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

In the Copper Age, slate engraved plaques were produced massively in the southwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula. Researchers have speculated about the function of these palm-sized stone objects for more than a century, although most have favored the idea that they represented goddesses, and served ritual purposes. The plaques are engraved with different designs of varying complexity. In some of them, the ones sporting two large frontal eyes, we clearly see owls modelled after two species present in the area: the little owl (Athene noctua), and the long-eared owl (Asio otus). These two species, living in semi-open habitats, were possibly the most abundant owls around the human settlements and surrounding cultivated fields of the Chalcolithic period. People must have been aware of the owl presence and possibly interacted with them. Why owls but no other animals have been the models may relate to the fact they are the most anthropomorphic of all animals, with large frontally-placed eyes in their enormous heads. In the iconography, owls are systematically represented, even today, with their two eyes staring at the observer, as opposed to the lateral view used for any other animal. Additionally, slate is one of the commonest surface rocks in southwestern Iberia, and it provides a blank canvas for engraving lines using pointed tools made of flint, quartz or copper. The way slates exfoliate makes easy to craft owl-looking plaques. To silhouette animals other than owls in a recognizable way would request extra carving abilities and specific tools. Plaque manufacture and design were simple and did not demand high skills nor intensive labor as demonstrated in replication experiments. Owl engravings could have been executed by youngsters, as they resemble owls painted today by elementary school students. This also suggests that schematic drawings are universal and timeless. We propose that the owl-like slate plaques are the remains of a set of objects used in both playful activities and in ritual ceremonies. The actual engraving of the plaques may have been part of the game. Owlish slate plaques were often perforated twice at the top. We interpret this as insertion points for actual bird feathers added to the plaques, right at the place where tufts emerge in live owls. The frontier among play and ritual is diffuse in liminal societies and there is no contradiction in playing with animal-like toys and, at some point, using them as offerings as part of community rituals related, for instance, to the colossal megalithic tombs so characteristic of the Copper Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of an organism to cope with environmental stressors varies across the life span because of developmental stage–specific responses and age‐related functional declines. In the present study, we examined the effect of age on acute copper toxicity in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes). We first determined the median lethal concentration (LC50) at 96 h for embryos, 7‐day‐old fry, and 6‐month‐old medaka. Embryos were exposed to 0, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250, and 500 ppb CuSO4 through hatching. Fry were exposed to 0, 20, 50, 75, 100, 150, 250, and 500 ppb CuSO4 for 96 h. Adult fish were exposed to 0, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 ppb CuSO4 for 96 h. The 96‐h LC50 was 804 ppb for embryos, 262 ppb for embryonically exposed larvae, 60.3 ppb for 7‐day‐old fry, and 226 ppb for adults. We then challenged cohorts of fish aged 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, and 16 months with a 225‐ppb CuSO4 exposure to determine the acute toxicity across the life span. The fish exhibited a bimodal tolerance to copper, with tolerance peaking in 2‐ and 3‐month‐old fish and again at 10 and 11 months of age. Our data demonstrate that copper sensitivity is dynamic throughout the medaka life span and may be influenced by trade‐offs with reproduction. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:2999–3006. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper offers a brief overview of diverse burial rites in cultures at the end of the Eneolithic period in Moravia, which reflect the emergent stratification of society. These social changes are mirrored in archaeological record through the funerary customs as a ritualised reflection of prehistoric reality with a symbolical role of grave goods and their affiliations or rather demonstrations of identity. Funerary equipment can at the same time also reflect social and working (craft) position of the deceased individual. Social differences in the studied entities (least of all in the Proto-Únětice Culture) become evident through their allocation in isolated positions or within small burial groups, their conspicuous grave architecture (inner construction, ring ditches surrounding the graves, houses of the dead), and the rich and variegated grave goods (including the prestige packages) with their manifestations of social status, power and identity. A special category is represented by burials of wealthy men – metallurgists (clear predominance in the Bell Beaker Culture). In the earliest phase of the BBC we can even speak of burials of social elites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents the chronology of the Holocene filling of the Guadalentín Tectonic Depression (Murcia, SE Spain) combining 14C and OSL age data. This work studies the sediments and paleosols interbedded in the sedimentary sequence between Totana and Librilla, using as reference the Espuña Karting section (Alhama de Murcia), which has been fully sampled for its geochronological analysis. The entire dated sequences record the last c. 20–19 ka BP, although local basal travertine beds extend back to the Late Pleistocene (30–33 ka). Soil morphology and properties from dated paleosols record different environmental crises in SE Spain, but also a progressive aridification throughout the Holocene. The Chalcolithic Paleosol develops soon after c. 4.6–4.0 BP, nearly coinciding with the start of the Meghalayan stage, evidencing a drastic change from relatively humid to arid conditions, coincident with the crisis of the Copper Age civilizations in Spain. The Bronze Age paleosol also developed under arid but relatively more humid conditions, indicating a more important and longer gap in the sedimentary sequence soon after c. 2.5–2.7 ka BP. This stop in the sedimentation are correlative to the first stages of fluvial incision at basin center locations and the desiccation and fragmentation of the ancient wetlands coinciding with the collapse of the Bronze Age civilizations in SE Spain (Argaric Culture). During the Ibero-Roman Humid Period (IRHP), c. 2.6–1.6 ka BP, the last pedogenic cycle occurred under relatively humid conditions. This preluded the progressive establishment of exorheic fluvial environments as well as a period of paleoseismic activity in the area around 2.0–1.8 ka BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the flint assemblage retrieved from Site 152 in Ramot Menashe, Israel. It points out that the diagnostic items in the assemblage are assigned to the Chalcolithic period, the Intermediate/Early Bronze Age, the Middle Bronze Age and the Iron Age. The types of the tools include sickle blade, retouched flake and bifacials.

In 2016, a Stollhof-type copper hoard was found during an excavation in Magyaregres, Hungary. It was placed in a cooking pot, and deposited upside down within the boundaries of an Early Copper Age settlement. Similar hoards dating to the end of the 5th millennium BCE are well-known from Central Europe, however, this hoard represents the only one so far with thoroughly documented finding circumstances. The hoard contained 681 pieces of copper, 264 pieces of stone and a single Spondylus bead, along with 19 pieces of small tubular spiral copper coils, three spiral copper bracelets, and two large, spectacle spiral copper pendants. Until now, information on the provenance of raw materials and how such copper artefacts were manufactured has not been available. The artefacts were studied under optical microscopes to reveal the manufacturing process. Trace elemental composition (HR-ICP-MS) and lead isotope ratios (MC-ICP-MS) were measured to explore the provenance of raw materials. The ornaments were rolled or folded and coiled from thin sheets of copper using fahlore copper probably originating from the Northwestern Carpathians. A complex archaeological approach was employed to reveal the provenance, distribution and the social roles the ornaments could have played in the life of a Copper Age community. Evidence for local metallurgy was lacking in contemporaneous Transdanubian sites, therefore it is likely that the items of the hoard were manufactured closer to the raw material source, prior to being transported to Transdanubia as finished products. The method of deposition implies that such items were associated with special social contexts, represented exceptional values, and the context of deposition was also highly prescribed. The Magyaregres hoard serves as the first firm piece of evidence for the existence of a typologically independent Central European metallurgical circle which exploited the raw material sources located within its distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human microbiome has recently become a valuable source of information about host life and health. To date little is known about how it may have evolved during key phases along our history, such as the Neolithic transition towards agriculture. Here, we shed light on the evolution experienced by the oral microbiome during this transition, comparing Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers with Neolithic and Copper Age farmers that populated a same restricted area in Italy. We integrate the analysis of 76 dental calculus oral microbiomes with the dietary information derived from the identification of embedded plant remains. We detect a stronger deviation from the hunter-gatherer microbiome composition in the last part of the Neolithic, while to a lesser extent in the early phases of the transition. Our findings demonstrate that the introduction of agriculture affected host microbiome, supporting the hypothesis of a gradual transition within the investigated populations. Here, the authors compare 76 dental calculus oral microbiomes from Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers with Neolithic and Copper Age farmers living in the same region of Italy. Integrating these data with archaeological data and dietary information, they find evidence of a gradual transition to agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Social Sciences Research / Sosyal Bilimler Arastirmalari Dergisi is the property of ODU Journal of Social Sciences Research 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 Great Hungarian Plain (GHP) served as a geographic funnel for population mobility throughout prehistory. Genomic and isotopic research demonstrates non-linear genetic turnover and technological shifts between the Copper and Iron Ages of the GHP, which influenced the dietary strategies of numerous cultures that intermixed and overlapped through time. Given the complexities of these prehistoric cultural and demographic processes, this study aims to identify and elucidate diachronic and culture-specific dietary signatures. We report on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from 74 individuals from nineteen sites in the GHP dating to a ~ 3000-year time span between the Early Bronze and Early Iron Ages. The samples broadly indicate a terrestrial C3 diet with nuanced differences amongst populations and through time, suggesting exogenous influences that manifested in subsistence strategies. Slightly elevated δ15N values for Bronze Age samples imply higher reliance on protein than in the Iron Age. Interestingly, the Füzesabony have carbon values typical of C4 vegetation indicating millet consumption, or that of a grain with comparable δ13C ratios, which corroborates evidence from outside the GHP for its early cultivation during the Middle Bronze Age. Finally, our results also suggest locally diverse subsistence economies for GHP Scythians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prehistoric mines are often too large and too deep for conventional archaeological excavations. Non‐destructive and minimally invasive methods of prospection can help to overcome these limits. Our case study of a Late Bronze Age opencast mine (ca. 1050 to 780 BC) shows the potential of geophysical prospection methods combined with core drillings. For the reconstruction of this mine, we combined electrical resistivity and induced polarization (IP) tomography, seismic refraction tomography (SRT) and ground penetrating radar (GPR). The geophysical data were collected based on an orthogonal grid of 10 longitudinal and transverse profiles, laid out over an area of ~330 × 300 m. The profiles allowed a three‐dimensional interpolation of the geological units, the mining dumps, the mining areas and the residual mineralization. Additionally, two deep cores were drilled to ground‐truth the geophysical prospection results. They provided information about the stratification at intersections of the measurement grid, and this proved crucial for validating the interpreted geophysical profiles. Each geophysical method applied provided different information for the reconstruction of the site: the electrical resistivity tomography offered the best clues as to the locations of the geological units and the dumps, the seismic refraction tomography visualized the transition between the dump or backfill layers and the underlying bedrock, and the IP measurements revealed residual mineralization. The georadar measurements, on the other hand, did not contribute to the interpretation owing to the limited depth of penetration. Based on the combination of borehole and geophysical data, it was possible to develop a hypothetical model of an open‐pit mine for copper ore that developed in three phases (mines A–C) during the Late Bronze Age. Without the control provided by the core drillings, one of the mining areas (mine A) could not have been correctly identified in the geophysical prospections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observed similarities between the CA and BA settlement patterns of western Sierra Morena and other Iberian regions (notably, the southeast, for which better-quality data are available) include settlement size, locational preferences (including the pervasiveness of hilltop locations) and the presence of substantial stone-made civil and defensive infrastructures. CONCLUSIONS The data pertaining the settlement dynamics of Sierra Morena in the CA and BA presented here, compiled on the basis of a LiDAR-based analysis, complements and expands the previous knowledge gathered after years of fieldwork (with the support of aerial photography). In summary, the application of LiDAR-based surveys would greatly help to enhance and homogenize the data pertaining CA and BA settlements and other periods. Base map: © Instituto de Estadística y Cartografía de Andalucía [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com] gl In the Spanish Southeast, numerous CA and BA settlements showing major stone architecture have been excavated since the first explorations by Luis and Henry Siret in the late 19th century (Siret & Siret, [93]). Coordinates: EPSG 25829 [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com] gl Settlement patterns The LiDAR survey undertaken for western Sierra Morena fully confirms that CA and BA settlement patterns are very similar to the ones described in other southern Iberian regions, as briefly outlined above. [Extracted from the article]

This paper presents the findings gleaned from a series of macroscopic, colourimetric, mineralogical, geochemical and microstructural analyses of a pottery assemblage brought to light during the archaeological excavation (2012–2013) of the settlement of El Cortijo de Montiel Bajo (Santo Tomé de la Vega, Jaén, Spain). The different analyses aim at identifying the mineralogical composition and manufacturing processes of the Chalcolithic vessels. The typological and stratigraphic analysis of the different structural complexes, combined with a radiocarbon dating, place the site in the last third of the 3rd millennium BC. The study sheds light on the phases of transition characteristic of Eastern Andalusia’s Copper Age and the wide range of analytical techniques confirms both the uniformity of the raw materials (evidencing a local provenance) and that the pottery production process was well integrated into the technological traditions of the south of the Iberian Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper establishes the chronology of the El Pozuelo megalithic complex and discusses it in the context of other dolmens that have been dated in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. The working methodology combines the study of the stratigraphy and architectural sequence with the Bayesian modeling of the 27 AMS 14C dates obtained for charcoal samples from the four monuments in the Los Llanetes cluster. The most significant chronological results (at 68% probability) are (a) the antiquity and long duration of the megalithic sites, in which several monumental structures succeeded one another ca. 3970–1980 cal BC; (b) the existences of different temporalities in the Late-Final Neolithic dolmens: simple chambers (3970–3760 cal BC), elongated chambers (3790–3620 cal BC) and multiple chambers (3660–3260 cal BC; (c) the continuity of activity during the Copper Age (2980–2580 and 2530–2180 cal BC); and (d) the permanence of megalithism in the Early Bronze Age, through the presence of terraced enclosures with circular platforms ca. 2230–1940 cal BC. This diachronic sequence and the contextualized analysis of the 152 available radiocarbon dates (27 new, 125 published) supports the establishment of the temporal dynamics of megalithism in the Iberian southwest, introducing key aspects on the emergence, span, and rebuilding of the different dolmens (passage graves, simple chambers, elongated chambers, and multiple chambers) and establishing the phases of activity and reuse of the different architectural types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent revision of the stratigraphic sequence and the finds from the excavations by Anton Mario Radmilli in 1952 and 1954 in the Grotta dei Baffoni Cave near Genga, included also a particular object consisting of a ceramic block with a sub-trapezoidal concave gouge readily identified by Radmilli as a clay mould used for metal melting, which, in fact, contained metallic droplets attached to its surface. It represents an unicum for both its typology and the results of our preliminary archeometric analyses, which sheds some light on the early copper metallurgy in Italy. The terracotta mould was found during the excavation campaign of 1954, in which Radmilli enlarged Trench B already excavated in 1952, in a not-better specified lower anthropic level, from 2.30 to 2.80 m depth (cultural level E), which, according to Radmilli’s stratigraphy, includes horizontal cuts n. XV, XVI, and XVII. Osteological finds from this level were recently radiocarbon-AMS dated to 3,640-3,430 yr cal BCE. Here we present the results we obtained from the analysis of replicas of the clay mould, which allowed us to identify the function of it as a cast for manufacturing small metal ingots. Geochemical SEM-EDS analyses on one metallic droplet detached from the surface of the mould, yielded a maximum composition of 92 wt.% copper (Cu), and 8-12 wt.% zinc (Zn), along with traces of silver (Ag). Thus, the metal appears to be a compound of copper and zinc but not an intentional alloy of the two metals, which can be obtained by smelting sulfide minerals (i.e., Fahlerz) such as tetraedrite-(Zn) or tennantite-(Zn). We interpret this Cu-Zn compound as the result of the work by a metallurgist who utilized the Grotta dei Baffoni Cave as his workshop during a period between the latest Cupper Age (Eneolithic), and the earliest Bronze Age. The interpretation of the results from our metallurgic analyses in the light of what it is known about the early copper metallurgy in Italy, are consistent with this chronological assessment. The experimentation also concerned the bronze dagger to verify a possible relationship with the clay mould, although coming from very different depth.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Late Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant (c. 4500–3900 cal BC), a period marking notable societal transformations and developments in economy, craft and cult, was the appearance of ivory objects. Ivory, originating from the tusks of elephants and hippopotamuses, suddenly appeared in this period in low quantities and only at a few sites, restricted mainly to the northern Negev, Judean Desert and the central Mediterranean coastal plain. The current paper discusses the Late Chalcolithic ivory objects found in the southern Levant and suggests that we should not merely view these finds as artistic objects charged with symbolic value, but rather, we should acknowledge the role of the specific raw material from which they were made, for its social and economic values based on the likely non-local origin of the ivory and the inherent difficulty in its acquisition. These factors bestowed the ivory items with special significance and prestige value that differentiated them from other more common bone tools. Moreover, we suggest that although these findings reflect contacts, albeit limited between the southern Levant and Predynastic Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the mineralogical composition of 284 sherds obtained from the sites of Yeşilova Höyük and Yassıtepe Höyük, two of the oldest settlements in Western Anatolia, and corresponding to a wide period starting from the Neolithic period to the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age (EBA), was studied by attenuated total reflectance (ATR) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. FTIR data was used to classify the sherds and state their firing conditions as a result of determining their mineralogical composition using principal component analysis (PCA), multivariate curve resolution (MCR), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). According to the PCA results, the second-order derivative FTIR spectrum with 19 smoothing points in the range of 1300–400 cm−1 was determined to be the most successful model in classifying sherds. As a result of MCR, which allows comparison of standard minerals obtained within the scope of the study, it was determined that kaolinite, illite, chlorite, and some feldspar types were dominant in the sherds. According to HCA analysis, all sherds except five of them exhibited a similar mineralogical structure. According to the derivative spectra, it was seen that the sherds had a composition consisting of kaolinite, illite, hematite, chlorite, and some feldspar types at different rates. Upon examining the data, it becomes evident that the sherds are composed of nearly identical minerals and might have been fired in an oxidizing atmosphere. Even while 279 sherds had many mineralogical traits, N-061, EB-030, N-043, C-068, and N-059 were found to have distinct proportions of comparable minerals, including more kaolinite, illite, calcite, and chlorite. Regarding color, additives, and the amount of ceramic pastes present, these five sherds differ from the others. This suggests that there might have been attempts at manufacture or pots brought in from outside the Yeşilova Höyük-Yassıtepe Höyük sites. The results provided from the derivative spectra showed that all sherds except five of them have been fired at about at temperatures slightly above 450–500 °C due to their relatively low kaolinite character, but below 800 °C because diopside and similar high-temperature minerals could not be detected. The five sherds may have been fired at a temperature of around 450–500 °C due to the presence of a high character of kaolinite, illite, and chlorite. It was understood that the residents of the sites of Yeşilova Höyük and Yassıtepe Höyük produced their ceramics using the same raw materials and the same production methods from the Neolithic period to EBA thanks to FTIR and chemometrics, which are very good tools for analyzing large numbers of sherds with low cost and fast analysis time. [Display omitted] • The first study to understand ceramic techniques from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age for a specific area. • The first study investigating the ceramic production from the Neolithic to Early Bronze Age from Western Anatolia. • The first use of MCR alongside PCA and HCA for the discrimination. • Investigated the firing conditions by FTIR and MCR data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longbohe is a newly discovered copper mining, smelting and production site located strategically beside the Red River on the China–Vietnam border in Southeast Yunnan, China. Recent excavations have dated it from the second half of the second millennium to the end of the first millennium BC, making it the earliest copper mining and processing site in Upland Southwest China and Southeast Asia. The metallurgical production tradition in Upland Southwest China and Southeast Asia is recognized and detailed with reference to the chaîne opératoire revealed at the Longbohe site. The location of Longbohe provides evidence for a route along which metallurgy was introduced from Southwest China into Southeast Asia. Current evidence further suggests that metallurgy probably arrived on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau along the eastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau corridors, and then entered Southeast Asia along south-flowing rivers. The Longbohe site is thus a most significant find in the southward dissemination of metallurgical technological systems into Southwest China and Southeast Asia in the later second millennium BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of 'standing stone' monuments within the European Late Prehistoric landscape is considered to be associated with a pivotal human cultural transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture and permanent settlement, being the earliest monuments currently dated by radiocarbon to the 5th millennium BCE. However, many standing stones were first erected, subsequently collapsed, and then re-erected during the following three millennia. The excavation of the site of an apparently in situ statue-menhir at Cruz de Cepos in NE Portugal provided the rare opportunity in Iberian prehistory to apply radiocarbon and luminescence techniques to establish the date of construction. On the basis of the iconography, the standing stone was assigned to a sculptural tradition of north-western and western Iberia, loosely dated to the Early/Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000/1900–1250 BCE). The optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and dosimetry characteristics of quartz extracted from sediment samples taken from locations associated with the socket pit and surrounding backfilling deposits were examined, producing OSL single grain ages at eight locations. Comparison of the OSL and calibrated radiocarbon ages shows very good agreement, with the mid-3rd millennium BCE dates confirming original erection during the Copper Age and not a much later transformation of the monument. These encouraging results indicate that OSL has the potential to provide reliable dating of depositional processes related to the construction process and is suitable for wider application to megalithic monuments of this type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the prehistoric techniques of salt production consisted of using ceramic vessels, known as briquetage, for the artificial evaporation of salt water. This paper summarizes all the archaeological sites throughout the Iberinan Peninsula where briquetage has been described to date, with special focus on the well-studied archaeological site of Espartinas saltworks. At Espartinas we found the use of two different kinds of ceramics, which points to a two-step process also involving halfah or esparto grass, which may well have been used for transport or/and as an insulating layer between the vessels walls and the mass of salt to facilitate the extraction of whole salt cakes. Palaeoenvironmental conditions at Espartinas have also been described based on local and regional pollen records and compared with the dry conditions associated to the so-called "4.2 cal kyr BP abrupt climatic event". Despite the reduced amount of radiocarbon dating, the briquetage appears have been present in the studied region from the Late Neolithic to at least the Bronze Age. However, we cannot discard the fact that it might have reached the early Roman period, when salt evaporation ponds replaced this laborious technique. Moreover, briquetage distribution has been compared with evaporite outcrops throughout the Iberian Peninsula and it has been observed a characteristic pattern with a preference for peripheral, near to coast regions, with the exception of from Aranjuez-Getafe lower-Miocene lacustrine evaporites in central Iberia. Briquetage spread also shows a marked correlation with sites characterized by the presence of Atlantic halberds the first true metal weapon ever made in Western Europe and part of the warrior panoply of Late Copper Age/Early Bronze Age elites. At least during this period, these findings suggest that briquetage was used to obtain solid salt cakes easily transportable to medium and large distances by Atlantic and intra-Iberian trade exchange networks, which confirms previous studies that associate Bell Beaker phenomenon with salt circulation. • A review of evidence of briquetage in the Iberian Peninsula Prehistory is described. • Factors that appear to have affected the distribution of briquetage are described. • During the Late Copper Age/Early Bronze Age a marked correlation between briquetage sites and Atlantic halberds is described. • Salt pans appear to have been highly demanded during environmental conditions associated with the 4.2 cal kyr BP climatic event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is focused upon a significant quantity of archaeological finds discovered in one of the archaeological surface surveys in the summer of 2010, during my participation at the Timișoara – Arad motorway rescue excavations, next to the village of Orțișoara. Special attention is drawn to the pottery for domestic usage which, after a comparative analysis with other findings from the surrounding area, were identified as part of the Banat culture, phase II. After a careful reflection upon the satellite images, the shape and gates positioning, the possible settlement could be seen as a rondelle type fortification. This type of settlement is mapped in different areas from Romania (Iclod, Portărești) as well as Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Czech Republic. The multitude as well as the diversity of the finds (pottery, a possible small clay figurine and the lithic materials) is suggesting a much wider periodization starting from Middle Neolithic to the Late Neolithic and most probably early Bronze Age. As a result of human intervention trough agricultural activities as well as natural transformations, the presumed settlement was levelled. A prompt rescue excavation either through a systematic or extended archaeological prospection would be necessary and it would bring much more insight upon this kind of settlements in Banat and the surrounding regions.

Artefacts from bone, antler and wild boar tusk were recovered from both Copper Age and Bronze Age contexts during the archaeological excavations at the site of Fulgeriș– La trei cireşi, between 2004 and 2013. The intention of this study is to offer a first characterization of the manufacturing process and to build up a classification based on morpho-functional and technological criteria. The assemblages are composed mainly of domestic equipment and one can observe a clear preference towards the exploitation of bone over tusks and antler. Due to the larger size of the Copper Age collection one can recognize the use of various methods of blank production : fracturing, bi-, quadri-and multi-partitioning, sectioning, while for the Bronze Age only fracturing and partitioning were identified. With few exceptions, the assemblage shows a low degree of elaboration, where shaping plays a marginal role in the transformation of the blanks

The earliest evidence of metallurgy in the Alban Hills (Latium, central Italy), dated between the Eneolithic and the Recent Bronze Age (c. IV – end of II millennium B.C.), is described through a review of the published materials and the study of unpublished finds. The analysis allows to understand the technological capabilities and cultural, social and economic aspects of the local communities in the pre-protohistoric period.

The main aim of this research is to expand the knowledge of the early stages of copper metallurgy in the Chalcolithic within the Gumelniţa communities through compositional analyses (PIXE, XRF) performed on a group of copper objects that originated from several sites belonging to Kodzhadermen–Gumelniţa–Karanovo VI (KGK VI) communities in southeast Romania (Chitila–Fermă, Măriuța, Sultana–Malu Roșu, Sărulești, and Vidra). All analyses were performed at the Horia Hulubei National Institute for Research & Development in Physics and Nuclear Engineering (Romania), and the investigated items belong to the collections of the Lower Danube Museum in Călărași and the Bucharest Municipality Museum. The resulting data were used as a starting point of a discussion on the possible prehistoric copper sources used by prehistoric people to manufacture the analyzed artifacts.

The book does not only provide information on the settlement history of an important Bronze and Iron Age site in Syria. Parts II (pp. 81-11) and III (pp. 113-88) deal with the Iron Age occupation of the site. At this time the site enters the historical record, both through external Luwian and Assyrian sources as well as texts discovered at the site itself. [Extracted from the article]

The 1977-78 excavations at Tell Abada, carried out under the direction of Sabah Abboud Jasim, are a critical source for our understanding of the fifth-millennium Ubaid period in Iraq. The ceramics from Level III include Choga Mami transitional, Ubaid 1, and Ubaid 2 ceramics. However, the number of fully excavated and published Ubaid sites is still relatively small, and some of our best evidence continues to come from the salvage excavations of sites in Iraq's Hamrin basin, of which Tell Abada is among the most important. [Extracted from the article]

Economic and industrial progress frequently comes at the expense of environmental sustainability. For the early Iron Age (~ eleventh to ninth centuries BCE) smelters of the ancient copper industry of the Timna Valley, southern Israel, where today the hyper-arid Aravah Desert provides sparse vegetation, woody fuel for metallurgical furnaces constituted the greatest limiting factor for continued operations. This study presents the first investigation into the fuel sources relied upon by this industry during its most intensive period, as reflected by hundreds of charcoal samples collected from two well-stratified and chronologically anchored accumulations of industrial waste. The two sites demonstrate similar results: a heavy reliance on the local vegetation, particularly Retama raetam (white broom) and the ecologically significant Acacia spp. (acacia thorn trees), two high-calorific and high-burning taxa best suited for such purposes. It was also observed that over the course of the industry, the search for fuel expanded, as evidenced by the later appearance of taxa unsuited for the prevailing regional conditions, hinting at the detrimental toll the industry took on the local ecosystem. Altogether, it is suggested that the lucrative copper industry ended due to limits in the availability of fuel, caused by anthropogenic hastening of desertification and environmental degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The Chalcolithic period in the Lisbon region, Portugal, is usually divided into three phases chronologically: the Early Chalcolithic, characterized by cylindrical corrugated cups, Full Chalcolithic by so-called acacia-leaf decoration, and Late Chalcolithic by Bell Beaker pottery. The aim of this research is to determine if Chalcolithic ceramic raw materials and production techniques have remained the same over time and whether the pottery is locally produced. Regarding the Lisbon region, 149 ceramic samples from four Chalcolithic settlements (Vila Nova de São Pedro, Penedo do Lexim, Espargueira and Baútas) were evaluated concerning textural, chemical and mineralogical compositions. Textural analysis was performed using optical microscopy, chemical characterization was achieved using micro-energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and mineralogical characterization was undertaken using X-ray powder diffraction and petrographic microscopy as main techniques. Results suggest that production techniques may have remained similar throughout all the Chalcolithic period, with firing temperatures between 700 and 800 °C. Multivariate analysis of results from chemical and mineralogical analyses suggests that multiple sources of raw materials must have been used in the manufacture of the pottery collected at the four Chalcolithic settlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

A Copper Age settlement and cemetery was fully excavated at Rákóczifalva-Bivaly-tó Site 1/C in 2005-2007, making it possible to compare the use of its material culture in closely related, coeval, but different archaeological contexts. Such a rare set of circumstances allows the authors to highlight methodological issues associated with the distorting effect of archaeological finds made on sites where only settlement or burial data are available, and on the importance of choosing appropriate analytical units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Veritate < Messapian *U̯ĕrĭtāhātĭ-s < (Neolithic?) Proto-Indo-European *U̯ĕr-ĭtŏ-h₁?i̯ăh₂/₄-tĭ-s "runway", together with Brugnato (La Spezia; cf. Brunate [Como] and possibly Austrian Braunau) and Capriata d'Orba (Alessandria), forms a subgroup of place-names with ending -ate (or -ato &c.; in Switzerland Tavate = Davos [Grisons]) that were demonstrably coined as such in Proto-Indo-European (not later than the Chalcolithic period). The same holds true for Mattinata < Daunian *Mātīnāhātā < PIE *H₂/₄mĕh₁-tĭ-h₃n-ŏ-h₁?i̯ăh₂/₄-tắ·h₂/₄ "roads through the tilled ridge" and Parata < Peucetian *Părāhātā < PIE *Pŏr-ŏ-h₁?i̯ăh₂/₄-tắ·h₂/₄ "passage ways"; the latter one exhibits the same first element as Parabita < Messapian *Părăbătă-s < PIE *Pŏrŏ-bŏtŏ-s "passing path" (> German Fahrpfad), near which the ancient town of Βαῦστα < *Bŏṷ[hₓ]s-tă·₂/₄ "swelling" (≠ ⁽*⁾Bāstā [> Vaste] < *Bʱăh₂/₄-stă·h₂/₄ "consecrated place") is probably to be located. Pre-Latin Indo-European etymologies of place-names Sombrino, Tuglie, Collepasso, Vĕrētŭm, Σύβαρις, Lecce, and Bari are added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The article discusses the results of the examination of the flint assemblage that was retrieved during a rescue excavation conducted on the Early Bronze Age mound at Tel Lod, Israel during August-September 2009. Topics covered include the methods used in evaluating the assemblage, the two types of raw materials that comprised the flint as well as most frequent component of all lithic assemblages, and elements from two main flint industries that comprised the assemblage.

The article presents a discussion on a ceramic zoomorphic figurine that was excavated in May 2014 from a domestic context in EB IB Stratum V in Area AG in the southern part of Tel Bet Yera, one of the Early Bronze Age mounds in the Southern Levant. Topics covered include a description of the animal figurine, the reason that this figurine stands out among the zoomorphic figurines from site, and the varied archaeological contexts of animal figurines.

Chalcolithic Micaceous Red Ware widely distributed in the Bhal region of Gujarat during 2600-1600 BCE was first reported from Rangpur in Surendranagar district. This ceramic type was also reported in limited quantity from other parts of Saurashtra, Kachchh, North Gujarat, and South Gujarat. The ware is primarily defined by its color, texture, surface finish, inclusions, shapes, and decorative pattern. Although it has been reported from twenty-nine sites to date, not much attempt has been made to bring to light and define its other cultural parameters. This paper tries to elucidate the characteristic features of this ceramic type. For this purpose, Micaceous Red Ware from Vagad was chosen for detailed typological studies, and the findings were compared with the data from other excavated and surveyed sites in Gujarat. Further, the available radiocarbon dates from these sites were recalibrated. This paper concludes with a verification of the term Micaceous Red Ware Tradition within the spatio-temporal framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zephyrus is the property of Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca 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 article describes the development of the city throughout the Late Bronze–Iron Age I sequence. A massive Early Bronze fortification system was revealed on the slope of the upper mound. Following the end of EB III, there was an occupation gap until LB I/IIA, when a ten hectare Canaanite city was founded and became one of the largest cities in the southern Levant, identified with Reḥob, mentioned in several Late Bronze Age sources. The unusual foundation of a city in the Late Bronze Age may have been related to the Egyptian garrison town at nearby Beth-Shean. Though exposure was limited in scope, the results indicate that unlike many other sites, Reḥov maintained its Canaanite urban character throughout this period with no occupation gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Eneolithic period, the dominant and prevailing culture in the territory of Croatian Pannonia and beyond was the Vučedol culture, named after its eponym site, Vučedol, near Vukovar. It had a well-developed and complex religious system based on the worship of solar deities. Various motifs, used to symbolize such worship, are mostly documented on highly decorative vessels as well as anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statues. Among them, the most famous one, at least in current history, is the so-called Vučedol dove. The Vučedol culture was also in special focus during the Croatian War of Independence, which occurred after the violent breakup of Yugoslavia and eventually led to the formation of the current independent state. In such a turbulent period, Vukovar, which suffered horrifying devastation, played an important symbolic role, with an entire iconography developed around it, and the aforementioned Vučedol dove became the paramount symbol of resistance and suffering. In this article, we therefore present both the creation and evolution of symbols in the Vučedol culture and explore the ways in which such objects and ideas were contextually transformed, particularly during the Croatian War of Independence and the ensuing formation of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a novel population genetic approach suitable to model the origin and relationships of populations, using new computation methods analyzing Hg frequency distributions. Hgs were selected into groups which show correlated frequencies in subsets of populations, based on the assumption that correlations were established in ancient separation, migration and admixture processes. Populations are defined with this universal Hg database, then using unsupervised artificial intelligence, central vectors (CVs) are determined from local condensations of the Hg-distribution vectors in the multidimensional point system. Populations are clustered according to their proximity to CVs. We show that CVs can be regarded as approximations of ancient populations and real populations can be modeled as weighted linear combinations of the CVs using a new linear combination algorithm based on a gradient search for the weights. The efficacy of the method is demonstrated by comparing Copper Age populations of the Carpathian Basin to Middle Age ones and modern Hungarians. Our analysis reveals significant population continuity since the Middle Ages, and the presence of a substrate component since the Copper Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses results of organic residue analysis performed on ten copper-alloy daggers from Bronze Age Pragatto, Italy, c.1550–1250 BCE. Metal daggers are widespread in Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Europe, yet their social and practical roles are still hotly debated. Are they symbolic or functional? Are they tools or weapons? How were they used? For what tasks and on what materials? The research addresses these questions through a novel application of biochemical staining and SEM–EDX analysis. The method has proved successful in extracting and identifying animal residues located on cutting edges including bone, muscle, and tendons. These are interpreted as evidence of prehistoric carcass butchering and carving. Further residues were observed on blade faces and hafting plates or tangs; these are interpreted as remnants of bone handles and sheaths, the latter made of either wood fibers or processed hide and fur. The readings proposed in the article are validated by original experiments with replica daggers, as detailed in the Supplementary Materials. The analysis and experiments shed new light on Bronze Age metal daggers, showing that they were fully functional tools (and perhaps tool-weapons) primarily utilized for the processing of animal carcasses. This original research result contributes significant knowledge towards interpreting an under-studied, yet socially salient, prehistoric metal artifact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]