Search

The Morgado Superior Rock Shelter is located near the city of Tomar, in Central Portugal. This site presents important funerary contexts that according to published information encompass the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. Other non-funerary uses have not yet been characterised but were briefly suggested. A faunal sample of the 1988 and 2012 interventions is analysed from a zooarchaeological and taphonomical perspective, focusing on the leporid remains that largely dominate the assemblage. Clear indicators of a human origin are absent, while a configurational approach allows the description of exogenous and intrusive origins. The characteristics of the registered consumption taphonomical indicators are suggestive of scat and non-ingested accumulation by foxes. Furthermore, this study allows us to discuss some aspects of the formation of the stratigraphy of this important cave necropolis, while also serving as an example of the expected results of foxes' action on leporid remains in an archaeological site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper charcoals from the Syrian sites Tell Mozan and Tell Jerablus are investigated to understand the impact of 4th to 2nd millennium BC settlement on the vegetation. Charcoals from these sites have been identified and oak fragments have been measured for their maximal diameter and annual ring widths. Our results show that while oak had reached its maximal expansion in the Mid-Holocene, and vegetation in the Euphrates Valley was lusher than today, strong anthropogenic impact on the vegetation was occurring, probably already prior to the Late Chalcolithic period. Due to potentially enormous herds of sheep and goat, and possibly large-scale agriculture with perhaps some understory cropping, oak was growing very slowly, to the degree that it must often have had a shrub-like appearance. People did not apply systematic oak woodland management practices, such as coppicing or pollarding. They used dung as an additional fuel, probably to cover for shortages in wood resources. The land appears to have been used both intensively and extensively to a degree that was not sustainable in the long term. This, combined with aridity impact on the oak, probably led to a decrease in oak proportion at Mozan in the Middle Bronze Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jonathan Nicholas Tubb, born on December 21, 1951, in Coventry, was a prominent archaeologist and curator of Levantine Antiquities at the British Museum. He initially pursued a career in biochemistry but switched to numismatics and later to Levantine archaeology. Tubb conducted excavations in Iraq and Syria and played a significant role in expanding the Levant Gallery at the British Museum. He also directed excavations in Jordan and Oman. Tubb was known for his modernist approach to archaeology and his efforts to modernize the Palestine Exploration Fund. He transformed the Fund into a dynamic academic society and oversaw its move to a new building. Jonathan Tubb passed away on September 25, 2023. [Extracted from the article]

We studied the architectural remains of two Chalcolithic (Ghassulian) cultic complexes at En-Gedi and Teleilat Ghassul Area E in order to trace aspects of the architectural planning principles and methods involved in their design and construction. Architectural Formal Analysis has brought to light hitherto unnoticed spatial relations between architectural elements that seem to have structured the ritual activity at the two sites. The discerned geometric regularities imply that specific mathematical knowledge and the same set of design principles and methods were used in the planning of both complexes. The emerging pictures of highly structured ritual and of the use of geometry in Ghassulian cultic production may be used to support suggestions regarding some sort of cultic establishment (priesthood) during the Chalcolithic Ghassulian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concurrent (Fe,Mo)2C carbides and Cu-rich clusters precipitation in the ferritic steel containing copper after aging at 400°C for 4000 h have been investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT). The results show that spinodal decomposition and an atomic ordering reaction occur in the ferritic steel containing copper. After aging, the retained austenite decomposed by the spinodal mechanism into C-rich and C-lean regions. The C-rich phase transforms into the (Fe,Mo)2C carbides via the ordering reaction, while Cu-rich clusters formed in the C-lean regions. The experimental results can be interpreted on the basis of phase separation via spinodal decomposition followed by chemical ordering. The small size of Cu-rich clusters can be attributed to the lower diffusion coefficient of Cu in the retained austenite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of a set of marine arthropod shells from an archaeological excavation carried out in 1991–1992 in the tholos of La Pastora (Cooper Age Mega-site of Valencina-Castilleja, S Spain), has highlighted the environmental implications and ornamental use as beads not cited so far for this purpose. It is the barnacle species Chthamalus montagui Southward, 1976, of which are preserved 71 complete specimens. In this study a taxonomic analysis of these organisms is carried out, determining their classification and their physical and ecological characteristics, which make them especially suitable for this use. The interpretation is made regarding the environment in which these organisms were collected during the 3rd millennium BCE. Thus, it points towards a protected coastal area, but with a predominant marine influence, such as the wide marine bay that formed the mouth of the Guadalquivir River in those times. Finally, a radiocarbon analysis of one of these beads and two specimens of another species of barnacle collected in the rocks of the monument, provide a time range of 2760–2200 yr BCE. This range is consistent with the period of activity in the monument estimated by other authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article proposes a new interpretation of Chalcolithic and early Bronze Age warrior graves grounded in the 'Rinaldone' burial tradition of central Italy, 4th and 3rd millennia BC. In European archaeology, warrior graves are frequently thought to signal the rise of sociopolitical inequality rooted in metal wealth. The work questions the empirical and conceptual foundations of this reading, arguing that, in early Europe, copper was not as rare and valuable as it is often presumed to be; that metalworking did not demand uniquely complex skills; and that metal-rich burials cannot be interpreted in light of modernising ideas of identity. It is argued instead that the key to decoding prehistoric warrior graves lies in context-specific notions of gender, age, and the life course. In particular, life and death circumstances including violence (both inflicted and suffered) would determine why certain individuals were laid to rest with lavish weapon assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The map is aimed at illustrating the relationships between landscape evolution and human occupation in the Isernia basin since the Middle Pleistocene. We carried out a detail scale geological–geomorphological investigation integrated with archaeological data. Overall data suggest enhanced landscape modification related to the long-term evolution of the Isernia basin. Moreover, during the Middle Pleistocene an alluvial plain environment was present, as testified also by the famous Lower Palaeolithic site of Isernia La Pineta dated to ca. 600 ky. From 600 ky onwards, extensional tectonics and related valley incision reshaped the Isernia basin, with the formation of terraced surfaces and the deposition of a travertine plateau. Archaeological findings from the Lower Palaeolithic up to the Chalcolithic Age testify to pre- and protohistoric settlements on these surfaces. In historical times, Romans settled on the Isernia terrace ridge taking advantage of the outcropping travertines to support wall foundations and to extract construction material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent excavations undertaken by the Aerial Archaeology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (AAKSA) project have recovered significant skeletal material, evidence for funerary offerings, including jewelry, and the earliest chronometrically dated domestic dog in the Arabian Peninsula. Despite being heavily disturbed by recent looting, these monumental funerary structures were found to be collective burials dating to the 5th and 4th millennia b.c. The evidence recovered from these graves provides new insight into the social and funerary landscapes of northwestern Arabia during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, shedding light upon issues of social memory, territoriality, and monumentality in the Middle Holocene of the Arabian Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analytical study is presented, aimed to determine the elemental composition of copper-based artefacts dated back from Copper Age to Early Iron Age (mid-fourth millennium to the VIIIth century B.C.), found on the Tyrrhenian side of the peninsula, corresponding to the Lazio region. The objects belong to different archaeological contexts and had various functions. They were analysed by the X-ray fluorescence technique. The results highlight the experimental character of Copper Age metallurgy, which will later evolve in the established use of copper-tin alloys. Regarding the Bronze Age, despite the typological and functional heterogeneity of the artefacts and the wide chronological range, the alloys are relatively homogeneous in composition, with regular changes that appear related to chronology, according to what is already known for the Italian peninsula. Such changes are supposedly due to variations in the availability of tin, which was not locally mined. Early Iron Age metallurgy is represented by the Selvicciola Hoard solely, which restricts the possibility of generalizing the conclusions. A striking feature of the alloys is the great compositional difference between the complete and the fragmented artefacts. The formers are made of tin bronze, whereas in the latter tin is replaced by antimony and/or lead. The use of such unusual alloys is unlikely due to lack of metallurgical knowledge. Considering the urbanized communities that arose in the Middle-Tyrrhenian area during the Early Iron Age, we suppose that such variability in a single context might be related to a production system capable of using alloys of different quality and value to satisfy a diversified demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014, the Edom Lowlands Regional Archaeology Project renewed excavations at Khirbat al-Jariya (KAJ), an Iron Age copper smelting site in Faynan, Jordan. Located roughly 3 km from the prominent smelting center Khirbat en-Nahas (KEN), KAJ was an integral component of Early Iron Age (ca. 1200–800 b.c.) copper production in Faynan, one of the largest copper ore deposits in the southern Levant. To date, the site had only been investigated by surveys and limited excavation; the 2014 excavations opened two areas (the largest extant building and a slag mound sounding) to explore the social dynamics and temporal intricacies of copper production. The excavation results, detailed site remapping, paleobotanical analysis, and new radiocarbon dates suggest KAJ more rapidly developed into a large-scale copper production center than previously believed, likely as a strategic expansion to the industry at KEN. This reinterpretation sheds new light on the development of the Iron Age industrial landscape in Faynan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study reports the experimental investigation on the influence of copper ageing on flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop in copper microchannels of two different hydraulic diameters, 0.324 and 0.658 mm. Experiments have been conducted for different time intervals between the experimental runs. A reduction in the two-phase heat transfer coefficient was noticed with time, possibly due to the growth of oxidation layer. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses of the fresh sample and the sample after the experiments indicated the growth of oxidation layer. Confocal microscope images and three-dimensional roughness profiles obtained using an optical profilometer also indicated a change in the surface texture. Deterioration in two-phase heat transfer coefficient was attributed to the increased surface wettability caused by the oxidation. The rate of reduction in heat transfer coefficient was higher for higher heat fluxes and smaller hydraulic diameter. A small increase in two-phase pressure drop was also noticed. Possible sources of oxidation were discussed in the study. The study underlines that the copper ageing factor be taken into account for the design and operation of two-phase microchannel heat sinks with copper substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analytical study is presented, aimed to determine the elemental composition of copper-based artefacts dated back from Copper Age to Early Iron Age (mid-fourth millennium to the VIIIth century B.C.), found on the Tyrrhenian side of the peninsula, corresponding to the Lazio region. The objects belong to different archaeological contexts and had various functions. They were analysed by the X-ray fluorescence technique. The results highlight the experimental character of Copper Age metallurgy, which will later evolve in the established use of copper-tin alloys. Regarding the Bronze Age, despite the typological and functional heterogeneity of the artefacts and the wide chronological range, the alloys are relatively homogeneous in composition, with regular changes that appear related to chronology, according to what is already known for the Italian peninsula. Such changes are supposedly due to variations in the availability of tin, which was not locally mined. Early Iron Age metallurgy is represented by the Selvicciola Hoard solely, which restricts the possibility of generalizing the conclusions. A striking feature of the alloys is the great compositional difference between the complete and the fragmented artefacts. The formers are made of tin bronze, whereas in the latter tin is replaced by antimony and/or lead. The use of such unusual alloys is unlikely due to lack of metallurgical knowledge. Considering the urbanized communities that arose in the Middle-Tyrrhenian area during the Early Iron Age, we suppose that such variability in a single context might be related to a production system capable of using alloys of different quality and value to satisfy a diversified demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the chemical composition of nineteen painted pottery fragments belonging to the Eneolithic Petresti culture in order to identify the relationship between the ceramic artifacts and potential clay sources located in the proximity of the archeological site. Two analytical techniques (attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (ATR-FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) have been used to achieve these goals. SEM-EDS was especially useful for morphological investigation and the multielemental composition of the pottery and pigments, while FTIR provided information on the ceramic and clay composition. The results show similarities for both techniques and offer preliminary information regarding the clay composition and some potential sources of the raw material used for pottery manufacturing in the Eneolithic period. Cluster analysis using Ward Linkage method also correlated the clay sources with the analyzed painted pottery. Despite the limited numbers of sample, the archaeometric results indicate that there is an obvious link between the painted pottery belonging to Petresti culture and four of the selected clay sources from the Alba Iulia-Lumea Noua archeological site. Hence, some of the local clay sources may be considered to be the raw material for the Petresti pottery manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the fact that people started to lead a communal life in Anatolia, states began to be established, and different civilizations emerged consecutively. For centuries, these state chains have caused Anatolia to become the cradle of civilizations. In our article, the transition to agriculture, historical gastronomies and interactions of civilizations appearing in the chronology starting from the place where the first settlement in Anatolia was observed along with the Neolithic Age, Chalcolithic Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age until today were investigated, and it was attempted to determine the effects of gastronomic cultures of the countries, that lived in Anatolian geography for centuries and that are existing at the present time by settling in various geographies of the world, on each other. Regarding gastronomy, archaeological excavations in Anatolia in the Urfa province of Göbeklitepe discovered a settlement dating back 11 thousand years BC where they reached the human bones of the hunter gatherer. We see the Hattians, Assyrians, Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Ionians, Lycians and Urartians in the resulting picture. After this period, the Persians, Romans and Byzantines ruled in Anatolia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microscopic analysis of butchering marks on bones from Neolithic to Hellenistic deposits at Çatalhöyük, Turkey, are employed as a proxy measure for identifying the rate and nature of adoption of metallurgy for quotidian activities. During the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, only stone tools were being used for butchering. In the post-Neolithic strata, however, chipped stone tools continue to dominate the assemblage. This stands in contrast to the larger regional pattern where metal butchering marks dominate after the end of the Early Bronze Age. The authors propose that the continued use of stone tools for processing animal carcasses long after the advent of hard metal alloys is because of the nearby and abundant source of obsidian. Obsidian flake and blade tools remain the raw material of choice for animal-carcass processing over time. The analysis demonstrates that the replacement of stone and adoption of metal butchering tools was not a straightforward affair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kuruçay Höyük can be considered a key site for our understanding of Late Prehistory in southwest Turkey and above all, the poorly known Late Chalcolithic (4200-3100 B.C.). Until now, limited research has been conducted on the relationship between the excavated site and its surrounding. This article discusses the Late Chalcolithic results of an integrated survey in the vicinity of Kuruçay Höyük in the Burdur Plain. Drawing upon these results, this paper illustrates that the site was far from an isolated feature during the 4th millennium B.C. The picture that emerges is one of a differentiated settlement system consisting of both larger höyük/tell settlements (like Kuruçay Höyük) and smaller sized, possibly short-lived, flat settlements. These results are further contextualized within the developments that took place in the region during the Chalcolithic, which seem to have opened the door for communities to become more complex during the Early Bronze Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, we have witnessed a second methodological revolution in research into the Trypillia megasites of Ukraine - the largest sites in fourth-millennium BC Europe and possibly the world. However, these methodological advances have not been accompanied by parallel advances in the understanding of the nature and development of the megasites. New data have led to a ‘tipping point’ which leads us to reject the traditional interpretation of megasites as long-term centres permanently occupied by tens of thousands of people. The contention of the alternative approach is the temporary, short-term dwelling of much smaller populations at megasites such as Nebelivka. In this article, the authors present two alternative models for the gradual emergence of the highly structured plan of the Trypillia megasite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines diachronically the technological knowledge and the level of copper metallurgy at Kastro Palaia, Volos, in Magnesia, examining various objects with dates from the Early Bronze Age through to the Early Christian era. Of the 70 objects that have been examined so far using pXRF, a small sample was selected for further metallographic and chemical analyses. In this way, the manufacturing processes for the production of each object were identified, as well as the alloy used. Combining the results of these two methods with the typology of the objects provided safe conclusions concerning the technological knowledge and the specialisation of metal production at Kastro Palaia from the Bronze Age to the Early Christian era. In the end, the potential provenance of the copper was also examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 2nd millennium BC anthropomorphic menhirs belonging to a 3rd millennium BC sanctuary were reused as building material in the Arasseda Nuraghe (Sardinia, Italy). To analyse the Arasseda menhirs and the local Monte Ironi geological samples (presenting similar visual features), chemical (pXRF, ICP-OES, ICP-MS), mineralogical-chemical (PXRD) and physical (Mohs hardness) measurements were performed. Through the experimental data, the menhirs source provenance and the technological properties (workability, durability) of the raw material chosen for sculptural purposes during Copper Age were investigated. To the authors’ knowledge this is the first archaeometric study on the Arasseda menhirs (the third on Sardinian menhirs) and one between the few recently developed on European megaliths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Chalcolithic (4400–3950b.c.) occupation levels from Ovçular Tepesi have yielded a significant assemblage of copper objects and remains of copper production. Together with ore finds, two fragments of nozzle,crucible remains, and a number of small metal artifacts, this assemblage includes the unexpected discovery of three copper axes in an infant burial jar. These axes are the earliest examples of large copper tools known to date in southwestern Asia, whether it is in the Caucasus, Iran, or the Anatolian highlands. More importantly, the fact that these objects were locally produced suggests that significant metallurgical activities were being carried out at Ovçular as early as the second half of the 5th millenniumb.c. After presenting the evidence from Ovçular Tepesi, this paper will proceed to a reassessment of the available archaeological and geochemical data concerning the emergence of extractive metallurgy in the southern Caucasus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A collection of 30 copper-based artefacts recovered during archeological excavations at the São Pedro settlement (Redondo, Portugal) was characterized by optical microscopy and Vickers microhardness testing. The radiocarbon dating of bone samples and the existence of Bell Beaker ceramics establish a chronology of c. 2700-2000 BC for tools and weapons made of copper with varying arsenic contents. The manufacture included one or more cycles of forging and annealing, while final work hardening was uncommon. The collection shows a wide range of hardness (52-142 HV0.2) without any correlation with typology or arsenic content, suggesting unawareness of the hardening potential of this alloying element. Technological features of São Pedro artefacts were compared with those of coeval metallurgies from neighboring regions (Portuguese Estremadura and Southern Andalusia) revealing common and distinctive characteristics that help to understand the use of arsenical copper alloys among communities of the third millennium BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chalcolithic site of Moita da Ladra, on the right bank of the River Tagus, near Vila Franca de Xira (Portugal), was mainly settled during the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. The large amount of metal artifacts and metallurgical remains recovered at the site indicates local metallurgical activities. Chemical and microstructural characterization of 62 copper-based artifacts and 8 metallic nodules from the settlement are presented. Micro-EDXRF, optical microscopy, SEM-EDS and Vickers microhardness testing were applied in this research. Elemental determinations show artifacts containing variable amounts of arsenic. Forty-five percent of the artifacts have an arsenic content at impurity level (As < 2 wt.%), while the remaining items range from 2.0 wt.% to 5.4 wt.% As. Microstructural analysis shows that artifacts were shaped by hammering and annealing cycles, being 33% of the artifacts finished by cold working. Metallic nodules were produced by smelting operations, and are chemically consistent with the analysed artifact collection. Results are compared with those obtained by similar researches carried out on important contemporary materials from the same geographical area (Portuguese Estremadura) and other Iberian regions (Southern Portugal and Western Andalusia). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant amounts of opercular bones fromCyprinus carpio, used to manufacture circular pearls for adornments, were found from the Romanian Eneolithic, associated with the Gumelnita culture. The origins of this raw material are local: the carp was an important food resource for the communities located close to the River Danube. An experimental program was undertaken to obtain replicas of pearls ofC. carpio, to compare with the archaeological pieces, in order to identify an a chain of manufacture resulting in the finished pieces. The study of the adornments represents an inexhaustible source of reflection because, through them we can identify aspects of the human groups' symbolical behaviour, and socio-economical aspects of these communities' evolution. In this case they suggest that the aquatic world, with its resources, had an important position in the spiritual life of these communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater bivalve shells are frequently identified in faunal assemblages from Neo-Eneolithic tell settlements along the Danube River valley in South-East Romania (5th millennium BC). Up until now, significant accumulations of freshwater bivalve shells have been identified only in household refuse areas of the settlements, where they form consistent shell layers. The origin and formation of such shell accumulations and, more generally, the role of bivalves in the animal economy of the prehistoric populations that inhabited the settlements, are poorly understood. Two freshwater bivalve shell accumulations were studied in household refuse areas of Eneolithic tell settlements, one at Borduşani-Popină and the other at Hârşova tell. The occurrence of similar accumulations in the two settlements indicates generalized practices between the two communities. This first study of such accumulations addresses the relationship between bivalves and other animal species used in alimentation by the two Eneolithic communities, as well as the relationships between these communities, their environment, and the evolution of the settlements. Bivalves were harvested in the close vicinity of the settlements and large quantities were obtained only towards the end of the summer season. During this season there is an inverse relationship between high water levels in the river and the availability of bivalves for harvesting. Bivalves played an important role in the alimentation of the prehistoric populations – at Hârşova tell their contribution to alimentation in terms of energetic yield surpasses that of fish, at least for the short period of time represented by the stratigraphic sequence analysed. Bivalve shells were used, along with other types of household refuse, in construction techniques aimed at limiting soil humidity in the settlements and inside the dwellings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the social role played by ivory and ivory articles in the Perdigões enclosures (South Portugal) during the Chalcolithic (third millennium bc), in the context of the emergence and development of social complexity on the Iberian Peninsula. Perdigões is a Portuguese prehistoric site with some of the highest concentrations of ivory objects known in Iberia and with the greatest variety. The contexts, almost exclusively funerary, are discussed along with the results of provenance studies. Comparing the different contexts and the categories of objects made of ivory makes it possible to distinguishing a variety of active social dimensions (such as individual status, group identity, ideological referents, social or political roles, ontological and cosmological perceptions) to these items which drew on the importance of exotic raw materials in the reformulation of social relations that was taking place specifically at this site and in Iberia in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diachronic survey in the Marmara Lake basin of western Turkey confirms long-term settlement activity from the 5th millennium b.c. to the present. Here we present the results from a study of ceramics and settlement distribution pertaining to the Chalcolithic through the Iron Age periods (ca. 5th/4th-1st millennium b.c.). Our dataset confirms the value of a multi-pronged approach when establishing ceramic typologies from survey datasets, incorporating distribution in the landscape with macroscopic, microscopic (petrographic), and chemical (Instrumental Neutron Activation) analyses. Our results offer valuable insights into continuity as well as change of ceramic recipes in western Anatolia during the rise of urbanism in the Middle to Late Bronze Age followed by the establishment of an imperial realm in the Iron Age. From a methodological perspective, our results illustrate the value of macroscopic and chemical approaches, including principal component, distribution, density, and discriminant analyses that can be refined further by petrography, for the interpretation of surface survey ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the authors attempt to explain the funerary behaviors of the agro-pastoral societies who lived in Abrantes (Central Portugal) between the Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age. Our aim is to fully understand the Colos site based on archaeographical data and then insert it into a broader, comprehensive context. What makes this case particularly interesting and noteworthy is its lack of visibility in the landscape, situated next to a natural rock outcrop, which is in contrast to the megalithic practice of the time. We wonder if this invisibility and absolute lack of reference to its physical space has some social and cultural connection with a particular agro-pastoral community or if, instead, it is anomalous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with settlement activity during the Late Chalcolithic period in the northern Samaria highlands. This region is one of the last unexplored areas of this period in the southern Levant. The study reveals the settlement patterns and subsistence economy of the population that inhabited this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laterality is a quality, widespread throughout the vertebrate kingdom. It consists in assigning different roles to each side of the body by granting predominance to one of the sides. Humans too display this quality and the specialization of each hemisphere in our brain was already present in the first vertebrates. We usually refer to right-handed and left-handed people depending on the upper limb that is assigned the dominant role. For a long time, it has been thought that the proportion of left-handed people in a population has remained constant in all cultures and during our evolution. However, laterality is affected by sociocultural influences and varies geographically and chronologically. Using archaeological remains, it is possible to obtain information about the laterality of our ancestors and determine laterality indices for past populations. We developed an experimental programme to determine which characteristics of a polished axe indicate the laterality of its maker. We describe a method based on the orientation of the edge and we study the Neolithic and Chalcolithic farming communities in northern Iberia to evaluate the laterality in those populations. The right/left laterality ratio for the Neolithic and Chalcolithic populations is very similar to the range detected for modern non-industrial societies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

At the time of writing, fourteen horned figurines made of stone have been uncovered in eight archaeological sites of the Levant and southern Anatolia dating to the Pottery Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods (6th and 5th millennium cal bc). Their striking stylistic similarity, together with their low frequency, requires a detailed analysis. The figurines, produced of locally accessible stone, feature the head of a horned animal with characteristic spiralling horns. No comparable figurines manufactured of a different raw material like clay or ivory have been uncovered. Three typological groups can be distinguished based on the shape of the horns, possibly identified as Capra falconeri (Group 1) and Ovis aries orientalis (Groups 2 and 3) in different degrees of stylization. Recent genetic studies demonstrate that these species were progenitors of the domestic sheep and goat, respectively. Figurines of the second and third typological groups are pierced, which suggests that they were worn as personal ornaments. This paper draws attention to these figurines as a coherent group and suggests some possible meanings in proto-historic society. Their stylistic homogeneity is tentatively ascribed to a shared iconographic language across the Levant at the onset of agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2008, during a rescue excavation in the Sa Osa area, near the town of Cabras (Sardinia, Italy), a Nuragic settlement was discovered. The excavation revealed numerous pits, wells and structures dug by the local communities between the Early Copper Age and the Iron Age. These structures were interpreted as elements of a settlement mainly involved in primary production. The most remarkable structure is Well-N, radiocarbon and archaeologically dated to the Late Bronze Age, which has yielded large amounts of waterlogged plant remains, animal and fish bones and pottery. Despite the limited set of samples, the combination of macro-remain and pollen analyses in this unique context provides important information useful for exploring not only local subsistence systems but also human impact on the surrounding environment. Grapes and figs are the most abundant remains together with other fruits and edible vascular plants. Remains of melon and mulberry were identified being the earliest remains of these two species for Western Europe. Their presence may confirm early trade between Nuragic people and the eastern Mediterranean and/or African coasts. Intentional selection of wood suggests practices associated to the collection of raw material for specific technological demands. The presence of intestinal parasites in the pollen record points to the possible use of the well as a cesspit, at least in its later use, and this is one of the earliest evidence of this type of structures in prehistoric contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our knowledge of South Portugal's Neolithic and Chalcolithic subsistence strategies is limited by scarce palaeobotanical evidence (restricted to the latter period) and irregular zooarchaeological data. This framework is also affected by post-depositional biases, unevenly represented sites throughout the territory (i.e. under/over representation of sites according to their functions) and published data with disparate objectives and analytic methodologies. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that a priori theoretical assumption dominates over empirically supported arguments on crucial aspects of the Neo-Chalcolithic time period, such as (1) the relative importance of domestic versus wild species at the Neolithic onset (cal ≈5500 BC), (2) the supposed predominance of caprines herding and cervid hunting among the economic practices of the megalith builders (cal ≈4000-3000 BC) or (3) the real impact of the 'Secondary Products Revolution' and its chronology (cal ≈3000 BC onwards?). Using existing publications and unpublished reports, we critically organise the available zooarchaeological data according to geographical and ecological sub-regions, in order to discuss it under uniform analytic procedures, evaluate current models and point out directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rare Chalcolithic rolled-gold bead-like ornament dated to c. 2400-2200 cal. BC was found in association with sherds of early Beaker ware in an Early Bronze Age Collared Urn burial dated to c. 1545-1450 cal. BC. The grave was located at Pendleton, Lancashire. This paper reports on the AMS radiocarbon dates for the burial context along with X-ray composition analysis of the gold ornament, which shows the object had a high platinum content consistent with alluvial, placer, deposits possibly originating in Brittany, France rather than the British Isles. This unparalleled rolled-gold ornament is compared to the corpus of British and French rolled-gold ornaments and contemporary goldwork and a provenance, manufacture and biography of the find is explored. Both curation and fragmentation are considered in the context of a dated Beaker ware assemblage from the local domestic site of Lower Brockholes, Preston, as well as existing corpora of Beaker and Collared Urn ware from the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper challenges customary archaeological accounts of non-megalithic tumuli during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age. Because of their wide range of regional and chronological variability across Atlantic Europe, rigid interpretative templates based on restrictive Western concepts such as ‘domestic’ or ‘funerary’ become inadequate. The analysis of several well-documented case studies in the Central Meseta (Iberia) through a programme of fieldwork prompts reconsideration of some uncontested assumptions extrapolated from research on megaliths and funerary contexts associated with Bell Beaker pottery. Some of these constructions lack actual layering or clear structures, their material assemblages are scarce, scattered and highly fragmented – including everyday residues and partial Beakers – and luxury items or human remains are barely recovered from them. The article discusses these peculiarities and confusing contents, commonly regarded as being the result of post-abandonment disturbance. A taphonomic assessment of their cultural debris attentive to formation processes and a comparison among depositional contexts within their local settings allow reappraisal of these constructions other than simply as areas of occupation or looted burials. Some of them could be better understood in terms of complementariness and mutual reference, as being the outcome of evocative practices that, through quotation and emulation, linked together absent places, beings and episodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the analyses of plant macroremains from Iritegi, a cave from Northern Iberia with archaeological levels dated from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age. Wood charcoal assemblages are dominated throughout the sequence by Fraxinus. Other important taxa are Quercus subg. Quercus, followed by Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Ilex aquifolium, Taxus baccata and Ulmus. Acer, Alnus and Maloideae occur in very low numbers. The high percentages of Fraxinus are possibly result from the selection of ash for fodder. Evidence for the use of crops ( Hordeum vulgare, Triticum aestivum/ durum) comes only from the Chalcolithic contexts. The identification of acorns in one Chalcolithic hearth shows that roasting of these nuts was taking place maybe to improve taste and to facilitate further processing or to improve storage conditions. The results show that plant food gathering still played a role within the subsistence of farming human groups in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socio-economic organisation, subsistence strategies and environmental exploitation still remain largely open questions for the Late Chalcolithic period (ca. 4500-3500 BC) in southern Caucasus even though they are of prime importance for understanding the development of post-Neolithic societies in these semi-arid and mountainous areas. Interdisciplinary bioarchaeological research can, however, provide valuable new insights into these issues. In the Late Chalcolithic occupation layers at Ovçular Tepesi (Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Azerbaijan), the fills of pits, composed mainly of domestic refuse, proved to contain the richest and most diverse assemblages of biological remains at the site. These remains, retrieved by the use of flotation and sieving techniques, therefore constitute ideal assemblages for understanding subsistence strategies and the exploitation of natural resources. It is shown here that the agricultural economy at Late Chalcolithic Ovçular Tepesi was based mainly on the cultivation of cereals and pulses and the herding of sheep and goat. The river and its surroundings provided wood fuel and fish. The results of the bioarchaeological study further suggest that the Late Chalcolithic village was occupied permanently as shown by the development of commensal populations of small mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Borduşani-Popină is a Gumelniţa tell site in south-eastern Romania. The cattle mortality profile suggests a husbandry oriented towards prime meat exploitation and dairy production highlighted by the keeping of cattle to advanced age. Besides, the culling strategy also targeted young calves. A stable isotope ratio study was undertaken on dental rows. Bone and dentine collagen δ15N values show that the calves within the slaughtering peak were well-advanced in the weaning process, suggesting that the slaughter was delayed until the end of the cows' lactation. A consequence would be the sharing of milk production between herders and calves. High inter- and intra-individual variability in bone collagen and enamel bioapatite δ13C values indicated variations in the seasonal ratio of C4 and C3 plants in fodder and between age groups. Overall, the complementary study of mortality profiles and stable isotopes provide evidence of sophisticated husbandry during the fifth millennium cal. bc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study deals with the unprecedented settlement activity during the Early Bronze Age I that has been recently recorded in the Jordan Valley and the desert fringes of Samaria. The increase in the number of sites primarily characterises the latter part of the period (Early Bronze Age IB), and is accompanied by two other important phenomena: population inroads into new regions, and the first appearance of fortified sites. A profound crisis at the end of the period resulted in the almost complete abandonment of the valley sites and the concentration of settlement along the eastern foothills of Samaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the discovery of the earliest evidence of domesticated wheat in the Crimean peninsula from the Ardych-Burun shell midden site, Ukraine. The Ardych-Burun site dates to middle of the 4th millennium CAL B.C. For the first time, the chronology of a Ukrainian Chalcolithic period site has been established through direct radiocarbon dating of cereal grains retrieved from it. This discovery allows for a wider discussion of the chronology and geographical origins of domesticated plant species in Ukraine and the role the Caucasian corridor may have played in the spread of agriculture into eastern Europe. The presence of cereal crops in the southern Crimea enriches our understanding of the subsistence strategies of the coastal population, which was previously linked only with pastoralism, hunting, and the exploitation of marine resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses stone-built structures, known as Works, in the Harret al-Shaam lavafield in Jordan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, focusing on aerial photographs of the site revealing that the structures form outlines including Kites, Cairns, and Wheels. The author describes Works identified in neighboring areas using aerial photography and high-resolution imagery. The author focuses on the Wheels, including the distribution of wheels and the dating of the Wheels to the Chalcolithic period.

The Late Chalcolithic (Ghassulian) is the only period in the 6th-4th millennia chronological sequence that has been discussed in relation to the Judean Desert caves since the discovery of proto-historic remains there some 60 years ago. The notion that everything that is proto-historic in the Judean Desert is Chalcolithic was influenced by the major discoveries of the Ein Gedi Shrine and the Cave of the Treasure in Nahal Mishmar, both having become key sites in the scholarly literature on the Ghassulian culture. Nevertheless, many of the excavated caves contain evidence for a late Early Bronze (EB) I presence within their ceramic assemblages, clearly separated from the Late Chalcolithic phase. This presence has not been recognized in most cases; in some it has been discerned but has not generated meaningful discussion of the artefactual assemblages and their chronological and regional significance. This article reviews the evidence for the occupation of caves in the Judean Desert in the EB IB, and suggests that its date lies within the Erani C cultural horizon. The article argues that this presence accounts for an episode of temporary refuge in the precipitous caves of the Judean Desert, joining the Late Chalcolithic and Early Roman episodes in the same region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beginning of the Bronze Age in the southern Caucasus has been thought to coincide with the appearance of the Kura Araxes (KA) culture around 3500 cal B.C. KA artifacts are known not only from the southern Caucasus but also from sites in Anatolia, Iran, and the Levant. Recent discoveries from Areni-1 Cave in the Vayots Dzor region of Armenia demonstrate that the origin of the distinctive KA artifact assemblage lies in the Late Chalcolithic of the late 5th to early 4th millennia B.C. The cave contains rich assemblages of desiccated botanical remains that allow the site to be precisely dated and that demonstrate that its inhabitants exploited a wide variety of domesticated and wild plants. It would appear that from 4000 cal b.c. onwards, people used Areni-1 Cave for habitation and for keeping goats, storing plant foods, and ritual purposes; unusual for this time period are ceramic vessels containing the skulls of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article gives an overview of the prehistoric settlement of Leceia, or Oeiras, in the Estremadura region of Portugal. The author discusses the excavation of the site from 1983-2002, focusing on the Copper Age and Chalcolithic pottery. The author describes the context of the settlement of Leceia within Chalocalithic Estremadura and discusses the stratigraphy revealed during excavation.

This article outlines the long-term and path-breaking work of Dagestani archeologist Rauf Magomedovich Munchaev, focusing on his research of the North Caucasian Maikop culture. Sites, including kurgan complexes of the Copper and Bronze Age, from the third to second millennium B.C.E. in the region of the eastern North Caucasus, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sheds new light on the most common type of pottery associated with advanced phases of Early Bronze I (EB I) in the southern Jordan valley: the distinctive family or group known as Um Hammad Ware, or Proto-Urban D (PUD) Ware. To date, this kind of pottery was thought to be concentrated mostly around the site of Tell Um Hammad. This study presents new evidence suggesting that this ware was dispersed over a region considerably wider than previously understood, and that the centre of its manufacture was probably in the region of western Wadi Far'ah. This paper also explores the possibility that the origins of this family are to be found in the pottery traditions of the Golan region during the Chalcolithic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maceheads have long been acknowledged as a characteristic feature of groundstone assemblages of the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age periods of the southern Levant, and as indicators of warfare and ritual activity, and symbols of rule. The data presented here suggest that maceheads made their first appearance within the social and economic context of the later parts of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic and early phases of the Pottery Neolithic (Yarmukian culture, ca. 6400-5800 CAL B.C.) of the southern Levant; from there they found their way into sites of the Pottery Neolithic Jericho IX/Lodian (Ca. 5900-5600 CAL B.C.) and Wadi Rabah (ca. 5700-5200 CAL B.C.) cultures, and subsequently into Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age settlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses research carried out by the Körös Regional Archaeological Project from 2000 to 2006 at Early Copper Age Tiszapolgar Culture sites on the Great Hungarian Plain. To build a model of social organization for the period, we incorporated information from regional geomorphological studies, soil chemistry analysis, archaeological surface surveys, remote sensing, and systematic excavations at Early Copper Age sites in the Körös Valley of southeastern Hungary. Previous models characterized the transition from the Neolithic period to the Copper Age as an abrupt shift from a tell-based, sedentary, agricultural lifeway to one based on mobile cattle herding. By studying the transition between these periods on multiple geographic and temporal scales, we have identified a more gradual process with widespread regional variation in cultural patterns. Similar social processes characterize the transition between chronological periods and cultural phases in other parts of the world, and we suggest that a multiscalar approach is effective for building comparative archaeological models of long-term social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Andrew Sherratt's (1981) model of the Secondary Products Revolution explored the effects of changes in the scale and nature of domestic animal exploitation on Old World societies. He proposed that the earliest domestic stock animals in the Near East (sheep, goat and cattle) were initially domesticated during the Neolithic for their primary products (meat, hide and bone), but that their more intensive exploitation for secondary animal products (milk, wool and traction) appeared in the Near East much later (during the Chalcolithic) and subsequently spread to surrounding regions (Europe and Asia). While the zooarchaeological evidence largely supports the model, questions have been raised about its veracity since there is evidence for pre-Chalcolithic exploitation of secondary products (e.g. ceramic lipid analyses). This paper summarizes past efforts to test the model, presents the results of recent research on the subject (e.g. artefactual, zooarchaeological and lipid analysis) and suggests directions for future research. Some of the discrepancies that have arisen between the archaeological, ceramic lipid and zooarchaeological data will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]