Early Roman copper-alloy brooch production: a compositional analysis of 400 brooches from Germania Inferior

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 411-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Roxburgh ◽  
Stijn Heeren ◽  
Hans Huisman ◽  
Bertil Van Os
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Copper Alloy ◽  
Compositional Analysis ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Liquid Form ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
Metal Artefacts ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Lead Zinc ◽  
Compositional Study

We present here a compositional study of a large number of copper-alloy brooches, undertaken in 2014 using Handheld X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (HHpXRF). The brooches, which come from the area of Nijmegen, date from the Late Iron Age until the 2nd c. A.D. Our aim is to explore the ways in which artefact production was organized both in the context of Roman centres and in the countryside. The link between alloys and workshop organization will be elucidated before the methodology and results are presented. The results will then be discussed, leading to the formation of several hypotheses regarding the organization of workshops that produced metal artefacts.Scientific interest in the composition of ancient artefacts has existed for well over two centuries. Roman brooches in particular have been in the forefront of this research both because of their ease of categorization and because they are found in large numbers on archaeological sites. Much work has been done on how they were made and on the technical choices available to the craftsmen. In particular, the choice of alloying agents (tin, lead, zinc) added to copper demonstrated a complex relationship between composition and typology, especially in the debate over Roman or local production. The technological restraints imposed on these artefacts by different alloy ratios have been studied in some detail, especially in terms of casting in liquid form, into a mould, or being wrought through beating with a hammer.

scholarly journals Fish and other faunal remains from a Late Iron Age site on the Letaba River, Kruger National Park

Koedoe ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ina Plug ◽  
Paul Skelton
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
National Park ◽  
Fish Population ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
Hunting Strategies ◽  
The People ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Fish Remains ◽  
Insight Into

Fish remains from Late Iron Age sites in the Transvaal are relatively scarce. It seems as if the people did not utilize the riverine resources extensively. Therefore the unique assemblage of large numbers of fish bones on a Late Iron Age site, provides some insight into the fish population of a section of the Letaba River a few hundred years ago. The presence of other faunal remains provides some information on prehistoric utilization of the environment in general. Hunting strategies and aspects of herding can also be deduced from the faunal remains.

scholarly journals Ornitofauna from the archaeological sites in Vojvodina (Serbia)

2013 ◽  
pp. 111-118
Author(s):  
Darko Radmanovic ◽  
Desanka Kostic ◽  
Jelena Lujic ◽  
Svetlana Blazic
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Early Iron Age ◽  
Migration Period ◽  
Vertebrate Fauna ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
The Middle Ages

After decades-long vertebrate fauna research, out of 42 archaeological sites in Vojvodina (Serbia) from different periods ranging from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages, remains of birds were registered at 17 sites (4 from the Neolithic, 1 from the Early Iron Age, 7 from the Late Iron Age, 5 from the Roman Period, 1 from the Migration Period, and 4 from the Middle Ages). A total of 14 species and 4 genera were registered for this vertebrate class. The richest ornithofauna is from the Neolithic, where 9 species and 3 genera were registered. The Migration and Medieval periods are next with 4 registered species and one genus each. There were 3 species registered from the Roman Period, and 2 species from the Late Iron Age. The poorest ornitofauna was registered from the Early Iron Age, only one species.

Archaeological Footprints of the “Celtic Calendar”?

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco V. García Quintela ◽  
A. César Gonzalez-Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Physical Evidence ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
The People ◽  
Shared Time ◽  
Key Aspects

Despite their elusiveness, the people referred to as “Celts” by ancient chroniclers left behind certain archaeological remains that may be interepreted from the perspective of archaeoastronomy in an attempt to discover a calendrical “root” for them. In recent years, a number of studies on Late Iron Age sites, Roman or romanised locations and Christian landscapes in Hispania and in Gaul raised the possibility of detecting physical evidence of the celestial concepts that some classical authors attributed to the Celtic mystics, the Druids. However, these studies dealt with certain key aspects of how the Celts organised time that are not generally known and which tend to be presented in a summary way. Here, we explore aspects such as the difficulty of referring to a "Celtic calendar" per se, the sources for our study, the difficulties of adjusting the cycles of the Sun and Moon, the role of the “horizon calendars” and how these aspects may have played a role in actions that left a physical footprint that can still be seen today at several archaeological sites. We show that, although there may be common aspects that connect all Celtic sites and areas, there was no common calendar as such, although there are solid indications of the usage of a shared time-reckoning system.

The Iron Age Mirror Burial at Pegsdon, Shillington, Bedfordshire: An Interim Account

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 ◽  
pp. 109-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilbert Burleigh ◽  
Vincent Megaw ◽  
Helen Ashworth ◽  
Mansel Spratling
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Copper Alloy ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Southern England ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
Preliminary Account ◽  
Single Fragment ◽  
Pottery Sherds ◽  
Calcined Bone

In November 2000 metal detectorists located a decorated copper-alloy mirror, a single silverKnotenfibelbrooch and some pottery sherds at Pegsdon, Shillington, Bedfordshire. Subsequent excavation of the findspot uncovered a Late Iron Age cremation burial pit associated with further pot sherds and a single fragment of calcined bone. The opportunity is taken in this preliminary account to revisit both the occurrence in southern England of the brooch type and to discuss the mirror's decoration in relation to the variation of views as to the British mirror series as a whole, and in particular with regard to other recent mirror discoveries. The burial is discussed in its local context and the possible significance of the topography in relation to the site is highlighted.

scholarly journals Cave finds indicate elk (<i>Alces alces</i>) hunting during the Late Iron Age in the Bavarian Alps

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-200
Author(s):  
Kerstin Pasda ◽  
Matthias López Correa ◽  
Philipp Stojakowits ◽  
Bernhard Häck ◽  
Jérôme Prieto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Left Shoulder ◽  
Domestic Species ◽  
Cut Marks ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
Bavarian Alps ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Elk Hunting ◽  
Shoulder Blade

Abstract. The finding of a partially preserved elk skeleton from the Bavarian Alps is reported. Remnants of an adult male were found, together with skeletal elements of juvenile moose calves, at the base of a talus cone in the pit cave Stiefelschacht, next to Lenggries (southern Germany). The adult's bones exhibited anthropogenic traces like cut marks and were radiocarbon-dated to the Late Iron Age. A projectile hole in the left shoulder blade and cut marks on the bones are indicative of hunting and meat usage. The elk remains were associated with several wild and domestic species such as ungulates and hare but were not, however, accompanied by archaeological artefacts. Other archaeological sites of the Late Iron Age are so far not known within a distance of less than 30 km to the Stiefelschacht. While the presence of elk during prehistoric times in the Alps has already been known before, the finds and the location are unique in that they are the first evidence of elk hunting during the Late Iron Age in the northern Alps.

scholarly journals Vertebrate fauna of the early and late iron ages in Vojvodina (Serbia)

2013 ◽  
pp. 103-110
Author(s):  
Darko Radmanovic ◽  
Desanka Kostic ◽  
Jelena Lujic ◽  
Svetlana Blazic
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Early Iron Age ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Research Results ◽  
Vertebrate Fauna ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
Unpublished Research

Based on current published and unpublished research results, a total of 34 vertebrate species from 4 classes have been registered at 9 archaeological sites from the Early Iron Age in Vojvodina (Serbia). The most numerous one is the mammal class (Mammalia) with 22 species, then osteichthyes class (Osteichthyes) with 10 species, while birds (Aves) and reptiles (Reptilia) are repsented with one species each. From the Late Iron Age, at 14 archaeological sites, a total of 21 species were registered, of which 16 belong to the mammal class (Mammalia), birds (Aves) are represented by 2 species, and osteichthyes (Osteichthyes) by 3 species.

A Late Iron Age Helmet Burial from Bridge, near Canterbury, Kent

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 379-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
JULIA FARLEY ◽  
KEITH PARFITT ◽  
ANDREW RICHARDSON ◽  
DANIEL ANTOINE ◽  
RACHEL POPE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Copper Alloy ◽  
Female Adult ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
Formed Part ◽  
Burnt Bone ◽  
Made In

A rare find was made in 2012 when a metal-detectorist on land near Bridge, a few miles south of Canterbury, Kent, recovered a copper alloy brooch, other metal items, and a quantity of burnt bone contained in a near complete, probably imported Gallic, helmet of Iron Age type. Excavation was undertaken to ascertain the immediate context of the helmet, confirm that it represented a cremation burial, and determine if it formed part of a larger funerary deposit. The helmet and brooch suggest a burial date in the mid-1st centurybcand the apparently isolated cremation burial, of a possibly female adult, can be broadly placed within the Aylesford–Swarling tradition; the helmet taking the place of a more usual pottery cinerary urn. Cropmark evidence suggests that the burial was made within a wider landscape of Iron Age occupation.

scholarly journals The Biocultural Context of Dental Modification in Prehistoric Southeast Asia

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Newton ◽  
Kate Domett
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
The Bronze Age ◽  
Mainland Southeast Asia ◽  
Regional Perspective

This chapter synthesizes documented evidence of intentional dental modification in prehistoric mainland Southeast Asia. Through previously published work, potential reasons for the practice of ablation and filing are explored, examining archaeological sites spanning the Neolithic to late Iron Age. Cases of intentional ablation have been documented throughout prehistoric Southeast Asia, however, evidence to date indicates cases have been limited to Neolithic and Iron Age sites with only four tentative cases of intentional ablation in the Bronze Age. The increasing number of samples from newly documented sites in Cambodia, including the first evidence of filing in this region, and previously documented evidence from other parts of Southeast Asia, such as Thailand and Vietnam, allows the opportunity to systematically examine ablation and filing patterns from a regional perspective and put it into worldwide context.

scholarly journals dogs of Roman Vindolanda, Part IV: Large sighthounds and guard and utility dogs

Archaeofauna ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 185-216
Author(s):  
DEB BENNETT ◽  
ROBERT M. TIMM
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Relative Size ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Central Section ◽  
Dental Wear ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
Western Asia

In this report we investigate the origin and nature of morphological diversity in domestic dogs utilizing a database of over 1,000 recent and ancient canid skulls and skeletons. Integrated skull–skeleton analysis reveals eight functional groups, giving a clear picture of the extent and kind of morphological diversity produced by dog breeders in Europe, North Africa, and western Asia beginning in the Neolithic and intensifying about 2,100 years ago during the late Iron Age and Roman Era. We report nearly complete associated remains of a large sighthound from Vindolanda, a Roman-era fort–village site in northern England. With this we compare skulls of other sighthounds, and contrast them with remains of guard dogs from Vindolanda and other archaeological sites. The shape of jaw rami, relative size of teeth and state of dental wear, and the size and proportions of postcranial elements are the best differentiators of large dog morphotypes, while most skull parameters are less useful. The central section of the basicranium in ancient sighthounds (parameter Px which measures juvenilization) is little different from wolves, whereas in some modern breeds it is noticeably longer. By contrast, many ancient guard dogs have Px shorter than in wolves and show moderate juvenilization. Gracile sighthounds appear in the archaeological record in the Neolithic, while the earliest robust guard dogs appear later, in Iron Age sites. Building on results of previous work (Bennett & Timm, 2018) we continue to find intriguing similarities between west Asian dog

A Pre-A.D. 43 Ditch at Fishbourne Roman Palace, Chichester

Britannia ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 55-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Manley ◽  
David Rudkin
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Copper Alloy ◽  
Age Dating ◽  
Significant Activity ◽  
Late Iron Age

ABSTRACTThis article details the first unambiguous evidence for occupation in the Late Iron Age, dating to around 10 b.c.-a.d. 25, at the site that was to develop into the Roman Palace at Fishbourne (near Chichester, Sussex). The collection of sealed and well-dated imported and local pottery, accompanied by food refuse and a copper-alloy scabbard fitting, suggests significant activity at the site a generation prior to the Roman Conquest of a.d. 43. The material was found in the bottom of a ditch that had been deliberately back-filled. As such this discovery opens a new chapter in the remarkable story of Fishbourne.

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