Test Pit Excavation Research Articles

Caravanserai middens on desert roads: a new perspective on the Nabataean–Roman trade network across the Negev

Long-distance trade routes criss-crossed ancient Africa and Eurasia. Archaeological research has focused on the commodities in transit and the excavation of major centres located along these routes, with less attention paid to smaller caravanserai and evidence such as rubbish middens. The ‘Incense Route’ linked the Arabian Peninsula and Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, with activity peaking during the Nabataean and Roman periods. The authors present the results of test-pit excavations of middens at three small Nabataean–Roman desert caravanserai along the ‘Incense Route’. The assemblages recovered include material culture attesting to wide, inter-regional connections, combined with archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological data illuminating the subsistence basis of the caravan trade.

Exploring the impact of participative place-based community archaeology in rural Europe: Community archaeology in rural environments meeting societal challenges

ABSTRACT This paper reviews the aims, context, approach and early outcomes of a new transnational participative archaeology project focussed on rural village communities. ‘Community Archaeology in Rural Environments Meeting Societal Challenges’ (CARE-MSoC) includes three European countries where participative community archaeology is new- the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Poland. CARE-MSoC aims to explore the feasibility, value and impact of excavation by rural residents within their home communities by using a method which can be deployed anywhere and which in the UK has been shown to advance knowledge of the past while also delivering a wide range of social and heritage benefits: multiple test pit excavation within inhabited villages. Data presented here from the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Poland show the activity to be popular and effective here in benefitting people while also attracting, sustaining and growing local interest in heritage participation in all three countries.

Upper Palaeolithic layers and Campanian Ignimbrite/Y-5 tephra in Toplitsa cave, Northern Bulgaria

This paper reports the preliminary results of two test pit excavations in Toplitsa cave in Northern Bulgaria and discusses the potential for future investigations of the Pleistocene layers associated with Marine Isotope Stage 3 and the transitional Middle to Upper Palaeolithic period. We describe the lithostratigraphic layers, archaeological finds and features attributable to the Upper Palaeolithic. The preliminary chrono-cultural interpretation of the early Upper Palaeolithic geoarchaeological deposit at Toplitsa cave is based on the identification of Campanian Ignimbrite/Y-5 (CI) tephra, radiocarbon dates and the technological assessment of a small lithic artefact assemblage in comparison with the regional Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) technologies.Toplitsa cave, located in the Eastern Balkans (Northern Bulgaria), was excavated in 2011 with the main goal of investigating deposits encompassing the transition from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic. Two test pits (TP) were excavated: TP I, incorporating four lithostratigraphic layers, was located in the cave interior and TP II, encompassing six lithostratigraphic layers, was established closer to the cave entrance. Both TPs were generally poor in archaeological remains which impacted the chrono-cultural attribution of the Pleistocene layers. Moreover, in some spots Holocene faunal remains likely intruded into older layers. In consequence, the preliminary chronological investigation has been focused on applying both tephrochronology and radiocarbon dating of the early Upper Palaeolithic deposits. We present a preliminary assessment of the stratigraphy and report on the identification of large amounts of glass shards belonging to the CI eruption (ca. 39,000 years old (ka BP)) in TP II Layers 2 and 3, below which there is a well preserved hearth. This fire-pit carved in Layer 5 (TP II) and underlying the Y-5 tephra is the most significant find. Two Ursus spelaeus teeth from the underlying Layer 5 have been radiocarbon dated to 49,770–45,750 calibrated years before present (cal BP; 95.4% probability) and to 48,210–45,050 cal BP (95.4% probability). The lithics found in Layer 5 are technologically consistent with the Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) or possibly with other transitional Middle to Upper Palaeolithic assemblages. Layer 5 from TP II in Toplitsa overlaps chronologically with other regional records. These include the final Middle Palaeolithic with leaf points from Musselievo (estimated to ca. 50–45 ka cal BP), the transitional Middle to Upper Palaeolithic assemblage from Temnata Cave Layer VI (trench II, which is covered by CI tephra and has been dated to older than 39 ka BP), the earliest laminar Upper Palaeolithic (i.e. IUP) from Temnata Cave Layer 4 (trench I, dating from 47.6 to 40.5 ka cal BP), the IUP from Bacho Kiro Cave Layers J and I (dating to 46.0–43.3 ka cal BP) and Kozarnika cave Layer 6/7 (dated to ca. 49.1–44.0 ka cal BP).

Demak Kingdom: Study of Environmental Condition and Geographical

Many experts have written about the history of the Demak kingdom, therefore the role of this kingdom in politics, economics and especially in the spread of Islam in Indonesia in the past. With the geophysiographical, historical and archaeological approach used in this study, it can be revealed about the environmental conditions and the location of the palace and the royal city of Demak. The research methods used in this research are observation, geophysiographical (drilling, geoelectrical measurement), historical (reading of documents) and archaeological (test pit excavations) methods, to obtain credible conclusions. The result is that the kingdom, which has a fairly large influence in the archipelago, is located on the island of Demak between Java and the Muria peninsula, which is still in a separate condition, which is surrounded by swamps, rivers and the sea. the tombs of kings, the names of places/villages (toponyms), have proven that the existence of the central city of the kingdom is concentrically arranged and the settlement patterns are grouped according to position, profession, ethnicity and religion.

A Preliminary Study on Leakage Detection of Deteriorated Underground Sewer Pipes Using Aerial Thermal Imaging

Due to less visibility, underground facilities such as sewer pipelines are subjected to degradation until a major failure occurs. So, leakage detection of deteriorated underground sewer pipes is necessary to prevent expensive rehabilitation costs. The major causes of the frequent occurrence of ground subsidence and sewer leakage are excessive use of groundwater, reckless exploitation of natural resources, etc. In this study, the aerial thermal imaging (ATI) technique has been used to identify the leakage points in sewer pipelines by analyzing surface thermal diffusion behavior of the ground surface. Leakage is suspected at points of anomalous temperature variation. Then, ground-penetrating radar and closed-circuit television surveys have been carried out to strengthen the suspicion of sewer leakage. Irregular, erratic parabolic-shaped lines are observed at the points where the leakage is suspected through ATI. Finally, the test-pit excavation and simple cone penetration tests have been carried out which confirms the sewer leakage points. The leakage points are confirmed by a greater depth of penetration. The results of the cone penetration test carried out in E-21 and 23-24 sewer pipelines show that the depth of penetration at the leakage points is about 35 cm, which is greater than the depth of penetration at other points. So, it can be concluded that the aerial thermal imaging technique is an effective method to predict leakage in deteriorated underground sewer pipelines.

Impact analysis of inbuilt rehabilitation material on the recultivation of abandoned sandpit

For the rehabilitation and reclamation of abandoned sandpit in Drtija (Moravče), construction composites are used as rehabilitation materials. Construction composites are produced by mixing of recycled non-hazardous waste and natural materials. In the presented study, the chemical composition of the rehabilitation materials, which are already built-in on abandoned surfaces and impact analysis on recultivation of the upper layer, was evaluated. For this purpose, the rehabilitation materials were sampled at 3 locations with test pit excavations up to a depth of 3 m, surrounding topsoils (0-10 cm) at 2 locations and leachate at 1 location. The results show that the in-built rehabilitation materials are burdened with metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn), which are, however, poorly soluble under the given conditions. The latter is also indicated by the concentrations of metals in the leachate, which are within the lower limit of quantification (LOQ) area. Regarding organic substances, the presence of phenol and formaldehyde was found in the leachate. In rehabilitation materials only phenol was found in two samples. Considering that the rehabilitation materials will be covered with a layer of clay and humus and will be tilled or afforested as part of the final rehabilitation step, the impact of rehabilitation materials on the reclaimed soil is not expected. According to results of this study recultivaton of the upper layer with planting of woods is recommended.

From glass dump to phytoremediation park

The Landfill mining was introduced in research in Sweden for more than three and a half decades ago. During recent years, the focus has been on the glass dumps in the Kingdom of Crystal in southeastern Sweden. Mapping of the dumps, test pit excavations, sieving and sorting of the glass masses, characterization, laboratory extraction of the metals in the glass was performed as well as measurements of radioactivity done. The polluted soil underneath the removed glass masses was treated by remediation. At one of places at the Kingdom of Crystal a phytoremediation/tourist park was established in Orrefors including a summer glasswork for tourist activities.

Indigenous Landscape Transformation on Northern Haytí: An Archaeological and Environmental Database of the Montecristi Coast

This paper addresses a database collected and constructed as part of PhD research project on the north-western coast of the Dominican Republic. The PhD was part of the ERC Synergy Grant NEXUS 1492: New World Encounters in a Globalizing World. The database was collected during fieldwork campaigns between 2014 and 2015. Fieldwork consisted of a regional survey, material culture registry and collection, test pit excavation, and processing relevant environmental variables. The archaeological data consists of a record of 102 archaeological sites, the material culture associated with them (lithic, shell and coral objects, shell mollusk species), and the relationship between site location and a set of relevant environmental variables used for statistical analysis. This database is one of the only open access archaeological databases available at the moment in the Caribbean and can be reused by any Caribbean archaeologist working in the Greater Antilles.

Evaluation of lateral response of single piles to adjacent excavation using data from cone penetration tests

Excavation inevitably induces stress changes in the surrounding soil, which causes significant lateral movements, additional forces, and bending moments in the existing pile foundations. To prevent or minimize damage to adjacent piles, this paper presents an actual full-scale instrumented study to examine the lateral response of existing piles to an adjacent test pit excavation. Cone penetration tests (CPTs) near the test piles before and after excavation are conducted and compared. A simple p–y evolution model for lateral piles during excavation is proposed. The proposed model is defined by the pre-excavation and post-excavation p–y curves from CPT data, which can provide better predictions by comparison with the field measured results. Additionally, for analysis of the pile behaviour after excavation, the observed lateral bearing capacity of full-scale tests are compared with those computed by the pre-excavation and post-excavation p–y curves. The post-excavation p–y curve can generally give a satisfactory prediction of the residual pile bearing capacity after excavation. The calculated results from the free-field cone parameters have a serious overestimation and are detrimental to the service design of pile foundations.

Archaeological Excavation and Deep Mapping in Historic Rural Communities

This paper reviews the results of more than a hundred small archaeological “test pit” excavations carried out in 2013 within four rural communities in eastern England. Each excavation used standardized protocols in a different location within the host village, with the finds dated and mapped to create a series of maps spanning more than 3500 years, in order to advance understanding of the spatial development of settlements and landscapes over time. The excavations were all carried out by local volunteers working physically within their own communities, supported and advised by professional archaeologists, with most test pits sited in volunteers’ own gardens or those of their friends, family or neighbors. Site-by-site, the results provided glimpses of the use made by humans of each of the excavated sites spanning prehistory to the present day; while in aggregate the mapped data show how settlement and land-use developed and changed over time. Feedback from participants also demonstrates the diverse positive impacts the project had on individuals and communities. The results are presented and reviewed here in order to highlight the contribution archaeological test pit excavation can make to deep mapping, and the contribution that deep mapping can make to rural communities.

A tale of three caves:New dates for Pleistocene occupation in the inland Pilbara

Preliminary results of test-pit excavations in Yurlu Kankala and Kariyarra Rockshelter demonstrate the repeated occupation of a topographically distinct ‘island of high land’, in the northeastern Pilbara by Aboriginal people from 45,000 years ago to historical times. These results are the first Pilbara Pleistocene dates from sites outside the Hamersley Range and confirm occupation of this region prior to that in the central and western Pilbara and, at Yurlu Kankala, through the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). A third excavated site, Kunpaja Cave, provides evidence of inland Pilbara occupation through climatic amelioration following the LGM. All three sites are large, highly visible shelters located on ridges or hills, with commanding views over the surrounding land and access to major water sources. It is suggested that these factors played a key role in the discovery and occupation of Yurlu Kankala and Karriyarra Rockshelter by some of the Pilbara’s first settlers, and of Kunpaja Cave as people expanded their territories as the climatic conditions of the LGM changed.

Archaeological History of a Fijian Island: Moturiki, Lomaiviti Group

Moturiki is one of the high islands in the Lomaiviti Group, central Fiji. In this article we present exhaustive empirical information on archaeological survey and test pit excavations carried out in 2008 and 2010. An interesting archaeological landscape emerged, with 89 archaeological sites found on Moturiki and neighboring islands Yanuca Levu, Leleuvia, and Caqalai. The sites include ring-ditch villages, terraced villages, isolated house mounds ( yavus ), and burial sites. Results from one of the test pits on the southeast of the island indicate possible landscape changes in the last millennium, since the ancient coastline is currently buried at around 1 m below the surface. This lowland area has therefore received large amounts of sediment from higher areas, a likely result of human activity. We also documented remains from a previously recorded Lapita site in the island. Overall, a shift in the settlement patterns from the coast, to the interior areas, back to the coast, has been documented. This shift, taking place on extremely small islands, can hardly be explained by environmental changes. The article puts together our findings and hypothesis, as well as providing the emphasis of our methodological approach.

Statistical Approach for Corrosion Prediction Under Fuzzy Soil Environment

Water distribution pipes installed underground have potential risks of pipe failure and burst. After years of use, pipe walls tend to be corroded due to aggressive soil environments where they are located. The present study aims to assess the degree of external corrosion of a distribution pipe network. In situ data obtained through test pit excavation and direct sampling are carefully collated and assessed. A statistical approach is useful to predict severity of pipe corrosion at present and in future. First, criteria functions defined by discriminant function analysis are formulated to judge whether the pipes are seriously corroded. Data utilized in the analyses are those related to soil property, i.e., soil resistivity, pH, water content, and chloride ion. Secondly, corrosion factors that significantly affect pipe wall pitting (vertical) and spread (horizontal) on the pipe surface are identified with a view to quantifying a degree of the pipe corrosion. Finally, a most reliable model represented in the form of a multiple regression equation is developed for this purpose. From these analyses, it can be concluded that our proposed model is effective to predict the severity and rate of pipe corrosion utilizing selected factors that reflect the fuzzy soil environment. Keywords: Discriminant function, Distribution pipe, External corrosion, Regression analysis, Replacement plan, Soil properties

SHALE FAILURE AND CRACKING IN A SEMI-ARID AREA

A semi-arid shale formation in the northern and central part of Saudi Arabia showed frequent near surface cracks and distress at several sites. This phenomenon was found to be of a serious risk to structures founded on or near cracks or failure zones. This study was carried out for an area where several centimeters wide ground cracks extending over more than one kilometer distance across a populated area in Saudi Arabia. The dominant subsurface formation in the area is reddish brown stiff to hard silty to clayey shale underlain by sandstone formation. The subsurface material was explored and clayey shale samples were extracted. The study included borehole drilling and test pit excavations. Soil classification and consistency tests were performed. A series of physical and chemical testing confirmed the expansive nature of the shale. The possible causes of cracks and the mechanisms of failure in semi-arid shale were covered and discussed in sufficient details. Engineering guides for buildings and construction in typical zones were presented.

Toward an archaeology of the twentieth‐century suburban backyard

AbstractThe archaeology of twentieth‐century suburbs, in contrast to city centres, has received little attention from archaeologists in Australia. This paper presents the results of an archaeological investigation of a suburban block, a bounded space 347m2 in size, created in 1905 and located in the Sydney suburb of Arncliffe. An extensive collection of objects has been recovered while undertaking gardening activities and six test pit excavations has produced an assemblage of 3600 things. A qualitative analysis of the material remains reveals a wide range of past suburban activities, encompassing building construction, domestic consumption/production and home‐making practices. The paper explores links between past activities/behaviours and routine processes of material decay, waste disposal and loss in order to consider the archaeological research potential of the suburban block. Two specific areas of research are outlined — consumption with particular reference to the role of the female head of the house and ecology/health. On the basis of the study a case is made for the development of a ‘suburban archaeology’ in Australia.

Results of an Archaeological Test Pit Excavation in the Refectory Building at Rievaulx Abbey

This paper presents the results of an investigatory test pit at Rievaulx Abbey that was undertaken as part of a multidisciplinary research project at the University of Bradford to explore the archaeological evidence for historic iron production at Rievaulx village. The purpose was to investigate Rievaulx's hidden industrial past, and to determine if there was evidence to prove that the former monastic refectory had been used as a charcoal and/or iron ore store, the results of which were inconclusive.

Influence of textural layering on field capacity of coarse soils

Zettl, J. D., Barbour, S. L., Huang, M., Si, B. C. and Leskiw, L. A. 2011. Influence of textural layering on field capacity of coarse soils. Can. J. Soil Sci. 91: 133–147. The current method of designing reclamation covers for land disturbed by oil sands mining in northern Alberta, Canada, relies on an estimate of the field capacity (FC) of both natural soils and reclamation soil prescriptions. The objective of this research was to examine the influence of layered, textural heterogeneity on FC. Field testing was performed on seven natural sites with coarse-textured soils that support a range of ecosite classes. Double-ring infiltration and drainage tests with real time monitoring of water content were undertaken along with test pit excavation and detailed profile sampling. The measured water storage at FC following drainage demonstrated that higher water storage at FC values are associated with increased textural heterogeneity, and these sites reflected more productive ecosite class. Rigorous, physically based modeling illustrated that a texturally heterogeneous site can have water storage at FC within 1 m profile that is between 110 to 330 mm higher than a homogeneous profile with the same average texture. These higher values of water storage at FC in texturally heterogeneous sites could account for the differences in observed ecosite productivity. This work highlights the importance of textural layering in designing reclamation covers in coarse-textured soils to maximize FC.

Arvicoline rodent fauna from the Room 2 Excavation in Cathedral Cave, White Pine County, Nevada, and its biochronologic significance

ABSTRACT Test-pit excavations from 1989 in Room 2 of Cathedral Cave yielded a diverse faunal assemblage, but age estimates derived from radioisotopic dates and biochronological assessment were widely disparate. New excavations were undertaken in 2003 to increase faunal samples and clarify chronological resolution. Arvicoline rodents recovered from the 2003 excavation include Allophaiomys pliocaenicus, Microtus meadensis, M. paroperarius, Microtus sp., Mictomys meltoni or M. kansasensis, 4- and 5-triangle morphotypes of Lemmiscus curtatus, Ondatra zibethicus, and representatives of both ancient and recent lineages of Phenacomys. A maximum age for the fauna falls between 146.02 ± 2.584 and 153.7 ± 6.4 ka, as determined through uranium-series analyses of flowstones collected near the base of the excavation. Paleomagnetic analyses, and morphological data from recovered Ondatra, are consistent with that age interpretation. Cathedral Cave contains the youngest known Irvingtonian fauna, including the youngest records of Allophaiomys pliocaenicus, Microtus meadensis, and Microtus paroperarius. These records diminish the utility of those taxa for biochronologic refinement of fossil localities in western North America. Differences in biogeographic patterns of vertebrates in the Great Basin throughout the latest Pleistocene and Holocene are tied to topographic gradients and independent faunal histories. The Cathedral Cave biota provides a greater temporal depth for that dynamic, and provides important data demonstrating that higher-elevation fossil deposits yield diachronous biochronologic boundaries relative to lowland sites, and may require independent biochronologies. Recognition of the provincial nature of biochronologic boundaries is not new, but documented local-scale provincialism highlights conceptual challenges for broad-scale application of arvicoline biochronology in North America.

XTOBO, YUCATAN, MEXICO, AND THE EMERGENT PRECLASSIC OF THE NORTHERN MAYA LOWLANDS

AbstractTraditionally, research on the Preclassic Maya has focused on settlements found in the Southern Maya Lowlands. Apart from work at a few well-known archaeological sites in the Northern Lowlands, such as Komchen, Dzibilchaltun, and Yaxuna, the Preclassic Northern Maya had received relatively little attention from scholars. In recent years, however, many previously unreported archaeological sites with Preclassic materials have come to light. In northwest Yucatan, Mexico, a survey carried out by Proyecto Costa Maya encountered 140 sites with Preclassic components, including the site of Xtobo. Xtobo stood out from its neighboring Preclassic sites due to its extent and the size and complexity of its architecture. In addition, initial surveys of the site suggested that it was never reoccupied after the Preclassic period, thereby making it a valuable site for studying the Preclassic period in the Northern Maya Lowlands. After three seasons of fieldwork, the Proyecto Arqueologico de Xtobo was able to build substantially on the initial findings of the Proyecto Costa Maya, mapping 67 ha of settlement, including 387 structures, and carrying out a stratified sample of test pit excavations throughout the site. The project documented a dense and well-organized settlement, which included complex architectural features, such as pyramids, triadic groups, elite residences, and a ballcourt. The settlement at Xtobo shows many signs of a complex sociopolitical organization and interaction with other areas of the Maya region and Mesoamerica. The results of the Proyecto Arqueologico de Xtobo indicate that the Northern Maya Lowlands were an important and integral part of Preclassic Mesoamerica and should be considered in larger cultural reconstructions of the time period.

Investigating Ancient Maya Agricultural Adaptation Through Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Analysis of Karst Terrain, Northern Yucatán, Mexico

Landscape adaptation on the Northern Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, is particularly difficult, as soils are thin and the terrain is devoid of any surface water other than the occasional sinkhole (cenote) that connects directly to the groundwater system. Despite this, ancient Maya cities, including Xuenkal, emerged and thrived, likely because of their proximity to natural sinkholes. In the case of Xuenkal, these sinkholes, known locally as rejolladas, have bases above the local water table and, as such, do not provide direct access to the underlying water, but they provide closer access. Recognizing that the presence of rejolladas was likely important to the ancient Maya the purpose of this study is to characterize the rejolladas in terms of their subsurface characteristics, specifically bedrock configuration and soil. Ground penetrating radar analysis, as well as the results of a test pit excavation, confirm the presence of deep soils in the rejollada bases. It seems that the smaller deeper rejolladas have the thickest soils and sediment. The ancient city of Xuenkal is constructed amidst a particularly dense cluster of rejolladas which may have contributed to its location. Rejolladas, containing significantly thicker soils than the surrounding karst surface, and the ability to sustain dense healthy vegetation would have been particularly desirable for the Maya to capitalize on.