Late Occupation Research Articles

Textiles, dates and identity in the late occupation of the Huacas de Moche, Peru

Archaeological cultures present allegories of ethnic identities across the centuries or millennia but such conceptualisations are necessarily incomplete and lack the resolution to explore transitions between cultures. Here, exploration of the archaeological contexts, production methods, stylistic variation and radiocarbon dating of 20 preserved textile fragments facilitates an examination of cultural change at Huaca del Sol (Huacas de Moche, northern Peru). While occupants of the site experienced many outside cultural influences, including those from the highland Wari Empire, continuity in textile traditions suggests that some sense of Moche identity was maintained through the tenth century and after the perceived end of the Moche culture.

After the Fall of the Caravan Kingdoms. Notes about the Occupation of Sumhuram and the Area of Khor Rori (Oman) from the Fifth Century AD to the Islamic Period

Since the beginning of the investigations in the area of Khor Rori and at the site of Sumhuram, the easternmost outpost of the caravan kingdoms along the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, cultural material and architectural evidence seemed to exclude frequentation, both permanent and seasonal, during the Islamic period. Indeed, it was assumed that any form of occupation, which had begun in the second century BC, ceased in the fifth century AD, consistent with the historical, economic and cultural scenario that marked the end of the caravan kingdoms. However, discoveries made during more recent fieldwork, along with a critical reinterpretation of previously collected data, have clearly demonstrated the existence of a late occupation of the area, which can be tentatively dated to the Late Antique period in the case of the burials located nearby and to the Islamic period in the case of the reoccupation of the site. This paper will discuss the preliminary results of the re-analysis of the late evidence, focusing on the last architectural structures, the small finds and some of the pottery.

DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION IN KOSOVA DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR

<p><span>Following the occupation of Kosova by the dual Austria-Hungarian Empire, the Albanian people had now passed through a long period of occupation by the Ottoman Empire, as well as by the late occupation of the Serbian Kingdom, where the Albanians had gone through a terrible calvary from the new invaders. With all these sufferings and prohibitions, the occupation of Austria-Hungary found the Albanian people in a miserable state in terms of education. The majority of the population was illiterate, therefore the Dualist Empire aimed at bringing the Albanian people closer to itself and tried to regulate the issue of education as much as it was possible, as well as allow freedom in terms of Albanian culture and traditions. It also tried to raise the Albanian population to a higher level in every sphere by cooperating with bright figures, such as Hasan Prishtina and others. On this occasion, they took advantage of the opportunity to develop education in the Albanian language as much as possible. The German language was also included in the program. This short period for the Albanians was a great advancement in various fields such as in the improvement of infrastructure, culture and especially in education through the opening of schools and courses to combat illiteracy in Kosova.</span></p><p><span><strong><span>Keywords: </span></strong><span>World War I, Austria-Hungary, Kosova, education, culture, etc.</span></span></p>

Disjunction, or continuity: Re-identifying the “Kushan” and “post-Kushan” periods at Kausambi

The investigation of Early Historic sites has often found a culturally rich “Kushan” accumulation in contrast to the scanty finds of later centuries. This discrepancy has led to a hypothesis of urban decline and associated changes in socio-economic structure. However, more recent research has suggested that the missing archaeological record has primarily resulted from the poor investigation of the late occupation and related artefacts. This article is a case study to further discuss the issue by reexamining the excavated data from Kausambi, one of the largest Early Historic cities in the upper Gangetic plain. The coin-based chronological sequence derived from the residential area near the Ashokan pillar suggests that the habitation ended in the early fourth century CE. However, an observation of the ceramic evidence from the last period illustrates that the site was not abandoned after the “Kushan” age but occupied throughout the first millennium CE. The absence of the “post-Kushan” period is more likely a consequence of uncritical dating criteria. By pooling and integrating the available archaeological materials from other fieldwork around the site, this article will suggest a prolonged settlement of this great city and characterise its temporal patterns in a new and refined chronological framework.

Coastal paleolandscapes of far southern Peru: Implications for Late Pleistocene human settlement

Archaeological evidence indicates that initial coastal settlement of western South America took place near the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) when sea level was between 40 and 100 m lower than today. Beginning around 15,000 cal BP, and for roughly the next 8,000 years, sea levels rose, eventually covering these formerly exposed and potentially human-occupied landscapes. We use bathymetric data and the reconstructed global mean sea level curve from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene to describe the paleolandscapes associated with the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene coastal occupations at five sites located in far southern Peru. We constructed cross-sections perpendicular to the modern shoreline at the various locales to determine the approximate extent of the exposed land surface and the proximity of the communities at the sites of Quebrada de los Burros, Quebrada Tacahuay, the Ring Site, Kilometer 4 (K4), and Quebrada Miraflores to the ocean and various littoral habitats. Our analysis identifies previously undocumented littoral habitats consisting of large, shallow-water bays, significant rocky headlands, and beach habitats. We propose several methods of future research to identify potentially submerged sites and the marine paleolandscape of the study region. Knowing the paleolandscapes contributes to refining Pacific coast migration and settlement models for South America.

Late Woodland settlement ecology of the Appalachian Summit

ABSTRACT The Late Woodland (ca. AD 800–1500) was a time of socioeconomic and environmental change in the Appalachian Summit. Changing climatic conditions and the introduction of maize agriculture made permanent settlement in these high-elevation mountain landscapes possible for the first time. We adopt a settlement ecology approach to examine how Late Woodland communities situated themselves in the landscape. Drawing upon geospatial analyses of legacy datasets, we document how Late Woodland communities prioritized access to different socioeconomic resources in the New River Headwaters region of northwest North Carolina. The New River Headwaters was an important source of natural resources, including mica and copper, as well as an important corridor for the movement of people and resources throughout Eastern North America. Our analyses demonstrate that Late Woodland communities balanced access to arable land, copper sources, and long-distance trade routes when situating their settlements. Larger sites had access to more land suited for maize agriculture than smaller sites. The largest sites in the region were also well-positioned with nearby access to copper sources and trade routes along the New River. Regional approaches to Late Woodland occupation in the Appalachian Summit reveal the dynamic relationship between humans and the environment in mountain landscapes.

Pastoral subsistence and mounted fighting in the Eastern Tianshan Mountain region: New insights from the Shirenzigou worked bone assemblage.

Situated at a geographic crossroads, the eastern Tianshan Mountain region in northwest China is crucial to understanding various economic, social, and cultural developments on the Eurasian Steppes. One promising way to gain a better knowledge of ancient subsistence economy, craft production, and social change in the eastern Tianshan Mountain region is to study the artifact assemblages from archaeological contexts. Here, we present an analysis of 488 worked animal bones from the large site of Shirenzigou (ca. 1300–1 BCE), to date the largest assemblage of this kind uncovered in the eastern Tianshan Mountain region. We classified these worked bones into six categories, including “ritual objects”, “ornaments”, “tools”, “worked astragali”, “warfare and mobility”, and “indeterminate”. The identification of animal species and skeletal elements indicates that worked bones from Shirenzigou are characterized by a predominance of caprine products, particularly worked astragali, which is consistent with the large proportion of caprine fragments found in animal remains associated with food consumption. This demonstrates the contribution of caprine pastoralism to bone working activities at Shirenzigou. The making of most worked bones does not appear to have required advanced or specialized skills. Considering the absence of dedicated bone working space, alongside the variability in raw material selection and in dimensions of certain types of artifacts, we infer that worked bone production at Shirenzigou was not standardized. In terms of raw material selection and mode of production, Shirenzigou differed from their settled, farming counterparts in the Yellow River valley of northern China. In addition, along with the evidence for violence and horseback riding, the increasing use of bone artifacts associated with warfare and mobility during the late occupation phase of Shirenzigou reflects growing social instability and implies the likely emergence of single mounted horsemen, equipped with light armors, in the region during the late first millennium BCE. Our results provide new insights into animal resource exploitation and changing lifeways of early pastoral societies in the eastern Tianshan Mountain region, expanding our knowledge of the economic, social, and political milieu of late Bronze Age and early Iron Age eastern Eurasia.

Constraining the chronology and ecology of Late Acheulean and Middle Palaeolithic occupations at the margins of the monsoon

South Asia hosts the world’s youngest Acheulean sites, with dated records typically restricted to sub-humid landscapes. The Thar Desert marks a major adaptive boundary between monsoonal Asia to the east and the Saharo-Arabian desert belt to the west, making it a key threshold to examine patterns of hominin ecological adaptation and its impacts on patterns of behaviour, demography and dispersal. Here, we investigate Palaeolithic occupations at the western margin of the South Asian monsoon at Singi Talav, undertaking new chronometric, sedimentological and palaeoecological studies of Acheulean and Middle Palaeolithic occupation horizons. We constrain occupations of the site between 248 and 65 thousand years ago. This presents the first direct palaeoecological evidence for landscapes occupied by South Asian Acheulean-producing populations, most notably in the main occupation horizon dating to 177 thousand years ago. Our results illustrate the potential role of the Thar Desert as an ecological, and demographic, frontier to Palaeolithic populations.

Molana Abbey: an alternative view

SUMMARY: In a paper in the 2020 issue of Post-Medieval Archaeology Carter Hudgins and Eric Klingelhofer made the case for late 16th-century occupation of the Medieval monastery of Molana by the Elizabethan scientist Thomas Harriot. This present paper considers the evidence they put forward and offers a different interpretation. It is argued here that alterations to the masonry at Molana can mostly be attributed either to maintenance during the active life of the monastery, or to embellishments carried out in the 19th century. The evidence for post-Dissolution occupation of the site is slight, is limited to the church, and is interpreted as 18th-century reuse for religious worship.

The Rise and Fall of Alice Boer: A Reassessment of a Purported Pre-Clovis Site

ABSTRACT In this paper we present a review of previous research carried out at the Alice Boer site coupled with new data regarding its lithic industry and ages. Our data suggest that the site, once believed to be at least 14,000 years old, most probably was occupied no earlier than 8000 years ago. The lithic material, comprising both bifacial and unifacial formal artifacts, can be associated to the Rioclarense industry. This industry is now well described and was dated elsewhere (at Caetetuba site) as early Holocene. Therefore, in spite of not being as old as originally thought, Alice Boer can be considered to relate to the late Paleoamerican occupation of South America from a cultural point of view.

50 years and worlds apart: Rethinking the Holocene occupation of Cloggs Cave (East Gippsland, SE Australia) five decades after its initial archaeological excavation and in light of GunaiKurnai world views

In this paper we report on new research at the iconic archaeological site of Cloggs Cave (GunaiKurnai Country), in the southern foothills of SE Australia’s Great Dividing Range. Detailed chronometric dating, combined with high-resolution 3D mapping, geomorphological studies and archaeological excavations, now allow a dense sequence of Late Holocene ash layers and their contents to be correlated with GunaiKurnai ethnography and current knowledge. These results suggest a critical re-interpretation of what the Old People were, and were not, doing in Cloggs Cave during the Late Holocene. Instead of a lack of Late Holocene cave occupation, as previously thought through the conceptual lens of ‘habitat and economy’, Cloggs Cave is now understood to have been actively used for special, magical purposes. Configured by local GunaiKurnai cosmology, cave landscapes (including Cloggs Cave's) were populated not only by food species animals, but also by ‘supernatural’ Beings and forces whose presence helped inform occupational patterns. The profound differences between the old and new archaeological interpretations of Cloggs Cave, separated by five decades of developing archaeological thought and technical advances, draw attention to archaeological meaning-making and highlight the significance of data capture and the pre-conceptions that shape the production of archaeological stories and identities of place.

Recovering the Hidden Landscape of Copper Age Sicily

The Late Copper Age/Early Bronze Age transition has traditionally been seen as an enigma in Sicilian prehistory. The relatively incomplete nature of the archaeological record has been interpreted as a marker of societal contraction, population movement and increased dependence on pastoralism. It has become increasingly apparent that the preservation and recovery of these archaeological sites have played a highly significant role in the way that site distributions have been understood. Recently, archaeological survey projects have recovered further evidence of sites. This has begun to reveal a more complex history of settlement and landscape occupation, which can be used to question some of this period’s standard interpretations. The work of the Troina Survey in the Nebrodi Mountains of Sicily has revealed new evidence for Late Copper Age occupation in a variety of topographic locations. Crucially the integration of geoarchaeological investigations within this project has identified significant connections between the depositional and post-depositional processes, and their impact on the preservation of the archaeological record, which are particularly pertinent for our understanding not only of this time period but also of our narratives on Sicilian prehistory. This study emphasizes the fundamental importance of undertaking long-term landscape reconstruction in order to interpret regional settlement patterns.

Ball court in la quemada, northern Mesoamerica: Absolute chronological contributions through the archeomagnetic study of associated fire pits

Since the Late Preclassic, the ball court has been one of the most widely distributed features throughout Mesoamerican territory. Despite its maximum splendor in sites in the Mayan and Olmec area, this ritual and political phenomenon has important architectural expression within the archaeological complex of La Quemada in Zacatecas. To place this enclosure in an absolute chronological framework, an archaeomagnetic study was carried out on two fire pits within rooms associated with the court and a burnt cavity on one of its walls. The dating exercise for the first fire pit yielded an interval between 931 and 1006 CE as the best estimate of temporality for its last use. Two equally likely intervals were obtained from the second one (693–947 CE and 1463–1623 CE), so it is not possible to rule out any of them. The burnt cavity revealed a single interval between 757 and 980 CE These periods would correspond to the La Quemada Phase and its transition to the Citadel Phase, which was the last period of activity in the area before the ball court was abandoned. However, the dating of fire pit 2, which shows a possible late occupation (1463–1623 CE), could be interpreted as a reoccupation during the Postclassic by Zacatecos groups.

The Pre-Clovis Peoples

Scholars have long debated the timing and route by which humans first arrived in the New World. In “Late Upper Paleolithic Occupation at Cooper’s Ferry, Idaho, USA, ~16,000 Years Ago,” published in Science, Loren Davis et al. used radiocarbon dating to establish a chronology for artifacts, and evidence of human activity, that has pushed migration 2,800 years earlier than previously thought.

Molecular evidence of changing foodways across the Mississippian transition at the George Reeves site (11S650)

ABSTRACTThe George Reeves site (11S650) is a multicomponent village on the bluffs in the central American Bottom, Illinois. The site was occupied from the Late Woodland Rosewood phase through the Mississippian Lohmann phase. Pottery use and dietary variation between the Late Woodland and Emergent Mississippian occupations at the site were explored through stylistic analysis, pottery residue analysis, and compound-specific carbon isotopic analysis of pottery residues. Although more samples should be analyzed, diet and pottery use at George Reeves seems to have been varied, with maize present by cal AD 900–1000, but comprising a relatively small portion of lipid residues in pottery. Residue analysis indicates a C4 presence in 5 of 16 sampled pots from the early Emergent Mississippian deriving from either maize or from meat from animals consuming maize. Pottery residues were mixed, showing C3 and C4 plants as well as meat and fish or shellfish. One residue showed a high incidence of C4 contribution, most likely from Portulaca oleracea (common purslane), as well as large amounts of fish or shellfish and another C3 plant. Residue from a ceramic pipestem indicates that maize may have been smoked, probably in the form of maize silk mixed with other nontobacco plants.

Pinworm research in the Southwest USA: five decades of methodological and theoretical development and the epidemiological approach

Pinworms infected Ancestral Pueblo populations since early periods of occupation on the Colorado Plateau. The high prevalence of pinworm found in these populations was correlated with the habitation style developments through time. However, in previous studies, Turkey Pen Cave, an early occupation site, and Salmon Ruins, a late occupation site, exhibited prevalences that were anomalously low, suggesting that these sites were outliers. Alternatively, it is possible that the previous quantification method was not successful in detecting the real prevalence and eggs per gram, which led to inexact interpretations. The aims of this study were to verify if previous pinworm prevalences for Turkey Pen Cave and Salmon Ruins were underestimated. In addition, new analyses were added to the data set. Two latrines from Aztec Ruins, a Pueblo III occupation never studied before, were sampled and studied. We applied the pathoecology concept and descriptive/comparative parasitological statistical parameters. Human coprolites were weighed and rehydrated along with introduced exotic Lycopodium tablets and screened through 250-μm mesh. Parasite eggs and Lycopodium spores were quantified and eggs per gram were estimated for each sample. Parasitological statistical parameters were calculated at Quantitative Parasitology 3.0 software. Pinworm was the only parasite recovered in all sites. The prevalences observed in early and late occupation sites refute previous correlation with habitation style. This study indicates that the previously estimated prevalences were underestimated, which interfered in the accurate interpretation on Ancestral Pueblo pinworm infection. This study reveals a new paleoparasitological panorama of pinworm infection in Ancestral Pueblo populations.

Reassembling the Mortuary Assemblage: New Investigations into The Field Museum’s Osteological and Artifact Collections from Ancón, Peru

The Field Museum’s (FM) osteological and artifact collection from Ancón, Peru amassed by George Dorsey in 1891 represents one of the best-preserved archaeological assemblages from this important Central Coast site. Over the last century, however, mummies and grave goods have become disassociated from one another and their archaeological context lost. This paper reports on recent efforts to reconstruct the Ancón grave lots using FM archival materials. Two case studies are presented in detail, highlighting both the successes and limitations of the project. Ultimately, the results of this study illustrate the enormous potential that the FM collection has to improving our understanding of Ancón’s Middle through Late Horizon occupations and underscores the need for scholars to place greater energy into investigating understudied museum assemblages.

Preliminary observations on the Levantine Aurignacian sequence of Manot Cave: Cultural affiliations and regional perspectives

A well-preserved sequence of Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) occupations has been revealed in the past decade in Manot Cave, the studies of which shed light on the cultural dynamics and subsistence patterns and paleoenvironment. Most intriguing is the series of overlying Levantine Aurignacian occupation layers, exposed near the entrance to the cave.Area E is considered the inner part of the main activity area in Manot Cave. Remains of intact combustion features, as well as numerous flint artifacts and faunal remains, were found, indicating a high level of preservation. Within a 2.5 m sequence, nine distinct occupation layers were defined. The presence of characteristic flint and osseous industries alongside a rich mollusk assemblage led to the initial association of the sequence as a whole to the Levantine Aurignacian. However, as research advanced and variability in the material culture became apparent, it became clear that a division of the sequence into two phases, early and late, is required.A preliminary study of the assemblage variability implies distinct changes in human behavior between the two phases. Most prominently, these are indicated by a change in bladelet production method and morphology alongside an increase in the significance of the bladelet component within the flint assemblage, the disappearance of composite osseous industries, and a steep decrease in mollusk shell representation in the late occupation phase.Radiocarbon dating indicates a short time span between the two phases. The earlier phase defined as, Levantine Aurignacian, was ascribed an age range of 38–34 ka cal BP with a more constrained age range of 37–35 ka cal BP suggested based on Bayesian models. In the late phase, which is temporarily referred to as “post-Levantine Aurignacian,” an age range of 36–33 ka cal BP is suggested.

Abrigo La Tinta: Preliminary Results of a New Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene Rockshelter from the Pampas Region (Tandilia Range), Argentina

ABSTRACT Abrigo La Tinta (La Tinta Rockshelter) is located in the Tandilia mountain range of Argentina. The excavation of two test-pits during a survey revealed buried archaeological remains, including lithic artifacts, ceramic, mineral pigments, and charcoal. A charcoal fragment recovered in the deepest section of Test-pit 2, in association with quartzite and chert flakes, was dated in 10,414 ± 32 14C yr BP (12,408 to 12,041 cal yr BP), suggesting a late Pleistocene-early Holocene human occupation.

POLITICAL STRATEGIES AND THE URBAN SPACES THAT REFLECT THEM IN FORMATIVE-PERIOD CERRO JAZMÍN, OAXACA

AbstractBased on stratigraphic excavation data and associated radiocarbon dates we argue that the pre-Hispanic city of Cerro Jazmín, in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca, underwent a period of political change between the Late Formative (300 b.c.–a.d. 50) and the Terminal Formative periods (a.d. 50–300). This shift is reflected in the city's layout and in the timing of construction and use of two different monumental sectors. During the city's Late Formative occupation, we found evidence of more exclusionary feasting activity taking place in a secluded monumental sector called the Sunken Courtyards near the hilltop. In the Terminal Formative, however, monumental construction expanded in the more accessible Tres Cerritos sector where larger and accessible public areas were the focus of activity. We argue that changes in the city's layout, along with the differing patterns of feasting, suggest that the city's leaders went from a more exclusionary form of government to a more collective political strategy during the Terminal Formative period. Despite of these efforts monumental construction largely stopped and the city's population declined by the start of the Classic period (a.d. 300).