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Publication date: Available online 31 May 2018Source:Journal of Archaeological Science Author(s): Sean W. Hixon, Carl P. Lipo, Ben McMorran, Terry L. HuntThe archaeological record of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) is noteworthy for its massive statues (moai) that were transported over long distances with relatively small numbers of people and minimal use of resources. Equally impressive are the colossal bodies of red scoria (pukao) placed on the heads of many of the moai. In this study, we use three-dimensional models of 50 pukao found across the island and 13 red scoria cylinders from Puna Pau, the island’s pukao quarry, to study the process of pukao manufacture, transport, and placement atop statues. Our analysis identifies surface features that are explained by the process of construction and transport of these multi-ton objects. Based on shared physical features of pukao, evidence in the archaeological record, and the physics necessary for pukao movement, we propose a falsifiable hypothesis in which relatively small numbers of people rolled pukao up stone ramps to place pukao atop moai. We conclude that activities of pukao production and transport did not require oversight by a centralized political authority, nor do they support notions of a large population that collapsed with “ecological suicide” on Rapa Nui.

Publication date: August 2018Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 96 Author(s): Jonas BergmanEggs from an intestinal parasite has been found in a burial radiocarbon dated to 5210-4840 cal BC in Motala, east-central Sweden. The two helminth eggs are identified as Trichuris trichiura (human whipworm). Control samples from the cemetery site were all negative and confirmed that there was no evident contamination of younger material. This discovery raises new questions concerning the early geographical spread and timing of parasitic diseases among hunter-gatherer societies in northern Europe, and in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere. Whipworm infection (Trichuriasis) is perhaps the disease most associated with crowding and poor sanitation, and as it manifests itself in the youngest dated burial, it could be a contributing factor to the final abandonment of the Mesolithic settlement. Also, parasite eggs found in a soil sample from the Neolithic Alvastra pile dwelling could indicate the continued presence of the Trichuris parasite in east-central Sweden. Generally, parasite ecology can aid in reconstructing human behaviors that include aspects of sedentism, mobility, food preferences, hygiene and other social practices.

Publication date: July 2018Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 95 Author(s): Miguel Ángel Rogerio-Candelera, Primitiva Bueno Ramírez, Rodrigo de Balbín-Behrmann, M. Isabel Dias, Leonardo García Sanjuán, Mathilda Larsson Coutinho, José Antonio Lozano Rodríguez, Ana Z. Miller, Alistair W. Pike, Christopher D. Standish, M. Isabel Prudêncio, Ana Luísa Rodrigues, José María De la Rosa Arranz, Diego GasparThe background of this paper is the biographical relationship between the Menga dolmen and La Peña de los Enamorados mountain (a conspicuous and highly-recognisable natural formation), both part of the Antequera megalithic landscape. Our main aim is to provide a high-resolution characterisation of the Matacabras rock art shelter, located on the northern side of La Peña de los Enamorados. This is achieved through a photogrammetric topographic survey, a detailed assessment of the graphic motifs identified through the use of digital image processing and various types of physical and chemical analysis, a geo-chemical characterisation of pottery found on its surface, and a comparative stylistic analysis of its motifs. Our study suggests that Matacabras (and the site of Piedras Blancas I, located just below it), played an important role in the genesis of Menga, which perhaps makes it the most important rock art location of Spanish Late Prehistory.

Publication date: July 2018Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 95 Author(s): Luc Bordes, Richard Fullagar, Linda C. Prinsloo, Elspeth Hayes, Maxim B. Kozlikin, Michael V. Shunkov, Anatoly P. Derevianko, Richard G. RobertsRaman spectroscopy is a powerful method for detecting micro-residues on stone tools. To further develop techniques for determining stone tool function, we devised a methodology using Raman microscopy to analyse in situ micro-residues before conventional usewear study. We analysed 18 stone artefacts collected in situ from Denisova Cave in Siberia, where excellent organic residue preservation is expected. We report here details of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids identified on eight stone tools from the Middle Palaeolithic levels. The spatial distribution of smeared fatty acids shows strong correlation with spatial distributions of usewear (particularly use-polish, but also striations, edge rounding and scarring) on each tool, demonstrating that these micro-residues are likely associated with prehistoric tool contact with animal tissue. We compared Raman spectra and the types, abundance and distribution of micro-residues on the Denisova Cave artefacts with those on modern experimental stone tools (with known function). The results provide further support for Middle Palaeolithic processing of animal tissue and probable skin scraping at Denisova Cave.

Publication date: August 2018Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 96 Author(s): Tom Brughmans, Mereke van Garderen, Mark GillingsThe Visual Neighbourhood Configurations (VNCs) approach is presented: a new approach for exploring complex theories of visual phenomena in landscapes by processing total viewsheds. Such theories most commonly concern the configuration of visual properties of areas around locations rather than solely the visual properties of the locations themselves. The typical approach to interpreting total viewshed results by classifying cell values is therefore problematic because it does not take cells’ local areas into account. VNC overcomes this issue by enabling one to formally describe area-related aspects of the visibility theory, because it formally incorporates the area around a given viewpoint: the shape and size of neighbourhoods as well as, where relevant, the structure and expectation of visual property values within the neighbourhood. Following a brief review that serves to place the notion of the VNC in context, the method to derive visual neighbourhood configurations is explained as well as the VNC analysis tool software created to implement it. The use of the method is then illustrated through a case-study of seclusion, hiding and hunting locales afforded by the standing stone settings of Exmoor (United Kingdom).

Publication date: August 2018Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 96 Author(s): Abel Moclán, Manuel Domínguez-RodrigoThe analysis of bone breakage is one of the most relevant issues of current taphonomic studies. Available experimental analogies aim at differentiating agencies in the production of fractured bones. Possible equifinality presented by different agents can hinder the characterisation of bone breakage at archaeological sites. Equally important is the potential distortion that bone-breaking processes introduce in bone surface modification (BSM) frequencies. This study presents an experimental approach to the problem of identifying signatures for anthropogenic bone breaking as a product of direct hammerstone percussion. This study also contributes to improving the existing analogical framework on processes related to bone breakage of medium-sized animals (80–200 kg), since most previous experimentation has focused on smaller (10–80 kg) and larger (200–800 kg) carcasses. It has been possible to verify the existence of non-random and non-intentional breakage patterns on long bones due to their shape and structural properties. Thus, this introduces the possibility of correctly identifying anthropogenic fracture patterns in the archaeological record. Additionally, it also opens up the possibility of finding different cultural patterns. It has frequently been argued that the frequency of bone surface modifications correlates with fragmentation intensity. However, this assertion remained untested until now. Here, we test the frequency and occurrence of percussion and cut marks in faunal assemblages according to the intensity of green bone fragmentation. The results also improve the current referential framework in reference to interpretation of notches produced by dynamic loading.

Publication date: July 2018Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 95 Author(s): Marta Domínguez-Delmás, Sjoerd van Daalen, Reyes Alejano-Monge, Tomasz WaznyWe present the results of dendroarchaeological investigations carried out on roof structures from two historic buildings in the Andalusian region (south of Spain). The Jaen cathedral, and the Colegial del Salvador church in Seville were both built on the sites of medieval mosques after centuries of using the Islamic buildings for Christian worship. Jaen cathedral contains roof structures dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, whereas those of the Colegial del Salvador were completed between 1703 CE and 1709. Historical sources report that wood from the Cazorla and Segura Mountains, located in the east of the region, was used in the construction of both buildings. Therefore they represent excellent case studies to investigate the supply of timber for construction purposes in post-medieval times, including aspects such as the transport of timber and the evolution of woodworking techniques throughout the centuries.During the inspection of the roof structures, we found different assembly marks in the 16th century roof of Jaen cathedral, and distinct tool marks in all researched structures. Furthermore, at the Colegial del Salvador church we found reused timbers and material evidence for historical rafting of timbers in the Guadalquivir river. We discuss these finds and compare them with parallels of other Spanish and European regions. The research also resulted in the successful dating of all construction phases of Jaen cathedral, confirming the historical information and the dating potential of chronologies of black pine from the Cazorla and Segura Mountains. At the Colegial del Salvador church only two timbers could be dated, demonstrating the complexity of the organization of timber supply for this building at the turn of the 18th century, and highlighting the need to continue developing reference chronologies at different elevations throughout the region.

Publication date: Available online 21 May 2018Source:Journal of Archaeological Science Author(s): Tomasso Antonin, Rots Veerle, Purdue Louise, Beyries Sylvie, Buckley Mike, Cheval Carole, Cnuts Dries, Coppe Justin, Julien Marie-Anne, Grenet Michel, Lepers Christian, M’hamdi Mondher, Simon Patrick, Sorin Sabine, Porraz GuillaumeUnderstanding hunting technology is pivotal in the study of adaptive and innovative forces that influenced the evolution of prehistoric societies. The manufacture, design and use of hunting weapons involve technical processes such as those of tool miniaturization, blank standardization and projection modes, but also influence broader demographic structures such as human subsistence strategies, territorial organization and socio-economic structures. Here we present a unique discovery from a newly discovered site at Les Prés de Laure (Var, France). Excavations revealed a multi-stratified open-air site with archaeological units that were rapidly buried by the alluvium of the Jabron River. In a Gravettian layer dated between 25 and 23.5 ka cal BP, within an area apparently dedicated to horse carcasses processing and consumption, 11 backed points were discovered in direct association with altered bone remains. Wear and residue analysis of the lithic backed points in combination with complementary experimental data converge to indicate that the find represents a bone point armed with lithic barbs and used as hunting weapon. This discovery provides new evidence for the manufacture and use of hunting weaponry in a Gravettian context and stimulates discussion on Paleolithic weapon function and design, offering a unique window into the characterization of prehistoric hunting strategies.

Publication date: June 2018Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 94

Publication date: July 2018Source:Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 95 Author(s): Przemysław Makarowicz, Tomasz Goslar, Jakub Niebieszczański, Mateusz Cwaliński, Igor T. Kochkin, Jan Romaniszyn, Sergiy D. Lysenko, Tomasz WażnyThe area of the Upper Dniester Basin in Western Ukraine comprises one of the largest concentrations of barrows with the exception of the steppe zone. This article concerns the absolute chronology of one mound group in Bukivna, built in the Middle Bronze Age by the people of the Komarów culture. It also focuses on reconstructing the spatial arrangement of barrows and explaining the creation of their specific linear alignment. A Bayesian statistical analysis of radiocarbon AMS dates collected from five excavated tumuli revealed the chronological and spatial organization of the Bukivna barrows. Moreover, a seriation and correspondence analysis was performed on pottery from the barrows to expose the chronology of specific ornamentation groups. This research allowed for the scenario of the emergence of mounds in the first half of the 2nd millennium BC to be reconstructed. In light of the presented data, it is theorized that barrows were arranged in linear alignments along selected hill zones, although they did not necessarily proceed in a continuous or defined direction. Structuring of the funerary space resulted from the extension of mound groups, which probably represent family sub-necropolises. Linear arrangements of mounds were derived by merging the particular groups; barrows were erected in areas apart from the ‘planned’ structure, usually during different periods (but sometimes simultaneously). It was only after some time that the final alignment formation was accomplished, thus ending the process of structuring particular fragments of the barrow landscape.