Chalcolithic Research Articles

Exploring Burial and Dietary Patterns at the Copper Age Necropolis of Selvicciola (Viterbo, Italy): New Perspectives from 14C and Stable Isotope Data

The Selvicciola necropolis is a large burial site dated to the Copper Age, located on the mid-Tyrrhenian side of Central Italy, in the Fiora river valley. Despite post-depositional disturbances, 32 prehistoric tombs were found, generally in a good state of preservation, with a total number of 119 individuals identified. In the present study, radiocarbon and stable isotope measurements on bone collagen are combined with skeletal data for 71 of these individuals. We aim to investigate possible changes in food practices and burial patterns throughout time. In detail, the results allowed us to define a timeframe for the use of the cemetery of at least 2000 years, with the two most ancient individuals found in tomb 17 and dated to around 3950 cal BC, assigning this a necropolis chronological investigation of the so-called Rinaldone culture. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis confirmed a predominantly agropastoral subsistence strategy for this prehistoric community. Although the plant intake consisted mainly of C3 species, we further discuss the fact that the stable isotope data suggest an increase in the consumption of C4 plants over time. The integration of radiocarbon and isotopic data with the skeletal evidence and material culture provides an interesting insight into the funerary world of this community, highlighting the importance of Selvicciola for the understanding of life in the Mediterranean at the transition between the fourth and the third millennia BC.

Continuity and Innovation in Pottery Technology: The Karst Region (North-East Italy) from Neolithic to Early Bronze Age

This paper explores the development of pottery technology in the Trieste Karst region (North-East Italy) from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age (EBA). It also seeks to identify cultural links with other areas by examining potentially imported vessels. Archaeometric analyses (X-ray diffraction and optical microscopy) reveal significant differences between Neolithic ceramics (Danilo–Vlaška Group) and the majority of Late Copper Age (LCA)/Early Bronze Age (EBA) pottery (primarily associated with the Ljubljana Culture and a few with the Cetina Culture). Neolithic pottery displays consistent characteristics across all vessel types, including coarse grain, prevalent sparry calcite temper, and the absence of grog. In contrast, most LCA and EBA vessels exhibit distinct features such as very fine-grained paste, no sparry calcite, notable use of grog temper, higher quartz, muscovite, and flint content. Notably, from a technological perspective, the analyzed Cetina vessels bear a strong resemblance to the majority of LCA ceramics. The differences between Neolithic and LCA/EBA vessels clearly suggest the use of new raw materials, recipes, and techniques, likely reflecting changes in cultural and social contexts and potential connections with the core area of the Ljubljana Culture.

TRANSPORTATION ON THE DICLE AND FIRAT RIVERS IN ANCIENT AGES

While the Tigris and Euphrates rivers turned Mesopotamia into an agricultural paradise with the survival of people, it seems that living on these rivers with boats and rafts was no longer possible with the Chalcolithic Age. On these two rivers, which originate in Anatolia and flow into the Persian Gulf after merging, previously only the needed goods between Anatolia and Mesopotamia were transported from north to south. However, in later periods, trade began to be carried out through water connections to cities far from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia. These transportation activities, carried out with boats and rafts such as Mashoof, Isbiyah, Guffa, Kalaku, Coracle, Balams and Safinahs, turned into a major economic sector in Mesopotamia. The city of Hit, which constantly produced these vehicles for more cargo transportation and safer journeys, became an important industrial center of its time. Since the transportation services on the rivers, which became the locomotive of the Mesopotamian economy, turned into an activity that concerns almost everything, it can be seen that the periodical city authorities introduced some laws and rules for the more orderly and safe operation of these means of transportation.

A novel, continuous high-resolution palaeoecological record from central Italy suggests comparable land-use dynamics in Southern and Central Europe during the Neolithic

Although rare, temporally and taxonomically highly-resolved palaeoecological studies with high chronological precision are essential to perform detailed comparisons with precisely dated independent evidence such as archaeological findings, historical events, or palaeoclimatic data. Using a new highly-resolved and chronologically precise sedimentary record from Lago di Mezzano (central Italy), we reconstruct decadal-scale vegetation, species diversity, and fire dynamics, aiming to better understand the linkages between climate, land use, fire, and plant communities from the Neolithic to the Copper Age (c. 5100–3100 cal. BC). Closed, mixed beech-oak forests, including evergreen Quercus ilex, dominated the landscape around Lago di Mezzano during the Neolithic and were disturbed by repeated opening phases, with important implications for lake biogeochemistry and mixing regimes. This was in conjunction with increasing fire activity to promote agro-pastoral practices, as inferred from increasing charcoal, Cerealia type, Triticum type, Hordeum type, Plantago lanceolata type, and Urtica pollen. Fires, on their turn, augmented species diversity (richness and evenness). The comparison of the Mediterranean record from Lago di Mezzano with available continuous and high-precision submediterranean and cool-temperate palynological sequences suggests comparable land use pulses across Southern and Central European regions, most likely in connection with climate change. The outcomes of this study are not only of palaeoecological and archaeological interest; they may also help to improve projections of ecosystem dynamics under future global change.

A Chalcolithic presence east of the Sea of Galilee: The earliest finds on Mt. Sussita

ABSTRACT The characteristics and settlement patterns of the Early–Middle Chalcolithic period (ca. 5,800– 4,700 cal bc) around the Sea of Galilee have hardly been studied so far. The regional diversity of Chalcolithic material culture and the fragmentary nature of the archaeological record hinder a broader understanding of socio-cultural processes in this area. Chalcolithic architecture and finds, excavated for the last 23 years under the Graeco-Roman city of Hippos on Mt. Sussita, provide a rare opportunity to delve into the characteristics of the Chalcolithic period east of the Sea of Galilee. The current paper presents these remains and discusses their typological traits, spatial distribution, and possible cultural attribution. The site represents one of the few non-Golan Chalcolithic occurrences in the region, and its finds suggest an Early–Middle Chalcolithic period dating.

Increasing obsidian diversity during the Chalcolithic Period at Yeghegis-1 Rockshelter (Armenia) reveals shifts in land use and social networks

The newly excavated rockshelter of Yeghegis-1 in Armenia reflects an occupation of five centuries, as attested by radiocarbon dates from ∼ 4100 to 4000 cal BCE in the lowest layer to ∼ 3600–3500 cal BCE at the top. It is a partially collapsed cave in which pastoralists, we hypothesize, wintered with their herds. The stone tool assemblage is predominantly obsidian (92.1%), despite the shelter being > 60 km on foot from the nearest sources. We use obsidian sourcing to investigate two purported trends in the Southern Caucasus during the Chalcolithic Period: (1) occupation of more varied high-altitude environments and (2) more expansive social networks. Our data show both trends were dynamic phenomena. There was a greater balance in use of the nearest pasturelands over time, perhaps linked to risk management and/or resource sustainability. During later occupations, artifacts from distant sources reveal more extensive connections. This increase in connectivity likely played a central role in the shifts in societal complexity that gave rise to widely shared material culture throughout the Armenian Highlands around the start of the Early Bronze Age. In such a model, greater social connectivity becomes a key mechanism for, rather than a product of, the spread of cultural and/or technological innovations.

Characterization of CuAg Alloys with Low Ag Concentrations.

Copper-based alloys designed to combine high electronic and thermal conductivities with high mechanical strength find a wide range of applications in different fields. Among the principal representatives, strongly diluted CuAg alloys are of particular interest as innovative materials for the realization of accelerating structures when the use of high-gradient fields requires increasingly high mechanical and thermal performances to overcome the limitations induced by breakdown phenomena. This work reports the production and optical characterization of CuAg crystals at low Ag concentrations, from 0.028% wt to 0.1% wt, which guarantee solid solution hardening while preserving the exceptional conductivity of Cu. By means of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) micro-spectroscopy experiments, the low-energy electrodynamics of the alloys are compared with that of pure Cu, highlighting the complete indistinguishability in terms of electronic transport for such low concentrations. The optical data are further supported by Raman micro-spectroscopy and SEM microscopy analyses, allowing the demonstration of the full homogeneity and complete solubility of solid Ag in copper at those concentrations. Together with the solid solution hardening deriving from the alloying process, these results support the advantage of strongly diluted CuAg alloys over conventional materials for their application in particle accelerators.

Identifying the stone toolkit of Copper Age and Bronze Age metallurgists: A new contribution from use-wear and XRF analysis carried out on experimental tests

Use-wear analysis of stone tools involved in metallurgical processes is a recent field of research within functional analysis. In order to consolidate the methodological framework of such research, experiments were carried out on the production of copper and bronze objects. Several production steps were tested, on the basis of archaeological questions relating to sites dated from the 3rd and the 2nd millennium BC in north-west Europe. The crushing of copper ore was tested in order to compare use-wear traces created by three different actions: breaking block, fragmenting into small pieces and grinding into powder. In addition, various parts of a test group of copper and tin bronze axeheads and daggers were shaped by hammering: this hammering involved deburring and regularization of the sides of the axeheads and daggers, as well as thinning out the cutting edges immediately after casting or at a later stage. Finally, the sides and edges of the copper and bronze axeheads were abraded and polished. The combination of use-wear and XRF analysis of the tools involved in this series of experiments consolidates the methodological background of the functional analysis of stone tools. They allow better differentiation of wear traces resulting from the processing of ores within the broader spectrum of hard mineral materials. They also raise questions about the preservation of metal residues on the surface of stone tools depending on the different activities carried out. Finally, the distinction between copper and bronze objects is also discussed. Examples of the analysis of various metallurgists’ stone tools from the Early Bronze in north-west Europe support the demonstration.

The Establishment of the Agricultural Landscape of Central Sicily Between the Middle Neolithic and the Beginning of the Iron Age

The possible co-variation of human occupation and vegetation from the Middle Neolithic to the beginning of the Iron Age (7.5–2.8 ka BP) in Central Sicily in the context of the central Mediterranean between Middle and Late Holocene are analysed in this paper to provide new insights on Sicilian prehistoric demography. The demographic and economic trends during these millennia were reconstructed using archaeological, Accelerator Mass Spectrometry 14C dates, palynological, archaeobotanical, and zooarchaeological data from the northern, central, and southern sectors of Central Sicily through a diachronic comparison with variation in Arboreal Pollen, Anthropogenic Pollen Indicators, Olea-Juglans-Castanea pollen, microcharcoals, and Sporormiella from four pollen cores from sites in different ecosystems. A very significant spread of farming activities was found at the end of the Neolithic, together with an apparent demographic gap during the Middle Copper Age, and the emergence of agricultural landscapes at the end of the Copper Age associated with a striking increase in population. A combination of cultural and climatic changes during the late phase of the Bronze Age resulted in a subsequent overall decrease in population.

Risks beyond the ditch: Copper Age tannery from the settlement of Kamianets-Podilskyi (Tatarysky), Ukraine

The evolution of Neolithic to Bronze Age settlement organization in Central Europe has revealed ditches as an important component of settlement structures. The various shapes and sizes of these features contribute to different understandings of their functions, mainly referring to ditches as elements of fortifications or ritual practices. Based on a newly discovered Copper Age feature at Kamianets-Podilskyi (Tatarysky), Ukraine, our paper contributes to the discussion on the function of ditches in their relation to prehistoric technologies. This study presents evidence on tanning techniques and technologies associated with a section of ditch belonging to the Western Trypillia culture. Due to the uniqueness of this discovery, we applied various analyses, including GIS spatial analyses, palynological, anthracological, archeozoological, malacological, and use-wear studies. The obtained results enable us to recognize the complex practices of Copper Age communities, skillfully combining technical knowledge with an understanding of environmental conditions.

Intensified exploitation of animal products in the Mediterranean Copper Age: isotopic evidence from Scaba ’e Arriu (Sardinia)

In this paper, dietary patterns are reconstructed across two phases represented at the Copper Age of Scaba ’e Arriu (Sardinia, Italy) via isotopic analysis of human and animal skeletal remains. Collagen carbon, nitrogen, and bioapatite carbon, and oxygen isotopes were used to infer diet, economic practices, and possibly different climatic conditions. Differential management of cattle, sheep/goats, and pigs was detected, with scarce animal products in the human diet in the Early Copper Age, followed by an increase in animal products identifiable in herbivore livestock, coincident with more rainy conditions in the Late Copper Age. Dietary information was then considered in light of the climatic periods already known for the period and compatible with the data presented. The study’s outcome indicates generally sedentary and endogamous groups with only a few outliers in both phases.

Family History in the Iberian Peninsula during Chalcolithic and Bronze Age: An Interpretation through the Genetic Analysis of Plural Burials

Throughout history, it has been observed that human populations have buried the deceased members of their communities following different patterns. During the Copper Age and the Bronze Age—periods on which this study focuses—in the northern sub-plateau of the Iberian Peninsula, we identified different patterns of multiple or collective burial. This work analyzes a total of 58 individuals buried in different multiple or collective graves, to investigate whether the practice of these burials implies a family or biological link between individuals buried together. With this aim, STR markers of nuclear DNA were analyzed, as well as the hypervariable regions I and II of mitochondrial DNA, establishing both close kinship relationships and relationships through maternal lineage. We observed different burial patterns, detecting certain maternal lines preserved in some common burials maintained over time. Close family relationships were observed to a lesser extent, with some occasional exceptions. The results of the analysis formed the basis for a discussion on the concepts of family and community.

Prehistoric and Early Medieval Settlement Features at Ravelrig Road and Newmills Road, Balerno, City of Edinburgh

Evaluation and excavation works in advance of housing development at two sites on Ravelrig Road and Newmills Road, Balerno, City of Edinburgh, revealed significant archaeological features evidencing multi-phase settlement. At Ravelrig Road, two groups of pits were dated to the Early and Middle to Late Neolithic periods with a cluster of Copper Age and Early Bronze Age features that included two possible storage features. At Newmills Road, alongside limited evidence for late prehistoric occupation in the form of pits dating to the last centuries BC and the first centuries AD, the most significant remains were of early medieval date, including a ring-groove representing a putative roundhouse and other features, including a hearth and linear boundary features, generally placed between the 7th and 9th centuries AD according to radiocarbon dating.

A cattle mandible thong‐smoother from a grave: Strap production and cattle traction in the Late Copper Age in Hungary

AbstractA recently found cattle‐based mandibular thong‐smoother, which was the only bone tool in the Baden culture burial of a 6–10‐year‐old child at the site of Balatonlelle‐Rádpuszta‐Romtemplom mellett (western Hungary), represents the best‐preserved Eneolithic implement in this category ever published in Hungary. Being one of the oldest specimens from the distribution area of mandibular thong‐smoothers, it brings new information regarding the origin and possible use of this rarely identified type of tool linked to strap and thong‐making in the period from the Eneolithic to the Middle Bronze Age. Having been recovered from the grave of a child, it draws attention to the possibility that children may have been involved in strap production. The evaluation of analogies from and outside of Hungary also offered a complex review of mandibular thong‐smoothers. In addition to the role of these implements in taming and driving horses already discussed in the specialist literature, we also point to their involvement in the use of harnessed cattle for draught and transport, and its linkage to the spread of wagon and carriage in the wake of the 4th millennium.

Earthen stories. Cross-craft strategies in raw material procurement and production at the tell site of Arslantepe (Türkiye) during the 4th millennium BCE

Arslantepe, located in south-eastern Turkey, is a multi-period settlement with a rich history of habitation dating back to at least the late 5th millennium BCE and spanning into the Medieval period. Over millennia, the site underwent drastic cultural, socio-economic and political transformations, resulting in its current form as a 30-m-high artificial mound. This mound predominantly consists of earth, encompassing clay-based construction materials, assorted objects and discarded materials. This paper consolidates research on various earthen objects and fixtures from the site, investigating their material properties through X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), sediment micromorphology and ceramic petrography. The focus is on characterising the diverse earthen products as well as assessing differences and similarities in the procurement and manipulation of raw materials during the Late Chalcolithic period. Earth emerged as a pivotal resource for Arslantepe communities, showcasing diverse strategies of collection, manipulation and utilisation-a compelling example of cross-crafting strategies. The findings reveal a multifaceted body of knowledge intertwined with the exploitation of this resource, emphasising distinct technological expertise, environmental considerations, as well as cultural preferences and socio-economic factors. Ultimately, the integrated examination of cross-craft strategies in the 4th millennium BCE Arslantepe settlement provides a unique glimpse into communities of practice and social networks centred around the utilisation of earth, contributing to a deeper understanding of past societies.

Lead isotopes of prehistoric copper tools define metallurgical phases in Late Neolithic and Eneolithic Italy.

The diffuse presence of small copper ore deposits in the Alpine area, mostly exploited since Late Medieval times, led most scholars to assume that these deposits may actually be active much earlier and that many of the circulating prehistoric metal objects found in the area were produced with local copper sources. This assumption was recently validated for the Recent Bronze Age through the use of lead isotope tracers, and well supported by the archaeometallurgical evidences found in the South-Eastern Alps. However, the scarcity of available lead isotope data for pre-Bronze Age metals precluded to date the reconstruction of the metal flow through the Late Neolithic and Eneolithic (or Copper Age). Based on 49 new analyses of important archaeological objects from the Alpine region, the Po River Valley and Central Italy, mostly axes dated from the Late Neolithic to the Late Eneolithic, here we show that the diffusion of copper in Northern Italy (approximately 4500-2200 BC) includes three major periods of metal use and/or production, each related to specific ore sources. The South Alpine copper was massively used only starting from the middle of the 3rd millennium BC, in connection or slightly earlier than the Beaker event.

Changes in human calcaneal morphology throughout the Pleistocene-Holocene Levant

The calcaneal morphology changed considerably during human evolution to enable efficient bipedal locomotion. However, little information exists regarding its adaptation to changes in habitual activities following the transition to a sedentary lifestyle. We aimed to examine changes in calcaneal morphology during the Pleistocene-Holocene Levant in light of sexual dimorphism. We studied three archaic Homo sapiens calcanei dated to the Middle and Upper Paleolithic, 23 Natufian hunter-gatherers, 12 Pre-Pottery Neolithic early farmers, and 31 Chalcolithic farmers. The calcanei were scanned via a surface scanner and measured, and bone proportions were calculated. Measurements included the height, length, and width of various calcaneal elements. The sex of each individual was determined using methods based on calcaneal morphology. The validity of these methods was tested in those individuals who had the pelvis (92.3% agreement rate). Accordingly, the sample included 59.4% males and 40.6% females. Most calcaneal indices were sex-independent, except for the relative width, relative anterior length, and the cuboid index. Temporal trends between the Natufian and Chalcolithic periods were more pronounced among males than females. While in the proximal calcaneus, the temporal trend was similar between males and females, it differed in the distal part and articular facets. The calcanei of archaic H. sapiens exceeded the average of the Natufian hunter-gatherer for most variables, though the trend varied. To conclude, males and females were affected differently by the changing environment. The calcanei of archaic H. sapiens were better adapted for activity involving high mobility, independent of sex. During the transition to a sedentary way of life, different factors probably designed the male and female calcaneus. These could include factors related to the sexual division of labor, adaptation to lengthy standing, and changes in footwear.

Provenance, technology and possible function of Gáta–Wieselburg vessels from the Trieste Karst (northeastern Italy)

AbstractA few scattered vessels, typologically attributed to the Gáta–Wieselburg culture, are known from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in northeastern Italy. This culture spread during the Early Bronze Age (Reinecke Br A1b and A2, 2100–1700/1600 bc) in present‐day eastern Austria, western Hungary and southwestern Slovakia. Rare ceramic artefacts, typically biconical double‐handled jugs with well‐burnished surfaces, have been discovered in caves of the Trieste Karst (Ciclami, Tartaruga, Teresiana and Ossa) and the Natisone Valley (Velika jama). This study aims to outline the technology, provenance and probable use of these rare jugs from the Trieste Karst. Two of these vessels from the Ciclami and Tartaruga caves have been investigated using various destructive and non‐destructive techniques, including optical microscopy, X‐ray computed microtomography and prompt‐gamma activation analysis, and chemically compared to contemporaneous vessels from the core region of the Gáta–Wieselburg culture in Hungary (10 vessels specifically analysed for this project) and earlier Neolithic and Copper Age vessels, likely produced locally in the Karst, Slovenia and Hungary. Based on the obtained results, the investigated Karst vessels were imported. Tentative identification of plant and animal lipids using organic residue analysis (i.e., gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) sheds light on their possible function.

The long blades and their uses: Examples of long laminar flakes from Anatolia

This paper displays the case of very long obsidian laminar flakes uncovered at Tepecik Çiftlik. The site is located in Cappadocia, Turkey and dated to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods (7th and beginning of 6th millennium). Most of these artefacts measure about 15 to 20 cm long. Their manufacture implied a specific chaîne opératoire that required skills far above those needed for smaller artefacts. The use-wear analysis shows that most of them were employed to perform tasks similar to those performed with smaller tools. However, their dimensions were most probably a constraint limiting their efficiency. They were too big to be handled easily. Ethnoarchaeological and archaeological comparisons put in perspective this gigantism and enable us to suggest that it was related to social and symbolic aspects. A tool should never be reduced to a device made for practical uses, it is always embedded in a cultural and social context. Large tools, such as the long laminar flakes from Cappadocia are overinvested tools and might have had a special value in the community.

Parkinson W.A., Gyucha, A., and Yerkes, R.W. (Eds.): Bikeri. Two Copper Age Villages on the Great Hungarian Plain

Parkinson W.A., Gyucha, A., and Yerkes, R.W. (Eds.): Bikeri. Two Copper Age Villages on the Great Hungarian Plain