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In 2017/2018, two seasons of archaeological surveys were undertaken in Lejja, southeastern Nigeria. The aim of the archaeological field work was to systematically sample the area to locate archaeological sites, scatters of artefacts, features; and to characterize and record these findings. A particular objective was to identify sites with different typological or chronological characteristics and to then select representative examples for further investigation and excavations. This paper thus focuses for the first time; on the general knowledge of the archaeological signatures in addition to iron working that abound at the Lejja site from an archaeological perspective. We aimed to identify sites with evidence of iron production and sites with other characteristics of human habitation to compare inter-site variation. Using ethnoarchaeological studies, archaeological surveys and excavations, sixteen new sites were identified stretching from iron smelting sites to domestic/habitation sites and ancestral sites. We utilized both a systematic transect and an opportunistic approach to locate and map the archaeological sites encountered. The focus of the study was on thirteen key villages in Lejja southeastern Nigeria. Analysis of data shows that there seem to be distinct areas on the landscape for habitation and metal working respectively. However, it is unclear as yet what this distinction represents in terms of social organization, particularly whether they represent one community with different activity sites or two communities with distinct identities or indeed a more complex temporal and spatial patterning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the common physical materials in Chinese archaeological excavations, ancient bronzes are an essential basis for studying the development of Chinese bronze culture, which is of great significance for exploring the development law of ancient human civilization and reconstructing ancient human society. As China's infrastructure advances, the number of bronzes unearthed by archaeological excavations continues to increase. However, environmental damage to artefacts is very complex, whether the buried environment of the artefacts or the above-ground environment when the artefacts are unearthed, leading to different health problems for the excavated bronzes. A scientific assessment of these bronzes needs to be carried out prior to extraction to inform staff how they should be extracted, moved, and transported and how they should be restored afterwards. In response to the above problems, this paper takes excavated bronzes from archaeological sites as the research object and, by analysing and studying the relevant industry standards and the disease characteristics of bronzes, establishes a three-tier indicator framework for assessing the health of bronzes in a layer-by-layer refinement and proposes quantitative indicators with typical correlations. Through extensive research and testing, we screened out efficient, non-destructive, convenient and reliable assessment and testing methods and assessment models that combine subjective and objective aspects suitable for archaeological sites. On this basis, the paper achieves a scientific and practical assessment of the health status of bronzes excavated from archaeological sites. After repeated experiments, a set of comprehensive methods for quickly and conveniently assessing the health status of excavated bronzes was proposed for the first time and successfully applied to the archaeological excavation site of Sanxingdui site in Guanghan City, Sichuan Province, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along the western coastal plain of the Red Sea, the discovery of lithic tools proved that the occurrence of archaeological remains belonged to the Stone Age era. Unfortunately, until recently, most of the Stone Age site plans in the western Red Sea periphery have been unknown because of change in climate in addition to covering these sites with a large layer of sand. Recently, remote sensing (RS) data have proven to be effective at identifying buried archaeological sites using radar satellite imagery due to their ability to penetrate the land surface. This paper aims to identify and reconstruct several potential Stone Age sites using radar satellite images in the Tokar region, North-Eastern Sudan, on the western plain of the Red Sea. Radar (Sentinel-1 SAR GRD: C-band) data were processed utilizing the advantages of the Google Earth Engine platform and Snap software. The results of this research showed that some potential settlements belonging to the Stone Age era (expectedly dating back to the end of the Pleistocene and/or the initial phase of the Holocene) have subcircular shapes with some interior subcircles. These results shed new light on the potential construction technique, size, and function of the settlement in the Stone Age era and can provide some initial insights into the ancient lifestyle in this region. Additionally, this study can aid in future archaeological surveys and excavation missions in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates the results obtained by using pre-trained semantic segmentation deep learning models for the detection of archaeological sites within the Mesopotamian floodplains environment. The models were fine-tuned using openly available satellite imagery and vector shapes coming from a large corpus of annotations (i.e., surveyed sites). A randomized test showed that the best model reaches a detection accuracy in the neighborhood of 80%. Integrating domain expertise was crucial to define how to build the dataset and how to evaluate the predictions, since defining if a proposed mask counts as a prediction is very subjective. Furthermore, even an inaccurate prediction can be useful when put into context and interpreted by a trained archaeologist. Coming from these considerations we close the paper with a vision for a Human–AI collaboration workflow. Starting with an annotated dataset that is refined by the human expert we obtain a model whose predictions can either be combined to create a heatmap, to be overlaid on satellite and/or aerial imagery, or alternatively can be vectorized to make further analysis in a GIS software easier and automatic. In turn, the archaeologists can analyze the predictions, organize their onsite surveys, and refine the dataset with new, corrected, annotations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abusir is the name of an elaborate burial area in Egypt, dotted with 19 pyramids and other temples, stretching on the western side of the Nile from the south of the Giza Plateau to the northern rim of Saqqara. It seems to have been created as the resting site for the Pharaohs dated from 2494 to 2345 BC. The name Abusir, originally spoken as Busiri, means "Temple of Osiris". Over time, the name has become so popular because more than 60 villages now carry this name, but only one is the archaeological site. This paper focused on one of its most important pyramids from the Abusir archaeological area, Sahure's pyramid, since it is one of Egypt's little-known but heavily damaged treasures. Field and laboratory studies have been carried out to investigate and understand the durability problems and construction materials of this pyramid, leading to results that confirmed the impact of the geoenvironmental conditions on the pyramid's architectural, structural, and engineering stability. Moreover, the results showed that mineralogical content in the construction materials was an intrinsic problem due to the presence of swellable (expansive) clays, which are considered responsible for pyramid decay and damage. In addition to external factors such as the effect of temperature variations, rain, pollutants, wind, and earthquakes and their interactions with intrinsic building material defects. Finally, this paper revealed a new discovery for basaltic mortar as the first trial for green concrete manufacturing in the Egyptian Old Kingdom, Fifth Dynasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of botany applied to archaeological and palaeoecological studies, the multi- and inter-disciplinary nature of this research produces a lack of data sharing and scattered articles in the specialty literature or in national and international journals. The vast production of archaeobotany and palynology data makes it necessary to develop a tool for the availability, accessibility, and dissemination of existing research. Many databases exist on palaeoecology, archaeobotany or pollen data. There are no collections focused on archaeological sites and human-induced environments and centred on Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. BRAIN - Botanical Records of Archaeobotany Italian Network is the first database listing sites from which all types of plant records are available in Italy and nearby Mediterranean regions. BRAIN represents the largest integrated collection of archaeo/palaeo-botanical data and a range of descriptive information that makes data recovery FAIR ready. This unique network hosts data on the availability of anthropogenic pollen, palynomorphs and plant macroremains in the same database, and experts of different research fields may contribute to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alluvial floodplains were one of the major venues of the development and long-term transformation of urban agrarian-based societies. The historical relationship between human societies and riverine environments created a rich archaeological record, but it is one that is not always easy to access due to the dynamism of alluvial floodplains and the geomorphological processes driven their hydrological regimes. Alluvial floodplains are also targeted for urban and agricultural expansion, which both have the potential to pose threats to cultural heritage and the environment if not carefully managed. Analysis that combines Historical Cartography and Remote Sensing sources to identify potential archaeological sites and river palaeochannels is an important first step towards the reconstruction of settlement patterns in different historical periods and their relationship to the history of hydrological networks. We are able to use different computational methods to great effect, including algorithms to enhance the visualization of different features of the landscape; and for processing large quantity of data using Machine-Learning based methods. Here we integrate those methods for the first time in a single study case: a section of the Indus River basin. Using a combined approach, it has been possible to map the historical hydrological network in a detail never achieved before and identify hundreds of potential archaeological sites previously unknown. Discussing these datasets together, we address the interpretation of the archaeological record, and highlight how Remote Sensing approaches can inform future research, heritage documentation, management, and preservation. The paper concludes with a targeted analysis of our datasets in the light of previous field-based research in order to provide preliminary insights on how long-term processes might have re-worked historical landscapes and their potential implications for the study of settlement patterns in different Historical periods in this region, thereby highlighting the potential for such integrated approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report in this paper the muography of an archaeological site located in the highly populated "Sanità" district in the center of Naples, ten meters below the current street level. Several detectors capable of detecting muons - high energy charged particles produced by cosmic rays in the upper layers of atmosphere - were installed underground at the depth of 18 m, to measure the muon flux over several weeks. By measuring the differential flux with our detectors in a wide angular range, we have produced a radiographic image of the upper layers. Despite the architectural complexity of the site, we have clearly observed the known structures as well as a few unknown ones. One of the observed new structures is compatible with the existence of a hidden, currently inaccessible, burial chamber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to reconstruct the management of food resources in the early Neolithic site of Cabecicos Negros in southeastern Spain. For this purpose, we have studied 29 potsherds from Cabecicos Negros (Andalusia, Spain). Applying the methods of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry we were able to recompose the daily use of the sherds related to the consumption and storage of food products. Among the results obtained in this work, we were able to show new evidence of the exploitation of dairy products in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as provide information on the exploitation and management of the early domestic animals herds. To improve the archaeological results obtained, isotopic results were compared with a modern reference of 53 fat samples from the adipose tissue of domestic pigs and wild boars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the development of a lightweight remotely operated vehicle that performs underwater excavation work for archaeological surveys. Discovering underwater artifacts is generally difficult because they are in high risk areas and are often covered with sediment. To discover them, divers and large remotely operated vehicles must conduct excavation work with a manipulator(s). Nevertheless, accomplishing such tasks is difficult for small and portable underwater robots without a manipulator(s). As described herein, we developed a lightweight underwater robot of 35 kg that can remove sediment from the seabed or lake bottom using its thrusters instead of a manipulator. Numerous redundant thrusters are equipped with the robot to compensate the reaction force of the thrusters for sediment removal. Eight thrusters are arranged not only for sediment removal but also for fine maneuvering. First, through preliminary experiments, we investigated the potential use of a water flow generated using a pair of small marine thrusters to remove surface sediment. Next, we described the design and development of a lightweight underwater robot with eight thrusters and high-definition cameras for archaeological surveys. Finally, we conducted field experiments to demonstrate the sediment removal performance and usefulness of the developed robot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nero's Temple at El-Ashmonein archaeological site, in Minia (middle of Egypt), is considered one of the most important of all temples of Nero. This temple dates back to 1520 BC–1075 BC in the New Kingdom and was reused in the era of Nero (the Fifth Emperor of Rome). The temple construction materials are severely decayed from surrounding environmental impacts, especially contaminated water sources. The main objective of this paper is to identify the construction materials of Nero's Temple and their decay by-products. To achieve them, X-ray diffraction, micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and portable Raman spectroscopy were utilized to identify the compositions and alteration by-products/degradation compounds (mainly saline efflorescence and crusts) from the construction materials, such as limestone walls, and structural mortars of the temple. In addition, a polarizing microscope was used to identify the minerals inside the construction materials and reveal the alteration of the minerals because of decay. Digital microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with EDS were used to detect decayed materials' morphological features. Finally, results showed that the main decay factor is salt attack (chlorides, sulfates, phosphates, nitrates, carbonates, and bicarbonates) for all architectural and structural elements of the temple, which have been carried to the construction materials from various sources of contaminated water (canal, sewage, and agricultural water). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combination of pyrolysis and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry significantly expands the possibilities of the latter, including for the analysis of macromolecular organic compounds. This type of material includes the majority of insoluble polymers and oriental lacquers used in some East Asian countries, such as China, Japan, and Burma, in creating products for various purposes. Pyrolysis combined with thermomethylation ensures the determination of the type of oriental lacquer and identify other organic materials added to it. This method is of particular interest in studying heavily degraded archaeological lacquer pieces. In this paper, several artifacts discovered during archaeological excavations in the territory of Transbaikalia in the Orgoyton burial ground are studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Archaeological sites are increasingly threatened by climate-related hazards. In response, heritage management authorities initiated projects to document damage and plan risk assessment measures. We present a project initiated after the heavy rainfall and subsequent flood event of July 2021, which involved extensive fieldwork to document the damage to archaeological sites in the Rhineland. We use this database to characterise and assess the damage and investigate site-specific and geospatial factors to identify potential predictive parameters for site damage. Results: During fieldwork, we found that the flood damaged 19% of the 538 archaeological sites surveyed. The majority of damaged sites are relatively recent, dating from the medieval or modern periods, and are associated with the use of water power. Damage was mainly caused by erosion, floating debris and washout, e.g. mortar. In a case study, we tested the option of comparing pre- and post-disaster Airborne Laser Scanning elevation data to identify damages. It showed that not only the damage detected during fieldwork was found but also additional areas of loss. In general, however, and quantified based on the entire dataset, the ordnance survey Airborne Laser Scanning data were of limited use for monitoring flood-related damage and could not replace fieldwork. Our statistical analysis of possible risk factors, including both site characteristics and geospatial parameters, using Naïve Bayes Modelling and chi-squared tests, showed that no set of parameters could consistently predict the preservation or damage of archaeological sites across all catchments. In contrast, some external geospatial factors correlated with the occurrence of damage. Conclusions: The study highlights both the strengths and limitations of the approaches used to assess and predict the damage to the archaeological heritage in the 2021 flood zones of the Rhineland. It also demonstrates the complexity of the data and spatial processes involved, which limits generalisation but can still inform decision-making for archaeological site management and on-site protection measures in flood-prone areas. With the prospect of more frequent heavy rainfall due to climate change, the specific needs of the archaeological heritage should be integrated into broader prevention and disaster management plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A seed recovered during archaeological excavations of a cave in the Judean desert was germinated, with radiocarbon analysis indicating an age of 993 CE– 1202 calCE. DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis identified the seedling as belonging to the angiosperm genus Commiphora Jacq., sister to three Southern African Commiphora species, but unique from all other species sampled to date. The germinated seedling was not closely related to Commiphora species commonly harvested for their fragrant oleoresins including Commiphora gileadensis (L.) C.Chr., candidate for the locally extinct "Judean Balsam" or "Balm of Gilead" of antiquity. GC-MS analysis revealed minimal fragrant compounds but abundance of those associated with multi-target bioactivity and a previously undescribed glycolipid compound series. Several hypotheses are offered to explain the origins, implications and ethnobotanical significance of this unknown Commiphora sp., to the best of our knowledge the first identified from an archaeological site in this region, including identification with a resin producing tree mentioned in Biblical sources and possible agricultural relationship with the historic Judean Balsam. Germination of an ancient seed from the Judean desert, confirmed by DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis as belonging to an unknown Commiphora sp., contained abundant bioactive compounds, suggesting identification with a resin-producing tree mentioned in Biblical sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3-D) stereo images can be generated via computer-based image processing of CORONA stereo pairs. To a certain extent, important terrain and surface feature data extracted from these stereo images can improve the survey of archaeological sites and the identification and mapping of major landscapes. In this study, we focused on the identification of the archaeological ruins of Liangzhu City. An optical stereo model (red/blue stereo image) of the Liangzhu site was created through computer-based mosaicking and processing of CORONA remote-sensing stereo pairs taken in the 1960s and 1970s. By importing the optical stereo model into mobile phones, tablet computers, and other mobile devices, the research team undertook real-time locating of ruins via human observation, on-site investigation, and image overlay during a field survey and identified several Liangzhu-period dams, some of which have been confirmed via archaeological field investigations. The research team later applied the same method to the identification of tombs at the site of the mausoleums of the six emperors of the Southern Song dynasty. The results further prove that this method is feasible and reliable and can be widely promoted and used for the identification of archaeological ruins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the interbreeding of Homo neanderthalensis (hereafter Neanderthal) and Anatomically modern human (AMH) has been proven, owing to the shortage of fossils and absence of appropriate DNA, the timing and geography of their interbreeding are not clearly known. In this study, we applied ecological niche modelling (maximum entropy approach) and GIS to reconstruct the palaeodistribution of Neanderthals and AMHs in Southwest Asia and Southeast Europe and identify their contact and potential interbreeding zone during marine isotope stage 5 (MIS 5), when the second wave of interbreeding occurred. We used climatic variables characterizing the environmental conditions of MIS 5 ca. 120 to 80 kyr (averaged value) along with the topography and coordinates of Neanderthal and modern human archaeological sites to characterize the palaeodistribution of each species. Overlapping the models revealed that the Zagros Mountains were a contact and potential interbreeding zone for the two human species. We believe that the Zagros Mountains acted as a corridor connecting the Palearctic/Afrotropical realms, facilitating northwards dispersal of AMHs and southwards dispersal of Neanderthals during MIS 5. Our analyses are comparable with archaeological and genetic evidence collected during recent decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently in NW Europe little is known about the human response to the extensive cold reversal at the end of the Pleistocene, the Younger Dryas (ca. 12,850 till ca. 11,650 cal BP), mainly due to the poor chronological resolution of the archaeological sites belonging to the Ahrensburgian Culture. Here we present a series of 33 radiocarbon dates performed on the seminal cave site of Remouchamps, situated in the Belgian Meuse basin. Combined with a revision of the available radiocarbon evidence along the southern North Sea basin (Belgium, southern Netherlands, western Germany), it is suggested that the first half of the Younger Dryas, characterized as extremely cold and wet, faced a significant population reduction. Repopulation started around the middle of the Younger Dryas, from ca. 12,200 cal BP onward, probably in response to a slight climatic improvement leading to somewhat warmer summers. This might be considered a prelude to the subsequent population boost of the Early Holocene (Mesolithic). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study presented focuses on material research of La Tène rivets and represents the very first study conducted into this class of archaeological finds from the Bohemian region. The rivets examined come from two significant archaeological sites situated in this geographical area—a hillfort Kolo near Týnec nad Labem and an oppidum in Stradonice. The sets of the rivets selected for the study were dated to the Late La Tène period (second–first century BC)—in the context of Western Europe, the term Celtic period can also be found. Thorough material research of the objects utilised a range of methods such as scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive analyser, atomic absorption spectrometry, X-ray micro-tomography scanning, laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and Raman spectrometry. As a result, the research has identified and described three different technologies used to produce the rivets. The rivets uncovered there were mostly produced by casting from a bronze alloy or by putting wrought iron pins into the bronze melt of rivet heads. In addition, a minority of the rivets were produced using forged wrought iron with their heads plated with a very thin bronze plate. The results of the elemental analysis showed that several of the rivets and most of the rivet heads were made of bronze alloys with a tin content of 2–10 wt.%. The lead content of bronze alloy rivets from both sites varies from 0.2 to 10.1 wt.%. It can be assumed, that lead was intentionally added to the bronze melt used to produce the majority of the artefacts examined. Also, several bronze rivet heads were found to be decorated with enamel, which is a type of soda-lime-silica high lead glass coloured with crystals of Cu2O (the Colour of the enamel was predominantly red). In conclusion, two different groups of enamels were distinguished: (a) enamels with PbO up to 20% and (b) enamels with a higher content of PbO reaching up to 40%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Arctic region, microbial degradation poses a significant threat to the preservation of archaeological deposits, actively consuming irreplaceable cultural and environmental records. In this study we assess the potential effects of the last 40 years of climate change on organic archaeological deposits within the UNESCO World Heritage area Kujataa in South Greenland. We use the dynamic process-oriented model, CoupModel to simulate soil temperatures and soil moisture contents at four archaeological sites in the area. The results show that the organic deposits have experienced a substantial warming the last 40 years, which combined with decreasing soil moisture contents creates a dangerous combination that can accelerate the degradation of organic materials. Currently, there are 583 archaeological sites registered within the area. Our findings highlight that the current climatic conditions are not conducive to organic preservation. The greatest risk of degradation lies within the relatively dry continental inland areas of the study region, where all Norse Viking Age settlements are situated. However, even at the "cold" and "wet" outer coast, the combined effects of rising summer temperatures and declining soil moisture levels may already be exerting a noticeable impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Caribbean & Mesoamerica Biogeochemical Isotope Overview (CAMBIO) is an archaeological data community designed to integrate published biogeochemical data from the Caribbean, Mesoamerica, and southern Central America to address questions about dynamic interactions among humans, animals, and the environment in the region over the past 10,000 years. Here we present the CAMBIO human dataset, which consists of more than 16,000 isotopic measurements from human skeletal tissue samples (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S, δ18O, 87Sr/86Sr, 206/204Pb, 207/204Pb, 208/204Pb, 207/206Pb) from 290 archaeological sites dating between 7000 BC to modern times. The open-access dataset also includes detailed chronological, contextual, and laboratory/sample preparation information for each measurement. The collated data are deposited on the open-access CAMBIO data community via the Pandora Initiative data platform (https://pandoradata.earth/organization/cambio). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bronze mou was an important artifact commonly used in the Ba-Shu region (now in Chongqing and Sichuan Province) during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Han Dynasty. Although extensive archaeological study of the bronze mou has been conducted, scientific analysis of the bronze mou has been limited, and no organic residue analysis has been performed on the bronze mou. In this study, four bronze mous dated to the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) with organic residues unearthed in three archaeological sites in Wushan, Chongqing, were selected for analysis by portable X-ray fluorescent spectrometer (P-XRF) and liquid chromatograph-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The results of the alloy composition indicated that all the samples are copper-tin-lead ternary alloys. The proteomic analysis results confirmed that the bronze mou had been used as cooking utensils or containers. At the Tuchengpo Cemetery, soybeans were found in both bronze mou M32:27 and M38:39, and vigna was discovered in M32:27. No useful protein was discovered in the bronze mou from the Shennvmiao Cemetery. Proteins of ginkgo and chicken were found in M16:12 at the Gaotangguan Cemetery. The discovery indicated that residents in Wushan, Chongqing, had access to a diverse range of food sources around 2000 years ago. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that proteomic analysis is highly effective in studying archaeological organic residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the North Loess Plateau of China, city civilization, social complexity, and stratification emerged during the Longshan period (3000-2000BCE). Based on Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis and archaeological predictive model, we conducted a comparative analysis of environmental characteristics between sites and non-sites, ordinary and walled city sites, as well as large and smaller city sites. Initially, we developed a Binary Logistic Regression (BLR) model to predict the locations of archaeological sites from this period. Our findings indicate a high predictive accuracy of the model, demonstrating a clear environmental preference by the people of the Longshan Period. The presence or absence of the site was found to be influenced by various factors, including temperature, elevation, river distance, and precipitation. Furthermore, we discovered that walled cities had higher environmental requirements compared to ordinary sites. Terrain and land use played a more significant role in shaping prehistoric cities than climate. Lastly, the landscape in the Shimao site, which served as a most crucial and largest settlement centers on the North Loess Plateau (NLP), resembled that of other minor walled cities. Due to its abundant grassland, Shimao relied more on animal husbandry rather than agriculture. The combination of agriculture and animal husbandry has promoted the urbanization processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A refutation of the claims by Scott Stripling et al. regarding the epigraphic analysis and paleographic contents of the folded lead object discovered on Mt. Ebal in 2019 during the wet-sifting of dump piles from a previous archaeological excavation by Adam Zertal. This piece of lead is often referred to as the "Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet". An article regarding this find, by Stripling et al., titled "You are Cursed by the God YHW:" an early Hebrew inscription from Mt. Ebal", was published on May 23, 2023, in the Heritage Science journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many years, the rise of stratified societies along the Central Andean coast, known as the birthplace of Andean civilization, has been closely linked to a marine-oriented economy. This hypothesis has recently been challenged by increasing evidence of plant management and cultivation among Andean populations long before the emergence of complex societies and monumental architecture. The extent to which marine and plant-based economies were integrated and their contributions to early sedentism, population growth, and intra-community stratification, however, remain subjects of ongoing and contentious debate. Using Bayesian Mixing Models we reanalyze the previously published stable isotopes (δ15Ncollagen, δ13Ccollagen, δ13Capatite) values of 572 human individuals from 39 archaeological sites in the Central Andes dated between ca. 7000 BCE and 200 CE to reconstruct dietary regimes in probabilistic terms. Our results reveal that fish, terrestrial fauna, and cultivated plants variably contributed to the diet of prehistoric Andean populations; in coastal and middle valley settlements plant cultivation, not fishing, fueled the development of the earliest complex societies during the Formative Period (from 3000 BCE). Similarly, in the highlands the societies that built ceremonial centers show a plant-based economy. Our findings also show that maize only became a staple food (> 25% dietary contribution) in more recent phases of Andean prehistory, around 500 BCE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing of the initial peopling of the Americas is unresolved. Because the archaeological record necessitates discussion of human entry from Beringia into southern North America during the last glaciation, addressing this problem routinely involves evaluating environmental parameters then targeting areas suitable for human settlement. Vertebrate remains indicate landscape quality and are a key dataset for assessing coastal migration theories and the viability of coastal routes. Here, radiocarbon dates on vertebrate specimens and archaeological sites are calibrated to document species occurrences and the ages of human settlements across the western expansion and decay of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet (CIS) during the Late Wisconsin Fraser Glaciation in four subregions of the north Pacific coast of North America. The results show archaeological sites occur after glacial maxima and are generally consistent with the age of other securely dated earliest sites in southern North America. They also highlight gaps in the vertebrate chronologies around CIS maxima in each of the subregions that point to species redistributions and extirpations and signal times of low potential for human settlement and subsistence in a key portion of the proposed coastal migration route. This study, therefore, defines new age constraints for human coastal migration theories in the peopling of the Americas debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the crop management practices of millet agriculture is pivotal for comprehending the development of Chinese civilization. Recent studies have indicated that organic manuring plays a crucial role in ensuring sustainable millet cultivation on the Loess Plateau. However, uncertainties still exist regarding how manuring practices impact the δ15N values of C4 millets compared to C3 cereals. Furthermore, inadequate information on crop δ15N at archaeological sites has led to controversial interpretations of animal and human diets. In this study, we present new findings from an experimental archaeological research conducted in actual loess farmland in China to explore the potential range of variability in grain δ15N values of millets. Our results demonstrate that animal manure significantly increases Setaria and Panicum grain δ15N values, ranging from 2.7 to 9.3‰. Considering trophic enrichment effects on nitrogen isotopes, humans consuming manured millets may yield values ranging from 5.7 to 12.3‰, suggesting alternative explanations for high δ15N values other than animal protein consumption. Opposite to the general hypothesis, the grain δ15N values are systematically lower than those of leaves. The difference between the values of Setaria and Panicum and the process of manure influencing the grain δ15N values are also discussed. Our study provides novel insights into the nitrogen stable isotopic indicator of millet manuring and will serve to set reconstructions of past manuring and diet practices in northern China on a firmer foundation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four glass beads from a Scythian burial on the island of Khortytsia (Southern Ukraine) were subjected to 3D imaging using micro-CT and photogrammetry. The aim was to reconstruct the process used to produce and decorate the beads by detecting and interpreting the traces left by the technological processes on the bead surface and in the glass body. It turned out that all the beads were obtained by winding hot glass around the mandrel. The distribution, size and shape of the bubbles in the glass matrix revealed by the micro-CT scans and the features observed during a thorough examination of the photogrammetric models allowed us to follow the movements of the bead maker during the formation of the bead body and its decoration, highlighting several details of the production processes such as the number of the superimposed layers and the direction of the rotation of the mandrel during both the formation of the body and the decoration of the bead. Some information about the tools also emerged, with particular reference to the shape of the mandrel, the possible use of a releasing agent and how tools were used to decorate the surface or to remove the beads from the mandrel. According to the archaeological classification, the beads considered here belong to three different types, that are considered chronological indicators of the fourth century BCE and are found in archaeological sites spread over an area extending for several thousand kilometers from the Black Sea coast to the Ural Mountains. This work enriches the knowledge of the micromorphology of beads found in Eastern Europe, which is rarely discussed in the scientific literature on the archaeological glass beads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neo-taphonomic studies have allowed us to detect bone damage patterns linked to carnivore preferences and behavioral traits as well as to improve our understanding of the origin of different alterations on vertebrate fossil faunas. However, taphonomically speaking vultures are among the least studied of all common, obligate scavengers. The research reported here contributes to characterise Eurasian griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) behavior from a taphonomic perspective describing bone damage on 12 small-sized ungulate carcasses. The combination of observational data from photo/video-trap together with taphonomic analyses allowed us to manage factors like feeding behavior or time of consumption, as well as to accurately record bone modified items. Some bone-modifying effects are described here for the first time as vulture-made bone-damage distinctiveness. Still, some others may pose equifinality problems especially regarding small carnivores. This taphonomic conundrum leaves an interpretation problem particularly in archaeological sites in which those agents are present and consequently, an individualization dilemma about the taphonomic actors involved in bone modified assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palaeogenomics is contributing to refine our understanding of many major evolutionary events at an unprecedented resolution, with relevant impacts in several fields, including phylogenetics of extinct species. Few extant and extinct animal species from Mediterranean regions have been characterised at the DNA level thus far. The Sardinian pika, Prolagus sardus (Wagner, 1829), was an iconic lagomorph species that populated Sardinia and Corsica and became extinct during the Holocene. There is a certain scientific debate on the phylogenetic assignment of the extinct genus Prolagus to the family Ochotonidae (one of the only two extant families of the order Lagomorpha) or to a separated family Prolagidae, or to the subfamily Prolaginae within the family Ochotonidae. In this study, we successfully reconstructed a portion of the mitogenome of a Sardinian pika dated to the Neolithic period and recovered from the Cabaddaris cave, an archaeological site in Sardinia. Our calibrated phylogeny may support the hypothesis that the genus Prolagus is an independent sister group to the family Ochotonidae that diverged from the Ochotona genus lineage about 30 million years ago. These results may contribute to refine the phylogenetic interpretation of the morphological peculiarities of the Prolagus genus already described by palaeontological studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tells are multi-layered, archaeological mounds representing anthropogenic landforms common in arid regions. In such contexts, the preservation of the archaeological record is mined by ongoing climate changes, shift in land use, and intense human overgrazing. Such natural and human-driven factors tune the response of archaeological soils and sediments to erosion. Geomorphology offers a plethora of tools for mapping natural and anthropogenic landforms and evaluating their response to unremitting weathering, erosional and depositional processes. Here, we present a geomorphological investigation on two anthropogenic mounds in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with a special focus on the ongoing erosional processes mining their slope stability and threatening the preservation of the local archaeological landscape. Applying the revised universal soil loss equation model for soil loess derived from UAV imagery and implemented with geoarchaeological investigation, we assess the erosion rate along anthropogenic mounds and estimate the risk of losing archaeological deposits. We argue that a large-scale application of our approach in arid and semi-arid regions may improve our ability to (i) estimate the rate of soil and/or archaeological sediments loss, (ii) propose mitigation strategies to prevent the dismantling of the archaeological record, and (iii) schedule archaeological operations in areas of moderate to extreme erosion risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desiccation cracking is a common deterioration that occurs in archaeological excavation sites and greatly threatens long-term preservation. The aim of this research is to comprehensively evaluate the development degree of desiccation cracking (DOC) and explore the relationships between soil properties and its development. Seven indicators are selected to comprehensively describe the DOC, and principal component analysis (PCA) is applied to calculate the weight of each indicator. Linear correlation analysis (LCA) is adopted to calculate the correlations of six soil properties and DOC. The results showed that each indicator has an influence on the DOC. The clay particle content, clay mineral content, and plasticity index showed a positive correlation with the DOC, and the moisture content showed a negative correlation. This research proposed a comprehensive evaluation method to describe the development degree of deterioration at the earthen site, and the results revealed the internal factors influencing desiccation cracking from a qualitative perspective, which can lay a foundation for further conservation research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the archaeological canine surrogacy approach (CSA) it is assumed that because dogs were reliant on humans for food, they had similar diets to the people with whom they lived. As a result, the stable isotope ratios of their tissues (bone collagen and apatite, tooth enamel and dentine collagen) will be close to those of the humans with whom they cohabited. Therefore, in the absence of human tissue, dog tissue isotopes can be used to help reconstruct past human diets. Here δ13C and δ15N ratios on previously published dog and human bone collagen from fourteenth-seventeenth century AD ancestral Iroquoian village archaeological sites and ossuaries in southern Ontario are used with MixSIAR, a Bayesian dietary mixing model, to determine if the dog stable isotope ratios are good proxies for human isotope ratios in dietary modeling for this context. The modeling results indicate that human dietary protein came primarily from maize and high trophic level fish and dogs from maize, terrestrial animals, low trophic level fish, and human feces. While isotopes from dog tissues can be used as general analogs for human tissue isotopes under CSA, greater insights into dog diets can be achieved with Bayesian dietary mixing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancient human settlements accumulate essential historical, archaeological, and geological information. An example is the St. Angel Cave, which preserves a Romanesque church and a complex of lustral tubs in the Eastern Maiella Massif (Central Apennines of Italy). Historical chronicles and archaeological data show that the church dates to the 10th–11th century. The archaeometry applied to the ceramic, coin, and wooden artefacts resulting from the excavation established a chronology of the periods of use and abandonment of the St. Angel Cave. The layering of architectural elements, changes in style, and alterations of the church structure account for two collapses. The first could be related to the poorly known 1209 earthquake. In addition, we describe the damage and changes to the structure and the use of space caused probably by the 1706 and 1933 earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological record of the Lagar Velho rock shelter (Lapedo Valley, Leiria, Portugal) bears testimony to several significant Upper Palaeolithic occupations, most notably the Lapedo Child burial (LV1) dating from the Gravettian. Excavations undertaken at the site since 2018 have seen the recovery of a large quantity of coprolites, above all in layer 143 (c. 29 ka cal BP). The study of these fossilized remains points to the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) as the main coprogenic agent and provides the first descriptions of these avian coprolites in archaeological assemblages. The analyses reported involved the comparison of the coprogenic samples with modern bearded vulture scats. A new morphotype is proposed for discriminating the faeces of this avian scavenger based on (1) macroscopic analyses, (2) morphometric comparisons with other fossil and modern scats and (3) their mineralogical and elemental composition. Among the criteria proposed here to identify the coprolites of the bearded vulture are their cylindrical shape, diameter, pointed extremities and homogeneous porous texture, as well as their massive internal texture, hard consistency and total absence of bone inclusions (attributable in all likelihood to a high digastric juice acidity capable of dissolving bones). Our results indicate that, as well as being used by humans for short-term stays, the Lagar Velho rock shelter was used by the bearded vulture as a nesting site. We provide new evidence from Iberia of the activity of this avian scavenger as a bone accumulator in archaeological sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of dental wear study to murids has always been ruled out because of their omnivorous diet, which does not leave significant wear on the dentition. Nevertheless, in our work we select Apodemus sylvaticus (wood mouse) as the object of study for several reasons: its seasonal diet, its ability to resist the gastric juices of predators, the fact that it has not undergone major morphological changes since its appearance 3 million years ago, and its widespread distribution throughout much of Europe and part of Africa. The importance of this work lies in the modifications we make to the dental wear methodology for its application to murids. These enable us to obtain quantitative data on the entire tooth surface. The sample chosen was a total of 75 lower first molars from two different archaeological sites: Teixoneres cave and Xaragalls cave. The chronology of the samples chosen ranges from Marine Isotope Stages 5–3. The data obtained reveal that the part of the tooth that shows most wear is the distal part (entoconid). Furthermore, the results provide us with relevant information on the types of accumulations of remains in the caves (short vs. long term), as well as on the seasonality of Neanderthal occupations during the Upper Pleistocene (MIS5-3) of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of interdisciplinary research conducted at the Late Neolithic settlements Algai and Oroshaemoe (Aleksandrovo-Gaisky district of Saratov oblast, Lower Volga region) dated back to the 7th–5th millennia BC are considered. Modern soils of the study area are represented by light chestnut soils (Eutric Cambisols (Loamic, Protocalcic, Ochric)). In archaeological excavations, anthropogenically transformed variants of the same soils have been identified. Reconstruction of paleoenvironmental conditions in the area of archaeological settlements and their comparison with data from other parts of the Lower Volga region attests to periodic aridization and humidization of the climate and the related alternation of the stages of soil formation and sedimentation. An analysis of two neighboring sites indicates that the rate of soil formation in the study area varied from 0.8 to 35 cm/100 years. The soil strata have been identified and subdivided into several series of Holocene soils of different ages. Sterile (light-colored horizons without artifacts) or B horizons serve as parent materials for each of the formed soils. Sterile horizons were formed under arid climatic conditions with the development of salt-affected soils. The duration of the formation of each Holocene soil varied. Cyclic stages of aridization and humidization of the climate have been observed during the entire Holocene against the general background trend of increasing humidization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents archaeometric analyses of glazed tiles produced with the cut-mosaic technique to reveal information about the Anatolian Seljuk period's architecture and ceramic technology. The Persian Seljuk artists also used the same technique. For this purpose, physical, chemical, thermal, mineralogical, microstructural, and molecular analyses were carried out on the tiles from the Seljuk period unearthed in the Kılıçarslan Square excavation in Konya, the capital of the Anatolian Seljuk State from the twelfth-century to the beginning of the fourteenth-century. SEM, XRD, and Heat Microscopy analyses showed that the Seljuk period tiles were not fired at high temperatures like today's tiles and were probably fired at temperatures below 1100 °C. WD-XRF analyses revealed that the glazes are classified into two categories, one being alkali varying the content of Na2O + K2O between 13 and 16 wt% (PbO between 0.5 and 2 wt%) and the other being lead-alkali type in which PbO content varies between 13 and 15 wt% and alkali content 10–14 wt%. The cobalt content in the blue color is around 0.2 wt%, and copper content in the turquoise-colored samples varies between 2.9 and 4.4 wt% depending on the lightness and darkness of the color (higher amount for tile 1 and tile 3, which are darker than the others). The brown color is obtained by the presence of MnO (3.3 wt%). Raman analysis showed that the difference in sintering temperature caused the color tone difference in Seljuk period tiles, and glazes were formed in the range of 800–1000 °C depending on the Ip values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial communities in tomb soil change during archaeological excavation, and these changes can accelerate the deterioration of buried heritage. In this study, a high-throughput sequencing method was used to analyze the soil microbial diversity of tomb M88 from the Sujialong Cultural Property after careful excavation in the laboratory. The phylum of Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Ascomycota predominated in the tomb soil, and the dominant genera, Pseudarthrobacter, Penicillium, and Cladosporium, showed the potential to degrade residual relics in the tomb soil. These findings will help to explore the process of microbial degradation in buried heritage during long-term archaeological excavation and improve careful excavation procedures in the laboratory for further conservation. Additionally, numerous plant species were identified in the tomb soil, and most of the plants belonged to the native vegetation species. However, the identified dominant species, Glycine, Angelica, and Hippophae, should be from residual heritage rather than native species, which may provide clues for the study of funeral customs and cultural exchange in the Zeng State. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peopling of Central Europe by Middle Pleistocene hominids is highly debatable, mainly due to the relatively harsh climatic and environmental conditions that require cultural and anatomical adjustments. At least several archaeological sites certify human occupation in the region dated back to MIS 13-11, but they represent open-air settlements. Based on the new fieldwork conducted in Tunel Wielki Cave, we can date the human occupation traces in the cave to MIS 14-12. Bipolar-on-anvil knapping technique prevails in the lithic assemblage, made exclusively in flint. The obtained results have given ground for studying the frontiers of human oikumene and the required cultural adaptive abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generation of 3D models through Terrestrial Laser Scanning has proved to be valuable tools for the study, documentation and recreation of archaeological remains. In this context, it is described how to generate a physical model to provide not only to researchers, but also as teaching material for teachers for university students, facilitating their access and study. As a practical case, this article describes the acquisition, processing and management of archaeological data in the archaeological site of Cástulo, Jaén, in South Spain. We expound how to get the 3D-printed model of the Muslim tower, showing how it is possible to generate a scale and very reliable reproduction of the structure, being also an useful and tangible material in the teaching of cultural heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of papyrus documents have reached us in a very fragmentary state due to their excavation conditions and, because of the early history of papyrology, without an archaeological contextualisation. Traditionally, papyrologists have only relied on the bibliological characterisation of the documents they work on to provide such a chronological, geographical and socio-cultural context within which to fully understand the texts they edit and study. This study, following previous research on ink characterisation of papyrus documents, uses infrared spectroscopy and SEM/EDX for the analysis of ink and the papyrus surface. To this purpose, 67 samples of coherent groups of papyri from the Palau-Ribes collection in Barcelona, organised according to chronological, geographical and bibliological criteria, have been analysed to identify trends in their composition that may contribute to their characterisation and further enlarge our knowledge of written culture in Antiquity. The samples have been categorised into seven groups: Papyri that are (1) dated to II CE; (2) dated to VI CE; (3) from Oxyrhynchus; (4) from the Monastery of Bawit; (5) written in chancery hands; (6) written in bookhands, and (7) brown ink. All samples have been analysed using infrared spectroscopy, and SEM/EDX has also been used for analysis of a small subset of sample in order to confirm the presence of iron, sulphur and other elements. The results confirm previous findings in iron-gall ink distribution for texts written in bookhands from the Byzantine period, and adds to the characterisation of other groups, such as the Bawit one, with high levels of lignin in the composition of the writing surface, or the degradation of the cellulose shown for the Oxyrhynchus group, suggesting peculiar traits in the manufacturing and conservation of written documents from ancient times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several aspects of past culture, including historical trends, are inferred from time-based patterns observed in archaeological artifacts belonging to different periods. The presence and variation of these objects provides important clues about the Neolithic revolution and given their relative abundance in most archaeological sites, ceramic potteries are significantly helpful in this purpose. Nonetheless, most available pottery is fragmented, leading to missing morphological information. Currently, the reassembly of fragmented objects from a collection of thousands of mixed fragments is a daunting and time-consuming task done almost exclusively by hand, which requires the physical manipulation of the fragments. To overcome the challenges of manual reconstruction and improve the quality of reconstructed samples, we present IberianGAN, a customized Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) tested on an extensive database with complete and fragmented references. We trained the model with 1072 samples corresponding to Iberian wheel-made pottery profiles belonging to archaeological sites located in the upper valley of the Guadalquivir River (Spain). Furthermore, we provide quantitative and qualitative assessments to measure the quality of the reconstructed samples, along with domain expert evaluation with archaeologists. The resulting framework is a possible way to facilitate pottery reconstruction from partial fragments of an original piece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporary consolidation is a quite common practice during archeological excavations nowadays. Melts of cyclododecane or menthol are among the most used consolidants. When using melting protocol to consolidate fragile heritages in archaeological excavation sites, one of the most frequently encountered challenges is the poor penetration of the melt into the heritages, especially in cases of low environmental temperatures, high water content or compact substrates. In this work, we explore the possibility of using solvent-assisted menthol sols as temporary consolidant. Six common organic liquids are individually introduced into menthol at a concentration of 9.1 wt% to formulate room temperature menthol sols. Their potentials as temporary consolidants are systematically investigated. Experimental data indicate that solvent polarity is the most important feature for temporary consolidation purpose and ethanol with medium polarity is among the most appropriate solvents. Laboratory research results show that much better penetration behavior and good consolidation performances can be achieved in menthol-ethanol sol. The as-prepared menthol-ethanol sol is applied in Liangzhu archeological excavation site with satisfactory outcomes. This work shows that menthol-ethanol sol is an excellent temporary consolidation material for archaeological excavation purpose especially in extremely wet condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological site of Pompeii is one of the 54 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Italy, thanks to its uniqueness: the town was completely destroyed and buried by a Vesuvius' eruption in 79 AD. In this work, we present a multidisciplinary approach with bioarchaeological and palaeogenomic analyses of two Pompeian human remains from the Casa del Fabbro. We have been able to characterize the genetic profile of the first Pompeian' genome, which has strong affinities with the surrounding central Italian population from the Roman Imperial Age. Our findings suggest that, despite the extensive connection between Rome and other Mediterranean populations, a noticeable degree of genetic homogeneity exists in the Italian peninsula at that time. Moreover, palaeopathological analyses identified the presence of spinal tuberculosis and we further investigated the presence of ancient DNA from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the power of a combined approach to investigate ancient humans and confirms the possibility to retrieve ancient DNA from Pompeii human remains. Our initial findings provide a foundation to promote an intensive and extensive paleogenetic analysis in order to reconstruct the genetic history of population from Pompeii, a unique archaeological site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The historic extirpation and subsequent recovery of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) have profoundly changed coastal social-ecological systems across the northeastern Pacific. Today, the conservation status of sea otters is informed by estimates of population carrying capacity or growth rates independent of human impacts. However, archaeological and ethnographic evidence suggests that for millennia, complex hunting and management protocols by Indigenous communities limited sea otter abundance near human settlements to reduce the negative impacts of this keystone predator on shared shellfish prey. To assess relative sea otter prevalence in the Holocene, we compared the size structure of ancient California mussels (Mytilus californianus) from six archaeological sites in two regions on the Pacific Northwest Coast, to modern California mussels at locations with and without sea otters. We also quantified modern mussel size distributions from eight locations on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada, varying in sea otter occupation time. Comparisons of mussel size spectra revealed that ancient mussel size distributions are consistently more similar to modern size distributions at locations with a prolonged absence of sea otters. This indicates that late Holocene sea otters were maintained well below carrying capacity near human settlements as a result of human intervention. These findings illuminate the conditions under which sea otters and humans persisted over millennia prior to the Pacific maritime fur trade and raise important questions about contemporary conservation objectives for an iconic marine mammal and the social-ecological system in which it is embedded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this contribution a non-destructive approach has been used aiming at investigating the chemical composition of 35 ceramic items belonging to the collections of the Regional Aeolian Museum "Luigi Bernabò Brea" in the Lipari Island (Sicily, Italy). Different vessel types have been selected for analysis, including aryballoi, kotylai, olpai, anforiskoi, oinochoai, and alabastra, belonging to the "Proto-Corinthian and Corinthian" ware classes. The items, dating back to the period comprised between the early eighth and the first half of the sixth century BC, come from two different archaeological sites in the province of Messina (Sicily), specifically the Istmo necropolis of Milazzo, in the northern Sicilian coast, and the acropolis and necropolis of Lipari, in the Aeolian islands. The chemical characterization of ceramics, carried out through portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF), aimed at gaining information on the production area of examined items whose autoptic analysis pointed to Corinthian imports. The possibility of carrying out experimental investigations on the most ancient materials from the archaic necropolis of Milazzo and on fragments from Lipari, albeit limited to pXRF investigations, allowed to enrich the knowledge on the Corinthian production exported to western areas as well as to discriminate, no longer based solely on autoptic observations and stylistic evaluations, between Corinthian productions and "local" imitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combined effects of climate change and nutrient availability on Arctic vegetation growth are poorly understood. Archaeological sites in the Arctic could represent unique nutrient hotspots for studying the long-term effect of nutrient enrichment. In this study, we analysed a time-series of ring widths of Salix glauca L. collected at nine archaeological sites and in their natural surroundings along a climate gradient in the Nuuk fjord region, Southwest Greenland, stretching from the edge of the Greenlandic Ice Sheet in the east to the open sea in the west. We assessed the temperature-growth relationship for the last four decades distinguishing between soils with past anthropogenic nutrient enrichment (PANE) and without (controls). Along the East–West gradient, the inner fjord sites showed a stronger temperature signal compared to the outermost ones. Individuals growing in PANE soils had wider ring widths than individuals growing in the control soils and a stronger climate-growth relation, especially in the inner fjord sites. Thereby, the individuals growing on the archaeological sites seem to have benefited more from the climate warming in recent decades. Our results suggest that higher nutrient availability due to past human activities plays a role in Arctic vegetation growth and should be considered when assessing both the future impact of plants on archaeological sites and the general greening in landscapes with contrasting nutrient availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological silver artifacts are often found to be brittle because of long-term corrosion. However, the restoration of brittle archaeological silver artifacts by thermal treatment has never been quantitatively and systematically studied due to the lack of sufficient experimental samples. Herein, the simulated Ag–Cu alloy flake samples with intergranular corrosion consistent with those brittle archaeological silver artifacts were prepared through two-step annealing and accelerated aging in Fe(NO3)3 + AgNO3 solution. The changes in the microstructure and mechanical strength (σbb, Eb, and HV) of the brittle samples after thermal treatments were studied with the help of SEM–EDS, metallographic observation, three-point bending tests, and microhardness tests. In addition, the most suitable conditions for the restoration of the brittle samples were summarized by the temperature–time (T-t) map obtained from a series of comprehensive thermal treatments. Moreover, the differences in microstructures and mechanical strength between the brittle samples annealed in an aerobic/anaerobic environment were revealed. This work provides an important reference for the restoration and conservation of brittle archaeological silver artifacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes non-destructive assessment instrumentation, the X-ray MicroCT scanning, to evaluate archaeological basketry remains prior to any destructive analysis. Three case studies are originating from two archaeological sites in Southeast Europe, with three different stages of preservation (poor, sufficient and very good). In addition, there are two preservation modes—charring and desiccation—along with two conservation situations: treated and untreated with conservation agent fragments. The three different scenarios were chosen to explore the potential range of X-ray MicroCT scanning technology when applied to monocotyledonous small-sized archaeological remains. It was proved that this non-invasive X-ray method is particularly suitable for the often-disadvantaged ancient basketry remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published maps identifying archaeological sites in the Amazon basin show a paucity of sites in western Amazonia compared to the Brazilian Amazon. Whereas fewer than two dozen are identified for the Peruvian Amazon on basin-wide maps, a thorough review of unpublished archival material held by the Ministry of Culture of Peru and other sources revealed more than 400 known but unpublished sites in the Department of Loreto, challenging the notion that the region was sparsely occupied in prehistory. Our database provides the geolocation of each site and corresponding references for use by scientists seeking to better understand regional Pre-Columbian human occupation and settlement, cultural change, resource use and their landscape legacies. These data are foundational not only to the development of a richer understanding of prehistory and historical ecology of the Amazon basin but importantly for informing current land use, forest conservation and development policies as well as initiatives to support indigenous land and cultural rights in Amazonia. Measurement(s) archaeological site • geographic location Technology Type(s) digital curation Sample Characteristic - Location Amazon Basin Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16750639 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]