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This paper seeks to show the relationship between the travelled landscape of the late nineteenth century Kentish Weald, the survey and collecting expeditions of Benjamin Harrison and his associates, and the imagined early Palaeolithic and 'Eolithic' life-ways that these investigators sought to uncover. We show how fieldwork shaped thinking and practice, and how walking served to organize the bodily practices of knowledge production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can we use the past to improve the present and plan better futures? What is the purpose of archaeological knowledge? To whom do we feel ourselves accountable? What can we learn from past episodes of archaeologists grappling with these same questions? In light of recent claims regarding the value of archaeology for solving the most pressing problems of our day, it is worth revisiting times in our own history when archaeologists were enlisted in attempts to instrumentalize the past to address contemporary concerns. The case of Robert McCormick Adams and his trailblazing full-coverage survey research in Iraq and Iran between 1956 and 1962 clearly demonstrates the possibilities and pitfalls of such efforts. Adams's commentaries on this fieldwork—particularly the reflections on the purpose and impact of archaeological research it provoked—have consequential ramifications for our disciplinary practice now and going forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of the "ruins" of Guatacondo, in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, made the news in 1963. It was the pinnacle of a process of scientific colonization of this territory that had begun in the 19th century and connected multiple experts with the desert and its history. This paper explores the context of discovery of an archaeological site in the Atacama to show how archaeology—as a field of knowledge and a scientific practice—emerged in the interstices of projects of colonial expansion and capitalist modernization, often merging public and private interests. Weaving together histories of scientific explorations, museum operations, and extractivist enterprises, it highlights deep connections between geopolitics and ideology with the seemingly apolitical and objective nature of archaeology. Starting with the peripheral figure of Emil de Bruyne—an engineer employed by one of the biggest mining operations in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile—we explore the role of different actors within a network of well-connected people whose personal histories, intellectual backgrounds, and personal positions gave shape to the practice of archaeology in this part of the Atacama Desert. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the history of archaeology, researchers have evaluated human societies in terms of systems and systems interactions. Complex systems theory (CST), which emerged in the 1980s, is a framework that can explain the emergence of new organizational forms. Its ability to capture nonlinear dynamics and account for human agency make CST a powerful analytical framework for archaeologists. While CST has been present within archaeology for several decades (most notably through the use of concepts like resilience and complex adaptive systems), recent increases in the use of methods like network analysis and agent-based modeling are accelerating the use of CST among archaeologists. This article reviews complex systems approaches and their relationship to past and present archaeological thought. In particular, CST has made important advancements in studies of adaptation and resilience, cycles of social and political development, and the identification of scaling relationships in human systems. Ultimately, CST helps reveal important patterns and relationships that are pivotal for understanding human systems and the relationships that define different societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Joaquín Martínez de Zúñiga (1760–1818) was one of the earliest scholars to propose a trans-Pacific contact theory in his Historia de las Islas Philipinas. Although his 1803 publication contains the earliest-known theory establishing linguistic comparisons between the Mapuche language of Chile and Tagalog (the Philippines), his ideas and evidence have not been fully explored. This article argues that while Martínez de Zúñiga’s ideas were novel and set some scientific grounds for one of the most resilient debates in the history of archaeology, his evidence was scarce. Furthermore, his attribution as one of the earliest individuals to propose a trans-Pacific contact theory is arguably inaccurate, as similar ideas were pondered as early as the 16th century. This article investigates supporting and opposing ideas proposed by Martínez de Zúñiga and his contemporaries, which were either produced in Spanish and British colonies, or shaped by knowledge about them with a colonial bias. These scholars’ hypotheses were predominantly based on linguistic and anthropological grounds, on the direction of sea currents and winds, and on the numerous islands across the Pacific that could facilitate long-distance voyages. Similar ideas continue to feed into the pre-Columbian trans-Pacific contact debate today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological work leaves material histories, from archival notes to containers that used to store artifacts. Rarely, however, are these containers preserved or valued as technologies that codified and organized archaeological information. This paper analyzes a collection of matchboxes that were formerly used as artifact containers in a 1940s excavation in Coahuila, Mexico. The matchboxes, never formally accessioned and yet still saved by collections staff, are housed In the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) Museum Support Center. By tracing the labor regimes the matchboxes passed through, the specimens they once contained, and the hands that used them in a multitude of ways, this project uses the matchboxes' microhistories to reveal how archaeological containers influenced archaeological science. This research argues for a treatment of the matchboxes as artifacts themselves, worthy of formal accession and of value for their role in the history of archaeological science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We examine how earlier 18th and 19th c. antiquaries and scientists mentioned the presence of textile remnants on metal objects • We draw a parallel with contemporary work on a related mechanism, the petrification of wood • We show that the petrification of wood gave rise to experimental archaeology as early as the 16th c. • We discuss how material transformation is influenced by alchemical views of transmutation and imprinting • This conceptualisation has an impact on our contemporary study of mineralised textiles In temperate latitudes, archaeological textiles are rarely found during excavations, except when they have been mineralised in contact with metal artefacts, copper or iron-based. Mineralised textiles are often the only direct source of information on the textile techniques and processes of ancient civilisations. Vivi Sylwan's description of textiles along the Silk Road in the early 20th century is often considered the first detailed archaeological description of mineralised textiles, while the physico-chemist Leo Biek pioneered their microscopic description. In this paper, we examine how antiquaries and scholars from the 18th and the first half of the 19th century identified and studied the presence of textile remains on metal objects, seemingly aware of the significance of these findings. These descriptions share common concepts and vocabulary with writings from the 16th to the early 18th century on petrification of wood. The authors not only show an awareness of and an interest in textile remains, but also question, including experimentally, the process of mineralisation, shaping the modern perception of it with concepts such as "transmutation" or "imprinting". These ancient sources had a lasting impact on our contemporary appraisal of these materials, as we shall discuss in the second stage of this review, which will be devoted to contemporary methods of studying archaeological mineralised textiles. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article intends to explore the theoretical dimensions of backdirt in archaeology. Often ignored and viewed as mere refuse material of archaeological practices, these by-products of excavation lie in the shadow of literature and reports, always present and yet invisible. The goal of the following text is to establish a distinct perspective on backdirt, on its relation with data, and on its capacity to offer renewability of interpretations in epistemic terms. By exploring its theoretical implications and situating it as a historically everchanging concept, backdirt can both shed light on how the materialities of the past have been intervened in before archaeology as well as to become the driving force for a meta-critique in archaeology, a way for archaeologists to study themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To situate the contributions in this special issue, I historicize the isotopic study of ancient bodies. I begin with radiocarbon (14C) dating as developed by the physical chemist Willard Libby. Libby and team's successful efforts reverberated throughout the sciences but were experienced most profoundly in archaeology. For Libby, this scientific advance engendered symbolic capital, and he was appointed to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's (AEC) General Advisory Committee in 1950. As a member of the AEC, he analyzed radioactive strontium (90Sr) to determine the effects of radioactive fallout. Decades later, declassified records indicate that aspects of this work, while not illegal, were decidedly unethical. I see the full scope of Libby's research, both its contribution and its opprobrium, as inceptive for bioarchaeologists' radiogenic and stable isotopic studies. But less historic trivia, my consideration is offered as a cautionary tale for the subfield--about methodological innovation, ontological transformations, and the bioethics of analyzing human remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-1500 archaeology has undergone many changes in western Mediterranean Europe over the last three decades. This article explores how these changes have developed by focusing on the publishing of post-1500 archaeology in Italy, Spain, and France. Taking Italy as the primary example, it demonstrates that the path taken is intertwined with that of Northern Europe, but that it also deviates in its beginnings, its place in law, and its current place in academic and professional archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this Perspective article, I am able to draw the various strands of my intellectual thinking and practice in archaeology and European prehistory into a complex narrative of changing themes. In this narrative, I draw attention to the inspirational triggers of these transformations to be found in works and words of colleagues and events within and outside my immediate discipline. A group of events between 1988 and 1993 disrupted (in a good way) the trajectory of my professional life and provided a convenient anchor around which my themes pivoted and regrouped with very different standpoints. But some trends in my way of working remained constant and contributed, I hope, to a career of cumulative knowledge. Along the way, I show the significance, in terms of my personal intellectual context as well as archaeological practice in general, of my published works as well as more obscure and some unpublished works that are cited here for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty-four mounded features at the Moundville site in Alabama have received alphanumeric designations in the past, but the nomenclature of the smaller, less prominent mounds has not been standardized. This paper standardizes their naming and discusses the research conducted at each. The minor mounds show substantial diversity. Some are multistage constructions of clay with evidence of summit architecture, like their much larger counterparts. Others are evidently built up, at least in part, of domestic debris showing evidence of superimposed living floors. Some show continuous use as mortuary facilities, while others show only superficial mortuary use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Often mentioned as an afterthought in sentences about her more (in)famous husband, Sally R. Binford has long been a focus of feminist archaeological discussion. She helped create the 'New Archaeology' and thus set the stage for an academic revolution, yet she has become one of the discipline's hidden figures, overshadowed by the lengthy career of Lewis Binford. Sally's own words allow us insight into the dynamic between the two Binfords; a case study on academic exploitation that may be more of a rule than of an exception. Rossiter's (1993) 'Matthew/Matilda effect'—the paradigm whereby the work of influential scientific men can often be directly attributed to their unpublished or otherwise disenfranchised wives—is a useful analytical lens with which to expand discussions of ethics in citation, collaboration, and mentorship. How does archaeology as a discipline reconcile the legacy of unattributed fieldwork and research that has bolstered its growth? A review of publicly available documents on authorship and attribution reveals a lack of clear guidance on the subject. Institutional frameworks can ensure that students and faculty have these types of discussions early and often. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1930s, J. Alden Mason was a curator at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia. He was best known during this time for his work at the site of Piedras Negras in northwestern Guatemala. Yet, the 1930s excavations at Piedras Negras were not published until 2005. This delayed publication prevented other scholars from building on this work. Also, during the 1930s, Mason led lesser‐known excavations around the Philadelphia area with federal work relief funding. No field records exist for these investigations, the whereabouts of artifacts are unknown, and only a single short article was ever published on the scant archaeological findings. Exactly what archaeology was done and where through these New Deal investigations is unknown and may be unknowable. Mason struggled with the overly bureaucratic nature of New Deal archaeology, and this might help explain his lack of due diligence with archiving his records, or with completing a properly detailed report. Today's archaeologists deal with similar constraints. But we are also ethically bound to publish our results in a reasonable time frame, rather than hoard our data the way a dragon hoards a mountain of gold. If we fail to meet these ethical principles, we really are little more than well‐educated looters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a book review of two works: "Re-Excavating Jerusalem: Archival Archaeology" by Kay Prag and "Revealing the History of Ancient Palestine" by Keith W. Whitelam. The review discusses the different approaches taken by the authors in studying Palestine, archaeology, and biblical studies, and their engagement with the wider historical and political context. The reviewer praises Prag's work for its comprehensive examination of the archives and its application to the study of Jerusalem, but criticizes its lack of engagement with broader historical and political issues. In contrast, Whitelam's work is commended for its integration into a wider body of scholarly work and its focus on the political implications of biblical studies. The review concludes by highlighting the importance of considering the wider context in historical and archaeological research. [Extracted from the article]

This article concerns the development of archaeology and museology, in the Ottoman Empire, Turkey, and Greece, through the life and career of Théodore Macridy. Macridy participated in knowledge transfer in more than one discipline and more than one country. Through his links with Western academic circles in archaeology and museology, he made a significant contribution to their development in the Ottoman Empire, Turkey, and Greece. Living between the Ottoman and Greek epistemic communities as an Ottoman citizen of Greek origin, he excavated numerous sites of the Ottoman Empire, worked at the Ottoman Imperial Museum, and contributed to the foundation of the Benaki Museum in Athens at the end of his career. This makes him a good example of an Ottoman Greek scholar whose liminal identity led to his relative neglect in both Greek and Turkish archaeology and museology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflections on the coloniality that permeates Latin American archaeologies enhance their role in the legitimization of national projects in tension with indigenous populations. These approaches prompt the adoption of an anthropological approach centered on the political uses of the past when studying the history of Latin American archaeologies. This, instead of a purely historiographical use. The history of Bolivian archaeology suggests that the National Revolution of 1952 was a point of rupture between the liberal and nationalist narratives. The purpose of this article is to discuss this postulate by considering the political uses of the past. To do so, we analyze the archaeological work of Arthur Posnansky, which covers four decades (1904-1946) of transformations in the ideologies and policies of the Bolivian State towards indigenous populations: the rise and decline of the liberal state, the indigenist-telurist proposal, and a nationalism that gave rise to the Revolution of 1952. We embark on a detailed diachronic journey through Posnansky's archaeological work, concentrating on his narratives on the origin of pre-Hispanic populations, their characterization and valuation, the mechanisms of rupture between the present and the past, and their relations with contemporary indigenous populations. This journey is further complemented by considering political contexts and intellectual influences. We posit that Posnansky developed two narratives: one adapted to the liberal moment and the other to indigenism, and that his second narrative is analogous to the one produced after 1952. This new perspective raises questions about the relationship between archaeological narratives and politics, the role of scientific racism in contemporary Bolivia, and the importance of a comparative and cross-border emphasis in constructing a critical history of Latin American archaeologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gombore I is located on the right bank of the present-day Awash River, adjacent to the lowest terrace of the Gombore gully, which is recognized as one of the most significant archaeological sites within Melka Kunture (Ethiopia). The site was extensively researched by the French Archaeological Mission under the direction of Jean Chavaillon. Initially discovered in 1965, it has been subject to comprehensive excavations over nearly two decades, encompassing approximately 240 m2. Throughout this research, a substantial collection of lithic artifacts and faunal remains was unearthed, alongside a wood fragment and two hominin remains embedded within various archaeological layers (designated A, B1, B2, B3, C, D, E). Furthermore, purported structural remnants interpreted as an hominin shelter were documented. These findings are regarded as some of the earliest archaeological evidence at Melka Kunture and have been associated with both the Oldowan and Early Acheulean, dating back approximately 1.8 to 1.6 Ma. Utilizing materials preserved in the archives of the archaeological mission, this paper delineates the history of research conducted at this notable site while emphasizing that it was investigated using remarkably advanced and innovative methodological approaches for its time. The fieldwork engaged a multidisciplinary team and implemented a rigorous excavation protocol along with systematic recovery procedures for artifacts. Additionally, meticulous graphic and photographic documentation techniques were employed, including zenithal photogrammetry. The project also involved creating casts and utilizing punched cards for analyzing lithic industries. Consequently, the field documentation produced remains applicable for contemporary analysis; however, certain aspects of interpretation have since been revised by more recent studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article charts one episode in the history of archaeological field science following the end of World War II and its place within a nascent military‐industrial‐academic complex. It is an account of how archaeological innovation was tied to, and developed directly out of, US nuclear ambition and the leveraging of "peaceful" atomic research as well as American Cold War collaborations with European allies that successfully combined science, exploration, and culture for mutual benefit. The period covered is one of the most generative moments in the development of instrumentation and subsurface techniques, involving two mid‐century men who realized the potential of atomic applications in archaeology. Carlo Lerici, an Italian engineer and industrialist, and Froelich Rainey, director of the Penn Museum, were both men of science, culture, and industry. Their collaboration brought together governments, corporations, and universities to develop pathbreaking experimentation across laboratories and fieldsites. My aim is to reveal the connectivity between these disparate arenas and to underscore that such endeavors are anything but new; rather, nuclear science, tech companies, private foundations, and philanthropists, coupled with the activities of the military and intelligence community, have a deeply entrenched history in archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a book review of "Sentient Archaeologies: Global Perspectives on Places, Objects, and Practices," edited by Courtney Nimura, Rebecca O'Sullivan, and Richard Bradley. The book is a collection of 30 essays dedicated to the work of Chris Gosden, a prominent figure in archaeology and anthropology. The essays cover a wide range of topics, including the relationship between past societies and the places they inhabited, the interconnections between material culture and technology, and innovative theories in archaeology. The review highlights the theme of relational perspectives in the book, emphasizing the idea that archaeological objects are not just objects, but stories that narrate the histories of ancient communities. Overall, the book is praised for its intellectual journey and its contribution to the field of archaeology. [Extracted from the article]

In this paper, I examine a case of dispossession that made land belonging to Indigenous Totonac residents of San Antonio Ojital part of the archaeological site of El Tajín. To do so, I examine the failure of a 2016 claim made to Mexico's Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos. Rather than this being a case of purpose-driven dispossession or an unintended consequence of well-meaning policies, I trace the ultimate causes to multicultural recognition, 19th-century land reforms, and the expansion of archaeological research in El Tajín. Liberal land reforms brought a private property regime into being through enrollment and inscription, and Totonac landowners around El Tajín used the regime to their benefit. As El Tajín expanded though excavation, archaeologists and landowners used the private property regime's conception of space to address conflicts in El Tajín. The resulting pragmatic accommodations would ultimately fail landowners when an archaeological megaproject came in. Ultimately, I argue for an historical and contextual understanding of archaeology and land tenure to understand the discipline's diverse relationships with dispossession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of Antalyan archaeology is more comprehensive than biographies of leading excavations or sensational discoveries. Thanks to the recent reviews on early studies, we understand better now how ruling political, ideological and ethical values deeply affected the archaeological interpretations of the region's past. This phenomenon has particular importance for the Yörüks who were held responsible for the destruction of the Greco-Roman antiquity in Lycia and Milyas referring to their Asiatic descent, Mohammedan faiths and pastoral way of life. These assumptions which built constantly renewing "synthetic" conflict zones between the Yörüks and the long-term history of Antalya are in fact not based on any provable arguments but on personal experiences or worldviews. In that sense, the present study tries to understand the multiphased relations between the Yoruk population and the West Antalyan antiquity within the frame of archaeological evidences and indigenous archive documents such as Tax Registries of Teke Sanjak. As a consequence, it has been argued here that excluding the Yörüks as "others" from the cultural landscape of the region will also prevent us to understand the long-term history of Antalya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tracks a world of instruments and global designs in a new era of archaeology, spearheaded by Froelich Rainey in his role as Director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Post-WWII scientific development, industrial-military-academic partnerships, and American adventurism were all brought together through Rainey's archaeological expeditions. During the 1960s, Penn's field projects were strategically positioned across the globe, with many trialing a novel technique or different device: Rainey launched a prototype submarine off the Turkish coast, magnetometers and sonic devices across Italy, resistivity in Mexico, and infrared aerial cameras over the Mediterranean. Archaeological innovation was tied to, and developed directly out of, US nuclear ambition and the leveraging of 'peaceful' atomic research, and American Cold War collaborations that united science, exploration, and culture for mutual benefit. Here we underscore the connectivities between diverse actors and activities, nuclear science, tech companies, private foundations, and philanthropists, coupled with the military and intelligence community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across seventy years of research, the site of Tijeras Pueblo has become an important place for understanding the transformations that impacted Rio Grande Pueblo society during the fourteenth century A.D. During that time, the course of research at the pueblo has been guided in part by its changing ownership and management of the site. While the first investigations were conducted while the site was privately owned federal acquisition of the pueblo facilitated the major excavations that took place there in the late 1960s and 1970s. As federal objectives for research evolved with new legislation, the involvement of Native Americans resulted in a major shift in how the last excavations in 2000 were conducted. While sustained interest in Tijeras Pueblo has been driven by its role in addressing major questions about the course of Pueblo history, its ownership and management have shaped, and continue to shape, how we know this important place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the production of archaeological knowledge within the fieldwork archive. Archaeological archives do not always reflect the reality of evidence uncovered during fieldwork processes or even the fieldwork processes themselves. This includes the many different agents and agencies, which are crucial to the construction of archaeological knowledge and their representation—or lack of representation—in the archive. Archaeological archives impose restrictions on how knowledge is included in a collection, the way it is recorded, and the fieldwork processes used. Therefore, this article considers the way in which the processes of archival documentation produce, transform, and construct archaeological knowledge. The main examples are from the British School of Archaeology in Egypt's excavations at Abydos between 1921 and 1922, often referred to as the Tombs of the Courtiers and directed by Flinders Petrie. Looking at the different contexts of an excavation archive, from before its creation to its ongoing curation and use, can reveal significant aspects not just of the history of archaeology but also on many of the ongoing recording methods and processes still used in the field today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article assesses the relationships between archaeology and wage labor in twentieth-century Mexico through an analysis of governmental payroll records from El Tajín, Veracruz. For Indigenous Totonac workers, the long-term presence of archaeological labor provided opportunities for income and social mobility in a context of dispossession and proletarianization while contributing to socioeconomic stratification. In a region where the traditional agricultural base declined during the twentieth century, participation in wage labor provided a source of regular cash income and opportunities for skill development and social mobility. Participation, however, depended on intermediaries and their kin and social networks, meaning that not all had access. The analysis suggests that staterun archaeology must be understood in practical and economic terms as well as in a regional context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like any science, archaeology relies on trust between actors involved in the production of knowledge. In the early history of archaeology, this epistemic trust was complicated by histories of Orientalism in the Middle East and colonialism more broadly. The racial and power dynamics underpinning 19th- and early 20th-century archaeology precluded the possibility of interpersonal moral trust between foreign archaeologists and locally hired labourers. In light of this, archaeologists created systems of reward, punishment, and surveillance to ensure the honest behaviour of site workers. They thus invented a set of structural conditions that produced sufficient epistemic trust for archaeological research to proceed—a system that continues to shape archaeology to the present day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of Indigenous people in Indiana is usually told as a story that begins in the late seventeenth century, with the arrival of French colonizers exploring regional lakes and rivers to secure territory, trade, and souls. This well-known narrative disregards over ten thousand years of Indiana's past and overlooks the experiences of the first people who settled throughout the state. Ancestral Native Americans created communities and made use of Indiana's abundance for millennia before the first Europeans claimed the region. How they lived, who they were, and the history they made are largely found in archaeological studies rarely included in historical narratives of Indiana. To better understand the history of Native Americans in Indiana, Dawn G. Marsh moves away from a narrative that begins with European colonization and extends the framework of the state's history to the first peopling of the state. This study, based in both history and archaeology, offers a more holistic and balanced story of Indiana's first people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that letter was addressed to Machteld Mellink, a professor of archaeology who was originally from the Netherlands but was then teaching in the U.S. Topics include examines known for her erudite scholarship, Halet Çambel, a contemporary of Mellink, described her accessible attitude by noting that not only with her students, but with all those who are genuinely interested, excited, and serious in their undertaking.

Our professional understanding of the archaeological record is informed through academic research interest, the nature (tensions of time/money/location) of cultural resource management, and the ability of archaeologists to fully access diverse forms of data potentially available to them. Knowledge of eastern Colorado is poorly known, given that 40% of the state is publicly owned (federal and state) and most professional work occurs on land administered by federal agencies in western Colorado. Given this research disparity, we argue that professional archaeologists in eastern Colorado would certainly benefit from expanding their research networks to include the efforts of avocational archaeologists. Our article describes how artifact collectors have searched eastern Colorado for the past 100 years; although their methods differ from professional approaches, their cumulative efforts provide a nuanced read of the archaeological record. Differences relate to increased time spent on sites, access to a variety of landforms, and repeated visits over the long term. We present a case study on playa lake archaeology to emphasize these concepts and provide suggestions as to how archaeologists can create better partnerships to unlock potentially novel perspectives of the archaeological record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Center for the Future of Museums, in its TrendsWatch 2019 report, identified "Truth, Trust, and Fake News" as key issues for museums to address. Fraudulent artifacts bearing Hebrew inscriptions were planted in Ohio mounds in the 1800s as fake news to promote a combined political, scientific, and religious agenda. Two of these so-called Newark "Holy Stones" are among the most celebrated objects in the collections of the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum in Coshocton, Ohio. They have been interpreted in various ways over the years, but a recent opportunity to renovate exhibits allowed the staff to develop interpretation in alignment with the recommendations of the Center for the Future of Museums. This is therefore a case study for how contentious objects can be used as "touchstones for the truth". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

115 years has been passed since the first reports on the Paleolithic research on the Iranian Plateau and all the while. Paleolithic research in Iran has been increasingly and variably expanding. The history of the Iranian Paleolithic archaeology has been the subject of a number of publications in recent years, but no precise statistics has ever been presented regarding the trends. sites and researchers, due to the difficulty of access to the resources, many of which have never been published properly. This research is a statistic review of Paleolithic archaeology of Iran based on the evaluation of all-range resources (from 1906 to 2021 - some published and many non-published) mentioning more than 2800 sites attributed to Paleolit[tic based on surface materials and 60 by excavations. It has been attempted to assess the patterns of distribution, abundance. and change in the Iranian Paleolithic research over time and whenever possible, the causes and explanations have been discussed. Accordingly, five phases of research have been recognized and described based on statistical and historical backgrounds (1906-1948: 1949-1979: 1980-1998; 1999-2010: 2011-present). Ideally. the extraction of these patterns is expected to contribute to understanding the processes and trends and to predicting and management of the future trajectories of studies in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to define the way Egyptians perceived the boundaries of their land and reassesses the impact of Egyptian colonialism during the Ramesside period (c. 1292–1069 BCE). During this era, expansive wars, diplomatic action and land administration/governance reforms led Egypt to control a large part of modern Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. To refer to this period, historians often use the terms Egyptian "empire" and Egyptian "imperialism", extending terminology coined in the 19th century to describe modern cases of political dominance to Late Bronze Age Egypt. Furthermore, traditional scholarship also presents Egypt's borders in such a way that Egypt appears as a solid territory with fixed borders, despite evidence pointing to a different model of geographical division. Seeking to explore whether the use of modern terms on ancient Egypt may be an anachronism, this paper reviews the scholarship on (a) Egyptian records documenting conquests and (b) contextual archaeological evidence from the southern Near East itself. This review highlights differences between modern and ancient conceptions of land domination. Finally, Egyptian border-related terms are used in a strictly local symbolic cultural context but not in the one of international diplomacy. As for Egypt's boundary, it was mostly formed as a buffer zone rather than a borderline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textiles and apparel archaeology is an indispensable part of history and archaeology. As most unearthed textile relics are silk, soft and multi‐layered in nature, their frangibility poses enormous difficulties in their transportation, storage and exhibition. Traditional methods may not be suitable for accurately monitoring their condition under various external situations, due to the particularity of the textile relics. Herein, a smart, flexible, fabric‐based monitoring system, which integrates sensing fibers, textile technology, and traditional silkscreen conservation, is developed for the preservation and conservation of textile relics. The proposed integrated electrochemical fabric bears a high level of flexibility and diversification in structure, and furthermore can act as a protective cover to monitor external environmental impact factors such as pH value, strain, humidity, temperature, and ultraviolet light. The newly developed system can act as a daily monitoring solution to achieve real‐time and prolonged preventative control from various mechanisms of degradation, so as to ultimately support and uphold the conversation and preservation of textile relics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian bison, commonly called gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus), is native to South and Southeast Asia. In all its distribution ranges, the conservation status of the gaur lies between "vulnerable" and "endangered". In this study, we genotyped 70 free-ranging wild gaurs from the Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR), one of the first nine tiger reserves created in 1972 for tiger conservation in India. Fourteen microsatellite loci were genotyped in DNA extracted from the dung samples. An observed average heterozygosity of 0.726, evidence of gene flow was observed in the wild gaur population sampled from 11 locations in MTR. The effective population size (Ne) was 52.7. Approximate Bayesian computation analysis revealed population decline in the wild gaur population with the rise of mature Indus civilization ~ 2880 years ago. The population decline intensified during the reign of the medieval Monarch, extending further with the arrival of the British ~ 250 years ago. Our analyses detect population recovery in the free-ranging gaur population of MTR around 66 years ago, a time period coinciding with the independence of India followed by the implementation of the Indian wildlife protection act in the year 1972. The genetic data were discussed in the background of anthropology, archaeology and history of the Indian subcontinent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Mississippian hooded bottle from the Henry Aicher Mound Group in eastern Iowa is significant to the study of Mississippian interactions with non-Mississippian groups in the upper Mississippi Valley. The mound excavations by M. W. Davis in 1863–1864 were the first research-oriented archaeological projects in Iowa, and the mounds were among the first mapped in the state. The excavation methods, analysis, reporting, and outreach by Davis and later researchers were exemplary for their time. Although undated, comparison of the decorated hooded bottle recovered from the 1864 excavations with artifacts from other regional cultures with Mississippian Stirling phase contacts, notably the Mill Creek culture of northwest Iowa, supports a date of AD 1100–1200 for this vessel associated with a child burial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While this collection of articles provides a pathbreaking assemblage of studies of Japanese diaspora, for the progression of the field, archaeology must engage critically with other disciplines. Too often historical archaeology is conceived of as an afterthought or curiosity in conjunction with other disciplines' approaches to history. Materials and objects as illustrative but not informative to the level of the archive of oral historical record. In this concluding forum, we discuss the contribution of archaeology to Japanese Diaspora studies, inviting a diverse group of scholars to comment on this special issue. What relevance do these studies have, and how do they articulate with other disciplinary approaches? In doing so we hope to move the conversation beyond the discipline, putting archaeology in dialogue with history, cultural anthropology, and ethnic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japanese diaspora archaeology originated in the late 1960s but reports and publications did not appear until the 1980s. Early studies often included Japanese artifacts or sites within larger surveys, but by the 1990s and 2000s were the focus of targeted research. Most research has been undertaken in western North American and the Pacific Islands. Pre-War farms and work camps and World War II battlefields and incarceration centers emerged as primary topics of study, with the incarceration centers dominating the literature today. Research themes are diverse but emphasize material consumption, concepts of place, and patterns of cultural persistence and change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While women have long been key to archaeological research, the role of women and women's voices have grown substantially in the last 50 years. Once predominantly found in the laboratory rather than in the field, women archaeologists are driving the discipline forward through field work and analysis. Similar developments are taking place throughout higher education in both academics and in leadership. At the same time, work on the engendered past is also evolving. However, more needs to be done. Issues in the field, particularly injustices done toward women associated with fieldwork, are coming to the forefront, hopefully assuring a future with higher ethical standards. The personal stories of female archaeologists help provide context to the past as well as opportunities for the future of archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, the evolution of archaeological knowledge production and theory has been discussed and analyzed using qualitative methods by reading vast amounts of archaeological texts in search of specific discourses or framings of the past. In this paper, we present text mining methodologies from digital humanities that can be applied to large corpora of archaeological texts to trace and evaluate changing knowledge practices. Such a big data approach is imperative. Due to the rapid increase of archaeological publications, qualitative research into the intellectual history of archaeology has become complicated and highly selective. The big data methods presented in this study were tested on a large corpus (4,811 texts totaling over 51 million words) of different types of archaeological texts from the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. The different text mining tools were successful in identifying theoretical trends. Our tools were also successful in charting the decrease in quality due to changed organizational circumstances (developer-led archaeology). Furthermore, we could also map changing banal nationalist framings of the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents some preliminary findings on Dr. Vasil Beron’s contriburtion to Bulgarian archaeology. The study covers issues related to the history of archaeology in Bulgaria; more specifically, its beginnings and initial stages of development. Dr. Vasil Beron (1824–1909) was one of the initiators of archaeological research during the Bulgarian National Revival. He was a member of the Beron family of Kotel and a close relative (a nephew) to Dr. Petar Beron. The article explores an additional aspect of his versatile activities, namely, his pioneering contribution to archaeological research on the old Bulgarian capital Tarnovo. The text begins by outlining the personality traits of Dr. Vasil Beron and what urged him, a physician by training and occupation, to undertake archaeological and historical research on the city in which he had settled; the article also devotes attention to the state of archaeological research and knowledge in Bulgaria at that time. Also, the author examines more generally Beron’s overall archaeological activities and investigations of Tarnovo’s monuments of material culture and art dating to the times of the Second Bulgarian state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ancient China, as elsewhere, states did not simply occupy a given territory but actively engaged in the production of space by transforming landscapes, moving populations, and enacting territorial hierarchies, thus creating "state spaces," to borrow a term coined by James C. Scott. In the case of the early Chinese empires of Qin (221–207 BCE) and Han (202 BCE–220 CE), state-induced migration and settlement were key instruments of military control, administrative incorporation, economic intensification, and other processes connected with spatial distribution of state power. This article combines insights from transmitted texts, excavated documents, and archaeological evidence to explore factors and effects of migration in early Chinese empires, discussing the interconnection between state-organized resettlement and private migration as well as their embeddedness in the local geography. As the situation varies according to location, the present article introduces the approach and tests it on a case study, the Guanzhong metropolitan region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to redress this gender imbalance by introducing a different approach to institutional histories and highlighting women who have contributed significantly to the Nicholson's classical collections namely Louisa MacDonald, Liska Woodhouse, and Noël Oakeshott. It mentions that these women have been chosen as each represents a different type of supportive role and they are representative of the many who have contributed to the Museum's work more broadly.

Researcher's interest in the Amazon basin was born more than a hundred years ago. Since then, the contexts from which research questions emerge, as well as the assumptions on which they are supported have constantly changed. This article identifies and makes a brief sketch of the emphases and the most salient questions in the field of archaeology, examining them from their relationship with anthropology. However, this is not an exhaustive review of the published materials; rather it is an introductory synthesis to some of the most important ideas that have guided the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]