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Publication date: Available online 16 May 2017Source:Journal of Archaeological Science Author(s): Meghan C.L. Howey, Marieka Brouwer BurgThe early pioneers of archaeological Geographic Information Systems (GIS) advocated for a future where this technology was more than a data-management tool. To this end, they emphasized harnessing the analytic power of GIS to advance innovative understandings of past social landscapes. This paper introduces the special issue, explaining its aims to offer a current assessment of how this vision has been realized. Three themes related to both persistent questions and emergent horizons in archaeological GIS are explored in the context of the contributions. We present our own set of ideas for how to unbind our analyses from some of the methodological and conceptual constraints inherent in the analytic GIS approaches on which we have long relied to explore past landscapes. We argue it is important to keep moving beyond analytic approaches tethered to discrete points, to push forward geospatial modeling of cultural processes across entire landscapes, and to incorporate uncertainty and iteration directly into our work. Through such efforts, we can develop robust insights into the ways past communities considered, reconfigured, and renewed patterns of social, economic, and ideological interaction, flow, and circulation through the variegated landscapes they inhabited. In doing this, we will get closer to realizing the ambitious vision early pioneers had for archaeological GIS – a technology they believed could let us ask entirely new questions about the past.

Publication date: June 2017Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 82 Author(s): Lidar Sapir-Hen, Ilan Sharon, Ayelet Gilboa, Tamar DayanThe understanding that fine mesh sieving is the optimal procedure for the recovery of minute finds poses two challenges for archeologists of historical periods: it is costly and time consuming, and it puts into question the value of data collected in excavations where sieving was conducted minimally or not at all. That hand picking causes loss of data pertaining to microfaunal remains is indisputable, but the extent of information loss regarding larger fauna is not as clear. In order to evaluate these challenges for macrofaunal remains, we carried out, for the first time, a comprehensive sieving experiment at Tel Dor, a multi-layered complex site, the most prominent site type in historical periods. We examine the effects of wet sieving on the macro- and microfauna frequencies, and discuss its implications in terms of the interpretations of the faunal assemblages and the choice of excavations’ collection protocols. We demonstrate that while sieving has a substantial effect on microfauna frequencies, it has a limited effect on those of the macrofauna. We also suggest that faunal assemblages of livestock animals that were hand collected or partially sieved, are valid for comparison with sieved assemblages. Finally, we call for an explicit presentation of the retrieval protocol in site reports and other studies, differentiating clearly between sieved and un-sieved material, and raise some points for future discussion.

Publication date: June 2017Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 82 Author(s): Marcel Burger, Reto Glaus, Vera Hubert, Samuel van Willigen, Marie Wörle-Soares, Fabien Convertini, Philippe Lefranc, Ebbe Nielsen, Detlef GüntherElemental analyses using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) have great potential in archaeometric research due to the quasi-nondestructive sampling and excellent sensitivity of the method. However, the application of LA-ICPMS in cultural heritage research is often limited because samples are too large to fit within an ablation cell or cannot be moved to the laboratory. This work reports the development of analytical routines that allow trace element quantification in ancient copper artifacts regardless their mobility, size or geometry.In this study, the LA sampling step was performed in ambient air using a portable laser ablation device (pLA). The LA module was placed on the object of interest and the laser-generated aerosol was either directly transferred into the ICPMS via a large-capacity gas exchange device (GED) or collected on polycarbonate membrane filters, which were later analyzed by LA-ICPMS. The analytical performances of both approaches were assessed using various copper reference materials. The laboratory-based, ablation-cell-independent pLA-GED-ICPMS method, yielded accuracies comparable to those obtained via conventional LA-ICPMS (±10%). Good performances (±30%) were also obtained with the pLA + filter sampling approach and subsequent LA-ICPMS analysis. Limits of detection for both approaches were in the low μg/g or sub- μg/g range, making these methods interesting for trace element analysis.After validating these laser-based techniques on an ancient copper object whose elemental composition had previously been determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS), five Neolithic copper artifacts found in Switzerland and France were analyzed using the pLA + filter sampling approach. A copper dagger found in Lattrigen, Switzerland was analyzed using the pLA-GED-ICPMS method. Furthermore, the laser-induced sample damage was investigated.The trace element profiles of the objects under investigation were compared to those of well-characterized copper artifacts. Thus, the chronological and cultural background of these artifacts could be determined. One group of copper artifacts showed high arsenic concentrations (up to 1% [w/w]) and could be attributed to “Mondsee copper”, which was particularly common in the eastern Alps during the Middle European Late Neolithic. Other objects under investigation showed trace element concentrations, which are typical for the Late Neolithic north of the Alps. One artifact had a composition typical for objects from the Late Neolithic of Southern France.

Publication date: June 2017Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 82 Author(s): Vince Van Thienen, Sylvia LyckeThe diachronic development of the crossbow brooch was examined for northern Gaul during the Late Roman period (3rd to 5th century) in order to extrapolate changes in production organisation from variation in the copper-alloy composition and shape of the artefacts. A combined method of surface analysis by handheld XRF and dimensional analyses by focussing on variation or similarity was applied and interpreted in a typological framework to confirm and enhance the traditional production model of the crossbow brooch. This led to new insights into the processes of regionality and state-control in Roman metal production in a provincial context. From a simple military commodity to an elite symbol of power and authority, these changes in production and consumption reflect sociocultural changes in the Late Roman West.

Publication date: June 2017Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 82 Author(s): Yu Itahashi, Yutaka Miyake, Osamu Maeda, Osamu Kondo, Hitomi Hongo, Wim Van Neer, Yoshito Chikaraishi, Naohiko Ohkouchi, Minoru YonedaWe report here the stable nitrogen isotope composition (δ15N) of individual amino acids and the δ15N and δ13C content of collagen from human and faunal remains collected from Hasankeyf Höyük, an early Neolithic site in the upper Tigris valley. Based on the δ15N of collagen only, the contributions of freshwater resources to the diet of the hunter-gatherers were difficult to clearly identify relative to terrestrial resources. However, analysis of the nitrogen isotope composition of individual amino acids enabled the identification of minor contributions from freshwater resources to the diet in a community primarily dependent on terrestrial resources. Individual variability suggested that some individuals at Hasankeyf Höyük used freshwater resources, whereas others probably depended primarily on terrestrial food resources. The importance of freshwater resources as food for this hunter-gatherer community was variable among groups and depended on burial location and time of burial.

Publication date: June 2017Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 82 Author(s): Kunlong Chen, Siran Liu, Yanxiang Li, Jianjun Mei, Anding Shao, Lianjian YuePrevious archaeometallurgical studies on Bronze Age China mainly focused on finished artefacts, whereas our understanding of copper smelting technology of this period is still limited. This paper, for the first time, presents analytical results of metal production remains from the site of Laoniupo in Guanzhong Plain, central Shaanxi. It reveals that arsenical copper was produced at this site by smelting arsenic-rich polymetallic ores with raw copper or high purity copper ores. The identification of metal production in the Guanzhong Plain is significant for the investigation of regional development and inter-regional interaction of Bronze Age cultures in China. The possible exploitation of ores from deposits in the Qinling Mountain region during this period is also discussed in this article.

Publication date: May 2017Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 81

Publication date: June 2017Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 82 Author(s): Parker VanValkenburgh, Sarah J. Kelloway, Karen L. Privat, Bill Sillar, Jeffrey QuilterThrough Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) microstructural analysis, we examine the firing technology of Early Green Glazed (EGG) Ware – a variety of “hybrid” lead-glazed ceramics produced in Peru’s north coast region during the 16th century CE. Previous scholars have interpreted EGG Ware as the product of indigenous potters who fired ceramics in kilns and learned how to make glazed vessels through direct instruction from Iberian ceramicists. We argue that the production of EGG Ware entailed a more complex process of technological incorporation and innovation. SEM microstructural analysis of 44 archaeological samples suggests that these ceramics were originally fired under highly variable conditions. Parallel analysis of five samples of lead-glazed ceramics produced in open firings by Peruvian artisans in the 1980’s reveals consistent firing beyond their clays’ maturation temperatures. Based on these results and analysis of whole EGG Ware vessels from museum collections, we suggest that at least some of our EGG Ware samples were produced in open firings. In turn, we argue that EGG Ware reflects the creativity of native potters who adapted indigenous firing technologies and experimented with different parameters in the process of forging a new decorative tradition.

Publication date: June 2017Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 82 Author(s): David SmithIntertidal archaeological deposits occur worldwide, particularly in the temperate latitudes. These deposits can contain archaeological sites that were constructed at the time these were terrestrial landscapes, but subsequently were inundated as a result of rising sea levels. Part of this process can include the development of salt marshes. There is a need, therefore, to identify where archaeological sites lie within the cline of past tidal regimes. This paper presents the results of a survey of UK archaeoentomological data recovered from intertidal deposits which was undertaken in order to identify patterns in archaeoentomological data that might indicate a deposit’s position within a saltmarsh. Such an approach has potential to establish ‘indicator groups’ for saltmarsh zones, thereby facilitating archaeological interpretation of intertidal deposits. A statistical ordination of the archaeoentomological dataset has been undertaken to explore the security and strength of proposed archaeoentomological indicator groups for various ecological zones within saltmarsh/intertidal environments and the results are presented here. These indicator groups also are crossed-checked against the known modern ecology of the various beetles included within each grouping, to determine if they make good ‘ecological sense’. The dataset discussed here is specific to Northern Europe, but the approach is applicable worldwide.