Dealing with the Outside

The aim of this paper is to analyse some strategies of power, social control and legitimation during the Iberian Late Iron Age (6th–1st centuries BC). It addresses how the Iberian elites exploited the domain of the ‘outside’ to legitimise and to retain their status. A diachronic approach is presented seeking to analyse the role of the outside realm throughout all the examined period and the variety of its expressions within the Iberian societies. In particular, the paper focuses on the south-east of Spain, an area with a rich archaeological record which, however, have never been approached from this view.

Elateia 1 in Northeastern Thessaly 8000 Years Ago

Intensive and systematic surveys in the area south of Mount Olympos and west of Mount Ossa revealed not only tell settlements, but also several flat sites from different prehistoric periods. For one of the settlements, namely Elateia 1, a detailed relative chronological assessment was made with the help of statistical evaluations of pottery assemblages. In addition, short-lived bone samples confirmed and more precisely defined the exact chronological position of this 10-hectare site within the Middle Neolithic period. The present study underlines the importance of statistical evaluations of complete pottery assemblages, even those obtained through survey investigations, and their significance for a better understanding of chronological, chorological and post-depositional processes.

From a Concentration of Finds to Stone Age Architecture

High-quality documentation that was made during fieldwork at archaeological sites can provide new information for old excavations, even decades later. The revision of the archival data of the Stone Age settlement site Lommi III, located in the border zone of Russia and Estonia and excavated by Richard Indreko in 1940, allowed us to identify the remains of a Comb Ware culture (4th millennium cal BC) pit-house based on the concentration of artefacts marked in the field drawings. The rectangular shape and size of the concentration (c. 7.1x4.4m, depth 0.7–0.75m) corresponds to the architectural form common in the European forest zone and has numerous analogies at the settlement sites of that time in Finland, Karelia (Russia) and Estonia. The composition and diversity of the finds and their distribution indicate the (semi-)sedentary way of life of inhabitants of the pit-house. The radiocarbon age obtained from the organic crust on pottery fragments collected in the pit-house corresponds to the first half of 4th millennium cal BC.

Population Dynamics and Human Strategies in Northwestern Patagonia

In this paper we evaluate the role of human strategies in the Andean Piedmont from northern Patagonia across the Holocene. Specifically, we present the analysis of the Early Holocene-Late Holocene archaeological record of Salamanca cave (Mendoza-Argentina). We identified technological changes that occurred during the Late Holocene and the implications of a human occupation hiatus in the Middle Holocene. We follow a multiproxy approach by the analysis of radiocarbon dates, archaeofaunal remains, ceramic, lithics and XRF obsidian sourcing. We also discuss a detailed stratigraphic sequence by geomorphological descriptions, the construction of a radiocarbon sequence model and summed probability distributions, compared with other archaeological sites in the region. We conclude that after the Middle Holocene archaeological hiatus, human populations grew while guanaco populations dropped. The imbalance between demography and resources boosted the incorporation of new technologies such as ceramics and the bow and arrow, allowing people to exploit lower-ranked resources.

Revising the Chronology of Stanovoye 4 in the Upper Volga Region (Western Russia)

This paper examines the Stanovoye 4 site-chronology, which was developed through several radiocarbon dating efforts throughout the last two decades. Today, the dates indicate longterm cultural traditions at the site, lasting over 3000 years. The goal of this paper is to understand the site chronology holistically, which is done through a critical review of all available dates and sample characteristics. Additionally, the choice of sample materials, dating methods and preservation practices will be discussed. Furthermore, the dating of PVA-consolidated samples is discussed from an archaeological standpoint.

Combining relative chronology and AMS 14C dating to contextualize ‘megasites’, serial migrations and diachronic expressions of material culture in the Western Tripolye culture, Ukraine

Scholarship regarding the Eneolithic Cucuteni-Tripolye cultural complex of Romania, Moldova and Ukraine has recently focused on ‘megasites’ of the Western Tripolye culture (WTC) in Central Ukraine. However, in order to properly contextualize such unusual phenomena, we must explore the broader typo-chronology of the WTC, which is suggestive of a high degree of mobility and technological transfer between regions. We report 28 new AMS 14C dates from sites representing diagnostic types and propose a high-resolution chronological sequence for the WTC’s development. Our results support the relative chronology and offer an opportunity to propose a new chronological synthesis for the WTC.

Implements of Wild Boar Canines During the Neolithic and Chalcolithic at the Lower Danube

This paper discusses the technological exploitation and transformation of wild boar teeth into tools during the Neolithic and the Chalcolithic north of the Lower Danube. Four main variables were taken into consideration: raw material procurement, blank production, object manufacture, and equipment maintenance. Tool finds from various prehistoric sites in Romania were compared, aiming to identify their impact on the economy of the prehistoric communities, and to determine possible variations in their number/ways of use during early prehistory. Tool typology is poor. The finds studied showed different degrees of use-wear, as well as systematic re-sharpening of the active front. In addition, finished tools are predominant in comparison to the sub-products of the chaîne opératoire. The almost total lack of blanks may suggest no stocking was taking place. The entire tooth was used, resulting at times in several implements. Our experimental program, by following closely the technical transformation schemes indicated by the archaeological specimens, suggests that such tusk tools were used for woodworking.

Pile Dwellings in the Circum-Baltic Area

The phenomenon of northern pile dwellings has been found in different geographical zones and landscapes of the Circum-Baltic region: in sea landscapes and on the shores of inland lakes and rivers. Inland sites were established in specific lacustrine landscapes, appearing within former post-glacial basins. The pile dwellings revealed here are characterized by different types of wooden buildings, including structures with raised floors. They are dated to the 4th millennium BC to 4th century BC in Central Europe and the Baltics, and to the end of the 4th to end of the 3rd millennium BC – in NW Russia and Belarus. They appeared in major cases independently and followed different cultural trajectories. The article presents an overview of a number of sites which can be attributed to pile dwelling settlements distributed in the Circum-Baltic area. It discusses particular features of their construction, traits of material culture, and site location patterns.

Early Neolithic Ritual Funerary Behaviours in the Westernmost Regions of the Mediterranean

An intact archaeological context named Locus 1 has recently been discovered at Dehesilla Cave (southern Spain). The ritual funerary deposition consists of a complete pottery jar with part of a human calvarium over the mouth, and was occulted by large stone blocks. This paper offers a presentation of the new data provided mainly by the stratigraphic, osteological, pottery, lithic and radiocarbon analyses. A systematic review of the relevant evidence in the Iberian Peninsula during the Early Neolithic (c. 5600–4800 cal BC) provides a context for this finding and supports its interpretation with reference to several possible anthropological scenarios.

Including Explicit Priors on Phase Duration in Bayesian 14C Dating

Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates directly integrates information obtained through archaeological analysis. Here, I explain how to add known information/reasonable assumptions about the length of a deposition phase, using the example of date sequences from two Early Neolithic communities in the Aegean whose dating has been hotly debated, i.e. basal Knossos (Crete) and Nea Nikomedeia (Northern Greece). The consequences of the re-evaluation of their dates are discussed for the broader picture of the Neolithisation in the Aegean and for the chronology of the regional use of stamps.