Archives

Publication date: May 2018Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 93 Author(s): Bernhard Muigg, Willy Tegel, Pascal Rohmer, Uwe Eduard Schmidt, Ulf BüntgenThe use of hydropower provides an important technical advancement over hand-operated grain mills, which steadily increased over large parts of Europe from the early Middle Ages onwards. Since written information on the technical design of early medieval water mills is generally missing, archaeological evidence may provide unique insights into their evolution. Well-preserved wooden finds from continental Europe are, however, extremely rare. Here we present dendroarchaeological results from an exceptional number of structural elements of the Audun-le-Tiche water mill in northern France. Taxonomical identification, tree-ring dating and observations of technical features provide a detailed picture of milling technology as early as the Carolingian period in the mid-9th century. A well-preserved waterwheel segment allows the reconstruction of an undershot start-and-float wheel. Numerous wooden paddles reveal a technological evolution from one-piece paddles to composite forms. Placing our results in the context of other early medieval mills, suggests a rather uniform consruction design within, though different beyond the Frankish Empire. This study provides a detailed description of early medieval water milling technology that possibly contributed to the success of agriculture as well as cultural and economic growth of the Carolingian Empire.

Publication date: May 2018Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 93 Author(s): Elin Figueiredo, João Fonte, Alexandre Lima, João Pedro Veiga, Rui J.C. Silva, José MirãoProvenance and production of tin in the Ancient World has since long been a major topic of discussion among archaeologists. In Western Europe, where significant tin ore (cassiterite) deposits are known, only a few remains of ancient tin production, such as tin slags, have been detected. In the present work, elemental and microstructural analyses by WDXRF, SEM-EDS and XRD were performed on recently recognised tin slags from the Iron Age Carvalhelhos hillfort located in NW Iberia, a territory that represents the largest extension with tin mineralisation in Western Europe. Elemental and microstructural characterisation of cassiterite collected in a pilot field survey in the region of the hillfort are presented and discussed, as well as two ceramic fragments that could be part of a smelting structure and an iron slag from the settlement. Results show that the tin slags have variable but high contents in Sn, similarly to Pre-Medieval tin slags found in other Western European areas, but also high contents of Ta and Nb, which specifically distinguish them from other tin slags, such as those found in SW Britain. Tin ores from the hillfort region frequently have Ta and Nb in cassiterite solid solution or as inclusions of columbite group minerals, relating well with the Carvalhelhos tin slags. Up to present, the Carvalhelhos slags are amongst the very few ancient tin slags known in Western Europe, and their study can contribute to a better knowledge on ancient tin sources and trade routes.

Publication date: Available online 1 March 2018Source:Journal of Archaeological Science Author(s): Renée Friedman, Daniel Antoine, Sahra Talamo, Paula J. Reimer, John H. Taylor, Barbara Wills, Marcello A. ManninoThe application of tattoos to the human body has enjoyed a long and diverse history in many ancient cultures. At present, the oldest surviving examples are the mainly geometric tattoos on the individual known as Ötzi, dating to the late 4th millennium BCE, whose skin was preserved by the ice of the Tyrolean Alps. In the Egyptian Nile valley, the arid climate has also promoted extensive soft tissue preservation. Here we report on the tattoos found during the examination of two of the best preserved naturally mummified bodies from Egypt’s Predynastic (c. 4000-3100 BCE) period, making them the earliest extant examples from the Nile Valley. Figural tattoos that mirror motifs found in Predynastic art were observed on the right arm of one male and the right arm and shoulder of one female, demonstrating conclusively that tattooing was practiced in prehistoric Egypt. These findings overturn the circumstantial evidence of the artistic record that previously suggested only females were tattooed for fertility or even erotic reasons. Radiocarbon testing and datable iconographic parallels for the motifs indicate that these tattooed individuals are nearly contemporaneous with the Iceman, positioning them amongst the bearers of some of the oldest preserved tattoos in the world. At over five thousand years of age, they push back the evidence for tattooing in Africa by a millennium and provide new insights into the range of potential uses of tattoos in pre-literate societies by both sexes, revealing new contexts for exploring the visual language of prehistoric times.