Stratigraphic Narratives from the Eastern Torres Strait: A Multi-proxy Geoarchaeological Study at Ormi, Dauar Island

<p>An ancient tell is a multi-period archaeological site, where anthropogenic, and natural sedimentation processes took place. Although a tell is primarily an anthropogenic type of geomorphological feature, it is affected by natural processes as well. This contribution discusses how these processes can be determined within the context of archaeological research and how it is possible to differentiate and interpret past-human activities and natural processes. Tel Burna, a site intensively occupied from the Early Bronze to Iron Ages (3rd millennium BCE – 6th century BCE) located in the southern Levant, was chosen for this study of the studying sedimentary processes and chemical compositions of sediments. The sedimentary processes were studied in the course of an archaeological excavation using POSL (portable optically stimulated luminescence), granulometry and PXRF (portable X-ray fluorescence). Focusing on the area along the fortification walls, data was collected from strata around the casemate fortifications dating from the Late Bronze Age to the Late Iron Age.</p><p>The gradual increase of OSL values obtained inside the casemate wall, indicate accumulation of sediment during a long period of time. Whereas similar values along the entire profile outside the casemate wall indicate sediment accumulation in one-time event. This might be related to defensive preparations, allegedly in response to advances made by Sennacherib’s army in 701 BCE. Results from the PXRF demonstrated a correlation between the Cu, P, K, Zn, Mn content and human activities. Ca content decreased as sampling descended from the tell's surface, suggesting its origin in post-abandonment aeolian processes.  The results demonstrate that the use of POSL and PXRF can be useful for determining sedimentary processes at ancient tells. The presented abstract is adapted from the article published in Quaternary International in 2020.</p><p>Acknowledgements:</p><p>The research is supported by project “Geochemical insight into non-destructive archaeological research” (LTC19016) of subprogram INTER‐COST (LTC19) of program INTEREXCELLENCE by Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic.</p>

Quantifying the effects of erosion on archaeological sites with low-altitude aerial photography, structure from motion, and GIS: A case study from southern Jordan

Geoarchaeology and taphonomy: Deciphering site formation processes for late Holocene archaeological settings in the eastern Pampa-Patagonian transition, Argentina

Soil characterization across catenas via advanced proximal sensors

Samples from Okada area in the Southwestern, Nigeria were collected to evaluate their likely potentials in drilling mud production with comparison with some commercial bentonite. In order to carry out this evaluation mineralogical, geotechnical and geochemical analysis were used to assess these drilling mud potential. The geotechnical analysis involving the determination of moisture content, specific gravity, particle size analysis, atterberg/ consistency limits test was combined with geochemical analysis of Xray Fluorescence (XRF) and Xray Diffraction (XRD) to determine the qualitative, (types of clays) and quantitative (compositions of each mineral in clay component) and the mineralogy percentages in the clay. The geotechnical results showed particles size of < 60% with very high plasticity (88-140%) having clay activity of <1.25%. Geochemical analysis shows significant amount of Silicate (SiO2), Alumina (Al2O3), Iron (Fe2O3), Magnesium (MgO), Calcium oxide (CaO), Titanium oxide (TiO2) and Manganese oxide (MnO). In CEC, Ca, K, Na (in order of decrease) oxides in Okada and high LOI (38%). The Okada clay revealed the dominance of montmorillonite (30-35.1%) and Kaolinite (2-20.1%) with Quartz (2-24%), Calcite (7-91%) and a very unique occurrence of Palygorskite (2-33%) in the study area which has never been seen in Nigeria. The attributes of the Okada clay were compared with the natural commercial bentonite of Wyoming and Moscow and it was observed to meet the requirement as drilling mud except in the plasticity and swelling potentials which would have to be taken into consideration in beneficiation of the okada clays.

This article provides a portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) elemental dataset from samples collected from a Cambrian Sandstone Aquifer in West-Central Wisconsin, U.S.A. Analyses were performed on drill core samples and well cutting materials collected using a variety of drilling methods. Elements presented in this dataset include aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), calcium (Ca), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), phosphorus (P), lead (Pb), sulfur (S), silicon (Si), strontium (Sr), uranium (U), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn). The accuracy and precision of the pXRF analyses was calculated based on repeated measurement of standards of similar lithology to the aquifer. This dataset could be used for 1) chemostratigraphy, 2) refinement of subsurface geochemical sampling techniques; 3) preventing or mitigating naturally-occurring groundwater trace metal contaminants in groundwater in the Upper Mississippi River Valley, and 4) evaluating impacts of regional industrial sand mining on aquifer geochemistry. The data presented in this article was used to select a subset of samples that represented the elemental variability within the overall aquifer succession for further geochemical and mineralogical analysis presented in the article entitled “Identifying the Source of Groundwater Contaminants in West-Central Wisconsin, U.S.A.: Geochemical and Mineralogical Characterization of the Cambrian Sandstone Aquifer” (Zambito et al., 2022).

Summary Lakeside settlements can be regarded as a special type of archaeological site, where, thanks to their location near the shoreline or in the lake, various kinds of organic remains have been preserved under waterlogged conditions. In this work, site formation processes from six Neolithic pile dwelling sites shall be presented from a micromorphological point of view. A series of natural and anthropogenic site formation processes were identified and have been compared with natural processes in peatlands. The main processes can be summarized as follows: in the littoral zone a carbonate lake marl stratum accumulated prior to construction of the settlement. During lake regressions, the shore platform became dry and the settlements were established. Throughout the period of occupation, anthropogenic processes led to the accumulation of manly organic and loamy layers. House building activities, food processing and livestock husbandry led to the accumulation of a complex puzzle of deposits. Further, signs of trampling on minerogenic and organic sediments are discussed. The depositional regime can be characterized as paludal, dominated by constant humidity, high accumulation rates, and rapid covering of the remains. Erosion and reworking processes as a result of lake flooding, and/or runoff from the hinterland have affected some parts of the anthropogenic accumulations. Finally, the degradation of organic matter occurred mainly during dry phases when the groundwater level dropped. Seasonality was of great importance in this kind of milieu throughout the various processes described above.

Archaeological sites in northern Africa provide a rich record of increasing importance for the origins of modern human behaviour and for understanding human dispersal out of Africa. However, the timing and nature of Palaeolithic human behaviour and dispersal across north-western Africa (the Maghreb), and their relationship to local environmental conditions, remain poorly understood. The cave of Rhafas (northeast Morocco) provides valuable chronological information about cultural changes in the Maghreb during the Palaeolithic due to its long stratified archaeological sequence comprising Middle Stone Age (MSA), Later Stone Age (LSA) and Neolithic occupation layers. In this study, we apply optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on sand-sized quartz grains to the cave deposits of Rhafas, as well as to a recently excavated section on the terrace in front of the cave entrance. We hereby provide a revised chronostratigraphy for the archaeological sequence at the site. We combine these results with geological and sedimentological multi-proxy investigations to gain insights into site formation processes and the palaeoenvironmental record of the region. The older sedimentological units at Rhafas were deposited between 135 ka and 57 ka (MIS 6 –MIS 3) and are associated with the MSA technocomplex. Tanged pieces start to occur in the archaeological layers around 109 ka, which is consistent with previously published chronological data from the Maghreb. A well indurated duricrust indicates favourable climatic conditions for the pedogenic cementation by carbonates of sediment layers at the site after 57 ka. Overlying deposits attributed to the LSA technocomplex yield ages of ~21 ka and ~15 ka, corresponding to the last glacial period, and fall well within the previously established occupation phase in the Maghreb. The last occupation phase at Rhafas took place during the Neolithic and is dated to ~7.8 ka.

This is an introductory text for students interested in identification and analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites. The emphasis is on animals whose remains inform us about the relationship between humans and their natural and social environments, especially site formation processes, subsistence strategies, the processes of domestication, and paleoenvironments. Examining examples from all over the world, from the Pleistocene period up to the present, this volume is organized in a way that is parallel to faunal study, beginning with background information, bias in a faunal assemblage, and basic zooarchaeological methods. This revised edition reflects developments in zooarchaeology during the past decade. It includes sections on enamel ultrastructure and incremental analysis, stable isotyopes and trace elements, ancient genetics and enzymes, environmental reconstruction, people as agents of environmental change, applications of zooarchaeology in animal conservation and heritage management, and a discussion of issues pertaining to the curation of archaeofaunal materials.

Identifying and sourcing pyrometamorphic artifacts: Clinker in subarctic North America and the hunter-gatherer response to a Late Holocene volcanic eruption

To understand abandonment processes and secondary uses of public buildings is a key‐challenge to recognize the scope of the urban transformations in Roman cities during Late Antiquity. In this sense, administrative and religious public spaces such as theforaunderwent a great variety of transformations resulting in the genesis of a complex stratigraphy of anthropogenic and natural deposits.Baelo Claudiais a well‐known Roman city located in the Atlantic coast of southern Spain. Recent excavations in theforumhave provided new data that elucidate Late Roman urban transformations. In this study, we use archaeological soil micromorphology, physico‐chemical analyses and geochemistry to investigate site formation processes and to document nontraditional forms of occupation not visible in the macroscopic archaeological record. This methodology allowed for the distinction of several anthropogenic activities such as glass recycling, reflooring practices, plundering of ornamental marbles, middening of organic and penning residues, together with the progressive decay of earth‐based constructions. The complex superposition of site formation processes seen atBaelo Claudiaunderlines the role of micromorphology in the identification of behavioral signatures and its relevance in deciphering urban transformation in Late Antiquity.

<p>This study reports data from field sampling of catchment and reservoir bed sediments undertaken in October 2013 in the Wala catchment, Jordan, and findings of geochemical analysis of the sediments. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between sediments from different locations within the catchment and those deposited within the reservoir. This is set within the overall context of an attempt to rationalise the use of modelling in a data-poor environment. Can targeted, limited acquisition of geochemical information within a logistically challenging environment add value to existing datasets in respect of ground truth for model predictions of sediment provenance within the catchment? Channel bed sediments were collected from sub-catchment outlets throughout the Wala catchment and shallow cores (c. 500 mm) extracted from three locations around the Wala reservoir. XRF and particle size analysis were performed on all samples and the data analysed in respect of mineralogical and pollutant geochemical signatures. Contrary to evidence from temperate lake studies, there was no strong record of discrete event-driven deposition at the Wala, likely due to reworking of sediments during high-flow recharge events following complete draw-down of the reservoir in the highly intermittent hydrological setting. Pollutant geochemistry shows variations consistent with patterns of land-use in the catchment, with levels of Pb, Co, Cu and Cr associated with urbanised regions in the north and west of the region. Sampled concentrations, particularly those of the reservoir sediments, are typically below thresholds for environmental health concern. However, combined with the modelled bias in flow and sediment inputs from this region (driven by asymmetric rainfall distribution), this emphasises a potential concern for future management of water quality and protection of groundwater during aquifer recharge.</p>

This leading textbook introduces students and practitioners to the identification and analysis of animal remains at archaeology sites. The authors use global examples from the Pleistocene era into the present to explain how zooarchaeology allows us to form insights about relationships among people and their natural and social environments, especially site-formation processes, economic strategies, domestication, and paleoenvironments. This new edition reflects the significant technological developments in zooarchaeology that have occurred in the past two decades, notably ancient DNA, proteomics, and isotope geochemistry. Substantially revised to reflect these trends, the volume also highlights novel applications, current issues in the field, the growth of international zooarchaeology, and the increased role of interdisciplinary collaborations. In view of the growing importance of legacy collections, voucher specimens, and access to research materials, it also includes a substantially revised chapter that addresses management of zooarchaeological collections and curation of data.

• Geochemical analysis identifies chemical groups in the ceramics studied. • Three main petrographic paste groups are identified in the Igbo Ukwu assemblage. • Multiple petrofabrics reflect differences in clay sources and clay processing techniques. • The ceramics are consistent with broadly local geology. • The results from this study refine the understanding of raw material sourcing and ceramic production practices at ancient Igbo Ukwu. The 1st and 2nd Millennium CE marked significant shifts in West African economy and sociopolitical systems with commensurate changes to craft economies in the region, including expanded trade networks and increasing urbanism across the region. This study investigates ceramic production at Igbo Ukwu (9th-12th Century CE), one of the most significant archaeological sites in West Africa, renowned for its elaborate material culture and early technological sophistication. Drawing on legacy collections from Thurstan Shaw’s 1959 – 1964 excavations, this paper examines ceramic samples from Igbo Isaiah, Igbo Richard, and Igbo Jonah, the three excavated sites, using petrographic and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analyses. The results reveal three major petrographic groups (Argillaceous, Quartzitic, and Transitionary) representing locally sourced clays and distinct chemical composition groups, highlighting substantial variation in broadly locally sourced raw material and preparation techniques. The findings from this work reveal multiple paste types that were used to produce macroscopically similar vessels, suggesting multiple potting traditions or workshops. However, it remains unclear if production was directed towards local consumption, regional exchange, or if the potting industry was organized to meet both local and external demands. These findings offer new insights into the organization of ceramic production at Igbo Ukwu and contribute to a broader understanding of craft production and technological knowledge in early West African societies.

A geoarchaeological perspective on late Holocene Puyallup River delta history using lithostratigraphic data from Xaxtl'abish 1 on the Hylebos Creek distributary in Tacoma, WA