Prehistoric Archaeology Research Articles

The lost art of stratigraphy? A consideration of excavation strategies in Australian indigenous archaeology

Archaeological interpretation is increasingly an interdisciplinary effort between archaeologists and specialists of various archaeological sciences. In such integrated work, excavation data are the primary reference to provide context for the vast range of cultural and biological material that are later investigated. A review of over three decades of published Australian archaeological data shows that there is a widespread practice in the use of arbitrary excavation units, not only as excavation tools but also as analytical units. Building from the lectures of Smith on the Lost Art of Stratigraphy and other published literature, this paper explores some of the issues surrounding different excavation strategies applied today, particularly in Australian prehistoric archaeology, and the implications and impacts on interpretation of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental results. It is argued that, while arbitrary excavation is appropriate in certain circumstances, the best method for excavation, sampling and interpretation of archaeological sites is by stratigraphic context because it provides a more precise understanding of the original depositional context and what that might tell us about past environment and past human behaviour.

¿Qué queremos decir cuando hablamos de prestigio en arqueología prehistórica?<br /><em>What do we mean when we speak of ‘prestige’ in prehistoric archaeology?</em>

RESUMEN En la bibliografía arqueológica resulta frecuente leer el término prestigio, o expresiones asociadas al mismo tales como objetos de prestigio o personas de prestigio. A su vez observamos que dichas nociones raramente se definen, empleándose de forma acrítica. Sostenemos que conviene analizar las implicaciones epistemológicas e ideológicas de estas categorías en el proceso científico de creación del conocimiento, desde la arqueología prehistórica. Asimismo, trataremos de aportar nuevas perspectivas de análisis desde el materialismo histórico y los estudios feministas, ofreciendo una definición de la categoría prestigio, entendido como una producción social. PALABRAS CLAVE: prestigio, arqueología prehistórica, epistemología, materialismo histórico, feminismo ABSTRACT In the archaeology bibliography it is common to read the term ‘prestige’, or related expressions such as ‘prestige objects’ or ‘persons of prestige’. At the same time we observe that these expressions are rarely defined and are employed in a non-critical way. We argue that it is necessary to analyze the epistemological and ideological implications of these categories in the scientific process of knowledge creation from prehistoric archaeology. We will also try to provide new perspectives of analysis from historical materialism and feminist studies, offering a definition for the category ‘prestige’, understood as being socially produced. KEY WORDS: prestige, prehistoric archaeology, epistemology, historic materialism, feminism

Grave Matters: Mediating Corporeal Objects and Subjects through Mortuary Practices

Grave Matters: Mediating Corporeal Objects and Subjects through Mortuary Practices

The Mermaid Atoll Shipwreck-A mysterious early 19th-century loss MYRA STANBURY with 16 Contributors 307 pp., including 9 appendices, 222 figs mostly colour, 46 tables Australian National Centre of Excellence for Maritime Archaeology and the Australasian I

The Mermaid Atoll Shipwreck-A mysterious early 19th-century loss MYRA STANBURY with 16 Contributors 307 pp., including 9 appendices, 222 figs mostly colour, 46 tables Australian National Centre of Excellence for Maritime Archaeology and the Australasian I

Reconsidering the MSA to LSA transition at Taforalt Cave (Morocco) in the light of new multi-proxy dating evidence

Amongst the least well-defined periods in North African prehistoric archaeology is the interval between ∼40 and 20 ka BP. This encompasses a phase (or phases) of major technological change which archaeologists describe as the MSA (Middle Stone Age) to LSA (Later Stone Age) transition. The nature of this transition is complicated by the fact that few sites spanning this period have been the object of modern scientific study. Two exceptions are the caves of Taforalt (Morocco) and the Haua Fteah (Libya) which have each been systematically excavated in the last decade and have yielded datable sequences that provide fresh light on the nature of the transition. In this paper we describe the results of new work at Taforalt and suggest that considerable variation exists across the region, in comparison with sites like the Haua Fteah. Initial results are also given on the rich charred plant remains (likely food residues) and wood charcoal evidence from the younger MSA layers dating to ∼27 ka BP.

Archaeology and archaeometallurgy: some unresolved areas in the interpretation of analytical data

This paper uses examples from Mediterranean and in particular Italian prehistory to explore the interface between prehistoric archaeology and metals analysis by examining three areas: the usefulness of data from past analyses (‘what is it made of?’), lead isotope analysis and the problem of unpublished data (‘where is it from?’), and the interpretation of analytical data (‘what does it mean?’). Issues discussed include big data, the integration of datasets from different analytical programmes (especially where analytical results are in disagreement), and open access and the withholding of data through incomplete publication, which means that conclusions cannot be verified. It offers some suggestions as to how communication between archaeologists and archaeometallurgists can be improved.

Profan vs. sacru la Sarmizegetusa Regia / Profane vs. Sacred at Sarmizegetusa Regia

In a former study published in the present yearbook (2015), the author reopened the interpretation of the archaeological structures unearthed at Grădiștea Muncelului 65 years before. He challenged that time the traditional explanation which considered them as sanctuaries. After criticizing the old theory (which was not based on any direct archaeological evidence), he proposed a more rational functionality of the rows of round stone-bases: they were the bases supporting an upper floor of the wooden buildings on top, elevated from the soil-level, being used as store-buildings, mainly for stockpiling cereals’ supplies necessary for the numerous community from Sarmizegetusa Regia to survive in a harsh mountain climate during the six months cold season. The author also provided as analogies prehistoric timber buildings, Roman timber and stone horrea, all using the same principles, but also mediaeval and modern granaries from Spain, or Britain with the same design and function.The present new approach was considered necessary by the author to emphasize the methodological background of the subject. He continues his previous demonstration opening to the reader the work-laboratory which led him to the conclusion the ancient basements found at Sarmizegetusa Regia belonged initially to profane and not sacred buildings. For that he describes the criteria established by the European and American prehistoric archaeology to identify a sacred building and cites several important contributions to the archaeology of ritual. Laying these criteria upon the archaeological information and evidence we have from the buildings from Sarmizegetusa Regia no one can be surely found. The conclusion cannot be other than they were not building with sacred significance.The author also contradicts the hypothesis that some golden coin hoards and bracelets were hidden in antiquity at Sarmizegetusa Regia with ritual intention. He supports the idea they belonged to the Dacian royal treasure of Burebista, taking into consideration the great quantity of golden coins of the same type and the great number of golden unused bracelets. He also rejects the idea of the existence of an imaginary holly mountain at Sarmizegetusa Regia which was considered by other scholars as the main reason of the establishment there of the royal residence during the 1st century BC and of the development of the settlement toward an urban aspect and size. The author proposes instead as the main factor of urbanization the fight of the Dacian aristocracy to take control of the iron ore resources in the area, as proved by the numerous forges, kilns and iron tools hoards found at Sarmizegetusa Regia. At the end the author explains why his explanation is more credible than the old one, enumerating the criteria to arrive to the best explanation in archaeology.

Lithics in the Neolithic archaeology of Greece: Capturing the social dynamics of chipped stone technology.

Over the years, lithic analysis has become an integral part of Neolithic research in Greece. In the past, chipped stone tools were considered as potential chronological and cultural markers. Pottery, however, and polished stone implements attracted the greatest deal of attention for many decades. During the 1960s, prehistoric archaeology shifted toward a positivist approach away from the culture-historical perspective. Pioneering characterization studies and exchange theories made obsidian a focal point of interest in Aegean archaeology. In the course of time new ideas began to challenge old perspectives, offering different interpretations of the Neolithic past. The concept of the operational sequence or artefact biography started to dominate the field of lithic analysis, providing insight into human behaviour and mind. Currently, the artefact biography approach is used to explore space structuring and depositional practices from a contextual point of view.

The Origins, Development and Practice of Economic and Social Strategies in the Middle East from Earliest Times to the Modern Day

Noam Leshem (Durham University) and Alasdair Pinkerton (Royal Holloway, University of London); email: noam.leshem@durham.ac.ukNearing the centenary of the First World War, this project explores the...

"Once Upon a Time...": When Prehistoric Archaeology and Folklore Converge

This paper addresses the issue of congruence between archaeological narrative and folktale, and tentatively explores its implications for our understanding of the deep past, as well as of present-day folklore. Similarities between a folktale that explains the name of Serra da Estrela, a mountain range in central Portugal, and the material record of Neolithic Iberian dolmen builders of the nearby Mondego valley suggest that the prehistoric reality might be the origin of the tale. This congruence, an example among many others, has implications for the understanding of folklore, social memory and ethno-history. However, for this to occur, this paper argues that folklore needs to be looked at in the longue durée, and its origins and transformations better understood. The paper concludes with a discussion of several points raised by this case study that should be considered in the development of a methodology for congruous archaeology/folklore studies.

Prehistoric copper pyrotechnology in the Swiss Alps: Approaches to site detection and chaîne opératoire

In the framework of a long-time research focus on prehistoric Alpine settlement, activity, and human ecology, the University of Zurich Dept. of Prehistoric Archaeology has engaged in a new tri-national interdisciplinary project on early Copper production in the Central and Eastern Alps. This paper discusses the research settings and strategies of the Zurich team in the Oberhalbstein valley, canton of Grisons, with an emphasis on processes in the operational chain and coordinated field survey methods. First results in the localization and investigation of ore extracting and smelting sites are presented, and evaluated against the overall situation in the valley and the background of investigation in other Copper producing areas of the Alps.

Media Archaeology-As-Such

This essay gives an impression of what might be called radical media archaeology. Whereas academic archaeology is progressively extending its range of investigations from antiquity to the industrial age, media archaeology is not primarily about techniques of the past at all but rather an analysis of the present technological condition. Against the excavation metaphor borrowed from classical archaeology, media archaeology rather unfolds techno-mathematical sub-strata of current interface culture. The reference to Michel Foucault's Archaeology of Knowledge is ambivalent here. Media archaeology shares with its academic twin the focus on temporalities of material culture but is less about "deep" historical time; with its focus on signal analysis in operative media it rather investigates ahistoric and time-critical processuality in technological devices. This brings media archaeology close to prehistoric (rather than "classical") archaeology in its literal sense.

Taphonomies of trajectory: the pre- and post-depositional movement of bones

Taphonomic analysis has great potential for reconstructing the preand post-depositional history of faunal assemblages and has come to the forefront of zooarchaeological research in recent years. The last decade has seen substantial advances in research on a wide range of taphonomic indices. New actualistic studies have considerably enhanced understanding of the impact of specific agents in defined environments (Gonzalez et al. 2012; Andrews and Whybrow 2005; Armstrong and Avery 2014; Coumont 2009; Dirrigl and Perotti 2014; Klippel and Synstelien 2007; Krajcarz and Krajcarz 2014; Lloveras et al. 2014a, b; Marin-Arroyo and Margalida 2012; Montalvo et al. 2014; Rodriguez-Hidalgo et al. 2013; Rudzik et al. in press; Sala et al. 2014; Sanchis Serra et al. 2014). Controlled experiments have aided with approaches to identification and the differentiation of modifications (Blasco et al. 2008; Dominguez-Rodrigo et al. 2009; Dominguez-Solera and Dominguez-Rodrigo 2009; MarinMonfort et al. 2014). In addition, detailed archaeological investigations (Atici 2006; Conard et al. 2008; Enloe 2012; Gal 2008) and new approaches to modification recognition (Boschin and Crezzini 2012; Crezzini et al. 2014) and data analysis and usage (Bar-Oz and Munro 2004; Madgwick 2014; Madgwick and Mulville 2012, 2015a; Orton 2012) have provided greater detail on the way in which different processes inter-link. The field of taphonomic research has never been more vibrant. Although further progress is required and standardisation remains a major issue (Albarella 2015; James and Thompson 2015), as processes and modifications become better understood, their interpretative potential in zooarchaeological research is increasingly wide-ranging. In spite of this, the systematic use of taphonomic data remains largely the realm of early prehistoric research, most commonly in Palaeolithic zooarchaeology. Research on early prehistory has often focussed on identifying agents of accumulation and characterising the nature of consumption by defining deposits in terms of their modification and the bones they comprise. This reflects a continuing concern with demonstrating or discounting an assemblage’s anthropogenic origins—a concern which contributed to the initial development of taphonomic studies in archaeology (Lartet 1860; Morlot 1861). Research on later assemblages, though less widespread, has tended to pay closer attention to processes of carcass division, dispersal and to a lesser extent refuse management. In spite of these different foci, certain themes are equally relevant to all archaeological assemblages, the preand post-depositional movement of bones being one example. Understanding the scale, intensity and character of bone movement on archaeological sites has wide-ranging ramifications for understanding site formation, humananimal relations and dietary practice. However, it is exceptionally rare that the movement of faunal remains is the principal focus of zooarchaeological research and it is largely undervalued in terms of its interpretative potential. Evidence for bone movement is all too often relegated to the status of a brief note and relatively rarely interrogated to the degree that it can be utilised to reconstruct social practices and biological processes. With the expansion of taphonomy as a sub-discipline, bone movement has become a greater focus, but research remains somewhat polarised, with the vast majority occurring in early prehistoric archaeology and little engagement between those studying different periods. Papers published in this special issue derive from a conference session * Richard Madgwick MadgwickRD3@cardiff.ac.uk

Problematizing Bayesian approaches to prehistoric chronologies

In recent years Bayesian exploration of radiocarbon datasets has been employed widely in prehistoric archaeology. Pertinent especially to major biogeographic and behavioural changes such as human dispersals and extinctions, the spread of agriculture and culture change, the method can offer a powerful means to improve considerably the precision of prehistorians’ investigation of some of the most major questions in human prehistory. As such its potential is profound – it has even been regarded as the third radiocarbon revolution – but its appropriateness is dependent on the assumptions that must be made of the samples selected for dating. How sound are these assumptions, and therefore how reliable are Bayesian analyses? Here, we introduce some aspects and assumptions that underline Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon measurements, and we problematize their application in Palaeolithic archaeology. We conclude that many existing models are faulty, and suggest some criteria for quality control in this field.

The Sri Lankan ‘Microlithic’ Tradition c. 38,000 to 3,000 Years Ago: Tropical Technologies and Adaptations of Homo sapiens at the Southern Edge of Asia

The prehistoric archaeology of Sri Lanka is of considerable significance for investigations of the evolution, dispersal and adaptation of our species within a variety of environments beyond Africa during the Late Pleistocene. In particular, the archaeological and fossil sequences of Sri Lanka’s ‘Microlithic tradition’, c. 38,000–3,000 cal. years BP, have yielded some of the earliest Homo sapiens fossils, microlithic technologies, osseous toolkits, and evidence for symbolic ornamentation and long-distance contacts anywhere in South Asia. The further association of the Late Pleistocene portion of these records with the tropical rainforest of Sri Lanka’s Wet Zone also makes Sri Lanka of particular interest for debates regarding the viability of tropical rainforest for early human foraging and specialization. Yet beyond mentions of its fossil evidence, the archaeology and palaeoenvironmental contexts of the ‘Microlithic tradition’ have remained little-explored in the international literature. Here we present the first critical review of this period of Sri Lankan prehistory, examining its local chronologies, the spatial and diachronic patterns of its material cultural sequence, and relating its technological and fossil record to broader international archaeological, anthropological and genetic debates.

Climate change in deserts: past, present and future

Reconstructing climatic changes in deserts and their margins at a variety of scales in space and time, this book draws upon evidence from land and sea, including desert dunes, wind-blown dust, river and lake sediments, glacial moraines, plant and animal fossils, isotope geochemistry, speleothems, soils, and prehistoric archaeology. The book summarises the Cenozoic evolution of the major deserts of the Americas, Eurasia, Africa and Australia, and the causes of historic floods and droughts. The book then considers the causes and consequences of desertification and proposes four key conditions for achieving ecologically sustainable use of natural resources in arid and semi-arid areas. Climate Change in Deserts is an invaluable reference for researchers and advanced students interested in the climate and geomorphology of deserts: geographers, geologists, ecologists, archaeologists, soil scientists, hydrologists, climatologists and natural resource managers.

Applying SEM to the study of use-wear on unmodified shell tools: an experimental approach

Although in prehistoric archaeology the evidence provided by molluscs has often been studied, few works have focused on the functional analysis of shells as tools. A number of prehistoric sites around the world are producing evidence from retouched shells that indicates that they were used for certain operations. In recent years, several experimental studies have been conducted for the purpose of gaining insight into the processes involved in shell tool production and use. This paper focuses on the procedures and the preliminary results of a program of use-wear experiments based on SEM analysis, and corroborates that non-retouched shells can also yield interesting results and can be used as a reference against which archaeological materials can be compared.

Submerged Prehistory: A Current Review

In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the potential and importance of studying prehistoric archaeology preserved on the continental shelf, not just within the field of Maritime Archaeology, but also within more traditionally ‘terrestrial’ archaeological circles. Whilst we have known for many years that Maritime Archaeology is not just concerned with shipwrecks, this rapidly burgeoning field is attracting a wider audience, and with the use of cutting edge technology, no one needs to get their feet wet. A combination of developments in geophysical survey and accessibility to both technology and data have enabled a sea-change in our ability to map the sea-floor at high resolution and proactively search for areas of potential preservation. The two volumes discussed below indicate the move from sporadic chance-finds on the sea-bed to targeted archaeological prospection. The study of submerged landscapes can significantly influence our understanding of the past on a number of levels: from the minutiae of daily life seen through the unique preservation of organic material rarely seen on land, to the Big Questions of hominin migrations. In addition to this, sub-bottom acoustics and programmes of coring and geotechnical analyses have enabled the submerged shelf to be studied in terms of environmental change and narratives of sea-level rise—relevant contemporary issues. Both volumes originated from conferences: the Benjamin et al. 2011 was born from the 2009 European Association of Archaeologists’ annual meeting (Riva del Garda) and SPLASHCOS (EU funded COST action TD0902, Submerged Prehistoric Archaeology and Landscapes of the Continental Shelf 2009–2013), whilst the Evans et al. 2014 was prompted by sessions at the Sixth World Archaeology Conference (WAC 6) Dublin 2008 and Internationaler Kongres fur Unterwasserarchaologie/International Congress on Underwater Archaeology (IKUWA 3) London 2008.

A note on handaxe knapping products and their breakage taphonomy: an experimental view

The notion that broken artifacts provide a good indication of the taphonomic history of lithic assemblages is commonly accepted in prehistoric archaeology. High frequencies of broken artifacts are frequently viewed as an indication of the possible role of post-depositional processes such as high-energy fluvial transportation, trampling or plowing. Yet another alternative is that the breakage resulted from the knapping process itself. In this study, the knapping byproducts of biface shaping and thinning (the final stages of handaxe production) originating in several experiments were systematically studied and their breakage frequencies and patterns were determined. The breakage patterns observed for the experimental assemblages were then used in a model designed to simulate the effect of breakage resulting from post-depositional processes, providing the breakage patterns expected for such an assemblage. The breakage pattern and frequencies observed in the experimental assemblages and those provided by the model were then compared to an archaeological assemblage representing the production of Acheulian assemblages that include bifaces from the site of Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov (GBY), Israel. The results indicate that high breakage rates are inherent to the final stages of the Acheulian bifacial knapping process. Furthermore, they demonstrate that taphonomic (post-depositional) breakage changes the breakage pattern of the production stages in a systematic trend. Finally, the results show that the lithic assemblage of GBY presents breakage frequencies and patterns that are more similar to those of the experimental assemblages than those generated by the model. In the light of these results, it is suggested that this assemblage was not subjected to any breakage caused by post-depositional processes.

The Development of World-Systems

This essay discusses conceptual issues that arise from the study of human social change. The comparative and evolutionary world-systems perspective is explained as a theoretical research program for studying long-term social change. This approach employs an anthropological framework of comparison for studying world-systems, including those of hunter-gatherers. Problems of spatially bounding whole human interaction networks are addressed, and the utility of a comparative approach to the study of hierarchical relations among human polities (core/periphery relations) is examined. The hypothesis of semiperipheral development is explained, and criteria for empirically identifying semiperipheral regions are specified. World history and global history are the most important evidential bases, along with prehistoric archaeology, for the comparative study of world-systems. Getting the grounds of comparison right by correctly conceptualizing the spatial units of analysis and paying careful attention to core/periphery relations are crucial issues in the effort to comprehend and explain the development of world-systems.