Late Iron Research Articles

Историко-культурная ситуация на рубеже бронзы и железа в Зауралье

The article is devoted to the generalization and systematization of archaeological materials obtained during the excavations of sites of the late Bronze and early Early Iron Ages on the territory of the Trans-Urals. Comparative characteristics of the main life-supporting elements (settlement system, settlement planning, house-building, economy, ceramic production) of the carriers of the Mezhovka, Barkhatovo, Gamayun, Itkul (Iset) and Baitovo cultures made it possible for the authors to present one of the options for the development of the cultural-historical situation in the Trans-Urals forest-steppe and subtaiga zones at the turn of the Bronze and Iron epochs. Qualitative and quantitative data indicate dynamic transformation processes during this period, confirm the synchronicity of the Mezhovka and Barkhatovo cultures, the alien character of the Gamayun and Itkul (Iset) groups at the end of the Bronze Age and the continuity of the Barkhatovo-Baitovo antiquities. At the initial stage of the early Iron Age, representatives of the Itkul culture shared the space of the forest-steppe — subtaiga with the Baitovo communities. The alien traditions are becoming obsolete and there is a complete replacement of the local “standard” — Baitovo before the spread of the Sargat-Gorokhov influence. Keywords: Trans-Urals, complexes with cross ornamentation pottery, Barkhatovo Culture, Gamayun Culture, Itkul Culture, Baitovo Culture

A Late Iron Age/early Roman Enclosed Settlement at Basing View, Basingstoke

Excavation in advance of housing development at Basing View, Basingstoke, revealed the remains of an Early Roman enclosed settlement that possibly originated in the Late Iron Age and was occupied to the early 2nd century. The settlement was fairly low status, focussed on mixed farming practices, but was notable for the presence of a possible sunken- featured building with a baby burial. The site adds to current knowledge of the Late Iron Age/Early Roman settlement archaeology of the area south of Silchester (Calleva Atrebatum).

A Summary Report on Excavation at Marnel Park (Phase 2), Popley, Basingstoke, 2018

An archaeological excavation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in February 2018, at Marnel Park (Phase 2 area), Popley, Basingstoke. The excavation was targeted on a group of later prehistoric pits identified by evaluation. Excavation confirmed a single phase of Late Bronze Age /Early Iron Age activity, represented by a group of eight pits, some of which were intercutting. Three pit fills were notably rich in charcoal and charred plant remains, while others may represent backfill deposits. One pit contained quantities of fired clay, together with quern fragments and remains of pottery vessels which appeared to have been broken in situ. These finds appear to represent a structured deposit. A small assemblage of worked flint is largely redeposited. The Marnel Park (Phase 2) site has produced evidence of peripheral Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age activity around the excavated Marnel Park/Merton Rise Phase 1 site, to the south and west.

Effects of sample processing on XRF results from archeological pottery

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to present the results of XRF analysis of archeological samples in two different states of preservation: intact vessel surfaces and transformed into powder. To investigate the effect of sample processing for XRF analysis, a handheld spectrometer was used. In total, 41 pottery samples were measured. The samples were extracted from Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age ceramic vessels of two different technological traditions: local (hand-made pottery) and exogenous (wheel-thrown pottery) from the archeological site of Setefilla (western Andalusia, Spain). Multiple statistical tests were used to examine the effect of sample processing on the semi-quantitative outcome of XRF analysis of pottery. The results obtained from intact samples are considerably different from the results obtained from pulverized samples. The analyses revealed that levels of Co, Sb, Sn, Al, Si, Ca, Fe, S, K, Sr and Nb were higher in the group of intact samples. This study underlines the need to evaluate sample preparation when designing archeometric research programs.

Iron Age Nebo: Preliminary investigations at Khirbat al-Mukhayyat and Rujm al-Mukhayyat, Jordan

ABSTRACT Recent archaeological investigation at Khirbat al-Mukhayyat and nearby Rujm al-Mukhayyat in west-central Jordan have sought to determine the nature and date of Iron Age activity at these sites. Identified as the Nebo of biblical tradition and the Mesha Inscription, Khirbat al-Mukhayyat fulfilled a strategic role within the region. Positioned at the western edge of the Transjordanian plateau, the site holds a commanding view of the Jordan Valley and Judean highlands to the west, enabling inhabitants to monitor access to and from the Jordan Valley, as well to take advantage of agricultural opportunity within the region. This strategic position is reflected in Mukhayyat’s contested history under Israelite, Moabite, and eventually Assyrian control. With significant contexts dating to the Iron IIB and Iron IIC at Khirbat al-Mukhayyat, and late Iron Age/Persian period activity at the Rujm al-Mukhayyat, this paper presents the preliminary results of excavation and survey efforts together with ceramic data, providing an important contribution to the study of the Iron Age in this region.

Possibilities and limitations of pXRF as a tool for analysing ancient pottery: a case study of Late Bronze and Early Iron Age pottery (1100–600 BC) from the northern Black Sea region

AbstractIn an archaeometric research project supported by the Volkswagen Foundation (Project 90216 [https://earlynomads.wordpress.com/]), working groups consisting of chemists, geologists and archaeologists in Berlin, Kiev and Saint Petersburg collaborated on analysing pottery recovered from Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age burials and settlements from sites of different archaeological cultures in the steppes and forest steppes north of the Black Sea. The article presents the results of the classification of 201 samples using energy-dispersive X-Ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF) compared to the results of MGR-analysis and WD-XRF of these samples. Fingerprints for the seven sites studied could be defined.

Reviewing the palaeopathological evidence for bovine tuberculosis in the associated bone groups at Wetwang Slack, East Yorkshire

AbstractThe excavation by T. C. M Brewster and J. S. Dent between 1964 and 1989 of the multiperiod site at Wetwang Slack, East Yorkshire, has gained international importance for its square barrow cemetery and multiple Arras‐style Iron Age cart/chariot burials. A lesser known fact is that the excavations also produced the largest Iron Age faunal assemblage identified outside of southern Britain, in addition to several late Iron Age/early Romano‐British articulated animal bone groups (ABGs). The presence of pathological human and articulated faunal remains provides the unique opportunity to review the macroscopic evidence for zoonotic diseases, specifically bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in an Iron Age community where close working relationships with animals, the use of animal by‐products, and the consumption of infected dairy products all form potential avenues of infection. This paper presents the palaeopathological evidence for possible infectious disease in the ABGs at Wetwang Slack with a focus on bTB. Several cases of suspected tuberculosis are described in the human remains, with one example of gastrointestinal infection that could potentially indicate a case of bTB. Ancient DNA (aDNA) samples were taken from five ABGs testing for both Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and Brucella pathogen DNA. The results were negative, but DNA degradation was highlighted as a contributing factor. This paper highlights the importance of considering the evidence for zoonotic diseases at sites where human and faunal assemblages are recovered and especially where articulated animal skeletons are present. The paper also emphasizes that future aDNA studies of diseased faunal remains should focus on smaller amplicons or whole genome sequencing to amplify pathogen DNA.

Halls at Borre: the discovery of three large buildings at a Late Iron and Viking Age royal burial site in Norway

Abstract

Paleokrajobrazowe aspekty badań nad podepozycyjnymi procesami destrukcji ceramiki osadowej (przypadek kunicki)

The author presents the results of research on a specific type of destruction of pottery from archaeological excavations on a settlement from Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age(HaB3–HaD1 dated to the 9th–6th centuries BC) in Kunice, voivodeship Lower Silesia. It is located on one of the few postglacial lakes present till now in Silesia. Analysed were disintegrations in form of separation of pottery walls observed on the coil contacts. Topographic and stratigraphic approach to this phenomenon allowed to show its post-depositional character, recognise the causes, and trace the dynamics of this process. The obtained results indicate that there exists a relationship between the pottery wall separations and the hydrological effects of the impact of climatic factors in the course of the oldest oscillation of the Subatlantic stage, generally humid and cool. They enrich and specify the insight on the scale and impact of hydrological changes on the paleo-landscape. The most important, however, is the appreciation of the cognitive values of the source mass material in studying problems that go beyond the trend present in cultural studies.

ФАРҒОНА ВОДИЙСИ ИЛК ШАҲАРСОЗЛИГИ МАСАЛАСИГА ДОИР

In Central Asia, in particular, on the territory of Uzbekistan to the Bronze Age,important historical changes took place, such as the emergence of traditions of early urban culture, the emergence and development of the oldest state associations. From an archaeological point of view, this article highlights the emergence of first agricultural settlements in the Ferghana Valley, then urban-type fortresses, and later of the early city-states in the late Bronze and Early Iron Age

Late Bronze and Iron Age Livestock of the Southern Levant: Their Economic and Symbolic Roles

The faunal assemblages of the Late Bronze and Iron Age southern Levant reveal a great complexity of objectives and methods of livestock exploitation. The assemblages come from sites located in diverse climatic settings populated by individuals engaged in a variety of activities. Analyses of the sites reflect a uniformity of practices related to livestock and reveal that the animals were symbols of wealth. The article reveals the symbolic values linked to the husbandry of assorted livestock based on their economic potential and their interaction with humans. The author concludes that differential access to specific animals and their meat played a socio-cultural and economic role in building social structure.

Grinton-Fremington Dykes: Names, Places and Spaces

ABSTRACT In Landscapes 16 (1), a debate following a survey of the largest and best preserved of four cross-dale dykes in Swaledale (Yorkshire, northern England), known as the Grinton-Fremington Dykes, produced agreement that its main section belonged to the Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age. Apart from chronology, many more questions about the dykes remain unanswered. This new contribution to the debate, by a non-archaeologist, draws on place-name interpretations, map studies and ground observations to explore new areas of interest that can expand our understanding of the dykes and their environment, and raise new challenges for future investigations. It includes the first full analysis of the place-names associated with the dykes, revealing new understandings and interpretations of the landscape in which they stand. It explores a previously published suggestion that the upper section of the surveyed dyke might be a later extension, and considers how this could reinvigorate the generally unpopular idea that the four dykes were built as land boundaries rather than as elements in a system of political defence.

La Cornalina en el Bronce Final y la Edad del Hierro del Sur de Portugal

En los últimos años el número de elementos de adorno en cornalina documentados en yacimientos del Bronce Final y de la Edad del Hierro en el Sur de Portugal ha aumentado de forma sustancial, y hoy en día se conocen más de cinco decenas de cuentas y colgantes realizados en este material. Se presenta una primera síntesis sobre dichos elementos, con el objetivo de discutir su tipología, cronología y distribución, pero también su eventual origen, que cabría buscar en el Mediterráneo Oriental.

Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum Geschichte und Kultur Ostmitteleuropas (GWZO), Leipzig, Germany

Impressively decorated shield fibulae (Ger. Sehieldfibeln), used from phase C2 until phase C2/C3), belong to the most elaborated metal artifacts from the Late Roman Iron Age. They have been used by communities living in Scandinavia, on the Elbe lowlands as well as by society of the Dębczyno group in Pomerania and the Cecele phase of the Wielbark culture. The paper is an attempt of a thorough chronological analysis of these fibulae from the Dębczyno group along with the burial assemblages in which they had been found. It is suggested that these adornments were an element of the women dress decoration as they have been found mostly in rich burials. It is argued that presence of the shield fibulae on this territory is indicative of wide contacts of the Late Roman Iron Age elite with Scandinavia and the Elbe lowland region.

The Lčašen Culture and its Archaeological Landscape

During the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age the lands around the Lake Sevan basin witnessed the emergence of a distinctive local culture, marked by characteristic burial practices, abundant metalwork and varied pottery production generally called the “Lčašen Culture”. It was named after the numerous finds from the village of Lčašen, but its features are spread throughout the lake basin also seen in neighbouring regions. Its intriguing nature has attracted the attention of numerous scholars, and different interpretations, as well as definitions, have been proposed. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the main archaeological features of the Lčašen Culture, with particular reference to its landscape archaeology, burials and material culture.

Early Iron Age Tombs in Northern Israel Revisited

This study defines early Iron Age burials in Northern Israel as a coherent assemblage with traditions that are archaeologically distinguishable from those of northern Phoenician and southern Philistine societies. These burial traditions are distinct from funerary customs of the Late Bronze Age and Iron IIB. The study discusses the main developments and regional differentiations of early Iron Age burial traditions with an emphasis on their chronological contexts.

Report on the pottery from Tell Sufan in Nablus, Palestine

ABSTRACTThis research report aims to give detailed information on the pottery from the 1999 and 2013-16 excavation campaigns taking place at the Tell Sufan site in Nablus, Palestine. These were conducted by the Department of Antiquities at An-Najah National University (ANU) in Nablus. It is of note that this ancient pottery has never previously been the subject of research nor has any literature been published on it. Our methodology consists in: analysing the pottery by identifying it, typifying it, and giving it a function; providing chronological information on the site; comparison of the pottery with that from other sites in Palestine, using archaeological information from the site; and contextualising our findings with other historical and archaeological studies. Examination of the functional use of the pottery allows us to demonstrate human activity at the Tell Sufan site, giving information on the most prosperous phases of occupation in regard to economic aspects, through the late Bronze Age, Iron Age and Byzantine-Early Islamic periods.

Objects, Place and People: Community Organization in Southern Britain in the First Millennium bc

This paper seeks to understand how identity was constructed and communities were constituted in the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age of parts of central and southern Britain. A holistic approach is favoured, finding patterns within each period that cross different types of evidence. These patterns can be related to underlying social and conceptual logic systems. It is argued that in the Late Bronze Age communities were relatively fluid and lineage played only a minor role in defining identity. Early Iron Age society was more concerned with ancestral genealogy and inter-generational inheritance. By the Middle Iron Age, this developed to the stage where smaller groups displayed increasing autonomy from each other. These social differences can account for many of the dissimilarities in the archaeological records of the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age. Despite contrasting methods of community organization, assessing contiguous periods under the same theoretical and methodological frameworks has proved a useful analytical device.

Sheep and cattle population dynamics based on ancient and modern DNA reflects key events in the human history of the North-East Baltic Sea Region

Genetic data from ancient and modern domestic animals holds tremendous potential to reveal long term trends in population histories. Reconstruction of effective population sizes based on temporally well covered data may reveal the effects of particular events in the early history of animal populations as well as reflect the changes in the lifestyle and society of past human populations. We used an Extended Bayesian Skyline Plot approach to estimate the effective population sizes (Ne) and their temporal changes in sheep and cattle from Late Bronze Age to present in North-East Baltic Sea Region (NEBSR). The results support previous results from ancient DNA analyses (mtDNA, Y-chromosome, MC1R) in the NEBSR for cattle and reveal previously unidentified temporal fluctuation for sheep (mtDNA, Y-chromosome). The sheep and cattle Ne increased during the Iron Age, reaching their maximum at the Late Iron Age/Medieval period followed by deep decline in sizes until the present. Decline in Ne simultaneously with increase in total population sizes indicate selection and increasing inbreeding from the beginning of Post Medieval period to the middle of the 20th century. The timing of the increase in sheep and cattle Ne is roughly the same as the timing of transition from hunting-gathering to farming in Iron Age (400–1000CE).

Siedlungskammer Kilikien

AbstractAn essential aspect of understanding past human activity is knowledge about the natural environment. Like almost no other landscape in Asia Minor, the Cilician Plain is defined by strong topographic contrasts: a large fertile plain surrounded by the sea and steep mountain ranges. The Cilician Plain is separated by a natural border into a western (Çukurova) and an eastern (Yukarıova) settlement cluster. All central places in the Çukurova have been located over the millennia at the foothills of the mountains. By contrast, the central places in the Yukarıova were less constant. The avulsion of the rivers can be seen as a reason for this development. However, there also exists for the construction of main Late Bronze and Iron Age monuments in the Cilician Plain a correlation with rivers and channels.