The article presents the results of a receintly excavated site near the village of Orlovets in the eastern part of present-day central north Bulgaria. The trenches had a total area of 77 sq. m, and ...the archaeological excavations were carried out in 2003 and 2004. The seven trenches revealed that 2-4 houses were situated on an occupied area of ca. 300-400 sq. m. Sectors of three houses related to two preserved Chalcolithic construction levels were unearthed. Artefacts dated back to the Chalcolithic, Late Antiquity (6th century) and the medieval period (13th century) were yielded by the plough soil. This paper provides a description of construction techniques, “bloodless offering”, construction of ovens and platforms, floors and wall paintings. Attention is given to various tools made from stone, bone and antler as well as to several small ceramic artefacts. Archaeozological studies reveal that the layer has yielded bones of wild boar, deer, badger and wild horse. The domestic animals are represented by cattle, sheep and goat. The focus is on the pottery comprising more than 60 complete and fragmented ceramic vessels, most found in “closed contexts”. The manufacturing techniques, the shapes and the decorative patterns as well as their parallels in Ruse, Radingrad, Ovcharovo and Vinitsa sites are described. The paper also discusses the place of the pottery assemblage from Orlovets-Erendzhika in the chronological chart within the context of the Chalcolithic in the Yantra River basin.
Summary
This article describes the important discovery of a Late Bronze Age gold torc that was unearthed in a field of Acehúche (Cáceres, Spain). It was buried underneath some rocks at a site near a ...river crossing over the Tagus river. In its immediate vicinity, archaeological remains dating from the Copper Age to the Late Bronze Age have been found, which indicates the long use of this crossing. Until recently here, there existed a ferry and a chapel; and the place went by the toponym of the Dehesa de San Cristóbal. Legend too has it that the water from the river had curative properties. All of these components have maintained the sacred nature of the spot, otherwise transformed over the course of time, and reflect an earlier sacred landscape with quite ancient roots.
•This article analyses the production of marble beads and their role during the Copper Age in Tuscany (central Italy).•Marble beads have been discovered as grave goods in funerary ...contexts.•Experimental, traceological and typological analyses have revealed different production chains for marble beads.•The signs of wear testify to the long-term use of these artefacts.
From the beginning of the Italian Copper Age, personal ornaments increased and were enriched with new morphologies. A remarkable production of marble beads began in the central part of the peninsula. However, specific and comprehensive studies analysing this production and its role in ancient communities are still lacking.
In order to obtain information on the production and use of marble beads, our study has adopted a broad methodological approach, combining experimental, traceological and typological data, as well as morphometric analyses. Our work focuses on north-western Tuscany (Italy) during the 4th millennium BC, where these ornaments are exclusively documented in burials.
The results showed that the archaeological beads were made of local marble, mainly from the Apuan Alps. The beads had different shapes, sizes, and perforations, suggesting different production processes.
The detailed analysis of the marble ornaments has revealed traces of prolonged use of these artefacts, providing new insights useful for understanding the cult practices and socio-economic dynamics of the communities of the Copper Age in central Italy.
El presente trabajo estudia de manera exhaustiva y sistemática el complejo cerámico de las fases 20 y 21 del poblado prehistórico de Los Castillejos en Las Peñas de los Gitanos (Montefrío, Granada), ...recuperado de las excavaciones realizadas entre 1991 y 1994. Dichas fases se adscriben cronológicamente al Cobre Tardío (2600-2400 a. C.), caracterizado por la intensificación de ciertas dinámicas económicas y sociales así como por la irrupción del llamado fenómeno campaniforme en la península ibérica. A través del empleo de una metodología que pasa por el estudio tecnológico de las pastas mediante estereomicroscopio y análisis mineralógico (DRX), la elaboración de una tipología y el estudio de la decoración de las muestras, se han podido detectar continuidades y discontinuidades en las tradiciones alfareras. Los cambios detectados a nivel tecnológico coinciden con otros atestiguados en el ámbito del consumo y del paleoambiente, dando cuenta de una posible y marcada época de transformaciones sociales y económicas a finales del III milenio a. C.
This paper considers the structure investigated at the largest area (labeled as BII-21B) in the Chalcolithic level BII of Tell Yunatsite, located in the western parts of the Upper Thracian Plain. It ...collapsed during a sudden fire, which did not affect the neighboring house to the west. The debris sealed a large number of fragmented vessels, plant remains, and even some of the inhabitants. Detailed analysis of the materials found allows for a reconstruction of diet and storage practices, research on vessels’ function and technology, decoration styles, etc. The plant remains are abundant and demonstrate a diverse species composition. The complex is dominated by lentils, barley, and einkorn wheat. Of particular interest is the evidence on purposeful gathering of grapes for producing a drink, perhaps wine. The investigation of the ceramic assemblage shows that it belongs to a developed – but not final – stage of the Late Copper Age in Upper Thrace. It also provides new information about the contact zone between the Karanovo VI and Krivodol cultures in this area.
This paper combines the documentation work of the Eneolithic stratigraphic and structural evidence of the site of Cava Gazzuoli, carried out by SAP archaeological company, and the master's thesis ...work of F. Barchiesi who subsequently studied the materials. In particular, the study refers to an extensive quarry complex located in the municipality of Modena, on the border with the municipality of Formigine (Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy). After the analysis of the pottery and lithic industry, we suggest that the site (most likely a settlement) belongs to an early phase of the Spilamberto Group (middle 4th-middle 3rd millennium BC), with clear references to the late Neolithic facies of Sant’Ilario.
Ceramic technology is a topic widely explored in archaeology, especially for its social inferences. This volume addresses the social aspects of production and the role of potters within prehistoric ...communities. The book focusses on the Copper Age when social complexity was incipient and ceramic production was not considered a formalised activity.
El artículo presenta nuevos datos procedentes de excavaciones recientes en Los Molares (provincia de Sevilla). Las intervenciones arqueológicas de carácter preventivo anteriores a la urbanización de ...la finca de El Palomar, en el entorno de los dólmenes de El Palomar y Cañada Real, se documentan diversos enterramientos prehistóricos en tres estructuras siliformes. Se presentan los contextos arqueológicos, la bioarqueología de los enterramientos, los conjuntos cerámicos y líticos, así como los resultados de los análisis radiocarbónicos efectuados. Se realiza una discusión sobre las implicaciones de estos nuevos hallazgos en relación con el entorno megalítico previamente conocido y con el registro funerario del IV milenio cal BC en la margen izquierda de la cuenca del Bajo Guadalquivir.
Different funerary behaviors are recorded in the Iberian Peninsula during Late Prehistory. Cremation is not the most common practice and the association between human cremains and fauna is even ...scarcer. We present two Chalcolithic pits (pits 16 and 40) from the Perdigões ditched enclosures, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal. Humans were accompanied by animals and other votive materials such as arrowheads, ivory anthropomorphic figurines, and marble idols. Differences between the two contexts are discussed regarding the selection of faunal anatomical parts, the abundance of species, and the manipulation of remains. The results obtained were compared to previously published data from anthropological analysis. Burning damage intensity is different among pits and between humans and fauna. Hence, this suggests that the latter also resulted from diverse practices, including the possible selection of animal body portions for cremation and/or the deposition of selected burned bones or even related to patterns existing in the contexts of the provenance of the cremated materials before the cremation events.
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