Rescue Excavations Research Articles

The Puzzle of Silesia’s Pre-Roman Iron Age: The Settlement at Graniczna Street in Wrocław

In the autumn of 2014, rescue excavations were carried out at 4A Graniczna Street in Muchobór Wielki, Wrocław. The 2-hectare excavation area yielded remains of a multi-phase settlement, including a stage from the pre-Roman Iron Age. The excavated finds primarily consisted of pottery vessel fragments, alongside a well-preserved middle La Tène Mötschwil-type brooch, daub, and animal bones. Among the identified features were pits, postholes, pit houses, and the remains of a ground-level post building with a well. However, while the structure dates to the Iron Age, its exact chronology remains a subject of debate. The discovery of this late pre-Roman Iron Age settlement in the Ślęza river zone provides further evidence that the area featured a network of settlements dating to the earliest phases of the late pre-Roman period. These settlements bridge the chronological gap between the decline of the Lower Silesian La Tène culture settlement and the earliest discoveries associated with the classical Przeworsk style.

RADIOCARBON CHRONOLOGY OF THE OCCUPATION OF THE SOUTHERN COAST OF NAYARIT, MEXICO

ABSTRACT Despite chronicles from the 16th century describing fertile alluvial plains and densely populated wetlands, archaeology in western Mexico has been little studied. The Directorate of Archaeological Salvage (DSA) of National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has initiated a study of two sites in Costa Canuva, at the southern part of Nayarit state: Becerros and Naranjos. Thirty charcoal and shell samples were radiocarbon (14C) dated to determine occupation history. A Bayesian approach was used to build a chronological modeling from charcoal samples. Charcoal and shell samples found in the same context allowed us to calculate the ΔR values of marine offset for this period. In general, the archaeological sites of this area are divided into three major periods: Formative, Classic, and Postclassic. The 14C dating of Becerros recovered materials provided a chronological framework for the site’s occupation, from cal AD 169–1025, corroborating the ceramic studies in the sense that human settlement activities date from the Formative (300 BC–AD 600) to the Early Postclassic (AD 900–1200). Naranjos started in the Classic period and reached its occupancy peak in the Late Classic. The site’s occupation may have persisted for at least two centuries after the conquest of the Altiplano in 1521. The comparison of charcoal dates and associated shell samples from the Naranjos Unit gave a probability distribution for ΔR, that ranged from 118.5 to 199.5 with a mean value of 159 ± 4, slightly higher than other values obtained at nearby sites.

Recycle, repair and reuse in Roman Napoca

The archaeological rescue excavations carried out between 1992 and 2001 and again in 2012 in Roman Napoca (Cluj-Napoca, Romania), on the site from Victor Deleu Street revealed important information regarding the life of the ancient town and its residential areas. One of the most interesting discoveries is represented by an assemblage of twelve metal objects: a statue, a statuette, three fragmentary metal vessels, four pieces belonging to lighting equipment (candlesticks and a lamp base), a pair of scissors fragmentarily preserved and two decorated bronze plates. They were identified on the floor of an annex belonging to a private residence, in a context which can be dated during the fourth–fifth decades of the 3rd century AD. The paper is a preliminary analysis of the assemblage. The objects are all high-quality imports and most of them present traces of repair or were recomposed from different parts coming from other objects. They attest the existence of a ‘antiquarian-restorer’ in Roman Napoca and reveal a clear concern for selecting, collecting, recycling, repairing and refunctioning good quality objects.

Defining Boundaries of Modern Times Archaeological Heritage Sites in Izhevsk and Sarapul, Udmurt Republic

The article publishes the findings made by the staff of the Kama-Vyatka archaeological expedition from the Udmurt State University. The study aims to identify the boundaries of the sites of archaeological heritage dated the Modern Times and located in Izhevsk and Sarapul, the Udmurt Republic. The methodology for identifying the boundaries of the monuments within the urban development includes analysis of archives and maps, combination of archaeological and archival research. The fruitful efforts of the Udmurt State University team and the Udmurt Republic State Body for Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites joint in 2007–2022 allowed to determine boundaries of the Izhevsk Plant settlement, the Troitsky (Nagorny), Mikhailovsky and Nikolo-Pokrovsky cemeteries in Izhevsk, Sarapul settlement and the Voskresensky Cemetery in Sarapul. Some other towns differentiate particular zones or blocks associated with finds of the cultural layer or items. However, in contrast thereto, the boundaries of the Sarapul settlement and the Izhevsk Plant Settlement are outlined as a single territory associated with the historical part of Sarapul and Izhevsk. This allows immediate archaeological rescue works in the monuments. Izhevsk and Sarapul reveal a rather intense dynamics of setting Modern Times archaeological sites, namely – the early cemeteries and historical parts of cities

An underwater metal hoard of the Urnfield Period from Prosiměřice in Znojmo District: On the issue of the relationships between hoards, settlements and waters

The Prosiměřice 2 metal hoard was discovered during archaeological rescue excavation in 2021 on the northern edge of the cadastre, where it was located in the floodplain of the River Jevišovka below the groundwater level. In addition to nine ingots and a broken-off sprue, the hoard contains two socketed axes, which date the find to the later stage of the Middle Danube Urnfield Culture. All the artefacts of the hoard were subjected to material composition analysis, which proved both relatively pure and variously impure copper (most ingots) as well as tin bronze (axes, ingot, sprue). According to X-ray computed tomography and use-wear analysis, the axes are imperfect, though functional, casts. The Prosiměřice 2 hoard therefore contains artefacts from various stages of the metallurgical production chain, just like the previously discovered Prosiměřice 1 hoard. Both hoards are part of a contemporary open settlement area and their contents could thus indicate local metallurgical activity. Other metal hoards in settlement areas also indicate a potential correlation between their contents and metallurgical production in open settlements. The location of both hoards from Prosiměřice in a floodplain wetland or even underwater points to their irreversible deposition and, like most other multi-piece hoards in a water environment, we associate them with communal socio-cultic rituals.

Burial Histories, Bodies, and Pots: Mortuary Practices in the Southeastern Rainforests of the Andes during the 1st Millennium a.d. (El Cadillal, Argentina)

ABSTRACT Through the control of social memory and the dead, household members in Argentinian Andean early Formative villages often used primary and secondary mortuary practices to negotiate power and identity among the living. In this paper, we explore the material evidence obtained in the large-scale salvage excavations of El Cadillal, Argentina, where 51 burials were recovered from three burial sites. Between a.d. 0 and 900, people living in the southeastern rainforests placed deceased household members in ceramic urns and, less frequently, inside of rock enclosures and pits surrounded by a range of grave offerings. Drawing upon this case study, we attempt to disentangle the complex web of relationships between the dead, the living, and the El Cadillal community in order to assess how social memories were crafted through primary and secondary mortuary events and how the repetition of mortuary rituals created a social landscape and memories of the dead.

Spilled Wine, Spilled Blood: Spilling the Secrets of the Covered Cup from the Chungul Kurgan

Abstract The covered cup, discovered in 1981 during the salvage excavation of a burial mound in southern Ukraine, is an impressive example of secular metalwork from around 1200. The cup’s interior contains a cast silver-gilt lion and a hitherto undetected siphon mechanism, making it one of the first preserved automata from Europe and the earliest known Western medieval example of this type of trick vessel. The cup from the Chungul Kurgan helps to clarify the probable operation of the chantepleure illustrated in the sketchbook of Villard de Honnecourt and sheds light on possible other medieval automata. The cup’s presence in the same burial with other works from the same approximate date and region suggests historical circumstances that might have resulted in its burial with a nomadic leader in the steppe.

Victim of an armed conflict?

During rescue excavations at a rural cemetery in Dolany (NW Bohemia) dating to the 11th-12th century, the skeleton of a young male featuring numerous wounds (n=10) of perimortem sharp force trauma was excavated. Nine of the injuries were localised to the postcranial skeleton and one to the skull. An analysis and interpretation of the wounds showed that at least eight blows were inflicted with a slashing weapon, which could have directly contributed to his death. The observed pattern is most consistent with injuries inflicted during armed conflict. Based on historical sources, it is known that there was no warfare in the immediate vicinity of Dolany during the period under review. Therefore, it has been suggested that the male may have been the victim of a fight or battle, and his body was transported and buried in the place where he probably came from. The discovery provides new information on the funerary practices of victims of early medieval armed conflicts in Bohemia.

Exploring Colour Palette in Pottery from Western Anatolia and East Asia—Colour Schemes to Inspire

In the present case study, the manufacturing technology for glazed pottery was investigated, with particular focus on the great variety of colours and glaze recipes used in Western Anatolia and East Asia and observed in finds from rescue excavation sites in Greece. An assemblage of 40 ceramic fragments dating from the Late Byzantine and Islamic to the Ottoman/Venetian periods was examined for their decoration, surface treatment, and production technology. The peculiarities of the colour recipes applied on the glazed pottery of different assumed origins of production were investigated, focusing on glaze technology and employing colourants. This was achieved by the use of an analytical workflow that considered the compositional details of pigments, slip coatings, and glazes. The chemical evaluation was carried out utilising X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (pXRF) and Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Raman Spectroscopy provided information about the compositional variation, and the microscopic examination via Optical Microscopy (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDS) yielded information about the sample stratigraphy of the examined ceramic sections. Through a wide range of colour and glaze recipes, this study of glazed ceramics was able to define and express the essential elements of each pottery workshop’s perception of colour.

Rescue excavation at Kurnish al-Bahr Tombs (Latakia city)

Rescue excavation at Kurnish al-Bahr Tombs (Latakia city)

The Artemis Sanctuary of İnarası Cave (Burdur/Bucak)

İnarası is located within the borders of Taşyayla village in Bucak district of Burdur province. This place was discovered in 2008 by F. Gülşen from Burdur Museum, who went with the court committee to investigate the illegal excavation incident in İnarası; the registration efforts were completed in 2009, and the boundaries of the area were determined and added to the cultural inventory in 2014. The data obtained during the rescue excavations carried out in the cave, which was determined to be used as a sacred area and naos in 2016-2017, belong to the Late Neolithic Age and the Ottoman Period. One of the most striking issues in this study is the inscriptions. The first of the inscriptions is the one that documents that the sanctuary was dedicated to the goddess Artemis. The second inscription, it is learned that it is not the name of the person who had votived, but the name of his father. In addition, it is suggested that a fragmentary inscription containing the letters MHTPI˂O may have been associated with Meter Oreia or Demeter. Another important subject of the study is the architectural elements that provide important clues regarding the restitution of the two facade arrangements of the sanctuary. It is known that in the Anatolian theological tradition, the continuity of the cult was ensured by the identification of the Mother Goddess with the belief in Ephesian Artemis. For this reason, the presence of worship areas related to the Mother Goddess on the main rock surrounding the sacred area in İnarası and on the hill to the north, and the construction of the Artemis sacred area in the same region later, are important evidence of the continuity of the cult.

Prehistoric Human Occupation in The Central Part of Burkina Faso

From the outset, prehistoric research in Burkina Faso focused on the northern, eastern and western parts of the country. The central part that interests us in the present study was considered to be exclusively dominated by material traces from the Iron Age. This central part, located around the capital Ouagadougou, is characterized geophysically by its flat relief and is drained by the Massili, the main tributary of the Nakambé. The country’s security context, marked by terrorism, has made it one of the safest areas for the practice of field archaeology. As part of our resilience-based archaeology, we have uncovered hundreds of Iron Age and prehistoric sites on granitic outcrops. All the sites identified face a variety of problems, mainly linked to the consequences of uncontrolled urbanization and land development, which have transformed prehistoric sites, particularly into quarries. The urgency of the situation led us to carry out a rescue archaeology surface collection at three of the sites. Techno-morphological analysis of the hundred or so artefacts collected indicates the characteristics of three material cultures: Acheulean, Mousterian and Laminar. In a general context where prehistoric research is in its infancy, these new data redefine our understanding of the country’s prehistory and lay the foundations for understanding human dynamics throughout the Nakambé watershed.

Embodied Poverty: Bioarchaeology of the Brentwood Poor Farm, Brentwood, New Hampshire (1841–1868)

AbstractThrough a commingled, fragmentary assemblage of skeletal remains (MNI = 9) recovered from a 1999 salvage excavation, this article explores the lives and deaths of individuals interred at the Brentwood Poor Farm, Brentwood, New Hampshire (1841–1868). This work demonstrates that bioarchaeological analyses of smaller samples can provide nuanced accounts of marginalization and institutionalization even with scant historical records. The skeletal analysis presented here is contextualized within the larger history of the American poor farm system and compared to similar skeletal samples across the United States. The hardships these individuals faced—poverty, otherness, demanding labor—were embodied in their skeletal remains, manifesting as osteoarthritis, dental disease, and other signs of physiological stress. These individuals’ postmortem fates were also impacted by status; they were interred in unmarked graves, disturbed by construction, and once recovered, were again forgotten for more than 20 years.

Applying 3D stratigraphic reconstruction to a large rescue archaeology site. A case study of the medieval and early modern submarine topography in Oslo, Norway

The site B8b in Oslo, Norway, measured over 10,000 cubic metres and was excavated by the Norwegian Maritime Museum (NMM) and the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) in 2022–2023. This paper presents the workflow for the 3D reconstruction of the stratigraphic phases on NMM's part of the site. The challenges that come with 3D reconstructing a site of this size are discussed and compared to other sites where 3D stratigraphic reconstruction has been attempted. For this study, solid meshes of the stratigraphy were created in Blender, then integrated with other excavation data in ArcGIS PRO. The 3D dataset of the stratigraphy was subsequently used for analysing the inclination of the former seafloor and the relationship between the site's stratigraphy and finds such as a late medieval boat wreck.

Food offerings and firewood: Integrated archaeobotanical analyses of seed/fruit and wood charcoal remains from a Hellenistic-Roman Cemetery on Tinos Island, Cyclades

Archaeobotanical studies have already been widely and successfully used in Greece for the Neolithic to Iron Age periods, yet they were mostly omitted in Classical archaeology. This was justified by the existence of ancient texts, that provide information on plant use in Antiquity. However, not every aspect of life and plant use is described in ancient texts, and additionally, research of past vegetation relies solely on the studies of plant remains. A rescue excavation of a Hellenistic-Roman cemetery with pyres and graves on Tinos Island in the Cyclades provided not only charred seeds/fruits and leaves, but also large amounts of charcoal. The material enabled the study of food offerings / grave goods of plant origin, as well as the choice and availability of fuel wood for cremations. The olive (Olea europaea) seems to have been an important food crop on the island, as it was found in high quantities, accompanied by barley (Hordeum vulgare) and other cereals (Cerealia), as well as cereal products (ACO = amorphous charred objects), figs (Ficus carica) and grapes (Vitis vinifera). Fuel wood for the cremations was mainly based on evergreen oak (Quercus sect. Ilex) and olive wood (Olea europaea), the latter probably deriving from prunings produced in olive groves. Other macroremains, such as a leaf of kermes oak (Quercus coccifera), myrtle charcoal (Myrtus communis) and heather leaves (Erica manipuliflora) point to fuel harvest in Phrygana shrubland, which is the main vegetation form found on the island today.

Burial of the Khazar Time on the Territory of the Archaeological Site of Malyachkino IV

In 2021, an archaeological team of Interregional Centre of Archaeological Studies LLC carried out a series of rescue excavations in Malyachkino IV ancient settlement located in Shigonsky District, Samara Region. The main cultural layer represents the Srubnaya culture dating the Late Bronze Age. The settlement was found with a subsoil grave field of the Golden Horde period. The graves are nearly rectangular in shape and slightly deepened into the natural ground. The deceased are buried with their heads facing west and mostly lacking grave goods. The archaeologists also found a single subsoil grave of the Khazars period. The rectangular grave hosts a grown person (anthropological material is in a poor condition). The person is slightly crouched on the right side with the head facing west. Among the grave goods, there were a redware amphora, two moulded earthenware pots, a round jug, a piece of a bronze mirror and ironware fragments. One of its kind for the Middle Volga, the burial ground dates back to the second half of the 8th century – first half of the 9th century. The paper provides equivalents to the finds: a Pontic amphora with partially ribbed surface, a Saltov round jug made of gray clay, a bronze disk-shaped mirror with a small rim around it, moulded ceramics. It is concluded that the studied burial ground is associated with the Saltovo-Mayaki culture, possibly with Khazar nomads in particular. Based on the equivalents from other burial sites in the region, it is likely that the graves were once topped with a small kurgan mound. Later, the kurgan mound was smoothed down as the territory was in economic use. It is assumed that the people who left behind the Malyachkino grave field were migrating to the Middle Volga from a Saltovo-Mayaki steppe.

Preliminary Observations of the Archaeological Rescue Excavations of the Multilayered Settlement and Necropolises at Tarnyane, Vidin District

Abstract The rescue archeological excavations at the multicultural site of Tarnyane, Vidin district, Northwest Bulgaria, conducted in 2020–2021 uncovered evidence that the site was inhabited during the Early Bronze Age (EBA), Middle Bronze Age (MBA), Late Iron Age, and the Middle Ages. This article provides an overview of the main archaeological features uncovered during the excavations, along with the first results from anthropological, archaeozoological and geoarchaeological analyses. During the excavations, remains of an Early Bronze Age and Late Middle Ages settlements were studied, as were three necropolises: one from the Early Bronze Age, one from the Middle Bronze Age, and one from the Late Middle Ages. The archaeological site near Tarnyane has shed new important light on the development of the settlement patterns and burial practices during the Bronze Age and Late Middle Ages.

Looking Back to Move Forward: Urban Renewal, Salvage Archaeology, and Historical Reckoning in Alexandria, Virginia

Looking Back to Move Forward: Urban Renewal, Salvage Archaeology, and Historical Reckoning in Alexandria, Virginia

Cilician Amphorae from the Tarsus Zeytin Pazarı Excavation

Rescue excavations were carried out in and around the remains of the Roman reservoir uncovered during the renovation works of the Zeytin Pazarı in the north of the city center of Tarsus. In particular, piles of ceramic sherds were recovered from the fill inside the reservoir remains, and commercial amphorae constitute the most dense group among these finds. Spread over a long period of time during the Roman Period and Late Antiquity, the amphora also includes types from different geographical regions. Among these, amphorae, which were apparently imported from the cities of the Cilicia Region, were categorized. In this way, information was obtained about the regional trade connections of Tarsus in the above-mentioned period. The amphorae, which have been handled with the names commonly accepted in the literature, have been typologically defined and dated by analogy method. Thus, Pompei V and Agora G 198 amphorae from Aigeai were dated to the 1st-2nd centuries AD, Zemer 41 amphorae from Bıçkıcı, Antiochia ad Cragum and Syedra to the 1st-3rd centuries AD and Proto Late Roman 1 amphorae from Elaiussa Sebaste to the second half of the 4th century AD.

Aksaz Thermal Complex: An Evaluation in Terms of Glass Finds and Settlement Archaeology

The Aksaz thermal complex is located 48 km southwest of the centre of Uşak province, 18 km southwest of Ulubey district and 4.3 km southeast of Aksaz village. Blaundos (Sülümenli) is 10 km northeast of the spa, Motello (Bekilli) 24 km east and Tripolis (Buldan) 33 km southwest. Since many illegal excavations were discovered in the area in 1994, rescue excavations were carried out by a team from the Uşak Museum Directorate. The Aksaz stream is on the northern boundary of the bath where the rescue excavations were carried out and it was found that there were many hot water springs around the bath. This bath complex, which seems to have been in use from the Hellenistic to the Byzantine periods, was unfortunately abandoned after the rescue excavations and has been further destroyed by illegal excavations. The aim of this study is to emphasise the need for new additions to the road routes indicated by D. French with the existence of this archaeological site, by evaluating a thermal structure that has survived for hundreds of years in a rural settlement area and the uses of the glass found here.