Archeology

Five thousand years of inequality in the Carpathian Basin

This archaeological study of the Carpathian Basin over 5000 years challenges the notion that economic inequality inevitably escalated after the introduction of farming. Analyzing house sizes and mortuary wealth, the researchers found that while agriculture increased the potential for inequality, it rarely became widespread or enduring, with communities often employing leveling mechanisms like burying wealth or simply moving away ("voting with their feet").

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Archeology Sep 28, 01:24 AM

Modeling the European Neolithic expansion suggests predominant within-group mating and limited cultural transmission

This study used computer simulations, including reaction-diffusion and agent-based models, to investigate how farming spread across Neolithic Europe. The results suggest that the expansion was primarily driven by the migration of farmers, with very limited cultural transmission to hunter-gatherer groups. Specifically, they estimate that less than 0.1% of farmers converted a hunter-gatherer to farming each year.

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Archeology Aug 29, 08:24 AM

'Keseph': The Use of Silver Money in the Southern Levant from the Middle Bronze Age to the End of the Iron Age (~2000-600 BC)

This archaeological study analyzes silver hoards in the Southern Levant to explore the use of silver as pre-coinage money from the Middle Bronze Age to the Iron Age. The study reveals that silver, adopted as money as early as the Middle Bronze Age, became the dominant form during the Iron Age, despite periods of shortage and debasement with copper, reflecting broader economic changes and trade ties with Anatolia and Mesopotamia.

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Archeology Aug 21, 05:48 PM

Morphodynamic Foundations of Sumer

This study proposes that tidal irrigation may have played a crucial role in boosting agricultural productivity in ancient Sumer during the Ubaid and early Uruk periods, creating a foundation for urbanization. The study presents a well-reasoned argument based on the interplay of sea-level change, delta growth, and changes in tidal reach, and correlates them with cultural changes. More direct archaeological evidence is needed to fully confirm the hypothesis.

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Archeology Aug 21, 10:37 AM

Large-scale processing of within-bone nutrients by Neanderthals, 125,000 years ago

This study presents strong evidence of dedicated bone grease processing by Neanderthals at the Neumark-Nord 2/2 site in Germany, dating back 125,000 years. Analysis of faunal remains, lithic artifacts, and site context suggests intensive processing of at least 172 large mammals for within-bone nutrients, indicating a specialized 'fat factory' and pushing back the earliest known evidence of this practice in the Paleolithic.

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Archeology Jul 28, 06:34 PM

Saving us from the Digital Dark Age: the Austrian perspective

Austrian archaeological practice is shaped by legislation and institutional actors. While physical finds preservation is well-established, digital data preservation is lagging, despite increasing digitization efforts and some dedicated repositories. This highlights the need for improved infrastructure and strategies for managing digital archaeological data in Austria.

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Archeology Jul 14, 05:11 PM

The earliest farming communities north of the Carpathians: The settlement at Gwoździec site 2

Excavations at Gwoździec site 2 revealed a building complex and other features from the early Linear Pottery Culture (LBK). The pottery analysis shows a mix of Gniechowice (Ia) and Zofipole (Ib) styles, but radiocarbon dates suggest a later occupation than expected, possibly indicating developmental backwardness in the region.

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Archeology Jul 14, 06:48 AM

The First 'Urnfields' in the Plains of the Danube and the Po

The spread of the urnfield custom during the Bronze Age in Europe was a complex and non-linear process, characterized by regional variations in adoption and timing. The earliest examples are found in the Carpathian Basin around 2000 BC, gradually spreading across Europe over the next millennium, with the Po plain and the Sava/Drava/Lower Tisza plains showing radical adoption, while other areas were more gradual or even resistant to the new custom. The varied responses may relate to interconnectedness and homophily within and between local communities.

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Archeology Jul 14, 06:48 AM

Persistent warm Mediterranean surface waters during the Roman period

A new sea surface temperature (SST) reconstruction from the Sicily Channel reveals a distinct warm phase during the Roman period (1-500 CE), consistent with other Mediterranean records. This "Roman Climatic Optimum" was approximately 2°C warmer than the late centuries average in the region, suggesting a potential link to the Roman Empire's expansion and subsequent decline.

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Archeology Jul 14, 06:48 AM

A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea

The study suggests that Tall el-Hammam, a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley, was destroyed by a Tunguska-sized airburst around 1650 BCE. Evidence for this includes melted materials, shocked quartz, high salt concentrations, and diamond-like carbon, all suggesting an anomalously high-temperature, high-pressure event. The authors propose that this event, potentially recorded in oral tradition, may have inspired the biblical story of Sodom.

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Archeology Jul 14, 06:48 AM