Search results for ""archaeopress""

This volume, originally published by Cambridge University Press and now reprinted by Archaeopress, is an essential research tool for scholars studying the Jewish Aramaic translations of the Bible. It provides a description for every Targum manuscript in the Cambridge Genizah Collections, 1600 fragments in all, from every targumic genre and type, ranging in date from the earliest known manuscripts of the Palestinian Targum to late Yemenite versions of Onqelos, including a great many previously unidentified manuscripts. The late Michael Klein, who died in 2000, was the leading authority on the targumic manuscripts in the Genizah. Reviews of the first edition:‘[a] magnificent volume, absolutely indispensable for all who are interested in targumic literature’ (F. García Martínez, Journal for the Study of Judaism 24 (1993)) Originally published by C.U.P.

Read more less

The Prehistoric Artefacts of Northern Ireland is the last in a trilogy of monographs, designed to provide a baseline survey of the prehistoric sites of Northern Ireland. The first monograph investigated prehistoric burial sites (Archaeopress 2014) and the second explored the sites of prehistoric life (Archaeopress 2018). Following the same format as its predecessors, this monograph considers the prehistoric artefacts that have been found in Northern Ireland. It begins with an overview of the current political landscape of Ireland, as the creation of two states in 1921 and the establishment of administrative systems unique to each jurisdiction have had profound consequences for Irish archaeology. It continues by providing background information on the history of prehistoric archaeology, an explanation of the classifications and methodology employed and a detailed inventory of sites in Northern Ireland where prehistoric artefacts have been found. Also included is a discussion about these artefacts in a wider context, illustrated with tables and distribution maps, a glossary, tables of radiocarbon dates and an extensive bibliography. The aim once again is to not only provide a basis for further research, but also to stimulate local interest in the prehistory of Northern Ireland and encourage others from further afield to appreciate the quality and diversity of its prehistoric landscape.

Read more less

The Seminar for Arabian Studies has come a long way since 1968 when it was first convened, yet it remains the principal international academic forum for research on the Arabian Peninsula. This is clearly reflected in the ever-increasing number of researchers from all over the world who come each year to the three-day Seminar to present and discuss their latest research and fieldwork. The Seminar has covered, and continues to cover, an extensive range of diverse subjects that include anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art, epigraphy, ethnography, history, language, linguistics, literature, numismatics, theology, and more, from the earliest times to the present day or, in the fields of political and social history, to around the end of the Ottoman Empire (1922/1923). Papers presented at the Seminar have all been subjected to an intensive review process before they are accepted for publication in the Proceedings. The rigorous nature of the reviews undertaken by a range of specialists ensures that the highest academic standards are maintained. A supplementary volume, ‘Languages, scripts and their uses in ancient North Arabia’ edited by M.C.A. Macdonald (ISBN 9781784918996, Archaeopress, 2018), is also available containing the proceedings from the special session held during the seminar on 5 August 2017.

Read more less

"ROMAN AND LATE ANTIQUE MEDITERRANEAN POTTERY". In November 2008, an ICREA/ESF Exploratory Workshop on the subject of late Roman fine wares was held in Barcelona, the main aim being the clarification of problems regarding the typology and chronology of the three principal table wares found in Mediterranean contexts (African Red Slip Ware, Late Roman C and Late Roman D). The discussion highlighted the need to undertake a similar approach for other ceramic classes across the Mediterranean provinces. In addition, it was perceived that ceramic studies are often dispersed and in such a variety of publications that it is difficult to follow progress in this vast field. Therefore, a series devoted to Roman and late Antique pottery in the Mediterranean was proposed to serve as a reference point for all potential authors devoted to pottery studies on a pan-Mediterranean basis. The creation of such a series would not only serve as a means of publishing the results of the ICREA/ESF workshop but also as a network for publication of in-depth monographs devoted to archaeological ceramics of the Mediterranean in the Roman and late Antique periods. With this first volume on ceramic assemblages and the dating of late Roman fine wares, Archaeopress launch this new series devoted to the publication of ceramics in the Roman Mediterranean and outlying territories from the late Republic to late Antiquity.

Read more less

Discussions and scientific exchange are crucial for the advancement of a young discipline such as the study of Roman pottery in the Near East. Therefore, in addition to large conferences such as the ‘Late Roman Coarse Ware Conference’ (LRCW) where the Near East plays only a marginal role, an international workshop with 20 participants dedicated solely to the study of Roman common ware pottery in the Near East was held in Berlin on 18th and 19th February 2010. The goal of this workshop was to provide researchers actively engaged in the study of Roman common wares the possibility to meet and discuss the current state of research as well as questions and problems they are facing with their material. Some of the participants were able to bring pottery samples, which provided the possibility to compare and discuss the identification and denomination of specific fabrics on a regional and supra-regional scale. This volume presents 17 papers from this stimulating event. The Archaeopress series, Roman and Late Antique Mediterranean Pottery (RLAMP) is devoted to research of the Roman and late Antique pottery in the Mediterranean. It is designed to serve as a reference point for all potential authors devoted to pottery studies on a pan-Mediterranean basis. The series seeks to gather innovative individual or collective research on the many dimensions of pottery studies ranging from pure typological and chronological essays, to diachronic approaches to particular classes, the complete publication of ceramic deposits, pottery deposit sequences, archaeometry of ancient ceramics, methodological proposals, studies of the economy based on pottery evidence or, among others, ethnoarchaeological ceramic research that may help to understand the production, distribution and consumption of pottery in the Mediterranean basin.

Read more less

Continuing the Archaeopress series of pocket-sized Dictionaries of Archaeological Terms, here is a dictionary of useful terms compiled to assist in the reading of archaeological books and publications, and in the writing of papers and articles, in both English and Greek. It covers Aegean prehistory through to Hellenistic and Roman times.

Read more less

This open-access and peer-reviewed academic publication stems from the activities of the Offa’s Dyke Collaboratory, a research network founded in April 2017 to foster and support new research on the monuments and landscapes of the Anglo-Welsh borderlands and comparative studies of borderlands and frontiers from prehistory to the present. The proceedings of a series of academic and public-facing events have informed the character and direction of the Journal. Moreover, its establishment coincides with the Cadw/Historic England/Offa’s Dyke Association funded Offa’s Dyke Conservation Management Plan as well as other new community and research projects on linear earthworks. Published in print by Archaeopress in association with JAS Arqueología, and supported by the University of Chester and the Offa’s Dyke Association, the journal aims to provide a resource for scholars, students and the wider public regarding the archaeology, heritage and history of the Welsh Marches and its linear monuments. It also delivers a much-needed venue for interdisciplinary studies from other times and places.

Read more less

Ventotene is a small island located in the Tyrrhenian sea, known in Antiquity as Pandateria. The site hosts the ruins of a large Roman villa for otium dated to the Augustan age where, during the first century AD, many women related to imperial families were exiled and enclosed. Notable figures exiled to Ventotene include Agrippina the Elder, Julia Livilla and Claudia Octavia, amongst others. This volume is an introduction to the roman antiquities of the island and is the first of a series of thematic monographs dedicated to the island. The first part of the book offers a brief overview of the geology of the island and reviews the studies and archaeological excavations carried out in Ventotene since the 18th century. The central part of the monograph is dedicated to the reconstruction of the historical events that have affected the island and to the development of the archaeological topography of the Roman age. The final chapter examines the numerous underwater archaeological discoveries made in the waters surrounding the island. | Ventotene è una piccola isola del medio Tirreno conosciuta nell’antichità con il nome di Pandateria. In questo luogo si conservano gli imponenti resti di una villa romana di età augustea destinata all’otium. Nel corso del I sec. d.C. l’isola funse da luogo di prigionia per una serie di donne legate alla famiglia imperiale che vi furono mandate in esilio. La prima di esse fu, nel 2 a.C., Giulia: era stata accusata di impudicizia sulla base della ‘Lex Iulia de adulteriis coercendis’ e rimase nell’isola con sua madre Scribonia, che la seguì volontariamente, fino al 3 d.C. Nel 29 d.C. la relagatio ad insulam toccò ad Agrippina Maggiore esiliata su ordine di Tiberio: la figlia di Giulia e di Vipsanio Agrippa morì a Ventotene nel 33 d.C. e le sue spoglie furono recuperate e riportate in pompa magna a Roma da Caligola nel 37 d.C. Dal 39 al 41 d.C. l’imperatore Caligola confinò a Pandateria sua sorella Iulia Livilla. Nel 62 d.C. Nerone mandò in esilio a Ventotene Ottavia, sua prima moglie, che vi morì solo pochi giorni dopo. L’ultima esiliata fu, nel 95 d.C., Flavia Domitilla, nipote di Domiziano, accusata di giudaismo. Questo volume costituisce un’introduzione alle antichità romane di Ventotene ed è il primo di una serie contributi monografici dedicati da Archaeopress Publishing al patrimonio archeologico isolano. Nella prima parte del libro si offre una breve panoramica sulla geologia e sulla storia degli studi e degli scavi che hanno interessato Ventotene sin dal XVIII secolo. La parte centrale della monografia è dedicata alla ricostruzione dei tempi e dei modi che hanno caratterizzato lo sviluppo insediamentale dell’isola e si fornisce un esauriente quadro della topografia di età imperiale. Il capitolo finale prende in esame le numerose testimonianze archeologiche recuperate nelle acque che circondano Ventotene.

Read more less

This study (the second volume in the Archaeopress series devoted to the publication of ceramics in the Roman Mediterranean and outlying territories from the late Republic to late Antiquity) addresses the level of interregional trade of ceramic building material (CBM), traditionally seen as a high bulk low value commodity, within the ancient Mediterranean between the third century BC and the seventh century AD. It examines the impact of different modes of production, distribution and consumption of CBM and how archaeological assemblages differ from what is predicted by current models of the ancient economy. It also explores how CBM can be used to investigate cultural identity and urban form. CBM has great potential in investigating these topics. It survives in large quantities in the archaeological record; it is transported as a commodity in its own right, not as a container for other products like amphorae. The amount of CBM used in a building can be estimated, and this can be extrapolated to urban centres to model consumption in ways that are not possible for other goods. This allows the potential derivation of economic information to a higher level of precision than is the case for other materials. The material used in this study derives from stratified assemblages from two major ports of the ancient Mediterranean: Carthage and Beirut. CBM as a material is comparable to pottery, only it does not exhibit the same range of forms. This leaves fabric as a major means of analysing CBM samples. For this reason a programme of petrological thin sectioning has been carried out on these assemblages. These data have been combined with the taphonomic and dating evidence from the excavations. The results showed that the levels of imports of CBM into these two cities were much higher than would normally be expected from the orthodox model of the consumer city. They also suggest that CBM can be used as a tool to investigate cultural identity.

Read more less

The present volume reunites most of the papers that were presented at the second meeting of the Homines, Funera, Astra Symposium on Funerary Anthropology that took place at ‘1 Decembrie 1918’ University, Alba Iulia, between 23rd and 26th September 2012. The theme of the volume is Life beyond Death in Ancient Times. The intention was to create a forum for discussing Prehistoric, Roman and Migration Period burial practices from Central and South-Eastern Europe, focusing on elements that might suggest belief in afterlife. The interdisciplinary character of the volume is provided by the varied approaches to the archaeology by the contributors, resulting in exploring the subject from multiple perspectives: archaeological, anthropological, geological, architectural, landscape, and epigraphic. Seven studies are dedicated to prehistoric burial practices, discussing discoveries dating from the Palaeolithic (one study), Neolithic and Copper Age (four studies), and Bronze Age (one study). A study focusing on methodology proposes a non-invasive method of analysis for burial mounds, with examples from the Bronze and Iron Ages. Two studies focusing on the Roman Period and another on the Migration Period complete our vision of funerary archaeology for this part of Europe. The editor’s wish to express their joy that the editorial project, which started with the publication of the first HFA volume (R. Kogălniceanu, R.-G. Curcă, M. Gligor and S. Stratton (eds.), Homines, Funera, Astra. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Funerary Anthropology, 5-8 June 2011, ‘1 Decembrie 1918’ University, Alba Iulia, Romania. Oxford, Archaeopress, BAR International Series 2410), is followed by the present book. The basis for the series dedicated to burial archaeology with the intention to be a useful, modern, interdisciplinary instrument, is thus laid.

Read more less

Much has been written about the history of Northern Ireland, but less well-known is its wealth of prehistoric sites, from which most of our knowledge of the early inhabitants of this country has been obtained. Until recently, the greatest sources for this information were prehistoric burial sites, which have been visible in our landscape for thousands of years and have attracted the attention of inquisitive people throughout this time, often removing items, or adding others and in doing so, making it difficult for later generations to sift through the evidence. Fortunately, sketches, notes and artefacts have been gathered by Ordnance Survey surveyors, antiquarians and archaeological and historical societies and these continue to be interrogated by modern archaeologists in their search for understanding. A further problem has been the dependence on information about prehistoric societies from their burial sites. Very few sites where these people lived and worked were visible above ground and as a consequence, little was known about them. However, during the last few decades, large-scale infrastructure projects and associated archaeological investigation has revealed a wealth of information. Much of the detail has still to be published and made available for research, but has already enriched understanding of our prehistoric past. This monograph brings together information on all the currently known sites in Northern Ireland that are in some way associated with prehistoric life. It has been compiled from a number of sources and includes many that have only recently been discovered. A total of 1580 monuments are recorded in the inventory, ranging from burnt mounds to hillforts. In addition to providing an inventory of all known sites, along with a selection of photographs and plans, the work also includes an introduction to the prehistory of Northern Ireland, an explanation of terms and a full bibliography. It should be considered alongside an earlier work by the same authors on prehistoric burial sites in Northern Ireland (The Prehistoric Burial Sites of Northern Ireland, Archaeopress Archaeology 2014). The aim is to provide a foundation for more specific research projects, based on a standardised format for this largely untapped resource and stimulate a renewed interest in the prehistory of Northern Ireland. Hopefully, this can then be considered along with our knowledge of the historical period to provide a more complete overview of the story of human activity in what is now Northern Ireland.

Read more less

Few people are aware that shortly after 1456, when Athens yielded without fighting to the bitter end, she had become one of the bigger Balkan towns within the Ottoman Empire. The limited area confined within the boundaries of the late Roman fortification walls soon developed into a town of thirty-six mahalles. A thorough analysis of the town/country relationship within the Ottoman feudal system of production in general, and as related to Athens in particular, reveals the dynamic conditions of urban development. Athens shared many of the characteristics of prosperity based on specific modes of appropriation of surpluses and patterns of division of labour between town and countryside. Strange though it might seem, it was only after the middle of the 17th century, when land-tenure conditions changed and Athens was heading towards decline, that an ‘Ottoman’ character as such could be detected in its built environment, although Christians still strongly outnumbered Muslim citizens. That being so, the presence at that time in Athens of representatives of the European Enlightenment, hypnotized by the myth of its artistic and cultural treasures, did not affect the general conditions of development. In the 1830s, Athens, by that time a provincial town of secondary importance, was ‘ordered’ to stride from feudalism to capitalism, to transform itself into a modern capital city of a new-born state. The shift from a small town under Ottoman rule to the modern city of the Hellenic Kingdom implied the quick transformation of belonging to a community (understood in terms of sharing common cultural characteristics) to a sense of being a member of a society (understood as an institution, as an externality demanding obedience). The amorphous masses of the medieval quarters that had arranged themselves so that unity within variety was established, where each particular architectural entity retained its meaning in so far as it was experienced as part of the whole urban fabric, had to give way to the early 19th-century planning environment, conceived more or less as a series of autonomous architectural identities understood only within a specific urban complex. It was not easy for Athens to cross the ‘line’ in 1834. The rejection of the first plan should not be naively understood as an urban restructuring triggering the virulent dissent of those Athenian landowners who detected threats to their vested interests. A violent break with the past was necessary so that new compositional stratagems could be implemented. But ever since Athens became a capital city, the pendulum of its history swung dramatically between tradition and modernism, not least because nationalism kept propagating an idealistic vision of an historical continuum that ran from the glorious ancient past down to the euphoria of the modern Greek state. Although Athens did make steady steps towards becoming a ‘modern’, ‘European-like’ city, comprehensive planning and centralized control of public works, as they had been essayed in central and western European cities in the second half of the 19th century, were totally incompatible with the build-as-you-please practice foisted on the capital city of Greece. Architectural and urban analysis of Athens between 1456 and 1920 discloses the metamorphosis of a town to a city, experienced as an invigorating adventure through the meandering routes of history. This is what this book is about.

Read more less

Cultural Expression in the Old Kingdom Elite Tomb considers the material and immaterial culture left behind by the ancient Egyptian elite in their tombs starting some 5000 years ago. The book intends to understand this culture reflecting the ‘intention’ of the ancient Egyptians. All these ‘intentions’ are now inaccessible to us, a paradox indeed. The author starts by examining the ways in which other Egyptologists have understood tomb culture over the past century. Two main clusters of thought dominate the history of this topic, the literal and/or the symbolic meaning. The literal is a popular approach for the modern world; the symbolic encompasses the ancient Egyptians’ ideas about the meaning of life in this and the next world, and metaphysical perfection. The author uses a third mid-way course between the literal and the symbolic; i.e. an attempt to study the evidence in its reality and to search for common, universal factors which may be present and which may aid understanding. The result is an inventory, analysis and synthesis of the core components of Egyptian cultural dynamics as reflected in the iconographic evolution of Old Kingdom elite tombs. New horizons are opened up for describing and interpreting cultural data of many different levels (identity, ideology as social layers, and static versus dynamic as cultural mechanisms). The work goes beyond mainstream Egyptology, because the findings, apart from a specific Egyptian core, also have universal implications since comparison with other cultures shows comparable phenomena.

Read more less

This book examines systematically both the theoretical and practical issues that have characterized the discipline over the past two centuries. Some of the historically most consequential mistakes in archaeology are dissected and explained, together with the effects of the related controversies. The theoretical basis of the discipline is deliberated in some detail, leading to the diagnosis that there are in fact numerous archaeologies, all with different notions of commensurability, ideologies, and purposes. Their various perspectives of what archaeology is and does are considered and the range of views of the human past is illuminated in this book. How humans became what they are today is of profound importance to understanding ourselves, both as a species and individually. Our psychology, cognition, diseases, intellect, communication forms, physiology, predispositions, ideologies, culture, genetics, behavior, and, perhaps most importantly, our reality constructs are all the result of our evolutionary history. Therefore the models archaeology—especially Pleistocene archaeology—creates of our past are not just narratives of what happened in human history; they are fundamental to every aspect of our existence.

Read more less

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 2012.

Read more less

The portico is one of the most characteristic and significant features of western architecture and, yet, perhaps, also one of the least closely observed. Redolent of Antiquity and comprising the essential vocabulary of classical architecture in the form of the orders – columns, entablatures and, usually, pediments – it evokes past glories and epitomizes the modular system of design that is central to that architecture. It has often played a key role in, or acted as a barometer of, stylistic innovations. Used widely in Antiquity, especially in temples, the portico suffered a decline following the dissolution of Roman imperial authority in the West. However, sufficient literary and physical remains survived which, when viewed in particular ways, enabled it to regain a central position in architecture, following the Renaissance. Revived in Italy, it was subsequently adopted elsewhere in Europe and eventually in this country, and it is to the tentative introduction of the portico to Britain in the early seventeenth century, its widespread use throughout the eighteenth and much of the nineteenth centuries, and the beginning of its decline towards the end of our period, that this study is devoted.

Read more less

If the real Wessex, with its counties, towns, villages and topography, was no mere readily available template upon which Hardy could carve a fictional pattern, Dorchester provided a very different model, though at the level of local colour and detail, Casterbridge really is Dorchester 'by any other name.'' In this study, Martin Davies examines the role which Thomas Hardy’s involvement with the past plays in his life and literary work. Hardy’s life encompasses the transformation of archaeology out of mere antiquarianism into a fully scientific discipline. Hardy – once described as ‘a born archaeologist’ – observed this process at first hand, and its impact on his aesthetic and philosophical scheme was profound. Dr Davies’ study offers a different route to a fuller understanding of Hardy’s novels, poems, and short stories. How much was Hardy concerned with archaeology per se amongst his plethora of interests? How much did he actually know about it? Did his Classical education, architectural training, and visit to Italy impinge on his perception of the mysterious traces of British prehistory and the Roman occupation with which he had grown up? How does reference to archaeology fit in with his overall narrative, aesthetic, and philosophical scheme? These are the questions posed by Martin Davies in his study of the role played by archaeology and the past in the life and works of Thomas Hardy. The answers are far reaching and profound.

Read more less

This volume presents the results of the Bryn Mawr College excavations of the Early Bronze Age site of Karatas in the plain of Elmali in northern Lycia. It is a final report of the pottery, except for miniature vessels. The occupation at Karataş has been divided into six main periods (I–VI) on the basis of stratigraphy of the Central Mound. Periods I–III date to EB I, Periods IV and V to EB II, and Period VI to EB III. The pottery showed continuous development during the entire span of settlement, mainly in the addition of new features to a basically conservative repertoire.

Read more less

Tales of Two Cities tells the story of Old Sarum and Salisbury, from the middle of the tenth century to the beginning of the twentieth. The volume brings together the most up-to-date thinking on the archaeological evidence for both medieval cities, and through analysis of the rich documentary record, charts the developments in the city settlements and their dependent suburbs. For the first time, the archaeological evidence for Old Sarum and its suburbs is brought together in synthesis to explore its rise in the eleventh century, its hey-day in the twelfth, and the rapid decline from the thirteenth century onwards. The ceramic, zooarchaeological and environmental evidence is assessed for both cities, alongside a comprehensive overview of the archaeological evidence for medieval Salisbury. How this new and visionary city took shape in the thirteenth century is analysed through chapters that examine its churches, its mills, its majestic marketplace and its innovative watercour

Read more less

Ajanta's Evolution: From Savakayana to Bodhisatvayana amid Hunnic Turmoil offers a new scholarly exploration of the rock-cut caves, their sculpture and paintings, meticulously tracing the rise, transformation, and legacy of these architectural marvels.The book takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining elements of historical, archaeological, artistic and Buddhist studies. Part I treats the grand epoch of Sravakayana, discussing archaeological contexts, cave classification methodologies, and the emergence of rock-cut monasteries under the influence of King Hari ?e?a. Against the backdrop of Hunnic upheaval and societal transformations, Part II delves into the Bodhisatvayana era, chronicling the impact of Alchon or Alkhan Hun raids, migrations, and the evolution of the rock-cut monuments.The principle aim is to contextualize the site of Ajanta within a new historical setting. It seeks to address the paradox of how the Early Alchon or Al

Read more less

Between 1990 and 1998, MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) undertook a series of archaeological excavations within Wollaston Quarry covering an area of 116ha. Eight excavation areas and a watching brief were undertaken. The proximity of the River Nene and at least four palaeochannels formed the dominant natural landscape features. This dynamic environment affected settlement and land use throughout prehistoric and Roman periods.Seventeen pits, largely in small groups, were identified containing early Neolithic to late Neolithic/early Bronze Age pottery. Some of these features were located within the area of the palaeochannels. Later, of especial interest was a notable collection of eleven different late Bronze Age to early Iron Age pit alignments, which were part of a co-axial landscape over an area of 2.5km. There was also a small area of domestic activity reflected by pits dating to the early Iron Age as well as two large watering holes in other locations. The pi

Read more less

La industria ósea en la Hispania romana considers, for the first time in detail, the work of the bone industry in a specific province of the Roman Empire. Until now, only the material deposited in a museum, or from a specific site, has been analysed in a particular way. It is hoped, therefore, that through this work we may obtain a global and general vision of this industry in a wide territory, Hispania. In this aspect, this book shows the peculiarities found in each territory, as well as the local and regional influences and connections, and with the rest of the Empire.The first part provides an overview of the current state of research, both nationally and internationally. From here, we focus on the Hispanic workshops and their production, and develops a simple and open classification (so that new pieces can be incorporated), offering a detailed analysis of the different objects. Abundant images are provided in which the characteristics described and the

Read more less

‘To See a World in a Grain of Sand’ uses modern scientific methods to examine glass beads and vessel fragments dating from the Meroitic (c. 350 BC-AD 350) and Early Nobadia (c. AD 350-600) periods to provide a new assessment of glass from Nubia (ancient Sudan), a subject hitherto little-studied. The resulting identification of their chemical makeup is not simply about artefact reclassification but permits the tracking of similar compositions and—by extension—the raw materials for glass production that were used throughout Nubia, Egypt, and the Mediterranean. The results reveal interrelationships between trade, technological understanding, and manufacturing choices made across these cultures. Comparing glasses from Nubia with those from Egyptian and Mediterranean contexts has also shown how the same primary production centres were providing glass to sites in Turkey, Albania, Egypt, and Nubia. The identification of different glass groups and rare types of glass within Nubia shows the extent and variation to be found in a material that is present not only at a single site but also across the whole region, while the data presented reveals the diverse and complex nature of glass objects discovered there. That multiple interactions were being employed in glass manufacture shows how the examination of artefacts and their component materials must include consideration of both international trade and ‘home-based’ practices.

Read more less

Medieval Settlement Research is the journal of the Medieval Settlement Research Group (MSRG), a long-established, widely recognised and open multi-disciplinary research group that facilitates collaboration between archaeologists, geographers, historians and other interested parties. The Group is dedicated to developing understanding of rural settlements and their associated landscapes between the 5th and 16th centuries AD. To achieve these aims, the MSRG organises Spring and Winter Seminars each year, offers research and travel grants, awards the annual John Hurst Memorial Prize for the best postgraduate paper, and publishes an annual journal, Medieval Settlement Research. The journal is an internationally recognised publication containing research papers, scholarly articles, fieldwork reports, news and reviews. Although the MSRG’s interests are concentrated primarily on British and Irish medieval landscapes between the 5th and 16th centuries AD, it actively encourages wider chronological and pan-European perspectives. Medieval Settlement Research therefore welcomes papers relating to Britain, Ireland and the rest of Europe that help us to improve our understanding of medieval settlements and landscapes from the level of individual sites to the international scale.

Read more less

Focusing on stunning paintings and engravings from around the world, Powerful Pictures interrogates the driving forces behind global rock art research. Many of the rock art motifs featured in the 16 chapters of this book were created by indigenous hunter-gatherer groups, and it sheds new light on non-Western rituals and worldviews, many of which are threatened or on the point of extinction. Stemming from a conference in Val Camonica in northern Italy, the book is arranged by continent, although it tackles how early research in some countries (e.g., Sweden, France, Spain, the USA, Canada, South Africa) influenced the trajectory of archaeological investigations in others (e.g., Australia, India, Mexico, Germany, Mongolia, Russia). All of the contributing authors have vast experience working with rock art and Indigenous communities, many of them holding posts in prestigious university departments around the world. The book will be of particular interest to professional historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists, and indeed anyone who is interested in art, symbolism, and the past.

Read more less

Il libro raccoglie i risultati delle campagne di scavo 2009-2015 a Santa Cristina in Caio (Buonconvento, Siena) e contestualizza il sito nel più ampio fenomeno delle mansiones, dei vici romani e dei riusi tra tarda antichità ed alto medioevo. In generale sono affrontati i temi riguardanti le trasformazioni delle campagne toscane durante la fine dei paesaggi antichi e l’eredità delle terre pubbliche nella lunga durata tra l’impero romano e quello carolingio. Santa Cristina in Caio infatti viene probabilmente fondato nel corso del I secolo come luogo di sosta lungo la Via Cassia che univa Chiusi con Siena; l'impianto termale, tra fine IV e inizi V secolo, viene completamente spoliato e l'area viene occupata da capanne fino agli inizi dell'VIII secolo. Agli inizi del IX secolo viene citata per la prima volta la chiesa di Santa Cristina e Ludovico il Pio conferma le sue pertinenze all'abbazia di Sant'Antimo.

Read more less

Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Properties in Arab States provides a bird’s-eye view of the phenomenon of illicit trafficking of cultural properties and serves as a reference point for governments, enforcement agencies, international organizations, stakeholders, and civil societies. It focuses geographically on the Arab World: the countries in the Middle East, Gulf of Arabia, Horn of Africa and North Africa. To date a holistic approach to the topic in this region has been lacking. The book investigates the nature of illicit trafficking of cultural properties, the means and impact of illicit activities and crimes perpetrated against archaeological sites and museums. Through up-to-date information, grounded on solid research data, it traces the routes of illicit trafficking and analyzes the actual situation of the targeted region with an eye on the implementation of the international conventions. The aim is to investigate possible firm responses to illicit trafficking and determine the priorities and needs of this region. The outcomes are visible recommendations on the challenge of illicit trafficking of cultural properties in the Arab region, promoting modalities for sharing data and encouraging the review of legislative and judicial systems and practices connected to illicit trafficking of cultural properties. Finally, the work encourages the coordination of stakeholders and the use of technological advances to fulfil this monumental duty.

Read more less

Far from being a discipline focusing on the past, archaeology has boundless potential for engaging with people in the present. Encounters between archaeologists and the public with different pasts have the potential to create diverse participative dynamics. From the involvement of citizens as excavators and re-enactors to the co-organisation of research campaigns and outreach activities, public participation in archaeology has become a well-represented practice, fully incorporated into European and national cultural policies. However, the impact of this practice remains underexplored. Unforgettable Encounters demonstrates how evaluating participation can critically influence daily practice on fieldwork, enrich the academic discussion in public archaeology, and inform the decision-making process in community-based planning. The book proposes an operational workflow, aiming to serve as a benchmark for archaeologists delivering collaborative programs in excavation-based projects. It offers a flexible set of tools, analyses, and visualisation boards which can provide a range of information about public participation and can inform the daily practice of fieldwork and the development of community projects. Three Italian case studies present the application of the operational workflow, testing its flexibility and effectiveness. By focusing on Italian community archaeology, this book aims to raise awareness of the importance of evaluating public participation in a country where this commitment has always been evident—especially in excavations—but where research on community archaeology itself has developed only in the last few years.

Read more less

The Maritime Transport of Sculptures in the Ancient Mediterranean examines where, when, why and how sculptures were transported on the Mediterranean Sea during Classical Antiquity through the lenses of both maritime and classical archaeology. From the 16th century onwards numerous ancient sculptures have been discovered in the Mediterranean from the context of surveyed shipwrecks, unrecorded potential shipwrecks or as isolated finds. Scholars so far have analysed those sculptural artefacts from an art historical perspective, with interpretation of their maritime transportation remaining conjectural due to the problematic recording and the remoteness of their underwater context. With a focus on the underwater context of already retrieved sculptures, this book aims at comprehending in detail the various circumstances under which ancient sculptural artefacts were carried on board ancient merchant ships and were consequently deposited underwater. Through the creation of an extensive Mediterranean-wide database, with more than 100 known incidents of ancient sculptures found underwater, and the in-depth analysis of three case studies, the Porticello, Mahdia and Favaritx shipwrecks, a new interpretation is presented for this maritime activity. Thereby, new details for the maritime transport and distribution of sculptures during the period of Classical Antiquity are revealed. Finally, the volume demonstrates the importance of the thorough recording of underwater archaeological evidence in the hope of raising awareness and eliminating the salvage of ancient sculptures out of their underwater context, a practice that has been encouraging the illicit trade of such antiquities.

Read more less

Approaches to Disruptions and Interactions in Archaeology is a collection of some of the papers presented at the Graduate Archaeology at Oxford Conferences over the years 2017, 2018, and 2019. The GAO conference has become an annual fixture in the calendar of graduate study in the School of Archaeology in Oxford, typically held in the spring each year and organised by graduate students from the School. The aims of the conferences have been primarily to provide a platform for graduate students and early career researchers to share their work, and to encourage discussions and connections amongst scholars from different fields within archaeology. In total, around 150 delegates participated, approximately 80 papers were presented, and 20 posters were displayed in the three conferences represented in this volume. The book represents 8 papers from the wider benefits and results of the GAO conferences over the three years. The papers draw out different aspects of the key themes of interaction, mobility, entanglement and disruption amongst various communities and demonstrated through material culture, relating to a range of time periods. Subjects include Japanese fans, Romano-British coins, Chinese architecture, the establishment of the Silk Road(s), chaos as shown in classical theatre, the threat to Indian urban sites, Buddhist grottoes in Northern Sichuan, and Phoenician colonisation of parts of Portugal. It is proposed that definitions and distinctions can be a mirage, and it is interaction and mobility that characterises much of the past.

Read more less

Abila of the Decapolis is the largest Graeco-Roman city in Jordan with a tremendous wealth of funerary remains, and thus has the potential to improve our understanding of ancient culture and mobility. This is the first comprehensive synthesis of burial types, practices, and evidence for societal collapse in the growing field of bioarchaeology of Jordan. The book provides a comprehensive descriptive catalogue of the tombs and classification of tomb types, documented by over a hundred plans and 3D reconstructions. It also presents a model to explain the decline of Abila at the end of the Byzantine period. It will be a unique source for students and researchers interested in the funerary architecture and bioarchaeology of the classical period (Greek, Roman, and Byzantine).

Read more less

The two volumes bring together the contributions of the members of the International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences (UISPP), to a project launched in 2017, with the support of the International Academic Union (UAI), under the title Human societies facing climate change in prehistory and protohistory : from the origins of Humanity to the beginning of historical times. The second volume concerns protohistory, from the beginning of the Holocene to historical times. In what climate and at what latitudes have the innovations represented by farming and animal husbandry succeeded in sustaining themselves? How did agro-pastoral societies adapt to the progression of Holocene aridity after the exceptional wet period at its beginning? Is nomadic pastoralism a specialization of an agro-pastoral society in the context of increasing aridity and/or an adaptation of animal domestication to steppe and semi-desert areas? How have agro-pastoral societies adapted to multi-century periods of climate change such as those known from protohistoric and historical periods (the crises of 8200 BP, 4200 BP, 1200 BC and 800 BC; the Roman climate optimum; the crisis of the Later Roman Empire and barbarian invasions; the medieval climate optimum; the Little Ice Age)? And how did they survive episodes of adverse weather lasting several years that caused scarcity and famine?

Read more less

Everyday Life in the Ice Age is the first attempt to present a truly complete, balanced and realistic picture of life during the last Ice Age, with its many problems and challenges, while dispelling many of the myths and inaccuracies about our early ancestors. One of the most common questions asked by visitors to Europe’s decorated caves is ‘What was life like for these people?’ No previous book has ever managed to answer this question, and most studies of the period are aimed entirely at academics, tending to focus on tool-types rather than what the tools were used for. Women and children are almost invisible in these studies. The book examines all aspects of the lives of biologically modern humans in Europe from about 40,000 to 12,000 years ago, the period known as the Last Ice Age, a time of radical change in climate and environment. It explores how people were able to cope with and adapt to the often rapid alterations in their circumstances. Elle Clifford’s background in Social Psychology brings important insights into aspects of the past which are never normally discussed – domestic and family life, pregnancy and child-rearing, and care of the sick and elderly. The book is aimed not only at students and specialists, but also and especially the interested public, for whom the most interesting questions are: How were they like us? and what behaviours do we share?

Read more less

Soldados, Armas y Batallas en los grafitos históricos, trata sobre la presencia y la representación de lo militar en los grafitos históricos. Pero también, de esos enclaves castrenses que a través de sus grafitos nos cuentan su historia. El eje vertebrador de esta publicación es el estudio de diversos conjuntos de grafitos históricos de temática militar (representaciones de batallas, de armamento, de infraestructuras, de guerreros y soldados, de consignas o proclamas, etc.), todos ellos dibujos y/o mensajes grabados en espacios vinculados a la cultura de defensa (las paredes de castillos, cuarteles, garitas, cárceles o búnkeres, entre otros). El compendio de capítulos recogidos nos plantea una visión holística y multitemporal desde el mundo antiguo hasta la época contemporánea; desde Pompeya a América, pasando por la Península Ibérica.

Read more less

The frontiers of the Roman empire together form the largest surviving monument of one of the world’s greatest states. They stretch for some 7,500 km through 20 countries which encircle the Mediterranean Sea. The remains of these frontiers have been studied by visitors and later by archaeologists for several centuries. Many of the inscriptions and sculpture, weapons, pottery and artefacts created and used by the soldiers and civilians who lived on the frontier can be seen in museums. Equally evocative of the lost might of Rome are the physical remains of the frontiers themselves. The aim of this series of booklets is not only to inform the interested visitor about the history of the frontiers but to act as a guidebook as well. The Roman Empire reached its near full extent during the reign of Emperor Augustus. At that time Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the entire Mediterranean were part of it. The Hungarian part of the Empire had a river frontier that was more precisely called ripa. Pannonia province existed from the occupation during the reign of Emperor Augustus to the 20s and 30s of the 5th century A.D. Its border stretched alongside the Danube and was always one of the most important European frontiers in Roman times, as it is justified by keeping a very strong defence force there, consisting of 4 legions and an average of 30 auxiliary units. Some 420 km long section of the entire Pannonian limes from Klosterneuburg (Austria) to Belgrade (Serbia) belongs to the territory of present-day Hungary.

Read more less

Transhumance presents a collection of papers exploring the practice, impact and archaeology of British and European transhumance, the seasonal grazing of marginal lands by domesticated livestock, usually accompanied by people, often young women. All but one were first given in 2018 at the Newcastle and Durham conference of the International Association of Landscape Archaeology. Their range is wide, geographically (Britain, Italy, Spain, France and Norway) and temporally (prehistory to the present day). The approaches taken include excavation and artefact analysis, fieldwalking, archaeological survey, landscape archaeology and history, analysis of ancient texts, inscriptions and records, ethno-archaeology, social network analysis and consideration of the delicate balances between the natural resources that transhumants exploit and the intangible cultures that are developed and sustained as they do so. The volume re-emphasises that much of European history and culture has been and in some places continues to be dependent on the annual migrations to and then back from the mountains, forests and bogs. It notes and explains how transhumance systems are not timeless and unchanging, but instead respond to wider economic and social changes. But, it also shows how transhumance itself contributes to changes, and continuities, including how the organisation of access to common pastures crystallises principles that underpin much broader legal and social systems.

Read more less

Use of Space and Domestic Areas: Functional Organisation and Social Strategies presents the papers from Session XXXII-1 of the 18th UISPP World Congress (Paris, June 2018). The organization of inhabited space is the direct expression of the deep integration of societies with their cultural and natural environment. According to the distribution and the patterning of activities, the organization of human communities and the role of their actors can be brought to light. The various contributions in this volume show the progress of research in terms of understanding the use of space on different scales, from the household to the village, focusing on Neolithic and Bronze Age contexts. Each of the contributions shows the diversity of issues concerning the interpretation of the living spaces, and the diversity of approaches carried out to answer them.

Read more less

The Ottoman Tanbûr provides a detailed study of the history of this long-necked lute-like instrument, its role in Ottoman music, construction and playing technique. Tanbûrs are played in the art, Sûfî, and folk musical traditions along the Silk Road and beyond. In Turkey, the name tanbûr is mainly used as a name for the long-necked tanbûr of Ottoman art music, the Ottoman tanbûr. The origin and early development of the Ottoman tanbûr is, notwithstanding its importance, still not fully understood due to the absence or scarcity of literary and iconographical sources, while well-preserved Ottoman tanbûrs are rare or non-existent. The book explores the political and cultural-historical conditions that contributed to the development of a distinct Ottoman Art music (Osmanlı san’at mûsîkîsi) in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and the central place given to the tanbûr. Thereafter, Ottoman art music and the Ottoman tanbûr suffered from official neglect until the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and even rejection after the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. This situation changed after the foundation of the first Turkish music conservatory in 1975 at the Istanbul Teknik Üniversitesi (ITÜ). The revival of Ottoman art music since the 1990s resulted in a rehabilitation of Ottoman art music and of the Ottoman tanbûr whose days had seemed to be numbered.

Read more less

Walter Benjamin observed that it is precisely the modern which conjures up prehistory. From Yanagita’s ‘mountain people’ to Umehara’s ‘Jōmon civilisation’, Japan has been an especially resonant site of prehistories imagined in response to modernity. Conjuring Up Prehistory: Landscape and the Archaic in Japanese Nationalism looks at how archaeology and landscapes of the archaic have been used in Japanese nationalism since the early twentieth century, focusing on the writings of cultural historian Tetsurō Watsuji, philosopher Takeshi Umehara and environmental archaeologist Yoshinori Yasuda. It is argued that the Japanese nationalist project has been mirrored by the continuing influence of broader Romantic ideas in Japanese archaeology, especially in Jōmon studies.

Read more less

Der vorliegende Sammelband präsentiert die Ergebnisse des 2015 und darüber hinaus vom Institut für die Kulturen des Alten Orients der Universität Tübingen durchgeführten Surveys in Al-Khashbah, einem der größten frühbronzezeitlichen Fundorte auf der Omanischen Halbinsel. Zehn Monumentalgebäude, 273 Gräber sowie weitere Bauwerke aus der Hafit- (3100–2700 v. Chr.) und Umm an-Nar-Zeit (2700–2000 v. Chr.) konnten hier dokumentiert werden. Dadurch ist Al-Khashbah prädestiniert für die Untersuchung der Anfänge komplexer Siedlungen und Gesellschaftsstrukturen im nördlichen Inner-Oman am Übergang vom 4. zum 3. Jahrtausend v. Chr., denn viele der bislang der Umm an-Nar-Zeit zugeschriebenen Errungenschaften, so zum Beispiel die Monumentalarchitektur und das Schmelzen von Kupfer, sind hier bereits in der vorausgehenden Hafit-Zeit nachweisbar. In der Umm an-Nar-Zeit setzt sich die Entwicklung Al-Khashbahs kontinuierlich fort, wodurch der Fundplatz zusätzlich an Bedeutung gewinnt. Nach den Ergebnissen des Surveys scheint die Kupferproduktion vor Ort in dieser Zeit aber keine Rolle mehr zu spielen. Aus den auf die frühe Bronzezeit folgenden Epochen des 2. und 1. Jahrtausends v. Chr. sowie des 1. und 2. Jahrtausends n. Chr. gibt es in Al-Khashbah nur äußerst wenige Befunde. Erst im 18.–20. Jahrhundert n. Chr. erfährt der Ort eine intensive Wiederbelebung, wovon insbesondere die alte Lehmziegelsiedlung im Norden der Palmenoase, eine kleine Siedlung im Osten des Untersuchungsgebiets, eine Reihe von Bewässerungsanlagen, mehrere Friedhöfe, Petroglyphen sowie zahlreiche an der Oberfläche gefundene spätislamische Keramikscherben zeugen.

Read more less

Traffici commerciali e approdi portuali nella Sardegna meridionale riguarda lo studio dei flussi commerciali della costa meridionale della Sardegna nella tarda antichità, attraverso i ritrovamenti subacquei, le analisi dei contenitori anforici e gli ipotetici luoghi d’attracco. Le indagini subacquee condotte lungo le coste meridionali negli ultimi anni stanno consentendo di ampliare il registro informativo, evidenziando molteplici situazioni di possibili carichi di relitti, di tipo soprattutto eterogeneo, come a Cagliari, Nora (Pula) e nei mari del Sulcis. In particolare, il porto di Cagliari era coinvolto nei percorsi commerciali e forse nelle attività di trasbordo. Lo studio delle anfore è indissolubilmente legato agli aspetti economici e sociali. I materiali e i contesti inclusi in questo lavoro sono originari di tutta l’area mediterranea (Sud Italia-Sicilia, Gallia, Betica, Lusitania, Nord Africa, Mediterraneo orientale). Un altro aspetto del lavoro riguarda l’analisi dei contesti archeologici subacquei dei reperti anforici studiati, con l’obiettivo di comprendere il grado di sfruttamento di ciascuna area costiera, attraverso un approccio subacqueo, geomorfologico e storiografico. Questo studio può contribuire ad una maggiore conoscenza del ruolo della Sardegna meridionale nel commercio mediterraneo e le sue risorse ne hanno indubbiamente influenzato, direttamente e indirettamente, il coinvolgimento negli antichi traffici marittimi e negli scambi commerciali.

Read more less

Survey tra Fiumi, Pianure e Colline analyses the territory of Santa Croce di Magliano in the province of Campobasso, Molise, Italy and studies all its archaeological aspects in order to understand patterns of occupation of the human groups that have inhabited it and how they, through the evolution of social interactions, have received extraterritorial influences. It maintains a focus on this small area of the lower Molise in the wider regional context of the Frentano state. This study has been able to contribute further evidence to support attempts to explain the interactions between the Samnite cultures located north of the Fortore river and those located south of the same river, characterised by a Daunian culture (at least until the sixth century BC). It also highlights the evolution of settlement types over the centuries. Furthermore it has been also possible to highlight how the types of settlement have evolved over the centuries, up to the current urban form of the village considered in this study.

Read more less

Environment, Archaeology and Landscape is a collection of papers dedicated to Martin Bell on his retirement as Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Reading. Three themes outline how wetland and inland environments can be related and investigated using multi-method approaches. ‘People and the Sea: Coastal and Intertidal Archaeology’ explores the challenges faced by humans in these zones – particularly relevant to the current global sea level rise. ‘Patterns in the Landscape: Mobility and Human-environment Relationships’ includes some more inland examples and examines how past environments, both in Britain and Europe, can be investigated and brought to public attention. The papers in ‘Archaeology in our Changing World: Heritage Resource Management, Nature Conservation and Rewilding’ look at current challenges and debates in landscape management, experimental and community archaeology. A key theme is how archaeology can contribute time depth to an understanding of biodiversity and environmental sustainability. This volume will be of value to all those interested in environmental archaeology and its relevance to the modern world.

Read more less

Stratton, Biggleswade: 1,300 years of village life in eastern Bedfordshire from the 5th century AD presents the results of 12 hectares of archaeological excavation undertaken between 1990 and 2001. As well as uncovering roughly half of the medieval village, the investigations revealed that Stratton’s origins stretched back to the early Anglo-Saxon period, with the settlement remaining in continuous use through to c. 1700. In contrast to many of the other major excavations of Anglo-Saxon settlements, the evidence from Stratton provides insights into the lives of a low-status rural community, whose development can be traced over the course of more than a millennium. This book presents a chronological account of Stratton’s development; evidence for its economy, trading relations, industrial activities and agricultural landscape; and a discussion of how people lived and died there before the village was finally extinguished by the creation of the classic estate landscape of Stratton Park.

Read more less

From Ritual to Refuse explores the faunal exploitation by the Maya elite at the site of Chinikihá, Chiapas, during the end of the Late Classic period (AD 700-850) by applying zooarchaeological and statistical analyses to a faunal assemblage located in a basurero or midden behind a palatial structure at the core of the site. This deposit has been interpreted as the result of one or various feasting events. The aim is to investigate temporal changes of function, more specifically during periods of increasing political competitiveness. Moreover, these analyses suggest that there is a change in the use of faunal resources, from a ritual pattern to a more general refuse deposit. The results from the zooarchaeological analysis are supported by a dietary analysis using δ13C and δ15N stable isotopes conducted on human and faunal samples. The results from the faunal assemblage suggest that there was a constant supply of animals for ritual and non-ritual uses, and that these animals were mostly obtained in the wild.

Read more less