Palaeoenvironmental implications of a marine geoarchaeological survey conducted in the SW Argosaronic gulf, Greece

AbstractA marine geoarcheological survey was conducted at the southwestern end of the Argosaronic gulf in Greece, an area of archaeological importance. The survey was initiated by the discovery of a Late Bronze Age (LBA) shipwreck off Modi Islet. The survey which employed echo-sounding, sub-bottom profiling, side scan sonar systems and sediment coring extended to the area between Poros Island, Modi Islet and Argolid peninsula, aiming to evaluate the changes of the coastal zone extent in the past. The evolution of the palaeo-shoreline over the last 20ka is proposed based on the interpretation of the acquired bathymetric and seismic records, the estimation of the thickness of the marine sediments and the examination of existing datasets of the relative sea level changes in the area.The produced scenarios suggest that major changes marked the extent of the coastal zone since the Paleolithics. During the Upper Paleolithic period, the coast was larger by at least 11km2 and Poros and Modi islands were connected to the Peloponnesus. The sea level rise during the Mesolithic period formed a well-protected bay between Poros Island and Peloponessus and disconnected the Modi Islet from Poros Island. The coastal zone reached the present configuration around Late Bronze Age. The detection and mapping of scarps on the seismic profiles imply that the sea level rise presented standstills at least from the Last Glacial maximum until the onset of Holocene. However, the submerged coasts could be potential areas of archaeological interest since the examined area is habited continuously from the Paleolithic period.The acoustic data sets produced high resolution geomorphological maps at the wreck site which constitute data base for the monitoring of the site. In addition, the examination of the seafloor texture at the wreck site suggests that the seafloor characteristics were unfavorable for the preservation of the shipwreck

High resolution palaeoenvironmental analyses of coastal wetland sediments from South East Sicily

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This study examines the sedimentology of salt marshes and lagoonal sediments from coastal wetland settings in south east Sicily. Palaeoenvironmentasl tudies have been carried out to assess the recent evolution of disturbed coastal wetlands, and to examine the sensitivity of these depositional settings in recording historical environmental change. The evolution of recent coastal wetland environments in the region can be related to anthrpogenic disturbance phases in drainage catchments due to changes in land-use. Archaeo-historical changes to the coastal topography are identified, in relation to the development of present-day coastal wetland areas in south east Sicily. The impact of 19th early 20th century salt workings is recognised as a major and continuing factor in the condition of present day wetlands. Measurement of 210Pb, 137Cs, pollen content, major and trace elements, loss on ignition and other sedimentological features generates valuable information on depositional processes that have occurred over the last 100-150 years. Sub-surfaces edimentological changes recognised in cores extracted from shallow sediment sequences (< 50 cm) can be related to coastal wetland land-use changes and hydrological flood events. A 30 cm depth sediment sequence analysed from the Mulinello estuary records the interaction between estuarine channel processes, following embankment construction and the variable influence of catchment generated flood episodes. A clearly identifiable change in accretion and core composition occurred during the mid-late 1940's and early 1950's which coincides with recorded peaks in monthly rainfall totals. The impact of marsh development, flooding and recovery is highlighted by the variable abundance of dominant pollen types. A marked increase of ruderal pollen types during periods of channel-dominated deposition is contrasted with an abundance of halophyte pollen during low-energy phases of organic marsh sedimentation. The two lagoonal cores from Pantano Piccolo record successive hydrological changes, due almost certainly to artificial enclosure in the late l8th to early 19th century. The apparent change in water levels dramatically affected marginal salt marsh communities. Artificial impoundment generated a lagoonal setting conducive to the accumulation of local and extralocal sources of pollen, reflecting the re- establishment of salt marsh vegetation. Although largely separated from catchment-overland flow patterns during the 20th century, large magnitude rainfall events were recorded in lagoonal accretion patterns. 21OPb-derived sediment accretion rates and estimated pollen accumulation rates have enabled the response and sensitivity, of coastal wetland and nearby plant communities to phases of disturbance and recovery, to be determined. Due to artificial impoundment of the lagoon, fringing-halophyte communities and organic accretion migrated outwards to occupy their present marginal position. To aid the interpretation of pollen encountered in estuarine and lagoonal settings, soil samples from nearby land surfaces around Pantano Piccolo were analysed for pollen content. Soil surfaces reflected the dominance of gravity fallout from surface vegetation and the accumulation of pollen from regional-atmospheric sources. The reliability of the multi-proxy approach and palaeoenvironmental analyses used, indicate that coastal wetlands in south east Sicily have evolved in a dynamic system of punctuated equilibria, due to climatic events and human activity over the last 100- 150 years. Their current status reflects the continued pressure on coastal systems by anthropogenic development and recent conservation measures.This work is funded by Brunel Universit

Neolithic land-use in the Dutch wetlands: estimating the land-use implications of resource exploitation strategies in the Middle Swifterbant Culture (4600-3900 BCE)

The Dutch wetlands witness the gradual adoption of Neolithic novelties by foraging societies during the Swifterbant period. Recent analyses provide new insights into the subsistence palette of Middle Swifterbant societies. Small-scale livestock herding and cultivation are in evidence at this time, but their importance if unclear. Within the framework of PAGES Land-use at 6000BP project, we aim to translate the information on resource exploitation into information on land-use that can be incorporated into global climate modelling efforts, with attention for the importance of agriculture. A reconstruction of patterns of resource exploitation and their land-use dimensions is complicated by methodological issues in comparing the results of varied recent investigations. Analyses of organic residues in ceramics have attested to the cooking of aquatic foods, ruminant meat, porcine meat, as well as rare cases of dairy. In terms of vegetative matter, some ceramics exclusively yielded evidence of wild plants, while others preserve cereal remains. Elevated δ15N values of human were interpreted as demonstrating an important aquatic component of the diet well into the 4th millennium BC. Yet recent assays on livestock remains suggest grazing on salt marshes partly accounts for the human values. Finally, renewed archaeozoological investigations have shown the early presence of domestic animals to be more limited than previously thought. We discuss the relative importance of exploited resources to produce a best-fit interpretation of changing patterns of land-use during the Middle Swifterbant phase. Our review combines recent archaeological data with wider data on anthropogenic influence on the landscape. Combining the results of plant macroremains, information from pollen cores about vegetation development, the structure of faunal assemblages, and finds of arable fields and dairy residue, we suggest the most parsimonious interpretation is one of a limited land-use footprint of cultivation and livestock keeping in Dutch wetlands between 4600 and 3900 BCE.NWOVidi 276-60-004Human Origin

Ways and Capacity in Archaeological Data Management in Serbia

Over the past year and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire world has witnessed inequalities across borders and societies. They also include access to archaeological resources, both physical and digital. Both archaeological data creators and users spent a lot of time working from their homes, away from artefact collections and research data. However, this was the perfect moment to understand the importance of making data freely and openly available, both nationally and internationally. This is why the authors of this paper chose to make a selection of data bases from various institutions responsible for preservation and protection of cultural heritage, in order to understand their policies regarding accessibility and usage of the data they keep. This will be done by simple visits to various web-sites or data bases. They intend to check on the volume and content, but also importance of the offered archaeological heritage. In addition, the authors will estimate whether the heritage has adequately been classified and described and also check whether data is available in foreign languages. It needs to be seen whether it is possible to access digital objects (documents and the accompanying metadata), whether access is opened for all users or it requires a certain hierarchy access, what is the policy of usage, reusage and distribution etc. It remains to be seen whether there are public API or whether it is possible to collect data through API. In case that there is a public API, one needs to check whether datasets are interoperable or messy, requiring data cleaning. After having visited a certain number of web-sites, the authors expect to collect enough data to make a satisfactory conclusion about accessibility and usage of Serbian archaeological data web bases

Taphonomy, environment or human plant exploitation strategies?: Deciphering changes in Pleistocene-Holocene plant representation at Umhlatuzana rockshelter, South Africa

The period between ~40 and 20 ka BP encompassing the Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Later Stone Age (LSA) transition has long been of interest because of the associated technological change. Understanding this transition in southern Africa is complicated by the paucity of archaeological sites that span this period. With its occupation sequence spanning the last ~70,000 years, Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter is one of the few sites that record this transition. Umhlatuzana thus offers a great opportunity to study past environmental dynamics from the Late Pleistocene (MIS 4) to the Late Holocene, and past human subsistence strategies, their social organisation, technological and symbolic innovations. Although organic preservation is poor (bones, seeds, and charcoal) at the site, silica phytoliths preserve generally well throughout the sequence. These microscopic silica particles can identify different plant types that are no longer visible at the site because of decomposition or burning to a reliable taxonomical level. Thus, to trace site occupation, plant resource use, and in turn reconstruct past vegetation, we applied phytolith analyses to sediment samples of the newly excavated Umhlatuzana sequence. We present results of the phytolith assemblage variability to determine change in plant use from the Pleistocene to the Holocene and discuss them in relation to taphonomical processes and human plant gathering strategies and activities. This study ultimately seeks to provide a palaeoenvironmental context for modes of occupation and will shed light on past human-environmental interactions in eastern South Africa.NWOVidi 276-60-004Human Origin

Rationalism in Greek Philosophy

Originally published in 1961. Greek philosophers were concerned with the distinction between appearance and reality, and all the differences in their philosophic systems were ultimately predicated on their different views of this distinction. The history of Greek rationalism is, then, a study of the changing basis of Greek philosophy. George Boas provides a historical account of rationalism in classical philosophy. He focuses on four central topics: the distinction between appearance and reality, the method used to establish the distinction, the appraisal of life made by the philosophers studied, and their ethical theories

Mapping Milesian Migration Processes and practices of migration in the Archaic Period (c. 700-475 BCE)

This study examines the processes and practice of migration through the case study of Milesian overseas settlements in the Archaic period (c.800-475). It substantiates critiques of colonialist approaches to the topic and offers a new theoretically rigorous methodology for approaching ancient migrations through the development of a model for interpreting migration in proto-historical contexts. The notion of approaching Greek colonisation as migration is not new but this study moves the discourse forward by grounding its approaches in theoretical debates and discussions of contemporary migration in other scholarly disciplines. By modelling migration as a multi-focal interstice between wider macro-historical processes of diffused movement in temporal and spatial contexts, and meso- and micro-historical individual and group practices it facilitates a clearer understanding of the complexity of movement and resettlement in the ancient world. Several important conclusions can be drawn from the application of this methodology to the case study of Miletos. Firstly, wider processes of Milesian migration did not occur within a vacuum but were embedded within wider processes of interaction with the local communities and polities they encountered in Anatolia, forest-steppe Skythia and the North Caucasus. Secondly, the drivers of emigration from Miletos were multivalent and acted as stimuli in different ways to different groups within Milesian society. Thirdly, access to migration capital within those social groups, such as elites and vocationally situated individuals, was key to their ability to undertake migration. Finally, the interactions of heterogenous socially and culturally positioned groups led, in time, to the development of negotiated forms of social practices and shared symbolic meanings. In the case of Milesian migration, this was manifested in overlapping communities of practice throughout the Propontis and Black Seas which formed a cultural koine which can be normatively termed “Milesian migrant culture”. The model developed here has been applied to the topic of Milesian migration, but it has been designed to offer utility in wider scholarly approaches to migration in proto-historical contexts, both ancient and modern. By approaching the available evidence from different but interrelated viewpoints it can synthesise the literary and material evidence for migration and offer methodological approaches for analysing its significance on a variety of scales. In sum, this study offers a valuable new way of exploring a topic which remains contentious in both scholarly and popular discourses and embraces its complexity and its extensive long-term consequence