Austrian Archeological Institute

This paper presents results from the Neutron Activation Analysis of 362 samples of Protogeometric and Geometric pottery from the Aegean and the Mediterranean. The focus is on sampled pots whose origin can be located through good reference material such as clays or misfired pottery from kilns. These analysed samples were clustered in already defined geochemical groups, usually named after the first letters of their place of origin (e.g. EuA for Euboea, DelA for Delphi), or in new groups determined through this study (e.g. KlazE for Klazomenai, SinA for Sindos). The geochemical variability of the earliest Greek pottery overseas challenges previous perceptions about the alleged dominance of certain wares such as Euboean and Corinthian in early Greek and Phoenician colonial contexts.

The Neutron Activation Analysis of some of the earliest Greek pottery used in the Aegean and the Mediterranean provided results that did not allow the localisation of origin through evidence obtained from the analysis of reference material such as clays and kiln wasters. However, the grouping of our sampled pottery with other members of large geochemical groups allows their localisation through archaeological criteria such as ceramic distribution and concentration patterns. Furthermore, the geochemical groupings contribute to a better understanding of the organisation and economy of pottery production. This is achieved by means of new evidence about the continuity or discontinuity in the use of the same raw material, the correlation of certain pottery types and geochemical signatures and the typological-technological consistency of the newly formed groups.

Abstract Two aulos pairs (Δ1965 and Δ1964), unearthed in 1980 and 2005 respectively at Megara (Attica), are exhibited in the city’s Archaeological Museum. Both are associated with metal sliding keys (resembling the keys on the well-known Pergamon aulos model), either mounted on the pipes (Δ1964) or displayed next to them (Δ1965). The present paper describes the parts, proposes a meaningful re-assemblage of the bone sections, and gives a detailed account of the sliding mechanism, which is here for the first time attested on finds of actual musical instruments, including an entirely new technology of speaker hole keys. A musical analysis, based on determining plausible reed configurations using software modelling, suggests that the finds represent a partially standardised design of professional modulating auloi, playing attested harmoníai while hovering between the enharmonic and chromatic.

The paper describes a project to generate digital 3D geometric and structural models of historic roof structures made of timber in a highly automated way directly out of 3D laser scan data. Within an interdisciplinary workflow, the new approach provides digital data of the timber structures in formats which can be used easily for the subsequent architectural analysis and structural assessment. Compared to conventional methods, the project aims to replace labour intensive manual work of 3D documentation and modelling of historic roof structures by a time-saving digital workflow enabling straight exchange of data and results between surveyors, architects and structural engineers.

The recovery of ancient RNA from archeological material could enable the direct study of microevolutionary processes. Small RNAs are a rich source of information because their small size is compatible with biomolecular preservation, and their roles in gene regulation make them likely foci of evolutionary change. We present here the small RNA fraction from a sample of archeological barley generated using high-throughput sequencing that has previously been associated with localized adaptation to drought. Its microRNA profile is broadly similar to 19 globally distributed modern barley samples with the exception of three microRNAs (miRNA159, miRNA319, and miR396), all of which are known to have variable expression under stress conditions. We also found retrotransposon activity to be significantly reduced in the archeological barley compared with the controls, where one would expect the opposite under stress conditions. We suggest that the archeological barley’s conflicting stress signals could be the result of long-term adaptation to its local environment.

In this paper the new results of an Austrian-Hungarian research cooperation (2011–2014) on the urbanism of the Civil towns of Aquincum and Carnuntum are to be presented. In synthesis of geophysical surveys, the interpretation of archaeological excavations and the reinterpretation of elder evidences, a new picture of the diachronic development of the two Civil Towns from an earlyvicusto a fortified city can be drawn.

This article gives a preliminary excavation report about a building in the Lycian city of Limyra and the finds which were made in it. In the north-east corner of the building – the only part excavated so far – one room was equipped with a marble wall revetment and windows with glass of at least four different colors. Inside, a square water basin was supplied by collected rainwater which was channeled through a terracotta pipe into the basin. Some elements suggest that the basin was used for bathing. The entry to the building led from the main street into a vestibule, which was originally partially open at the front. At a later period, the floor of the building was raised to its current level by means of two stone slabs and two pillars which were in secondary use. The two slabs are remnants of chancel screens decorated with three menorah images. The front side of one of the slabs is decorated also with a shofar and the second one also with a lulav. The combination of these features suggests that the building was connected with the Jewish community of Limyra. The chancel screens indicate that a synagogue was once located in the immediate vicinity. It is therefore not improbable that the building itself was this synagogue.