Test Trenches Research Articles

Caddo Vessels from the W. O. Ziegler Farm (41WD30) and Claude Burkett (41WD30) Sites in the Upper Sabine River Basin in Wood County, Texas

Caddo ceramic vessels were collected at the W. O. Ziegler Farm (41WD30) and Claude Burkett (41WD31) sites in 1930 during archaeological investigations in Wood County by The University of Texas. The one vessel from the W. O. Ziegler Farm site, located in the Lake Fork Creek drainage in the upper Sabine River basin, was found in 1918 at a depth of ca. 1.2 m by the landowner while digging a storm cellar. University of Texas archaeologists purchased the vessel in August 1930. The Claude Burkett site is in the Big Sandy Creek basin in the upper Sabine River basin. The landowner found two ceramic vessels after a heavy rain had eroded them from the site. University of Texas archaeologists also purchased these vessels in August 1930. Wilson and Jackson excavated a few test trenches at the site at that time, but did not recover any more vessels. They did note that ceramic sherds were present in small amounts between ca. 15-30 cm bs in the test trenches.

Approche technoéconomique et fonctionnelle des occupations de plein air du Paléolithique moyen récent autour de Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)

Un ensemble d’opérations d’archéologie préventive, réalisées par les équipes de l’INRAP ces huit dernières années sur les hauteurs orientales de Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France), permet de renouveler notre connaissance du peuplement paléolithique sur le plateau de Saint-Pierre-d’Irube. Les sondages de dix parcelles depuis 2008 et la fouille de deux sites de plein air en trois opérations distinctes permettent de poser un cadre stratigraphique et chronologique fiable inédit, grâce à un ensemble de datations absolues. Cela permet aussi d’appréhender l’évolution des paysages depuis la fin du Pléistocène moyen. Plusieurs occupations du Paléolithique moyen récent mettent en évidence une bonne implantation dans ce secteur au cours du MIS 3. La proximité du gîte de silex d’Ibarbide, l’un des plus riches et de meilleure qualité de la région, pourrait en partie expliquer la forte présence humaine dans cette zone. Ce nouveau cadre chronologique et stratigraphique a permis la réévaluation de plusieurs collections anciennes et issues de ramassage de surface afin de tenter de caractériser plus finement l’utilisation du plateau de Saint-Pierre-d’Irube durant le Paléolithique moyen récent. Le site de plein air du Basté, fouillé par C. Chauchat et C. Thibault à la fin des années 1960, a principalement fait l’objet d’une nouvelle étude. L’établissement de corrélations stratigraphiques entre le niveau 4 du Basté et les occupations du Paléolithique moyen récent du Prissé et de Jupiter permettent de proposer une relative contemporanéité entre ces trois occupations. Au sein de chaque site, l’analyse des remontages et de la répartition spatiale des vestiges ont mis en évidence la bonne préservation post-dépositionnelle des niveaux et la présence d’une répartition non aléatoire des différentes catégories de vestiges qui est interprétée comme le résultat d’une dispersion d’origine anthropique, au moins dans le cas du Prissé. D’un point de vue technoéconomique et fonctionnel, il ressort que ces occupations sont économiquement différentes et complémentaires, ce qui implique une organisation spatiale complexe et structurée à l’échelle locale de ces sociétés néandertaliennes. Le faible potentiel archéologique restant est particulièrement menacé par la forte urbanisation du secteur : la synthèse que peuvent fournir ces nouvelles données et la révision de collections anciennes, complétée par de nouvelles prospections, s’inscrit donc dans une démarche de valorisation scientifique de ce patrimoine en voie de destruction.

Archaeological excavation of the Haban colony site at Sárospatak

This article reports on the first results of the archaeological excavation of the Haban colony site in Sárospatak begun in 2010. It describes the circumstances of the origin of the Anabaptist colony that can be located precisely from topographical data, and briefly outlines the history of the Haban colony in Sárospatak. In the first two years of the exploration on the basis of a research programme, the archaeological exploration of the house at No. 8 Kövi Sándor utca began; the main aim was to clarify the stratigraphy of the place with test trenches. In the course of the work an unexpected quantity of archaeological finds that can be linked to Anabaptist ceramics came to light. Especially important are the finds that can be linked to the firing kiln: the bricks of the kiln, the firing slabs, saggars, fragments of the crucibles used to melt the glazes. The lead-glazed ceramics of the Anabaptists are little known in research on Early Modern ceramics. The lead-glazed ceramics unearthed from the site of the Sárospatak colony differ strikingly from Early Modern pottery of the region. It will be the task of further research to decide whether the Habans produced lead-glazed ceramics exclusively for their own needs or also for the market.

The Swedish Jordan Expedition 2013 at Tall Abu al-Kharaz. Preliminary results from Areas 9, 10 and 11

The Swedish excavations at Tall Abu al-Kharaz, a twelve-hectare tell in the central Jordan Valley, continued in 2013 in order to shed further light on the Iron Age occupation of this city that was first settled around 3200 BC, corresponding to the conventional Early Bronze Age IB. The Iron Age occupation lasted from the 12th century BC until 732 BC, when the city was conquered by the Neo-Assyrians. From 2009 to 2012, excavations in Area 9 revealed an exceptionally well-preserved two-storey compound dating from Iron Age I (local Phase IX), i.e. around 1100 BC. The stone compound was exposed for a length of 46 m. It consists of 21 rooms, with walls still standing to a height of more than 2 m. Several hundred complete vessels and other objects point to the extensive contacts of a fairly rich society. Contacts with the Aegean and Cyprus, through offshoots of the Sea Peoples/Philistines, and with Egypt and Phoenicia, were ascertained. At the end of the 2012 season, the eastern limit of the compound was reached. In 2013, complementary excavations were carried out to the north and east of the compound. The eastern extension revealed a defence system which had originally been built in the Early Bronze Age IB/II around 3100 BC but had been reused as a part of the Iron Age I defence structures. Test trenches in the north-eastern part of Area 10 and in Area 11 north-east of Area 10, i.e. a hitherto unexplored area of the city, revealed remains from the Late Bronze Age and the Early and Late Iron Age.

The New Swedish Cyprus Expedition 2013. Excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke. Preliminary results

The results from a 1.3-hectare GPR survey in 2012 were confirmed during the 2013 excavation of a limited area (200 m2). Three phases of occupation were partly exposed. The most recent phase, Stratum 1, contained living and working facilities, e.g. for spinning, weaving and purple dyeing. Textile production also took place in the older Stratum 2, where the major activity was metal-working: 300 kg of remains from copperworking consist of tapped slag, furnace walls, fragments of at least five tuyères, crucible fragments, copper/bronze fragments and pieces of raw copper. Another of these unique kraters of White Painted Wheel-made Pictorial Style (WPPS) was found. It was termed “Horned God Krater” on account of one of the decorative elements. These kraters may indicate that there was a “Hala Sultan Tekke painter”. The oldest phase of occupation so far, “Stratum 3”, which is a reused and looted tomb, produced two cylinder seals and numerous finds which are related to textile production. The findings from test trenches west of the main area suggest a street which separated two city quarters: one to the east (our main area) and one to the west. Test excavations in the western city quarter produced two anthropomorphic figurines and a horse figurine.

Dissecting palimpsests in a Late Lower and Middle Paleolithic flint acquisition site on the Madaba Plateau, Jordan

WZM-2, a flint-source on the edge of the Madaba Plateau, Jordan, exemplifies many of the problems archaeologists confront in investigating open-air sites. This site has a complex history of alternating episodes of deposition, erosion and colluvial movement of sediments, as well as bioturbation and recent plowing, that has altered the spatial relationships of artifacts, creating a cumulative palimpsest on the surface, but with limited stratigraphic integrity below surface. Techniques for investigating these types of sites are discussed, including transect surface collections with finds recorded by hand-held GPS units, systematic total collection of grids, and the use of geological and archaeological test trenches. The assemblages obtained by these methods were subject to statistical analysis of technological attributes combined with the identification of typological specimens and techniques of manufacture known to have chronological significance in order to identify the parts of the Paleolithic sequence present. Potentially time-sensitive types were also subject to spatial analysis. With the exception of a spatially limited and un-diagnostic Holocene chipping area at the northeastern end of the site, WZM-2 is primarily a Middle Paleolithic lithic acquisition and processing site, probably dating to MIS-5, with limited evidence of exploitation during the preceding Late Lower Paleolithic Acheulo–Yabrudian and also possibly the Early Middle Paleolithic. This site also extends the known geographical distribution of the Acheulo–Yabrudian to the south and east. Although the disturbed nature of open-air sites such as this limits the types of behavioral information that can be obtained by archaeologists, their location on the paleo-landscape as well as the aggregate characteristics of their assemblages can provide important clues to early hominin land-use, economies including provisioning strategies, and settlement patterns.

The Peopling of Iceland

In recent years intensive archaeological research on the Viking Age in Iceland has produced much new evidence supporting a late 9th century colonization of the country. It can now be stated not only that people had arrived in Iceland before AD 870 but also that comprehensive occupation only took place after that date. The increased temporal resolution of the new archaeological data not only allows the characterization of different phases of the colonization but also supports assessments of the scale and rate of the immigration. In this paper we report the results of fieldwork in Mývatnssveit, NE-Iceland, where more than 30 sites have been investigated, ranging from small test trenches to large-scale open area excavations. We argue, based on the Mývatnssveit data, that a minimum of 24,000 people must have been transported to Iceland in less than 20 years to account for the dates and density of the Mývatn sites. In the absence, so far, of comparable data from other parts of the country these conclusions must remain hypothetical but if supported by further work they will have significant implications for our understanding of first peopling of Holocene farming populations in general and of Viking Age migrations in particular.

An 18th-century road in Glen Arklet

This paper reports on a recent programme of archaeological works on an 18th century road in Glen Arklet, Buchanan Parish, Stirling. The work was undertaken by Headland Archaeology in 2010–11 on behalf of Forestry Commission Scotland. A detailed topographic survey and four test trenches revealed at least two phases of construction, and signs of ongoing maintenance. In combination with the results of earlier fieldwork and a fresh review of literary evidence, it is argued that at least the later phase was likely to have been built by the military in the first half of the 18th century to improve communications to the Garrison of Inversnaid. However, the road was neither designed nor constructed as part of the Wade/Caulfield network, and demonstrates that smaller scale road building was undertaken by the military during the first half of the 18th century.

Les occupations néolithiques sur les grands tracés linéaires de Picardie : premier bilan

The aim of this article is to present the new data concerning the Neolithic period obtained following major linear development works in western Picardy. This compilation is based on the consultation of the various catalogues drawn up from the findings of surveys, test trenches and excavations, but without the possibility of examining the artefacts concerned. In all, 28 archaeological sites, corresponding to 30 distinct chronological periods of occupation, were listed. With the notable exception of the group burial at Saint-Sauveur, these are dwelling sites, represented either by a single pit, or a more complex settlement. From a chronological point of view, the majority of these sites (11) can be dated to the Later Neolithic period, Early and Middle Neolithic being represented by 4 sites each. Almost 50% of the sites are impossible to date with any certainty. This article is also the occasion to discuss the impact of the various diagnostic techniques used in these operations on the detection of Neolithic sites and to reconsider, in the light of precise instances, the notion of “ isolated pit”, a designation too often improperly applied.

The Ptolemaic-Roman Cemetery at the Quesna Archaeological Area*

In the cemetery at Quesna, the 2009 spring season concentrated on the completion of Trench 1 in the southwest of the site and the opening of Trench 4 at the eastern limit of the concentration of subsurface deposits highlighted through geophysical survey. In addition, Trench 3 was opened in order to explore the north-western extent of the sacred falcon necropolis. The spring 2010 season focused on test trenches at Quesna and the continued reconstruction of ceramic coffins excavated in previous seasons. The trenches on the northern edge of the gezira yielded further information relating to the Ptolemaic to Roman cemetery, with a pit burial and further ceramic coffin burials, and for the first time at the site Old kingdom contexts were located. The trench in the falcon necropolis focused on the north-western corner of the structure at the western end of the falcon necropolis and revealed a sequence of robbing episodes that had occurred in the past.

Régészeti kutatások egy késő neolitikus településen – Polgár-Bosnyákdomb (Előzetes jelentés)

Régészeti kutatások egy késő neolitikus településen – Polgár-Bosnyákdomb (Előzetes jelentés)

Chipped Stone Assemblages from the 1971–1977 Excavations at the Seip Earthworks

A collection of 1,327 lithic artifacts recovered from the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) archaeological investigations at Seip Earthworks, conducted from 1971 – 1977 were analyzed. Summaries and interpretations of the lithic artifacts from each of the seven excavation blocks, test trenches, and associated structures are given based on the types of materials recovered and their contexts.

The Ptolemaic–Roman Cemetery at the Quesna Archaeological Area*

The 2007 season of the Minufiyeh Archaeological Survey commenced with a topographic survey at Quesna, and continued with the opening of two test trenches to evaluate the results of a magnetometry survey undertaken in 2006. These renewed investigations in 2007 were situated to the west of the mausoleum, and revealed burials of the Ptolemaic and Roman periods; these included simple pit burials, mud-brick burials, and ceramic coffins. The second trench was aimed at better understanding a rectangular structure adjoining the falcon necropolis in the west, and was successful in locating a multi-room mud-brick building with internal and external walls defined. The initial interpretation of this structure is that it served as an entrance building, originally with vaulted ceilings, which led beneath the ancient ground level and, it might be assumed, into the corridors of the falcon necropolis.

Magnetometric prospection of various types of large ditched enclosures in Bohemia

AbstractA systematic combination of aerial and subsequent geophysical surveys over the six years of the ‘Settlement Patterns in Prehistoric Bohemia’ project yielded much new and often surprising information about the nature of archaeological sites, features and locations in the agricultural lowlands of Bohemia. Newly discovered and verified large ditches represent a group of very diverse and often, in Bohemian archaeology, atypical linear features. The results of large‐area magnetometric surveys aided in mapping locations more precisely and in the overall separation of linear features, as well as in choosing among probable archaeological interpretations of the sites. Future archaeological verification of more of these identified atypical situations by test trenches would provide more precise dating, and perhaps unambiguous interpretations of prehistoric sites. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Further research at the Oldowan site of Ain Hanech, North-eastern Algeria.

Further investigations were carried out at Ain Hanech, Algeria in 1998 and 1999 to explore its potential for investigating early hominid behavioral patterns and adaptation. Research concentrated on the stratigraphy and dating, identifying new archaeological deposits, and excavating the Ain Hanech and El-Kherba localities. To enhance the chronological control within a biostratigraphic framework, the Ain Boucherit fossil-bearing stratum, yielding a Plio-Pleistocene fauna, is correlated with the regional stratigraphy. In the stratigraphic sequence, the Ain Boucherit stratum, located 13m below the Ain Hanech Oldowan occurrences, is found in Unit Q of the Ain Hanech Formation. Unit Q shows a paleomagnetically reversed polarity, which may be correlated with an age earlier than the Olduvai normal subchron (1.95-1.77Ma). Based on test trenches and stratigraphic analyses, additional Oldowan deposits A, B, and C are identified at Ain Hanech. All three deposits and the El-Kherba site contain Mode I technology artefacts associated with an Early Pleistocene fauna. El-Kherba is stratigraphically equivalent to Ain Hanech. These two archaeological sites are estimated to be dated to about 1.8Ma.

The application of GPR to barrier—lagoon sedimentation study in Boao of Hainan Island

Sedimentary successions and internal structure of the coastal barrier-lagoon system of Boao, eastern Hainan Island were studied through utilizing data from test holes and trenches and ground-penetrating-radar (GPR) profiles. During late Pleistocene, fluvial and delta plains developed over an unevenly eroded bedrock during low sea level stand, followed by the formation of littoral and lagoon facies and defined coastal barrier-lagoon-estuary system during the post-glacial uppermost Pleistocene-lower Holocene eustatic rise of the sea level, and the upper Holocene high stand. GPR results show that Yudaitan, a sandy coastal bar backed by a low-laying land (shoal) just east of the active lagoon, is a continuous, parallel and slightly-wavy reflectors indicating homogeneous sandy or sandy gravel sediments, and inclined reflectors partly caused by progradation and accumulation of beach sand and gravel. Quasi-continuous, hummocky and chaotic reflectors from the shoal of Nangang village correspond to mixed accumulation of sands and clay. This research indicates the GPR is a non-intrusive, rapid, and economical method for high-resolution profiling of subsurface sediments in sandy gravelly coast.

Excavations in the Sanctuary of Apollo at Pompeii, 1997

Three test trenches were excavated in and near the Sanctuary of Apollo at Pompeii in 1997 to addres chronological, architectural, and urbanistic issues pertaining to the evolution of the sanctuary and its relationship to the forum and neighboring houses. An ostensible deformation in the street pattern at the northwest corner of the sanctuary and a legal inscription, CIL X, 787, also contribute to the analysis. Results point to an Augustan date for a major expansion that achieved the sanctuary's current form, including most of the precinct wall and the tufa colonnade.

Soil‐water movement under natural‐site and waste‐site conditions: A multiple‐year field study in the Mojave Desert, Nevada

Soil‐water movement under natural‐site and simulated waste‐site conditions were compared by monitoring four experimental sites in the Mojave Desert, Nevada, during a 5‐year period: one vegetated soil profile, one soil profile where vegetation was removed, and two nonvegetated test trenches. Precipitation ranged from 14 to 162 mm/yr. Temporal changes in water content measured by neutron probe were limited to the upper 0.5–1 m; values ranged from 0.01 to 0.19 m3/m3. Water potential and temperature were measured by thermocouple psychrometers; 77% remained operable for ≥4.5 years. For vegetated soil, precipitation that accumulated in the upper 0.75 m of soil was removed by evapotranspiration: water potentials decreased seasonally by 4 to >8 MPa. During 2 years with below‐average precipitation, water potentials below the app arent root zone decreased by 2.3 (1.2‐m depth) to 0.4 MPa (5‐m depth), and the gradients became predominantly upward. Water potentials then rebounded during 2 years with near‐ and above‐average precipitation, and seasonally variant water potential gradients were reestablished above the 4.2‐m depth. Under nonvegetated waste‐site conditions, data indicated the long‐term accumulation and shallow, but continued, penetration of precipitation: water potentials showed moisture penetration to depths of 0.75−1.85 m. The method of simulated‐waste drum placement (stacked versus random) and the associated differences in subsidence showed no measurable influence on the water balance of the trenches: subsidence totaled ≤13 mm during the study. Water potentials below the trenches and below the 2‐m depth for the nonvegetated soil remained low (≈−5.5 to −7.5 MPa) and indicated the persistence of typically upward driving forces for isothermal water flow. Water fluxes estimated from water potential and temperature data suggested that isothermal liquid, isothermal vapor, and nonisothermal vapor flow need to be considered in the conceptualization of unsaturated flow at the field sites. Below the depth of temporal water content change, the estimated liquid fluxes ranged from 10−10 to 10−15 cm/s, isothermal vapor fluxes ranged from 10−10 to 10−13 cm/s, and the nonisothermal vapor fluxes ranged from 10−8 to 10−10cm/s.

Engineering geological study of the Kali Gandaki 'A' hydroelectric project area, western Nepal Lesser Himalaya

The Kali Gandaki 'A' hydroelectric project area lies in the Lesser Himalayan Zone of the Syangja district of western Nepal. The rocks are characterised by highly deformed, thick sequences of the elastic rocks belonging to the Andhi Khola Formation and the carbonates of Darsing Dolomite, both belonging to the Kali Gandaki Supergroup. The dark bluish grey, brecciated and highly fractured dolomite is exposed on the abutments of the proposed diversion dam site area. It also forms steep cliffs to the north of the dam site. The contact between the dolomite and the overlying phyllite is a tectonized zone. This contact exposed along the exploratory audit and test trenches gives evidence of a fault dipping steeply towards the east. The phyllites exposed along the proposed headrace tunnel alignment and in the powerhouse site are variable in composition and rock strength. At the powerhouse area thin bands of limestone are intercalated in phyllites with sheared contacts. The headrace tunnel alignment makes acute angle with the foliation along most of the length and some sections passes parallel to the foliation. An inferred fault at about 1 km chainage, shear zones with varying thickness and a syncline at about 4 km from the intake portal are the main geological structures along the tunnel alignment which have to be carefully dealt with during the design and construction phase of the project.

Field Tests of Buried Pipe Installation Procedures

Full-scale field tests to evaluate pipe-soil interaction during backfilling were conducted on the campus of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The program consisted of 14 tests, with each test including concrete, plastic, and metal sections. In addition to pipe type, installation variables included in situ soil conditions, trench width, backfill material including controlled low-strength flowable material, haunching effort, and compaction methods. Test trenches were excavated under undisturbed in situ soil conditions. Eleven installations were conducted with 900-mm (inside diameter) pipe, and three installations were conducted with 1500-mm (inside diameter) pipe. Pipe and soil behavior was monitored during backfilling. Measurements included pipe shape, pipe strains, pipe-soil interface pressures, soil density, soil stresses, and soil strains. The pipes were buried to a cover depth of 1.2 m and were then excavated to inspect the pipe bedding and haunches. The results indicated significant variations in pipe behavior caused by installation practices. The rammer compactor produced greater backfill density than did the vibratory plate compactor with the same number of coverages and produced higher residual lateral soil stresses that contributed to better overall pipe performance during backfilling. The silty sand backfill tripled the peaking deflection during sidefill compaction compared with that with angular crushed rock backfill, but the former was more sensitive to deviations from good installation practice. Backfill compaction in the region from the spring line to 30 degrees below the spring line has a significant positive effect in mitigating poor bedding and haunching conditions. Pipe tests with controlled low-strength material for backfill performed very well.