolonskikh. Currently, excavations of the necropolis continue in the course of joint research by the Institute of Ethnological Research named after. R.G. Kuzeev and the Institute of Archaeology named after A. Kh. Khalikov Tatarstan Academy of Sciences. During excavations, one single burial was discovered under the mound. Along with the poorly preserved skeleton, the burial contained archaeological material represented by two vessels, arrowheads and elements of a belt set made in the heraldic style, horse bones and iron bits. The data obtained allow us to assume that the necropolis was left by the bearers of the Kushnarenkovo archaeological culture. The preliminary dating of the burial is the end of the 6th - beginning of the 7th century AD.

Satellite-Derived Bathymetry in Support of Maritime Archaeological Research—VENμS Imagery of Caesarea Maritima, Israel, as a Case Study

Deriving bathymetry by means of multispectral satellite imagery proves to be a replicable method, offering high-resolution coverage over large areas while keeping costs low. Maritime archaeologists often require bathymetric mapping at a high resolution and with a large spatial coverage. In this paper, we demonstrate the implementation of SDB in maritime archaeology using high-resolution (5 m/pixel) data from Vegetation and Environment monitoring on a New Micro-Satellite (VENμS) imagery. We focus on the area of the Roman harbour of Sebastos, located at Caesarea Maritima along the Israeli coast of the Eastern Mediterranean. For extracting SDB, we take an empirical approach, which is based on the integration of satellite imagery and sonar depth measurements, resulting in a blue-green band ratio algorithm that provides reliable results up to a water depth of 17 m. Comparison with in situ depth measurements yielded an RMSE of 0.688 m. The SDB mapping is complemented by satellite-based identification of above- and below-water rocks. The presented approach can readily be replicated in other regions using various types of multispectral satellite imagery, particularly when only coarse bathymetric sonar data are available, thus substantially contributing to our ability to perform maritime archaeological research.

New Results and Ideas of the Archaeological Research on Early Hungarian History in the Eurasian Context

As Early Hungarian history is a resource-poor research area, archaeology, a field of science with rapidly increasing resource material, is of paramount importance. It is important to emphasize that in the case of archaeology, there is also a significant expansion in research methods, mainly thanks to the bioarchaeological studies that have started with great momentum. In recent years, the most significant archaeological results of Early Hungarian history were the explosive increase in the number of Subbotsi-type sites associated with Etelköz accommodations in the region of the Dniester River. There are now 10–12 sites along the central flow of the Dnieper River. The relations with the neighbouring areas, mainly with the northern, Slavic regions, and with the Byzantine culture in Crimea are well reflected here. In addition to the chronology of the material, its nature is also explicitly consistent with the image drawn by Muslim sources of the 9th-century ancestors of the Hungarians. Further to the east, the Volga elbow in Samara and the wider area of the Southern Urals remain the ones that show the most connections regarding Hungarian ethnic genesis. As a working hypothesis, we can say that the earliest archaeological traces of the ancestors of the Hungarians can be assumed east of the Ural Mountains, in the eastern neighbourhood of the Ural region of Chelyabinsk. A group of people here presumably set off westwards in the early 9th century. In a short time, this community appeared on the left bank of the Volga, and its accommodation area extended to the border of Volga Bulgaria. After that, part of it remained along the Kama River. The other group migrated westwards before the 830s, and settled in the northern foreland of the Black Sea.

Two new Later Stone Age sites from the Final Pleistocene in the Falémé Valley, eastern Senegal.

The understanding of cultural dynamics at work at the end of the Final Pleistocene in West Africa suffers from a significant lack of excavated and dated sites, particularly in the Sahelian and Sudanian ecozones. While the Later Stone Age shows varied behavioral developments in different parts of the continent, the chrono-cultural framework of this period remains largely unknown in West Africa. We report on archaeological, geomorphological, and chronological research on two Final Pleistocene Later Stone Age sites in the Falémé Valley, eastern Senegal. Optically stimulated luminescence ages place the site of Toumboura I-2017 between 17 ± 1 and 16 ± 1 ka and the Ravin de Sansandé site between 13 ± 1 ka and 12 ± 1.1 ka. The excavated lithics show typical Later Stone Age industries, characterized by chaînes opératoires of core reduction mainly producing flakes and bladelets as well as blades and laminar flakes. Segments dominate the toolkits but a few backed bladelets and end-scrapers on flake blanks were recognized. Local raw materials were used, with a preference for chert and quartz, as well as greywacke. These Later Stone Age lithic assemblages are the oldest known in Senegal so far and add to the small number of sites known in West Africa for this period, which are mainly located farther south, in sub-tropical ecozones. The Later Stone Age sites of the Falémé Valley are contemporaneous with typical Middle Stone Age technologies in Senegal dated to at least the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. Our results thus provide new archaeological evidence highlighting the complex cultural processes at work during the Final Pleistocene in West Africa.

Multi-proxy paleoenvironmental data from Paulina Marsh inform human-environmental dynamics in the Northern Great Basin U.S.A.

Understanding the dynamics between climate change and human adaptive strategies is a longstanding question driving paleoecological and archaeological research in North America's Great Basin. We present multiproxy data from five sediment cores retrieved from Paulina Marsh in the Fort Rock Basin, Oregon, an area renowned for its archaeology but lacking the paleoenvironmental data needed to fully contextualize those records. Radiocarbon, pollen, particle size, elemental, and charcoal analyses of one core, and geochronological data from four additional cores, reveal fluctuating vegetation communities, hydrologic conditions, and fire histories during the Early and Late Holocene that are consistent with models proposed to explain changing settlement-subsistence patterns in the region. There was likely an emergent marsh or meadow and an absence of Juniperus at the core site during the Early Holocene. Middle Holocene deposits are not present due to a geologic unconformity, perhaps because of channel migration and climatic aridity. Late Holocene sediments record a more mesic meandering stream system between ∼3900 and 2200 years ago, followed by an increase in xeric-adapted vegetation in the last 2000 years. The lack of Juniperus pollen in the Early Holocene sediments inform ongoing debates about Juniperus spread in the Great Basin. These data represent the first Early Holocene pollen record from the Fort Rock Basin and are one of few lowland vegetation histories of this age in the region. This study contributes to our understanding of past ecology in semi-arid environments, provides new context for archaeological interpretations, and establishes a framework for future work in the region.

Using clustering as pre-processing in the framework of signal unmixing for exhaustive exploration of archaeological artefacts in Raman imaging

Analytical chemistry on archaeological material is an essential part of modern archaeological investigations and from year to year, instrumental improvement has made it possible to generate data at a high spatial and temporal frequency. In particular, Raman spectral imaging can be successfully applied in archaeological research by its simplicity of implementation to study past human societies through the analysis of their material remains. This technique makes it possible to simultaneously obtain spatial and spectral information by preserving sample integrity. However, because of the inherent complexity of the samples in Archaeology (e.g. seniority, fragility, lack or full absence of any information about its composition), chemical interpretation can be difficult at first glance. Indeed, specific problems of spectral selectivity related to unexpected chemical compounds could appear due to their state of conservation. Furthermore, detecting minor compounds becomes challenging as major components impose their contributions in the acquired spectra. Therefore, a relevant chemometric approach has been introduced in this context to characterize distinct spectral sources in a Raman imaging dataset of an archaeological specimen – a mosaic fragment. The fragment was unearthed during the Ruscino archaeological dig on the outskirts of Perpignan, France. It dates back to the oppidum period. The aim is to extract selective spectral information from pixel clustering analysis in order to enhance the initial optimisation step within the Multivariate Curve Resolution and Alternating Least-Squares (MCR-ALS) algorithm, a well-known signal unmixing technique. The underlying principle of the MCR-ALS is that the acquired spectra can be expressed as linear combinations of pure spectra of all individual components present in the chemical system under study. Sometimes it can be difficult to obtain the desired results through the algorithm, particularly if initial estimates of spectral or concentration profiles are inaccurate due to complex signals, noise or lack of selectivity, resulting in rank deficiency (i.e. a poor estimation of the total number of pure signals). For this reason, an innovative threshold-based clustering algorithm, combined with multiple Orthogonal Projection Approaches (OPA), has been developed to improve matrix rank investigation and thus the initialisation step of the MCR-ALS approach before optimisation. The effective analysis of Raman imaging data for an archaeological mosaic played a crucial role in uncovering significant chemical information about a particular biogenic material. This insight sheds light on the origins of mortar manufacture during the oppidum period.

Medieval groove plane: A wood-carving tool from the archaeological excavations in Elbląg

The author focuses on explaining the way of using and the function of an iron-and-wood object found during archaeological research of a site at the back of a town plot in the Old Town of Elbląg. The object is dated to the 1240s. A search for analogous archaeological finds in combination with the study of other categories of sources, including ethnographic and iconographic ones, made it possible to establish that this was a tool for cutting grooves in wood. It served to produce long, relatively narrow and not very deep grooves, mainly in shingles.

Multianalytical approach to the exceptional Late Roman shipwreck of Ses Fontanelles (Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain)

The paper presents the results of an interim analytical approach to the Late Roman shipwreck of Ses Fontanelles recently found in the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). The excellent state of preservation of the hull and the cargo, including amphorae with painted inscriptions (tituli picti), and its location in shallow waters offshore of one of the main touristic beaches of the island makes this a unique finding in the Mediterranean. A first season of excavations and study of the cargo triggered an analytical approach to solve some of the problems pose by archaeological research, mainly related to the possible origin of the vessel. The analytical strategy combines petrographic analysis for the study of the provenance of the amphorae, archaeozoology and residue analysis to identify their content, and analysis of the wood and plant remains to understand the use of vegetal resources in shipbuilding and in the stow of the cargo. The results of the combination of the petrographic analysis, the study of the ichthyofauna and the organic residue analysis suggest that the boat probably departed from the area of Cartagena in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, carrying a cargo of fish sauce (liquaminis flos), oil, and wine (probably also some olives preserved in grape derivatives), transported in three main types of amphorae. The analysis of the wood shows, as known in Roman shipbuilding, a clear selection of forest resources. The shipbuilders used pine for longitudinal parts of the hull, while for the small pieces related to the assemblage system (pegged, mortise and tenons) and subjected to a great stress they selected harder woods mainly Cupressaceae, Olea europaea, and Laurus nobilis. In addition, the study reveals that mainly branches of Vitis vinifera, but also other herbaceous plants were used as dunnage protecting the cargo during the journey. The results help to shed some light into different aspects of this unique vessel sunk in Mallorcan waters and contributes to show the benefit of applying archaeological sciences in maritime archaeology.

Tacheometric Survey and 3D-Model Building of Fortification Objects in the South of Western Siberia

Purpose. The most objective planigraphy of the earthen fortifications is one of the initial conditions for the reliability of the description of these objects and the subsequent analysis of their defensive capabilities. One of the most common devices for the instrumental surveys in modern archaeological research is a total station. The purpose of the tacheometric survey was to build 3D-models of the earthern fortifications of various types (cape settlements – Chultukov Log-9, ostrogs and redoubts (Umrevinsky, Salt Turn). The work at these objects included two stages – an instrumental survey of the monument and subsequent processing of the survey results with the 3D-models buildings and objects indication.Results. The tacheometric survey was carried out in various landscape zones (the Altai mountains, the northern forest-steppe of the Upper Ob, the steppe zone of the Middle Irtysh) within the river valleys of the Katun, Ob and Irtysh. The wide chronological framework of the sites (the Chultukov Log-9 settlement, the Umrevinsky ostrog, the Salt Turn redoubt) corresponds to the period from the beginning of the 1st millennium AD up to the first quarter of the 18th century and provide an opportunity for the most objective assessment of the tacheometric survey results.Conclusions. The result of the work was the building of the 3D-models of various earthen fortification objects (hillforts, ostrogs, redoubts). Both previously untraceable defensive structures (ditch), and the characteristics of the fenced areas of these structures, previously recorded in written sources, have been identified.

The Early Iron Age elite grave from the Kapiteljska njiva barrow cemetery (Novo mesto, Slovenia): an approach to dental profiling through non-invasive and minimally-invasive techniques.

Kapiteljska njiva is a prehistoric cemetery located in the town of Novo mesto in southern Slovenia. There is a long history of archaeological research at this site, as the first investigations date back to the end of the 19th century. In 2004, an Early Iron Age barrow XVI was investigated. The oldest surviving grave in the barrow is the central grave, numbered XVI/34, which according to its position and the richness of the grave goods, belongs to a woman of higher status. Most likely, she was the first member or initiator of a family that continued to bury its dead in the barrow for the next 300 years. There were no preserved skeletal elements; however, in the head part of the grave, remains of human teeth, mostly the tooth crowns and the shells of enamel from the tooth crowns, were found among the scattered amber beads of a necklace. Moreover, these tooth remains are one of the few human biological materials (mostly fragments of skull and long limb bones) unearthed in this cemetery, reflecting the influence of acidic soil from the burial site. This study aimed to create a dental profile of the deceased in a similar way as during a forensic investigation. The remains were examined macroscopically and stereo-microscopically. The morphological traits were scored following the ASUDAS protocol. Ancestry was estimated by entering these scores into a beta version of the web-based application rASUDAS. Brothwell's system was used for age at death estimation from occlusal attrition. Identification of sex was based on the analysis of sex-specific amelogenin isoforms in dental enamel by nanoflow liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS/MS). The present study reveals that the dental remains from Kapiteljska njiva belong to the permanent dentition of a single individual and that only the right upper central incisor and third molar are completely absent. The remains of teeth exhibit a simple external morphology, characterised by the absence of morphological dental traits, with a notable exception of the two-rooted left lower canine. The probability of assigning this individual to the Western Eurasian ancestry group is 98%. According to the degree of dentine exposure on the occlusal surfaces of molars, the estimated age range is 17-25 years. Another line of evidence comes from the observation that the first signs of approximal attrition are present in lower third molars but absent in the only preserved upper counterpart, indicating that the age at which the lower third molars entered into occlusion represents a proxy of the individual's age at death. Data on the chronology of the lower third molar development and eruption in present-day European populations from forensic literature (Brkić et al. 2011; Olze et al. 2008; Selmanagić et al. 2013) and The London Atlas confirm the above age-range estimate. Caution is, however, needed in the interpretation of results, because reference data are not based on the population of the individual's origin. Proteomic analysis classified the individual as a female, which is in line with the archaeological evidence. No pathological lesions or indicators of systemic stress were identified; however, the absence of approximal attrition facets in upper anterior teeth indicates interdental spacing. The results of dental profiling are discussed in the context of historical background, today's clinical knowledge, and epidemiological data.