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Madrider Mitteilungen, Vol. 59 (2018), The rock-cut cave necropolis at Casal do Pardo (Quinta do Anjo, Palmela, Set��bal) is a type site for the prehistory of the Iberian Peninsula, and it was recognised as early as the 19th century as an archetypal locale for metal points and bowls belonging to the Beaker culture. More than 100 years after the first excavations by Carlos Ribeiro and Ant��nio Mendes (1876) and Ant��nio In��cio Marques da Costa (1906/1907), new fieldwork and the study of the archaeological materials still have important questions to investigate. The results of an excavation campaign carried out in 2017 in the corridor of the rock-cut Cave 1 are summarily presented, discussing the specific issue of gold metallurgy. The new data and seven analyses conducted at Casal do Pardo are discussed in the context of central and southern Portugal and of the so-called Beaker phenomenon.

The Ibiza and Formentera islands (Pityusic Islands, Balearic Archipelago, Spain) were colonised by continental Bell Beaker communities. These islands have no mineral resources for producing copper or tin-bronze objects locally, so their metals are a good indication of Western Mediterranean trade dynamics. During the first centuries of occupation (ca. 2100-1400 cal BC), they remained almost isolated in terms of the metal trade, and only a few objects have been attributed to this period. Nevertheless, this situation changed significantly during the Late Bronze Age (1400–850/700 cal BC). Several ingots and metallic objects, acquired through external contact, have been found and ascribed to this period. Archaeometallurgical research concerning these objects has revealed technological patterns in the copper-tin alloys and shed some light on regional and long-distance metal trade dynamics., This paper was developed with the scientific objectives and funding of different research projects: IN607D 2016/004 and IN606B 2017/002 were sponsored by Xunta de Galicia-GAIN, and HAR2017-84142-R by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación-FEDER (Spain).

In this work we discuss the necessity for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering to look out of the laboratory and consider the social aspects with greater attention to pursue peace and equality., Highlights • New perspectives for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering are discussed. • The benign-by-design approach has been linked to neobiology. • GC&GE have to work in reducing conflicts and inequalities.

EPIC Systems Corporation provides a widely used electronic medical record. Beaker Anatomic Pathology is a newly developed laboratory information system (LIS) that has been implemented at a small number of academic pathology departments. Pathologist opinions of EPIC Beaker AP have not been well described in the literature. A 37-question survey was administered to pathologists and pathology trainees to assess overall satisfaction and efficiency of report generation using Beaker AP. Data about experience in pathology, signout responsibilities, Beaker AP usage, and the legacy LIS was also collected. Seventy-four pathologists (51 faculty, 23 residents) responded to the survey (overall response rate 29.7%). Overall pathologist satisfaction with Beaker AP showed high inter-institutional variability; institutions with legacy LISs with a graphical interface had a generally neutral to negative assessment of Beaker AP. The majority of respondents disagreed with the statement "Beaker AP is easy to use and designed for my needs". Pathologists felt that Beaker AP was useful for reviewing clinical information and billing; areas of weakness included searching for prior cases and grossing efficiency. Overall, pathologists had a neutral opinion of whether generating and signing out a complete report was faster in Beaker AP, with marked inter-institutional variation. This variability was likely due to a combination of the efficacy of the legacy LIS, familiarity with Beaker AP at the time of the survey, and institution-specific optimization efforts.

A recent Europe-wide study of ancient DNA (aDNA) has exploded some of the preconceptions regarding a long-standing archaeological problem, otherwise known as the Beaker phenomenon. The study's results seemed to indicate that large numbers of people had migrated from continental Europe into Britain around 2500 BCE. In the course of this migration, the newcomers brought their belongings, including Beaker pottery, with them and replaced the pre-existing population and their ways of life. Or at least, this was how the research was presented in the media, e.g., ‘Ancient-genome study finds Bronze Age ‘Beaker culture’ invaded Britain’ or ‘Did Dutch hordes kill off the early Britons who started Stonehenge?’. While the study's conclusions were actually more complex than the headlines suggested, its findings surprised many archaeologists; but had genetics actually solved the Beaker problem?

[Resumen] Se presenta la transcripción del manuscrito en el que Santiago de la Iglesia da noticia del descubrimiento y primera excavación del yacimiento arqueológico de As Pontes en 1893. En él se constata la existencia de un considerable número de túmulos, dólmenes y hasta tres círculos líticos, uno de ellos de más de 20 m de diámetro. Entre los hallazgos asociados a este yacimiento destaca un vaso campaniforme completo, único en su especie en aquel momento, una diadema de oro, una maza ceremonial trilobulada, varias puntas de cobre y algunas hachas de piedra. Se ofrece también una detallada descripción de los túmulos y dólmenes, su forma y composición, ilustrada con dibujos realizados por el propio autor. Preceden a la transcripción unas notas breves sobre el contexto y sobre el autor del manuscrito. [Resumo] Preséntase a transcrición do manuscrito no que Santiago de la Iglesia dá nova do descubrimento e primeira escavación do xacemento arqueolóxico das Pontes en 1893. Constátase nel a existencia dun considerable número de mámoas e ata tres círculos líticos, un deles de máis de 20 m de diámetro. Entre os achados asociados a este xacemento, destaca un vaso campaniforme completo, único na súa especie naquel momento, un diadema de ouro, unha maza cerimonial trilobulada, varias puntas de cobre e algunhas machadas de pedra. Ofrécese tamén unha detallada descrición das mámoas, a súa forma e composición, ilustrada con debuxos realizados polo propio autor. Preceden á transcrición unhas notas breves sobre o contexto e sobre o autor do manuscrito. [Abstract] Here is the transcription of the manuscript in which Santiago de la Iglesia gives news of the discovery and first excavation of the archaeological site of As Pontes in 1893. In this manuscript he verified the existence of a considerable number of mounds, dolmens and up to three lithic circles, one of them more than 20 m in diameter. Among his findings is a complete bell beaker, unique in its kind at that time, a gold diadem, a ceremonial tri-lobed mace, several copper arrowheads and some stone axes. It almost offers a detailed description of the mounds and dolmens, their shape and composition, illustrated with drawings made by the author himself. The transcription is preceded by some short notes about the context and the author.

We present a high-resolution cross-disciplinary analysis of kinship structure and social institutions in two Late Copper Age Bell Beaker culture cemeteries of South Germany containing 24 and 18 burials, of which 34 provided genetic information. By combining archaeological, anthropological, genetic and isotopic evidence we are able to document the internal kinship and residency structure of the cemeteries and the socially organizing principles of these local communities. The buried individuals represent four to six generations of two family groups, one nuclear family at the Alburg cemetery, and one seemingly more extended at Irlbach. While likely monogamous, they practiced exogamy, as six out of eight non-locals are women. Maternal genetic diversity is high with 23 different mitochondrial haplotypes from 34 individuals, whereas all males belong to one single Y-chromosome haplogroup without any detectable contribution from Y-chromosomes typical of the farmers who had been the sole inhabitants of the region hundreds of years before. This provides evidence for the society being patrilocal, perhaps as a way of protecting property among the male line, while in-marriage from many different places secured social and political networks and prevented inbreeding. We also find evidence that the communities practiced selection for which of their children (aged 0–14 years) received a proper burial, as buried juveniles were in all but one case boys, suggesting the priority of young males in the cemeteries. This is plausibly linked to the exchange of foster children as part of an expansionist kinship system which is well attested from later Indo-European-speaking cultural groups., FB, RH, KR-B, VH: Fritz-Thyssen-Stiftung project RR8322. KK, K-G S: Swedish Riksbanken grant M16-0455:1. VHeyd: ERC Advanced grant 788616.

В статье рассмотрен неординарный состав толстостенного шлифованного кубка второй половины IV - начала V в., изготовленного из темно-зеленого стекла. Он отличается от синхронных аналогий из ареала черняховской культуры и с территории римских провинций. При этом он наиболее близок составу аналогичного по цвету стекла сосудов I в. н. э. Предположительно, при изготовлении этого кубка было вторично использовано стекло сосудов более раннего периода. Наиболее вероятным местом производства кубка представляются европейские провинции Римской империи; при этом нельзя исключить мастерские, расположенные за римским лимесом, на варварской территории., The paper reviews an unusual composition of a thick-walled facet cut beaker dating to the second half of the 4 - early 5 centuries which is made from emerald green glass. It differs from contemporary analogies coming from the Chernyakhov culture area and the Roman provinces. The closest composition has been identified for the glass of vessels of similar color dating to the 1 century AD. Presumably, the glass of earlier vessels was recycled to fabricate the discussed beaker. European provinces of the Roman Empire appear to be the most likely place where this beaker was made; yet the workshops located beyond the Roman limes in the areas inhabited by the barbarians cannot be excluded either., Краткие сообщения Института археологии (КСИА), Выпуск 261 2020, Pages 203-220

Throughout northern Europe, thousands of burial mounds were erected in the third millennium BCE. Starting in the Corded Ware culture, individual people were being buried underneath these mounds, often equipped with an almost rigid set of grave goods. This practice continued in the second half of the third millennium BCE with the start of the Bell Beaker phenomenon. In large parts of Europe, a ‘typical’ set of objects was placed in graves, known as the ‘Bell Beaker package’. This book focusses on the significance and meaning of these Late Neolithic graves. Why were people buried in a seemingly standardized manner, what did this signify and what does this reveal about these individuals, their role in society, their cultural identity and the people that buried them? By performing in-depth analyses of all the individual grave goods from Dutch graves, which includes use-wear analysis and experiments, the biography of grave goods is explored. How were they made, used and discarded? Subsequently the nature of these graves themselves are explored as contexts of deposition, and how these are part of a much wider ‘sacrificial landscape’. A novel and comprehensive interpretation is presented that shows how the objects from graves were connected with travel, drinking ceremonies and maintaining long-distance relationships.

This contribution describes the discovery and subsequent investigation of a cist in a rock-cut pit at Achavanich, Highland. Discovered and excavated in 1987, the cist was found to contain the tightly contracted skeletal remains of a young woman, accompanied by a Beaker, three flint artefacts and a cattle scapula. Initial post excavation work established a date for the skeleton together with details of her age and sex, and preliminary pollen analysis of sediments attaching to the Beaker was undertaken. The findings were never fully published and, upon the death of the excavator, Robert Gourlay, the documentary archive was left in the Highland Council Archaeology Unit. Fresh research in 2014–17, initiated and co-ordinated by the first-named author and funded by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland with assistance from National Museums Scotland, the Natural History Museum and Harvard Medical School, has produced a significant amount of new information on the individual and on some of the items with which she was buried. This new information includes two further radiocarbon dates, a more detailed osteological report, isotopic information pertaining to the place where she had been raised and to her diet, histological information on the decomposition of her body, and genetic information that sheds light on her ancestry, her hair, eye and skin colour and her intolerance of lactose. (This is the first time that an ancient DNA report has been published in the Proceedings.) Moreover, a facial reconstruction adds virtual flesh to her bones. The significance of this discovery within the Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age of this part of Scotland is discussed, along with the many and innovative ways in which information on this individual, dubbed ‘Ava’, has been disseminated around the world.

A large prehistoric pit was uncovered during a watching brief on a water main installation. The pit was partially stone-lined and two small scoops were identified at the base. These contained one complete and one partial Beaker vessel. The fills of the pit produced a small quantity of cremated human bone which represented a minimum of four individuals (three adults and a juvenile). Also mixed into the fills were sherds of other Beaker vessels, a few lithics, a stone axehead, and fragments of Neolithic pottery. Radiocarbon determinations produced early Neolithic dates for four samples of human bone and a grain of wheat, and one human bone sample produced a Bronze Age date later than the generally accepted currency of Beaker pottery production in Scotland. Interpretation of this strange collection of material is discussed with reference to Neolithic and Bronze Age burial practices; the evidence for the use of this pit in the Neolithic for cremation burial is a rare find and provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of this period and type of monument.

The article presents a short overview of discussion on the origin of the Funnel Beaker Culture in particular regions of Pomerania. In particular, an origin of the Pomerania long barrows with a stone construction is debated. The study implies that prototypes o f these monuments are to be found in the Lower Elbe region and influences from Kujavia are only detectable in the latest phase. The article tackles also a theory linking an emergence of long barrows with the late Danubian tradition („long houses”).

The subject of the study is a collective find of three axes discovered in 1964 during excavation research at the multicultural site VII in Klementowice, Kurow commune, Pulawy dis-trict, Lublin voivodship, in the north-western part of the Naleczow Plateau. Two artefacts (with quadrilateral section and bifacial) are made of banded flint and one (with quadrilateral section) – of Świeciechow flint. These raw materials come from deposits exploited in the Neolithic period in mines of the Świetokrzyski region of the prehistoric flint mining. Despite the existing doubts, these axes should be combined with the Funnel Beaker culture, its southeastern group. Translator: Andrzej Leligdowicz

Excavations at the Polish site of Bronocice uncovered a vessel with a wagon motif in a late Funnel Beaker pit that dates to 3405 BC and also contained animal bones, flint artefacts and potsherds typical of the Funnel Beaker phase BR III. This article introduces the Bronocice site, provides an overview of the Bronocice vessel and its imagery, and presents some of the significant interpretations of the vessel. It also briefly considers the issues inherent in interpretation of ancient imagery and suggests ways to avoid imposing modern paradigms on ancient imagery.

This paper presents the results of a ceramics study that forms part of a larger research project, “CONTACT”. The aim of this study was to trace the provenance of pottery found at Middle Neolithic sites on both sides of the Kattegat and to discuss possible pottery exchange between Jutland in Denmark and the west coast of Sweden. A combination of pXRF, ICP-MA/ES and thin-section analyses was applied to 524 Funnel Beaker culture (FBC) and Pitted Ware culture (PWC) sherds to investigate their fabric and technology. The different analyses supplemented each other well: The elemental composition of the ceramic material evident from both the XRF and ICP analyses was appropriate for determining the provenance of the clay, while the thin sections gave an indication of techniques recipes and materials employed in pottery production. The PWC pottery proved to be more heterogeneous than the FBC pottery, and several plausible explanations are suggested for this. Some regional exchange was observed, but only two vessels were identified, which could have crossed the Kattegat.

The Late Neolithic period in Scandinavia [LN, c. 2350–1700 cal BCE] marks a time of considerable changes in settlement patterns, economy, and material culture. This shift also lays the foundation for the demographic developments in the Early Bronze Age [EBA, c. 1700–1100 cal BCE]. However, little is presently known regarding the developments from these time-periods on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. During the Middle Neolithic period [MN, c. 3300–2350 cal BCE], Gotland was inhabited by groups associated with the Funnel Beaker culture [TRB, c. 4000–2700 cal BCE], and the sub-Neolithic Pitted Ware culture [PWC, c. 3300–2300 cal BCE]. Some indications of connections with the Battle Axe/Corded Ware cultures [BAC/CWC, c. 2800–2300 cal BCE] have also been found, but no typical BAC/CWC burials have been located on the island to date. Here, we investigate the chronological and internal relationship of twenty-three individuals buried in four LN/EBA stone cist burials; Haffinds, Hagur, Suderkvie, and Utalskog on Gotland. We present eleven mitochondrial genomes [from 23 X to 1271 X coverage], and twenty-three new radiocarbon dates, as well as stable isotope data for diet. We examine the local Sr-baseline range for Gotland, and present new Sr-data to discuss mobility patterns of the individuals. The genetic results are compared and discussed in light of earlier cultural periods from Gotland [TRB and PWC], and CWC from the European continent, as well as contemporaneous LN secondary burials in the MN Ansarve dolmen. We find that all burials were used into the EBA, but only two of the cists showed activity already during the LN. We also see some mobility to Gotland during the LN/EBA period based on Strontium and mitochondrial data. We see a shift in the dietary pattern compared to the preceding period on the island [TRB and PWC], and the two LN individuals from the Ansarve dolmen exhibited different dietary and mobility patterns compared to the individuals from the LN/EBA stone cist burials. We find that most of the cist burials were used by individuals local to the area of the burials, with the exception of the large LN/EBA Haffinds cist burial which showed higher levels of mobility. Our modeling of ancestral mitochondrial contribution from chronologically older individuals recovered in the cultural contexts of TRB, PWC and CWC show that the best model is a 55/45 mix of CWC and TRB individuals. A 3-way model with a slight influx from PWC [5%] also had a good fit. This is difficult to reconcile with the current archaeological evidence on the island. We suggest that the maternal CWC/TRB contribution we see in the local LN/EBA individuals derives from migrants after the Scandinavian MN period, which possible also admixed with smaller local groups connected with the PWC. Further genomic analyses of these groups on Gotland will help to clarify the demographic history during the MN to EBA time periods.

By studying the microscopic record of infills of archaeological features, it is possible to reveal their formation history and consequently obtain a better understanding of natural and cultural factors which have operated at the sites, following the assumption that specific past land use practices leave specific microarchaeological imprints. At multi-phase sites with a diverse history of occupation, this may help to detect possible changes in the use of the features and link them with known occupation episodes. From the viewpoint of studies on the role of enclosures in the prehistoric cultural landscape, it is important to have an understanding of how their distinctive structures—the ditches—were used. In order to gain insight into this matter, the infill of one of the ditches of an Eneolithic enclosure discovered at the site of Mikulin 8 (Eastern Poland) was studied from a geoarchaeological perspective involving soil micromorphology and physico-chemical analyses. As a result, it was possible to identify three major processes responsible for the formation of the infill and estimate their rates, what significantly broadened the knowledge of the context in which artefacts were discovered and brought some information on natural landscape changes. These findings, combined with data delivered by artefacts analysis, geophysical prospection, and radiocarbon dating, suggest the existence of two distinct settlement episodes at the site, marked by different use of the ditch structure, first by communities of the Lublin-Volhynian culture and then by peoples of the Funnel Beaker culture.

In the course of archaeological research at site 2 in Oslonki (Kuyavia, central Poland), a dense deposit of 20 cattle bones was discovered, most of which are semi-finished products for production of bone chisels. The collection was dated ab. 3350-3097 calBC. The traceological analysis of technological traces on the artefacts and experimental studies indicate that they were processed using several metal tools with working edges of varying shape, employed as chisels for bone splitting. Although SEM-EDX analyses did not show the presence of a substantial amount of copper on the surfaces of the artefacts, the collection can be considered most likely evidence for widespread use of this metal among Late Neolithic communities in Poland or at least the people who inhabited the area of Kuyavia.

In recent years it has been shown that the Neolithization of Europe was partly driven by migration of farming groups admixing with local hunter-gatherer groups as they dispersed across the continent. However, little research has been done on the cultural duality of contemporaneous foragers and farming populations in the same region. Here we investigate the demographic history of the Funnel Beaker culture [Trichterbecherkultur or TRB, c. 4000–2800 cal BCE], and the sub-Neolithic Pitted Ware culture complex [PWC, c. 3300–2300 cal BCE] during the Nordic Middle Neolithic period on the island of Gotland, Sweden. We use a multidisciplinary approach to investigate individuals buried in the Ansarve dolmen, the only confirmed TRB burial on the island. We present new radiocarbon dating, isotopic analyses for diet and mobility, and mitochondrial DNA haplogroup data to infer maternal inheritance. We also present a new Sr-baseline of 0.71208 ± 0.0016 for the local isotope variation. We compare and discuss our findings together with that of contemporaneous populations in Sweden and the North European mainland. The radiocarbon dating and Strontium isotopic ratios show that the dolmen was used between c. 3300–2700 cal BCE by a population which displayed local Sr-signals. Mitochondrial data show that the individuals buried in the Ansarve dolmen had maternal genetic affinity to that of other Early and Middle Neolithic farming cultures in Europe, distinct from that of the contemporaneous PWC on the island. Furthermore, they exhibited a strict terrestrial and/or slightly varied diet in contrast to the strict marine diet of the PWC. The findings indicate that two different contemporary groups coexisted on the same island for several hundred years with separate cultural identity, lifestyles, as well as dietary patterns.

The summed probability distribution of 162 radiocarbon dates from Gotland was analysed with reference to archaeological and environmental data in order to evaluate possible variations in settlement intensity on the island. The data indicated variations in demographic development on the island, with probably several different colonization events and external influences; the pioneer settlement reached the island around 9200 cal. BP. After the initial colonization, the radiocarbon dates were rather evenly distributed until around 7700–7600 cal. BP, then there was a drop in the number of dates between 8300 and 8000 cal. BP that may be associated with the 8200 cold event. A marked decline in the number of dates between 7600 and 6000 cal. BP may be associated initially with the Littorina I transgression, but this transgression cannot explain why the Late Mesolithic period is not well represented on Gotland: the climatic development was favourable but did not result in increased human activity. The number of radiocarbon dates indicated that the population size remained low until around 6000 cal. BP, after which there was a gradual increase that reached a first ‘threshold’ after 5600 cal. BP and a second ‘threshold’ after 4500 cal. BP. The first apparent population increase was associated with the appearance of the Funnel Beaker Culture (FBC) and the second with Pitted Ware Culture (PWC) complexes. A decline in the number of dates occurred after 4300 cal. BP, i.e. towards the Late Neolithic. There was an association between the frequency distributions of the radiocarbon dates and the number of stray finds from different time periods but any correlation was not straightforward.

Throughout the long history of the Funnel Beaker (TRB) culture in the region of modern Poland (4100–3100 BCE) we can observe how local farming communities interacted with the wild world and how deer species became an important ideological resource for the TRB people. Biomolecular and histomorphometric evidence from two archaeological sites in central Poland add new information for a better understanding of these multi-layered interactions. Our findings fuel a discussion of deer valorisation during the TRB era in Poland, showing that the dagger from Slawecinek was made from the bone of a red deer or elk and may have served as a clan accessory. Furthermore, the results indicate that a likely candidate for the bone used to temper the ceramic vessel from Kaldus is red deer, which allowed us to speculate that the utilisation of bone-tempered pottery by the local TRB farmers may possibly reflect the magical domestication of cervids.

Queer theory has always questioned the uncritical transposition into the past of the categories linked with the heteronormative sex/gender system of the contemporary Western society. The binary and opposed division into two sexes and genders, the heterosexuality as a naturalized ideal or the nuclear family, are just some examples. The Bell Beaker phenomenon, despite being one of the most discussed topics in archaeology, has never been approached from this perspective. Therefore, in this study, 70 individuals with associated Bell Beaker grave-goods buried in 37 tombs from the main territories of Iberia have been analysed. Through an exhaustive statistical analysis of the archaeological and osteological data set, the existence of some clear differences among social adults (>16 years old) can be identified in terms of social ranking and sex/gender markers, within a complex and non-binary structure. Additionally, a fluid or non-existing sex/gender attribution is the most likely for non-adults younger than 15 years old.

In the late 5th, 4th, and early 3rd millennia BC, different archaeological units are visible in western Lesser Poland. According to traditional views, local branches of the late Lengyel-Polgár complex, the Funnel Beaker culture, and the Baden phenomena overlap chronologically in great measure. The results of investigations done with new radiocarbon dating show that in some cases a discrete mode and linearity of cultural transformation is recommended. The study demonstrates that extreme approaches in which we either approve only those dates which fit with our concepts or accept with no reservation all dates as such are incorrect. V obdobju poznega 5., 4. in zgodnjega 3. tisočletja pr. n. št. lahko na območju zahodne Malopoljske prepoznamo različne arheološke enote. Glede na tradicionalne poglede se v tem času kronološko prekrivajo enote poznega kompleksa Lengyel-Polgar, kulture zvončastih čas in badenskega fenomena. Novi radiokarbonski datumi kažejo, da je v nekaterih primerih potreben diskreten pristop z linearnimi kulturnimi spremembami. V članku pokažemo, da so ekstremni pristopi, pri katerih uporabimo oz. izključimo bodisi tiste datume, ki sodijo v naše koncepte, bodisi vse datume brez zadržkov, pri razlagah datumov nepravilni.

Fragments of five enamelled glass beakers found from the Estonian towns Viljandi and Tartu have been studied by using Raman spectroscopy, optical absorption and X-ray fluorescence methods. The beakers of 13th–14th–century dating are made of soda-lime silica glass and by composition and some decoration motifs they are comparable with the analogous finds in Europe (beakers supposedly of Venetian origin), a colourless beaker with an unusual decoration pattern from Viljandi being of a similar composition. The rare and relatively primitive (both by the frit fabrication and enamelling) blue beaker of the same era from Viljandi is also a soda-lime glass which contains a minute amount of the colouring agent Co accompanied by the elements Pb and Zn. The composition suggests that this beaker also originates from a workshop somewhere in South Europe (not excluding Venice/Murano), the Co ore being imported from the Occident. The other blue beaker (bowl) of the 16th century, found in Viljandi, belongs to the potash glasses and contains also the colouring agent cobalt, here together with the additives As, Bi, Ti, and Ni. As the Co ore of a similar composition was acquired from the Ore Mountains in Germany, it is likely that this artefact was made in some Central European workshop. An analysis of the yellow enamel on these beakers shows the use of Pb-Sn-O-type colourant on earlier artefacts, while the antimony-rich colourant appears only in the case of the late medieval potash glass. In summary, both the use of Co-colourant of local (European) origin in the blue glass of the 16th century and the occurrence of antimony in the yellow enamel on it, suggest that a marked development of the European mine industry took place in the Late Middle Ages.

Archimedes' principle is one of the foundation subjects in physics. Normally the principle is exemplified by reference to floating boats. However, Archimedes' principle also applies to objects embedded in waterlogged ground, which can lead to the surprising result of an object weighing several tons being lifted. A practical example is presented of a 22 ton concrete water tank being lifted out of waterlogged ground. Fuel tanks embedded in the ground can be crushed by groundwater. Ground water buoyancy can be a serious problem when a large excavation for the foundation of a high-rise building is left empty before building commences. A qualitative classroom demonstration of groundwater buoyancy is described that involves immersing plastic cups in sand and adding water to observe the cups rising out of the sand. Additionally, a quantitative demonstration is described in which an empty beaker is floated on a water-filled container placed on an electronic balance placed on a scissor table. A plank of wood placed across the top of the beaker holds it in place while the scissor table is used to raise the water level around the beaker simulating rising groundwater. In view of the challenges of climate change and increasing frequency and severity of flooding, knowledge of groundwater buoyancy is useful for students.

This paper presents a newly developed model that links the destruction processes of wattle-and-daub houses and the internal chronology of sites. By examining the weight and spatial distribution of burned daub, our model explicates the relative chronological sequence of the structures and nearby associated features. A three-step analytical procedure allows for the specification and self-checking of model outcomes. We verify the model by its application to data from Mrowino site 3 (western Poland) and confirm its utility for re-assessing the sequence of Funnel Beaker culture settlement structures. The obtained results are confirmed by previous work detailing the stratigraphy of pits, the distribution and seriation of pottery and radiocarbon dating.

XRF-analysis of 18 fragments of several 14th–15th-century vessel types and an additional fragment of a 16th-century glass vessel, found primarily from the cesspits in the medieval town centre of Tartu, was carried out. The study reveals that these are mostly potassium-calcium silicates, containing 49–56 wt% of SiO2 and a varying high level (from 15 to 20 wt% or even more) of K2O and CaO. Four typological groups are represented: vessels with applied glass threads, high prunted beakers, lower beakers with a spiral glass thread, and beakers with a zig-zag glass thread. It is shown that all these have rather similar chemical composition. Classification by the CaO/K2O ratio hints at a possibility that besides the glass of Bohemian origin, vessels came also from the glasshouses in the present-day Germany. The blue decoration on the basic colourless glass contains Co, Cu, and Fe bearing colourants accompanied by various minor impurities like Zn, Pb, and sometimes Ni (instead of Zn). In addition, in the blue glass of the 16th century dating elements Bi and As were found. Obviously, Co from various sources was used. A fairly high level of Cu and Fe in blue decorations implies that these metals might have been added to the frit separately to get an additional shade, in the form of brass (Cu+Zn alloy) and hematite (Fe2O3, rust) respectively.

The Atlantic peninsulas of western Europe present intriguing cultural parallels that reach back into later prehistory. Furthermore, direct evidence of interconnections from the fifth millennium BC is revealed by the movement of specific materials such as Iberian variscite. Brittany and Galicia were key nodes within this potential network of maritime interaction, but debate continues as to the routes that were chosen and the navigational abilities involved. Did early seafarers keep close to the coast and did long journeys involve many intermediate landfalls? Or did crews venture direct crossings of the Bay of Biscay? In the absence of surviving evidence for the kinds of vessel likely to have been used by Neolithic seaborne navigators, modern wind and current data are here used to generate models indicating journey times for small sea-going craft powered only by oars, following the coastal or the direct route. The results are discussed within the context of selected material flows (jadeitite, variscite, copper, Beakers) and against a background of potentially changing maritime technology.

This work intends to contribute for the discussion of beaker's social role in Western Europe, by studying Central South Portugal evidences, establishing provenance and therefore pottery transactions between sites and/or regions, emphasizing the circulation /diffusion of this kind of pottery, and their impact on the European societies of the 3rd millennium BC. Ceramics from four relevant Chalcolithic - early Bronze Age archaeological sites of Central and Southern Portugal are studied, based on compositional paste analysis, confronting the bell beakers with other typologies, complemented with local/regional clays characterization. A broader spatial relationship is established, especially with other Iberian sites, and in the European context. Compositional studies were done by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results for the four sites emphasize that some bell beakers have chemical composition similar to the other typologies, associated with local raw materials close to the archaeological site, pointing to local productions. On the other hand, the outliers identified are mainly comprised of bell beakers, assuming an exogenous nature. Thus, bell beakers are a complex material expression, where local productions are in relation with interregional systems of circulation of ideas and materials. Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) [PTDC/CS-ANT/104333/2008, PTDC/ EPH-ARQ/0798/2014, UID/Multi/04349/2013, PRAXIS XXI/BPD/ 18888/98] info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The Tążyna river is one of not large Kuyavian tributaries of the Vistula river. A unique feature of this river catchment area is a very high degree of biodiversity. It comprises, among others, the co-occurrence of zones of various lithology and genesis (morainic plains, valleys with outwash plain formations, outwash plains with holes) and relatively shallow occurrence of salt deposits supplying the groundwater with brine. They are accompanied by the occurrence of halophytes. The discussed region also abounds in numerous archaeological sources dated to the Neolithic. They document complicated processes of the Tążyna basin domestication. They were initiated by the appearance of agricultural societies of the Linear Pottery culture exploiting the environment of soils with the highest agricultural values. These groups also made an attempt of “tactical” use of podzols environments, however, due to its failure within the following centuries, they concentrated on earlier exploited areas. A real breakthrough was brought by the occurrence of the Funnel Beaker culture societies. They were mainly interested in less abundant, hitherto not used in terms of economy, environments. Probably at that time brine springs were also exploited. An excellent example of a settlement from this period is Wilkostowo 23/24 – one of the best recognized complexes of „funnel beakers” in Europe. In the following centuries the Tążyna basin was the scene of activeness of societies realising more mobile („globular amphoras” and „corded ware”) economic strategies. The state of preservation and prospects of the Neolithic sites survival adversely correspond to the outstanding cognitive significance of the region under consideration. During the recent thirty – forty years a sharp increase of threats to part of them – especially to these located on the weakest soils (developed on sandy substratum) took place. Their areas are nowadays afforested, objects connected with vegetables storage are located on them, and they become purposes of minerals (sand, gravel) exploitation. In such a situation it is necessary to implement a local programme of protection of sites dated to the Neolithic. The author postulates that it should include verifying surface surveys, excavations and educational actions.

When talking to non-scientists, it is rather amusing how much the Victorian view of a scientist still lingers. Many people, still view us [scientists] as crazy people working in basements (alright, that might contain some truth), who solve unholy puzzles using tools like beakers with colorful liquids and fuming test tubes. Sometimes, we burst out into euphoric cries of EUREKA when some incomprehensible problem is solved just prior to a minor explosion that causes our hair to stand up in disarray. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

In this paper, a quantitative reconstruction of Middle Neolithic diet in the area of Falbygden, Sweden, is attempted. The reconstruction is based on carbon and nitrogen isotope values for human bone collagen in the passage grave at Fralsegarden as well as on a series of animal and cereal isotope measurements from the same area and period. The Bayesian software package FRUITS is employed, resulting in estimates of the caloric contribution of plants, terrestrial animals, and fish to the diet. Two models were developed, one based on carbon and nitrogen isotope values in adult bone collagen and one based on carbon and nitrogen isotopes in tooth enamel and collagen. The estimates from both models are similar, suggesting a high caloric contribution from plants and a smaller one from terrestrial animals while the contribution from freshwater fish is marginal. These results contradict some earlier views regarding Neolithic economy on Falbygden and suggests that Funnel Beaker society in this region was heavily reliant on cultivation, rather than a pastoral economy with only marginal importance of cereals.

This work presents the results from the excavation of a multiple burial in a pseudo-tumular structure constructed in the Cueva Mayor cave in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos), specifically focusing on the entrance of this cave in an area known as El Portalon archaeological site. We recovered the skeletal remains of a minimum of eight individuals from several altered primary burials with bones showing different levels of associated grave goods and faunal remains. A series of radiocarbon dates obtained from seeds, human and animal bones, place these burials at the end of the fifth millennium BP. The domestic animals and ceramics suggest a complex and symbolic human–animal relationship. The information obtained from the site of El Portalon significantly broadens our understanding of funerary rituals during the Chalcolithic period.

In the course of the project The Final Neolithic in the Lower Traisen Valley, 13 reproductions of Final Neolithic artefacts were produced by Wolfgang Lobisser and his team, in order to gain insights into Final Neolithic manufacturing techniques and the usage of the objects. For this, both authors macroscopically examined artefacts made of bone, antler, animal teeth and shell from 37 graves of the Corded Ware Culture and three Bell Beaker graves from the Traisen Valley in regard to manufacturing specifications and traces of usage. Tools, parts of clothes as well as two objects that are interpreted as a doll and a signaling whistle were reproduced. In the Late Neolithic crushing, splitting, grating, scraping, and grinding were the basic techniques for the processing of bone, antler, teeth, and shell material. The manufacturing of the reproductions shows that compared to flint drills, copper awls provide much better results for fine drillings in hard materials such as bone or antler. Some bone artefacts are characterised by notable glossy areas, indicating an intense usage. In some graves of men, bone artifacts such as chisels and pegs are associated with stone axes, fire stone tools, or copper blades. The combination of the equipment suggests that those buried in the graves had been skilled and experienced tradesmen.

The Wietrzychowice Cultural Park protects one of the last preserved megalithic barrows of the Funnel Beaker Culture people at the Kuyavia Lakeland (Central Poland). Archaeological excavations of the lake palaeolittoral zone were conducted on the nearby Karania Lake shore. Numerous Mesolithic and Neolithic remains were excavated including: flint artefacts, potsherds, arrowheads, and mammal bones with traces of human processing. The SM9G2 core from the miey site covers gyttias and peats with the Holocene history of Karania Lake. The age-depth model is based on 3 AMS and 3 LSC radiocarbon dates as well as cultural remains. The bottom section of the core (275-190cm b.g.l.) includes the record of the early to mid-Holocene layers that fall on the Mesolithic and Neolithic in the region. The multi-proxy study (geochemistry, plant macrofossils, pollen, Mollusca, Cladocera and Chironomidae analyses) were conducted on the Mesolithic-Neolithic section of the core. Additionally, Chironomidae subfossil analysis was conducted on the SM1 core from another part of the Karania Lake shore zone, documenting the mid-Holocene age of the lake littoral shore development.

The study offers the slim beakers with curving body, slim beakers with curving wall and a base ring, slim, cylindrical beakers and slim, cylindrical beakers with a base ring. These all can be related to one workshop on the grounds of their same qualities, colours, measures, decorations, rims, and their chronological and geographical spread. The workshop may have operated at the end of the 3rd century AD, rather in the first half of the 4th century AD.

This is the second volume in a Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU)/McDonald Institute series subtitled ‘New archaeologies of the Cambridge region’, resulting from the dramatic expansion in developm...

Five students hunched over a classroom table, their huddled heads eclipsing a lone beaker filled with blue liquid. Around them, desks lay sideways and flipped upside down. Time was running out. They had been locked inside the room and were absorbed in figuring out their escape, which they knew had to involve that blue beaker. Sounds stressful, but the students had volunteered. They had an hour to solve a series of puzzles using chemistry experiments as part of a trial of an educational activity for high school students at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato’ Jaafar in Johor, Malaysia. The game was inspired by escape rooms, the popular recreational activity that has captivated puzzle enthusiasts worldwide in the past several years. In escape rooms, players scour special rooms for clues to free themselves by solving math or other logic-based riddles. They also have to avoid red herrings designed to throw them off