The Fire Signals of Lachish: Studies in the Archaeology and History of Israel in the Late Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Persian Period in Honor of David Ussishkin, edited by Israel Finkelstein and Nadav Naʾaman. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2011. xx + 401 pp., 92 figures, 2 plates, 6 tables. Cloth $69.50.

This article offers an overview of the habitation history of the basin of Ioannina Epirus, from the Early Iron Age to the Roman period. The numerous settlements in this region experienced continuous, often uninterrupted, habitation from the Late Bronze Age to the Hellenistic or even Roman Imperial period. The foundation of fortified settlements/acropoleis in the late fourth to early third century BC should no longer be interpreted as a result of a synoecism, since unfortified villages continued to flourish. From the Augustan period onwards, Romans seem to have settled in the area, although it is also possible that the local population adopted Roman habits.

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Re-Evaluation of the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Chronology of the Western Belgian Urnfields Based on 14C Dating of Cremated Bones

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/s0033822200042429 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 49 (2) ◽

pp. 499-514 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Guy De Mulder ◽

Mark van Strydonck ◽

Mathieu Boudin ◽

Walter Leclercq ◽

Nicolas Paridaens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

20Th Century ◽

Iron Age ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Early Iron Age ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

14C Dating ◽

Occupational History ◽

History Of ◽

The One

The urnfields in western Belgium have been studied since the second half of the 20th century. Most of these studies, as well as the excavations themselves, date from before the last quarter of the 20th century, except for the urnfields at Velzeke and Blicquy, which were excavated recently. The chronology of these cemeteries was largely based on typochronological studies of pottery. Other funeral gifts, like bronze objects in the graves, are rather exceptional. The typochronology was worked out in a comparison with the framework of neighboring regions and central Europe. There was a need, then, for a chronology based on absolute dates. This was only possible by radiocarbon dating of the cremated bones. Tests on duplicate samples, like cremated bone in context with charcoal or 2 depositions of cremated bones within 1 urn, have shown that the results are reproducible and that there is no discrepancy between the charcoal and the cremated bone dates.The results of the 14C dating project on the cremated bones of the 2 urnfields at Velzeke and the one at Blicquy are promising. The interpretation of the occupational history of both sites at Velzeke can be revised, and the currently accepted ceramic sequence for this period needs reworking. In addition, the chronological framework of the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age is open for discussion. It seems plausible that the urnfield phenomenon starts earlier in western Belgium than previously expected. These dates can also contribute to the discussion about the transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age.

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Unraveling the Occupation History of the Cremation Cemetery at Wijnegem/Blikstraat (Belgium)

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/rdc.2017.109 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 59 (6) ◽

pp. 1645-1656

Author(s):

Guy De Mulder ◽

Mark Van Strydonck ◽

Mathieu Boudin ◽

Ignace Bourgeois

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Early Iron Age ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

Funerary Monuments ◽

Late Iron Age ◽

History Of

ABSTRACTRecently a cremation cemetery was excavated at the site of Wijnegem where 29 cremation graves and 9 funerary monuments were uncovered. Thirty radiocarbon (14C) dates were carried out, mostly on cremated bone but also 10 charcoal samples were dated. Twenty-four cremations were studied. Four ring ditches were dated by charcoal samples from the infill of the ditch. The 14C dates showed an interesting long-term occupation of the cemetery. Different phases were ascertained. The history of the cemetery starts in the northern part of the site around a circular funerary monument. Two cremations were dated at the transition of the Early to Middle Bronze Ages. Two other graves represent the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Ages. The main occupation period dates between the end of the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. Finally, an isolated cremation grave marks the definite abandonment of the site during the Late Iron Age.

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Excavations at South Cadbury Castle, 1967: A Summary Report

The Antiquaries Journal ◽

10.1017/s0003581500034351 ◽

1968 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 6-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Leslie Alcock

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Great Depth ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

Summary Report ◽

Early Neolithic ◽

The Third ◽

Stone Wall ◽

History Of ◽

The Hill

The situation, character, and antiquarian history of South Cadbury Castle, Somerset, have already been described (Alcock (1967a); (1967b)). A reconnaissance excavation in 1966 hinted that occupation of the hilltop had begun in the Early Neolithic, and after a hiatus had been resumed sometime in the Late Bronze Age. It demonstrated that from early in the pre-Roman Iron Age there was a rich and intensive occupation, during which the defences were probably built. This appeared to have been ended by a sack at the hands of the Roman invaders c. A.D. 45. Late Roman pottery, metalwork, and coins showed that activity was renewed in the third-fourth centuries A.D. Imported pottery of well-known forms proved that the site was reused in the fifth—sixth centuries. Finally, it was refortified with a mortared stone wall as a Late Saxon burh. The reconnaissance also showed that on top of the hill (fig. 1, c) rock-cut pits and post-holes were readily discernible under the turf; that on the slopes within the defences (fig. 1, B) traces of buildings of various dates had survived many centuries of ploughing; and that in the rear of the inner rampart (fig. 1, A), a great depth of hill-wash and plough-soil overlay stratified levels of the Iron Age.

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A Quarried Excavation Site : Late Bronze Age Relics Unearthed in a Gravel Pit near Muhi

Hungarian Archaeology ◽

10.36338/ha.2021.1.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Norbert Berta ◽

Zoltán Farkas

Keyword(s):

Material Culture ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

Long Distance ◽

Gravel Pit ◽

New Information ◽

History Of ◽

The Village ◽

Excavation Site

East of the village of Muhi, in the direction of Nyékládháza, there are huge gravel pits, many of which have already been abandoned, flooded, and transformed into popular modern resorts. Recently, new gravel extraction sites have also been opened, and so a rescue excavation of the Muhi-III kavicsbánya (gravel pit) site took place in 2019. After months of excavation, the artifacts are still in the process of being cleaned and restored, and so until this work is complete, it is only possible to outline a brief overview of the important and remarkable finds. Features have been excavated from several periods (Middle Neolithic, Late Bronze Age, and Early Iron Age), but the most significant ones are those from the Late Bronze Age. These finds reveal information about a place of intensive human activity, a settlement on the border of different European cultural zones that participated in long-distance trade. These influences are reflected in varied elements of material culture. The large quantities of metal and ceramic finds brought to light in various conditions can be dated to the so-called pre-Gava period based on finds from the major features (urn graves, vessel hoards), and thus provide new information on the Late Bronze Age history of the Sajó-Hernád plain.

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Bronze Age to Medieval vegetation dynamics and landscape anthropization in the central pre-Pyrenees

10.31233/osf.io/69rws ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Valentí Rull ◽

Teresa Vegas-Vilarrúbia ◽

Juan Pablo Corella ◽

Blas Lorenzo Valero-Garcés

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

Medieval Period ◽

Human Pressure ◽

Early Medieval ◽

Early Medieval Period ◽

History Of ◽

Original Vegetation ◽

Landscape Transformations

The varved sediments of Lake Montcortès (central Pre-Pyrenees) have provided a continuous high-resolution record of the last ca. 3000 years. Previous chronological and sedimentological studies of this record have furnished detailed paleoenvironmental reconstructions. However, palynological studies are only available for the last millennium, when the landscape around the lake had already been transformed by humans. Therefore, the primeval vegetation of Montcortès and the history of its anthropogenic transformations remains unknown. This paper presents a palynological analysis of the interval between the Late Bronze Age and the Early Medieval period, aimed at recording the preanthropic conditions, the anthropization onset and the further landscape transformations. During the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1100 BCE to 770 BCE), the vegetation did not show any evidence of human impact. The decisive anthropogenic transformation of the Montcortès catchment vegetation and landscape started at the beginning of the Iron Age (770 BCE) and continued during Roman and Medieval times in the form of recurrent burning, grazing, cultivation, silviculture and hemp retting. Some intervals of lower human pressure were recorded, but the original vegetation never returned. The anthropization that took place during the Iron Age did not cause relevant changes in the sediment yield to the lake, but a significant limnological shift occurred, as manifested in the initiation of varve formation, a process that has been continuous until today. Climatic shifts seem to have played a secondary role in influencing vegetation and landscape changes. These results contrast with previous inferences of low anthropogenic impact until the Medieval Period, at a regional level. It could be interesting to verify whether the same pattern – i.e., Iron Age anthropization and Early Medieval intensification of human pressure – may be a recurrent pattern for mid-elevation Pyrenean landscapes below the tree line.

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Bronze Age to Medieval vegetation dynamics and landscape anthropization in the central pre-Pyrenees

10.21203/rs.3.rs-142567/v2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Valentí Rull ◽

Teresa Vegas-Vilarrúbia ◽

Juan Pablo Corella ◽

Blas Valero-Garcé

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

Medieval Period ◽

Human Pressure ◽

Early Medieval ◽

Early Medieval Period ◽

History Of ◽

Original Vegetation ◽

Landscape Transformations

Abstract The varved sediments of Lake Montcortès (central Pre-Pyrenees) have provided a continuous high-resolution record of the last ca. 3000 years. Previous chronological and sedimentological studies of this record have furnished detailed paleoenvironmental reconstructions. However, palynological studies are only available for the last millennium, when the landscape around the lake had already been transformed by humans. Therefore, the primeval vegetation of Montcortès and the history of its anthropogenic transformations remains unknown. This paper presents a palynological analysis of the interval between the Late Bronze Age and the Early Medieval period, aimed at recording the preanthropic conditions, the anthropization onset and the further landscape transformations. During the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1100 BCE to 770 BCE), the vegetation did not show any evidence of human impact. The decisive anthropogenic transformation of the Montcortès catchment vegetation and landscape started at the beginning of the Iron Age (770 BCE) and continued during Roman and Medieval times in the form of recurrent burning, grazing, cultivation, silviculture and hemp retting. Some intervals of lower human pressure were recorded, but the original vegetation never returned. The anthropization that took place during the Iron Age did not cause relevant changes in the sediment yield to the lake, but a significant limnological shift occurred, as manifested in the initiation of varve formation, a process that has been continuous until today. Climatic shifts seem to have played a secondary role in influencing vegetation and landscape changes. These results contrast with previous inferences of low anthropogenic impact until the Medieval Period, at a regional level. It could be interesting to verify whether the same pattern – i.e., Iron Age anthropization and Early Medieval intensification of human pressure – may be a recurrent pattern for mid-elevation Pyrenean landscapes below the tree line.

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Ancient genomic time transect from the Central Asian Steppe unravels the history of the Scythians

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.abe4414 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (13) ◽

pp. eabe4414

Author(s):

Guido Alberto Gnecchi-Ruscone ◽

Elmira Khussainova ◽

Nurzhibek Kahbatkyzy ◽

Lyazzat Musralina ◽

Maria A. Spyrou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Gene Pools ◽

Social Rules ◽

Eurasian Steppe ◽

Central Asian ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Genome Wide Data ◽

History Of ◽

First Millennium

The Scythians were a multitude of horse-warrior nomad cultures dwelling in the Eurasian steppe during the first millennium BCE. Because of the lack of first-hand written records, little is known about the origins and relations among the different cultures. To address these questions, we produced genome-wide data for 111 ancient individuals retrieved from 39 archaeological sites from the first millennia BCE and CE across the Central Asian Steppe. We uncovered major admixture events in the Late Bronze Age forming the genetic substratum for two main Iron Age gene-pools emerging around the Altai and the Urals respectively. Their demise was mirrored by new genetic turnovers, linked to the spread of the eastern nomad empires in the first centuries CE. Compared to the high genetic heterogeneity of the past, the homogenization of the present-day Kazakhs gene pool is notable, likely a result of 400 years of strict exogamous social rules.

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THE BEGINNING OF THE IRON AGE AT ARSLANTEPE: A 14C PERSPECTIVE

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/rdc.2021.19 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-19

Author(s):

Federico Manuelli ◽

Cristiano Vignola ◽

Fabio Marzaioli ◽

Isabella Passariello ◽

Filippo Terrasi

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Bronze Age ◽

High Precision ◽

Iron Age ◽

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

13Th Century ◽

Historical Events ◽

Preliminary Results ◽

Archaeological Data

ABSTRACT The Iron Age chronology at Arslantepe is the result of the interpretation of Luwian hieroglyphic inscriptions and archaeological data coming from the site and its surrounding region. A new round of investigations of the Iron Age levels has been conducted at the site over the last 10 years. Preliminary results allowed the combination of the archaeological sequence with the historical events that extended from the collapse of the Late Bronze Age empires to the formation and development of the new Iron Age kingdoms. The integration into this picture of a new set of radiocarbon (14C) dates is aimed at establishing a more solid local chronology. High precision 14C dating by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and its correlation with archaeobotanical analysis and stratigraphic data are presented here with the purpose of improving our knowledge of the site’s history and to build a reliable absolute chronology of the Iron Age. The results show that the earliest level of the sequence dates to ca. the mid-13th century BC, implying that the site started developing a new set of relationships with the Levant already before the breakdown of the Hittite empire, entailing important historical implications for the Syro-Anatolian region at the end of the 2nd millennium BC.

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Cremated animal remains and shattered pottery. Rare ritual deposits from the Middle to Late Bronze Age at Aalst – Siesegemkouter (Belgium)

Praehistorische Zeitschrift ◽

10.1515/pz-2021-0017 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Arne Verbrugge ◽

Maaike Groot ◽

Koen Deforce ◽

Guy De Mulder ◽

Wouter Van der Meer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Multidisciplinary Approach ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

Low Countries ◽

Early Date ◽

Animal Remains ◽

Animal Bone ◽

Maintenance Practice ◽

Organic Remains

Abstract Archaeological research at Aalst – Siesegemkouter revealed several pits within a Middle to Late Bronze Age settlement. Most of them hardly contained any artefacts, but one exception showed a structured stratigraphy with an abundance of finds, including a large amount of shattered pottery, charcoal and calcined animal bone. The study of this assemblage, and comparison with two other pits showing similarities, provides strong indications of a closing deposit or another type of ‘site maintenance practice’. In the Low Countries, comparable contexts generally date from the Iron Age, suggesting that the finds from Aalst – Siesegemkouter represent early forerunners of this ritual practice. On top of this early date, the large volume of cremated animal bone represents an almost unique characteristic for which, until now, parallels from the Metal Ages have hardly been found, even on a Northwestern European scale. In general, the role played by organic remains in ritual contexts from these periods and regions is poorly understood, often due to bad preservation conditions or the lack of a multidisciplinary approach.

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