Application of non-destructive neutron resonance capture analysis for investigation of women’s Old Believer cross dating back to the second half of the 17th century

Neutron Resonance Capture Analysis (NRCA) is presently being developed at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics (FLNP) to determine the elemental composition of samples. The NRCA is a nondestructive method that allows measuring objects’ bulk composition. The procedure is based on detecting neutron resonances in radiative capture and the measurement of the yield of reaction products in these resonances. The experiments are carried out at the Intense REsonance Neutron source (IREN). In this study, we applied the NRCA to investigate an archaeological object provided by the Museum and Exhibition Complex (MVK) "Volokolamsk Kremlin". The object was a women’s Old Believer cross (second half of the 17th century) found in the Moscow region, Volokolamsk district, the village of Chubarovo.

Funeral Rite and Morphology of a Buried Man from Kurgan of Tau Cemetery (Western Kazakhstan)

Introduction. The paper presents results of the funeral rite and material culture study of the Sauromat time Tau cemetery located on the territory of Western Kazakhstan, and also provides anthropological analysis of the skull discovered there. Methods and materials. An interdisciplinary approach was applied in the course of the study with inclusion of typological, analog and cross-dating methods regarding the funeral rite and material culture examination, methods for studying craniometrical and cranioscopic signs, as well as methods of skull pathology evaluation. The source of the study material as well as the male skull discovery site is burial 1 of kurgan 1 of Tau cemetery. Discussion and results. The funeral rite and clothing inventory data confirms that the burial belongs to Sauromat archaeological culture and, within the chronological framework, could be dated back late 6th – early 5th centuries BC. Furthermore, the funeral rite and weaponry features, including a quiver set with a short sword, attribute this burial to this epoch. Historical and archaeological source analysis suggests that there must have been a cult of the Hand in the Sauromat-Sarmatian society; consequently, the separate interment of the right hand in the examined burial reveals its military trophy origin. The male skull possesses Caucasian features with a weakened horizontal facial profile. The morphological features of the skull from the Tau cemetery have analogies in the synchronous population of Western Kazakhstan, Southern Urals and Lower Volga regions. The skull pathology analysis showed the presence of periodontitis, intravital trauma to the frontal bone, as well as some acute sinusitis signs.

An Archaeometric Investigation of Gems and Glass Beads Decorating the Double-Arm Reliquary Cross from Liège, Belgium

In 1914, a magnificent reliquary cross dating from the early XIIIth century was discovered in a safe from the Liège Cathedral. This double-arm cross shows a wooden structure, covered by gold-coated copper on the front, and by carved silver plates on the back. Its total length is 34 cm, and it is covered by filigrees, gems, glass beads, and pearls on its front. The reliquary cross was analysed by Raman spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) to determine the mineralogical and chemical compositions of gems, glass beads, and metals that have been used to decorate it. The results confirm the identification of twenty-five turquoises from Egypt, one garnet from Sri Lanka, as well as six quartz and one opal whose origin is difficult to certify. Twelve glass beads, showing green, blue, or amber tints, were also identified. Their compositions either correspond to soda lime glasses with natron or to potash–lead glasses similar to those of Central Europe. Moreover, a small polished red cross and a green stone appear to be constituted by nice doublets, composed of coloured glass covered by quartz. The filigrees contain Au and Cu, while carved plates covering the edges and the back of the cross are made of silver.

Is the modern-day dieback of yellow-cedar unprecedented?

In Southeast Alaska, many stands of yellow-cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis D. Don; Oerst. ex D.P. Little; hereafter: ‘YC’) contain numerous standing, dead snags. Snag-age estimates based on morphology have been used to support the interpretation that a warming climate after ca. 1880 triggered unprecedented YC dieback. Here we present new estimates of YC snag longevity by cross-dating 61 snags with morphologies that suggest they stood dead for extended periods. All but four of these snags have lost their outermost rings to decay, so we estimate when they died using a new method based on wood-ablation rates measured in six living trees that display partial cambial dieback. Results indicate that ~59% of YC snags that lost their branches to decay (Class 5 snags) have remained standing for > 200 years, and some for as long as 450 years (snag longevity mean ± SD: 233 ± 92 years). These findings, along with supporting evidence from historical photos, dendrochronology, and snag-morphology surveys in the published literature suggest that episodes of YC dieback also occurred before 1880 and before significant anthropogenic warming began. The roles played by climate change in these earlier dieback events remain to be further explored.

CERAMIC SEQUENCE, CHRONOLOGY, AND CULTURAL DYNAMICS OF THE UCAREO-ZINAPÉCUARO, MICHOACÁN OBSIDIAN SOURCE AREA

This article presents the ceramic sequence and chronology resulting from a multi-year program of survey, excavation, and analysis of pre-Hispanic settlement and exploitation within the Zinapécuaro-Ucareo (“U-Z”), Michoacan obsidian source area. Pottery analysis and classification aided by seriation analysis identified nine ceramic complexes and seven ceramic phases and sub-phases that both expand and refine the ceramic sequence previously established for the region by Gorenstein's (1985) investigations at nearby Acámbaro, Guanajuato. Initially established by ceramic cross-dating, the U-Z ceramic chronology has been largely confirmed by 30 radiocarbon dates and spans over 2,000 years of pre-Hispanic settlement, which included at least two notable episodes of trait-unit and site-unit intrusion from the eastern El Bajío and central Mexico. One of these episodes involved the appearance of two enclaves settled by individuals from the Acambay valley c. 90 km to the East, most likely from the site of Huamango, which our data indicate would have been occupied during the Middle Postclassic period.

Latewood Ring Width Reveals CE 1734 Felling Dates for Walker House Timbers in Tupelo, Mississippi, USA

Dendroarchaeology is under-represented in the Gulf Coastal Plain region of the United States (US), and at present, only three published studies have precision dated a collection of 18th–19th-century structures. In this study, we examined the tree-ring data from pine, poplar, and oak timbers used in the Walker House in Tupelo, Mississippi. The Walker House was constructed ca. the mid-1800s with timbers that appeared to be recycled from previous structures. In total, we examined 30 samples (16 pines, 8 oaks, and 6 poplars) from the attic and crawlspace. We cross-dated latewood ring growth from the attic pine samples to the period 1541–1734 (r = 0.52, t = 8.43, p < 0.0001) using a 514-year longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) latewood reference chronology from southern Mississippi. The crawlspace oak samples produced a 57-year chronology that we dated against a white oak (Quercus alba L.) reference chronology from northeast Alabama to the period 1765–1822 (r = 0.36, t = 2.83, p < 0.01). We were unable to cross-date the six poplar samples due to a lack of poplar reference chronologies in the region. Our findings have two important implications: (1) the pine material dated to 1734 represents the oldest dendroarchaeology-confirmed dating match for construction materials in the southeastern US, and (2) cross-dating latewood growth for southeastern US pine species produced statistically significant results, whereas total ring width failed to produce significant dating results.

Dendrochronological potential of the Azorean endemic gymnosperm Juniperus brevifolia (Seub.) Antoine

&lt;p&gt;Tree-ring interannual pattern variation is crucial in dendrochronology, allowing the identification of possible limiting factors on growth. Thus, trees exposed to sub-tropical or tropical climates without a marked seasonality, may show a low degree of interannual variation, impeding a straightforward dendroclimatological approach. Meanwhile, subtropical regions, and areas in transitional climates such as the Azores archipelago, are widely unexplored in terms of dendroclimatology, providing opportunities to work with endemic trees, including the dominant Azorean tree Juniperus brevifolia (Seub.) Antoine. To evaluate the dendrochronological potential of J. brevifolia, we analyzed wood anatomy and tree-ring patterns, cross-dating capabilities, and correlation with climate parameters. We sampled 48 individual trees from 2 natural populations (S&amp;#227;o Miguel and Terceira islands) using an increment borer. In addition, a Trephor tool was used to obtain wood microcores for micro-anatomical analysis. Tree-ring widths were measured with CooRecorder (Cybis) and cross-dated with the PAST-5 software (SCIEM). After detrending, master chronologies were built and correlated with aggregated daily temperature and precipitation data using the dendroTools R package. Microcores were prepared following standard protocols to obtain high resolution images. Our results showed the transition from latewood to earlywood marked by thick-walled fibers, . However, there were also unclear ring transitions or partially indistinct ring boundaries and wedging rings, complicating the cross-dating process. Our preliminary climate-growth correlations indicated significant positive correlations with precipitation at the end of the growing season. Our results suggest an acceptable dendrochronological potential for Juniperus brevifolia, which could be further used in distribution modelling or in recent climatic reconstructions, for which more samples will have to be analyzed.&lt;/p&gt;

Wood anatomy, fire wounds and dendrochronological potential of Prosopis pugionata Burkart (Fabaceae) in arid Argentine Chaco

Prosopis pugionata (Fabaceae) is a halophyte tree species that grows exclusively in Argentina’s arid environments, whose woodlands are mainly affected by fires and overgrazing. Here, we describe the wood anatomy and fire wounds of P. pugionata and their relationship with plant size and bark thickness. Besides, we attempt to determine the potential of P. pugionata for dendrochronological studies in order to date fire events throughout time. We tested the hypothesis that P. pugionataforms datable fire wounds, allowing its use for dendrochronological studies. The study area is located in the arid Argentine Chaco region. Seventeen individuals, varying from 15 to 65 years of age, were randomly sampled and bole disks were taken at 0.3, 1.3 and 2.3 m high. P. pugionatais a diffuse and semi-ring-porous hardwood species with growth rings delimited by marginal parenchyma bands. The bark is longitudinally fissured, with an average thickness of 0.19 cm, and a scarce increase with age. Seventy-seven percent of the samples showed fire wounds (). We identified fire scars (70%) and marks (30%), and differentiated them by wood growth interruption in the former. Sixty-one percent of fire wounds affected less than 20% of the cambial perimeter and there were no significant effects of age, bole diameter, bole height and bark thickness on the cambial damage percentage. After cross-dating, P. pugionata showed a mean correlation value between series of 0.5, which represents an accurate potential for dendrochronological studies. Twenty wildfires were dated from 1943 to 2007 in the study area with a fire frequency of 0.40 fires/year and a mean fire interval of 2.5 years. Wildfires frequency increased from 1980 to 0.48 fires/year and a mean fire interval of 2 years. Our results indicate that P. pugionata has the potential to date fires, considering its potential for dendrochronological studies, its ability to survive recurrent fires and forms identifiable wound scars in the wood.