Traces Of Human Occupation Research Articles

Aktas—an “Ephemeral” Upper Paleolithic Site in North Kazakhstan

This paper presents new findings from field studies at Aktas, an Upper Paleolithic site first excavated in 1982 and 1983. It is located in North Kazakhstan, where Paleolithic sites are quite rare. We describe the stratigraphy, paleontology, archaeology, and chronology of Aktas. Six lithological layers are distinguished, two of which (3 and 4) abound in faunal remains. Chronology was generated from a new series of OSL-ages. The accumulation of layer 2 took place between ca 20–12 ka ago, whereas layers 3 and 4 were formed ca 50–30 ka ago. A side-scraper, made of imported flint, was found. The bulk of the faunal complex relates to large ungulates such as Pleistocene horse (Equus ferus), woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis), and mountain sheep (Ovis ammon). Some bones bear traces of deliberate fragmentation and dismemberment using stone tools. These facts, along with the taphocenotic indicators (species composition, absence of traces of predator activity, etc.), as well as the location and stratigraphy of the site, allow us to conclude that the faunal assemblages at this location are anthropogenic. Traces of human occupation are scarce, suggesting that Aktas is an “ephemeral” site, attesting to human presence in that territory during the Late Pleistocene, but revealing no cultural indicators. The findings picture Aktas as a kill-site—the place where the prey was butchered and consumed. This is the only such site known in the area to date. The number of lithics is too small for cultural attribution. However, the estimated age suggests that North Kazakhstan was peopled as early as the beginning of MIS3, corresponding to the early stages of the Upper Paleolithic.

Neanderthal occupation during the tephra fall-out: Technical and hunting behaviours, sedimentology and settlement patterns in SU 14 of Oscurusciuto rock shelter (Ginosa, southern Italy)

The Oscurusciuto rock shelter (southern Italy) is crucial for the understanding of Neanderthals’ subsistence and settlement strategies as it contains a ~ 6-m-thick reliable deposit made up of several Middle Palaeolithic levels. This paper focuses on level SU 14, a 60-cm-thick deposit of volcanic tephra containing traces of human occupation only in the few upper centimetres. Geochemical and mineralogical features of SU 14 deposits allowed their correlation to the ‘Mount Epomeo Green Tuff’ eruption, which came from Ischia volcano and dated to ~ 55,000 years bp. The pyroclastic materials injected into the atmosphere caused an ash fall-out over a large part of southern Italy, resulting in the alteration of ecosystems. Sedimentological data demonstrate that the formation of SU 14 is attributable to a short-term event. Moreover, the lithic behaviour indicates that Neanderthals used the shelter mainly to perform specific activities related to the first phases of the reduction sequence (i.e. selection and import of pebbles into the site, initialisation and production of the first generation of debitage objectives, and introduction of already finished tools). Consequently, the layer SU 14 raises questions regarding the impact of deposition of volcanic ash on human communities, offering the opportunity to investigate the settlement and technological choices made by Neanderthals who were constrained by such an adverse environmental event.

Los Canes Mesolithic burials: archaeothanatology

Los Canes cave (Asturias, Northern Spain) is an outstanding site with traces of human occupation from the Solutrean to the Bronze Age. It consists of a very narrow cavity with three Late Mesolithic funerary structures, dating to the sixth millennium cal BC. The human remains found in these graves were studied in this paper from an archaeothanatological perspective. We considered the positions of the bodies and the causes of the displacement of several bones from their anatomical connections. This study discusses whether these inhumations correspond to primary or secondary burials. We conclude that they were primary graves, with traces of reuse in some cases. The dispersion of several bones may be explained by taphonomic factors and intensive utilization of the cave as a funerary space. Los Canes burials confirm the diversity found across the European Mesolithic funerary world and enhance our knowledge of the last hunter-gatherers in the Iberian Peninsula.

Luminescence chronology and lithic technology of Tianhuadong Cave, an early Upper Pleistocene Paleolithic site in southwest China

AbstractTianhuadong is a cave site located in the northwest of Yunnan Province, China. Since 2010, several surveys and one test excavation have yielded more than 1000 stone artifacts. The lithic assemblage shows some features of Levallois and Quina technologies, similar to those found in Middle Paleolithic sites in the Western Hemisphere. In this study, we summarize the lithic industry and propose a reliable chronology for the site using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of individual quartz grains extracted from sediments. We applied the standardized growth curve method to deal with the problem associated with the saturation in natural OSL signals in quartz. Our dating results yielded ages of 90–40 ka, suggesting that the associated lithic assemblage could be assigned to Marine Oxygen Isotope Stages 5 and 4 and could potentially represent Middle Paleolithic technologies. Because the number of Middle Paleolithic sites in southwest China is small, this site provides one of the few traces of human occupation in southwest China during the early upper Pleistocene. Thus, it is important for understanding hominin evolution and dispersal in this region.

Late Pleistocene to Mid-Holocene landscape reconstruction in the western part of the Thessaloniki Plain, Greece: evidence for environmental changes, and implications for human occupation

This study presents new data from four boreholes in order to investigate the palaeoenvironmental changes and landscape configuration from the Late Pleistocene to the Mid-Holocene in the western part of the Thessaloniki plain. Palaeoenvironmental and archaeological records from northern Greece document the occurrence of significant landscape changes during the Holocene. While traces of human occupation are scarce in the western Thessaloniki plain during the transition from the Late Pleistocene (Lateglacial) to the Holocene (Mesolithic period), the climatic and environmental changes involved significant and abrupt impacts on surface processes. Recently published results indicated that palaeoenvironmental transitions in the area influenced the human occupation from the early Holocene (8000/7800 cal. BP) to recent times. However, the Late Pleistocene landscape configuration has not been clearly established. A new sequence is used for analyses of grain size, loss-on-ignition, carbonate content and rock magnetic properties. In addition, a series of 6 new AMS dates from the area provide a precise chronostratigraphy. The synthesis of the environmental proxies reveals distinct palaeoenvironmental changes within a well-constructed chronostratigraphic framework of more than 10k years, which is the longest sedimentary sequence reported for central Macedonia. The Late Pleistocene subsurface occurs at ~9 m depth and clearly indicates the presence of a large alluvial fan deposited by the Aliakmon River during the Younger Dryas (12.7k-11.7kyr BP). The abrupt transition to Early Holocene sediments reveals that a significant influx of fresh water generated a limnic sedimentary environment under detrital and human stress, from pre- to post-reforestation period in the area. Anthropogenic influence is also significantly recorded mainly by the magnetic properties of the lacustrine sediments after 9000 cal. BP. From Neolithic times to the present day, the study area was periodically occupied by a freshwater lake while palaeo-soils are clearly identified by anthropogenic activities and are dated from the Early Neolithic period.

Top Secret Topographies: Recovering Two and Three-Dimensional Archaeological Information from Historic Reconnaissance Datasets Using Image-Based Modelling Techniques

Historic aerial reconnaissance photographs are a valuable resource for archaeological and other landscape-oriented research. However, they are often difficult to access and convert into useable geospatial datasets. This article outlines a workflow for producing georeferenced two and three-dimensional data products from a range of historic frame camera imagery for use in GIS environments using readily available cost-effective computer vision based techniques. These techniques are highly automated and thus more accessible to non-specialist users, and are often able to recover meaningful, useable data from imagesets which can be difficult to process using traditional photogrammetric techniques. This approach is demonstrated on a number of historical datasets which cover the Kreuttal region of Lower Austria, an archaeologically rich area which contains traces of human occupation and land-use from the Neolithic to the Modern Historic periods. WWII Allied reconnaissance aerial photographs and declassified imagery intelligence data from the US Government HEXAGON program are processed using these techniques and the resulting orthophotograph mosaics and historic digital elevation models are analysed against high-accuracy reference datasets of known quality. In addition to obviating some of the difficulties inherent in processing historic imagery, this approach also demonstrates that historic remote sensing images can be put to novel uses that far exceed their intended purposes.

The house of the Bailiff of Sövestad, Sweden—a multi‐method geophysical case study

AbstractThe village Sövestad, 5 km north of Ystad, in southern Sweden has been known historically since 1085. Over the past 12 years a large number of finds were collected in the furrows of the field south of Sövestad. Some extraordinary finds from medieval time indicate an aristocratic site. To prepare for excavation, geophysical explorations were carried out. The aim was to accurately locate of the main house and to obtain a survey of the archaeological structures in their surroundings. The results of the geophysical investigations are very valuable. The house of the bailiff was found and also many traces of human occupation were observed. The level of modern excavation costs makes this method a valuable alternative to direct excavation as a survey method. However, for the next stage of the study of this manor site a regular excavation will be necessary.The good results obtained so far are an inspiration for further work in the highly interesting region, including a number of manor sites in historical villages close by (e.g. Gundralöv, Katslösa and Stora Herrestad). Only the comparative approach to these aristocratic milieus can contribute substantially to our understanding of this important aspect of rural social life in the Middle Ages. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quelques observations archéologiques dans la sablière "Les Ursulines", commune de Marck (Pas-de-Calais)

W.A. Van Es and S.L. Wynia, "A few archaeological observations on the sand-pit of "Les Ursulines" in the commune of Marck (Pas-de-Calais), with an appendix by W. Roeleveld". The study of the different strata visible on the southern side of the sand-pit of "Les Ursulines" (Marck, Pas-de-Calais, ancient territory of the Morini) has revealed a few traces of human occupation. The substratum is composed of sands of maritime origin, remnants of some coastal strand (at the time of a regression about 500 B.C. C14 g and f datation). Another level, but of aeolian origin, subsists and shows several stages of accumulation, some of which having filled an ancient channel. Human occupation, irregularly scattered, is visible at the level of a black-coloured stratum (moistening of the ground, organic substances) (elevation : 2.50I.G.N.) The datation through C14, confirmed by the study of archaeological findings, points to a time preceeding shortly the beginning of our era, and an abandon in the first years of the Roman times. The discovery of some dross suggests the existence of some industrial activity. This coastal strand has also been used now and again all along the Roman times and even in the Lower Middle Ages. This study followed by an analysis of the geological environment is a contribution to a better knowledge of the different phases of inhabitation on a moving coast -line, situated at the borders of Flanders and the Calais region.

Soldier or Artist? An Investigation into the Possible Roman Origins of Footprint Petroglyphs from Humayma

The archaeological site of Humayma in southern Jordan contains traces of human occupation spanning the Neolithic period through to the present day, with major occupation associated with the Nabatean, Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic settlements dating from the 1st century BC to the 8th century AD. Petroglyphs of feet carved into the sandstone landmasses next to the site could conceivably be associated with any of these population groups. The goal of this study is to investigate the possibility that some may have been carved by soldiers of the Roman garrison who were stationed at Humayma from the early 2nd C AD to the early 5th C AD. Specific aspects of Humayma’s foot petroglyphs (e.g. shape, dimensions, details) will be compared to published descriptions of Roman military footwear and to depictions in Roman art to determine the likelihood that Roman soldiers garrisoned at Humayma created these carvings. Further comparison of the nature and context of these carvings against other depictions of shoes, bare feet, footprints in Roman art may establish motives behind the creation of these petroglyphs. The findings as to whether or not support the theory that Roman soldiers likely created these petroglyphs will provide important information for understanding the activities of Humayma’s soldiers and the identity of those carving foot petroglyphs at Humayma and in the surrounding region.

A Hoard of Metalwork of the Early Iron Age from Ringstead, Norfolk

The widespread adoption of deeper ploughing has led to the discovery during recent years of many remarkable antiquities in East Anglia. Prominent among recent discoveries resulting from this practice have been a series of finds of metal objects of the Early Iron Age in north-western Norfolk. These have ranged from an iron anthropoid sword with an inhumation burial at Shouldham through isolated finds, such as tores at Bawsey and North Creake, to the impressive group of hoards of ornaments and coins at Snettisham and the small hoard here studied found at Ringstead five miles from Snettisham and two miles east of Hunstanton.Few remains of the latter part of the Iron Age from about 100 B.C. to A.D. 43 had previously been recorded from north-west Norfolk. Within a ten-mile radius of Ringstead only indefinite traces of human occupation had been noted, such as pottery from Hunstanton and coins of the Iceni from Brancaster, Burnham Thorpe and possibly Ingoldisthorpe. A much-damaged hillfort at South Creake has been attributed to this period, though on very little direct evidence. Actual indications of settlement at this period are still very scanty.