46 research outputs found
Down the drain:Reconstructing social practice from the content of two sewers in a late antique bathhouse in Jerash, Jordan
This contribution examines social practices in the Central Bathhouse in Jerash in Late Antiquity based on the ceramic assemblage, vessel glass, faunal remains, and small finds retrieved from two sections of the bathhouse's sewer. We argue that although the bathhouse underwent significant architectural alterations from its construction in the 4th c. CE to its abandonment in the late 7th, the activities taking place inside the building remained largely the same. Our study shows that even towards the end of the bathhouse's lifespan, bodily grooming remained integral to the bathing experience, while food and drink were consumed on the premises even though the bathing facilities had been reduced to a bare minimum. The faunal remains indicate the type of food consumed, while the small finds illustrate a lively environment where gaming and gambling took place in a social space frequented by men, women, and children
SPIN enables high throughput species identification of archaeological bone by proteomics
Species determination based on genetic evidence is an indispensable tool in archaeology,
forensics, ecology, and food authentication. Most available analytical approaches involve
compromises with regard to the number of detectable species, high cost due to low
throughput, or a labor-intensive manual process. Here, we introduce “Species by Proteome
INvestigation” (SPIN), a shotgun proteomics workflow for analyzing archaeological bone
capable of querying over 150 mammalian species by liquid chromatography-tandem mass
spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Rapid peptide chromatography and data-independent acquisition
(DIA) with throughput of 200 samples per day reduce expensive MS time, whereas
streamlined sample preparation and automated data interpretation save labor costs. We
confirm the successful classification of known reference bones, including domestic species
and great apes, beyond the taxonomic resolution of the conventional peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF)-based Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) method. In a blinded
study of degraded Iron-Age material from Scandinavia, SPIN produces reproducible results
between replicates, which are consistent with morphological analysis. Finally, we demonstrate the high throughput capabilities of the method in a high-degradation context by
analyzing more than two hundred Middle and Upper Palaeolithic bones from Southern European sites with late Neanderthal occupation. While this initial study is focused on modern
and archaeological mammalian bone, SPIN will be open and expandable to other biological
tissues and taxa.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
The Phenomenon of primary and secondary animals within Iron Age deposits.
Animals are an integral part of deposition practices during the Danish Iron Age, and they probably represent the most common form of deposit within southern Scandinavia. Recently Gotfredsen published a volume on animals within Danish Iron Age grave contexts, but similarly comprehensive studies of animals from other contexts have not been attempted. Thus, classic sites such as Valmose, Bukkerup Langmose, and Sorte Muld still stand as the type sites for Danish Iron Age animal deposits. This article will demonstrate that there are good reasons for exploring deposits in more detail and investigate the significant variation in the treatment and quantities of sacrificial animal deposits. Furthermore, the current study has revealed a deposition pattern where a primary animal is often in the company of one or more secondary animals, the latter typically represented by a few bones. Salpetermosen Syd (MNS50010), south of Hillerød in North Zealand, Denmark is the main case study, but comparisons are made to several sites across Denmark where a similar deposition pattern has been observed