Applying luminescence dating of ceramics to the problem of dating Arctic archaeological sites Publication date: December 2019 Source: Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 112 Author(s): Shelby L. Anderson, James K. Feathers Abstract Dating Arctic archaeological sites is challenging because of limited terrestrial bone and the high probability of old wood in northern regions. Luminescence dating of ceramic materials, abundant in western Arctic late Holocene archaeological sites, offers another potential source of chronological information. We set out to evaluate whether luminescence can provide chronological information in one particular region. We obtained luminescence ages on 14 pottery samples from seven study sites located on the coast and interior regions of northwest Alaska. Twelve of the luminescence dates are in accord with radiocarbon, tree ring, and artifact data from the study sites. Results indicate that all of the study sites may be older than previously established, suggesting previously unknown early Thule or Birnirk occupation of the coast and interior of northwest Alaska. We conclude that luminescence dating of ceramic materials from this region is possible and can complement other dating methods that are more widely accepted in the western Arctic. There is considerable potential through future applications of luminescence dating for improving northeast Asian and Arctic chronologies and expanding our understanding of circumpolar Holocene migration, cultural interaction, and change.

New excavations in Easter Island's statue quarry: Soil fertility, site formation and chronology Publication date: November 2019 Source: Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 111 Author(s): Sarah C. Sherwood, Jo Anne Van Tilburg, Casey R. Barrier, Mark Horrocks, Richard K. Dunn, José Miguel Ramírez-Aliaga Abstract This study centers on excavations in the inner region of Rano Raraku, the megalithic statue (moai) quarry of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). In Rano Raraku a transformed landscape is reconstructed based upon soil chemistry, micromorphology, and macro and micro-botanical data framed within a stratigraphic and radiocarbon informed Bayesian model that is the first for Rapa Nui. We focus on moai RR-0001-156, one of only three moai in the island-wide corpus known to be embellished with a dense suite of cohesive petroglyph motifs. Our results confirm a cultivated landscape present on the inner south and east slopes of Rano Raraku that included sweet potato and probably bottle gourd along with Polynesian transfers banana, taro, and paper mulberry from the 14th century AD continuing into the early 19th century AD. During this time of sociopolitical transformation and land use change across the island labor-intensive rock gardens were developed to increase productivity as soil fertility declined in the context of deforestation and perhaps drought while the pan-island center of ‘Oroŋo (Orongo) emerged at Rano Kau with an intensive ritual focus on fertility. Rano Raraku in sharp contrast had (and still has) extremely fertile soils that are the weathering byproduct of lapilli tuff sediments generated from the quarrying process and localized human activity. This study validates Rano Raraku as the major moai production center, establishes chronological parameters for the unique embellished statue and describes agricultural fertility to hypothesize a rich, multi-use landscape for Rano Raraku inner region that is unparalleled elsewhere on Rapa Nui.

The role of Chenopodium in the subsistence economy of pioneer agriculturalists on the northern frontier of the Linear Pottery culture in Kuyavia, central Poland Publication date: November 2019 Source: Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 111 Author(s): Aldona Mueller-Bieniek, Peter Bogucki, Joanna Pyzel, Magda Kapcia, Magdalena Moskal-del Hoyo, Dorota Nalepka Abstract When found on settlements of early European farmers, the dietary role of seeds of Chenopodium album (commonly called goosefoot or fat-hen) is difficult to assess. It is often hard to determine whether the small black seeds are modern or ancient. Rarely are they found in sufficient concentrations to warrant radiocarbon dating. Palaeobotanical sampling at the Neolithic site of Ludwinowo 7 in north-central Poland yielded abundant carbonized C. album seeds but only a modest quantity of domesticated cereals (einkorn wheat, Triticum monococcum, and the new type of glume wheat, NGW) and other cultivated plants (flax, Linum usitatissimum, and peas, cf. Pisum sativum). Samples of C. album seeds and carbonized wheat chaff from the same context produced consistent dates in the late 6th millennium B.C. The frequency of C. album type seeds at Ludwinowo suggests their presence was not incidental but intentional, contributing significantly to the diet of the inhabitants in multiple ways. We propose that wheat cultivation, although practiced, was not central to the subsistence economy of the inhabitants of Ludwinowo.

Implications of modern Barn owls pellets analysis for archaeological studies in the Middle East Publication date: November 2019 Source: Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 111 Author(s): Iván Rey-Rodríguez, Emmanuelle Stoetzel, Juan Manuel López-García, Christiane Denys Abstract Situated at the crossroad between Africa, Asia and Europe, the Middle East is an important region for the knowledge of human and mammal migrations. Among mammals, fossil small mammals are good proxies for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, and can also play the role of markers of prehistoric movements. In the aim to better characterize the origins and the palaeoecological signal delivered by the small vertebrate assemblages in Middle East archaeological sites, we performed a taxonomic and taphonomic study of the small mammal remains found in pellets from Barn owl (Tyto alba) from a poorly known region of South of Turkey at the Syrian border, east of Euphrates River. This will constitute the first available taphonomic referential for this region. The studied sample constituted by more than 40 disintegrated pellets provided 2503 rodent skeletal elements. The most common preys are Meriones tristami, followed by Mus musculus. The taphonomic study showed that our assemblage fits well with a predator category of light modification. Regarding the preservation, our mean bone relative abundance reached 82% and the bone fragmentation showed that more than 77% of our sample is intact. The digested elements represented 22% and the low to moderate grades were dominant (83.5%). Implications for environmental and climatic reconstructions based on small mammal communities were also explored using Bioclimatic Model and Habitat Weighting methods.

Spectral reflectance characterization and fiber type discrimination for common natural textile materials using a portable spectroradiometer Publication date: November 2019 Source: Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 111 Author(s): Hengqian Zhao, Yunli Wang, Shuai Liu, Kunheng Li, Wei Gao Abstract Component identification of textile materials is an important issue for studies of cultural heritage collections and science conservation. Portable spectroradiometer technology as a potential technique can be utilized to discriminate mass natural fibers rapidly and nondestructively. The goal of this study was to examine the feasibility of portable spectroradiometer to natural fiber type discrimination in the spectral range covering visible and near infrared (VNIR) (350–1000 nm), shortwave infrared 1 (SWIR1) (1000–1850 nm) and SWIR2 (1850–2500 nm). For this purpose, reflection spectra of four types of natural fibers commonly used in archaeological textiles were measured using a portable spectroradiometer under standardized conditions. The spectral features of four categories of natural fibers in different wavelength ranges were extracted and compared. To further explore the potential of discriminating the fiber types using portable spectroradiometer, principal component analysis in combination with statistical tests was applied. The results indicated that fiber type had a strong influence on the spectral features, which was much more remarkable than the influences of the intra-class variation and physical properties. Moreover, with large inter-class variation and small intra-class variation, SWIR2 was more suitable for fiber type identification than VNIR and SWIR1, which was also validated in the statistical analysis. Besides, the approach of selecting effective principal components in different wavelength ranges could provide a more optimized combination of differential information for the correct assignment of the investigated natural fiber types of textile materials. In general, portable spectroradiometer could be a powerful technique for on-site fiber type discrimination.

Stable isotope and compositional analysis of Alaska caribou teeth embedded in polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) Publication date: November 2019 Source: Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 111 Author(s): Nathan I. Harmston, Erik J. Linduska, Patrick L. Tomco Abstract Stable isotopic analysis (SIA) of incremental dental tissues from archaeological specimens provides unique insight into the paleoecology of animals utilized by humans in the past. Unfortunately, many archaeological specimens are too fragile to survive the mechanical processes necessary to accurately identify and sample incremental dental tissues. Polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) is an organic polymer often used to encapsulate and strengthen archaeological specimens for the sectioning, grinding, and polishing necessary to identify incremental tissues. The effects of PMMA embedding on stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in dental enamel and dentin has not been assessed previously and may be relevant whenever stable isotopic analysis of carbon and nitrogen is to be conducted. We embedded five caribou (Rangifer tarandus) tooth halves in PMMA, sampled these halves and the corresponding non-embedded tooth halves. We found that PMMA embedding has no noticeable effects on the nitrogen values of embedded specimens. PMMA embedding decreased the δ13C values of whole teeth powder by an average of −6.5‰ and increased %C by an average of 8.7%. We then tested two methods to mitigate the impact of PMMA embedding on dental carbon 1) acetone baths to dissolve the PMMA before SIA, and 2) acetone baths combine with a modified Longin method for collagen extraction to remove PMMA prior to SIA. We found that three, four and five acetone baths appear to be equally efficient at removing PMMA introduced carbon from embedded specimens. Acetone baths reduce the standard error of δ13C values of whole tooth dental powder, including enamel, dentin, and cementum, in both embedded and non-embedded specimens. Both methods were successful at reducing the effects of PMMA embedding; however, the most efficient mitigation of PMMA effects on whole tooth carbon was found in collagen extracts coupled with acetone baths. This information may be helpful in future stable isotope assessments of PMMA-encapsulated dental tissues. Graphical abstract

Focus: Oxygen isotope microanalysis across incremental layers of human bone: Exploring archaeological reconstruction of short term mobility and seasonal climate change Publication date: November 2019 Source: Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 111 Author(s): Corey M. Maggiano, Christine D. White, Richard A. Stern, J. Salvador Peralta, Fred J. Longstaffe Abstract In archaeological populations the oxygen isotope composition (δ18O) of human bones and teeth can be used to reconstruct climatic conditions and landscape mobility by serving as a proxy for changes in δ18O of consumed water. Until now, providing this information at the seasonal scale, across broad periods of an individual's life, has been considered impossible because bone remodeling was thought to completely disrupt meaningful patterns preserved in bone microstructure. Recent studies, however, have described large (often > 1 mm) deposits of incremental primary bone persisting well into adulthood, and new technology permits finer scale analysis than ever before. Our objective was to determine the δ18O variation across human primary bone layers using high spatial resolution Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). Results show patterned sinusoidal periodicity, similar to expectations for weather-induced fluctuations in seasonal drinking water. The bone formation rate suggested by the isotopic variation in our study is consistent with other histological assessments of primary lamellar bone formation. The technique thus enables sampling of δ18O at approximately monthly intervals over more than a decade of bone deposition. Because bone is the most commonly recovered archaeological tissue, applications of this method, even using fragmentary remains, have the potential to enable more detailed reconstructions of political, economic, health, and sociocultural change at life history levels. Future applications may also include identification of remains in historic and forensic contexts and determination of developmental or pathogenic rates in ancient or modern health investigations. Graphical abstract

Using polygons to model maritime movement in antiquity Publication date: November 2019 Source: Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 111 Author(s): Matthew Harpster, Henry Chapman Abstract With a goal of understanding and visualizing the shifting concentrations of movement across the Mediterranean Sea on a centennial basis, the MISAMS (Modeling Inhabited Spaces of the Ancient Mediterranean Sea) Project developed a new GIS-based interpretive methodology that collates and superimposes a series of polygons to model densities of maritime activity in the Mediterranean Sea from the 7th century BC to the 7th century AD. After discussing the project's use of place, space, and maritime landscapes as a theoretical background, this paper explains this new methodology then demonstrates and tests results representing activity in the 1st-century BC western-Mediterranean basin. These results, apparently manifesting distinct socially-constructed places, suggest that this new approach creates new opportunities to understand the movement of people and goods across the Mediterranean in the past, and the varying uses and perceptions of maritime space in antiquity. As this method requires a dense and well-studied corpora of archaeological data, it is theoretically applicable to other maritime regions that have (or will have) the appropriate dataset, and may represent a new research agenda in maritime archaeology.

Prehistoric Chaco Canyon, New Mexico: Importation of meat and maize Publication date: November 2019 Source: Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 111 Author(s): Larry V. Benson, Deanna N. Grimstead, John R. Stein, David A. Roth, Terry I. Plowman Abstract In a recent paper, Benson and Grimstead (2019) determined that only minimal amounts of maize could have been grown in Chaco Canyon due to its aridity, short growing season, and frequent summer flooding of the valley floor. In this paper it is shown that deer and rabbit densities within semiarid regions such as the Canyon are such that 2300 Canyon residents would eliminate essentially all small and large mammals within a year. This implies that food (meat and maize) must have been imported from one or more outlying areas to feed the Canyon's residential population. This would have entailed ~18,000 annual trips to the Canyon by porters carrying 45 kg. Although some Sr-isotope data on archaeofauna and maize recovered from Chaco match Sr-isotope values of soil extracts collected in the Canyon (Benson, 2010, 2012; Grimstead et al., 2016), the Canyon's low mammal densities and poor agricultural potential led to a search for other food-source areas with matching Sr-isotope ranges. New isotopic data indicated that the Chuska mountain region appears to be a primary source of these materials. However, there are also a number of other high-elevation relatively wet regions on the periphery of the San Juan Basin with soils having Sr-isotope values that match Chaco Canyon archaeofaunal values, especially values obtained on deer.

Water, movement and landscape ordering: A GIS-based analysis for understanding the mobility system of late Holocene mound-builders in southern Brazil Publication date: November 2019 Source: Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 111 Author(s): Rafael Guedes Milheira, Jonas Gregorio De Souza, José Iriarte Abstract The present paper shows a GIS-based analysis for understanding the mobility system of the mound-builders (cerriteiros) of Patos and Mirim lagoons, located in southern Brazil, during the late Holocene. A geospatial model of mobility and centrality was developed using the least-cost path and network analysis methodologies. The degree of traffic and the settlement centrality allowed the interpretation of movement patterns and the connectivity of people in the coastal aquatic environment. The comparison between the terrestrial and aquatic models of mobility illustrates the permeability of the landscape suggesting the higher efficiency of movement via canoe in some environments as opposed to a purely walking-based model. Considering the GIS modeling and the archaeological and ethnohistorical data, we suggest that settlement and mobility patterns in some parts of the coastal plains were driven by the water-heavy landscape and the settlement positioning acted as mechanism of ordering the landscape.