Seasons Of Excavation Research Articles

Alexandria, Kom el-Dikka. Seasons 2014–2015. Appendix: Islamic cemetery at Kom el-Dikka in Alexandria: research in the 2014 and 2015 excavation seasons

The Polish–Egyptian mission at Kom el-Dikka, ran by the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw, stepped up the already advanced preservation processes aimed at establishing an Archaeological Park at the site. Conservation work was carried out in the theater portico, the bath complex and the residential quarter of late Roman date in the eastern part of the excavation area. In turn, the western part was the focus of archaeological research centered on the exploration of some late Roman structures located underneath. The early medieval/Islamic cemetery overlying these remains was explored first. A detailed report from this work is appended to this article. The human skeletal remains from the cemetery were examined by anthropologists. The western gate to the bath complex, leading from the theater portico, was fully exposed. Finds from present and earlier work at the site continued to be studied: glass vessels, pottery, lamps, bone objects, painted wall plaster, and a vast collection of coins.

Technological study of Middle Bronze Age painted plaster fragments from the Canaanite Palace of Tel Kabri, Israel - materials and painting techniques

This study investigated technological aspects of newly discovered painted plaster fragments from the 2008–2011 excavation seasons at Tel Kabri, Israel. Kabri is one of only four Eastern Mediterranean sites with such Aegean-style paintings.The purpose of this technical study was to characterize the painting, discuss the technique, and identify the pigments present. Advanced imaging techniques were combined with optical microscopy and instrumental analysis for the examination of the painted fragments.The findings of the study align very well with other studies of Aegean-style paintings from the same era, insofar as the painting techniques, the materials used, and the color palette. This includes a limited number of just five pigments that were used in order to obtain a total of eight different colors or tones: blue, yellow, orange, red, pink, black, brown and white.The pigments identified in this study were of mineral origin except the synthetic blue pigment. This is similar to pigments found in other studies of Aegean-style paintings of that period. Blue was the most common color found. Based on the plaster characteristics, the plaster paint interface, and the quality of the surfaces, the fragments could be separated into three groups.

Metalworking at Megiddo during the Late Bronze and Iron Ages

Metalworking at Megiddo during the Late Bronze and Iron Ages

Landscapes of the Medieval Commons in Villanueva, Asturias, Spain

This brief report provides an overview of the aims and preliminary findings of the first two seasons of excavation of fields and structural remains in Asturias, Spain, buried by a medieval flash flood. It also describes a workshop developed in collaboration between the La Ponte Ecomuseum in Villanueva, Asturias, and the UCL Institute of Archaeology based on the heritage and archaeology of the region. The project uncovered ceramics, faunal remains and evidence of changes in land use during the period before the site was inundated.

An Economic History of the Maritime Woodland Period in Port Joli Harbour, Nova Scotia

Abstract Five seasons of survey and excavation in Port Joli Harbour, NS, Canada, have resulted in a high-resolution archaeofaunal sample from 2 contrasting shell-bearing sites: AlDf-24, and AlDf-30 (Jack's Brook). In this paper, we discuss the evidence for differences in mollusk-, fish-, and mammal-harvesting strategies between contemporaneously occupied sites. Furthermore, we highlight shifts in Mi'kmaw exploitation of coastal resources around the Middle to Late Maritime Woodland transition (ca. 1300 cal B.P.). Finally, we present insights regarding shellfish-harvesting strategies and site seasonality from isotopic analysis of softshell clam (Mya arenaria) shells. In the process, we construct a history of human—animal relationships in Port Joli, and reveal crucial similarities and important differences with Wabanaki economic strategies in adjacent regions.

Should We Repatriate an On-Campus Archaeological Collection from the Middle East?

Should We Repatriate an On-Campus Archaeological Collection from the Middle East?

Early Minoan mortuary practices as evident by microarchaeological studies at Koumasa, Crete, applying new sampling procedures

Here we present the results of a micromorphological study conducted on the recently excavated layers in a tholos tomb - Tholos Beta - at the Minoan site at Koumasa, Crete, during the 2013–2014 excavation seasons. This was also a unique opportunity to conduct a detailed research on in situ unexcavated archaeological layers in a Minoan tholos tomb, applying new and innovative sampling methods in order to enable such research in remote locations. This is the first time a micromorphological study has ever been conducted at a Minoan tholos tomb. The micromorphological analysis of the archaeological layers demonstrates that a single and massive burning event of hundreds of disturbed burials took place throughout the structure. This was followed by sprinkling of burnt lime on top of the burnt bone layer. Later cycles of similar burning events are also implied. These results have significant implications on our understanding of Early Minoan mortuary practices and symbolic world.

The Earliest Known ‘Sign of Tanit’ Revealed in 11th Century BCE Building at Megiddo

During the 2008 excavation season at Megiddo, a small copper alloy object was uncovered in a clean, early Iron I context. It is the earliest sign of Tanit known to date. The article surveys the roots of this Phoenician symbol from the Iron Age to the Hellenistic period in the Phoenician homeland, and evaluates the new find’s significance in terms of its date and regional origin.

UBC Excavations of the Roman Villa at Gerace, Sicily: Results of the 2015 Season

A second season of excavation was conducted in 2015 at Gerace (Enna province, Sicily). In the small late Roman villa of ca. 370/375 ad identified by earlier work, the largest room, in the west wing, was found to have a floor of opus signinum, but the west corridor, in contrast to the mosaic-paved south corridor, had a floor of beaten earth throughout its life. The villa may never have been completely finished, even though occupation debris suggests it was frequented for much of the fifth century. Of the small freestanding bath-house at a higher level alongside it, only a single heated pool had survived later demolition. In its place two storerooms were inserted deep into the earth for efficient insulation. In the fire that destroyed the villa ca. 450/530 ad, a date supported by C14 analysis, the contents of these stores were carbonized: a huge cache of thousands of seeds, principally barley but also including wheat, grapes, and legumes, was uncovered there. The much larger, earlier store-building to the east, provisionally dated to ca. 325/350 and destroyed ca. 360, is now shown to have been a basilican structure. Three earlier phases of building have been detected below it; there is also a sherd of Attic Black Figure pottery, attesting activity at Gerace ca. 500 bc. A further 37 examples of stamps on roof tiles were discovered, including a single example from a hitherto unrecorded die; they were all part of the production, probably on site, of Philippianus, the likely owner of the Gerace estate in the late fourth century. After the fire of 450/530 ad, early Byzantine structures (seventh century?), much disturbed by the plough, occupied part of the site of the late Roman villa.

La batellerie égyptienne: Archéologie, histoire, ethnographie

188 PHOENIX La batellerie  egyptienne: Arch eologie, histoire, ethnographie. Ed. Patrice Pomey. Alexandria: Centre d’Études Alexandrines (Études Alexandrines 34). 2015. Pp. 335, 174 illustrations. For scholars interested in the history of Mediterranean ships and shipping and for specialists researching questions related to Egyptian inland water transport (batellerie)— and given that region’s hydrology there are few questions that do not at least touch on the topic—this well edited, richly illustrated, and attractively produced volume will prove a reasonable investment. The volume as a whole will be of less interest to many readers of this journal. The topic of Egyptian batellerie is peripheral to the research of many classicists and Greek and Roman historians. While maritime transport stood at the heart of ancient connectivity, inland water transport was of less importance in ancient Greece and systems of river and lake transport in other regions like Gaul were generally subject to unrelated developments. Furthermore, the project’s chronological scope (from pharaonic Egypt to the present day) and methodological range (from traditional philology to experimental archaeology) have resulted in contributions that are unusually diverse. And finally, the volume’s fourteen chapters, twelve in French and the other two in English, have their genesis in papers presented at a 2010 conference at the Centre d’Études Alexandrines and collectively they reflect an unevenness in terms of quality and significance that is characteristic of academic conferences. Nevertheless, a number of contributions are certain to prove useful to classicists and ancient historians. Mohamed M. Abd el-Maguid (15–34) offers an overview of Nile transport in the pharaonic period and Mahmoud Sief el-Din Gomaa (35–86) provides the same for the Nile together with canals and lakes as communication networks in the Graeco-Roman period. As with all the chapters in the volume their utility is augmented by the up-to-date bibliographies that accompany each chapter. We might place in a similar category Marianne Bergmann and Michael Heinzelmann’s (87–98) paper summarizing the evidence for the site of Schedia and demonstrating how preliminary results of five excavation seasons between 2003 and 2009 can shed light on the site’s important role in the Hellenistic and Roman periods as a river port and customs station at the crucial juncture where the canal from Alexandria joined the Nile’s Canopic branch. Patrice Pomey’s (151–172) discussion of the Palestrina mosaic is devoted primarily to offering an original discussion of how the nine boats illustrated in the mosaic represent “un véritable catalogue de la batellerie nilotique à l’époque gréco-romaine” (169). Given that four of the nine crafts are a small, simple type made of papyrus and that the documentary evidence suggests considerable diversity in types of crafts, the notion of a “catalogue” perhaps overstates the case. Nevertheless, Pomey plausibly associates three of the remaining boats with types attested in textual sources for Graeco-Roman Egypt (thalamus, kybaia, and baris). He likewise identifies a fourth as a type of coracle attested iconographically in Egypt already in the predynastic period and still known to Strabo as a paktôn. Tempting too, if less certain, is his suggestion that a flooded fence structure close to the coracle depicts a kind of fishing weir. Lucien Basch (173–178) suggests that the curved, mortised planks comprising a wooden door from the temple to Sobek at Theadelphia in the Fayum were reused from a ship of the early Ptolemaic period. Pascale Ballet and Patrice Pomey illustrate and discuss the possible practical and religious significance of two groups of terracottas— chiefly lamps—from Graeco-Roman Egypt that take the form of boats and seem to de- BOOK REVIEWS/COMPTES RENDUS 189 pict shipping on the Nile. In one group a divinity (most often Harpocrates) accompanies the craft while in the other group (which is perhaps more interesting) ships, comprised of two distinct types and sometimes loaded with cargoes, appear alone. In terms of significance, Pascal Arnaud’s masterful study of the papyrological evidence for freight shipping on the Nile (“La batellerie de fret nilogique d’après la documentation papyrologique [300 avant j.-c.–400 après j.-c.],” 99–150) stands...

Preliminary Report on the Thirteenth Excavation Season of the Archaeological Expedition to Wad Ben Naga

The thirteenth excavation season of the Archaeological Expedition to Wad Ben Naga focused on archaeological exploration of the Typhonium (WBN 200) and the nearby cemetery WBN C200, as well as on conservation of structures located in Central Wad Ben Naga.

Preliminary Report on the Twelfth Excavation Season of the Archaeological Expedition to Wad Ben Naga

The twelfth excavation season of the Archaeological Expedition to Wad Ben Naga focused on archaeological exploration of the Typhonium (WBN 200) and the Palace of Queen Amanishakheto (WBN 100), and on conservation of structures located in Central Wad Ben Naga.

The Near East before Borders: Recent Excavations at Ein el-Jarba (Israel) and the Cultural Interactions of the Sixth Millennium cal. B.C.E.

During the 2015 excavation season at Ein el-Jarba, Israel, two Halaf sherds were uncovered in a domestic context dating to the Early Chalcolithic period. Ein el-Jarba was inhabited during the sixth millennium B.C.E. and has been regarded as part of the Wadi Rabah culture, which is known for its interactions with the northern Levant, as evidenced by intense obsidian trade. The Halaf culture was the dominant cultural group of upper Mesopotamia and eastern Anatolia at this time, and also influenced the northern Levantine littoral. The Halaf sherds from Ein el-Jarba currently represent the southernmost spread of Halaf ceramics. Here the author discusses the Halaf sherds, their archaeological context, and the implications of long-distance ties between the Halaf and Wadi Rabah cultures, shedding new light on the interregional connections of the Levant in the Early Chalcolithic period.

BMH2 and the Iron Age Northern Coastal Oman in Light of 2014–2015 Excavation Seasons

After 2014–2015 field season BMH2 is going to assume a more defined profile within the Iron Age of Southeast Arabia. According to the material culture the village was at its best during the Early Iron Age ii, between 1100–600 bce. During this long time span a complex local society took place thanks to coastal exploitation, agricultural activities and trade. Nonetheless, the transitional periods between the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age i as well as the end of the Early Iron Age and the beginning of the Late Iron Age should be the objects of future excavations.

A Bronze Age Grave Discovered at Tepe Foroudgah, Iran: An Anthropological and Palaeopathological Study

The first aim to study skeletal remains is to recognize and answer the human differences, sex, stature and demography. The next, and important reason, is skeletal palaeopathology. It examines remained bones and teeth to show dead reasons and find out the environmental diseases in ancient times. The result of this study illustrates re-establishment of ancient society and gives the main key for discussion and conclusion. This article focuses on remained bones, found from the first season of excavation, on Tepe Foroudgah, Khorramabad-Iran, in September 2014. This site is located among three prehistoric sites with almost 3 to 4 kilometers away from each other. No reports from those archaeological excavations have been issued on human skeletal remains so far. Tepe Foroudgah yielded human skeletal remains for the first time amongst them and from this point of view, the study of the found bones was put in the first job of excavation reports to answers many questions such as the reason of finding human skeleton, its identity, the reason of death, sex and age. Hence, this article tries to give a new light on Iranian ancient population in Western parts. Further, this article will focus on age and sex determination, human discrepancies and it will describe these main questions as well. General views and analysis on palaeopathologies show the stresses and lesions of individual. Therefore, the reason of individual death is discussed here. The methodology applied is based on current and standard studies methods in Physical Anthropology. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n6p259

The New Swedish Cyprus Expedition 2015. Excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke. Preliminary results

In 2015 the sixth season of the renewed excavations at the Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke continued in the compound which was ex­posed in Area 6W in 2013–2014. Further evidence of textile process­ing was found. The results of another ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey in 2014 indicated a new city quarter west of the former. Exca­vations were initiated there in 2015 and parts of the remains of a large compound were exposed. Two occupational phases, Strata 1 and 2, could be determined, both of which were destroyed in a conflagration. Further excavations were carried out in Area A, 550 m to the east of Area 6W and close to the mosque of Hala Sultan Tekke. In 2014 more than 80 circular anomalies were indicated by our geomagnetic survey supported by GPR. Twelve of them were excavated in 2015. Most of them turned out to be backfilled wells of which the fills mainly date from the 13th and 12th centuries BC (Late Cypriot IIC–IIIA). One of the excavated anomalies is interpreted as an offering pit. The preliminary date according to the pottery is roughly the 15th century BC (Late Cypriot IB).

The Iron Age copper industrial complex: A preliminary study of the role of ground stone tools at Khirbat en-Nahas, Jordan

The first industrial revolution in the southern Levant crystallized during the Iron Age when copper production reached scales never before seen in this part of the Middle East. Ever since copper ore was first smelted during the Chalcolithic period, the Arabah valley, and its widespread distribution of copper mineralization, was the main source for copper ore in the region. The main ore deposits are located in Timna (Israel) in the southern part of the valley, and some 105 km to the north, in the Faynan region (Jordan). Faynan is the largest copper ore resource zone in the southern Levant. Excavations at the Iron Age Faynan site of Khirbat en-Nahas and the recent final publication of that project have revealed peaks in industrial-scale production during the 10th and 9th centuries BCE. However, the role of ground stone tools in the Iron Age copper industry in Faynan has not been systematically presented. This paper presents a preliminary study of the ground stone assemblage from one excavation season at Khirbat en-Nahas, thereby highlighting the great potential for ground stone tools research at the site. Using the chaîne opératoire method of technological study, this paper takes a quantitative approach to the typological, material, and spatial distribution of ground stone artefacts at Khirbat en-Nahas to understand their role in copper production. Ethnoarchaeological study of hereditary bronze casting workshops in southern India provides a compelling model of how ground stone tools played a critical role in one of the most important dimensions of metal production in all periods - recycling - in an Iron Age copper factory.

Chemical soil surveys at the Bremer Site (Dakota county, Minnesota, USA): Measuring phosphorous content of sediment by portable XRF and ICP-OES

The Bremer Site lies along the shores of Spring Lake in southeastern Minnesota, and excavations in the 1950s uncovered evidence of Woodland and Mississippian occupation phases. In 2011, a new program of systematic survey and excavation began to better understand cultural patterning and diachronic changes at the Bremer Site. The investigations came to include microarcheaological methods, including sediment micromorphology and soil chemistry. No element has received more archaeological attention than P, which can reflect human and animal waste, organic refuse, burials, and ash. There has been interest in integrating soil chemistry into the workflow of fieldwork and in the potential of portable analytical instruments to yield data within the timeframe of an excavation season. The last few years have seen the rise and proliferation of portable XRF (pXRF) instruments in archaeological studies. The newest generation of pXRF instruments is able to quantify P at low concentrations, and our focus here is developing effective methods to do so in archaeological soils and sediments. Using sediments from the Bremer Site, we evaluate two preparation techniques in order to find which one best balances analytical quality and preparation time. To analyze as many specimens as possible during an excavation season, it is desirable to identify adequate preparation methods as well as the smallest number of analyses needed to attain reasonable confidence levels. Regarding repeatability, we show that, to attain P values with a standard error better than 10% or 20% of the mean, one or two analyses per specimen are sufficient in a majority of cases. Regarding reproducibility, we compare the pXRF data to two independent ICP-OES datasets. Ultimately, these tests aid in establishing methods that enable archaeologically significant pXRF analyses of soil P concentrations, even when working far from an analytical laboratory.

Immersion is the new ritual: the miqveh at Khirbat al-Mukhayyat (Jordan) and Hasmonean agro-economic policies in the Late Hellenistic period

The 2014 season of excavation at Khirbat al-Mukhayyat, Jordan, unearthed a stepped ritual bath or miqveh dating to the Late Hellenistic Period. Though there are numerous wine presses that are found in the vicinity, the site itself does not have a substantial settlement during this period. Mukhayyat was likely an agricultural settlement with a limited population associated with the production of wine. This local wine production reflects an increased desire amongst the transplanted Jewish population to maintain ritual purity in the Late Hellenistic Period in this region, as promoted by the Hasmoneans. Viticulture and wine production were presumably under Hasmonean control and their economic influence expanded alongside their military conquests.

J. Bretschneider, K. Van Lerberghe (eds.). In search of Gibala. An archaeological and historical study based on eight seasons of excavations at Tell Twei

J. Bretschneider, K. Van Lerberghe (eds.). In search of Gibala. An archaeological and historical study based on eight seasons of excavations at Tell Twei