Showing papers in "Geoarchaeology-an International Journal in 2007"
304 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the Holocene occupational history of the eastern Sahara west of the Nile combined with the study of climatic, environmental, and geomorphological archives.
Abstract: Supraregional investigations of the Holocene occupational history of the eastern Sahara west of the Nile combined with the study of climatic, environmental, and geomorphological archives were carried out in contrasting desert regions from the Mediterranean coast strip to Wadi Howar in Sudan. The research areas are located far away from groundwater influence and are therefore capable of indicating environmental changes. Climatic development in accordance with nearly 500 14C dates from archaeological sites indicates a Holocene optimum lasting from approximately 9500 B.P. till the beginning of the drying trend that set in about 6300 B.P. (9000–5300 cal. B.C.). Although the faunal and floral remains are arid types, they indicate slightly wetter conditions than today. Surface water was the key factor that influenced the adaptation strategies of the mobile hunter-gatherers (and in some parts, the pastoralists) in the desert regions. Large episodic camp sites agglomerated at favorable drainage systems and water pools, and settlement patterns strongly correlate with the paleohydrological factors examined with remote sensing cartography, geomorphological work, and the analysis of digital elevation models. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
103 citations
TL;DR: The most promising features for identifying lime are transitional textures of partially carbonized slaked lime that can be observed in the lime lumps and the binding matrix as discussed by the authors, which are usually in the form of ill-crystallized portlandite and calcite mixtures or cryptocrystalline calcite.
Abstract: Most prehistoric plasters and mortars consist of very small amounts of burnt lime mixed with anthropogenic debris, soil, and sediment. To solve the problem of identification of such small amounts of lime in impure lime plasters, a series of experimental plasters were prepared and studied with petrographic methods. Samples of living floors from five prehistoric sites in Greece were also reanalyzed under the light of the experimental findings and compared with natural calcareous sediment. The most promising features for identifying lime are transitional textures of partially carbonized slaked lime that can be observed in the lime lumps and the binding matrix. They are usually in the form of ill-crystallized portlandite and calcite mixtures or cryptocrystalline calcite. Well-reacted calcitic groundmass, shrinkage fractures, and occasionally colloidal forms are also additional indications. The present experimental study shows that lime could be easily produced by heating porous, soft calcareous materials. This would probably account for the very frequent use (in small quantities) of lime in Greek prehistory. Plaster and mortars were made by mixing damp anthopogenic dirt as aggregate and fragments of quicklime, a technique known as “hot mixing.” © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
81 citations
TL;DR: In addition to research carried out on soils and sediments, there is a parallel field of research applying the same analytical techniques to the study of chemical residues in stuccoes.
Abstract: In addition to research carried out on soils and sediments, there is a parallel field of research applying the same analytical techniques to the study of chemical residues in stuccoes. The most common material used to build floors in Mesoamerica after the Classic period was lime plaster. The study of residues in stuccoes becomes, therefore, a very promising study area. In last 25 years the Archaeological Prospection Laboratory at Mexico's National Autonomous University has developed a research strategy to study human activities based on ethnoarchaeological studies to interpret the distribution of chemical residues in archaeological floors. The most successful applications have been in lime-plastered surfaces; this article presents a brief review of these works. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
80 citations
TL;DR: The El Kowm oasis in the desert steppe of Central Syria is one of the oldest settlement centers in the Middle East and is significant worldwide for its great density of Paleolithic sites as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The El Kowm oasis in the desert steppe of Central Syria is one of the oldest settlement centers in the Middle East and is significant worldwide for its great density of Paleolithic sites. About 180 open-air sites dating between about one million and 10,000 years ago testify that humans regularly resided at or near the springs. The region represents a unique archive where the long-term cultural history and the development of the landscape can be observed. The sites of Nadaouiyeh and Hummal are the main focus of our research. Geoarchaeological studies on both sites have defined the formation of different sediment types, such as limnic, littoral, and terrestrial deposits. Those sediments provide evidence of eolian processes, but also post-depositional transformations like the precipitation of silica or pedogenesis. Additional archaeological layers give answers concerning the depositional environment, anthropogenic influence, and post-sedimentary changes. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
74 citations
TL;DR: The Kostenki-Borshchevo localities include 26 Upper Paleolithic sites on the first and second terraces along the west bank of the Don River, near Voronezh on the central East European Plain this article.
Abstract: The Kostenki-Borshchevo localities include 26 Upper Paleolithic sites on the first and second terraces along the west bank of the Don River, near Voronezh on the central East European Plain. Geoarchaeological research from 2001 through 2004 focused on sites Kostenki 1, 12, and 14, with additional work at Kostenki 11 and 16, and Borshchevo 5. The strata are grouped into three units (bottom up): Unit 1, > 50 ka, consists of coarse alluvium (representing upper terrace 2 deposits) and colluvium, overlain by fine-grained sediments. Unit 2 includes archaeological horizons sealed within two sets of thin lenses of silt, carbonate, chalk fragments, and organic-rich soils (termed the Lower Humic Bed and Upper Humic Bed) dating 50-30 ka. Separating the humic beds is a volcanic ash lens identified as the Campanian Ignimbrite Y5 tephra, dated elsewhere by Ar/Ar to ca. 40 ka. The humic beds appear to result from the complex interplay of soil formation, spring deposition, slope action, and other processes. Several horizons buried in the lower part of Unit 2 contain Upper Paleolithic assemblages. The springs and seeps, which are still present in the area today, emanated from the bedrock valley wall. Their presence may account for the unusually high concentration of Upper Paleolithic sites in this part of the central East European Plain. Unit 3, < 30 ka, contains redeposited loess with a buried soil (Gmelin Soil) overlain by a primary full-glacial loess with an associated Chernozem (Mollisol), forming the surface of the second terrace. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
71 citations
TL;DR: In this article, it is shown that the reliability of TL results of heated flint depends on the proportion of the various dose-rate parameters and that these are important for the evaluation of ages.
Abstract: Thermoluminescence (TL) dating is now widely used in the age determination of Paleolithic sites. Although the basic principle of TL-dating is simple, the underlying assumptions are not trivial. One major source of error is the external dose rate, which contributes to a varying degree to the denominator of the age formula and thus has a varying influence on the dating result. The intention of this paper is to enable the user to evaluate TL age determinations of heated flint. The parameters used for age determination and some of their relationships are discussed. It is shown that the reliability of TL results of heated flint depends on the proportion of the various dose-rate parameters and that these are important for the evaluation of ages. The limitations of the method as well as the advantages are discussed. TL-dating results for two Near Eastern Paleolithic sites (Rosh Ein Mor and Jerf al-Ajla) are discussed as examples. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
68 citations
TL;DR: A sedimentologic and geomorphologic analysis of ancient geographies of the floodplains and delta of the Kucuk Menderes (ancient Cayster River) around the city of Ephesus and the Artemision in Aegean coastal Anatolia is presented in this paper.
Abstract: This study is a sedimentologic and geomorphologic analysis of ancient geographies of the floodplains and delta of the Kucuk Menderes (ancient Cayster River) around the city of Ephesus and the Artemision in Aegean coastal Anatolia. The authors emphasize the interrelationship of archaeological dating and structure, and historical comment in interdisciplinary analysis of ancient geographies and their paleoenvironments. In some cases, the historical literature is specific and factual. In other cases, legend from prehistory may provide important clues to the reconstruction of ancient environments as related to archaeological and historical settings. Ephesus and the closely related Artemision, or Temple of Diana of the Ephesians, offer a chance to link the disciplines of geology, physical geography, archaeology, history, and epigraphy in a composite of paleoenvironmental/paleogeographical interpretations of geomorphology over the past three millennia. Holocene sea-level rise and marine transgression provide the raised paralic settings of the harbors of Ephesus and the Artemision. The settings of the harbors were altered by continuing progradation of the ancient Cayster River delta-floodplain over the past three millennia. This research shows how interdisciplinary research greatly enhances our understanding of the ancient geographies of Ephesus and the Artemision. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
62 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied the agroecology of runoff farming with the Zuni to evaluate nutrient and hydrologic processes, management, maize productivity and soil quality in some of the oldest recognized fields in the United States.
Abstract: Research on soil fertility is presented in the context of runoff agriculture, a venerable farming system that has been used for millennia in arid to semiarid regions, where water is a major limiting resource for crop production. The agroecology of runoff farming was studied with the Zuni to evaluate nutrient and hydrologic processes, management, maize productivity, and soil quality in some of the oldest recognized fields in the United States. This ancient Southwest agriculture has functioned without conventional irrigation or fertilization by tapping into biogeochemical processes in natural watersheds connected to fields. Carefully placed fields are managed on alluvial fans and other valley margin landforms to intercept runoff and associated sediment and organic debris transported from adjoining forested uplands. We report on research to evaluate and link nitrogen and phosphorus, two key nutrients for crop production, in watershed, soil, and crop components of this agroecosystem. Nutrient data have been collected by observational and experimental methods for each component and the transport of nutrients from watershed to field to maize. The condition of Zuni agricultural soils suggests that their knowledge and management of soils contributed to effective conservation. This study and others indicate the need for further long-term monitoring and experimental research on watersheds, runoff processes, field soils, and crops across a range of arid to semiarid ecosystems. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
52 citations
TL;DR: Soil chemical surveying: A path to a deeper understanding of prehistoric sites and societies in Sweden as mentioned in this paper, where the authors present a set of tools for soil chemical survey and exploration.
Abstract: Soil chemical surveying : A path to a deeper understanding of prehistoric sites and societies in Sweden
52 citations
TL;DR: In this article, soil profiles collected from a 2.5-km transect radiating from the Maya center of Motul de San Jose were analyzed for the stable carbon-isotope composition of their soil organic matter.
Abstract: Soil profiles collected from a 2.5-km transect radiating from the Maya center of Motul de San Jose were analyzed for the stable carbon-isotope composition of their soil organic matter. The residues of maize (Zea mays), the only C4 plant known to have been cultivated in this area by the ancient Maya, impart a carbon-isotope signature to the underlying soil organic matter reservoir that is distinct from that produced by the native C3 forest vegetation. The varying turnover rates of the humic acid and humin fractions of the soil organic matter allowed us to distinguish between the presence of modern and ancient maize residues in these soils, and to delineate the lateral extent of maize cultivation at this ancient Maya site. The strongest isotopic evidence of maize residues is preserved in the soils surrounding the peripheral settlement of Chakokot and at one locality within the urban center of Motul de San Jose. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In the absence of documentary evidence about settlement form and agricultural practice in northwest Scotland before the mid-18th century, a geoarchaeological approach to reconstructing medieval land use and settlement form is presented in this paper.
Abstract: In the absence of documentary evidence about settlement form and agricultural practice in northwest Scotland before the mid-18th century, a geoarchaeological approach to reconstructing medieval land use and settlement form is presented here. This study applies multi-elemental analysis to soils previously collected from a settlement site in the Hebrides and highlights the importance of a detailed knowledge of the local soil environment and the cultural context. Geostatistical methods were used to analyze the spatial variability and distribution of a range of soil properties typically associated with geoarchaeological investigations. Semivariograms were produced to determine the spatial dependence of soil properties, and ordinary kriging was undertaken to produce prediction maps of the spatial distribution of these soil properties and enable interpolation over nonsampled locations in an attempt to more fully elucidate former land-use activity and settlement patterns. The importance of identifying the spatial covariance of elements and the need for several lines of physical and chemical evidence is highlighted. For many townships in the Hebrides, whose precise location and layout prior to extensive land reorganization in the late 18th-early 19th century is not recoverable through plans, multi-elemental analysis of soils can offer a valuable prospective and diagnostic tool.
TL;DR: In Tonga, the forearc islands lie along the Tonga platform, a linear tract of shoals uplifted diachronously by subduction of the buoyant Louisville Ridge at Tonga Trench, some tectonically stable during late Holocene time but others undergoing postuplift subsidence as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Ancient settlement patterns in central Tonga, at the southeastern limit of Lapita expansion into Remote Oceania ˜3 ka, were conditioned by island geomorphology as controlled by spatial geotectonic features and temporal changes in relative sea level on island coasts. Volcanic islands provided lithic resources, but human populations were concentrated on nonvolcanic forearc islands underlain by limestone covered by airfall tephra blankets that weathered to form rich agricultural soils and eroded to provide terrigenous sand for ceramic temper. The forearc islands lie along the Tonga platform, a linear tract of shoals uplifted diachronously by subduction of the buoyant Louisville Ridge at the Tonga Trench. Multiple transverse structural discontinuities break the forearc into discrete structural blocks, some tectonically stable during late Holocene time but others undergoing postuplift subsidence. Understanding the paleoenvironmental settings of Tongan archaeological sites requires reconstructing the contrasting geologic histories of different forearc island clusters. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this paper, the application of a new technique developed to identify different fuel sources from ash on nine archaeological sites in the Western and Northern Isles of Scotland is presented, based on variations observed in the mineral magnetic signatures that derive from the experimental burning of different fuels.
Abstract: The application of a new technique developed to identify different fuel sources from ash on nine archaeological sites in the Western and Northern Isles of Scotland is presented. The technique is based on variations observed in the mineral magnetic signatures that derive from the experimental burning of different fuels. The application of the technique is successful, demonstrating both uniformity and diversity in fuel use. A marked continuity of practice in fuel procurement is apparent over thousands of years from seven sites in Lewis, with well-humified peat the dominant fuel source. This implies a long-term stability in the division and tenure of the peatlands. Greater magnetic variation is displayed by the samples from Cladh Hallan, South Uist and Scatness, Shetland, suggesting more diverse fuel procurement strategies were in operation at these sites. The uniformity and diversity in fuel types also has implications in terms of the residuality of plant remains from the fuel source within archaeobotanical assemblages recovered from the sites.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors characterized soil profiles and utilized changes in stable carbon isotope ratios of soil organic matter (SOM) to locate and interpret areas of ancient C4 plant growth and maize (Zea mays) cultivation among the Maya.
Abstract: The ancient Maya subsisted in an environment limited by shallow soils and unpredictable weather patterns until their collapse ∼A.D. 800–900. Ancient subsistence can be a difficult subject, with little physical evidence of agricultural artifacts and structures. This study characterized soil profiles and utilized changes in stable carbon isotope ratios of soil organic matter (SOM) to locate and interpret areas of ancient C4 plant growth and maize (Zea mays) cultivation among the Maya. The investigation indicated some of the challenges the Maya faced, including shallow and sloped soils in some areas. The C4 plant signature was found in seasonal wetland soils on the opposite side of the Laguneta Aguateca from the ruins of Aguateca, but not in the perennial wetlands on the immediate side. No C4 plant signature was detected in the shoulder and backslope soils. Based on these findings, the ancient Maya of Aguateca probably adapted to their environment by farming rich toeslope soils. It is possible that maize was also grown in the seasonal wetlands adjacent to the site. If the steep backslope soils around Aguateca were used in ancient agriculture, the evidence has probably eroded away. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this paper, a preliminary soil micromorphology study of cultural sediments at Tabon Cave, Philippines, supports interpretations of sporadic occupation in the Paleolithic, and suggests that in appropriate settings, stratified cave sediments could be useful for the study of regional sea level rise.
Abstract: Preliminary soil micromorphology study of cultural sediments at Tabon Cave, Philippines, supports interpretations of sporadic occupation in the Paleolithic. The presence in some deposits of authigenic minerals potentially related to altered cultural materials, such as ash, needs further investigation. Later in the sequence there is a marked change in local depositional processes, with the onset of significant quartz sand deposition in layers dating from the Middle to Late Holocene. This could relate to beach development in the area. Future sedimentological study and dating would confirm this interpretation, which suggests that in appropriate settings, stratified cave sediments could be useful for the study of regional sea level rise. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the impact of geological and geomorphological settings on formation processes of shelter sites in the karstic Zagros Mountains of Iran, and suggested that apart from site formation and post-depositional processes, the local geological and Geomorphological structure might also have had some influence on the distribution of prehistoric sites.
Abstract: This paper is a first attempt to explore the impact of geological and geomorphological settings on formation processes of shelter sites in the karstic Zagros Mountains of Iran. In general, the Zagros Mountains can be divided geologically and geomorphologically into two main zones, highland and folded, which are located parallel to each other and run from the northeast to the southwest in western Iran. Both the geological and geomorphological zones have implications for the formation processes of archaeological deposits at shelter sites. These environmental differences also influence the preservation of archaeological deposits at these types of sites. It is suggested that apart from site formation and post-depositional processes, the local geological and geomorphological structure might also have had some influence on the distribution of prehistoric sites in the region. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors combine ethnoarchaeological observations of midden formation and disturbance in Dalupa with data from soils and sediments in natural, habitation, and midden contexts, including elemental data for 80 samples collected using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy.
Abstract: Middens are surprisingly fluid entities in occupied communities, as shown by ethnoarchaeological research in Dalupa, Kalinga Province, northern Luzon, the Philippines. This study combines ethnoarchaeological observations of midden formation and disturbance in Dalupa with data from soils and sediments in natural, habitation, and midden contexts, including elemental data for 80 samples collected using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. Most surface samples from habitation areas cluster with midden samples, although samples from the lower parts of theses profiles resemble samples from natural contexts around Dalupa. One explanation is a changing spatial distribution of active middens due to changes in house placement and occupation in Dalupa's history. Some habitation areas that chemically resemble middens may once have held middens, as suggested by the periodic changes in midden location from the cleaning and management of extramural space. Surface scatters of human and animal refuse throughout the habitation area may also contribute to this pattern. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: The 'Ayoun Qedim locality includes seven deflated Acheulian sites within and around a limestone box canyon, Juwit el Ghuweir, in the northern al-Jafr Basin, Jordan.
Abstract: The 'Ayoun Qedim locality includes seven deflated Acheulian sites within and around a limestone box canyon, Juwit el Ghuweir, in the northern al-Jafr Basin, Jordan. Survey of these sites identified dense scatters of Acheulian bifaces ( _ 1650) along with debris, cores, and reduction material from their production and maintenance. Although there is a clear Levallois component in the assemblages, reflecting a Late Acheulian occupation, strictly Middle and Upper Paleolithic sites are uncommon in this locality. Analysis of the geology and geomorphology of the northern al-Jafr Basin indicates the area is strongly influenced by shallow subsurface groundwater flow and discharge, and Juwit el Ghuweir displays classic features of a canyon formed by groundwater seepage and sapping, except for the lack of a perennial spring within the modern canyon. The authors suggest that the extreme density of Lower Paleolithic material at 'Ayoun Qedim is associated with perennial groundwater discharge at Juwit el Ghuweir during the Middle Pleistocene and that the dearth of later Paleolithic material is attributable to the cessation of perennial spring discharge. The cause of the spring's cessation is unknown, but may have been related to local geomorphic factors, such as head migration of adjacent streams, or to more regional geomorphic factors, such as the lowering of theregional water table in the area of al-Jafr Basin. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: The Big Eddy site (23CE426) in the Sac River valley of southwest Missouri is a rare recorded example of distinctly stratified Early through Late Paleoindian cultural deposits as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Big Eddy site (23CE426) in the Sac River valley of southwest Missouri is a rare recorded example of distinctly stratified Early through Late Paleoindian cultural deposits. Early point types recovered from the site include Gainey, Sedgwick, Dalton (fluted and unfluted), San Patrice, Wilson, and Packard. The Paleoindian record at Big Eddy represents only a fraction of the site's prehistoric cultural record; stratified cultural deposits in alluvium above the Paleoindian components span the entire known prehistoric sequence, and terminal Pleistocene alluvium may contain pre-Early Paleoindian cultural deposits. This study focused on the paleogeomorphic setting, stratigraphy, depositional environments, pedology, geochronology, and history of landscape evolution of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene alluvium at the site. The Paleoindian sequence is associated with a complex buried soil 2.85 m below the modern surface (T1a) of the first terrace of the Sac River valley in the site vicinity. This soil formed at the top of the early submember of the Rodgers Shelter Member (underlying the T1c paleogeomorphic surface) and contains at least 70 cm of stratified Paleoindian cultural deposits, all in floodplain and upper point-bar facies. A suite of 36 radiocarbon ages indicates that the alluvium hosting the Paleoindian sequence aggraded between ca. 13,250 and 11,870 cal yr B.P. (11,380 and 10,180 14C yr B.P.). Underlying deposits accumulated between ca. 15,300 and 13,250 cal yr B.P. (12,950 and 11,380 14C yr B.P.). By ca. 11,250 cal yr B.P. (9,840 14C yr B.P.) the T1c paleogeomorphic surface was buried by the earliest increment of a thick sequence of overbank sheetflood facies, ultimately resulting in deep burial and preservation of the Paleoindian record. The landform-sediment assemblage that hosts the Paleoindian and possibly earlier cultural deposits at Big Eddy is both widespread and well preserved in the lower Sac River valley. Moreover, the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene depositional environments were favorable for the preservation of the archaeological record. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, soil nutrient analysis is used in the Kalaupapa field system, Moloka’i Island, Hawai'i, to detect an increase in wind erosion attributable to intensive agriculture following the burning of endemic forest.
Abstract: Wind erosion is a major problem for modern farmers, a key variable affecting nutrient levels in ecosystems, and a potentially major force impacting archaeological site formation; however, it has received scant consideration in geoarchaeological studies of agricultural development compared with more easily quantifiable environmental costs, such as vegetation change or fluvial erosion. In this study, soil nutrient analysis is used in the Kalaupapa field system, Moloka’i Island, Hawai’i, to detect an increase in wind erosion attributable to intensive agriculture following the burning of endemic forest. This practice began on a small scale in the 13th century A.D., expanded around cal A.D. 1450–1550, and continued until the near total abandonment of the fields after European contact in the 18th century. Nutrients that naturally occur in high amounts in coastal windward areas due to the long-term, cumulative effect of sea spray were especially impacted. However, thanks to the unique landform of the Kalaupapa Peninsula, nutrient depletion in windward areas was offset by downwind enrichment and likely contributed to the long-term sustainability of the system as a whole. Future research on tropical and arid agriculture should consider the cumulative environmental cost of increased eolian erosion attributable to anthropogenic landscape modification. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, the strengths and weaknesses of three different methods for quantifying prehistoric soil erosion were discussed and compared to a Celtic earthwork (Viereckschanze) at Poign (near Regensburg) in Southern Germany in order to cross check the different results.
Abstract: This paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of three different methods for quantifying prehistoric soil erosion. Method A estimates erosion by determining the amount of colluvium stored downhill. Method B involves reconstructing a former erosion surface using truncated soil horizons. Method C compares the elevation of a paleosol beneath an earthwork with the modern surface in the surrounding area. Each method was applied to a Celtic earthwork (Viereckschanze) at Poign (near Regensburg) in Southern Germany in order to cross-check the different results. For an erosion area of 3.6 ha and during 300 years of agricultural usage, Method A calculates a minimum erosion rate of 20.8 t/ha/a. Method B computes 10 t/ha/a of soil loss. Method C yields the highest rate of erosion with 24.2 t/ha/a. We have confidence in Method C, which implies an underassesment of soil loss in using methods A or B. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: The only route with evidence of fired rock along the roadway leading into Italia follows the Col du Clapier, one of the possible northern routes discussed by historians as discussed by the authors, but whereas time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometers (ToF-SIMS), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM-EDS), backscatter electron scanning microscopy (BSE), high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), and Raman Spectroscopic data do not provide an age for the burnt rock, compositional evidence
Abstract: Identification of the exact route followed by Hannibal during his invasion of Italia in the Second Punic War is one of the major questions of antiquity and one that historians/archaeologists have long studied. One of the many clues in the ancient literature that can help answer this question is the mention of fired rock, the result of a conflagration Hannibal is reputed to have employed to reduce the size of boulders in a blocking rockslide some distance down from the high col on the Italian side. The only route with evidence of fired rock along the roadway leading into Italia follows the Col du Clapier, one of the possible northern routes discussed by historians. Radiocarbon dating of calcined rocks is not possible, but whereas Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM-EDS), backscatter electron scanning microscopy (BSE), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM), and Raman Spectroscopic data do not provide an age for the burnt rock, compositional evidence of the conflagration derived from these analyses may shed light on Hannibal's actual route. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: Webb et al. as mentioned in this paper examined soil resources in the Motul de San Jose area and provided a framework for assessment of ancient Mayan land-use strategies in this area, along with a subsequent carbon isotopic study of ancient vegetative signatures.
Abstract: Investigations of soil resources in the department of Peten, Guatemala can provide important insight into the agricultural and land use strategies of the ancient Maya. The site of Motul de San Jose, located 3 km north of Guatemala's Lago Peten Itza, is situated in the core zone of Classic Maya civilization and in an area currently inhabited by the modern Itza Maya. This area was occupied and farmed from the Middle Preclassic period (˜600 B.C.) to the Early Postclassic (˜A.D. 1000). During the Late Classic period (˜A.D. 600–830), Motul de San Jose was one of many centers of intense population growth. The authors focused on examining soil resources in the Motul de San Jose area. Soil studies included chemical and physical evaluations of soils and an investigation of the traditional soil classification system used by modern Itza Maya farmers in the community of San Jose. The results of these investigations, along with a subsequent carbon isotopic study of ancient vegetative signatures by Webb et al. (this issue, 291–312) provide a framework for assessment of ancient Maya land-use strategies in the Motul de San Jose area. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this paper, the Galana River in Tsavo East National Park, eastern Kenya, was investigated and archeological evidence indicated that the inhabitants of these sites utilized ceramics and stone tools similar to Pastoral Neolithic traditions detected at other penecontemporaneous archaeological sites in East Africa and possessed domesticated cattle from ca. 6000 years ago.
Abstract: Geoarchaeological investigations along the Galana River, eastern Kenya, document a pattern of channel aggradation and then degradation from the Middle to Late Holocene. Archaeological occupations at six sites in fluvial terraces along a ˜100 km stretch of the Galana River in Tsavo East National Park correspond with fluvial aggradation beginning ca. 6000 years ago. Artifact analyses indicate that the inhabitants of these sites utilized ceramics and stone tools similar to Pastoral Neolithic traditions detected at other penecontemporaneous archaeological sites in East Africa and possessed domesticated cattle from ca. 3700 years ago. The site occupations that occur during this period have dense artifact concentrations of predominantly locally procured items. The Galana River incised after ca. 900 years ago and there is a noticeable paucity of archaeological material, reflecting more peripatetic lifestyles. This shift in settlement pattern may reflect a decrease in reliance on riverine food sources during the Late Holocene, with diminished riparian environments associated with channel incision. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, a paucity of intact fire-cracked rock features in the lower solum is consistent with the downward migration of deeply buried artifacts by biomechanical processes, especially floralturbation.
Abstract: In cool coniferous forest settings of the Northern Rocky Mountains, well-preserved fire-cracked rock (FCR) features within 30 cm of the surface on ostensibly stable, sandy upland landforms date to the last six millennia. Isolated FCR and artifacts sometimes extend a meter or more below surface, which is suggestive of in situ burial. A paucity of intact features in the lower solum, however, is consistent with the downward migration of deeply buried artifacts by biomechanical processes, especially floralturbation. Moreover, an absence of credible sediment source areas usually precludes colluvial deposition, and results of grain-size analysis reported herein are inconsistent with eolian deposition. Site disarticulation rates tend to be faster on landforms in warmer forested regions of south-central North America, given that most intact FCR features there date only to the last two millennia. The very presence of millennia-old FCR features in these diverse settings, however, is a testament to their durability and utility as measures of site integrity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In the early 20th century, a model of aboriginal native copper procurement was developed by archaeologists that did not take into account the geological literature, which had long identified numerous sources of native copper in North America as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Although native copper has attracted the scholarly attention of both geologists and archaeologists since the middle of the 19th century, it is only recently that native copper studies have benefited from interdisciplinary research. This history of disciplinary solitude can be traced to the professionalization of the two fields in the early 20th century, an era in which crossdisciplinary communication began to wane. The effects of this phenomena resulted in the development of a model of aboriginal native copper procurement by archaeologists that did not take into account the geological literature, which had long identified numerous—rather than a single—source of native copper in North America. In this article, the author discusses how this disciplinary solitude developed and how it resulted in the creation of a dominant model for native copper procurement that constrained our understanding of aboriginal lifeways for generations. The author also considers how increasing collaboration between geologists and archaeologists since the 1970s has led to the reevaluation of an old model of native copper procurement that has been uncritically accepted by most archaeologists for over a century and a half. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, the transition from full glacial to interglacial conditions along the southern margin of the Laurentide ice sheet resulted in dramatic changes in landscapes and biotic habitats.
Abstract: The transition from full glacial to interglacial conditions along the southern margin of the Laurentide ice sheet resulted in dramatic changes in landscapes and biotic habitats. Strata and landforms resulting from the Wisconsin Episode of glaciation in the area directly west of Lake Superior indicate a context for late Pleistocene biota (including human populations) connected to ice margins, proglacial lakes, and postglacial drainage systems. Late Glacial landscape features that have the potential for revealing the presence of Paleoindian artifacts include abandoned shorelines of proglacial lakes in the Superior and Agassiz basins and interior drainages on deglaciated terrains. The linkage between Late Pleistocene human populations and Rancholabrean fauna has yet to be demonstrated in the western Lake Superior region, although isolated remains of mammoth ( Mammuthus) have been documented, as well as fluted points assigned to Clovis, Folsom, and Holcombe-like artifact forms. Agate Basin and Hell Gap (Plano-type) artifacts also imply the presence of human groups in Late Glacial landscapes associated with the Agassiz and Superior basins. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, an initial assessment of the Hawara pyramid structure was made and causes of water ingress were investigated through analysis of water samples, and stable oxygen isotope measurements indicated that the source of water within the pyramid is the Bahr Selah canal.
Abstract: The Hawara Pyramid is an outstanding monument. However, the mudbrick structure shows signs of erosion, and the passages and chambers are currently submerged. The problem of water ingress has mainly arisen since the 1880s. In this study, an initial assessment of the pyramid structure was made and causes of water ingress were investigated through analysis of water samples. Stable oxygen isotope measurements indicate that the source of water within the pyramid is the Bahr Selah canal. Water within the pyramid is highly saline compared to the Bahr Selah, and evaporation can only partly account for this high salinity. The composition of dissolved ions suggests that dissolution of salts in soils and from bedrock in the vicinity of the pyramid has enhanced the salinity of water percolating into the pyramid structure. Water ingress and salt deposition are at present the main threat to the integrity of the monument. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.