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 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.

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.

scholarly journals Rethinking Early Iron Age urbanisation in Central Europe: the Heuneburg site and its archaeological environment

Antiquity ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 87 (336) ◽  
pp. 473-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Fernández-Götz ◽  
Dirk Krausse
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Social Hierarchy ◽  
Seventh Century ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Early Iron Age ◽  
Surrounding Area ◽  
The Alps ◽  
The 1950S

The Heuneburg on the Upper Danube has been one of the best-known archaeological sites of Early Iron Age Europe since the first excavations of the 1950s. Fieldwork carried out during recent years, however, has radically changed our accepted understanding of what was clearly a central place of supra-regional importance. In addition to the three-hectare hilltop fortification with its famous mudbrick wall, an outer settlement some 100ha in extent has been discovered. Its investigation has given new insights into the centralisation process that took place from the end of the seventh century BC. Moreover, recent discoveries from the richly furnished burials in the surrounding area offer significant clues to issues of social hierarchy and status transmission within Late Hallstatt communities. The results provide an entirely new picture of the earliest stages of urbanisation north of the Alps.

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

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 West Central African Peoples: Survey of Radiocarbon Dates over the Past 5000 Years

Radiocarbon ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 1377-1382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Oslisly ◽  
Ilham Bentaleb ◽  
Charly Favier ◽  
Michel Fontugne ◽  
Jean François Gillet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Geographical Patterns ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
Late Stone Age ◽  
West Central

Tracing human history in west central Africa suffers from a scarcity of historical data and archaeological remains. In order to provide new insight into this problem, we reviewed 733 radiocarbon dates of archaeological sites from the end of the Late Stone Age, Neolithic Stage, and Early and Late Iron Age in Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, and the western Democratic Republic of Congo. This review provides a spatiotemporal framework of human settlement in the forest biome. Beyond the well-known initial spread of Iron Age populations through central African forests from 2500 cal BP, it depicts the geographical patterns and links with the cultural evolution of the successive phases of human expansion from 5000 to 3000 cal BP and then from 3000 to 1600 cal BP, of the hinterland depopulation from 1350 to 860 cal BP, and of recolonization up to 500 cal BP.

Iron Age and Roman Enclosed Settlement at Winchester Road, Basingstoke

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-97
Author(s):  
Richard Massey ◽  
Matt Nichol ◽  
Dana Challinor ◽  
Sharon Clough ◽  
Matilda Holmes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
Field Boundary ◽  
Crop Processing ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
Middle Iron Age ◽  
Grave Goods

Excavation in Area 1 identified an enclosed settlement of Middle–Late Iron Age and Early Roman date, which included a roundhouse gully and deep storage pits with complex fills. A group of undated four-post structures, situated in the east of Area 1, appeared to represent a specialised area of storage or crop processing of probable Middle Iron Age date. A sequence of re-cutting and reorganisation of ditches and boundaries in the Late Iron Age/Early Roman period was followed, possibly after a considerable hiatus, by a phase of later Roman activity, Late Iron Age reorganisation appeared to be associated with the abandonment of a roundhouse, and a number of structured pit deposits may also relate to this period of change. Seven Late Iron Age cremation burials were associated with a contemporary boundary ditch which crossed Area 1. Two partly-exposed, L-shaped ditches may represent a later Roman phase of enclosed settlement and a slight shift in settlement focus. An isolated inhumation burial within the northern margins of Area 1 was tentatively dated by grave goods to the Early Saxon period.<br/> Area 2 contained a possible trackway and field boundary ditches, of which one was of confirmed Late Iron Age/Early Roman date. A short posthole alignment in Area 2 was undated, and may be an earlier prehistoric feature.

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