Review
Anthropology
M. Kaparou, A. Oikonomou
Summary: This paper aims to explore the production, trade, and use of glass in Greece from the Late Bronze Age through the Hellenistic times, in order to enhance our understanding of this technology.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geology
Jinzhou Peng, Dengfeng Li, Pete Hollings, Yu Fu, Xiaoming Sun
Summary: Polymetallic nodules are widely distributed in the deep sea and contain important critical metals. Analyzing their trace elements can provide valuable information about source-to-sink processes and metal enrichment regimes. Element imaging is a useful technique for understanding the distribution of multiple elements, but traditional methods have limitations in terms of time and resolution. In this study, a new technique combining laser ablation with inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-TOFMS) was used to map the distribution of elements in polymetallic nodules, demonstrating its feasibility and advantages over traditional methods.
ORE GEOLOGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Richard E. Jones, Sara T. Levi, Marco Bettelli, Valentina Cannavo
Summary: The decorated Italo-Mycenaean pottery, a high-status class found and made in Italy during the Late Middle Bronze Age, shows strong evidence of regional production, reflecting the way local communities were constructing and negotiating their identities during a time of social and economic change. Pottery classes influenced by the Aegean also demonstrate a more dispersed intra-regional production pattern.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
S. Renette, M. P. Lewis, M. M. Wencel, A. Farahani, A. Tome
Summary: The possibility to conduct new fieldwork projects in previously largely unexplored Iraqi Kurdistan during the past decade has reinvigorated research into the transformative fifth to third millennium BCE in southwest Asia. Major efforts to synchronize stratigraphic sequences and identify the absolute chronology of societal transformations focused on available datasets from Syria, Turkey, and Iran. However, constructing region-specific absolute chronological models for comparative analysis is challenging in Iraqi Kurdistan due to major hiatuses in occupation. The site of Kani Shaie offers the rare opportunity to investigate the Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age with a largely uninterrupted sequence of occupation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna Schoeberl, Michael Gutmann, Sarah Theiner, Mario Corte-Rodriguez, Gabriel Braun, Petra Vician, Walter Berger, Gunda Koellensperger
Summary: This study investigates the role of the high affinity copper uptake protein 1 (CTR1) in cellular cisplatin accumulation and copper concentration regulation. The results show that CTR1 expression is lower in cisplatin-resistant cells, and there is a significant correlation between the ratio of plasma membrane-bound CTR1 to total CTR1 and cisplatin accumulation. These findings suggest a complex interplay between subcellular CTR1 localization and cellular cisplatin accumulation.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Petros Karalis, Elissavet Dotsika, Athanasios Godelitsas, Anastasios Antonaras, Anastasia Elektra Poutouki, Maria Tassi
Summary: In this study, chemical analysis was performed on 48 glass samples from Thessaloniki, Greece, revealing that most of the glasses originated from Egypt and were produced using natron as a flux. MnO was the main decolorizer, with some samples also containing Sb2O3. The presence of recycling processes was also evident.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Humanities, Multidisciplinary
Oleh Yatsuk, Leonie Koch, Astrik Gorghinian, Giacomo Fiocco, Patrizia Davit, Lorena Carla Giannossa, Annarosa Mangone, Serena Francone, Alessandra Serges, Alessandro Re, Alessandro Lo Giudice, Marco Ferretti, Marco Malagodi, Cristiano Iaia, Monica Gulmini
Summary: Several types of blue-green glass beads from Iron-Age archaeological sites in Central Italy were analyzed using various spectroscopic techniques. The results provided insights into the raw materials used for production and the provenance indicators in the glass. The composition of the beads revealed color variations and different origins of the coloring raw materials. The study suggested a local origin for some samples, while most of the beads were likely produced in multiple sites in the Near East.
Article
Archaeology
Vanessa Muros, Nikolaos Zacharias, Julian Henderson
Summary: This study analyzes Late Bronze Age (LBA) vitreous materials from Kefalonia, Greece using multiple analytical techniques. The results reveal the composition and provenance of various glass beads and a faience bead dating back to the 14th-11th centuries BCE. The study identifies that most beads were made using plant ash alkali, and the blue glasses were colored using copper, cobalt-copper, or cobalt. Imported Egyptian glass was found to be used in the production of relief plaques, with one unique plaque suggesting possible variation in Egyptian silica and alkali sources. The study also highlights similarities in raw materials used for beads from different regions and suggests a potential connection to glass production in Alalakh. Additionally, a faience bead manufactured with a separate alkali and cobalt source was identified, showing similarities to Group B beads from Psara and Mesara in Greece.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
B. L. Sjoberg, H. Mommsen
Summary: The results of neutron activation analysis on a limited number of LH IIIB and LH IIIC period sherds from Asine in Greece suggest that the transformation from the palatial to post-palatial period did not result in loss of contacts with the surrounding world. Instead, continuity and interaction prevailed, with a shift in the regional dominance of pottery production in the LH IIIB period. The geographical dominance of pottery producers in northeastern Peloponnese and their distribution over the Mediterranean ended, but other operators might have met the demand for pottery.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Archaeology
O. S. Rumyantseva
Summary: The paper provides a comprehensive overview of key studies on ancient glass-making in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Asia Minor during the Late Bronze Age conducted in the 1990s-2010s. New methods and approaches to the studies of ancient glass-making are emphasized, offering insights into the specialized crafts of glass-making in the studied regions. The results suggest the existence of glass-making centers in Egypt and Mesopotamia, with distinguishing features identified between Egyptian and Mesopotamian glass-making centers.
KRATKIE SOOBSHCHENIYA INSTITUTA ARKHEOLOGII
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Kristian von Wuthenau, Torben Segelke, Anita Kuschnereit, Markus Fischer
Summary: Counterfeiting is a widespread issue in industries like cosmetics and art, especially with expensive perfumes and valuable artworks. A study using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry successfully differentiated glass from different production sites, offering a new method for detecting counterfeits.
Article
Medicine, Legal
Pablo Ramirez-Hereza, Daniel Ramos, Juan Maronas, Sergio A. Balanya, Jose Almirall
Summary: This paper compares glass samples from unknown and known sources using multi-elemental features from LA-ICP-MS and proposes the use of simpler models and data pre-processing techniques to improve the performance of the likelihood ratios. The results show an improvement in the reliability of forensic glass comparison.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Humanities, Multidisciplinary
Cristina Boschetti, Jan Kindberg Jacobsen, Claudio Parisi Presicce, Rubina Raja, Nadine Schibille, Massimo Vitti
Summary: Analysis of base glasses from the eastern Mediterranean found in Rome after the fall of the Western Roman Empire reveals the persistence of long-distance trade. The discovery in the Forum of Caesar indicates that these glasses were mostly a mixture of recycled Roman base glass and later glass. However, base glasses dating later than the seventh century are completely missing, suggesting an interruption or decrease in commercial flows.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cristiano Vignola, Martina Hattestrand, Anton Bonnier, Martin Finne, Adam C. Izdebski, Christos Katrantsiotis, Katerina Kouli, Georgios A. Liakopoulos, Elin Norstrom, Maria Papadaki, Nichola Strandberg, Erika Weiberg, Alessia Masi
Summary: This study reconstructs the vegetation of the Argive Plain in Greece for the past 5000 years and shows the significant impact of human activities on the environment. From the Early to Late Bronze Age, the landscape changed due to cultivation and the presence of palatial centers. From the Archaic period onwards, human pressure and drought caused landscape instability, leading to vegetation degradation.
Article
Geography, Physical
L. Alessandri, G. L. Cardello, P. A. J. Attema, V Baiocchi, F. De Angelis, S. Del Pizzo, F. Di Ciaccio, A. Fiorillo, M. Gatta, F. Monti, M. Onori, M. F. Rolfo, M. Romboni, G. Sottili, S. Troisi
Summary: Caves are conservative environments where archaeological, anthropological, climatic, and tectonic data can be well-preserved. The multidisciplinary study on La Sassa cave in the Apennines reveals interactions between Late Pleistocene to Anthropocene neotectonics and archaeological evolution, shedding light on faulting chronology, cultural boundaries, and seismic hazard implications in the region.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Frederik W. Rademakers, Georges Verly, Luc Delvaux, Frank Vanhaecke, Patrick Degryse
Summary: This study presents the first combined elemental composition and lead isotope data for Middle Kingdom Egyptian copper alloy artifacts, providing insights into the copper production chains and waste materials associated with 12th Dynasty mining expeditions in the southern Sinai Peninsula. The research also highlights the need for a careful approach to provenance research of early Egyptian metals, and identifies a two-step process for the production of arsenical copper alloys. Furthermore, the study suggests a potential change in the sources for primary copper production over time, with a narrowing range of exploited Sinai mines compared to preceding periods.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Archaeology
Frederik W. Rademakers, Georges Verly, Luc Delvaux, Patrick Degryse
Summary: This study provides a new provenance evaluation of Egyptian copper alloy artefacts from the Protodynastic and Old Kingdom periods, discussing the implications for early Egyptian copper provenance determination. It also reviews Old Kingdom artefacts from Abusir and Giza, suggesting alternative interpretations to gain a more nuanced understanding of copper alloy imports and their role in early Egyptian metal procurement.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Archaeology
John Bintliff, Patrick Degryse, Janneke van Zwienen
Summary: This article presents the results of soil analysis conducted at the ancient city of Hyettos in Boeotia, Greece, as part of the Boeotia Regional Survey Project. The integration of archaeological, geophysical, and historical data provides insights into urban transformation and the impact of long-term habitation on soil pollution.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Archaeology
John Bintliff, Patrick Degryse
Summary: Trace metal analysis of archaeological soils has become popular in recent decades, but there has been a tendency to attribute these elements too easily to ancient metallurgy. Pollution research has identified several other causes of increased trace metals in anthropogenic deposits. This article reviews the history of research on these phenomena.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Anthropology
Simone Casale, Kwinten van Dessel, Menno L. P. Hoogland, Patrick Degryse, Corinne L. Hofman
Summary: The research shows that communities in the Greater Antilles experienced diffusion and changes in ceramic traits, while maintaining conservative and stable traditions in technological steps. Inhabitants of El Cabo were likely involved in a broader regional network of interaction, indicating a shared ceramic tradition with communities from different locations.
JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Duygu Ergenc, Ahmet Turer, Patrick Degryse, Ebru Torun, Jeroen Poblome, Cagla Meral Akgul
Summary: This study investigates the preservation of the Imperial Roman Baths in Sagalassos, Turkey. Through comprehensive characterization and multiscale assessment of bricks and mortars, the research explores effective preservation methods. Experimental results indicate that although the interface between building materials weakens over time, individual materials still maintain a higher strength. Finite element modeling is used to understand the damage mechanism, showing that brick failure is caused by accumulated tensile stresses at the brick-mortar interface. Global sensitivity analysis reveals that thicker bricks result in better confinement and smaller tensile stresses.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Sarah Dillis, Patrick Degryse
Summary: Antimony has been used for millennia as a material to opacify or decolour glass and glazes, and as an element in copper alloys. Its adoption in metallurgy seems to have originated in the southern Caucasus, particularly in the Great Caucasus. Explanations for antimony adoption favor considering its broader social context rather than material or geological properties in isolation.
SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Efthymia Nikita, Mahmoud Mardini, Mohamad Mardini, Patrick Degryse
Summary: This paper introduces SrIsoMed, an open access and open source searchable database that collects published 87Sr/86Sr values from countries with coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean region is known for its significant human mobility at different regional scales and extensive material cultural networks, making strontium isotopic analysis crucial for studying paleomobility and provenance. The paper aims to increase the visibility and usage of this database and invites scholars to contribute data and provide suggestions for further improvement.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Dagmara Wielgosz-Rondolino, Fabrizio Antonelli, Maciej J. Bojanowski, Patrick Degryse, Marcin Gladki, Mehmet Cemal Goncuoglu, Lorenzo Lazzarini, Leah Long, Sara Mandera
Summary: This paper presents the archaeometric investigation results on white and grey marbles from Aphrodisias using a wide range of analytical methods for the first time. The study aims to comprehensively evaluate the properties of Aphrodisian marbles. The research finds that there is a significant overlap in petrographic and geochemical features between the studied samples and other marbles used in Antiquity. However, no method used in this study is able to reliably distinguish between Aphrodisian marbles and other types. The depleted δC-13 values below +0.5‰ are the only provenance indicator for the grey variety from specific sectors. The presumed international use of Aphrodisian marbles may be difficult to verify based on these inconclusive outcomes. Rating: 8/10
Article
Anthropology
Frederik W. Rademakers, Johannes Auenmueller, Neal Spencer, Kate Fulcher, Manuela Lehmann, Frank Vanhaecke, Patrick Degryse
Summary: This paper presents the results of elemental and lead isotopic analysis of copper alloys, copper-based pigments, and a rare tin-based alloy from Amara West (Sudan) during the period of pharaonic control. The research examines the use of different metal alloys in a colonial context and explores the resource management and metal production systems of Egypt and Nubia during this time. The analysis of pigments provides new insights into interactions between crafts, and pigment analysis is used for the first time to reveal copper sources and identify key colorants for Egyptian blue manufacture. The study also sheds light on potential tin sources and their impact on copper alloy compositions. Overall, this research contributes to a better understanding of technological practices, supply networks, and material circulation in the Nile Valley during the New Kingdom.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Johan Claeys, Katrien Van de Vijver, Elena Marinova, Sam Cleymans, Patrick Degryse, Jeroen Poblome
Summary: Many thousands of burials have been excavated from across the Roman world, documenting a variety of funerary practices and rites. However, the authors report the discovery of a cremation burial from ancient Sagalassos that differs from contemporaneous funerary deposits. In this specific context, the cremated human remains were not retrieved but buried in situ, surrounded by intentionally bent nails, and carefully sealed beneath a raft of tiles and a layer of lime. Textual and archaeological parallels suggest that magical beliefs were at work.
Article
Archaeology
Vasiliki Kassianidou, Maria Iacovou, Andreas Charalambous, Demetrios Ioannides, Patrick Degryse, Athos Agapiou, Zomenia Zomeni, Maria Ntinou, Artemis Georgiou
Summary: This paper presents the results of chemical, microscopic and isotopic analysis of archaeometallurgical samples from two Cypro-Classical monuments in the polity of Paphos and two slag heaps in the Paphos hinterland. The study identified technological changes and innovations and revealed the presence of an iron smithy in one of the monuments. This interdisciplinary study paves the way for a comparative archaeo-metallurgical project to define the fingerprint of Paphos copper deposits.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Archaeology
S. Casale, A. Lopez Belando, D. Shelley, Y. Narganes, I. Hernandez, P. Degryse
Summary: This study examines the production and distribution of ceramics during the Ceramic Age in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The ceramic assemblage from El Frances, Dominican Republic, is compared with five sites in Puerto Rico through petrographic analysis. The results indicate similarities in clay materials and processing techniques between the two regions, as well as a technological change in El Frances during a specific time period.
JOURNAL OF ISLAND & COASTAL ARCHAEOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sarah De Ceuster, Dimitra Machaira, Patrick Degryse
Summary: This study compares three different methods for determining the provenance of metals using lead isotope analysis. The traditional biplot method is no longer feasible for large datasets, while calculating relative probabilities through kernel density estimation provides a more transparent and statistically correct approach. The cluster and model age method broadens the analysis with geologically informed parameters and improved visualization, but may have low resolution results and lose archaeological relevance when used as a stand-alone approach.
Article
Anthropology
Bleda S. During, Sarah De Ceuster, Patrick Degryse, Vasiliki Kassianidou
Summary: The study indicates that there is no compelling evidence for transformative metallurgy in Chalcolithic Cyprus, suggesting a lack of significant changes in the copper technology during the Late Copper Age on the island.
Article
Anthropology
Julia Becher, Alex Schoeman, Gavin Whitelaw, Stephen Buckley, Jean-Pierre Celliers, Sara Cafisso, Matthias Belser, Maxime Rageot, Cynthianne Spiteri
Summary: This study represents the first application of Organic Residue Analysis (ORA) to southern African early farming pottery to gain a deeper understanding of past human behavior and subsistence patterns. The study found evidence of dairy processing and multi-purpose functionality of the ceramics. It also discovered potential medicinal use and the involvement of dung in pottery sealing and mending.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Anthropology
Jon Clindaniel, Matthew Magnani
Summary: Large sources of digital trace data have become important in the study of material culture. The authors introduce a computational method to observe digital formation processes and highlight the importance of accounting for these processes in studies utilizing digital trace data.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Anthropology
Rebecca A. G. Reid, Miranda M. E. Jans, Lesley A. Chesson, Rebecca J. Taylor, Gregory E. Berg
Summary: Chemical treatment of skeletal remains can reduce overall DNA quality and quantity but has no significant impact on stable isotope ratio analysis. Examination of treated and untreated human remains through histological and stable isotope analysis reveals that treated remains exhibit better preservation compared to untreated remains. Stable isotope ratio analysis is viable for both treated and untreated remains, regardless of their origin.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Anthropology
Laura Tome, Eneko Iriartec, Antonio Blanco-Gonzalez, Margarita Jambrina-Enriquez, Natalia Eguez, Antonio V. Herrera-Herrera, Carolina Mallola
Summary: This paper presents the outcomes of a microcontextual geoarchaeological study conducted on earthen dwellings from the Early Iron Age village of Cerro de San Vicente. The study employed soil micromorphology, lipid biomarker analysis, XRD, and XRF analyses to investigate various aspects of the dwellings, including construction materials, site formation processes, and daily life practices. The results have shed light on the construction layers, floor use, maintenance, repaving, periods of abandonment and decay, and the presence of lipid biomarkers associated with dwelling functionality. The study significantly contributes to our understanding of ancient construction practices and the utilization of domestic spaces during the Early Iron Age.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2024)
