Greek Thrace and the Archaic Period Thassian peraia: interaction, dialogue, contact and network in Northern Aegean

It is our objective, in this article, to present geographical and historical aspects of South Western Thrace and the island of Thassos, as well as to bring up and highlight the interaction between continent and island. Thassos has a marked proximity to the continent and, according to archaeological sources1, a close relationship between the island and the region of Thrace since the Neolithic period can be established. With the arrival of the Greeks, in the Archaic Period, the fluidity of the contact between continent and island solidified with the foundation of Thassian settlements within Thracian territory. This relationship was marked by intense commercial and social exchanges and local and regional interactions in the Northern Aegean in the Archaic Period.

Chronology of the Occupation Pattern Distribution: A Case Study At The Mun River Valley Prehistoric Settlement Site, Northeast Thailand

Chronological framework can be used to identify the distribution of occupation patterns. This study was based on fourteen radiocarbon samples from the eight excavation pits at Ban Non Wat and Nong Hua Raet archaeological sites. The chronology of the cultural layers was developed using AMS radiocarbon dating to supplement existing data, specifically to examine the dating of the end of the Iron Age occupation. The objective of this study was to continue testing the premise that the end of the Iron Age on the Mun river floodplain in Northeast Thailand that is better defined as either a singular more or less contemporaneous de-population event characterized by widespread abandonment of settlements or a gradual transition from dispersing a rural settlement to more concentrated urban style of settlement. The results support the existing chronological framework of the study area and suggest that the end of the Iron Age in the Mun River valley is better defined as a gradual transition from dispersed rural settlements to a more concentrated urban style settlement. Occupation commenced at the center of the mound of Ban Non Wat during the Neolithic period, and gradually spread radially to the margin by the Iron Age. Occupation at the neighboring site of Nong Hua Raet commenced during the Iron Age period, parallel to that at Ban Non Wat.

Przekształcenie obszaru wysoczyzny lessowej pod wpływem gospodarczej działalności człowieka w neoholocenie (na wybranych przykładach z okolic Mozgawy, Ponidzie Pińczowskie)

The Mozgawa area, located in the Ponidzie Pińczowskie Region (SE part of the Nida River Basin), is a very good example of response of the natural environment to the progressive human impact. The research conducted there indicates that before the appearance of the first Neolithic farmers, the relief of the area was different to the modern one. Constant and intensive agricultural use of the loess plateau and the adjacent slopes (started in the Neolithic period some 5890±100 BP) led to the filling of the valley bottoms and local depressions with deluvial deposits, the thickness of which reaches up to 12 m. The deposition of these sediments and elevation of the surface level in the subordinate areas resulted in the creation of the Mozgawka River channel since the begining of the Roman Period. Formerly it was impossible (as it was within the depression) and the runoff was only through the karst system. Since that moment it has also started the accumulation of the alluvial fan, the progradation of which leads to the pushing of the Nida River channel towards the East.

Approaches to Visibility and Strategical Control of the Sierra Harana Schematic Rock Art (Granada, Spain)

An approach about territorial control and mobility in Sierra Harana (Granada, Spain) during Late Prehistory is presented in this paper, according to rock shelters with schematic rock art distribution. Different aspects have been analysed by using tools provided by Geographic Information Systems (GIS): the relationship between rock shelters and hydrographic network and water springs, and, mainly, their visual control. The association between rock shelters with schematic rock art and burial caves use during the Neolithic period is observed in the study area. A strong link between rock shelters and traditional pathways is also attested. These facts can be read as a way to mark symbolically certain routes that could be aimed to short transhumance practice.

A Study On The Sericulture in Turkey

Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, Silk was believed to have first been produced in China as early as the Neolithic Period. Sericulture has become an important cottage industry in countries such as Brazil, China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Russia. Today, China and India are the two main producers, with more than 60% of the world's annual production. In this case, the sericulture production in Turkey, as the export-oriented shows could increase in the future. Sericulture production was begun in Anatolia which is Asian part of Turkey in A.D. 552 during Byzantium Emperor of Justinianus. The city of Bursa became a textile city which was famous for silk and silk trade centre. In middle of 16th silk textile industry was developed. Apart from city of Bursa, cities of Istanbul, dirne, Amasya, Denizli, Izmir and Konya were important sericulture centers In addition; the increase of government support in sericult production is also hope for the future of sericulture production in Turkey. In this study, using the silkworm cocoon data between the years of 1991-2019, the future 5-year production is estimated. For this, estimates were tested in the MINITAB program using the ARIMA Model, which is widely used in agricultural production estimates. Unconscious use of pesticides in Turkey, problems with mulberry tree cultivation, technical problems and rural-urban migration results are known to be important issues of the sericulture sector.However, thanks to government subsidies and export-oriented policies, it has been determined that silkworm cocoon production will increase in the next 5 years.

Possible Neolithic ard marks and field boundaries at Wellhill and Cranberry, Perth and Kinross, and an evaluation of current physical evidence for Neolithic farming in Scotland

Although the Neolithic period is defined by farming, physical evidence for processes associated with farming are rare, with agricultural practices usually indicated by environmental and biomolecular proxies for domesticates such as pollen evidence, ceramic residues and lipids, animal bones, plant remains and stable isotope studies. This paper will, we hope, invigorate discussion on the recognition, interpretation and significance of physical traces of farming in Scotland. The starting point will be the summary of two excavations, Wellhill and Cranberry, both Perth and Kinross, in 2014 and 2016 respectively, part of the Strathearn Environs and Royal Forteviot (SERF) project. These cropmark sites revealed evidence for possible Neolithic farming in the form of possible ard marks and field ditches. There follows a synthesis of physical evidence for Neolithic farming in Scotland, drawing together evidence for ard marks, field boundaries, cultivation ridges, cultivated middens, and soils. Recommendations are made for recognising and interpreting such features on excavations, and the potential benefits of giving a higher profile to the act of farming in our narratives about Neolithic lifeways in Scotland and beyond are briefly explored.

The Symbolism of Green Colour in Neolithic of Serbia

The focus of this text is twofold. The first task is to reconsider the mode of interpretation of various small (4 to 10 cm) objects (axes, chisels, finger-rings, pendants), made of green minerals – jadeite and/or nephrite. These objects are registered on 15 sites in the territory of present-day Serbia, dated into the Neolithic period (6200/6000–4600/4500 cal BC). The second task is to lay out a short history of the green colour. As stated by Michel Pastoureau (Pasturo 2015), the production of a green pigment was almost impossible in the past, especially in praehistory. The first recorded attempts are linked to Ancient Egypt, and the oldest successful production of the green pigment is dated to Ancient Rome. Therefore, the text examines the symbolic role of these small green objects during the Neolithic. The beds of green minerals jadeite and nephrite are not recorded in the territory of Serbia. Jadeite may be found south of Skopje (Mt. Solunska glava), in the Cyclades in Greece, as well as in the Piedmont Alps. Nephrite is registered in the mountain Ogražden (SW Bulgaria), in Poland, Sweden, and Italy. The absence of mineral layers in the region surely suggests the existence of long-distance exchange. This raises the issue of the role and symbolic function of these objects – what was their appeal for the past communities and what was the role of their colour in their manufacture? In archaeology, the studies in symbolics of various colours are rare. Authors have mainly focused upon the origin of the colour and the dating of the objects, but the role of the colour itself as the criterion in choosing various raw materials has largely been neglected. Notable is the exception of the thematic collection “Colouring the Past: The Significance of Colour in Archaeological Research” (2002), where attempts have been made to explain the symbolic importance of various colours in the past. However, the colour green is not mentioned. This paper does not aim to offer final solutions, but to investigate the usage and importance of the colour green on the grounds of the usage of the objects themselves.

Prehistoric Cyprus: fieldwork and research, 2003–2020

The aim of this overview is to present a detailed survey of the major fieldwork and relevant research on the Neolithic and Bronze Age of Cyprus that took place between 2003 and 2020. This presentation is not meant to be exhaustive, as almost two decades of excavations, surface surveys and publications cannot be covered fully in a review of this length. The following discussion is divided geographically and chronologically, starting with the Neolithic period and moving through to the end of the Bronze Age. It focuses on settlement patterns, aspects of chronology and the roles of mining and seafaring, via fieldwork, conferences, research projects and their subsequent publications.