Artefact Type Research Articles

Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Teeth from a Female Burial in Yuzhniy Oleniy Ostrov, Northwestern Russia (c. 6200 cal BC) – Local Rarities or Transported Goods?

ABSTRACTTooth pendants of European elk, Eurasian beaver and brown bear are the most common artefact type in graves at Late Mesolithic Yuzhniy Oleniy Ostrov on Lake Onega, northwestern Russia. In one burial of a 20-35-year-old woman, 18 fragments of wild boar tooth pendants from at least five individuals were found. Wild boar was not a regular part of local fauna in the Mesolithic, and if these wild boars were hunted locally, they were very unusual game. These wild boar tooth pendants may also represent imported goods that came to Onega from a more southern area via exchange. It is also possible that the woman was not local but came from a region where wild boars were abundant and common game for Mesolithic people.

Analysis with confidence: distinguishing pre-Bondaian and Bondaian silicified mudstone artefact assemblages from the Cumberland Plain of Western Sydney, New South Wales

Most Aboriginal open sites on the Cumberland Plain of Western Sydney were thought to have been occupied during the Bondaian phase after ca 7,000–8,000 cal. BP, based largely on the presence of backed artefacts, predominance of silcrete in assemblages and paucity of stratified sites and late Pleistocene dates. I propose here that sites with older pre-Bondaian artefacts are more common than that indicated by previous research. In the pre-Bondaian phase, silicified mudstone was the preferred raw material type. During the Bondaian phase people sometimes used silicified mudstone in addition to silcrete, but these assemblages have numerous backed artefacts and attributes relating to the manufacture of this artefact type. This paper proposes that differences between pre-Bondaian and Bondaian silicified mudstone assemblages can be detected by calculating the proportions of cortical-plus-plain platforms, faceted platforms and perhaps elongate flakes, in addition to the proportions of backed artefacts. Confidence intervals attached to those proportions take variation in sample size and the potential for random variation into account. The results indicate that sites with pre-Bondaian artefacts are more common than previously thought. This has implications for models which propose increased occupation of the Cumberland Plain during the Bondaian phase and for geoarchaeological studies of site histories.

On the question of Anadara antiquata bivalve scrapers in the archaeological record of Tonga

Expedient shell tool use among Oceanic peoples is widely known in ethnographic context but oftentimes almost impossible to identify in the archaeological record. This paper examines Anadara antiquata bivalve scrapers, a potential artefact type in the Kingdom of Tonga that is defined by a consistently formed ventral margin. To assess the veracity of tool identification and to ensure that the edge has not been created through natural breakage, a series of experimental studies was undertaken. These illustrate that the functional edge can be formed only through intentional preparation using an inside-out flaking technique on the ventral lip. A low-powered starch test on archaeological specimens further illustrates the presence of starch on the prepared working plane. Finally, an analysis of archaeological specimens from five Tongan sites seeks additional insight on morphological variation within the tool type.

Early Imports in the Late Bronze Age of South‐Western Iberia: The Bronze Ornaments of the Hypogea at Monte da Ramada 1 (Southern Portugal)

The composition and manufacture of Late Bronze Age metallic artefacts from funerary and domestic contexts of southern inland Portugal was studied. The prevailing trend comprises binary bronzes (10.3 ± 2.1 wt% Sn) showing deformed equiaxial grains, annealing twins and slip bands. The alloy composition is somewhat independent of artefact type, while the manufacture seems to rely on artefact function and the skilfulness of the metallurgist. The technological characteristics were linked with archaeological and chronological features, disclosing some artefacts of uncommon composition, such as low‐tin bronze bracelets (4.3–7.1 wt% Sn) associated with ornaments of exotic materials (glass and Egyptian faience beads, and also ostrich egg shell beads). The assemblage testifies to an archaic trade with the Mediterranean region before the establishment of the first Phoenician colonies on the southern Iberian coast.

An overview of the knapped stone economy at the Tărtăria site (Romania)

This study focused on sourcing the lithic artefacts from the Tărtăria site in the Transylvanian Basin. The objective was to establish a model of the procurement patterns of the population at the settlement. This site is located along the middle region of the Mureș River and has several habitation levels belonging to the Vinča A, Vinča B, Vinča-Turdaș (or Vinča C), Petrești and Coțofeni cultures (Middle Neolithic to Chalcolithic). Most of the results of this study are based on analysis of the artefacts from Iuliu Paul’s excavation in 1989. This knapped artefacts from the Tărtăria site were categorised by tool type, signs of usage and retouch, and probably geographic origin. The sources of the artefact materials were predicted based on macroscopic and petrographic analyses (polarized light optical microscopy).
 The lithics appear to be made from the same types of materials found at other contemporary sites in the area. As with other sites, the most common imported material is obsidian, followed by Moldavian flint. Balkan flints represent only a small part of the assemblage. Of the local material, the vast majority is chert, likely local Trascău Mts. chert, which represents over half of the pieces in the assemblage. Although the site is closer to sources of jasper in the Metaliferi Mts. than some other Neotlihic and Chalcolithic sites down river, very few of the artefacts were made from jasper. (This may be due to an economic connection with nearby and contemporary, quarrying activity at the Piatra Tomii site.)
 Obsidian is used almost exclusively for blades and flakes. The same is true for Moldavian flint, although scrapers were not uncommon. Cores and scrapers are more common among local material than among imported material. The percentages of each artefact type seem to remain relatively similar for each culture (i.e. with the progress of time). This shows that people were still using the same general types of tools. 
 The percentages of the different materials varies over time though. During the Vinča A and Vinča B phrases, local materials represent approximately 30% of the assemblage and imported materials represent c. 70%. After the Vinča B phase (i.e. entering into the Chalcolithic), the emphasis switches to local sources (representing c. 87%) while imported drop to c. 13%.
 Two important observations can be made from this study. Firstly, with the possible exception of Balkan flint, the imported materials came from outside of the territories of the cultures at this site. This indicates that areas of similar artistic style (the main characteristic used to define culture areas) do not in fact match areas of economic interaction. This further supports the need for a redefining of cultures and cultural territories. Secondly, although the inhabitants during the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic used imported materials (especially obsidian), local materials became more and more predominant over time, possibly due to the introduction and continually increasing value of copper or increased self-sufficiency. The fact that this shift in material usage occurs most drastically during the transition to the Chalcolithic supports this idea.

Støbeforme af sten fra middelalderen – Massefremstilling af metalgenstande til verdslig og religiøs brug i Ribe

Støbeforme af sten fra middelalderen – Massefremstilling af metalgenstande til verdslig og religiøs brug i Ribe

Snøreendedupper og snørenåle – Krop, køn og mode i senmiddelalder og nyere tid

Lace tags and bodkins Body, gender and fashion in Late Medieval and Modern TimesChanges in fashion beginning in the middle of the 14th century led to the employment of new kinds of dress accessories. Costumes for both men and women had to be close-fitting and use was made of buttons, hooks and eyelets and laces or drawstrings to close the long vents (fig. 8). Of these items, metal tags from corset laces occur most frequently as both archaeological and metal-detector finds in Sydvestjyske Museer’s area. These tags prevented the ends of the laces from fraying and made it easier to thread them through the lace holes.The tags fall into two general types that have the same function but differ in form and date (fig. 1). The earliest type comprises the tubular or conical tags found in Ribe’s medieval layers from the 13th-16th centuries (cat. nos. 1‑18) (fig. 2). Many of these have preserved remnants of laces and the rivets that secured these (figs. 3 and 4). The second type, known as a bodkin, was probably developed to be fitted to chains in corsets in post-Reformation times (cat. nos. 19‑25) (fig. 6).The archaeological finds from Ribe are from both secular and ecclesiastical contexts, but they are too few in number to permit anything more to be said on the significance of context. It can, however, be concluded, on the basis of archaeological finds from the town and metal-detector finds from Ribe’s hinterland, that both the urban and rural population made use of these laces.Laces with tags were employed in the upper part of the costumes of both men and women (fig. 9, 11‑18), in men’s hose and codpieces and in knights’ doublets. Although they occur in the archaeological record as early as the Early Middle Ages, and are particularly evident from the 14th century onwards, they do not feature in medieval art to any great extent until the beginning of the 15th century. There are then, however, a large number of good examples illustrating the use of corsets in all layers of society (fig. 9, 11‑18) and, in many cases, these play on the piquant symbolism associated with the lacing up and emphasis of certain parts of the body (figs. 13, 14 and 17). The pictorial sources also contain a great deal of information on the appearance of laces and on lacing methods, and in some cases the tags are also visible.Tags and bodkins are found together in 17th century hoards (fig. 8) and they were probably both still in use long after the Reformation. Bodkins are seen depicted in art as late as the 19th century, where peasant girls wear chains and corsets with bodkins (fig. 20). This is just one example of medieval types of costume accessories that continued in use, in a slightly altered form, well into recent times. These objects are in themselves modest, but in conjunction with written and pictorial sources they provide tangible evidence of the use of an artefact type that, over and above a practical role in dress from the 14th century onwards, also supplies information on body ideals, the joy of dressing up and sensuality.Mette Højmark SøvsøSydvestjyske Museer

Lead net-sinkers as an indicator of fishing activities

Lead fishing-net sinkers in the shape of a small tube, ring, or folded piece of lead sheeting are often identified as scrap metal and/or treated only cursorily in many archaeological reports from Rome’s NW provinces.1 Very few have been illustrated, and measurements and weights are rarely noted. This has led to an under-representation of these finds in the archaeological record. By correctly identifying these lead artefacts and providing the necessary context information, archaeologists can facilitate insights into the various fishing techniques of antiquity and the places where they were practised. This will add information on the local and regional ecology and economy, as well as on dietary habits. Moreover, because the extensive use of lead in the NW provinces began only in the Roman period, finds of lead net-sinkers from well-documented contexts can be used to date indigenous settlements into the Roman period even if they otherwise yield few Roman artefacts. These facts motivated our article, which is therefore not an overview but rather a starting point for research on this artefact type in the NW provinces. We will also raise some questions for future research.

Cone beam CT image artefacts related to head motion simulated by a robot skull: visual characteristics and impact on image quality

The aim of this study was to assess artefacts and their impact on cone beam CT (CBCT) image quality (IQ) after head motion simulated by a robot skull. A fully dentate human skull incorporated into a robot simulated pre-determined patient movements. Ten head motion patterns were selected based on the movement of the C-arm of the CBCT units (no motion as reference). Three CBCT units were used [a three-dimensional eXam (K) (KaVo Dental GmbH, Biberach, Germany), a Promax 3D MAX (P) (Planmeca Oy, Helsinki, Finland) and a Scanora(®) 3D (S) (Soredex Oy, Tuusula, Finland)]. Axial images were qualitatively assessed at three levels: mental foramen (MF), infraorbital foramen and supraorbital foramen, and artefacts characterized as stripe-like, double contours, unsharpness or ring-like. A 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to quantitatively assess IQ. Cross-sectional images of the lower third molar and MF bilaterally were also evaluated by VAS. Four blinded examiners assessed the images. For all units and motion patterns, stripe-like artefacts were the most common. The four observers agreed on the presence of at least one artefact type in 90% of the images. Axial images showed lower overall IQ after motion (VAS = 72.4 ± 24.0 mm) than reference images (VAS = 97.3 ± 2.6 mm). The most severe artefacts were seen at the MF level. For cross-sectional images, IQ was lowest after tremor. The mean IQ range was 74-89 and 57-90 for isolated (tilting, rotation and nodding) and combined (nodding + tilting and rotation + tilting) movements, respectively. IQ for MF was lower than for third molar for any movement except tremor. Head motion of any type resulted in artefacts in CBCT images. The impact on IQ depended on the region and level in the skull.

Taking microliths into account

I thank Crombéet al.for their comment on an earlier paper (Vanmontfort 2008) and the editor of this journal for providing me with the opportunity to reply to their critique. They use two intensively surveyed and studied areas in the lower Scheldt region to compare the microlith-based method with a site-based approach. Actually this comparison nicely illustrates the potential of the method. My Figure 3 compares the calculated frequencies of sites and microliths – which is not quite the same as the 'Mesolithic use' of these regions – over the Mesolithic period for the two regions. The results correspond remarkably well. This agreement is perhaps not surprising, since the presence of microliths is also one of the most determining factors in the attribution of sites to each of the Mesolithic phases. However, the results from the two methods might easily have diverged from each other. Contrary to Crombéet al.'s expectation of correspondence, the distribution of a particular artefact type may offer different and complementary information to site-based data (Vanmontfort 2008: 250).

Gevninge – leddet til Lejre

Gevninge – leddet til Lejre

Function and Probability

The existence of dysfunctions precludes the possibility of identifying the function to do F with the capacity to do F. Nevertheless, we continuously infer capacities from functions. For this and other reasons stated in the first part of this article, I propose a new theory of functions (of the etiological sort), applying to organisms as well as to artefacts, in which to have some determinate probability P to do F (i.e. a probabilistic capacity to do F) is a necessary condition for having the function to do F. The main objective of this paper is to justify the legitimacy of this condition when considering artefacts. I begin by distinguishing “perspectival probabilities”, which reflect a pragmatic interest or an arbitrary state of knowledge, from “objective probabilities”, which depend on some objective feature of the envisageditems. I show that objective probabilities are not necessarily based on physical constitution. I then explain why we should distinguish between considering an object as a physical body and considering it as an artefact, and why the probability of dysfunction to be taken into account is one relative to the object as member of an artefact category. After clarifying how an artefact category can be defined if it is not defined in physical terms, I establish the objectivity of the probability of dysfunction under consideration by showing how it is causally determined by objective factors regulating the production of items of a definite artefact type. Ifocus on the case of industrially produced artefacts where the objective factors determining the probability of dysfunction can be best seen.

En glittestok fra Dogger Banke i Nordsøen

A flaker from the Dogger Bank in the North Sea By the end of the Ice Age, the present North Sea was dry land stretching from Denmark to the British Isles. Here, life conditions for hunter tribes must have been good and similar to those in the adjoining areas – Southern Scandinavia, Eastern England, and the Netherlands. Due to the rise of the world seas, this large land area was gradually flooded after the Ice Age, and recent geological investigations have made it possible to gain a relatively good picture of the development history of the North Sea during the last c.14000 years. These investigations show that the highest land areas – primarily the Brown Bank towards the south and the Dogger Bank towards the north – must have been large land areas far into the early Stone Age. As opposed to our geological knowledge, the archaeological finds fail to provide information about the settlement structure of the early Stone Age in this area. However, they are important because they can provide information about important issues such as when and to which extent the different land areas were flooded by the sea, and the nature of the cultural affiliations of the hunter groups living there.So far, the Stone Age finds have almost all been made in the southern part of the North Sea (Brown Bank), whereas there are just a few finds from the rest of the large sea territory. A few of these artefacts are connected to the Maglemose Culture, whereas the rest can either not be dated or are subject to the discussion whether they are actually artefacts or just products of nature.However, a new find now helps throwing light on some of these questions. It is a pressure flaker fished out of the sea at Dogger Bank, at a depth of 30 to 40 metres. The tool was made from a tine of red deer (Cervus elaphus) antler, the point of which was truncated at an angle and shows clear marks of pressure and wear (Fig. 1). In North Europe, this type of artefact is known only from the late Maglemose Culture settlements on Sea land, and it has been interpreted as a special type of pressure or percussion flaker used in connection with the production of micro-flakes (Fig. 2). Consequently, this is not a fishing tool, but an artefact type used in a settlement. In Denmark, this type of tool is dated using typology to the time between c.6700 and 6400 BC (cal.), which has later been confirmed by an AMS C14 dating giving the result of 7010 BC, or 7040-6700 BC, with one standard deviation.The find of a flaker of the late Maglemose type on Dogger Bank is important, as it shows that this part of the North Sea was still dry land about 9000 years ago. At that time, Dogger Bank was a large peninsula, situated about 100 km from both the east coast of England and the Jutland peninsula (Fig. 3). When the sea finally flooded this last piece of the original North Sea continent is more uncertain. However, geological results indicate that it happened shortly after, i.e. around 6000-5000 BC.The new find of a flaker on the Dogger Bank shows that this part of the North Sea was still dry land about 7000 BC, and that hunters and fishing groups connected to the late Maglemose Culture lived there at the time.Søren H. AndersenNationalmuseetTranslated by Annette Lerche Trolle

The Secrets of the Craft Production of Scandinavian Late Neolithic Flint Daggers

ABSTRACTNew electron micro-probe analysis of residues found on the median “stitched seams” of Scandinavian flint daggers dating to the late Neolithic are presented and linked to previous work on the mode of production of this artefact type. Analysis suggests that previous interpretation of the production sequence requires revision with consequences for the understanding of social organization of craft production in Southern Scandinavia.

Twenty Interesting Points: An Analysis of Bone Artefacts from Platypus Rockshelter

<p>While bone artefacts have been largely ignored in Australian archaeology, a wide range of functions for this artefact type are noted ethnographically. Twenty bone artefacts from Platypus Rockshelter, southeast Queensland, were used to test the applicability of residue analysis for functional assessment of archaeological bone artefacts. Analysis produced both predicted and unexpected results when compared with the known range of functions and results from other studies at this site. Plant and animal residues were observed on the artefacts, ranging from blood and collagen to starch raphides and the mineral, vivianite. These results have implications for site occupation as well as more general ones for the study of bone artefacts.</p>

The ‘Thracian’ pottery of South-East Europe: a contribution to the discussion on the handmade pottery traditions of the historical period

From the southern Balkans to the region of Middle Donau, so-called ‘Thracian’ pottery is dominant during the historical period. Its co-existence with wheel-made pottery also has a long history in Aegean Thrace. In the city of Mesembria-Zone, barrel-shaped urns and one-handled cups represent the ‘classical period’ of this tradition. Until now, there was no example of a site in northern Greece with pottery exclusively of this type. This ‘missing link’ has been discovered during excavations at Agios Ioannis in south-cast Thasos. The pottery from the site is completely handmade and can be attributed to a Later Iron Age phase.The absence of interest in this pottery tradition was due to difficulties concerning its identification and dating, but also to the fact that archaeologists were more interested in the definition of the nature of Greek colonies and the clarification of the relationships between settlers and natives. The survival of ‘Thracian’ pottery has been explained up to now through the idea of identifying an artefact type as an indicative element of the ‘culture’ of its producers. In fact, the intra-communal distribution of this pottery does not reveal any special differentiation, and does not appear to be related to only one group of the population, different in terms of race or economic strength. Here, we propose an additional interpretative tool, the ideological significance of this type of pottery for the people of south-east Europe.

Bayesian Models for Relative Archaeological Chronology Building

SUMMARY For many years, archaeologists have postulated that the numbers of various artefact types found within excavated features should give insight about their relative dates of deposition even when stratigraphic information is not present. A typical data set used in such studies can be reported as a cross-classification table (often called an abundance matrix or, equivalently, a contingency table) of excavated features against artefact types. Each entry of the table represents the number of a particular artefact type found in a particular archaeological feature. Methodologies for attempting to identify temporal sequences on the basis of such data are commonly referred to as seriation techniques. Several different procedures for seriation including both parametric and non-parametric statistics have been used in an attempt to reconstruct relative chronological orders on the basis of such contingency tables. We develop some possible model-based approaches that might be used to aid in relative, archaeological chronology building. We use the recently developed Markov chain Monte Carlo method based on Langevin diffusions to fit some of the models proposed. Predictive Bayesian model choice techniques are then employed to ascertain which of the models that we develop are most plausible. We analyse two data sets taken from the literature on archaeological seriation.

The wheeled cauldrons and the wine

Grapes appear rather early in temperate Europe: even in the cool north of Sweden, their pips occur in the Neolithic. With grapes go wine, and with wine go the artefacts of wine, amongst them the cauldron on wheels — a grand and an odd artefact type of Bronze Age Europe.

The Romanization of Pottery Assemblages in the East and North-East of England during the First Century A. D.: A Comparative Analysis

The spread of Roman material culture in Britain in the decades before and after the Claudian invasion has long been an important field for scholars of Roman Britain. Two traditional concerns have been the supply of the Roman army and the distribution of Roman items to civilian and native populations during this transitional and formative period. These areas have often been studied independently of each other. The examination of the supply and spread of material culture is valuable in its own right, but can contribute to our understanding of broader developments such as the impact on indigenous populations of Roman culture, the nature of the Roman economy, military organization, and Romanization. It is the intention of the current paper to outline and consider the incidence of one class of Roman artefact in a region of Britain and to demonstrate how the comparative study of such material may assist our understanding of social and economic developments in the first century A.D. The artefact type is pottery and the area of study is the eastern side of England from Leicester to Co. Durham. The perspective is chronological and comparative and it draws principally upon quantitative data.

Archaeointensity Variations for the Past 7,500 Years Evaluated from Ancient Chinese Ceramics.

Archaeointensity data have been obtained for the past 7, 500 years by analyzing ancient Chinese ceramics using a new version of the Shaw techniques (Shaw, 1974) and the Coe (1967) version of the Thellier techniques (Thellier and Thellier, 1959). Several rock magnetic parameters and measurements, such as Curie temperature, low temperature susceptibility, hysteresis and magnetic anisotropy, have been made on sub-samples. These measurements have enabled us to preselect the most suitable samples for archaeomagnitude analysis. There is acceptable agreement between the results obtained from separated areas of China. Major features of the geomagnetic field in China determined from this study are generally consistent with those of the global average field model of McElhinny and Senanayake (1982) but with detailed differences which we may be due either to local non-dipole field effects or lack of resolution in the global model. Comparison of the present results with contemporaneous results from Greece (Aitken et al., 1989) shows significant differences that may be due to the movement of a large non-dipole anomaly. Samples younger than 4, 000 years ago were usually dated by archaeological context and/or artefact type; radiocarbon dating was used to date the older samples.