'Monumental Myopia': bringing the later prehistoric settlements of southern Siberia into focus

The ‘Monumental Myopia’ project uses multiscalar remote-sensing techniques to identify potential prehistoric nomadic settlements in the Siberian landscape. Eschewing the monumental burial mounds, the project aims to explore the everyday life of pastoral societies in the first millennium BC

Beyond Provenance: New Approaches to Interpreting the Chemistry of Archaeological Copper Alloys

For the last 180 years, scientists have been attempting to determine the ‘provenance’ (geological source) of the copper used in Bronze Age artefacts. However, despite advances in analytical technologies, the theoretical approach has remained virtually unchanged over this period, with the interpretative methodology only changing to accommodate the increasing capacity of computers. This book represents a concerted effort to think about the composition of Bronze Age metal as the product of human intentionality as well as of geology. It considers the trace element composition of the metal, the alloying elements, and the lead isotopic composition, showing how a combination of these aspects, along with archaeological context and typology, can reveal much more about the life history of such artefacts, expanding considerably upon the rather limited ambition of knowing where the ore was extracted. Beyond Provenance serves as a ‘how-to handbook’ for those wishing to look for evidence of human intentionality in the chemical patterning observed in bronzes

Six centuries of adaptation to a challenging island environment: AMS 14C dating and stable isotopic analysis of pre-Columbian human remains from the Bahamian archipelago reveal dietary trends

The limestone islands of the Bahamian archipelago provide a challenging environment for human settlement, one that was not taken up until after AD 700. The analysis of human skeletal remains offers new insights into how this challenge was met. A substantial program of AMS 14C dating on pre-Columbian humans (n = 66) provides a robust chronological framework for the period ca. AD 1000–1600, with the latter date suggesting the possible persistence of an indigenous Lucayan presence on the islands for some decades later than previously thought. Associated stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analyses imply an early focus on near-shore marine resources that seems to have rapidly led to their local over-exploitation, resulting in a shift towards horticulture based mainly on root crops. The Medieval Warm Period is very likely to have been a factor in the initial settlement of the islands; the impact of the Little Ice Age is less clear, with no marked changes in either δ13C or δ15N. Strontium isotope results are consistent with an origin of most individuals within the archipelago, with a limited (but potentially important for maintaining connections) presence of incomers from the Greater Antilles, and perhaps even further afield. Despite the relatively short history of pre-Columbian occupation, Lucayan adaptations to the Bahamian archipelago were dynamic and demonstrate resilience in the face of both human resource depletion and climate change

Combining functional weed ecology and crop stable isotope ratios to identify cultivation intensity: a comparison of cereal production regimes in Haute Provence, France and Asturias, Spain

This investigation combines two independent methods of identifying crop growing conditions and husbandry practices—functional weed ecology and crop stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis—in order to assess their potential for inferring the intensity of past cereal production systems using archaeobotanical assemblages. Present-day organic cereal farming in Haute Provence, France features crop varieties adapted to low-nutrient soils managed through crop rotation, with little to no manuring. Weed quadrat survey of 60 crop field transects in this region revealed that floristic variation primarily reflects geographical differences. Functional ecological weed data clearly distinguish the Provence fields from those surveyed in a previous study of intensively managed spelt wheat in Asturias, north-western Spain: as expected, weed ecological data reflect higher soil fertility and disturbance in Asturias. Similarly, crop stable nitrogen isotope values distinguish between intensive manuring in Asturias and long-term cultivation with minimal manuring in Haute Provence. The new model of cereal cultivation intensity based on weed ecology and crop isotope values in Haute Provence and Asturias was tested through application to two other present-day regimes, successfully identifying a high-intensity regime in the Sighisoara region, Romania, and low-intensity production in Kastamonu, Turkey. Application of this new model to Neolithic archaeobotanical assemblages in central Europe suggests that early farming tended to be intensive, and likely incorporated manuring, but also exhibited considerable variation, providing a finer grained understanding of cultivation intensity than previously available

Neolithic occupation and stone working on the Yorkshire Wolds

This thesis explores the evidence for Neolithic occupation and stone working on the Yorkshire Wolds based on stray finds and lithic scatters from surface contexts. Traditional models for Neolithic occupation are based largely on evidence from excavated contexts, in particular the groups of Neolithic pits at Rudston, and Neolithic houses on the Holderness coast. Extensive scatters of worked flint, however, have been identified on the Yorkshire Wolds. These scatters have not been incorporated into accounts of Neolithic occupation for two reasons: 1) the lithic scatters are typically characterised by low-densities of artefacts, and; 2) the scatters typically contain few artefacts which are typologically diagnostic. A methodology that addresses both of these problems was developed, using: 1) an implementation of Tobler’s resel-based GIS to apply focal functions/spatial filters to polygon features in order to identify spatial patterning in survey data characterised by low-densities of artefacts, and; 2) a method for assigning dates to stone tools and lithic debitage using artefact scores based on diagnostic traits identified through the analysis of lithic assemblages from excavated contexts. The methodology was developed using case studies drawn from a study area centred on the parish of Fimber that had previously been investigated in the nineteenth century by J.R. Mortimer. Analysis of lithic assemblages from sixteen of the Neolithic burial mounds excavated by Mortimer and a surface scatter at Wharram-le-Street close to the former source of the Gypsey Race was carried out. This analysis indicates that traditional models of Neolithic occupation based on a distinction between the High Wolds and Low Wolds cannot be sustained on the basis of evidence from surface contexts and that Neolithic stone working traditions on the Yorkshire Wolds were constrained by the nature of the raw materials available to local communities.</p

Neolithic occupation and stone working on the Yorkshire Wolds

This thesis explores the evidence for Neolithic occupation and stone working on the Yorkshire Wolds based on stray finds and lithic scatters from surface contexts. Traditional models for Neolithic occupation are based largely on evidence from excavated contexts, in particular the groups of Neolithic pits at Rudston, and Neolithic houses on the Holderness coast. Extensive scatters of worked flint, however, have been identified on the Yorkshire Wolds. These scatters have not been incorporated into accounts of Neolithic occupation for two reasons: 1) the lithic scatters are typically characterised by low-densities of artefacts, and; 2) the scatters typically contain few artefacts which are typologically diagnostic. A methodology that addresses both of these problems was developed, using: 1) an implementation of Toblerâs resel-based GIS to apply focal functions/spatial filters to polygon features in order to identify spatial patterning in survey data characterised by low-densities of artefacts, and; 2) a method for assigning dates to stone tools and lithic debitage using artefact scores based on diagnostic traits identified through the analysis of lithic assemblages from excavated contexts. The methodology was developed using case studies drawn from a study area centred on the parish of Fimber that had previously been investigated in the nineteenth century by J.R. Mortimer. Analysis of lithic assemblages from sixteen of the Neolithic burial mounds excavated by Mortimer and a surface scatter at Wharram-le-Street close to the former source of the Gypsey Race was carried out. This analysis indicates that traditional models of Neolithic occupation based on a distinction between the High Wolds and Low Wolds cannot be sustained on the basis of evidence from surface contexts and that Neolithic stone working traditions on the Yorkshire Wolds were constrained by the nature of the raw materials available to local communities.</p

Visibility and movement: towards a GIS-based integrated approach

A continuing theme since the initial adoption of GIS technology by archaeologists has been the modelling of visibility and movement as ways of understanding past landscapes and he people who inhabited them. The underlying issues have been fully explored elsewhere and here we briefly introduce only the main points relevant to the work presented in this paper. Modelling visibility and movement is usually justified through an interest in "perceiving the landscape" and an attempt to move GIS-based analysis away from "detached objectivism" (describing landscape as if viewing from a distance) towards "situated subjectivity" (trying to understand landscape from experiencing it directly)

Tooth enamel oxygen "isoscapes" show a high degree of human mobility in prehistoric Britain

A geostatistical model to predict human skeletal oxygen isotope values (δ(18)Op) in Britain is presented here based on a new dataset of Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age human teeth. The spatial statistics which underpin this model allow the identification of individuals interpreted as 'non-local' to the areas where they were buried (spatial outliers). A marked variation in δ(18)Op is observed in several areas, including the Stonehenge region, the Peak District, and the Yorkshire Wolds, suggesting a high degree of human mobility. These areas, rich in funerary and ceremonial monuments, may have formed focal points for people, some of whom would have travelled long distances, ultimately being buried there. The dataset and model represent a baseline for future archaeological studies, avoiding the complex conversions from skeletal to water δ(18)O values-a process known to be problematic

Towards a biologically available strontium isotope baseline for Ireland

Strontium isotopes are used in archaeology, ecology, forensics, and other disciplines to study the origin of artefacts, humans, animals and food items. Strontium in animal and human tissues such as bone and teeth originates from food and drink consumed during life, leaving an isotopic signal corresponding to their geographical origin (i.e. where the plants grew, the animals grazed and the drinking water passed through). To contextualise the measurements obtained directly on animal and human remains, it is necessary to have a sound baseline of the isotopic variation of biologically available strontium in the landscape. In general, plants represent the main source of strontium for humans and animals as they usually contain much higher strontium concentrations than animal products (meat and milk) or drinking water. The observed difference between the strontium isotope composition of geological bedrock, soils and plants from the same locality warrants direct measurement of plants to create a reliable baseline. Here we present the first baseline of the biologically available strontium isotope composition for the island of Ireland based on 228 measurements on plants from 140 distinct locations. The isoscape shows significant variation in strontium isotope composition between different areas of Ireland with values as low as 0.7067 for the basalt outcrops in County Antrim and values of up to 0.7164 in the Mourne Mountains. This variability confirms the potential for studying mobility and landscape use of past human and animal populations in Ireland. Furthermore, in some cases, large differences were observed between different types of plants from the same location, highlighting the need to measure more than one plant sample per location for the creation of BASr baselines.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Strontium isotope analysis on cremated human remains from Stonehenge support links with west Wales

Cremated human remains from Stonehenge provide direct evidence on the life of those few select individuals buried at this iconic Neolithic monument. The practice of cremation has, however, precluded the application of strontium isotope analysis of tooth enamel as the standard chemical approach to study their origin. New developments in strontium isotopic analysis of cremated bone reveal that at least 10 of the 25 cremated individuals analysed did not spend their lives on the Wessex chalk on which the monument is found. Combined with the archaeological evidence, we suggest that their most plausible origin lies in west Wales, the source of the bluestones erected in the early stage of the monument’s construction. These results emphasise the importance of inter-regional connections involving the movement of both materials and people in the construction and use of Stonehenge.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe