Tenggar Cave, Tulungagung: preliminary study and its paleontological potentials

Goa Tenggar or Tenggar Cave is situated in the karstic physiography of southern Tulungagung, East Java that made up of prehistoric caves. These include the Wajak complex (minimum age of 37.4 to 28.5 thousand years ago) and the Song Gentong (around 7000 BP). The formation of Tenggar Cave is influenced by the subterranean river that penetrates the limestone unit. This cave has a front width of ± 10 m and a roof height of ± 8 m. The east side of the cave floor is a layer of soil, and the western side is the river. The inside of the cave composed by very compact conglomerate deposits and paleosoil that contains faunal remains, including Cervus sp., Bos sp., Bubalus sp., and Bibos sp., which may have occurred during the Pleistocene. The fossilized faunal remains from Tenggar Cave show that there was a relatively open environment during that time, such as a savannah with large trees and flowing rivers around the cave. The paleoenvironment indicates late Pleistocene to early Holocene period, similar to paleoenvironment in the Sewu Mountains that stretch along the southern part Java from central to the eastern tip of the island includes the coastal towns of Gunung Kidul, Pacitan and Tulungagung. The situation is certainly a point of interest when associating the findings with the surrounding sites, starting from Wajak, Song Gentong, Pacitan, Ponorogo, and Gunung Kidul. However, absolute dating test is necessary to be more certain of the lifetime of the fossilized fauna. If the fossils were from the Late Pleistocene, it could be an important information for the fields of paleontology, paleoanthropology, and prehistoric archaeology given that the occurrence of sites with such antiquity are limited in Southeast Asia. It is essential to conduct intensive research in Tenggar Cave in the future.

Piast castle on Ostrów Tumski island in Wrocław

The article briefly presents the author’s hypothesis of architectural changes in the ducal castle on Ostrów Tumski in Wrocław, which was developed based on the results of architectural studies of the relics of the castle walls uncovered in excavations in 2011–2012 and 2014, in combination with the results of laboratory tests such as petrographic and mineralogical analysis of mortars, 14C analysis of charcoal contained in mortars and extensive analysis of brick dimensions using statistical methods. As a result, a chronological stratification into eight phases from the 12th to 15th centuries is proposed. Absolute dating was addressed through radiocarbon analyses and historical context.

Thermal behaviour of organic radicals and paramagnetic centres in chert: A case study of Bergeracois brown chert, Dordogne, France

In order to successfully understand the complex evolution of prehistoric societies, archaeologists require absolute dating tools, which are not only accurate but also widely applicable. Thermoluminescence (TL) dating is one such approach that has been successfully used to establish a general chronological framework for prehistoric sites and is particularly suited for use on heated lithic artefacts. Experiments conducted in this study have clearly shown the applicability of Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) isothermal modelling in combination with TL dating to constrain firing temperature. This expands the potential application for TL dating to include artefacts treated at low firing temperatures. The present study shows potential in terms of precision and accuracy for framing the “equivalent firing temperature”. At the same time, the comparison of the TL signal with the lattice-defects and aluminium centres invigorate the use of ESR dating on heated flint, especially with samples that have received low thermal treatment. The presence of organic matter in large quantity raises concern on the pyrolysis effect on the luminescence signal; however, the use of ESR isothermal and isochronal modelling could potentially lead to the ability to overcome current interferences of the organic radicals within the dating signal of TL.

Identification of Paleoearthquakes and Coseismic Slips on a Normal Fault Using High-Precision Quantitative Morphology: Application to the Jiaocheng Fault in the Shanxi Rift, China

The quantitative morphology of bedrock fault surfaces combined with aerial surveys and field identification is a useful approach to identify paleoearthquakes, obtain coseismic slips, and evaluate the seismogenic capacity of active faults in bedrock areas where traditional trenching methods are not applicable. Here, we report a case study of the Jiaocheng Fault (JCF) in the Shanxi Rift, China. Although several studies have been conducted on the JCF, its coseismic slip history and seismogenic capacity are still unclear. To address these problems, we investigated two bedrock fault surfaces, Sixicun (SXC) and Shanglanzhen (SLZ), on the JCF’s northern segment using quantitative morphological analysis together with aerial and field surveys. Quantitative fractal analysis based on the isotropic empirical variogram and moving window shows that both bedrock fault surfaces have the characteristics of vertical segmentation, which is likely due to periodic earthquakes, the coseismic slip of which can be determined by the height of the segments. Three seismic events at SXC, with a coseismic vertical slip of 1.74, 1.65, and 1.99 m, and three seismic events at SLZ, with a coseismic vertical slip of 1.32, 2.35, and 1.88 m, are identified. Compared with the previous studies, these three seismic events may occur in the Holocene, but it requires absolute dating ages to support, which is also the focus of our future work. Considering the seismologic capability (M>7.5) and the relationship between the recurrence interval of ~2.6 kyr and elapsed time of more than 3 kyr, the seismic hazard of the northern and middle segments of the JCF requires immediate attention.

Effects of Ice Freeze-Thaw Processes on U Isotope Compositions in Saline Lakes and Their Potential Environmental Implications

The dissolved uranium (U) content in the water column of saline lakes varies little between ice-free seasons throughout the whole water column. Such uniformity allows for the potential absolute dating and/or paleohydrologic interpretations of lake sediments and biogenic shell materials using U isotopes. Before using these methods in cold regions, however, it is necessary to evaluate the effects that ice freeze-thaw processes have on the distribution of U isotopes in saline lake waters, and to determine the amount of variation in U isotopic values when such processes occur. In this paper, we collected ice and dissolved water samples from six lakes with variable salinity in February 2021. Five groundwater and three water samples from rivers into Qinghai Lake were sampled in November 2020. The sampled water was analyzed for dissolved concentrations of 238U and the activity ratio of 234U/238U ([234U/238U]AR). The results show that the 238U concentration of ice samples was less than that of the underlying water. The [234U/238U]AR of ice in the five saline lakes was similar to that of the underlying water with less than a 10‰ variation, suggesting no observable fractionation between ice and dissolved water. Thus, the ice freeze-thaw processes have almost no effect on the uranium content and [234U/238U]AR of the sampled saline lakes, which were characterized by a limited recharge volume from surface runoff, groundwater, and ice volume, namely the close saline lake in arid alpine background. The results from the indoor freeze-thaw experiments also showed that the U isotopic composition of Qinghai Lake waters and ice were similar with the 238U concentration of the ice was about 40% of that of the dissolved lake water, supporting the data obtained from natural saline lakes. The above results provide important insights into whether it is feasible to use U isotopes for absolute dating and/or paleohydrologic analysis of lake sediments or biogenic shell materials. In addition, the results are important for evaluating the [234U/238U]AR and uranium concentrations in seawater when there exists a process of melting polar ice, and for determining the initial delta 234U variations needed for dating of coral and other fossil materials.

Iron Age construction and Early Medieval reuse of crannogs in Loch Awe, Argyll

Despite its influence on Scottish crannog studies, absolute dating evidence for activity on the crannogs of Loch Awe has been lacking. This paper presents previously unpublished radiocarbon dates from six crannogs in the loch. Of these, five sites have provided dates within the 1st millennium BC, confirming the existence of Iron Age crannogs in the loch – four of which may have been occupied contemporaneously. The dates fit in to the now widely appreciated pattern of occupation in the 1st millennium BC and later reuse in the 1st millennium AD. Using Bayesian statistical analysis, dating of the early medieval phase at Ederline Boathouse crannog was improved, with modelling suggesting occupation could have been limited to just a few decades of the second half of the 6th century AD. No evidence for activity after AD 900 was recovered, though the current number of samples analysed is small and high medieval activity is well attested on a number of islets on the loch through historical references and surviving structural remains. This broad chronological pattern is discussed and ide-as that promise avenues for future research in light of new, high-precision, chronological techniques are highlighted.

Human Impact on Antler Conformation in Western Red Deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758)

A stray find of red deer antler from Sweden with the braincase was collected due to an apparently pathological deformation, the strongly retarded right antler. Measurements of the complete left antler inspired the analysis of general antler conformation in order to place this archaeological specimen in a zoological context. This stray find and another prehistoric antler from Sweden as well as three complete prehistoric antlers from Hungary were metrically compared using measurements of over 17,000 trophies of extant red deer from Hungary. The results confirmed that the stray specimen from Sweden and prehistoric antlers from Hungary were similar in that they were stouter (smaller length measurements but greater circumferences) than their 20th century counterparts. Most of their measurements fell within the ±1 standard deviation interval of the means of extant trophies. The pathological lesion on the studied stray specimen directed attention to the role of human selection. Twentieth century record trophies show a significant increase in antler weight and “quality” as defined in the international trophy grading system. While these morphometric observations cannot be taken as a proxy for absolute dating or precise contextual identification for the stray find central to this study, its size and apparent lack of consistent human selection (pathological deformation, “archaic” antler proportions) point to possibly early origins, prior to major human influence.

LOWER DNIESTER (SNAKE) DEFENSIVE RAMPART:TOPOGRAPHY, ARCHAEOLOGY AND DATING

The Lower Dniester (Snake) Defensive rampart on the border of the Roman Empire is one of the largest and most significant objects of the ancient Roman fortification of the Northern Ponticregion but at the same time the most controversial and least known not only to general public but to professional historiansas well. Over the last decade, based on a detailed study of cartographic sources and materials of numerous archaeological surveys it has been possible to reconstruct completely the line of this rampart which turned out to be the longest of all earthen ramparts in Budzhak or Bessarabia (Sapozhnikov 2011; 2013; 2020a). This paper is devoted to such components of this unique monument of military architecture and engineering as topography and archaeology as well as relative and absolute dating both by traditional methods and by the method of soil-genetic chronology. Today we can say that the rampart runs on the right bank of the Dniester from the Sergeevka village near the Black Sea to the right bank of the river Botna near the Plop-Stubei village for 123—125 km, and the total length of this structure (with additional fortifications and protection of the camps) reached 134—136 km. Since the rampart lies on the Late Scythiansettlements Mologa II and Vesele III its terminus post quem can be defined as the early 3rd century AD. Terminus ante quem according to soil-chronological studies by F. N. Lisetsky is limited to the second half of the 3rd century AD. Based on the historical situation in Tyras and its environs during this period the authors concluded that such a significant structure was built by the Romans (or the local population under their leadership) in the first half of the 3rd century AD.