Rescue Excavations Research Articles

Brass metallurgy in Urartu: Recent evidence from eastern Anatolia

Traditionally, the beginning of substantial and deliberate brass production through the cementation process has been placed to the Early Roman period. Sporadic early finds have accordingly been considered to be the result of various experimentations by eastern Mediterranean metallurgists at least since the Late Bronze Age. Several Anatolian finds, dated to the early first millennium BC, that were made from zinc rich alloys have been interpreted within this framework. In ancient Urartu, however, the mastery and application of advanced metal technologies of both casting and working of copper-alloys as well as blacksmithing are well documented. This study aims to provide a further understanding of this phenomenon by shedding light on the development of zinc metallurgy in eastern Anatolia based on recent finds unearthed during the rescue excavations at Murat Tepe and Murat Höyük in the Murat River basin in modern eastern Türkiye. In both cases the metal assemblages from stratified contexts were analysed by the means of multiple archaeometallurgical methods. The results from portable XRF (pXRF), metallography, micro-hardness, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and Raman spectroscopy analyses have showed that zinc was intentionally used as an alloy additive in order to fabricate brass. Moreover, in one case, the chemical composition consisting of zinc (Zn), tin (Sn) and copper (Cu) was detected, which indicates different alloying practices for the production of different types of objects. These new observations raise further questions about the deliberate production and manufacturing of brass prior to the wide spread of this metal technology in the Roman period.

Application of Phytolith (Microbiomorphic) and Non-Pollen Palynomorph Analyses to the Geoarchaeological Study of the Graft Farmyard, the Netherlands

The aim of the present paper is to discuss the application of phytolith (microbiomorphic) and non-pollen palynomorph (NPP) analyses to the geoarchaeological study of a Medieval – Early Modern Time period farmyard in Graft, a settlement located in the polder region of North Holland, the Netherlands. The authors have assessed the potential of the methods chosen for studying this type of archaeological site during rescue excavations, when archaeologists often have a limited number of samples or methods for geoarchaeological analysis. The studies conducted have proved the informative value and effectiveness of microbiomorphic and NPP analyses in rescue excavations, especially when applied in combination, thus providing controlling and complementary information for each analysis. The data obtained have provided an important insight into the archaeological interpretation of the cultural layer within the farmyard. In addition, more information was gained on the local palaeoenvironmental dynamics and the phases of economic activity at the farmyard during the 13th–17th centuries CE.

Preliminary Report of the First Season of Excavation at the Achaemenid Period (Iron Age IV) Cemetery in Mersin, Semnan Province, Iran

ABSTRACT This article presents the results of the first excavation season of the Mersin cemetery, in the Semnan region, Iran. The cemetery was discovered through surface reconnaissance for the documentation of the area’s archaeological heritage before the construction of the Finesk Dam. Rescue excavations were then conducted in 2014 in three distinct areas of the necropolis. Particularly interesting were results were obtained from trench 3 in which 15 tombs dating to the Achaemenid period were found. This discovery is of particular importance because it reveals interesting information about the Late Iron Age in the area, which was virtually unknown prior to these investigations.

Digging Up Jericho: Past, Present and Future

Digging Up Jericho: Past, Present and Future

Professional Archaeology in the UK under COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic had serious effects on the delivery of commercial archaeology in the United Kingdom during 2020 and 2021. This article presents a contemporary history of two years of practice and political developments. Because of commercial archaeology’s place within the broader construction sector, it became a ‘protected’ industry, resulting in a massive increase in the amount of work undertaken. Archaeology adapted remarkably well to the difficult and dangerous conditions of the pandemic, while encountering new challenges in staff recruitment.

Pottery traditions in Kydonia: Preliminary results from the petrographic analysis of three pottery assemblages in Chania

Chania, or Minoan Kydonia according to the Linear B tablets, has been an important Minoan settlement throughout the Bronze Age. Systematic and rescue excavations on the hill of Kastelli since the 1970 s has revealed the presence of a major palatial centre of the Late Minoan III (LM IIIA1-B1) period that kept thriving even after the collapse of the Minoan palatial system. This paper deals with the combined analysis of three assemblages from Chania covering all phases of the Postpalatial period (LM IIIA1 to LM IIIB2). The petrographic analysis of an array of coarse and fine wares allowed the in-depth investigation of pottery production throughout the LM III period and the establishment of the main pottery recipes. Issues of provenance and technology of manufacture are investigated with emphasis on the use of different types of raw materials for the production of coarse wares used for domestic purposes as well as semi-fine and fine wares used for transportation and consumption of staples and liquids. With an approach incorporating pottery from different contexts and different chronological horizons of the LM III period this paper examines continuity and discontinuity in the use of fabrics and clay recipes in time and at a micro-regional level. Last but not least, the technological characteristics of the renowned ‘Kydonian workshop’ are examined.

Urban Planning and Urban Lots in Cluj during The Modern Period. A Historical-Archaeological Perspective on the Emmanuel de Martonne, Hermann Oberth and Gaál Gábor Streets

"Over the past two decades, the accelerated development of historical urban centers in Transylvania has determined an increase in archaeological rescue interventions. The phenomenon was also documented in Cluj‑Napoca. However, the legislative framework and the attitude of local decision‑makers remain deficient in protecting and capitalizing on the built historical heritage and archaeological remains in the urban area. The lack of complex research programs focusing on Transylvanian urban environments has also enabled widespread ignorance regarding the archaeological remains of the modern period. The development of the entire field of study of urban historical archaeology has thus been inhibited. This field of archaeology provides the theoretical framework and methodological background for the research carried out in the second part of 2021 on three of the secondary streets of the historical center of Cluj: Gaál Gábor St., Hermann Oberth St. and Emmanuel de Martonne St. The contextualization of the discoveries in the three streets adjacent to the famous Platea Luporum intra muros (Farkas utca, Mihail Kogălniceanu St.) has facilitated the analysis of urban planning efforts throughout the modern age, as well as their antecedents and origins. The research has highlighted different situations for each of the streets in question, regarding their period of origin, possible mutations, and connections with the associated urban lots. Emmanuel de Martonne St. is a late modern creation, planned and executed in two stages during the second half of the nineteenth century. Unlike it, Hermann Oberth St. is considerably earlier in date, possibly medieval, with a well‑defined and documented trajectory since the seventeenth century. Furthermore, Gaál Gábor St. was originally an obscure footpath that originated in the first half of the eighteenth century. It now has a partially altered trajectory due to urban systematization works dated to the beginning of the twentieth century. Their simultaneous research has allowed us to follow a long process of reconfiguration and multiplication of the street network in this micro‑area of historical Cluj."

The role of highland regions in interregional connectivity: Upper Galilee in the Early Bronze Age

The Early Bronze Age I–II transition in the southern Levant (c. 3000 BCE) is attested by significant changes in the organization of settlement systems, and economic modes of production and distribution. This study examined settlement patterns in the mountainous Upper Galilee and adjacent regions during the Early Bronze (EB) I–II. The regional settlement history was studied using a systematic survey of archaeological sites, as well as an analysis of all available archaeological data from previous surveys and salvage excavations. This study demonstrates that, despite the complexity of surveying multi-period mountainous sites, a systematic survey can contribute to reconstructing individual site histories and the region’s history as a whole. In the Early Bronze Age, the Mountainous Upper Galilee, usually considered peripheral to the large, newly-established urban centres of the lowlands, played a significant role that has previously been overlooked. In addition, this study offers an integrative highland–lowland model for the changing settlement landscapes at this transition.

The Aterian site of Phacochères (northern Algeria): a zooarchaeological perspective

ABSTRACT The Phacochères site (formerly known as Les Allobroges) is a small ravine belonging to a karst system in northern Algeria. The rescue excavations conducted in 1960s at this site have yielded an exceptionally rich assemblage of vertebrates associated with Aterian stone tools. These faunal fossils collected in sandy clay levels are characteristic of the North African Upper Pleistocene and they represent a remarkable model for understanding the structure of prehistoric mammalian associations, palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and past habitat diversity. Based on biochronological and palaeoenvironmental data, the assemblage is attributed to Marine Isotopic Stage 5 (MIS 5) defined by a forest and grassland ecosystem. This paper reports the results of an analysis of the modifications of this faunal assemblage produced by human and carnivore activity. It suggests that the Aterian occupants of the site preferentially oriented their hunting towards large prey such as buffalo and aurochs and that they were able to compete with other carnivore predators. Nevertheless, the assemblage represents a palimpsest accumulated by different predators, both human and carnivore, that results from events that overlapped with brief human occupations of the site.

The Secret in the Desert: Preliminary Conclusions from the Excavation of a Unique Burial Complex in the Negev Highlands

In the course of a salvage excavation in the centre of the Negev highlands, near Tlalim Junction and Kibbutz Tlalim, a unique burial site dated to the middle of the first millennium BCE was discovered. The site appears to be located at the head of an ancient crossroad, and it seems that for generations it was used for communal graves and associated burial rituals carried out by travellers. Dozens of burials were found in the structures, along with an extraordinary wealth of special finds, most of which date to the middle of the first millennium BCE, from the end of the Iron II and the beginning of the Persian period. The site opens a gateway to multidisciplinary research related to identifying the origin of the finds, identifying the source of the burials and those interred, understanding its ritual significance, understanding the manner of burial and identifying ancient trade routes.

КОЛЛЕКЦИЯ ПРЕДМЕТОВ, ПОЛУЧЕННЫХ ПРИ АВАРИЙНО-СПАСАТЕЛЬНЫХ РАСКОПКАХ ГРУНТОВОГО МОГИЛЬНИКА "БЫВШЕЕ КЛАДБИЩЕ БУТЫРСКОГО ФОРШТАДТА ОМСКОЙ КРЕПОСТИ" В Г. ОМСКЕ В 2018-2019 ГГ.

In May 2018, when examining a land plot for the construction of a residential building located in the Central Administrative District of Omsk, the employees of the LHKE ONC SB RAS discovered a cultural layer belonging to the cemetery ofButyrsky Forstadt in Omsk. In 2018 and 2019, emergency rescue excavations were carried out. This article is devoted to the results ofthe study of the collection of cross pendants during the work, as well as other objects obtained during excavations. Among other items, a military uniform preserved in the burial is of particular interest, the analysis and study of which is currently under way. The article is of interest to researchers of urban cemeteries of the 19th century, as well as to researchers of Russian copper casting.

The episcopal palace of Parnassos in Cappadocia and its Early Byzantine floor mosaics

AbstractThe Roman mansio or way station and Byzantine bishopric of Parnassos in Cappadocia is chiefly known through inscriptions and bishops’ lists and identified with the small Turkish village of Parlasan/Değirmenyolu. It came as a surprise when a salvage excavation unearthed a large building with sumptuous floor mosaics beyond the outskirts of the village. Previous excavation reports misrepresented the building as a basilica church, when it was in fact an apsed hall and may be identified as the reception unit of an elite residence, as this article shows. A large central room had an elevated apse where the landlord would have sat. An animal mosaic in front of the apse is comparable to similar compositions in fourth-to-sixth-century urban palaces but avoids any reference to pagan mythology and employs stylistic features that are otherwise known from church floors. A mosaic inscription identifies the reception unit as belonging to the bishop and thus as part of the episcopal palace. This discovery is augmented by the find of a Late Roman sarcophagus and three Early Christian gravestones. Later, after the original palace was mostly destroyed, the building complex underwent a second, utilitarian phase that appears to date from the Invasion Period, when the Arabs raided central Anatolia from the seventh to ninth centuries.

The diachronic archaeological record of ancient Yehud: From the Late Chalcolithic to Modern Times

Substantial archaeological exposure of the ancient city of Yehud was achieved through as many as forty-four trial and salvage excavations conducted since 1993. The accumulated data has now reached a critical mass where a broad synthesis is made possible, concerning a site for which investigation has been slow due to the challenges of excavating within a densely populated and rapidly developing modern city. Excavations in the city, located in Israel’s central coastal plain, revealed a patchy history of human settlement, ranging in date between the Late Chalcolithic and Ottoman periods, with lengthy periods of sparse residential use, when the site was variably utilized for funerary, industrial, agricultural, or other types of yet unidentified activities. This comprehensive synthesis unravels the archaeology and history of this little-known site, located at the heart of a region that has undergone major social transformations and historical upheavals during the period in question. The information on Yehud is contextualized with up-to-date knowledge of the archaeology of the central coastal plain, especially concerning Yehud’s hinterland within the Ayalon valley.

КРАТКИЕ РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ ПОГРЕБЕНИЙ МОНГОЛЬСКОГО ВРЕМЕНИ ИЗ КУРГАНА №8 МОГИЛЬНИКА ПЕСЧАНЫЙ-I В РОСТОВСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ РФ

The Rostov region is famous for the variety of forms and the number of sites from different eras of antiquity. But, as in many subjects of the Russian Federation, the region has not been studied evenly. The study of archaeological sites of medieval nomads, especially of the Mongolian period, is one of the urgent problems of modern archaeology. Studies of the Peschany-I plowed burial ground 2015 in the Remontnensky district are twice as relevant. Firstly, it is relevant from the point of view of rescue archaeology. They are also relevant from the point of view of interdisciplinary research which certain categories of grave goods were subjected to. Currently, an interregional team of researchers is preparing the materials of medieval burials for publication, subjecting them to an interdisciplinary comprehensive study. The first results have been brought to your attention.

PREVENTIVE ARCHAEOLOGY ACTIVITIES, CENTRAL I WIND COMPLEX: LITHIC SITES IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF LAJES AND ANGICOS, STATE OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE

This present technical report aims to describe the archaeological rescue activities and laboratory analyses linked to the environmental licensing activities of a wind energy project named “Complexo Eólico Central I” installed in the city of Lajes and Angicos, state of Rio Grande do Norte. This report is divided into four sections: the research context, which describes the environmental and archaeological characteristics of the study area; the methods and techniques applied in the research, which describe the field and laboratory activities conducted; the results obtained; and the correlation of archaeological sites, which describes the results obtained and the technical characteristics of the lithics artifacts of the sites studied.

Results of Archaeological Rescue Excavations at the Site of the Former German Forced Labour Camp KL Jawischowitz, Oświęcim District

The paper presents the results of rescue archaeological excavations carried out at the site of the former German forced labour camp KL Jawischowitz, a sub-camp of KL Auschwitz-Birkenau. It discusses the historical material related to individual phases of use of the building complex as well as the camp architecture and the accompanying technical infrastructure. The remains of architecture connected with two blocks of flats and the camp infrastructure functioning in the years 1942–1945 and also used later were discovered. Movable ­historical objects obtained during the research in the form of fragments of ceramics (porcelain, tiles, and construction ceramics) and glass, connected with the functioning of the German forced labour camp, were also analysed. Between 1945 and 1950, the camp was used by the authorities of the Polish People’s Republic as a forced labour camp for German citizens, members of the NSDAP and the Hitlerjugend, Volksdeutsche, and people suspected of disloyalty to Poland. The last stage of the operation of the former camp complex took place after 1950, when it was converted into a workers’ housing estate. Since the demolition of the housing estate in the 1970s the area has been used as a park, which is currently undergoing revitalisation.

The ancient farmstead at Lakkos (Kionia) on Tenos. An interdisciplinary study

This paper offers a preliminary presentation of the first, so far, known ancient farmstead on the island of Tenos in the Aegean Sea in Greece, confirming the significance of archaeobotanical research for the interpretation of archaeological data. At the site of Lakkos at Kionia, the building remains of an agricultural installation were discovered during a rescue excavation (2018–2019) conducted by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports. The main period of use of the farmstead is dated in the Hellenistic and Roman eras (2nd century BCE-2nd century CE) covering a large span of time until its final abandonment during the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D. Both archaeological and archaeobotanical evidence confirm activities such as farming, oil, honey, and possibly wine production as well as processing and storage of goods at the site. Moreover, the discovery of an oil pressing installation elucidates aspects related to the oil extraction technology and the specialized agricultural industry in ancient Tenos.The study of Lakkos is expected to offer important new evidence regarding a series of understudied scientific issues related to the landscape, the agricultural economy, the rural habitation, the social organization, and the cultural significance of Tenos in antiquity.

Castrum Lubenov

Due to illegal construction works in 2016, the late medieval motte-and-bailey castle in Lubrza was significantly damaged. The immediately undertaken rescue excavations paradoxically led to better understanding of the complex based on the obtained archaeological evidence as well as written sources, architectural studies, and remote sensing data. Detailed analysis of the artefacts has made it possible to establish the basic occupations of the inhabitants of the tower, their standard of living, everyday life, wealth, diet, and social status. The archaeological research also allowed us to establish accurate chronology of the complex, which should be placed in the 14th century.

Towards a better understanding of the economy and culture of the Late Bronze Age in the southeastern Baltic: Tarbiškės settlements

In 2020, rescue excavations due to construction of a pipeline connecting Poland and Lithuania took place at the Bronze Age sites Tarbiškės 1 and Tarbiškės 2, eastern Lithuania, both dated to 1050–900 cal BC. They revealed a rather homogeneous archaeological assemblage which fills a gap in the development of the Bronze Age culture and economy in the southeastern Baltic. Tarbiškės Ware, from a typological as well as chronological point of view, stands in an intermediate position linking Trzciniec culture pottery with Žalioji and Early Striated Wares. Macrobotanical analysis of charred plant remains revealed that Bronze Age people at Tarbiškės cultivated Panicum miliaceum, Hordeum vulgare and Triticum sp. The Tarbiškės sites demonstrate that early farmers used to settle areas at higher elevations with sandy soils, further from large bodies of water. They used flint and other stone tools widely and lacked bronze. Tarbiškės is the first and only ancient settlement discovered in Lithuania with a workshop for on-site manufacturing of polished stone axes with drilled holes.

HARBETSUVAN TEPESİ SÜRTME TAŞ ALETLERİ

Güneydoğu Anadolu'da son dönemlerde yapılan çalışmalar Çanak Çömleksiz Neolitik Dönem’e ışık tutmaktadır. Şanlıurfa'da gerçekleştirilen Yüzey Araştırmaları ve Kazı Çalışmaları Çanak Çömleksiz Neolitik Dönem’e ait merkezlerin bu bölgede yoğun olduğunu göstermektedir. Göbekli Tepe başta olmak üzere Karahan Tepe, Sayburç, Nevali Çori, Ayanlar Höyük, Şanlıurfa-Yeni Mahalle, Harbetsuvan Tepesi, Sefer Tepe, Kurt Tepesi, Hamzan Tepe ve Taşlı Tepe bunlardan bir kaçıdır. 2014 yılında keşfedilen Harbetsuvan Tepesi Şanlıurfa il sınırları içerisinde Şanlıurfa'nın 53 km doğusunda Tek Tek Dağları olarak bilinen kalkerli platolar arasında yer almaktadır. Çanak Çömleksiz Neolitik Döneme tarihlendirilen Harbetsuvan Tepesi'nde; T-biçimli dikilitaşlar ve mimarı yapı kalıntıları gün yüzüne çıkarılmıştır. Bunun yanı sıra çok sayıda çakmaktaşı alet, öğütme taşları, havanelleri, taş kaplar, hayvan kemiği ve çeşitli süs eşyası gibi buluntular ele geçmiştir. Çalışmamızda; 2017, 2018 ve 2019 yıllarında gerçekleştirilen kurtarma kazılarında ele geçen sürtme taş buluntuları üzerinde incelemeler yapılmıştır. Sürtme taş aletler boyut ve şekil olarak farklılıklar göstermektedir. Bazı buluntular sağlam olarak ele geçmiştir. Sürtme taş aletler; havanelleri, alt ve üst ezgi taşları, balta, keser, kesercik, keskicik, sapan taşları, biley taşı, delici, taş kaplar, bezeli taş plakalar, mermer tıkaç, kireç taşı misketler, bazalt vurgaç, yuvarlak pencere taşı ve sürtme yöntemi ile şekillendirilmiş bazalt ve bazalt parçaları, düzeltili ve işlentili taşlardan oluşmaktadır.