Open Access Published by De Gruyter Open Access

Volume 3 Issue 1

January 2017

Issue of Open Archaeology

Contents
Journal Overview

Topical Issue: Advances in Arctic Archaeology

Open Access March 3, 2017

Archaeological Site Vulnerability Modelling: The Influence of High Impact Storm Events on Models of Shoreline Erosion in the Western Canadian Arctic

Michael J. E. O’Rourke

Page range: 1-16

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Abstract

Much of the Inuvialuit archaeological record is situated along shorelines of the western Canadian Arctic. These coastal sites are at substantial risk of damage due to a number of geomorphological processes at work in the region. The identification of threatened heritage remains is critical in the Mackenzie Delta, where landscape changes are taking place at an increasingly rapid pace. This paper outlines some preliminary observations from a research program directed toward identifying vulnerable archaeological remains within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Coastal erosion rates have been calculated for over 280 km of the Kugmallit Bay shoreline, extending along the eastern extent of Richards Island and neighbouring areas of the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula. Helicopter surveys conducted during the 2014 field season confirmed that areas exposed to heavy erosive forces in the past continue to erode at alarming rates. Some of the calculated rates, however, have proven far too conservative. An extreme period of erosion at Toker Point in the autumn of 2013 has yielded a prime example of how increasingly volatile weather patterns can influence shoreline erosion models. It has also provided a case with which to demonstrate the value of using more recent, shorter time-interval imagery in assessing impacts to cultural landscapes.

Open Access March 30, 2017

An Early Inupiaq Occupation: Observations on a Thule House From Cape Espenberg, Alaska

Lauren E. Y. Norman, T. Max Friesen, Claire Alix, Michael J. E. O’Rourke, Owen K. Mason

Page range: 17-48

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Abstract

This paper describes and interprets a well-preserved early Thule semi-subterranean dwelling from Cape Espenberg, Alaska. The house architecture is similar in many respects to other early Thule dwellings with a sub-rectangular main room, long sunken entrance tunnel, and associated kitchen area. However, the presence of narrow side benches and associated flooring differences adds significantly to the variability present in Thule house form. Radiocarbon dates indicate occupations spanning 1300 to 1450 cal CE. Wood analysis suggests that the house underwent at least one rebuilding episode, which seems to have extended the house occupation into the early 15th century. People acquired mostly small seals for their subsistence, but supplemented their diets in the spring and fall with migrating birds, fish, terrestrial mammals, and other marine mammals. This house represents a fairly typical early Thule coastal winter occupation, but careful excavation of a well-preserved house reveals interesting details in house form, wood use, and subsistence patterns.

Topical Issue: Uncovering Historical Routes for Sustainable Mobility: Methods, Tools and Case Studies

Open Access June 20, 2017

The Various Ways of Being Mobile: Habitual Knowledge, Life-Strategies and the Ancient Route Networks on the Eastern Marmarica- Plateau (Northern Libyan Desert)

Anna-Katharina Rieger

Page range: 49-68

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Abstract

Mobility, from a historical perspective, comprises a broad variety of movements of people. This paper focuses on the mobility of multisited groups, based on the preconditions that an arid environment imposes on mobility. The Eastern Marmarica-Plateau in NW-Egypt in Graeco-Roman times (5th century BCE to 4th century CE) serves as case study of the various ways in which people in such landscapes were mobile, and what we can infer from the aspect of mobility about their social practices. In order to elucidate these issues, the discussion centres on archaeological-historical methodology and theoretical implications of mobility and the wayfaring of inhabitants of arid lands. Moreover, the question is pursued of how routes emerged and how habitual knowledge was cemented in order to establish the trails used by generations to follow. The paper shows the interconnection and similarities between the mobility of multisited communities and the seemingly so different mobility of crop-growing groups, according to the exploitation, availability and exchange of resources and goods. As a general concern, the alleged dichotomy of sedentary and nomadic mobility is challenged and replaced by a more open concept of space and place. Mobility, the complexity of interactions and hence the routes themselves are not so much shaped by fixed socio-cultural ascriptions of life-strategies to certain agents, rather by implicit knowledge, varying social practices, and economic drivers.

Open Access June 27, 2017

Hide and Seek. Roads, Lookouts and Directional Visibility Cones in Central Anatolia

Jacopo Turchetto, Giuseppe Salemi

Page range: 69-82

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Abstract

In Cappadocia (central Turkey), routes that were only of a secondary importance during the Roman age acquired a new relevance starting from the end of the 7th century. In this framework, to what extent did the archaeological evidence match the picture recalled by the written sources? To address this question, the relationship between movement and visibility was considered and view shed analyses were conducted from targeted and strategic spots set along the routes considered. This allowed to better understand the role and the different functions of those axes crossing Cappadocia, and to evaluate the Byzantine/Arab military strategies in central Anatolia.

Open Access July 18, 2017

All the Roads to Patavium: Morphology, Genesis and Development of the Roman Road Network Around Padua

Michele Matteazzi

Page range: 83-100

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Abstract

This paper deals with the analysis of the ancient road network around the city of Padua, attempts to reconstruct its morphology and to define its genesis and development between the second Iron Age and Late Antiquity (6th/5th cent. BC to 6th cent. AD). The study follows a methodological approach that today we define as „archaeomorphological“, first proposed by E. Vion in the late 1980s. By applying this methodology to the Paduan territory, it was possible to identify a series of routes of probable ancient origin radially converging toward the center of Roman Patavium, and linking it to other urban centers in the region and to the minor centers located within its ager. The presence of Iron Age settlements along the path of many of these routes suggests that the development of such a road network likely begins in pre-Roman times, which also highlights the ancient strategic importance of Padua and its territory as a fundamental junction between the center and the North-East of the Italian peninsula. On the other hand, the Roman road network somehow survived into the Late Antiqueand Early Medieval times, always influencing the distribution of settlements and the orientation of churches, until it was for the greater part restored by the Commune of Padua over the 13th century.

Open Access August 18, 2017

Perspectives for Network Analysis: Roman Roads, Barbarian Paths and Settlement Patterns in the Borderlands at the Limes Germanicus in the Main River Region

Armin Volkmann

Page range: 123-138

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Abstract

In contrast to the neighboring Roman Empire, no centralized sites in the sense of transregionally significant settlements are definitively verifiable outside of the Limes Germanicus in the research area at the middle Main River. However, some fortified hill forts do exist. Starting in late antiquity, these sites were temporarily occupied in times of internal and external conflict. Hill forts in the Babaricum were, without exception, sited on spurs at the Main or its tributaries. The course of the Main River constituted the primary transport route for the Romans into the Babaricum, although clear evidence of ship or harbor facilities has yet to be discovered for this period. The well-known hierarchical settlement and road system in the Roman Empire is not apparent in the Babaricum although numerous sunken roads in multiple path networks were discernible. Precise dating of these features to the Roman Iron Age or Migration Period has not been possible due to heavy soil erosion in the vicinity. Particular stretches of this network of paths were only seasonally in use depending on weather conditions and soil moisture, and so it is not realistic to discuss roadways as usable year-round in the Babaricum as they are in the Roman Empire. Some of these paths were fortified, although the dating of these fortifications is not possible due to the continued use of some of these pathways into the Early Modern Period. Nearest neighbor settlement relationships are methodically analyzed in network connection diagrams with the use of Delaunay triangulation in this GIS-based study. Probable routes by land and river are calculated with lost cost path analysis on the basis of digital surface models and compared with the local archaeological record.

Open Access September 2, 2017

The Road Network in the Longue Durée: A Reading Key of the History of Territories

Magali Watteaux

Page range: 149-174

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Abstract

The historical study of routes has long remained confined to the great Roman roads, to the modern royal roads and to the medieval pilgrimage routes. For fifteen years, the French school of Archaeogeography has revisited this research field in great depth, following the first intuitions of the archaeologist Eric Vion. The innovative idea ‒ at least because it leads to a questioning of our methods ‒ is to consider the current road network as the starting point of the analysis. It is the true object of research for the historianarchaeologist because it represents a solid legacy whose logic one must unravel. Because this story is closely integrated with urban, political and economic matters, the study of this inherited road network represents a precious reading key to understanding the history of the territories in the longue durée. In the frame of this paper, we propose to recall these methodological advances and to present a case study in Brittany, around the small town of Chateaugiron. By this example, we want to show that the archaeogeographical analysis and interpretation offer a scientific narrative based on the paradigms of complexity and resilience to contemporary societies in charge of our territories.

Open Access November 9, 2017

A Stratified Route Network in a Stratified Landscape. The Region of Enna (Central Sicily) from the Bronze Age to the 19 th c. AD.

Carlo Citter, Giuseppe Maria Amato, Valentina Di Natale, Andrea Patacchini

Page range: 305-312

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Abstract

This paper focuses on the region of Enna in central Sicily. Its peculiar environmental setting is a key feature, with a central mountain surrounded by gentle, fertile lowlands. Our key question is to understand the regional route network in its historical process of “transformission”, a concept proposed by French archaeogeographers (see Chouquer, Watteaux 2013). It considers traces on the landscape at different scales, as ever-changing features influenced by both natural and human inputs. We chose a sample area of 566 sq-km in the very centre of the island and we evaluated geographical constraints on mobility. This raises new questions about the relationship between routes, settlements, and the environment.

Open Access November 16, 2017

Sicilian Castles and Coastal Towers

Signaling a Shift in Trade Networks, Territorial Organization, and Defensive Strategies in Post-Medieval Sicily

Scott Kirk

Page range: 313-338

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Abstract

While much attention has been paid to the development of castles as the hallmark architectural symbol of the Middle Ages, less attention has been given to the changes in European defensive strategies that occurred between the 15 th and 17 th centuries. It was at this time when the modern nations of Europe began to take form, as sea-based trade between distant nations took precedence over land-based trade routes. This paper examines how this transformation manifested in the defensive structures of Sicily, Italy, where the hilltop castles of the Middle Ages gradually gave way to a more cohesive network of coastal towers around the island. Putting this transition in its historical context, presenting an anthropological model from which to view this transition, and using geospatial methods to track these changes, the results of this study indicate that as defensive towers began to dominate the Sicilian coast around the 16 th century, their command over the environment was no greater than that of the feudal castles which were still in use. Yet, unlike the castles of feudal lords, these towers represented an island-wide system of defense and the beginning of an adherence to a more centralized power structure then seen previously.

Open Access November 30, 2017

From Excavation to Restitution of the Networks of Roman and Pre-roman Roads: The Footprints of the 2222 m and 2535 m Leagues in the Carnute, Senon and Parisii Territories (Gallia Lugdunensis/France)

Jean Bruant

Page range: 339-360

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Abstract

The excavation of a section of the Old path from Orleans to Paris at Massy has shown a real archaeogeographical textbook case outlining the different phases of the transformation of a gallic sunken road in a gallo-roman road, whose route was used until the Modern period. Outside this focus, the whole of the ancient road has been restituted by observing on the maps the traces left by the use of the Gallo- Roman (2222 m) and the Gallic (2535 m) leagues during the survey campaigns. The cartographic analysis was extended to routes between the cities of Paris, Chartres, and Orleans (fig. 1), and it shows the use of an identical gallic league in Carnute, Senon and Parisii territories and the use of common zero points established on the urban limits for the calculation of the distances. Beyond the restitution of the road networks, this study has revealed that many menhirs, supposedly Neolithic, were in fact standing on points established with the gallo-roman league metric and sometimes directly erected on the limits (Fines) of ancient cities. This data allows one to reconsider the dating of the erection of these megaliths, thereby advancing the idea of a terminus post quem from the ancient period.

Topical Issue on Portable XRF in Archaeology and Museum Studies, Edited by Davide Tanasi, Robert H. Tykot, Andrea Vianello

Open Access July 18, 2017

Portable XRF on Prehistoric Bronze Artefacts: Limitations and Use for the Detection of Bronze Age Metal Workshops

Heide Wrobel Nørgaard

Page range: 101-122

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Abstract

Two different scientific analyses-one destructive and one non-destructive-were conducted on two separate groups of bronze ornaments dating from 1500-1100 BC to investigate, amongst other traits, the metal composition of their copper-tin alloys. One group of artefacts was sampled, and polished thin sections were analysed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results from the corrosion crust of copper-tin alloys, and the change measured within the elemental composition from the bulk metal to the surface, greatly influenced the interpretation of the second data set, which was measured using a handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) device. The surface of corroded bronze ornaments consists mostly of copper carbonates, oxides, and chlorides. Chemical processes, such as decuprification, change the element composition in such a manner that the original alloy cannot be traced with a non-destructive method. This paper compares the results of both investigations in order to define the possibilities and limits of non-destructive XRF analyses of corroded bronze artefacts.

Open Access September 8, 2017

Portable XRF: A Tool for the Study of Corundum Gems

Germana Barone, Paolo Mazzoleni, Danilo Bersani, Simona Raneri

Page range: 194-201

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Abstract

Origin of gemstones is a key aspect not only in gemological field but also in Cultural Heritage studies, for the correct evaluation of precious artifacts. The studies on gems require the application of non-invasive and non-destructive methods; among them, portable spectroscopic techniques has been demonstrated as powerful tools, providing a fingerprint of gems for origin and provenance determination. In this study, portable XRF spectroscopy has been applied to test the potential of the technique for the origin determination of corundum gems. The obtained results allowed distinguishing natural and synthetic rubies and sapphires.

Open Access September 13, 2017

Trace Elemental Characterization of Maltese Pottery from the Late Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age

Frederick S. Pirone, Robert H. Tykot

Page range: 202-221

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Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the provenance of Maltese ceramics and to determine the role pottery played in Maltese prehistoric trade and interaction networks. This study involved 236 Maltese ceramic samples, 19 geological clay samples from Ġnejna Bay & Selmun along with 18 ceramic samples from Ognina, Sicily, and four Sicilian clay samples from the outskirts of Siracusa that were nondestructively analyzed using a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer in order to determine their trace elemental compositions (Th, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr and Nb). The results of this analysis were statistically analyzed using principal component analysis in order to ascertain relationships in the chemical compositions among the samples. The results of this analysis indicate that the majority of all the Maltese ceramic samples have a local Maltese provenance and that pottery played a more significant role in defining the nature of Malta’s trade relationships during the Bronze Age. The following study has provided new insights into Malta’s role in trade and interaction networks from the late Neolithic to the Bronze Age and has allowed for new ideas in explaining the cultural change observed from the Temple Period to the Bronze Age.

Open Access September 13, 2017

Provenance Study of Prehistoric Ceramics from Sicily: A Comparative Study between pXRF and XRF

Davide Tanasi, Robert H. Tykot, Frederick Pirone, Erin McKendry

Page range: 222-234

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Abstract

The 1964 archaeological exploration of the Ognina islet near Syracuse, Sicily, has provided evidence suggesting a long-term prehistoric occupation from the Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age. Maltese style ceramics were found in Early and Middle Bronze Age layers. A small group of imports belonging to the Thermi Ware culture was found in connection with the local Castelluccian Ware (EBA), and Maltese style Borġ in-Nadur wares were recovered with local Thapsos ceramics (MBA). During fieldwork in 2012, large amounts of ceramics were recovered including new examples of Thermi and Borġ in-Nadur wares as well as large amounts of Castelluccian and Thapsos pottery. In order to ascertain whether the Maltese type pottery was imported from Malta, a program of archaeometric analyses was established. Diagnostic samples belonging to both Maltese-like and Sicilian pottery classes were analyzed with destructive thin sectioning and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and subsequently analyzed with non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) together with a sample of Sicilian clay taken from a clay source close to the islet. The analyses demonstrated that the two Thermi Ware samples were locally produced and three out of four Borġ in-Nadur pieces had a Maltese provenance while one of the four being produced in Sicily.

Open Access September 23, 2017

Investigation by pXRF of Caltagirone Pottery Samples Produced in Laboratory

Anna M. Gueli, Antonio Delfino, Emanuele Nicastro, Stefania Pasquale, Giuseppe Politi, Antonella Privitera, Sofia Spampinato, Giuseppe Stella

Page range: 235-246

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Abstract

In the study of archaeological ceramics, it is important to have compositional data to identify their origin and source. The fabric also provides useful information on the production technology, especially with regard to the firing steps. The work presented here is connected to this field and focuses on the main parameters related to the terracotta artefacts preparation. Thus, one can consider the effects in terracotta characteristics of different raw materials and firing parameters, in particular for pottery of Caltagirone, which is one of most important centres of pottery production in Italy, active since the Neolithic. To this end, terracotta samples have been reproduced in a laboratory setting according to the ancient procedure of Caltagirone manufacture, starting from clay and degreaser extraction in local historical sites. The analysis was conducted using a portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer for elemental characterization of sand degreaser and of clays during each step of the realization process and in different firing conditions. SEM-ED techniques were also employed to verify the method and results for some of the samples after firing process. Framing the technological context of manufacture production, known in the specific case, it is also possible to identify potential outcomes and limits in the study of potsherds using pXRF technology, in applying the methodology to historic artefacts.

Open Access September 13, 2017

Monte Finocchito and Heloros Pottery Production: New Evidence through Technological Studies and Material Analysis

Anna Raudino, Robert H. Tykot, Andrea Vianello

Page range: 247-254

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Abstract

This paper discusses the use of non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) to distinguish sources of variation in 8th Century BC Greek and Sicilian ceramics. The project comprises an element of my PhD study through La Trobe University, concerning Hellenic colonies established from the eighth century BC in the south of Italy, and on Sicily in particular. This specific case study looks at the relationships established between the indigenous site of Monte Finocchito and the Greek settlement of Heloros, both located in south-eastern Sicily. The results demonstrate the usefulness of the pXRF technique for detecting material variations which are not readily apparent using traditional visual analysis during fieldwork.

Open Access October 18, 2017

PXRF Determination of the Obsidian Industry from the S–F Area of Piani della Corona EBA Settlement (Bagnara Calabra–RC, South Italy)

Sara Marino, Elena Natali, Robert H. Tykot, Andrea Vianello

Page range: 255-262

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Abstract

Archaeological excavations in the S-F area of Piani della Corona settlement have affected a portion of 2200 m 2 of a large plateau (490 m asl). The researches, conducted between 2007 and 2008 by the Superintendence of the Museo Preistorico Etnografico “L. Pigorini” with the Archaeological Superintendence of Calabria, have revealed traces of a large village from the EBA. Before settling in the EBA, human groups belonging Recent Neolithic frequented the plateau. Two burials located near the Bronze Age ditch belong to this period, and there are also sporadic ceramic fragments recovered from the huts. The importance of Piani della Corona is mainly due to its strategic location, serving as a bridge between Calabria, Sicily and the Aeolian Islands, as proven by the archaeological record. A very important role was provided by the obsidian industry, dated after the most distinctive archaeological ceramics class, to the EBA. Out of the 238 obsidian tools found in the S-F area (blades, cores and amorphous splinters), 88 artifacts were analyzed by pXRF. Their chemical determination made it possible to clarify the procurement dynamics and exchange routes with the Aeolian Islands for the EBA, integrating new data in an on-going research.

Open Access October 20, 2017

Obsidian Studies in the Prehistoric Central Mediterranean: After 50 Years, What Have We Learned and What Still Needs to Be Done?

Robert H. Tykot

Page range: 264-278

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Abstract

Obsidian sourcing studies have been conducted in the central Mediterranean for more than 50 years. Detailed studies have been done on the geological sources on four Italian islands, and many analytical methods have been used to successfully distinguish between them. The ability to conduct analyses using those minimally (LA-ICP-MS) or totally (XRF, pXRF) non-destructive to artifacts has led to >10,000 analyses just in the last decade. Along with the ability to assign artifacts to specific geological subsources, and an increased number of studies of techno-typology, this has allowed interpretations to be made about source access and territorial control, craft specialization and the chaîne opératoire, as well as the modes, frequency, and directions of movement and how that varied spacially and temporally. Obsidian especially from Lipari and from Monte Arci in Sardinia traveled hundreds of kilometers on a regular basis starting in the Early Neolithic. By the Late Neolithic, in some areas there was selection of specific obsidian sources and subsources, and differences in production methods and tool typology. Obsidian distribution and usage in the central Mediterranean continued over four-and-one-half millennia, in many areas well into the Bronze Age. There is much more still to do integrating these different studies, especially use-wear studies, along with those of lithic and other materials that also played a role in prehistoric transport and trade systems.

Open Access December 29, 2017

Investigating Technological Changes in Copper-Based Metals Using Portable XRF Analysis. A Case Study in Sicily

Andrea Vianello, Robert H. Tykot

Page range: 392-408

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Abstract

The introduction of copper-based metals in Sicily appears to have been a particularly late and slow process. A program of pXRF analyses on early metals in Sicily has revealed the use of mostly copper, and a very late introduction of tin. Copper had been in use and extracted in northern Italy since the Late Neolithic (ca. 3500 BC), and spread across the Italian peninsula after that. Yet, copper became widespread in Sicily only in the Bronze Age (ca. 2200-1050 BC), despite some early arrivals. The story of the introduction of copper-based metals in Italy acquires a new layer of complexity and the southwestern corner is providing a fuller perspective of the transmission of metal technology across Italy. This study of about 100 artifacts from Sicily tests the hypothesis that metallurgy and metals became important at a later time compared to other Mediterranean areas.

Regular articles

Open Access August 24, 2017

Online Tribes and Digital Authority: What Can Social Theory Bring to Digital Archaeology?

Lorna-Jane Richardson, Simon Lindgren

Page range: 139-148

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Abstract

From early discussions of the disruptive potential of computer technologies for archaeological applications, to the present era of digital archaeology as the technical underpinning of modern archaeological practice, we have continued to debate the potential impacts of digital communication and digital capture and storage on our knowledge, profession and communications. The increased use of digital tools and methods for archaeological research and dissemination, as well as what Roosevelt (2015) has referred to as the shift to the digital paradigm within archaeological practice, leads us to suggest that the impact of this paradigm shift requires careful and critical examination. This article will examine the edges of the disciplines of archaeology and sociology, where we aim to advance our understanding of the relationship between digital technologies and archaeological knowledge from a uniquely social perspective, using the theoretical approaches of both classic and modern sociologists. The application of this lens of sociology to digital archaeology equips us to understand how archaeology and archaeological practice is situated in a social world, which is especially relevant in the Global West, where digital technology is ubiquitous. Through a critical consideration of the complexity of use of digital technologies within digital archaeology, we can begin to shift our focus away from the character and method of tools and workflow, to the background of intellectual power and influence.

Open Access September 2, 2017

The Teotihuacan Anomaly: The Historical Trajectory of Urban Design in Ancient Central Mexico

Michael E. Smith

Page range: 175-193

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Abstract

The ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan had the most aberrant design of any city in ancient Mesoamerica. I examine similarities and differences between the design of Teotihuacan and other Mesoamerican cities. During the Preclassic period, a set of common Mesoamerican planning principles emerged. The designers of Teotihuacan rejected most of these principles in favor of a new and radical set of planning concepts. After the fall of Teotihuacan, subsequent urban planners ignored the Teotihuacan principles and returned to ancient Mesoamerican planning ideas. Elements of the Teotihuacan plan did not resurface until the Mexica of Tenochtitlan revived them for a specific goal. The historical sequence of central Mexican city layouts highlights the anomalous character of Teotihuacan’s principles of urban design within the canons of ancient Mesoamerican urbanism.

Open Access November 14, 2017

Reproducibility in the Field: Transparency, Version Control and Collaboration on the Project Panormos Survey

Néhémie Strupler, Toby C. Wilkinson

Page range: 279-304

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Abstract

Archaeological fieldwork is rarely considered reproducible in the sense of the ideal scientific method because of its destructive nature. But new digital technology now offers field practitioners a set of tools that can at least increase the transparency of the data-collection process as well as bring other benefits of an Open Science approach to archaeology. This article shares our perspectives, choices and experiences of piloting a set of tools (namely: ODK, Git, GitLab CE and R) which can address reproducibility of fieldwork in the form of an intensive survey project in western Turkey, and highlights the potential consequences of Open Science approaches for archaeology as a whole.

Open Access December 7, 2017

Big-Men and Small Chiefs: The Creation of Bronze Age Societies

Rune Iversen

Page range: 361-375

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Abstract

This paper investigates to what extent the significant material changes observable at the end of the Neolithic reflect transformations of the underlying social dynamics. Answering this question will help us to understand the formation of Bronze Age societies. The analysis concerns southern Scandinavia with a certain focus on Denmark. The assumption is that the creation of Bronze Age societies must be understood as a long formative process that partly originated in the culturally-heterogeneous Middle Neolithic. Four aspects seem to have been essential to this process: the rise of the warrior figure, the reintroduction of metal, increased agricultural production, and the establishment of one of the characteristic features of the Bronze Age, the chieftain hall. These aspects do not appear simultaneously but are introduced stepby- step starting out in the late Middle Neolithic and early Late Neolithic to fully develop around 2000 BC. Consequently, this paper argues that the final Late Neolithic (LN II, c. 1950-1700 BC) was de facto part of the Earliest Bronze Age.

Open Access December 22, 2017

Hunting High and Low: Gravettian Hunting Weapons from Southern Italy to the Russian Plain

Valentina Borgia

Page range: 376-391

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Abstract

The current paper aims at describing and analysing the backed tools found in two Early Gravettian sites separated geographically from each other: Grotta Paglicci (layer 23-22) in Italy, and Kostenki 8 (layer II) in Russia. A similarity between the lithic assemblages of the two sites, and other cultural aspects, has been reported by authors over many decades. The analysis of the backed tools has created the opportunity to apply the same methodological approach to verify the resemblance and potential causes for the similarity, and also to address broader considerations on Gravettian hunting strategies and the modalities and timing of the spread of new techniques, whether related to physical movement of people or assimilation of ideas. The perception is that, during the Gravettian period, shared symbolic behaviours and subsistence strategies linked people living in completely different environments with completely different resources, from the temperate regions of southern Italy, to the very cold Russian plains. This point of view cannot be questioned, but it tends to flatten an articulated palimpsest of human generations and to underestimate the very low demographic density of Prehistoric Europe.

Erratum

Open Access October 12, 2017

Erratum to: Monte Finocchito and Heloros Pottery Production: New Evidence through Technological Studies and Material Analysis

Anna Raudino, Robert H. Tykot, Andrea Vianello

Page range: 263-263

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Open Access December 29, 2017

Portable XRF on Prehistoric Bronze Artefacts: Limitations and Use for the Detection of Bronze Age Metal Workshops

Heide Wrobel Nørgaard

Page range: 409-412

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About this journal

Open Archaeology is a peer-reviewed, electronic-only journal that publishes original, high-quality research on all aspects of archaeology. The journal encompasses novel, interdisciplinary approaches to archaeological data including archaeological science, theory and interpretation as well as archaeological heritage management and promotion.

The aim of Open Archaeology is to become a premier source of knowledge and a worldwide-recognized platform of exchange for scientists, without any geographical or temporal restrictions.

Scope of the journal includes, but is not restricted to:

World Archaeology - discoveries and research
Archaeological science
Theory and interpretation in archaeology
Archaeological heritage preservation and management

Journal Partners

28th EAA Annual Meeting in Budapest, Hungary, 31 August - 3 September 2022

Call for papers

Scales of Interaction in the Bronze and Iron Age Central Mediterranean
Coordinating Editors: Emily Holt, Davide Schirru
Digital Methods and Typology
Coordinating Editors: Gianpiero Di Maida, Christian Horn, Stefanie Schaefer-Di Maida
Archaeology of Migration: Moving Beyond Historical Paradigms
Coordinating Editors: Catharine Judson, Hagit Nol
Reconsidering the Chaîne Opératoire: Towards a Multifaceted Approach to the Archaeology of Techniques
Coordinating Editors: Marie-Elise Porqueddu, Claudia Sciuto, Anaïs Lamesa
Bricks Under the Scope: Microscopic and Macroscopic Approaches to the Study of Earthen Architecture
Coordinating Editors: Marta Lorenzon, Moritz Kinzel, Benjamín Cutillas-Victoria
Ancient Cultural Routes: Past Transportations Infrastructures as a Two-Way Interaction between Society and Environment
Coordinating Editors: Francesca Fulminante, Francesca Mazzilli, Franziska Engelbogen

Completed Topical Issues

Challenging Digital Archaeology
Coordinating Editors: Jeremy Huggett and Davide Tanasi
Advances in Arctic Archaeology (Part I, II)
Coordinating Editors: Peter Whitridge and Max Friesen
Aspects of non-professional metal detecting in Europe
Coordinating Editors: Pieterjan Deckers, Michael Lewis and Suzie Thomas
Understanding diversity in Neolithic Houses and Households
Coordinating Editors: Joanna Pyzel, Penny Bickle, Ben Chan, Lech Czerniak, Christina Tsoraki
Uncovering Historical Routes for Sustainable Mobility: Methods, Tools and Case Studies
Coordinating Editors: Cinzia Tavernari and Carlo Citter
Portable XRF in Archaeology and Museum Studies
Coordinating Editors: Davide Tanasi, Robert Tykot and Andrea Vianello
Exploring Advances in the Use of 3D Models of Objects in Archaeological Research
Coordinating Editor: Barry Molloy
From Line to Colour: Social Context and Visual Communication of Prehistoric Art
Coordinating Editors: Liliana Janik and Simon Kaner
The Danubian Provinces of the Roman Empiree
Coordinating Editor: Mateusz Żmudziński
Unlocking Sacred Landscapes: Digital Humanities and Ritual Space
Coordinating Editors: Giorgos Papantoniou, Apostolos Sarris, Christine E. Morris, Athanasios K. Vionis
Scientific Studies of Obsidian Sources and Trade
Coordinating Editors: Robert H. Tykot, Maria Clara Martinelli, Andrea Vianello
The Black Gold That Came from the Sea. Advances in the Studies of Obsidian Sources and Artifacts of the Central Mediterranean Area (Part I, II)
Coordinating Editors: Franco Italiano, Franco Foresta Martin, Maria Clara Martinelli
Archaeological Practice on Shifting Grounds
Coordinating Editors: Åsa Berggren, Antonia Davidsonach-Walther
Art, Creativity and Automation. Sharing 3D Visualization Practices in Archaeology
Coordinating Editors: Loes Opgenhaffen, Martina Revello Lami, Hayley Mickleburgh
At the Crossroads of the Mediterranean: Malta and the Central Mediterranean During the Roman Period
Coordinating Editors: David Cardona, Davide Tanasi, Robert Brown
Special Issue published in cooperation with the 1st Conference on the EARLY NEOLITHIC of EUROPE (Part I, II)
Coordinating Editors: Ferran Borrell, Ignacio Clemente, Miriam Cubas, Juan J. Ibáñez, Niccolò Mazzucco, Ariadna Nieto, Marta Portillo, Xavier Terradas & Silvia Valenzuela
Special Issue Published in Cooperation with Meso’2020 – Tenth International Conference on the Mesolithic in Europe
Coordinating Editors: Thomas Perrin, Benjamin Marquebielle, Sylvie Philibert, and Nicolas Valdeyron