Remains of a vast Roman pottery production complex were found on the shore of the Plemići Bay (Općina Ražanac, Zadar county) in 2012, and confirmed by geophysical survey. Ground-penetrating radar ...measurements revealed outline of a rectangular building that finds analogies with Roman storehouses (horreum). The area occupied by remains of the Roman pottery workshop was covered by immense soil-debris flows. Three geological exposures located to the north of the remains of the Roman building were documented using lithological and malacological analysis, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The profiles revealed at least three generations of slope sediments, formed in result of intensive soil or debris flows in a dry climate, most probably in 5th c. AD. In the next, wet phase sediments were transported downslope and deposited on the Roman structures after 5th c. AD. Environmental conditions at Pelmići were supply with paleoclimate evidence from the Adriatic region. At ca. 1.5 cal. BP lake levels in the eastern Adriatic area were drastically reduced, probably because of strong decrease in humidity, correlated with the so-called North Atlantic Bond event 3. The drought was followed by a humid episode, also attested at the Plemići archaeological site.
Global climatic changes which occurred at the beginning of the Holocene had a huge impact on cultural development in northeast Africa. The shift of the tropical rain zone to the north led to the ...transformation of the desert into a savannah. The appearance of vegetation and animals also attracted people to considerable areas of the southern part of the Western Desert in Egypt. Settlement was concentrated around natural depressions or deflation troughs, which during periods of rain would fill with water creating seasonal lakes or playas. One such place is the playa located in Bargat El-Shab. Particularly intense traces of settlement dated to the climatic optimum of the Holocene was discovered on the eastern shore of the palaeolake (site E-05-1). Artefacts are dispersed over an area of over 2 ha. Excavation conducted in a few locations also uncovered the remains of storage pits, hearths, wells, etc., the fills of which are characterised by an enhanced magnetization of features in the ground. The geophysical survey conducted during the last season of research provided exceptionally interesting data allowing the partial recreation of the actual extent of the site and its relation with the lake basin.
This article presents the results of petrophysical analyses of limestones and sandstones used for the construction of the wall structures of a Roman rural settlement located in Podšilo Bay on Rab ...Island (Croatia). An on-site analysis of the walls indicated the use of different lithotypes, which is an uncommon case in the area. So far, no petrophysical properties of the applied materials have been tested, and their provenance has not been specified. The aim of this research was to determine their usability as construction materials in an attempt to determine the possible reasons behind the usage of multiple lithotypes and their suitability as building materials. The following procedure was used to address these issues: (1) determination of the petrographic characteristics of the rocks, (2) performance of tests to characterise the mechanical properties in a complex stress state of uniaxial tension followed by uniaxial and triaxial compression, and, finally, (3) determination of the internal structure of the rocks using methods based on X-ray imaging. Multi-proxy characteristics of the materials including numerous observations and methods were performed: optical microscopy used to characterise rock petrography and mineralogy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with EDS, as well as grinding tests; furthermore, mechanical properties were determined on cylindrical samples in accordance with European standards. X-ray microtomography using the XμCT method enabled microscopic observations and determination of the orientation of discontinuities and the rock structure. The performed analyses allowed us to distinguish three lithological types of sandstone and two types of limestone among the examined stone blocks. Stone blocks of fine- and medium-grained sandstone with carbonate binders, as well as sparitic limestone and mudstone with calcite veins, were used to build the studied structures. The analysed blocks showed traces of partial edge processing. Despite the defects in the material structure identified using XμCT, all the types of rock were characterised by high or very high strength. High values of longitudinal wave velocity confirmed the good quality of the material. These results contribute to a better understanding of the construction process and the related technological choices, and they provide the first dataset which can be used for the reconstruction of the building's original appearance in the future.
1. IntroductionThe use of archaeological methods to study sites with architectural remains has a longstanding tradition, exemplified by the early adoption of the Harris matrix. This method is ...employed to establish the chronology of stone and brick walls in historic buildings uncovered during archaeological excavations, a practice also known as vertical archaeology. Since the 1970s, this approach in research has been called the archaeology of architecture and more recently, as the archaeoarch...
Metoda georadarowa jest od wielu lat stosowana z powodzeniem w archeologii. Zaczyna być również standardem w nieinwazyjnych badaniach dawnej architektury. Największym problemem w implementacji tej ...metody na stanowiskach z reliktami architektonicznymi są rozległe warstwy gruzu, niwelacje, roślinność oraz elementy infrastruktury, które znacząco utrudniają pomiar oraz interpretację uzyskanych wyników. Pomimo tych ograniczeń, prawidłowo zaplanowane i wykonane badania georadarowe, nawet na niewielkim obszarze, mogą dostarczyć bardzo istotnych informacji dotyczących znajdujących się pod ziemią pozostałości dawnych budowli. Co więcej, wyniki profilowania georadarowego zintegrowane z danymi historycznymi pozwalają na trójwymiarową rekonstrukcję niezachowanego na powierzchni ziemi zabytku. Przykładem mogą być prezentowane w niniejszym artykule wyniki badań georadarowych reliktów gotyckiego kościoła św. Elżbiety w Trzygłowie (dawniej Trieglaff – wieś w gminie Gryfice, północno-zachodnia Polska). Świątynię tą rozebrano w 1955 roku. Wyniki rozpoznania geofizycznego w połączeniu z kwerendą materiałów archiwalnych pozwoliły na zobrazowanie przestrzenne (3D) wyglądu nieistniejącego już kościoła i niejako ponowne przywrócenie go lokalnej społeczności. Zaprezentowane tu podejście powinno być standardem w badanych architektonicznych zabytkowych budowli z użyciem metod nieinwazyjnych, co autor niniejszego opracowania proponuje określić terminem geofizyka architektury.
Results of multidisciplinary research conducted on the island of Rab (Northeastern Adriatic, Croatia) are presented with particular focus on late Roman rural settlements and their economic ...activities. The settlement in Podšilo bay, Lopar peninsula, is analyzed in more detail, providing evidence on a vibrant local community engaged in diversified craft activities and the exploitation of local land and marine resources. Along with the specificities of its layout and organization, this site also presents unique possibilities to study environmental factors that influenced its setup and economy, but also its demise, tentatively placed within the 6th century AD.
The paper presents compilation of geological and geoarchaeological data, based on excavations at the Saqqara necropolis, to denote climate variability in Egypt during the late Old Kingdom (around ...2200 BC). A change in climate in that time was expressed firstly by aridification and low floods of the Nile, but also by occasional heavy rainfalls in northern Egypt. Low Nile floods were probably a consequence of decreased summer precipitation in the Ethiopian Highlands that resulted in catastrophically low discharges into the Blue Nile drainage basin. These weaker summer monsoons in Ethiopia and gradual aridification in Egypt that started about 5000 cal BP, were coincident with a southward progressing shifting of the summer Intertropical Convergence Zone in Africa. Simultaneous intensive rainfalls resulted in wide-spread sheet-flood accumulations, attested by archaeological evidence in northern Egypt. These rainfalls could be triggered by the North Atlantic Oscillation. Both these reasons caused a rapid collapse of the Old Kingdom at about 4200 cal BP.
Faience objects produced from the fourth millennium BC in ancient Egypt are considered as the first high-tech ceramics in human history. Despite extensive studies on manufacturing technology, many ...aspects of this complex technology remain a mystery and there is no methodology in place to unravel the techniques of Egyptian faience object production. Detailed studies presented herein fill the gaps, verifying standing opinions and allowing certain aspects of faience manufacturing technology to be reconstructed. The object of this innovative investigation is a hemispherical faience bowl discovered by archaeologists excavating a Ptolemaic workshop district at the site of Tell Atrib in the southern Nile Delta. The multiproxy analysis included the application of specialised software and preparation techniques coupled with complementary methods of light and digital microscopy, SEM with EDS, XRD, STA with EGA, as well as image analysis. Sources of raw and accessory materials (mineral and organic binders, fluxes, colourants) used for preparing the silica paste and glaze slurry were determined. The results helped to reconstruct how the raw material was prepared and how faience vessels were made. The bowl was moulded by compression using a two-part mould. The moulded and dried bowl was then covered by glaze slurry using the application method. A synthetic colourant, Egyptian Blue, was probably used to colour the glaze. The item was fired once at a temperature of 1050–1150 °C. Oxidised conditions were maintained in the kiln during the firing process and firing at the maximal temperature was relatively short. Application of the multiproxy approach has shed light on the technological aspects of faience bowl manufacturing. The obtained results have confirmed the usefulness of the comprehensive methodology that was applied for the reconstruction of particular manufacturing stages of faience objects.
The ground-penetrating radar (GPR) method has been used for many years in archaeological research. However, this method is still not widely used in studies of past architecture. The biggest problem ...with the implementation of the GPR method at such sites is usually connected with extensive debris layers, plant cover and standing relics of walls and other features that restrict the available measurement area. Despite of these, properly performed GPR surveys, even on a small area, can yield significant information concerning underground architectural relicts. Moreover, the results of GPR profiling integrated with historical and archeological data allow for three-dimensional reconstruction of the examined architectural monuments and in the next step, they track architectural transformations. Relics of the Romanesque St. Peter monastery, located in the northern part of the Island of Rab, is a good example of the successful GPR survey. Results of the performed geophysical reconnaissance in conjunction with the query of archival materials made it possible to visualize a spatial (3D) appearance of three main phases of the site architectural development, despite a very limited area available for geophysical survey. According to the authors, such a comprehensive approach should be a standard in contemporary geophysical research focused on relics of the past architecture.
We determine the beginning of the Neolithic farming in northern Egypt, based on analysis of core FA-1 of lake deposits in the Faiyum Oasis in northern Egypt. Regular lamination of the early Middle ...Holocene lake deposits, supported by radiocarbon dating and pollen analysis, indicates the earliest occurrence of domesticated cereals at ~7.8 cal ka BP in this region. The appearance of cereals in the Faiyum region was possible due to fundamental restructuring of regional climatic conditions caused by the changing atmospheric circulation in the eastern Mediterranean region. Stronger northwestern winds were accompanied by increased precipitation in winter and enabled 3 farming phases in the Faiyum Oasis at 7.8–7.6, 7.4–7.2 and 7.0–6.8 cal ka BP, separated by arid episodes with predominant southern winds. Most probably, cereal cultivation concentrated inside local wadis to the north of the lake and was rainfall-dependent. Therefore, early Egyptian farming did not develop based on irrigation systems as commonly thought, but was rain-fed, this being possible due to marked climate change at the beginning of the Middle Holocene.
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