Search

The precise identification of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) fiber in ancient papers is of great significance in the study of paper history. However, different species of phloem fibers belonging to bast fibers (e.g., hemp, ramie, flax, jute) used in traditional hand papermaking in the East Asian region present similar microscopic morphological traits, which renders their accurate identification problematic and may cause controversy in archaeological interpretations. In this study, a method for the precise identification of Cannabis fiber in ancient handmade papers by Py-GCxGC/MS was developed for rapid fiber characterization in ancient papers. The proposed approach was based on the separation of characteristic lignin monomers from lignocellulose by Py-GCxGC/MS, with an example of joss paper samples excavated from the archaeological site of Astana tombs dating to the Tang Dynasty. The bidimensional chromatographic separation of the pyrolysis signature of plant materials allows a well-structured layout in the 2D chromatograms. Therefore, it becomes possible to distinguish these different plant materials by applying a multivariate analysis treatment to the lignin monomers. The improved GCxGC separation of lignin monomers showed the benefit of the GCxGC profile for lignin monomer group identification as well as for the application of statistical analysis. The developed method presents the advantages of being rapid and effective for archaeological and cultural heritage applications in necessitating a tiny quantity of sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Households on the Mimbres Horizon: Excavations at La Gila Encantada, Southwestern New Mexico" by Barbara J. Roth is a significant publication for Mimbres Mogollon research, providing insights into the development of households and their spatial and artifactual patterns at early Mimbres Mogollon habitation sites. The author's research at the La Gila Encantada site, uncluttered by overlying pueblo remains, allows for a clearer understanding of site layout, habitation, and contextual relationships of features and artifacts. The volume includes seven chapters, with contributions from specialists, covering topics such as excavation methods, ceramic data, stone artifacts, jewelry, and plant and animal remains. This book is valuable for researchers studying Mogollon archaeology and early village and household developments in the region. [Extracted from the article]

In 2016 Yosef Garfinkel suggested that J.L. Starkey, Director of the Lachish excavations, was murdered in 1938 by men sent by landowners of the mound due to an extended dispute between them and Starkey on payments for permission to dig on the summit of the mound. The present paper presents additional data which support the view that Starkey was murdered by bandits who came from the Hebron area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the discussions of how to define a city, in Chapter 4 Storey guides the reader through case studies of primary cities. In his primer on ancient urbanism, Glenn Storey provides an introductory text that encompasses many crucial topics across a range of past urban sites. Storey classifies cities into "hyper" and "hypo" cities, which are compact high-density or physically large areas of with low-density populations, respectively. [Extracted from the article]

Formally established in the fall of 1947, the Laboratory of Archaeology at the University of Georgia is an archaeological research and collection repository. It is considered one of the premier institutions for curation of archaeological collections from the American Southeast. For over 70 years, the Laboratory has served as a repository for objects and associated records generated from archaeological projects and research undertaken by faculty, students, CRM professionals, and state and federal agencies. The Laboratory curates over 20,000 cubic feet of artifacts as well as paper and digital archives. In addition, the Laboratory houses the Georgia Archaeological Site File and manages data from more than 59,000 archaeological sites, including over 11,500 archaeological reports. In this paper, we explore implementation procedures for bringing legacy collections up to modern curation standards. We also outline how we migrate the data on paper records into the digital realm, articulating them within a comprehensive framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is drawn from a talk presented at the “Exploring North Carolina’s Archaeological Heritage through Remote Sensing and Geophysics” symposium held on March 12, 2016 in Raleigh North Carolina. All of the papers at this conference were open to the public and indeed prepared for and delivered to a general audience. John J. Mintz, Deputy State Archaeologist, and Shawn M. Patch organized the symposium and asked me to give a brief background on the use of remote sensing and geophysics in North Carolina, discuss the papers, and talk about what I saw as the future of archaeological remote sensing. My presentation was the last one in the event so it was short and concise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1962, Michael Avi-Yonah of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem returned to his excavation of the synagogue site at Caesarea Maritima. His assistant, Avraham Negev, directed the excavation of four small areas east of the synagogue site and was assisted by E. Jerry Vardaman, formerly of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and later of Mississippi State University. A brief report listed the findings of two domestic structures, mosaic pavements, burials, two fragments of the Twenty-Four Priestly Courses, a "Hellenistic structure," a fragment of a chancel screen, and baskets of Hellenistic pottery. Recently, Vardaman's notes, sketches, and photographs have become available, and they greatly increase our knowledge of those excavations. This paper presents that additional information and correlates it with the information gained from the 1975-1995 excavations in Field G of the Joint Expedition to Caesarea Maritima, a project of the Drew Institute of Archaeological Research of Drew University, directed by the late Robert J. Bull [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological sites are essentially submitted to decay phenomena inherent on their history as well as the environment to which they are exposed after excavation. The history of such archaeological sites is particularly related to their long-term underground conservation conditions during which they were subject to salt migration into the architectural remains. This paper describes the results of drill resistance measurements using a drill resistance measurement (DRMS) device to evaluate the mechanical damage resulting from salt crystallization pressures. Further tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was applied on powdered bricks of often moist archaeological remains. It was noticed that TEOS serves as potential nutrient for present moulds. The mechanical consolidation effect was evaluated by comparing the hardness profiles after treatment with the reference ones. Bricks used for the construction of the Aula Magna, situated underneath the Royal Square, are characterized by severe patterns of fissures for which the damage diagnosis was built up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological sites are essentially submitted to decay phenomena inherent on their history as well as the environment to which they are exposed after excavation. The history of such archaeological sites is particularly related to their long-term underground conservation conditions during which they were subject to salt migration into the architectural remains. It is well known that soluble salts present in building materials can cause damage, mainly by producing stresses in the substrate. A lot of research has been done in the past concerning the behaviour of salts in built constructions. However, most studies include single salts, of which the deliquescence points are well documented, while in situ one mostly finds complex salt mixtures, which makes the conservation strategy much more intricate. The environmental conditions to minimize damage of salt-laden porous building materials can be modelled using a computer program ECOS capable of predicting the crystallization behaviour of salt mixtures. To use the model data of quantitative salt analyses are required as input. The program is then able to predict from a thermodynamic point of view which minerals will exist in the solid state under specified climatic conditions. This paper deals with the results of a systematic investigation of the salt contamination of the building materials of the Coudenberg site and a prediction of the behaviour of the salt mixture related to the actual climate, as part of the environmental assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While individuals living near or on archaeological sites have frequently been hired around the world to dig on archaeological excavations, they have very rarely participated in the recording or documentation of those excavations. They have played even less of a role in designing the structures of either paper or electronic data management systems. In this paper, I describe some potential gaps in the archaeological record as a result of this exclusion, by detailing some ways that the communities at Çatalhöyük, Turkey and Petra, Jordan have developed highly situated forms of knowledge about these archaeological sites due to their proximities to them. I also argue that "proximity" inculcates not only forms of knowledge about an archaeological site, but also, under certain conditions, an important means of sharing knowledge between archaeologists and the communities who live where we work. I contrast proximity to the expansiveness of big data, and question whether it is possible and even preferable to imagine ways of integrating local, proximate perspectives into the rubric of big data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characterization of historic mortars by means of a concise methodology of material analyses can provide crucial information with regard to the origin of the raw materials and the ancient mortar technology. For the analysis of the historic mortars of the Coudenberg archaeological site, the methodology consists of optical and scanning electron microscopy, simultaneous thermal analysis, and an acidic treatment. These analyses were carried out on a total of seventeen samples lifted from various areas in the site, in function of the building chronology resulting from a historic built investigation. The type of binder and aggregate as well as their volumetric ratio were determined. Both binder and aggregate present distinctive features, which made it possible to identify the probable geological provenance of the raw materials. The observations are verified with available historical records regarding the construction of the main banqueting hall — the Aula Magna — and the use of raw materials such as limestone and sand for the production of lime and construction purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different grouting and repair mortars were developed and evaluated for the conservation and restoration of fragmented bricks in the walls and floors of the remaining cellars underneath the Aula Magna, the palace's main banqueting hall, and to fill the lacunae and perform edge repairs of red and blue-grey ceramic floor tiles in the remaining cellars underneath the chapel of the former Palace of Coudenberg in Brussels, Belgium. To prevent the deposition of lime bloom at the surface of the masonry and to achieve an acceptable colour match of the grout in harmony with the bricks of the Aula Magna, the effect of brick powder added to natural hydraulic lime was studied. The pozzolanic properties and colour match of several historic and modern powdered bricks were investigated. Surprisingly, ancient bricks do not seem to possess higher pozzolanic properties than the more modern ones, although it is supposed that they were fired at lower temperatures. Additional evidence for the pozzolanic reaction of the different brick powder materials was obtained from a simple visual observation of stored samples. After eight weeks all of the samples containing brick powders, fired at low and high temperatures, added to putty lime had hardened under water and were transformed into a remarkably tough material. These results are important, as modern bricks are readily available in large quantities and different colours, which are hence in favour of being used instead of historical material from the site. For the repair of the ceramic floor tiles different mortars were investigated with mixtures containing talcum, stone or brick powder, pigments, and chalk added to an epoxy binder. The mortars were tested in the laboratory and in situ for their workability and resemblance with the historic floor tiles. The finished mortars showed excellent aesthetic properties with the tiles in situ and good properties to prevent further loss due to human interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excavation and valorization of subterranean archaeological remains, and eventually opening a site to the public, required a proper management and conservation strategy. This strategy was based on the evaluation of the delicate balance between the requirements for public health and safety, and the protection of the archaeological remains from future degradation. Controlling the climate can be essential for a preventive conservation strategy, which can be defined as an indirect action to increase the life expectancy of the archaeological remains, and by doing so keeping them in a preferred state of conservation to mitigate damage and/or deterioration. Potential risks and possible interventions are outlined to avoid climatic conditions which are in conflict with the requirements for the visitors' comfort while preventing damage phenomena to the materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last material evidence of the former Palace of Brussels, the Coudenberg archaeological site, is situated at the heart of the city, constitutes a remarkable part of its heritage, and has been listed as a legally protected monument. Following the redevelopment of the Royal Quarter in the eighteenth century, the successive archaeological discoveries of the last twenty-five years, and the progressive growth of the areas accessible to the public, the various components of the site have not all been preserved in the same condition. The work involved in developing such a complex has already necessitated considerable resources, and still requires more today. The owners, the City of Brussels and the Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the site's managers, the not-for-profit association 'Palais de Charles Quint', are continuing their programme of developing, promoting, and preserving the remains in order to hand down this important historical evidence to future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rock-cut tombs of Cyrene's Northern Necropolis have survived to the present day in a pitifully ruinous state because of the looting that has taken place since antiquity and because of their frequent re-use as dwellings or stables. An important archive of typewritten reports, photographs, sketches, and correspondence pertaining to this necropolis is preserved principally in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and documents the first officially-sanctioned archaeological excavation at Cyrene. This was conducted by an American archaeological mission lead by Richard Norton from October 1910 to the end of April 1911 and was jointly sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The documents, particularly those that chronicle the excavation of four tombs and their associated finds, represent an important resource for our understanding of the history of the exploration of this necropolis. They not only offer information on individual monuments, but they also illustrate the typological range of artefacts selected for funerary ritual from the late Classical period into the second century AD, but principally during the Hellenistic period. Additionally, the documents reveal particular funerary practices, such as the successive re-use of tombs that took place at least from the late Hellenistic period onwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cornerstone of the management and conservation of archaeological sites is recording their physical characteristics. Documenting and describing the site is an essential step that allows for delineating the components of the site and for collecting and synthesizing information and documentation (Demas, 2012). The information produced by such work assists in the decision-making process for custodians, site managers, public officials, conservators, and other related experts. Rigorous documentation may also serve a broader purpose: over time, it becomes the primary archival and monitoring record. Both scholars and the public use this information and interpret the site, and they can serve as a posterity record in the event of catastrophic or gradual loss of the heritage asset. In May 2018 the Getty Conservation Institute and the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus collaborated with the Carleton Immersive Media Studio in undertaking the documentation of Nea Paphos, a World Heritage site with very important mosaic pavements in the eastern Mediterranean. This contribution outlines the critical components of the documentation project: field study, field measurements, data processing, validation, GIS, and integration of external data. The paper summarizes the digital workflows and procedures used to produce the deliverables, as well as the equipment and technology employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his paper the author summarizes the research of Roman Pannonia in the recent decades, mainly after 1986 when Pavel Oliva edited his volume of the series Tabula Imperii Romani, He examined the most important historical and administrative events of the province. Kovács also delt with the new historical monographs that studied the entire history or administration of Pannonia and the most important towns. The author separately examined the new epigraphic works, corpora and the new inscribed finds. In the last part of his paper he delt with the new archaeological discoveries from Brigetio to Sirmium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With over 200 peer-reviewed papers published over the last 20 years, 3D modelling is no longer a gimmick but an established and increasingly common analytical tool for stone artefact analysis. Laser and structured light scanning, photogrammetry, and CT scanning have all been used to model stone artefacts. These have been combined with a variety of different analytical approaches, from geometric morphometrics to custom reduction indices to digital elevation maps. 3D lithic analyses are increasingly global in scope and studies aim to address an ever-broadening breadth of research topics ranging from testing the functional efficiency of artefacts to assessing the cognitive capabilities of hominid populations. While the impact of the computational revolution on lithic analysis has been reviewed, the impact of 3D modelling on lithic analysis has yet to be comprehensively assessed. This paper presents a review of how 3D modelling in particular has impacted the field of stone artefact analysis. It combines a quantitative bibliometric analysis with a qualitative review to assess just how "revolutionary" 3D modelling has been for lithic analysis. It explores trends in the use of 3D modelling in stone artefact analysis, its impact on the wider lithic analysis field, and methodological, regional and theoretical gaps which future research projects could explore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses three large, almost identical oval breverls from the eighteenth century burial contexts in present-day Republic of Croatia. Two of them were discovered during archaeological excavations in Žuberak and Prozorje, while the third one from Ližnjan had not been defined as breverl until now. Breverls are the rarest and most enigmatic devotional objects but the three analysed in this paper have a common link other than their appearance. They all contained religious medals from pilgrim sites and papers with the prayer against all evils and demonic attacks on one side and the blessings of saints, the prayer for the identification of those tortured by evil spirits, and the Prologue to John's Gospel on the other. This article compares the papers discovered in them, studies the motifs from the mentioned breverls and analyses other finds from them to provide answers to the questions of their place of production, the identity of the people who wore them and why. Tentative correlation of different bioarchaeological factors, such as age, sex, and health condition of the deceased can give us much information on who breverl bearers were. Apparently, they were the vulnerable members of society, such as pregnant women, people suffering from poor health, or, as prayers from the breverls suggest, individuals believed to be tortured by demons or evil spirits. Taking that into account, breverls were devotional objects believed to provide universal protection, a sort of medicine case for both physical and spiritual problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large scale stress redistribution around longwall panels in coal mines puts rock masses in the vicinity of the underground excavations close to failure. While immediate failure is reflected for example by instantaneous seismic events, there is also a delayed response of the rock mass as noted from decaying seismicity during non-operating times. Sandstone samples from the hanging wall of a coal seam in the Ruhr coal mining district in Germany have been subjected to conventional strength, creep and relaxation tests. From creep and relaxation tests estimates of time dependent strength properties are derived. Numerical modeling was employed to delineate zones of states of stress around underground excavations which are prone to time dependent failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a bibliometric analysis undertaken on Joseon gogo yeongu (Joseon Archaeological Research), North Korea's preeminent archaeology journal, providing information on the researchers, institutions, and research topics that have come to form the field of archaeological research in North Korea since the mid-1980s. Deviating from previous analyses of Joseon gogo yeongu, this paper focuses on the authors that contributed to Joseon gogo yeongu, identifying the archaeologists that have been most active in publishing articles. This particular method of establishing the key figures of North Korean archaeology reveals the presence of certain archaeologists whose importance has been overlooked within the South Korean discourse on North Korean archaeology. In addition, by tracing the research topics of these key figures over time, a broad understanding of the field of archaeological research in North Korea can be obtained. Information on institutional affiliations and co-authorships present within Joseon gogo yeongu also provide valuable insights into the workings of North Korean academia. Finally, by visualizing the results of the bibliometric analysis using word clouds and networks, the efficacy of Digital Humanities approaches to large data sets is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bernard Suits is commonly thought to have defined games as challenges. This paper argues that Suits could not have done so without ruining his larger philosophical project. It then argues that he did not do so. Suits defined game playing in quantitative terms (i.e. being more or less efficient) not qualitative ones (e.g. difficulty, struggle). The paper concludes by exploring the consequences of this shift in perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the 48th London and Middlesex Archaeological Society's (LAMAS) Local History Conference "The River and Port of London" held at the Museum of London, England in November 2013. It mentions several papers presented at the conference including "Re-invention and Change: The Port of London" by Chris Ellmers and "Primus Omnium: The History of Policing the River Thames" by Robert Jeffriesa and "Local History and the Environmental History of the River Thames" by Vanessa Taylor.

Volumes of historical archives in China have been digitised, from which various datasets have been constructed for scholarly inquiry. Furthermore, the excavation of thousands of archaeological sites provided detailed data about prehistoric development across China's landmass. As a result, there has been remarkable progress in quantitative studies on China's past. This article reviews recent work in five theme areas to provide a background for the papers included in this special issue. These themes include state formation, Confucianism, human capital, Christian missionaries, and long‐term persistence studies. The five papers in this issue fall into these themes and are introduced where appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is not unusual for a place to wait for years before being inscribed on the World Heritage List, but Sarnath—the place where the Buddha delivered his first sermon—has been on UNESCO's "tentative list" for close to 25 years. As a sacred place for Buddhist pilgrimages, Sarnath continues to attract thousands of visitors annually and yet, remains under-developed, unlike other pilgrim towns or religious tourism destinations. This paper examines the reasons for the stunted growth of Sarnath. The findings are based on fieldwork conducted in Sarnath in 2019. The analysis of stakeholder interviews suggests several reasons for Sarnath not being able to capitalize on its religious and cultural heritage for tourism-led development. It was found that the protection of the site as an archaeological park by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which has been controlling development surrounding the park as well as prohibiting the performance of any rituals, have been the key endogenous factors that have contributed to the relative under-development of a Buddhist pilgrimage economy in the town. A handful of monasteries are where Buddhist followers stay and perform their pilgrimage rituals, rendering them as enclaves. Private-sector accommodation is also limited to around 15 hotels and guesthouses. Administratively, Sarnath does not have an independent governance structure. It is governed as just one ward (an electoral constituency) by the Municipal Corporation of Varanasi and is, thus, always under the shadow of Varanasi city. Varanasi is one of the most significant Hindu sacred cities and, hence, visitors stay there for much longer durations to soak in cultural offerings, including religious ceremonies around the Ganga River; a visit to Sarnath is secondary and often limited to a half-day tour. Moreover, the archaeological park at Sarnath serves a recreational purpose as a picnic site for domestic visitors. The exogenous factors mean that the interests of Sarnath (as a Buddhist site) are hardly acknowledged by the Hindu city of Varanasi. This paper argues that the multi-layered contestations that exist at the site level, the town–ward level, and between visitors and managers have further contributed to the poor state of heritage and tourism in Sarnath. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What happens when the architectures of extraction, once intimately constituted by capitalist and racial forms of exclusion, begin to rot? Focusing on a Bolivian tin mine, this paper examines the social effects of deteriorating "architectures of extraction," a category that includes both aboveground infrastructures and belowground networks of tunnels and scaffolding. First, I argue that when Llallagua's extractive architecture was built, it helped shore up a connection between tin mining, working-class identity, and revolutionary nationalism – which in turn became bound up with mestizaje, an ideology of racial and cultural whitening. Second, I argue that the ruination of this extractive architecture has had ambivalent implications for the racial politics of contemporary small-scale mining operations that continue to operate inside the mountain. On the one hand, the rotting structures reinforce regional racial hierarchies in a variety of ways, but on the other hand, the slow degradation of the physical structures has made the corresponding social structures more porous, if not fully permeable, to members of regional Indigenous ayllus. While access to the financial benefits of mining is far from unambiguously liberatory, this paper nevertheless suggests that the political possibilities contained within the ruins of extractive architectures are not uniformly adverse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating political ecology and archaeology has resulted in innovative approaches for reconstructing past human-environment interactions and understanding the legacies that shape environmental degradation and resource struggles today. This paper contributes to this emerging interdisciplinarity by proposing a political ecological approach to investigate how archaeological remains are assigned value as resources, drawing on interpretive theories in both archaeology and political ecology. This article applies this approach to examine the archaeological imagination driving expeditions in eastern Honduras that aimed to find the remains of a site of monumental importance associated with the legend of the White City. Through a political ecological lens, it becomes clear that the interpretation of the region's archaeological heritage within the context of a legend is the result of displacement and resource control dynamics. Although archaeologists reject the legend as a credible source, actors continue to exploit its symbolism for prestige and profit. This approach highlights the disjuncture between profit-driven narratives of archaeological heritage and the socio-natures that underpin our imagination of such sites. The paper suggests that engaging with the socio-nature of archaeological sites may lead to more inclusive and nuanced interpretations of the past, showing how political ecology can contribute to public archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the example of an industrial site in Edmonton, Alberta, this paper argues that industrial ruins represent instantiations of abstract abandonment, a kind of real abstraction that directly articulates to the logic of capital. Drawing from excavations of the industrial ruins of Mill Creek Ravine, one of the first industrial areas in Edmonton, this paper reveals how sites of abstract abandonment congeal critical histories of both abandonment and its afterlives. The history of these ruins, and the communities that emerged after they were abandoned materialize the failures of capitalist fantasies, as well as the sprouts that grow in its cracks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research presented in this work is focused on describing part of the activities related to the 1st edition of the SUNRISE Summer School (Seashore and UNderwater documentation of aRchaeological herItage palimpSests and Environment) and a comprehensive approach to the documentation of an archaeological site. In the paper data acquisition and processing will be described in detail, together with the design of the survey project and the main specifications of the sensors and techniques adopted. The 3D metric data derived from the use of these consolidated geomatics techniques were validated during the processing and used as the basis for the generation of other added-value products: traditional 2D drawings and an HBIM model. More specifically, two different approaches for the modelling phase were followed: a more consolidated approach driven by the 2D representation and a more experimental one that foresaw NURBS modelling from the point clouds. The pros and cons of both approaches will be analyzed, and a metric validation of each strategy will be presented. In the paper's conclusions, some considerations are summarized on the use of HBIM for the management of the archaeological data, together with some further perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

5Dculture is a 24-month collaborative project co-funded by the European Union. It includes twelve partners from diverse sectors of cultural heritage, including archaeology, museums and fashion. It aims to enrich the offer of European 3D digital cultural heritage assets in the data space and fosters their reuse in important domains such as education, tourism and the wider cultural and creative sectors towards socially and economically sustainable outcomes. In particular, the project will deliver high-quality 3D content by identifying and engaging existing datasets from partners' collections focusing on topics of fashion, archaeology and architecture, all of which occupy a central place in the vast cultural heritage of Europe. It will also develop several reuse scenarios, which will experiment with the aforementioned assets in their complexity (from high-quality to derivatives).The Discovery Programme has a long research interest in 3D digital documentation and has participated in collaborative projects in the past, notably 3D-ICONS. However, opportunities and challenges in the reuse of 3D archaeological content exist, including the reuse of 3D content to enhance visitors experience at archaeological sites and the ability to exploit 3D surrogates for different sectors (tourism, education, gaming, the arts, conservation and heritage management).This paper will present the research that has been undertaken in this context, through the development of an enhanced processing pipeline to improve the quality of 3D models of cultural heritage assets, resulting in their improved re-use. It will present the approaches to improving model geometry, generating and applying enhanced textures, creating rich and functional metadata and strategies for persistence and archiving.A core component of our research has been the development of the processing pipeline to improve 3D model appearance through the application of parametric materials in the development of synthetic textures which artificially enhance the visualising of cultural heritage objects. Through the visual enhancements of 3D content improvements to the interpretation and aesthetic appearance of monuments and artefacts can be achieved, adding value to the original surveyed data. The paper will detail the processing pipeline, working from prime survey data in survey specific software, through 3D modelling techniques, and finally visualising and presentation approaches which enable increased accessibility and usability.The paper will conclude with a discussion of deliverables, particularly in the context of value to conservation. The Discovery Programme works together with many of the state agencies in Ireland on heritage and conservation projects, and it is the delivery of enhanced but practical outputs that their archaeologists and architects require. These include the Office of Public Works, National Monuments Service & the Heritage Council. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maritime archaeology and underwater cultural heritage are crucial for revealing a valuable collection of historical, and cultural importance submerged beneath Malaysia's coastal waters. This paper comprehensively reviews the preservation efforts concerning Malaysia's maritime archaeology and underwater cultural heritage. Malaysia has a vast coastline and a significant historical background in the maritime trade, resulting in a wide range of submerged archaeological sites dating back several centuries. Furthermore, the paper discusses the terms of maritime archaeology and underwater cultural heritage, the element of the term underwater cultural heritage, the law in Malaysia related to underwater cultural heritage, and the process of excavation of shipwrecks also artifacts in Malaysia's Waters. This review seeks to educate policymakers, academicians, researchers, and heritage practitioners about the significance of conserving Malaysia's maritime archaeology and underwater cultural heritage by combining the existing research and practical experiences. It promotes increased awareness, funding, and coordinated actions to protect these invaluable connections to Malaysia's maritime history for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Complutum is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Virtual Archaeology Review is the property of Virtual Archaeology Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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]

This paper explores the archaeology of one of the more recently excavated 'convict hut' sites, the structures associated with early convict occupation (c.1788–1818) of the colonised agricultural landscape of what is now Parramatta in New South Wales. The paper primarily examines what substantive conclusions can be drawn from what could be considered repetitious archaeological sites: one hut in a long line of huts. The work focuses on the temporal and spatial constraints of evidence from the Club Parramatta site, building on the legacy of excavations that have occurred over the last 40 years. The results are framed through a conceptual lens of assemblages of practice and make use of comparative artefact analysis of three huts. We argue that New Materialism is particularly helpful for avoiding dualistic interpretations, such as convict/free, and instead allows for more nuanced and active understandings of people in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Landscape‐scale LiDAR‐based studies are becoming increasingly prevalent in archaeology, mainly focusing on detecting archaeological sites to create datasets for spatial analysis. However, the representativeness of these datasets in accurately reflecting the surviving distributions of archaeological sites has often been overlooked. This paper discusses issues of sampling and representativeness in LiDAR‐derived datasets, particularly within the scope of large‐scale landscape studies in Mediterranean contexts. Drawing insights from the Ancient Hillforts Survey, which analysed 15 296 km2 in south‐central Italy, the study examines the variability in the visibility of different site typologies in open‐source but low‐resolution LiDAR data. Through an examination of hillforts, platform farms, settlements, field systems, traces of Roman centuriation, and transhumance routes, the paper highlights significant variability in the identification and mapping within and across different site types. Recognizing the need to account for this variability in the development of spatial analysis, the paper discusses the use of sampling areas to address this variability. This approach aims to effectively mitigate potential biases in analysis, emphasizing the necessity for nuanced methodologies in interpreting LiDAR data for archaeological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeometry can help archaeologists in many ways, and one of the most common archaeometric objectives is provenance analysis. Volcanic rocks are often found in archaeological sites as materials used to make grinding tools such as millstones and mortars or as building materials. Petrographic characterization is commonly applied to identify their main mineralogical components. However, the provenance study of volcanic stones is usually undertaken by comparing geochemical data from reference outcrops using common descriptive statistical tools such as biplots of chemical elements, and occasionally, unsupervised multivariate data analysis like principal component analysis (PCA) is also used. Recently, the use of supervised classification methods has shown a superior performance in assigning provenance to archaeological samples. However, these methods require the use of reference databases for all the possible provenance classes in order to train the classification models. The existence of comprehensive collections of published geochemical analyses of igneous rocks enables the use of the supervised approach for the provenance determination of volcanic stones. In this paper, the provenance of volcanic grinding tools from two archaeological sites (Iulia Libica, Spain, and Sidi Zahruni, Tunisia) is attempted using data from the GEOROC database through unsupervised and supervised approaches. The materials from Sidi Zahruni have been identified as basalts from Pantelleria (Italy), and the agreement between the different supervised classification models tested is particularly conclusive. In contrast, the provenance of the materials from Iulia Libica remained undetermined. The results illustrate the advantages and limitations of all the examined methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Magazine General Union of Arab Archaeologists is the property of General Union of Arab Archaeologists and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Based on the amplitude attribute analysis of ground penetrating radar (GPR) data, this paper applies GPR to the identification of internal damages and abnormal objects in stone walls of Tibetan ruins. The corresponding relationship between the characteristics of internal damages and abnormal objects and the radar data is explored through the Tibetan stone walls (TSWs) simulation test. The identification of location and size of the damages and abnormal objects in TSWs is realized based on the Mahalanobis distance abnormal data discrimination method. Using the normal distribution and the noncentral chi-square distribution, the identification law of types of the damages and abnormal objects is constructed, which takes root mean square (RMS) amplitude and interface reflection coefficient as the characteristic values. The field detection results of TSWs at three Tibetan sites are taken as an extension and supplement to the simulation results, and a set of identification atlas for the location, size and type of the internal damages and abnormal objects in TSWs is established. The application results of the identification atlas were verified by the field detection and the results show that the atlas has a high accuracy, which can significantly improve the efficiency of the identification, and can provide a basis for the performance research, protection and maintenance of TSWs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we present the results of radiocarbon (14C) dating of three historically important objects related to the period of the reign of the Ottoman Empire in Europe. The following objects from the museum collection of the Franciscan Monastery in Fojnica, Bosnia and Herzegovina were 14C dated: (1) paper from the Ahdname (Fojnička ahdnama); (2) textile of the mantel of Fra Anđeo Zvizdović; and (3) paper from the Fojnica Armorial (Fojnički grbovnik). It was assumed that the Ahdname was issued in AD 1463 by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II to the Catholic monks and that the Mantel had belonged to Fra Anđeo Zvizdović, who received the Ahdname. The Fojnica Armorial is an important source of the classical heraldry of the Balkans Peninsula, with various estimates of the age. The 14C calibrated ages of the Ahdname are as follows: lower part, cal AD 1430–1465, upper part, cal AD 1665–1808, proving that only the lower part of the Ahdname was original. The 14C calibrated age of the textile from the outer layer of the Mantel is cal AD 1492–1641, somewhat younger than expected, and inner lining even younger, cal AD 1652–1805. Good coincidence between the calibrated age span of the renewed part of the Ahdname and the lining material of the Mantel can suggest that both objects had been renewed around the same time. Two samples of the Fojnica Armorial were dated: thick paper, cal AD 1631–1667 and thin paper, cal AD 1809–1926, showing that the Armorial had been compiled during different periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting with observations on a coffin that was brought from Egypt in 1722 and displayed at the British Museum from the first day of its opening -- coffin EA6695 -- this paper explores physical engagements with Egyptian mummies in London at the turn of the 19th century. It argues that it is through physical engagements -- including investigations and destructions -- that the Egyptian mummy was used to construct knowledge, not only about ancient Egypt, but about the body, race and the modern world. Using a number of sources from a range of individual reports, this paper sheds light on the cultural practices that surrounded and shaped engagements with Egyptian human remains, and reappraises the value of looking at destructive investigations as cultural interventions that can explain later practices, including the public mummy unrolling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last 500 years is characterized by immense socioeconomic and environmental transformations on a global scale. Animals were significantly affected by these processes but were also central to many of the transformations that shaped the modern world. While there has been a growing number of researchers investigating animal bones from archaeological sites from this period, the "Zooarchaeology of the Modern Era" working group provides the first dedicated forum for these scholars to meet. This paper introduces a special collection of studies which resulted from the first meeting of this research group and explores how these investigations help us understand our modern world. [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]