Iron Age Occupation Research Articles

The earliest evidence of the Phoenician presence in Lisbon: the Sommer Warehouses interventions (Rua Cais de Santarém, Lisbon)

Archaeological excavations carried out at the ancient Sommer Warehouses, in Lisbon (Portugal), have allowed the identification of a complex phasing related to the Iron Age occupation, incorporating distinct construction phases. In this study, architectural, stratigraphic, and material data from the earliest moments of this occupation (phases II to IV) are analysed. Their chronology seems to span from the second half of the 8th century BC to the beginning of the following century. Elements of both defensive and port-related character were identified. The associated archaeological material is significant, including handmade ceramics and wheel-thrown vessels, with possibly an exogenous origin for the latter. This constitutes a body of evidence of great importance in the context of urban archaeology in Lisbon, allowing for a characterization of the early moments of Iron Age occupation.

The En-Gedi Spring Site and the Judahite Expansion into the Judaean Desert in the Late Iron Age

This article discusses the results of the excavations conducted in the Iron II site near the En-Gedi Spring in 1961–1962 and 2019. The site, consisting of a prominent stone platform documented as early as the 19th century and other recently discovered structural remains, is interpreted as a Judahite outpost built in a strategic location within the oasis of En-Gedi. On the basis of the ceramic assemblage, it is suggested that this site was founded during the early 7th century BCE and was abandoned before the end of that century—making it the earliest Iron Age occupation in the oasis. Combined with historical considerations and a regional analysis, the En-Gedi Spring site enhances our understanding of the Judahite expansion into the Judaean Desert during the late Iron Age.

Zooarchaeological Study of Quinta do Almaraz (Almada, Portugal)

Archaeological excavations conducted in Quinta do Almaraz (Almada, Portugal) between 1986 and 2001 have allowed to identify a settlement with an important Iron Age occupation. These interventions provided a large assemblage of faunal remains and its study has enabled a detailed analysis of the diet, lifestyle, and habits of the people who lived in Almaraz during the 1st millennium B.C. The most abundant mammal species are sheep and goat, followed by pig. Cattle and wild species, such as red deer, are also present. We likewise highlight a great variety of bird species, including the first remains of domestic galliformes, up to then an exotic animal in Europe. Regarding malacofauna, we highlight the prevalence of clam, cockle, mussel, winkle, and limpet.

Provincializing Roman Dacia: The Canadian–Romanian Apulum Roman Villa Project, 2018–2019

The Apulum Roman Villa Project (ARVP) examines the “provincialization” and “de-provincialization” of Roman Dacia through the archaeological micro-history of a villa site at Oarda-Bulza, just outside one of the provincial capitals at Apulum. As one of the first villas in Dacia to be excavated scientifically and from multidisciplinary perspectives, the site promises to shed new light on the interplays among forms of production, cultural consumption, community formation, and incorporation into a host of new imperial networks (economic, military, and social). Aerial, geophysical, and pedestrian surveys undertaken in 2018 allowed identification of four major buildings within an enclosure: an elite residential structure; a productive zone that also seems to have housed its own community; and two storage buildings. Additionally, traces of Early and Late Iron Age occupation have been identified on site. The surveys also point to the ongoing potential of the site for future excavations.

Items of fun, utility and divination: The knucklebones from Oluz Höyük, north-central Anatolia (Turkey)

Knucklebones (i.e., culturally used astragali) are commonly encountered at many archaeological sites in Anatolia, ranging from the Neolithic to medieval period. Yet, very little is known about the cultural usages of these artifacts through time — as only scant attention has been paid to them. Here, we report a total of 590 even-toed ungulate knucklebones, unearthed from the 2008 to 2017 excavations at Oluz Höyük in north-central Anatolia (Turkey). The specimens were recorded from six cultural occupations, ranging from the Late Bronze Age (Hittite) to the medieval period. The highest number of knucklebones (72%) came from the Iron Age occupations — first associated with a Phrygian mother goddess (Matar Kubileya) temple, and later an early Zoroastrian fire temple complex (Cella) of Achaemenid occupation. Intense cultural marks such as perforating, piercing, polishing, smoothing, coloring, and metal casting were observed – indicating the specimens to be important cultural items with a variety of applications. About 85% of the specimens belonged to sheep and goats, whereas the rest came from cattle (9%), pigs (5%), deer (0.17%) and mouflon (0.85%) — suggesting that the inhabitants of all occupations at Oluz Höyük collected the knucklebones from the animals they commonly consumed. Being by far the first systematic observation of knucklebones from any archaeological site, the results of this study will add vital information to the very limited archaeological knowledge of knucklebones in Anatolia.

Chronology of the Occupation Pattern Distribution: A Case Study At The Mun River Valley Prehistoric Settlement Site, Northeast Thailand

Chronological framework can be used to identify the distribution of occupation patterns. This study was based on fourteen radiocarbon samples from the eight excavation pits at Ban Non Wat and Nong Hua Raet archaeological sites. The chronology of the cultural layers was developed using AMS radiocarbon dating to supplement existing data, specifically to examine the dating of the end of the Iron Age occupation. The objective of this study was to continue testing the premise that the end of the Iron Age on the Mun river floodplain in Northeast Thailand that is better defined as either a singular more or less contemporaneous de-population event characterized by widespread abandonment of settlements or a gradual transition from dispersing a rural settlement to more concentrated urban style of settlement. The results support the existing chronological framework of the study area and suggest that the end of the Iron Age in the Mun River valley is better defined as a gradual transition from dispersed rural settlements to a more concentrated urban style settlement. Occupation commenced at the center of the mound of Ban Non Wat during the Neolithic period, and gradually spread radially to the margin by the Iron Age. Occupation at the neighboring site of Nong Hua Raet commenced during the Iron Age period, parallel to that at Ban Non Wat.

Dendrochronological analysis and radiocarbon dating of charcoal remains from the multi-period site of Uşaklı Höyük, Yozgat, Turkey

In the current study we use methods in dendrochronological dating, radiocarbon dating and wiggle-matching analysis to accurately date charcoal samples collected from the archaeological site of Uşaklı Höyük, Yozgat, Turkey. These data contribute to the understanding of the stratigraphical relationships in three different contexts of this multi-period mound. The examined charcoal materials were identified as cedar (Cedrus sp.) and oak (Quercus sp.). The analysis of the cedar samples resulted in establishing a floating chronology with a length of 49 rings. Further analysis of the material revealed that secure dendrochronological dating against the existing reference chronologies cannot be achieved for any of the Uşaklı Höyük samples selected for dendrochronology. This is due to the insufficient length of the developed mean chronology (49 rings), the shortness of single tree-ring sequences (max. 34 rings for cedar and 23 for oak) and the scarcity of reference chronologies that can be used for cross-dating. Therefore, we use radiocarbon tests and wiggle-matching analysis as the main dating method. Radiocarbon testing and further analysis of absolute dating of the charcoal pieces point to three different archaeological periods: the wooden post found in Room 433 of Building III is dated to the range of 1415 – 1363 BCE (2σ), confirming the assumption that it was an architectural element of the original construction of this Late Bronze Age/Hittite building. Radiocarbon dating results of charcoal pieces from the filling of Pit 330, 1008 – 905 BCE (2σ), can only be used tentatively and require cross-checking against additional samples and other organic material from the same context. The results of radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples associated with the Iron Age stone glacis built on top of Building III (763 – 486 BCE, 2σ) confirm that they are associated with the Iron Age occupation at Uşaklı Höyük.

Between Land and Sea: Tell Mirhan and the Chekka Regional Survey

In 2016 the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology (OREA) and the Department for History and Archaeology at the American University of Beirut (AUB) launched a new archaeological project in the Chekka region in Lebanon. The Chekka region borders the shore of the Mediterranean and is situated between Batroun in the south and Tripoli in the north. At the northern end of the modern town of Chekka directly at the seashore one finds the remains of Tell Mirhan on the premises of a modern cement factory (Fig. 1). This tell and its hinterland have never been the subject of a thorough and systematic archaeological investigation. A survey conducted at Tell Mirhan in 2016 and an excavation in 2018 revealed an early Iron Age occupation (1200– 700BC) superimposing a massive rampart fortification of the Middle Bronze Age. Egyptian pottery from the Middle and New Kingdom as well as imports from Cyprus and Greece testify to the importance of this site as a harbour town during these periods. In order to investigate the site’s relation with its hinterland, a survey of the region from the coast into the foothills of Mount Lebanon was launched. To cope with a rather difficult terrain and intensive modern construction activities and changes of the ancient landscape, we conducted a LiDAR scan of the survey area in November of 2018.

Between Land and Sea: Tell Mirhan and the Chekka Regional Survey

In 2016 the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology (OREA) and the Department for History and Archaeology at the American University of Beirut (AUB) launched a new archaeological project in the Chekka region in Lebanon. The Chekka region borders the shore of the Mediterranean and is situated between Batroun in the south and Tripoli in the north. At the northern end of the modern town of Chekka directly at the seashore one finds the remains of Tell Mirhan on the premises of a modern cement factory (Fig. 1). This tell and its hinterland have never been the subject of a thorough and systematic archaeological investigation. A survey conducted at Tell Mirhan in 2016 and an excavation in 2018 revealed an early Iron Age occupation (1200– 700BC) superimposing a massive rampart fortification of the Middle Bronze Age. Egyptian pottery from the Middle and New Kingdom as well as imports from Cyprus and Greece testify to the importance of this site as a harbour town during these periods. In order to investigate the site’s relation with its hinterland, a survey of the region from the coast into the foothills of Mount Lebanon was launched. To cope with a rather difficult terrain and intensive modern construction activities and changes of the ancient landscape, we conducted a LiDAR scan of the survey area in November of 2018.

Iron Age occupation evidence from Port Lobh, Colonsay (Scottish Inner Hebrides)

Evidence of a new Iron Age occupation site is presented from a site located at the southern edge of a former tidal estuary in western Colonsay. A radiocarbon date of between the 1st–2nd centuries BC is significant in a regional context, being the first of this period from the island. Recovered burnt occupation debris includes cattle bone, marine (limpet and periwinkle) shell and ceramics along with a terrestrial snail shell and carbonised macroplant assemblage. The site was identified from geophysical survey (magnetometry and resistivity) focused at an earlier 5th–4th millennia BC shell midden. The discovery highlights the value of alternative field techniques and looking beyond fortified sites to find more elusive settlement evidence.

Was There a Pre-Roman Occupation in Coimbra, Portugal? The Contribution of Rua Fernandes Thomaz, 72–74 for Understanding Occupation of the Territory of Aeminium during the Transition from the Iron Age to the Roman Era

Iron Age studies are scarce for the city of Coimbra, besides the findings from the Machado Castro Museum, and therefore this intervention has revealed an important heritage collection. The recovered artefacts, which can be associated with the indigenous world, reveal regional parallels with Conimbriga, the Aeminium Forum and Lomba do Canho. There is clear evidence of region-wide homogenisation of pottery morphologies, surface treatments and production processes. A structure dated from the period of the Roman emperor Augustus aligned with the steep natural geological profile, with unobstructed views over the Mondego river, was found in the interior of a medieval defensive wall, making it possible to deconstruct the chronological periods of the locale, which is consistent with an Iron Age occupation, since at least the second century B.C. More importantly, it is necessary to understand the spatial contextualisation of this archaeological site through morphological analysis of the pottery in a local and regional context and comprehend the chronological hiatus and settlement between the archaeological sites located in the estuary mouth, from other sites found upstream along the Mondego river.

Middle and Late Iron Age Occupation at Cadnam Farm, Alton, Hampshire

Three individual areas, totalling 0.55ha, were excavated at the Cadnam Farm site, following evaluation. Area 1 contained a D-shaped enclosure of Middle Iron Age date, associated with the remains of a roundhouse, and a ditched drove-way. Other features included refuse pits, a four-post structure and a small post-built structure of circular plan. Area 2 contained the superimposed foundation gullies of two Middle Iron Age roundhouses, adjacent to a probable third example. Area 3 contained a small number of Middle Iron Age pits, together with undated, post-built structures of probable Middle Iron Age date, including a roundhouse and four and six-post structures. Two large boundary ditches extended from the south-west corner of Area 3, and were interpreted as the funnelled entrance of a drove-way. These contained both domestic and industrial refuse of the late Iron Age date in their fills.

Wood exploitation patterns and pastoralist–environment relationships: charcoal remains from Iron Age Ṡhakal, Dhufar, Sultanate of Oman

Pastoralists have played a key role in shaping the landscape of Dhufar, Oman. With woody taxa tightly restricted to ecological zones and evidence of continuity in the structure of these vegetative communities, this region is a good case study for examining the relationships between pastoralists and their environments over time. The ethnobotanical literature of modern Dhufar documents pastoralists’ preferences for woody taxa for particular tasks. What remains uncertain is the time depth of these patterns. The archaeological site of Ṡhakal provides a rich charcoal assemblage, a material culture that allows archaeologists to approach human–landscape relations, even as such assemblages are relatively rare from ancient pastoralist sites. We argue that there is continuity to wood resource use over the last two millennia and this continuity correlates with a self-sufficient herding economy. With statistical analyses of the taxa identified and their respective contexts in the Iron Age occupations at Ṡhakal, we detect continuity in wood resource use over the last two millennia. Our results suggest that the wood exploitation patterns at Ṡhakal reflect preferences for abundant wood types with distinct physical properties. Furthermore, these results are consistent with a long-term self-sufficient pastoral tradition sustainable over millennia in a region that has only recently experienced severe environmental degradation.

Insights into the economic organization of the Phoenician homeland: a multi-disciplinary investigation of the later Iron Age II and Persian period Phoenician amphorae from Tell el-Burak

This paper details the results of a large-scale multi-disciplinary analysis of Iron Age pottery from a settlement in the core of the Phoenician homeland. The research presented is centred upon a large corpus of Phoenician carinated-shoulder amphorae (CSA) from the later Iron Age II and Persian period contexts at the coastal site of Tell el-Burak. Traditional typological investigations are combined with a focused archaeometric approach including a new quantitative method for the morphometric analysis of amphorae, thin-section petrography, geochemistry and organic residue analyses, aimed at gaining a more detailed understanding of the organization of the Phoenician economy. Despite gradual, but marked typological changes, very little change in the fabrics of these amphorae was noted over the 400-year Iron Age occupation of the site. The research, thus, demonstrates that the production of Iron Age amphorae from Tell el-Burak was highly organized, and was undertaken by long-lived, sustained and centralized modes. The establishment of Tell el-Burak and this new pottery industry coincides with the proliferation of the world’s first great imperial powers, the Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian and Persian empires; the outcomes of this research provide new insights into socio-economic strategies adopted in the Phoenician homeland during this pivotal time.

Living on the Edge? Transformation of a Marginal Pleistocene Landscape Into a Settlement Area in the Northeastern Part of the Netherlands

ABSTRACTThis paper will examine settlement location during the Iron Age in the northeast part of the Netherlands, an area shaped by Pleistocene geology. In recent years, a number of Late Iron Age/Early Roman settlements situated on the low lying slopes of sand ridges and nearby stream ridges revealed traces of an earlier Iron Age occupation. Palynological data revealed that this part of the landscape was used by humans before it was transformed into an area of settlement. An analysis of excavation data from two key sites at Denekamp-De Borchert and Groningen-Helpermaar, as well as other known sites, lead to the conclusion that the transformation of ‘peripheral landscapes’ into permanent settlement locations was preceded by a phase of arable cultivation which left no trace of permanent habitation. It is also suggested that the impact of human behaviour on the natural landscape in the Early and Middle Iron Age was much bigger than previously anticipated. When excavating this type of settlement areas dating to the Late Iron Age, archaeologists must be aware that only of a small group of archaeological features exist. The proposed model for the choice of settlement location may be more widespread, because of similarities in landscape between the study area presented here and other landscapes in Northwest-Europe (e.g. parts of Germany and Denmark).

THE INVISIBLE MOATS OF THE MUN RIVER VALLEY, NE THAILAND: THE EXAMINATION OF WATER MANAGEMENT DEVICES AT MOUNDED SITES THROUGH GROUND PENETRATING RADAR (GPR)

The Mun River valley is well known for its moat-bound mounded archaeological sites that are usually associated with Iron Age occupation (~500BC- AD500). The investigation of these sites has provided a wealth of information on the changing social and environmental conditions during prehistory. In recent years, research has identified a greater diversity of site morphologies in the region, many of which, importantly, do not appear to have moats surrounding them. This paper seeks to investigate whether the apparently ‘non-moated’ mound site of Non Klang (Nong Hua Raet village) was actually moated in the past, and if such, now in-filled features can be investigated through non-destructive Ground Penetrating Radar methodology. Additionally, while large external moats can be observed in the modern day topography at sites such as Ban Non Wat, excavation has demonstrated that further, invisible, water management features exist beneath the surface within the current mound boundary of the site. These are probably Iron Age precursors to the later more extensive and still visible moats. This paper seeks to answer several fundamental questions: What application can GPR have at mounded sites in Southeast Asia? Do invisible moats exist? How will this affect our understanding of the broader prehistoric landscape in the Upper Mun River Valley?

Reinvestigation of Kuumbi Cave, Zanzibar, reveals Later Stone Age coastal habitation, early Holocene abandonment and Iron Age reoccupation

ABSTRACTThe late Pleistocene and Holocene history of eastern Africa is complex and major gaps remain in our understanding of human occupation during this period. Questions concerning the identities, geographical distributions and chronologies of foraging, herding and agricultural populations — often problematically equated with the chronological labels ‘Later Stone Age (LSA)’, ‘Neolithic’ and ‘Iron Age’ — are still unresolved. Previous studies at the site of Kuumbi Cave in the Zanzibar Archipelago of Tanzania reported late Pleistocene Middle Stone Age (MSA) and LSA, mid-Holocene Neolithic and late Holocene Iron Age occupations (Sinclair et al. 2006; Chami 2009). Kuumbi Cave considerably extends the chronology of human occupation on the eastern African coast and findings from the site have been the basis for the somewhat contentious identification of both a coastal Neolithic culture and early chicken, a domesticate that was introduced to Africa from Asia. The site therefore warrants further investigation. Here we report on a new excavation of the Kuumbi Cave sequence that has produced a suite of 20 radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates. Our results suggest that the cave’s stratigraphy is complex, reflecting taphonomic processes that present interpretive and dating challenges. Our assessment of the stratigraphic sequence demonstrates three phases of habitation, two of which reflect terminal Pleistocene occupation and are characterised by quartz microliths, bone points and the exploitation of terrestrial and marine species, and one of which reflects later reoccupation by AD 600. In this latter phase, Kuumbi Cave was inhabited by a population with a locally distinct material culture that included idiosyncratic Tana or Triangular Incised Ware ceramics and medium-sized limestone stone tools, but with a subsistence economy similar to that of the late Pleistocene, albeit with more emphasis on marine foods and smaller terrestrial mammals. Our results suggest that Kuumbi Cave may have been unoccupied for much of the Holocene, after Zanzibar became an island. Our findings also place into question earlier identifications of domesticates, Asian fauna and a mid-Holocene Neolithic culture at the site.

Explaining changing patterns of wood presence across the Bronze and Iron Age at Kaman-Kalehöyük, central Anatolia

Previous anthracological research on multi-use pit fills at Kaman-Kalehoyuk in central Turkey shows a sudden and dramatic increase in pine use from the Early Iron Age onwards, accompanied by a decline in taxa richness from the Middle Bronze Age to the Late Bronze Age. This paper explores whether fuel choice was the driving factor behind this pattern of change through a comparative taxonomic analysis of wood charcoal assemblages derived from multi-use pits, domestic hearths, and room fills accumulated during the Middle Bronze Age to Late Iron Age occupation at the site. Results from the hearth assemblages parallel those from the pits, documenting a decline in taxa richness from the Middle Bronze Age to the Late Bronze Age, particularly during the Hittite Empire period, followed by a dramatic increase in pine in the Iron Age. However, the room fill composition does not match the same pattern. Results confirm that changes in taxonomic representation represented in the pit fills at Kaman-Kalehoyuk was driven by fuel wood selection, with remains from room fills reflecting different selection behaviour relating to construction activities.

Geoarchaeological Investigation in a Domestic Iron Age Quarter, Tel Megiddo, Israel

During the ongoing excavations of Area Q at Tel Megiddo, a variety of on-site geoarchaeological analytical methods have been used in the study of Iron Age occupations dating to the Iron Age IIA. Th...

The Swedish Jordan Expedition 2014 at Tall Abu al-Kharaz. Preliminary results from areas 12 and 13

In previous seasons excavations have concentrated on the periphery of the city of Tall Abu al-Kharaz, a multi-period tell in the Central Jordan Valley. Tall Abu al-Kharaz flourished from the Early Bronze to Islamic times, from roughly 3200 BC to the 10th century AD. The main object of the field work in 2014 was to investigate the area around the geographical centre of the city (Area 12). Preference was given to further investigation of the Iron Age sequence, i.e. the period from the 12th to the 7th centuries BC (local Phases IX–XV). Another task was to extend the excavations in the northern part of the city, Area 7, which produced essential information on the Iron Age, towards the south (Area 13) in order to generate a coherent picture of Iron Age occupation in the city’s northern half. Domestic structures and a system of fortified walls were uncovered. The rich find assemblage confirmed connections with the Cypriote and Phoenician sphere of culture. The exposure of the remains in general stopped when Late Bronze Age levels were reached. Nevertheless, remnant “islands” of Late and Early Bronze Age remains, left aside by the Iron Age settlers, were uncovered. A burial pit with the skeleton of a female from Byzantine or Abbasid times was found in Area 12, cut into Iron Age layers.