Showing papers in "Journal of Archaeological Science in 2011"

TL;DR: In this article, aerial LiDAR images of a 200 square km area covering the settlement of Caracol, a long-term occupied (600 BC-A.D. 250e900) Maya archaeological site in Belize, were used to analyze past settlement and landscape modifications in tropical regions.

TL;DR: In this article, the impact of animal manure application on the δ15N values of a broad range of crops (cereals and pulses), under a range of manuring levels/regimes and at a series of locations extending from northwest Europe to the eastern Mediterranean, was explored.

TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the last 6000 years of the eastern Mediterranean paleoclimate data and reconstructions from the region with a focus on the last 5000 years is presented, where the authors provide an up-to-date source of information on climate variability and outline present limitations and future opportunities.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed the ultrastructure and chemistry of fish bone, with an emphasis on zooarchaeology and stable isotope analysis, and concluded that the traditional range of acceptable C:N ratios for archaeological bone collagen (2.9-3.6) should not be shifted or extended for fish on the basis of the amino acid composition of collagen.

TL;DR: The natural and anthropogenic/cultural taphonomic processes that affect the preservation and identification of livestock dung, and the archaeological information that can be extracted through detailed studies of the context and content of identified livestock dail in archaeological sites are modeled and discussed.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report new evidence from the Lower Tilemsi Valley in northeastern Mali, which constitutes the earliest archaeobotanical evidence for domesticated pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), predating other finds from Africa or India by several centuries.

TL;DR: In this article, modern and fossil phytoliths were extracted from wheat using new methods to minimize dissolution, and by burning in an oven, and these assemblages were placed in a solution buffered to pH 10 and maintained under constant temperature and shaking conditions.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the mtDNA content of different hard and soft tissues in 42 ancient human and bovid specimens at a range of fragment lengths (77-235-bp) using real-time PCR.

TL;DR: In this paper, a comparative approach to the Middle Paleolithic series from western France shows that the Levallois and laminar flaking systems, the Mousterian of Acheulian Tradition (MTA) shaping system and the Quina and discoidal-denticulate flaking system, vary significantly in terms of duration of reduction sequences, blank versatility and tool maintenance.

TL;DR: A Matlab tool for archaeomagnetic dating has been developed in this article, which can be used to date palaeosecular variation curves (PSVCs) with unknown ages.

TL;DR: This work describes a method that tracks the weaning process at the individual level based on the measurement of stable nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios in serial sections of first molar dentin collagen, and applies this micro-sampling technique to a sample of individuals from CA-CCO-548.

TL;DR: In this article, the results of a detailed functional study of 16 microlithic backed tools made on quartz, and newly excavated at Sibudu Cave, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, were discussed.

TL;DR: In this article, the use of discriminant function analyses (DFA) in archaeological and related research is on the increase, however many of the assumptions of this method receive a mixed treatment in the literature.

TL;DR: This article used stable isotope signatures from 300 archaeological cod (Gadus morhua) bones to determine whether this sea fishing revolution resulted from increased local fishing or the introduction of preserved fish transported from distant waters such as Arctic Norway, Iceland and/or the Northern Isles of Scotland (Orkney and Shetland).

TL;DR: In this article, the authors used portable XRF and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) to construct compositional groups of intact Mimbres and Jornada sherds from the American Southwest.

TL;DR: Phenetic relationships here have revealed clear and interpretable phenotypic signatures in the samples of modern and Neolithic pigs; which provide evidence for pig domestication at the site of Jiahu from at least 6600 BC cal., re-establishing the Yellow River region as one of the earliest centre of independent Chinese pig domesticated.

TL;DR: Two remote-controlled systems were tested over two different archaeological sites in order to provide Digital Surface Models (DSMs) and large-scale maps (numeric maps and orthophotos) and an accuracy evaluation of the final products is reported.

TL;DR: In this paper, a new method to detect the anthocyanin malvidin that gives grapes and pomegranates their red color was presented, using solid phase extraction and alkaline treatment of the samples, followed by combined liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

TL;DR: Quantitative analysis of the published records of over 400,000 animal bones recovered from 114 archaeological sites from SW Asia and SE Europe demonstrates significant spatiotemporal variability in faunal exploitation patterns, setting the trend for sites of the 9th millennium and the appearance of Neolithic communities in SE Europe from the 8th millennium cal BP onwards.

TL;DR: An experimental program and microscopic patterns identified in the analysis of five worked bone morpho-functional groups: harpoon heads, drilled points, bipoints, awls and smoothers are presented to develop a general database useful to analyze archaeological bone tools.

TL;DR: The purpose is to create a series of methods and tools for testing and analysing theories and hypotheses for historical scenarios through the use of 3D modelling tools and Virtual Reality (VR) engines.

TL;DR: Bone warping and thumbnail fractures have been linked to the burning of fleshed and green bones, where the soft tissues have been removed from the bones soon after death as discussed by the authors.

TL;DR: In this paper, replicas of Magdalenian composite spear heads were used to test the performance of the composite points on the side of the spear. But the results of the experiment were limited to two young deer.

TL;DR: In this article, the results of multi- (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and strontium) isotopic analyses of bone and dentine collagen and tooth enamel were presented to obtain further information on the identity of these individuals and to investigate the relationship between burial rite and geographical origin in a Roman provincial capital.

TL;DR: In this paper, a multi-level analysis developed through an experimental framework and archaeological study using optical light microscopes, scanning electron microscopes and energy-dispersive X-ray microprobes identified the adhering residues as birch pitch.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of combining LCP and circuit theory for modeling past human movement and conclude that combining circuit theory and LCP allows archaeologists to produce richer models of past movement by appreciating scenarios where multiple pathways are important as well as scenarios where optimum single travel routes have priority.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe and discuss new evidence for Late Glacial small dogs in the South-West (Pont d'Ambon and Montespan) and North of France (Le Closeau).

TL;DR: The authors conducted a controlled experiment to determine whether a knapper's growing replication skills would be hindered if the toolstone used was switched from large flakes of an easily worked chert to nodules of less tractable one.

TL;DR: In this paper, usewear and starch analysis on grinding stones were employed to recover evidence for plant use in a hunting-gathering population at a late Paleolithic site, Shizitan Locality 9 in Jixian, Shanxi (ca. 13,800-8500 cal. BP).