Stone Enclosure Research Articles

Chernobyl's Palimpsestic Shelters

The more than 400,000 cubic-meters of concrete meant to contain the deadly debris of the largest nuclear accident of the 20th century in Chernobyl in the Ukraine were named “Sarcophagus” in the Western world— an architectural term describing the stone enclosure of a dead body. It would not remain the only structure built to contain the catastrophic fallout. After 1986, the supposedly ever-durable material of modern architecture started to crumble under the radiation. A new enclosure needed to take shape. In an international architecture competition held in 1992 by the Ukrainian government, an arch was chosen as “New Safe Confinement” (NSC) to keep the toxic matter sealed inside. Built from steel this time, this new shell was completed after lengthy delays in July 2019—a monument containing a brutalist radioactive ruin. Its building technology, implemented to delay leakage to protect future human generations, in turn needs those very generations precisely for its own maintenance. This article poses the many hulls of Chernobyl as architectural palimpsest: a deathly bind of matter and time, of decay, ruin, and construction in the fall-out’s ongoing aftermath. Written as history of architectural knowledge, the making space for a destructive non-human occupant (under human care) turns a seemingly straightforward architectural narrative into the story of a structure built too late to keep the world around it inhabitable.

Commentaria archaeologica et historica (V). 1. About the Legionary Fort at Sarmizegetusa in AD 102–205 (Cassius Dio 68.9.7). 2. The Destiny of the “Dacian Gold”. About a Koson Type Coin Reused in the 16th Century in a Christian (Renaissance) Context

Commentaria archaeologica et historica (V). 1. About the Legionary Fort at Sarmizegetusa in AD 102–205 (Cassius Dio 68.9.7). 2. The Destiny of the “Dacian Gold”. About a Koson Type Coin Reused in the 16th Century in a Christian (Renaissance) Context

Saryarka Archaeological Institute, Buketov Karaganda State University

This article describes a high-ranking burial at the Tabyldy cemetery in the Shetsky District of the Karaganda Region, Kazakhstan. The mound was encircled with a stone enclosure and marked a double burial of horses with discoid cheek-pieces and metal staples, symbolizing a chariot. Funerary items include a bronze knife-dagger, a goad-head, a metal pendant from a plate twisted 1.5 times and overlaid with gold, paste beads, tubular beads, and potsherds. A detailed description of these items is provided. The cheek-pieces resemble those of the Staroyuryevo type. Their position on the skulls of the horses suggests a reconstruction of the harness. On the basis of new finds, the evolution of the cheek-pieces is proposed. The reconstructed severe bits were made by interweaving metal staples with leather strips. This innovation, securing better driving, was the reason why later cheek-pieces had no studs. A comparative analysis of the burial rite and funerary items suggests an Early Alakul attribution. The fact that the horses ’ heads were oriented to the northeast, like those of the buried humans (judging by the places where the bottoms of ceramic vessels were concentrated), evidences the influence of the Early Timber-Grave (Pokrovsk) culture. The AMS date and its 1 SD limits point to the late 18th to early 17th century BC, suggesting the Nurtai stage of the Alakul culture in Central Kazakhstan.

Chalcolithic settlement of Bahra 1 and its possible functions

Excavations of the Kuwaiti–Polish Archaeological Mission at the site of Bahra 1 in Kuwait uncovered the remains of a large settlement from the sixth millennium BC, associated with the Mesopotamian Ubaid culture. This connection is made clear by the presence of Ubaid Ware from the Ubaid 2/3 phase that appears alongside Red Coarse Ware typical for the Arabian Neolithic. Architecture of the settlement resembled the Ubaid one with orthogonal, multi‐chambered houses. In one part of the site they form a dense block with traits that indicate some degree of spatial planning. This type of spatial arrangement is absent in Arabian Neolithic settlements and is also unknown from Ubaid settlements in Mesopotamia. One of the buildings discovered at Bahra 1 has a ground plan reminiscent of a sanctuary from Eridu XVI and was probably associated with cultic activities, as was a circular stone enclosure (Unit 6), representing local building traditions. The character of Bahra 1 architecture and the presence of cultic buildings at the site suggest that the settlements served as a local ceremonial and/or cultic centre.

INSKOY DOL: A NEW EARLY BRONZE AGE SITE IN WESTERN ALTAI

We describe Early Bronze Age burial mounds at Inskoy Dol, in the lowland zone of western Altai. The cemetery includes two groups of mounds differing in funerary rite and burial goods. One of them reveals features typical of Afanasievo culture (round cairns made of 2–3 layers of small and medium-sized stones, stone enclosure, supine fl exed position of the buried, heads directed toward the west, ocher coloring, and egg-shaped sharp-bottomed vessels). The other group corresponds to the Kurota type (round cairns made of stones placed fl at in a single layer, supine fl exed position of the bodies, eastern orientation, ocher coloring, no grave goods or jar-shaped vessels). Afanasievo and Kurota cemeteries, then, are separate but close to one another. The radiocarbon date of Afanasievo mounds is 29th to 27th centuries BC. Excavations at Inskoy Dol make it possible to specify the boundaries of the Afanasievo culture, suggesting that it was distributed not only in highland central Altai but in more westerly lowland areas as well.

Инской Дол – памятник эпохи ранней бронзы в Западном Алтае

We describe Early Bronze Age burial mounds at Inskoy Dol, in the lowland zone of western Altai. The cemetery includes two groups of mounds differing in funerary rite and burial goods. One of them reveals features typical of Afanasievo culture (round cairns made of 2–3 layers of small and medium-sized stones, stone enclosure, supine fl exed position of the buried, heads directed toward the west, ocher coloring, and egg-shaped sharp-bottomed vessels). The other group corresponds to the Kurota type (round cairns made of stones placed fl at in a single layer, supine fl exed position of the bodies, eastern orientation, ocher coloring, no grave goods or jar-shaped vessels). Afanasievo and Kurota cemeteries, then, are separate but close to one another. The radiocarbon date of Afanasievo mounds is 29th to 27th centuries BC. Excavations at Inskoy Dol make it possible to specify the boundaries of the Afanasievo culture, suggesting that it was distributed not only in highland central Altai but in more westerly lowland areas as well.

The Middens at Tora Nju and Their Adjacent Stone Enclosure

Abstract Tora Nju is the local name for a collapsed stone walled enclosure situated approximately 20km from Sowa Spit, 200 m south of the Mosetse River, and 7 km east of the present strandline of Sowa Pan. The site that takes its name from this ruin includes several midden areas containing pottery, stone tools, and faunal remains along with house structures and grain bins. Excavations were carried out in parts of all these site components. The middens contained a moderately rich suite of materials including sherds, glass and shell beads, metal, and animal bones. The enclosure, however, yielded very little. Consequently, we concentrate here first on the middens before turning to the enclosure. Typical Khami vessel forms predominate throughout the midden stratigraphy; a few midden sherds are comparable with Lose wares in part contemporary with Khami ceramics. A possible earlier Leopard’s Kopje presence is also indicated. Glass beads characteristic of Khami Indo-Pacific series were also recovered from all midden levels. Three charcoal samples yielded contradictory radiocarbon dates for the middens, and we have no direct means for dating the enclosure. We evaluate evidence for a takeover of Sowa salt production by the Khami state sometime in the early 15th century. Finally, we examine historical records and incorporate current linguistic and dna studies of Khoisan and Bantu speakers to illuminate the social history of the Tora Nju region.

Cathair Crobh Dearg: From Ancient Beliefs to the Rounds 2017

This paper will study the case of the stone enclosure of Cathair Crobh Dearg, Co. Kerry (also referred to as the City) and Dá Chích Anann (or the Paps of Anu), the twin mountains that can be seen from the enclosure. The site is mentioned in ancient mythological texts as well as more modern accounts in connection with the Irish festival of Bealtaine, in early May. The author relied on archaeological evidence, an analysis of ancient documents, a number of manuscripts from the Irish National Folklore Collection, as well as personal visits to the site in order to try and understand the nature, and possibly origin, of both contemporary rituals and ancient beliefs.

Monks, priests and farmers

A community research excavation centred on Baliscate on the Isle of Mull (NGR: NM 49677 54068) took place in autumn 2012. The excavation has revealed the existence of a thriving 6th-century agricultural settlement which was either adopted or replaced by a 7th-century Christian community which appears to have been a monastic establishment. The continued ecclesiastical nature of the settlement into the 9th and 10th centuries is attested by the presence of a later enclosure/vallum and a rectangular structure interpreted as a leacht. In the late 11th or early 12th century, a stone and turf bow-ended structure was built which probably functioned as a longhouse or hall. This structure was later used in the 12th century to house a large corn-drying kiln. Although no 11th- or 12th-century structures were identified adjacent to the leacht, occupation deposits were identified. Then, in the late 13th or early 14th century, a wattle and turf structure was built over these deposits and the remains of a seventh- to eighth-century cemetery. This structure burnt down and was rapidly replaced by a new stone and turf structure enclosed by a rectangular stone and turf enclosure. This is tentatively interpreted as an enclosed chapel, but the evidence is contradictory and it may have simply been an enclosed farmstead. Occupation around the site continued in one form or another until the 16th century and thereafter the site was used intermittently. The excavation has highlighted how little we know about the so-called enclosed chapel sites of Argyll and the absence of evidence for the early Christian church.

The new antiquarianism?

Christopher Witmore (2014: 215) recently observed that “things go on perturbing one another when humans cease to be part of the picture. A former house may be transformed through relations with bacteria, hedgehogs, water, compaction”; and if the materials that archaeologists confront are material memories (cf. Olivier 2011) from which a past is to be recalled in the future, thenThe kind of memory that things hold often tells us little of whether materials strewn across an abandonment level resulted from the reuse of a structure as a sheepfold, a series of exceptional snow storms, the collapse of a roof made of olive wood after many years of exposure to the weather (rapports between microbes, fungi, water and wood), the cumulative labors of generations of badgers, children playing a game in a ruin, or the probing roots of oak trees(Witmore 2014: 215).In other words, the things that archaeologists confront bear the memories of their own formation without the necessity of a human presence, and the traditional and often exclusive priority given to a human agency in the making of those things and in giving them meaning is simply misplaced. Things get on “just fine” without the benefit of human intervention and interpretation (Witmore 2014: 217). Should archaeology therefore allow that it is not a discipline concerned with excavating the indications of the various past human labours that once acted upon things, and should it eschew the demand to “look beyond the pot, the awl or a stone enclosure for explanations concerning the reasons for their existence” (Witmore 2014: 204)? Consequently, is archaeology now a matter of following the things themselves to wherever they might lead—what Witmore characterises as the New Materialisms—and if so, are we now to practise archaeology “not as the study of the human past through its material remains, but as the discipline of things” (Witmore 2014: 203)?

The Discovery of Altÿnkazgan

This article is devoted to the recently discovered site from the Hunnic period within the territory of the Mangÿshlak Peninsula (Kazakhstan). Inside a stone enclosure the silver facing of a saddle was found bearing depictions of animals and birds. The article provides a cultural interpretation of the site and a stylistic and semantic analysis of the depictions on the facings.

Kašučių senųjų laukų archeologiniai tyrinėjimai

Straipsnyje pristatomi Kašučių senųjų laukų archeologiniai tyrinėjimai ir jų metu gauti rezultatai. Trumpai apžvelgiami ir senųjų laukų teritorijoje vykdytų palinologinių bei geocheminių tyrimų rezultatai, aprašomi aptikti akmenys su dubenėliais. Kašučių senuosius laukus atrado ir juos tirti 1980–1981 m. pradėjo archeologas mėgėjas Ignas Jablonskis. XXI a. pradžioje Vilniaus universiteto Archeologijos katedros iniciatyva vykdytas antrasis Kašučių senųjų laukų tyrimų etapas. Tarpdalykiniuose ir tarptautiniuose tyrimuose dalyvavo ir Tartuuniversiteto archeologai, vadovaujami Valterio Lango, Kretingos muziejaus archeologas Julius Kanarskas, kiti tyrinėtojai.

Ideology, ceremony and calendar in pre-contact Hawai‘i: astronomical alignment of a stone enclosure on O‘ahu suggests ceremonial use during the Makahiki season

Author(s): Gill, TM; Kirch, PV; Ruggles, C; Baer, A | Abstract: The Hawaiian people before Western contact gathered at special places during the Makahiki period, a time that was sacred to the god Lono, and during which sports, games and other ceremonies took place. Archaeological excavation and archaeoastronomical investigation together suggest that an approximately 40 m2 rock enclosure in the uplands of Honouliuli on the island of O'ahu was such a special gathering place. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the enclosure was most likely constructed between the late AD 1500s and early AD 1600s, with a notable period of use during the mid-AD 1600s. The archaeoastronomical evidence supports this conclusion, in that the enclosure is precisely aligned upon the horizon rising point in AD 1600 of the Pleiades star cluster (Makali'i in Hawaiian), whose first appearance each November marked the beginning of the four-month Makahiki annnual harvest period dedicated to the god Lono. That time period saw the peaking and stabilisation of population on O'ahu, and the expansion of settlements into marginal environmental zones such as Honouliuli. A significant number of temples built around the same time on the island of Maui are oriented in a similar manner.

Zhukov, un « sanctuaire » énéolithique d’anciens nomades dans la vallée du Zeravshan (Ouzbékistan)

The publication is devoted to the study of an Eneolitic complex of early nomads in the valley of Zeravshan (Uzbekistan). The presence of Afanasiev antiquities is documented by a polycultural ritual complex at Jukov, and therefore it is one more feature in favor of migration theory of origin of Afanasiev culture of South Siberia and Central Asia. The general aspect of the stone enclosure untypical among the settlements and funerary monuments attests to the identity of the monument. The main markers of cult activities are : long term fi res, patches of ochre, pits with ochre, broken pottery, tools, weapons, symbolic elements inside this circular enclosure. The ritual character of the fi nds points out the existence of an open-air “ sanctuary” around the IVe-IIIe millennia BC.

Chaironeia 338: topographies of commemoration

Abstract:This article examines two funerary monuments associated with the battle of Chaironeia in 338: first, the mound, covering a mass cremation, by the Kephissos; second, near the town of Chaironeia, the mass burial surrounded by a stone enclosure and topped by a colossal stone lion. The accepted identifications are confirmed (the mound is that of the Macedonian dead, the lion monument that of Theban dead, in all probability the Sacred Band), and two propositions developed: the mound does not relate to the tactical dispositions of the battle, and hence the generally accepted reconstruction of the battle must be discarded; the lion monument must date to much later than 338. In developing these propositions, I examine material which has been long known, but never considered in depth; I notably present what I believe are the first photographs of some of the osteological material from the mass burial under the lion monument. More generally, the two monuments, located at different points of the battlefield, set up by different actors and at different moments, offer the opportunity for considerations on the different functions of ‘memory’ surrounding an historical event: the Macedonian mound reflected the needs and self-imagining of the victorious army, imposing a trace in the landscape; the lion monument embeds itself in preexisting topographies, for a more reflective, and more troubled, effect.

THE BURIAL CONSTRUCTION OF NOIN ULA MOUND 20, MONGOLIA

In 2006, a joint Russian-Mongolian archaeological expedition excavated one of the last remaining mounds left by the Hunnu elite at Noin Ula, northern Mongolia. Because excavations were conducted by hand, a detailed analysis of the burial structure was possible. Its layout followed one of the most common Chinese (Han) prototypes and included: a rectangular earthen platform with a stone enclosure; a long corridor, with the entrance to the grave being oriented to the south; a deep pit (18.35 m) narrowing to the bottom in a stepwise manner; a Chinese chariot above the burial chamber; charcoal and clay placed between the walls of the chamber and those of the frame; a double frame made of pine blocks; numerous artifacts in corridors; and a laquered coffin. Four stone roofs matching four descending steps secured a dense backfill. A similar technique (multilayered backfill interspersed with stone roofs) was practiced for building foundations during the Hellenistic epoch. A distinctive feature of the Noin Ula burial rite is the presence of numerous artifacts made from organic substances.

Stone structures used in France for protecting traditional bee hives

Two types of stone structure are described that survive from past centuries. One is a wall, usually facing south, in which recesses were built to accommodate individual hives: skeps, or log, cork or board hives. To date, 144 walls have been reported in France: 98 in Provence and 46 in 15 departments elsewhere, and their locations are listed in an Appendix. The other type of structure is a massive stone enclosure built on a hillside, also usually facing south. Over 100 enclosures have been recorded, with the highest density in the Roya valley, Alpes-Maritimes. They were probably built to prevent bears and other animals from reaching the hives placed on terraces inside. Surviving examples of both types of structure have been dated to the 16–19th centuries.

Excavation and Survey of Sub-peat Features of Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age Date at Bharpa Carinish, North Uist, Scotland

Excavation and survey has revealed evidence of activity around the long cairn, Caravat Barp during the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. A series of three hearth complexes comprising stone-built hearths within an ash/charcoal spread associated with post-holes and pits were the earliest features on the site. A large sub-rectangular stone enclosure was built soon after peat had begun developing over the area. When the peat had developed to a thickness of 0.2 m another fence line was laid down, apparently utilizing the earlier enclosure. Finally, a small cairn was formed just west of the long cairn. Palynological work was carried out to establish the nature of the contemporary environment while the macrofossil record was analysed in terms of wood use and the foodstuffs available.

Cows and Kings: Models for Zimbabwes

This paper discusses the complex societies which flourished on the central plateau of southern Africa between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers between c. AD 800 and 1500, and the models which can be proposed for how they functioned and why they developed. The principal archaeological monuments left by these societies are their regional political centres, the stone enclosures or zimbabwes (fig. 1), of which Great Zimbabwe is the best known and most elaborate (fig. 2). (The traditional spelling zimbabwe(s) is used in this paper rather than the correct but lesser known spelling dzimbahwe singular and madzimbahwe plural.) They varied considerably in size, but the largest probably housed populations numbering several thousands — Great Zimbabwe itself has been estimated to have had a population of some 30,000 people (Huffman 1984) — and their construction implies organized labour on a substantial scale. The main population lived in densely clustered huts outside the stone enclosure. Artefacts suggest that they were commoners, with the servants of the king and minor officials living close to the central hill. Beyond was an outer ring of prestige residences with their own housing units (fig. 2). ‘Great Zimbabwe was the product of a highly stratified society: the stone walls are essentially demonstrations of the prestige of a ruling class, a symbol of political authority that spread over the whole plateau’ (Garlake 1973, 14).

Myrthue-graven. Ældre romertids jordfæstegrave i sydvestjylland

Myrthue-graven. Ældre romertids jordfæstegrave i sydvestjylland