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ABSTRACT Since 2020, the Saudi‐French Archaeological and Epigraphic Mission to Najrān (MAFSN) has been conducting additional archaeological surveys and small‐scale excavations in the Ḥimā area, providing a wealth of data from different historical periods. Preliminary analysis of the structures and artefacts discovered revealed a complex landscape characterised by patterns of continuous human activity from the Palaeolithic to modern times, underlining the historical importance of this area as a transit hub along the caravan routes. The identification of various structures has made it possible to establish a basic typology and enabled a distribution study of the human presence, allowing comparisons with neighbouring regions. This paper presents the discovery of two anthropomorphic stelae associated with a platform‐like structure excavated in November 2021 on the eastern side of Jabal al‐Kawkab, al‑Gharaziyyāt area. The documentation of these stelae lays the groundwork for a re‐evaluation of the Bronze Age occupation of the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological excavations led by Yung-jo Lee and Jong-yoon Woo were carried out twice at the Sorori paleolithic site, Cheongju, in the Republic of Korea, at the upper stream of the Geumgang river, the Miho riverside. A total of 127 rice seeds were excavated, including 18 ancient rice and 109 Quasi-rice, in 1998 and 2001. At the first excavation, eleven short japonica-type ancient rice and one slender smooth ancient rice with two kinds of Quasi-rice were excavated. The average length of the 11 short rice grains obtained from the first and second excavation was 7.19 mm and the average width was 3.08 mm, respectively. The Quasi-rice are apparently different from the rice and do not have bi-peak protuberances on their glume surface. At the second excavation, six short ancient rice chaffs and some Quasi-rice 2 were found. These short-grained ancient rice were comparable to the ancient rice that were excavated at the Illsan Neolithic site. Geologists and radiologists confirmed that the peat layer in which the rice found was older than 15,000 years. In this study, the morphological characteristics, crushing, and DNA band patterns related to the genetic polymorphism of rice grains in Cheongju Sorori were compared and analyzed for genetic similarities and differences with wild rice, weed rice, and modern rice. The morphological, ecological, and physiological variations in rice grains excavated from the Sorori site were presumed to denote the origin of rice domestication in Korea. It is also suggested that the results of the DNA sequencing of excavated rice are very important clues in estimating the origin of the early domestication of rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of prehistoric archaeology, the concepts of notation and notational sequences were first introduced by Alexander Marshack in 1964 to describe the orderly arranged series of marks commonly found engraved on Upper Paleolithic artifacts. Three key concepts can be inferred from the detailed artifact accounts published by the American researcher, the first of which is that each mark was notational and therefore symbolic for a natural or cultural event and the resulting series record of those events. The second is the notion that each mark was meant to represent a day, making the corresponding series an observational or calendrical record. The third and last is the hypothesis that notational sequences reveal lunar periodicities. This was met with skepticism and along with methodological issues attracted most of the early criticism on his research, but the first two concepts still stand as the only modern theory addressing the symbolic meaning and use of non-figurative visual creations from the Magdalenian and earlier cultures. Later criticism was more focused on the technological analyses performed by Marshack and their implications for our ability to identify notations in the archaeological record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northeast China played an irreplaceable role in population migrations and cultural exchanges in East Asia during the Paleolithic. This paper collected 182 archaeological sites to analyse the characteristics of spatial-temporal variations of Paleolithic human activities in Northeast China, and explored the driving mechanisms behind these variations in combination with the paleoenvironmental and archaeological studies. During the Lower Paleolithic, constrained by the relatively cold-dry climate and blocked by the Songnen paleo-lake basin, the population was sparse and distributed only near 40° N at the southern end of Northeast China. Upon entering the Middle Paleolithic, as humans developed greater tolerance to cold climates and adopted more sophisticated survival strategies with the application of small lithic tools, their numbers increased and geographical distribution expanded northward to 45° N at the central region of Northeast China. The Upper Paleolithic saw a considerable increase in population and expansion across almost all of Northeast China except for the eastern Inner Mongolia Plateau. We speculated that 50 ka and 30 ka BP were two key points, both of which may be associated with a significant increase in the frequency of migrations and communications among humans, and the widespread popularity of highly mobile microblade technology, respectively. In addition, the environmental analysis of archaeological sites revealed a continuous spread of Paleolithic humans to areas with higher elevations, steeper slopes, and lower temperatures. Meanwhile, they were becoming less reliant on water resources and were more widely conducting activities in open-air areas, showing that the environmental adaptability had been continuously improving over time. This study can provide a reference for the reconstruction of the migration history of early humans in East Asia, and is also of great significance for a comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary process of early human-environment interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithic artifacts are some of the most common and numerous remains recovered from paleolithic archaeological sites. However, these materials can undergo multiple post‐depositional alterations after their introduction into the archaeological record. Due to the high quantity of lithic remains recovered, a quick, flexible, and effective method for identifying degrees of alteration on the surface of lithic implements is highly desirable. The present study examines the use of gray level images to obtain quantitative data from the surface of flint artifacts and determine whether these images can detect the presence of post‐depositional alterations. An experimental collection of flints was subjected to sequential episodes of rounding in a tumbling machine. After each episode, photographs were taken with a microscope, resulting in quantitative surface values using gray level values. The quantitative surface values were used as variables in machine learning models to determine time of exposure and the most salient variables for discrimination. Our results indicate that the extraction of metrics from gray level images successfully capture changes in the surface of flint artifacts caused by post‐depositional processes. Additional results provide insight into which areas to sample when seeking post‐depositional alterations and underscore the importance of particle size in the generation of alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines 35 terracotta loom weights recovered during the excavations in the ancient city of Syedra, located in the Alanya district of Antalya. Humans have three basic needs to survive: nutrition, shelter and clothing. Although the exact date of the beginning of weaving, which emerged in order to meet the need for clothing, is unknown, archaeological data date back to the Upper Paleolithic Period. The development of weaving started with the Neolithic Period. Hand weaving is both tiring and takes a long time, which led to the emergence of weaving tools. Loom weights, used in weaving in Antiquity, were attached to the ends of the warp threads on the looms to keep the threads taut. Weaving weights of various forms are found in pyramidal and discoid forms in Syedra. Within the scope of the study, the artefacts were firstly measured and identified by digital methods, typologized according to the characteristics of their forms, and dated through their counterparts, taking into account the stratum in which they were found. There are no studies on loom weights in the Cilicia Region, which includes the ancient city of Syedra. Although no archaeological data has been found so far regarding the production of weaving tools and the existence of a weaving workshop in the ancient city of Syedra, the large number of loom weights found in the city strengthens the belief that they were locally produced rather than imported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the archaeological excavations in Brzoza, Poland, which took place from 2015 to 2018. During this time, 11,000 flint objects were discovered, which are attributed to the Late Paleolithic techno-complex with flint points. The excavations focused on exploring a dune barrier to find cultural objects in the primary deposition area. The findings show similarities with the Ahrensburg and Sviderian cultures, as well as the Bromme culture. The results of the investigations suggest that the findings date back to the Late Paleolithic period and are likely from the Younger Dryas period. The Brzoza complex plays an important role in the research of the Late Paleolithic in northern Poland. [Extracted from the article]

The early Gravettian site of Maisières‐Canal (Belgium) was discovered in 1966, during the widening of the Canal du Centre. Emergency excavation allowed the discovery of an open‐air human occupation which yielded abundant archaeological material. A re‐examination of the well‐preserved faunal collections has expanded the bird assemblage from the 29 bones initially recognized to 78, which have been studied from an archaeozoological point of view. Six taxa were identified, including species regularly encountered in Upper Paleolithic sites, such as the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), the northern raven (Corvus corax), and the willow or rock ptarmigan (Lagopus sp.). Ducks (Anatinae) are by far the best represented taxa. Surprisingly, only radius fragments were recovered for ducks, most bearing breaks and tool marks. We paid special attention to this peculiar set of duck radiuses. We performed experiments on fresh duck wings to evaluate the impact of different actions on the radius. Based on our experiments, two main hypotheses emerged. This accumulation of duck radiuses may represent (1) the waste from the production of dry wings and/or (2) a supply of raw material for craft activities. However, neither of these two hypotheses can be conclusively confirmed. As well as exhibiting some discrepancies, the bird bone assemblage from Maisières‐Canal shares several characteristics with early Gravettian sites from central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kill/butchering sites are some of the most important places for understanding the subsistence strategies of hunter-gatherer groups. However, these sites are not common in the archaeological record, and they have not been sufficiently analysed in order to know all their possible variability for ancient periods of the human evolution. In the present study, we have carried out the spatial analysis of the Early Middle Palaeolithic (MIS 9–8) site of Cuesta de la Bajada site (Teruel, Spain), which has been previously identified as a kill/butchering site through the taphonomic analysis of the faunal remains. Our results show that the spatial properties of the faunal and lithic tools distribution in levels CB2 and CB3 are well-preserved although the site is an open-air location. Both levels show a similar segregated (i.e. regular) spatial point pattern (SPP) which is different from the SPP identified at other sites with similar nature from the ethnographic and the archaeological records. However, although the archaeological materials have a regular distribution pattern, the lithic and faunal remains are positively associated, which is indicating that most parts of both types of materials were accumulated during the same occupation episodes, which were probably sporadic and focused on getting only few animal carcasses at a time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil and archaeological evidence indicates that hominin dispersals into Southwest Asia occurred throughout the Pleistocene, including the expansion of Homo sapiens populations out of Africa. While there is evidence for hominin occupations in the Pleistocene in Iran, as evidenced by the presence of Lower to Upper Paleolithic archaeological sites, the extent to which humid periods facilitated population expansions into western Asia has remained unclear. To test the role of humid periods on hominin dispersals here we assess Paleolithic site distributions and paleoenvironmental records across Iran. We developed the first spatially comprehensive, high-resolution paleohydrological model for Iran in order to assess water availability and its influence on hominin dispersals. We highlight environmentally mediated routes which likely played a key role in Late Pleistocene hominin dispersals, including the expansion of H. sapiens and Neanderthals eastwards into Asia. Our combined analyses indicate that, during MIS 5, there were opportunities for hominins to traverse a northern route through the Alborz and Kopet Dagh Mountains and the Dasht-I Kavir desert owing to the presence of activated fresh water sources. We recognize a new southern route along the Zagros Mountains and extending eastwards towards Pakistan and Afghanistan. We find evidence for a potential northern route during MIS 3, which would have permitted hominin movements and species interactions in Southwest Asia. Between humid periods, these interconnections would have waned, isolating populations in the Zagros and Alborz Mountains, where hominins may have continued to have had access to water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ginosa archaeological storage reorganization, has made it possible to isolate and study the lithic set found at the rupestrian settlement of Rivolta, in the ravine of Ginosa (Taranto). In 2004 an archaeological research campaign in the settlement led to the stratigraphic excavation of a cistern (15th-18th century AD. For the filling action, this work proposes an episode contemporary or subsequent to the 18th century AD). The paper exposes how mechanical tinder flints can be recognized in comparison with prehistoric flints, describing the Techno-Functional aspects in a morphological-technological and traceological sense. In US 6, 11 lithic products have been documented: 9 between Paleolithic supports and cores made from the chert of the Fossa bradanica, divided into systemic categories Kombewa-Levallois, Levallois, Non-Levallois and bipolar on an anvil, as well as pièces esquillées; 2 tinder flint stones in nodular flint, for which one was also hypothesized to be used for manual rubbing, a hypothesis that in this article is revisited by means of new considerations of an experimental nature. The Techno-Functional approach of the tinder flint stones made it possible to identify them as such, by retracing the processes of realization of the production aims, supported by the functional analysis for the evaluation of actual use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to a systematic review of the interwar press, in the case of the German Press published in Brandenburg, Pomerania and Grenzmark Posen-Westpreußen, it is possible to retrieve information about museum collections lost during the Second World War and details of unpublished results of accidental finds and excavations. Having analysed 2069 press articles, the authors have not only expanded the scientific knowledge by, among others, 17 treasures from the Bronze Age and 47 dugout canoes, but also supplemented catalogues by introducing information on dozens of graves and cemeteries from the period between the Paleolithic and Viking times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accomplishing long-term plans to harvest and modify natural resources has been a crucial skill for the survival of our species since early Prehistory. Research on this first step of production mostly focuses on the provenience study of lithic artifacts uncovered at archaeological sites, using petrographic and geochemical analyses to correlate the artifacts with potential geological outcrops. Although fundamental for understanding key aspects of landscape use and mobility, regional raw material economy, and extraction technology, Palaeolithic raw material sources have been less intensively investigated, as they are often difficult to locate and challenging to tackle with traditional archaeological approaches. Lojanik in the Central Balkans is one of the largest Prehistoric quarrying areas known in Europe, showing numerous lithic raw material outcrops exploited from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Chalcolithic periods, over an area of 18 hectares. In this paper, we present the results from our renewed research program in this region. Combining airborne LIDAR mapping, geomorphological and archaeological survey, and techno-typological analysis of lithic artifacts, we were able to reconstruct the geomorphological evolution of the landscape and its use by prehistoric societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Site preservation and associated terrain characteristics are among the major agents controlling the spatial distribution and discoverability of late Quaternary archaeological sites. However, site expectancy in extensive areas can be determined using a combination of geoarchaeological investigation and digital spatial analysis. In that sense a prediction model, respectively the result of a Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), is presented to highlight areas with a high potential to contain Upper Palaeolithic sites in the Eastern Mediterranean and bordering arid margins. Based on detailed on-site analysis in the Wadi Sabra region, with its many sites and the location of other well-known sites in the southern Levant, eight individual parameters, aspect (cardinal point), elevation, geomorphology, hydrogeology, drainage network, slope inclination, vegetation, and a terrain ruggedness index (TRI) are evaluated and tested for significance. The statistical results confirm a significant divergence of the spatial distribution of Upper Palaeolithic sites from the distribution of natural terrain position factors. This allows for a definition of parameter classes with a high site expectancy and their use in a predictive model. For the results map, the site expectancy factors determined in this way were intersected with each other, thus enabling a distinction between areas with a high and low site occurrence probability. The accuracy of the presented result is assessed by the implementation of another MCDA pass based on an independent dataset of archaeological survey sites and compared to the original. Both datasets complement each other and can show the potential for further investigations with more numerous site datasets as well as more detailed spatial information. A local classification based on high-resolution elevation information and field data is evaluated for the Wadi Sabra, Southern Jordan, which can confirm yet further specify the result from the MCDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Egyptian civilization has long flourished along the banks of the Nile, in the south (e.g. Luxor and Aswan), the Middle (e.g. Giza 'Great Pyramids') and North (e.g. San El‐Hagar and Buto), as well as the less populated areas of the Sinai Peninsula, the Western Desert and the Red Sea coast. There are archaeological sites date back to the Palaeolithic period and cover the Pre‐dynastic, Pharaonic, Hellenistic‐Roman, Coptic and Muslim periods. Across the Nile Delta, many of these archaeological sites have disappeared beneath Nile alluvium from the annual inundation or through intensive agricultural use, climate changes and other anthropogenic activities. This study aims to detect the long‐term changes in the landscape of the archaeological area of Burullus on the Mediterranean shoreline in the North Delta of Egypt. By combining data from historic topographic maps with Radar Sentinel‐1 (High‐resolution Level‐1 GRD) and SRTM data, topographic signatures in satellite imagery can be compared with the historic record of archaeological sites, many of which are now lost. Image layering, enhancement and analysis using ENVI 5.1, ArcMap 10.4.1 and Snap 8.0 software as well as Google Earth Pro facilitated the imagery identification and acquisition. The results of this study provide a means of quantifying the significant loss of cultural heritage sites due to anthropogenic and natural changes in the landscape. This analysis has also identified two—previously unknown—potential archaeological sites. Finally, the reconstruction of the paleolandscape of the study area shows the changing relationships of ancient and historic settlements with natural and man‐made waterways over time. Integrating remote sensing data and historic maps offers a method for evaluating paleolandscapes and locating disappeared archaeological sites that can be applied in other areas of Egypt and the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb / Vjesnik Arheološkog Muzeja u Zagrebu is the property of Archaeological Museum in Zagreb 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.)

The open-air Middle Paleolithic site at Nesher Ramla, Israel, dated to the end of Marine Isotope Stage 6 and Marine Isotope Stage 5, is characterized by extensive use of the lateral tranchet blow technique. This technique consists of the removal of an elongated thin spall along the retouched edge of the blank. In Nesher Ramla, this technique is used for producing a specific tool kit component: unifacially retouched tools with a lateral tranchet blow (LTB). The tools with LTB were systematically produced throughout the 8-m-thick Middle Paleolithic sequence of Nesher Ramla representing the major typological category in some of the layers. Together with tools with LTB, the assemblages contain large numbers of LTB spalls. Here we present a detailed techno-morphological analysis of the tools and spalls from Nesher Ramla Unit III, one of the richest archaeological layers of the site. Our results suggest that the goal of the LTB technique at Nesher Ramla was to manufacture a tool with an edge that is partially retouched and partially sharp, i.e., shaped by LTB. The LTB technique employs a long knapping routine, including a series of compulsory and optional steps, implying non-opportunistic behavior. Although on-site use of the LTB technique is attested, the fact that these tools were also often introduced to the site as finished objects further emphasizes their importance and suggests that most of them were not produced on-site in response to an immediate need for sharp edges. This tool type represents a new, previously unreported component in the Levantine Middle Paleolithic toolkit. A comparison with other archaeological units along the 8-m-thick stratigraphy of Nesher Ramla suggests that the LTB technique was one of the major techniques for manufacturing tools at that site and that the tools with LTB represent a cultural marker for Nesher Ramla hominins and possibly a new cultural marker in the Levantine Middle Paleolithic. According to a comparison of tools shaped by LTB from other geographic and temporal contexts, most notably, the central European Keilmesser, the Nesher Ramla tools with LTB were likely designed and used by right-handed hominins in a longitudinal cutting motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The buried soil above the Goodwood‐Slindon Raised Beach running along the foot of the South Downs (Sussex) is one of the most extensive Lower Palaeolithic land surfaces known. It extends for 16 km but exposures are limited to Boxgrove, the focus of archaeological excavations since the 1980s, and Valdoe, 4.8 km to the west. The palaeosol yielded vertebrates suggesting attribution to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 13 and land snails important in the reconstruction of local environments. Important differences exist between the molluscan assemblages from Valdoe and Boxgrove. An extinct land snail Retinella (Lyrodiscus) elephantium, previously known in Britain only from MIS 11, occurred at Valdoe at unusually high frequencies in assemblages poor in woodland species, prompting a reappraisal of its stratigraphical and ecological significance. Conversely, Spermodea lamellata, a woodland species present at Boxgrove, was absent at Valdoe. This lateral variability results both from the original heterogeneity of the environment, and from differential preservation resulting from decalcification and erosion. Calcitic slug plates are over‐represented (>50% of the molluscan fauna) in decalcified sediments where shells composed of aragonite are rare. These considerations, and comparisons with modern and fossil assemblages, have led to more nuanced reconstructions of the landscape occupied by early humans in southern England ~500 ka ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neanderthals and modern humans from the Early Upper Palaeolithic had a highly developed knowledge of their environment, where they found the essential resources for their subsistence. Therefore, changes in the local landscape and available resources should have influenced their behaviour, as indicated by faunal and plant remains recovered from archaeological sites. In the central‐eastern Iberian Mediterranean region, the archaeological sites of Cova Negra, Abrigo de la Quebrada, Cova de les Malladetes and Cova de les Cendres have provided wood charcoal, seeds and fauna. The combination of these data allows an accurate reconstruction of the regional landscape from MIS 5 to the beginning of MIS 2. The available evidence suggests that this region could be defined as a refugium in which biodiversity persisted. This type of refugium, containing a high diversity of biotopes and some endemic species, which has lasted until the present day, can be seen at a regional scale, but also locally, especially near the coast. These special characteristics of the region – relatively stable climatic conditions with oscillations mainly in aridity and humidity, and a high diversity of flora and fauna – could explain the high density of Palaeolithic sites throughout Middle and Upper Palaeolithic here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The Holzman archaeological site, located along Shaw Creek in interior Alaska, contained two mammoth ivory rods, of which one is bi-beveled, within a stratigraphically sealed cultural context. Dated 13,600-13,300 cal BP, these are the earliest known examples of osseous rod technology in the Americas. Beveled ivory, antler, and bone rods and points share technological similarities between Upper Paleolithic Europe, Asia, eastern Beringia, and the Clovis tradition of North America and are important tool types in understanding the late Pleistocene dispersal of modern humans. The Holzman finds are comparable to wellknown Clovis tradition artifacts from Anzick (Montana), Blackwater Draw (New Mexico), East Wenatchee (Washington), and Sherman Cave (Ohio). We describe these tools in the broader context of late Pleistocene osseous technology with implications for acquisition and use of mammoth ivory in eastern Beringia and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a considerable amount of information on the Pleistocene human occupation of South Arabia has been gathered by archaeologists over the course of the last decades, little is known about the Upper Palaeolithic period and its local specificities. This is evidently a function of the still poor archaeological record for this period and the difficulties in finding stratified and therefore datable occurrences in general. Here, we present the traceological and technological analysis of the stone tools from one of the few archaeological sites in Oman dating between 33,000 to 30,000 years ago, which has yielded a small but important assemblage of backed tools initially suggested to be projectiles. The bi-pointed backed micro-blades from Mutafah 1 share specific technological and morphological features making it germane to suggest comparable operational sequences for the manufacture of these pieces. Our analysis, which identified specific traces of use related to both hunting and domestic activities, as well as microscopic residues on the backed micro-blades, indicates that the Mutafah 1 tools were part of a toolkit with wide applications reflecting the highly opportunistic nature of the Upper Palaeolithic human occupation of South Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 2019 and 2020 a series of surface surveys were carried out in the administrative border of the Giroc commune, with the aim of identifying new archaeological sites or re-identifying those already known. This research was determined by the drafting of the Archaeological Report for the General Urban Plan of the Giroc commune, a commune formed by the localities of Giroc and Chișoda. The field walkings revealed the existence of eight archaeological sites in the vicinity of Chișoda, three of which were already published (Chișoda–1/Livezi/Tell/Termocentrală, Chișoda–2/Valul Roman and Chișoda–3) and five were unknown. 33 new sites were identified within the boundaries of the town of Giroc (one partially located within the boundaries of the town of Rudicica) and four published sites (Giroc–1, Giroc–2/Mescal, Giroc–3/La Pruni și Giroc–6/La Nemți). Taken together, all the discoveries in this area represent 45 points of archaeological interest. Chronologically, most historical eras are represented, except for the Paleolithic and the early Neolithic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Stratum Plus Journal is the property of P.P. Stratum plus 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 Stratum Plus Journal is the property of P.P. Stratum plus 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 Westfälische Forschungen is the property of Aschendorff Verlag GmbH & Co. KG 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.)

The archeological record of La Roche-à-Pierrot (France) is central to debates on the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition. To this day, it is the only site to have provided a relatively complete Neandertal skeleton associated with an industry identified as transitional, the Châtelperronian, which had been attributed until then to Homo sapiens. The site was the subject of several excavation campaigns led by F. Lévêque in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and ongoing fieldwork resumed in 2013. Spatial representations and statistical analyses of the original excavation data are of invaluable help in assessing the coherence of the first archeological stratigraphy established in the 1970s. A 3D reconstruction of Lévêque's spit record was developed for exploratory purposes, based on reassessment of the faunal collection and completed by information recorded in the excavation notebooks filled out by Lévêque's team. It was then used in order to evaluate the feasibility of modeling the data recorded during the first excavations. Geovisualization tools, associated with appropriate 3D spatial statistics using the Queen contiguity applied to the archeological sequence, such as the similarity and coherence indices, provided an understanding of the spatial inconsistencies in the first archeological sequence, as well as revealed the spatial organization (geometry) of the archeostratigraphic units. The resulting interactive visualization application provides researchers with a new tool to explore the stratigraphic units spatially, as well as according to their indices. Where inconsistencies are observed, use of similarity and coherence indices allows discussion of any biases potentially related to topography, spatial heterogeneity of the deposits (facies), excavation history, or primary data acquisition/recording. Such spatial analyses contribute to a better understanding of site formation processes and provide novel means to explore archival information interactively, as well as to produce models including data from old and new excavations on the same site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Poland, loess mainly occurs in the southern part of the country, in the Polish Uplands, and on the northern foreland of the Sudetes and the Carpathians. Most of these sediments come from the time of the last glaciation–the Vistulian (Weichselian) glaciation. Thin covers of loess from the penultimate glaciation have been preserved in Upper Silesia. Only a few sites from the Middle Palaeolithic remain in the loess. In the eastern part of Poland loess creates profiles several metres high. Discoveries in this zone represent the cultural sequence from the transition from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic. We know more traces of various cultures from the Upper Palaeolithic exist. The study attempts to synchronise profiles from selected archaeological open‐air sites, outlines of the history of research on loess sites, and attempts to explain terminological and conceptual issues. The issue of loess in the cave site profiles will not be discussed in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Suyanggae archeological complex is located in Aegok-li, Danyang County, Chungbuk Province, Korea (128°20'00"E, 365˚7'15"N, elevation 132 m). We investigated two Suyanggae Paleolithic localities (1 and 6). A total of 31 samples (18 localities) were analyzed for radiocarbon (14C) ages in three paleolithic cultural horizons of Suyanggae Locality 6 (SYG-6). The purpose of this paper is to report all dating results of SYG-6. It was found that ranges of 14C ages (BP) of cultural layers of SYG-6 are known to be 17,550 ± 80 ∼ 20,470 ± 70, 30,360 ± 350 ∼ 44,100 ± 1900, and 34,870 ± 540 ∼ 46,360 ± 510 BP for cultural layers 2, 3, and 4, respectively. We compared these age data with those of the previous study associated with Gunang Cave near Suyanggae Locality 1 (SYG-1). Based on the chronological information of the three archaeological sites, early humans lived in a rather cold environment from approximately 30,000 to 46,000 BP and disappeared between 30,000 ∼ 20,000 BP and then settled again in SYG-6 site during LGM period. This study demonstrates that archaeological study is important not only for understanding human occupations with their cultural development but also establishing climatic signals to which they have been adapted as a part of the human evolutional process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kazakhstan, which connects the Altai mountains and Caucasus area of Uzbekistan, is an indispensable region in arguments about the diffusion and settlement of Homo sapiens in Asia. Upper Palaeolithic culture in eastern Kazakhstan and the northern Altai developed together. Nevertheless, reliable chronologic data from archaeological sites in these regions, necessary for understanding diffusion of Homo sapiens , are rare. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the Early Upper Palaeolithic (EUP) culture in southern Kazakhstan through detailed analysis of materials from the Buiryokbastau-Bulak-1 site (N43°06′36.24″, E70°34′03.70″). This is a site that was newly-discovered during survey in the Karatau mountains, at which two clear cultural layers were identified during excavations in 2018 and 2019. Although these two cultural layers consist of alluvial deposits formed by fluvial erosion of a hilly slope, their stratigraphic distribution was orderly and they likely remain in their original depositional positions. Material from the lower cultural layer, including carinated bladelet cores, medium-sized blade cores, and end/side scrapers on medium-sized blades, provides the data for this analysis. Statistical analysis of the bladelet cores indicates that the size and shape of bladelets from the cores of the Buiryokbastau-Bulak-1 site were very similar to those from the Shugnou site in Tajikistan. Similarly, six types of bladelet cores are common at both the Buiryokbastau-Bulak-1 site and at sites in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, especially the Shugnou site in Tajikistan. Therefore, the lower cultural layer appears to be an assemblage contemporaneous with the Early Upper Palaeolithic period in western Central Asia and related to the Kulbulakian tradition in which bladelet production predominated. The lower cultural layer at the Buiryokbastau-Bulak-1 site is a valuable example of Kulbulakian tradition industry in Kazakhstan territory, making it critical in assessing the structure of lithic industries during the EUP period in western Central Asia and in understanding how modern humans adapted to the central portions of Eurasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, fossil directors have been key elements for the characterization of chrono-cultural series over time. Current research on lithic technology demonstrate extensive and growing variability within technocomplexes, particularly in the Upper Paleolithic, making more complex the previously established chrono-cultural organization. In this article we analyze the lithic technology of level 497C from Cova Gran de Santa Linya, dated to 26.220 ± 220 BP (31260–30580 cal BP). Chronometric data indicates the assemblage is located between MIS 3 and MIS 2, likely placing it within the Gravettian tradition. The level 497C constitutes one of the few archaeological sites in NE Iberia for this period and allows identifying technical traits in core reduction methods, stone tools manufacture and site composition. Reduction strategies through prismatic cores were used to obtain distinct sequences of blades and bladelets. The assemblage of retouched artifacts is mainly composed by " fond commun" , pieces with abrupt retouch, and burins (mostly on oblique truncation). Backed tools, which were common during this period, are notably rare, as are Gravette points and Noailles burins, classic indicators that are not represented here. Nevertheless, a group of partially retouched macro-flakes forms a little-known category of instruments that can provide remarkable information regarding the technical behaviors of human groups. The technological features seen in level 497C may be consistent with the Gravettian technocomplex. However, we suggest the integration of technical-organizational indicators to assist the contextualization of the diversity of responses and technological decisions identified in technocomplexes. In this sense, the characteristics of this assemblage offer keys for evaluating archaeological sequences without fossil directors, thereby expanding our understanding of technological variability in this period in Iberia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eastern Romanian Carpathians harbor a rich Upper Paleolithic archaeological record, mostly concentrated on the Bistrița river terraces. Despite extensive field research spanning decades, the regional archaeological record has long suffered from poor chronometric support and contradictory taxonomy. The recently excavated spot at Bistricioara-Lutărie III, located in the Ceahlău Basin, brought a wealth of fresh chronostratigraphic and archaeological information, here summarized for the first time. The site preserves a thick (up to 9 m) sedimentary archive of mixed colluvial and aeolian origin, capping the fluvial gravel of a Bistrița terrace and likely extending back to Marine Isotope Stage 5. Six well preserved archaeological layers located in the upper part of the sequence were assigned to the Gravettian and Epigravettian technocomplexes. Earlier archaeological traces are indicated by presence of charcoals and burnt sediment, but have not yet been fully assessed. BL III hosts a well preserved Late Gravettian layer with shouldered points dated to around 27 ka cal BP. The Epigravettian occupations starting at 24 ka cal BP provided rich lithic assemblages as well. The robustly dated sequence at BL III brings a major contribution to the understanding of the regional Upper Paleolithic cultural landscape across the Late Glacial Maximum. At the same time, exotic raw materials (Cretaceous flint, obsidian, radiolarites and cherts) pointing at extensive provisioning areas connect the Eastern Carpathian record to the wider East-Central European paleo-cultural dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Siega Verde was the third open-air rock art site to be discovered in the Iberian Peninsula, even before Côa and the controversy that followed that discovery. Its practicable size and the study carried out without any publicity allowed the analysis of a new reality that would change the interpretation of Palaeolithic art. From the start of the research, stylistic criteria were used to date the art in the absence of archaeological excavations. Although this has often been criticized, it meant that Siega Verde and Côa could be dated from Leroi-Gourhan's Style II onwards. Excavations at Fariseu, a site belonging to Côa in Portugal, have proved that hypothesis archaeologically, as well as supporting the applicability of Leroi-Gourhan's styles. Siega Verde is a good representative of Palaeolithic art in the open, on rocks by a river-bank or on prominent hills, but it is not the only form that can be catalogued as open-air rock art, because there are intermediate forms. These are found in cave entrances and in rock-shelters all over the Iberian Peninsula, especially in areas where little evidence of Palaeolithic art used to be known, such as on the southern Mediterranean coast and in Andalusia. This site possesses an exterior Upper Palaeolithic art ensemble, similar to the art found inside caves and of the same age, but in a different location. Formal relationships are usual inside and outside the caves and in both cases they represent a communicative code that did not need the dark and mystery to be expressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Byki complex on the left bank of the Seim River (Desna basin) comprises eight sites, including multilayer ones, differing chronologically and culturally. The dates of key cultural layers are from 21 to 18 thousand BP. Questioning the use of local landscapes by prehistoric people and the reasons for repeated occupation of the area required a paleolandscape reconstruction. For this purpose, a set of methods were applied on a research scale from local (archaeological excavation) to regional (within a radius of several kilometres). The site's position in the regional topography has been studied using GIS methods, for the nearest encirclement of Byki a detailed digital terrain model was constructed. The near-surface stratigraphy was studied by ground penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetic survey, coring and archaeological excavations. This resulted in the creation of a map of natural depressions layout and their three-dimensional visualisation. It was found that by the time people first arrived, the natural relief was a combination of sand dunes and rounded thermokarst sinkholes. The sediments filling the sinkholes indicate the over-watered conditions made them unsuitable for human habitation (the cultural layers do not extend into the sinkholes), but they could provide a source of water. Most of the sites are found on top of an aeolian barkhan. The distance maps showed that the sites' location provided the best visibility in all directions. Thus, this atypical location of Byki sites at significant distances from the nearest rivers can be explained by a combination of several advantages: location on the edge of a valley in terms of distance vision, local topographic diversity that provided comfortable living conditions and possibly a water supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nery Delgado was a key figure in the development of archaeological methods applied to prehistoric sites in Portugal within European archaeology at the end of the nineteenth century. He was the first in Europe to use a grid in his 1879–1880 excavation at the Casa da Moura cave (Óbidos, Portugal). The grid divided the cave into twenty-eight sectors excavated independently and, in each, all archaeological and bioanthropological finds were documented and marked with labels recording depth and excavation units. The 3D information obtained by Nery Delgado features among late nineteenth-century attempts at recording contextual data, a precursor of archaeological methods of data gathering that are used worldwide today. Nery Delgado was, thus, a pioneer of contemporary archaeological excavation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hand stencils are the oldest manifestations of Palaeolithic cave art. Recent archaeological field research in the Tutuala region of Timor-Leste has documented new archaeological sites at the Lene Kici caves that include Palaeolithic hand motifs and other nonfigurative motifs including a disk, dots, a triangle, and possible other geometric shapes. This study characterizes the production techniques, shapes, composition, and spatial locations of these motifs. Based on the available information and regional context, a Pleistocene chronology is considered highly probable. The context of the hand stencils suggests they were not occasional motifs; rather, they seem to have dominated the early graphic repertoire of the earliest settler groups in Southeast Asia and the islands of Wallacea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article focuses on artifacts found on the surface of a small Paleolithic site in Jackson County, Tennessee, which is near the center of the distribution range of the Cumberland point, a Paleolithic spear tip dated 11,250 to 10,000 years before present. It describes a rare example of a very thick early variant of a fluted Cumberland point, the Beaver Lake.

Since 2008, the sector of the Temple of Ptah at Karnak has been subject to an epigraphic, architectural, and archaeological survey (fig. 1). It offers a tremendous opportunity for a diachronic study of the history of occupation in the domain of Amun (Thiers and Zignani 2013). Remains found by Guillaume Charloux in 2015 allow for a closer look at the first occupation of the sector dating back to the Middle Kingdom (Charloux 2017). Likewise, surface structures abandoned at the end of the fourth or middle of the fifth century CE (David 2013 , 2017) provide a unique opportunity to gather information about this less-studied period of the area. While in-depth excavation has allowed for a limited peek at the earlier occupation, the surface remains have been cleared and documented in a much more extensive way despite being subjected to long-term human and climatic interference. As a result, all Byzantine remains were excavated as part of the multidisciplinary program conducted in the sector of the Temple of Ptah. The broad extent of the excavation allows for a comprehensive picture, meaning not only a better understanding of the spatial organization of the structures, but also of their function (at least for some of them). Furthermore, the examination of the objects discovered has allowed for the study of the local community and its culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of space, both at the landscape and the site level, is considered an important aspect of hominin adaptations that changed through time. At the site level, spatial analyses are typically conducted on deposits thought to have a high degree of temporal resolution. Sites with highly time-averaged deposits are viewed as inferior for these analyses because repeated site visits obscure individual behavioral events. To the contrary, here, we take the view that behaviors that repeat themselves in a spatially structured way through time are exactly the kinds of behaviors that are potentially significant at an evolutionary timescale. In this framework, time averaging is seen not as a hindrance but rather as a necessary condition for viewing meaningful behavior. To test whether such patterning is visible in time-averaged deposits, we use spatial statistics to analyze a number of indices designed to measure lithic production, use and discard behaviors in a multi-layer, late Neandertal cave site in southwest France. We find that indeed some such patterning does exist, and thus sites with highly time-averaged deposits have the potential to contribute to our understanding of how hominin use of space varied through time. This is useful because a great many archaeological sites have highly time-average deposits. Interpreting the spatial patterning will likely require modeling to create expectations in time-averaged and likely emergent contexts such as these. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lower Paleolithic research in the Czech Republic underwent a complex history, with alternating periods of enthusiasm and scepticism. Certain archaeological sites are actually rejected and some deserve a revision. Here we discuss two promissing sites of Middle Pleistocene age (MIS 11-9, based on chronostratigraphy and faunal record) associated to the small-sized industries, predominantly made of quartz: Račiněves and Karlštejn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occupation of the Iberian Peninsula during the Upper Palaeolithic is mainly known from archaeological sites located in the Cantabrian and Mediterranean regions. Numerous sites have been excavated in these two regions when few sites are found in the interior of the peninsula. Several authors explain this scarcity of sites, in the inner region during the Upper Palaeolithic, by a decrease of human population resulting from a low capacity of human groups to adapt to the cold conditions of the Marine Isotopic Stage 2 (MIS 2), i.e. the effect of cold climate on human populations might have been stronger in the interior of the peninsula than in coastal areas. Recent studies underline the evidence of prehistoric occupation during this period in that region. It has been suggested that these occupations are isolated events limited to the warmest phases of the end of the MIS 2. The present study focuses on zooarchaeological and taphonomic aspects of the Magdalenian site of La Peña de Estebanvela (Segovia, Spain). Our results show that this site was recurrently occupied during the Magdalenian period, including warm and cold phases, which provide a new evidence of sustainable presence of human populations in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the Upper Palaeolithic. We further propose hypotheses on the subsistence strategies (e.g. availability of hunting resources) developed at La Peña de Estebanvela and in a larger context including other Magdalenian sites of the inner region of the Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response by the authors to a paper which suggests that some of the Bayesian models they have developed from various archaeological sites are not reliable and cannot be used in dating the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition, is presented. Topics covered include issues that should be considered when conducting Bayesian modelling and testing the resulting models, testing the modified La Quina model, and critique of the radiocarbon dating and modelling of the Swabian site in Germany.

The archaeological excavations undertaken on the site of Srednje polje - Vašarište in Sotin in 2018 explored three trenches with a total surface area of 392.5 m2. Trenches 25, 26, and 27 included the area of a Dalj group cemetery from the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. The explored graves can be dated to phases II and III according to C. Metzner Nebelsick, i.e. to Ha B3 and Ha C1-C2. Roman remains were found in a part of a ditch that probably ran next to a road going along the Danube from Sotin towards Ilok. The discovered early medieval working area with a furnace shows that the settlement also grew towards the south-eastern part of Vašarište. The position of the explored trenches in Vašarište (2008, 2011-2018), considering the exploration area exceeding 5.300 m2, makes it possible to examine the stratigraphic layers from the Copper Age to the modern period. The finds from the site of Srednje polje - Vašarište are parts of a Copper Age settlement and pits from the Late Bronze Age. There are numerous Roman structures: the excavations uncovered pits from the 2nd century, remains of a Roman road, and a part of a cremation cemetery that stretched along the road. The same site was inhabited in the Early Middle Ages, when the infrastructure of the settlement on Vašarište included the foundations of regular rectangular structures, probably working areas, next to furnaces. There are fewer structures from the Late Middle Ages, but there are numerous modern ditches, which often damaged older complexes. Still, what makes the site on Vašarište stand out is the discovery of a large number of Dalj group cremation graves from the end of the Late Bronze Age and the beginning of the Early Iron Age places Sotin among the largest explored sites from that period in the middle Danube area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]