The monumental water features of ancient Rome and the Bay of Naples represent the largest Imperial-era investment in public hydraulic infrastructure known from the ancient Mediterranean. Underlying and enabling all these works were highly specialised waterproof linings, the composition of which reflect the know-how and intentions of ancient builders. To investigate if and how waterproof lining technology changed through time, and what broader factors motivated their development, 14 mortar specimens dating between the 1st century BCE – 4th century CE were collected from water features found across Pompeii, the Bay of Naples and Rome. Each specimen was analysed using established archaeological and instrumental techniques, including ultra-high resolution mosaic scans of thin sections and polarised light microscopy (PLM). This was paired with a novel use of Micro-X-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy (μXFM), which allowed the elemental composition of whole thin sections to be rapidly and accurately visualised and compared. These analyses produced several data sets that were combined to identify clear change in the composition of Imperial-era waterproof linings. These findings were then contextualised to explore how contemporary socio-economic and political factors may have directed technological change in Imperial-era waterproofing technology.
{"title":"Diachronic change in imperial-era waterproof lining technology: Evidence from Pompeii, the Bay of Naples and Rome","authors":"Rory McLennan , Duncan Keenan-Jones , Glenys McGowan , Gianluca Zanzi , MariaLetizia Buonfiglio","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106433","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106433","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The monumental water features of ancient Rome and the Bay of Naples represent the largest Imperial-era investment in public hydraulic infrastructure known from the ancient Mediterranean. Underlying and enabling all these works were highly specialised waterproof linings, the composition of which reflect the know-how and intentions of ancient builders. To investigate if and how waterproof lining technology changed through time, and what broader factors motivated their development, 14 mortar specimens dating between the 1st century BCE – 4th century CE were collected from water features found across Pompeii, the Bay of Naples and Rome. Each specimen was analysed using established archaeological and instrumental techniques, including ultra-high resolution mosaic scans of thin sections and polarised light microscopy (PLM). This was paired with a novel use of Micro-X-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy (μXFM), which allowed the elemental composition of whole thin sections to be rapidly and accurately visualised and compared. These analyses produced several data sets that were combined to identify clear change in the composition of Imperial-era waterproof linings. These findings were then contextualised to explore how contemporary socio-economic and political factors may have directed technological change in Imperial-era waterproofing technology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106433"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145693626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106447
Danielle A. Macdonald
The method of use-wear analysis was first published 60 years ago by Semenov in his seminal volume “Prehistoric Technology”. This method was developed just 10 years before the founding of the Journal of Archaeological Science, and since then has grown into a robust field of scientific inquiry. In this paper, I review the historical development and methodological advancements in use-wear analysis, focusing on how the applications of surface metrology and quantitative analysis have changed the field. The integration of surface metrology into our understanding of stone tool function has enabled archaeologists to measure and differentiate microscopic wear patterns to ask new questions about tool function. This paper explores these developments and addresses possible futures for the field, including multiscalar analysis combining edge angles with surface texture, the challenges of post-depositional processes, and the applications of emerging technologies such as AI. Through this paper I advocate for a holistic, multiscalar approach to use-wear analysis using multiple methods and techniques that reconnect tools to the people who used them, encouraging creative, interdisciplinary collaboration to deepen our understanding of past human behavior.
{"title":"Traces we leave behind: The past and future of lithic use-wear analysis","authors":"Danielle A. Macdonald","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106447","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106447","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The method of use-wear analysis was first published 60 years ago by Semenov in his seminal volume “Prehistoric Technology”. This method was developed just 10 years before the founding of the <em>Journal of Archaeological Science</em>, and since then has grown into a robust field of scientific inquiry. In this paper, I review the historical development and methodological advancements in use-wear analysis, focusing on how the applications of surface metrology and quantitative analysis have changed the field. The integration of surface metrology into our understanding of stone tool function has enabled archaeologists to measure and differentiate microscopic wear patterns to ask new questions about tool function. This paper explores these developments and addresses possible futures for the field, including multiscalar analysis combining edge angles with surface texture, the challenges of post-depositional processes, and the applications of emerging technologies such as AI. Through this paper I advocate for a holistic, multiscalar approach to use-wear analysis using multiple methods and techniques that reconnect tools to the people who used them, encouraging creative, interdisciplinary collaboration to deepen our understanding of past human behavior.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106447"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145731596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-11-15DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106428
Daniel Sánchez-Gomez , José Ángel Garrido-Cordero , José María Martínez-Blanes , Rodrigo Villalobos García , Manuel Edo i Benaiges , Ana Catarina Sousa , María Dolores Zambrana Vega , Ferran Borrell , Rosa Barroso Bermejo , Primitiva Bueno Ramírez , Carlos P. Odriozola
This study addresses critical gaps in the provenance analysis of variscite and related green phosphate minerals, which serve as key tracers of prehistoric socio-economic networks in Late Prehistoric Europe (c. 6000–1200 BC). Despite their significance, existing provenance models are limited by small, unrepresentative datasets, outdated data processing techniques, and a lack of robust validation metrics. These limitations hinder the accurate reconstruction of prehistoric exchange networks and the cultural significance of these materials.
To overcome these challenges, we present a scalable, data-driven approach that integrates portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF) analysis, machine learning (ML), and information theory. We compiled the largest geoarchaeological green phosphate dataset to date (n = 1778), sourced from three major Iberian deposits: Aliste, Encinasola, and the Gavà Mines. Using a supervised Random Forest (RF) model, we classified samples into three geographic source groups based on elemental composition, achieving 95 % accuracy. Key elements such as Ca, As, Ba, V, Sr, Ta, Cu, Cr, Mo, K, Se, Ti, S, and Zn were identified as critical discriminators through feature importance analysis and Shapley values.
The model was validated against an external dataset of 571 beads from 15 archaeological sites across Iberia and France. Results revealed that Aliste and the Gavà Mines played a more significant role in prehistoric variscite exchange than previously assumed, challenging the traditional emphasis on Encinasola as a primary source. Notably, French materials were predominantly linked to Aliste, suggesting an overland distribution network rather than maritime connections. The compositional complexity of the Gavà Mines was reflected in high uncertainty in the Catalan sites, highlighting the need for subclass distinctions in future iterations.
Our findings underscore the importance of integrating chemical and mineralogical variability into provenance studies. By quantifying uncertainty and employing probabilistic frameworks, this study provides a more nuanced understanding of prehistoric exchange networks. The methodological advancements presented here—combining expanded datasets, advanced ML techniques, and rigorous performance evaluation—set a new standard for provenance analysis in archaeology. This approach not only refines our understanding of variscite distribution but also offers a scalable framework for studying other archaeologically significant materials.
{"title":"A forest of green beads: A machine-learning based framework to determine the geological provenance of prehistoric variscite artifacts","authors":"Daniel Sánchez-Gomez , José Ángel Garrido-Cordero , José María Martínez-Blanes , Rodrigo Villalobos García , Manuel Edo i Benaiges , Ana Catarina Sousa , María Dolores Zambrana Vega , Ferran Borrell , Rosa Barroso Bermejo , Primitiva Bueno Ramírez , Carlos P. Odriozola","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study addresses critical gaps in the provenance analysis of variscite and related green phosphate minerals, which serve as key tracers of prehistoric socio-economic networks in Late Prehistoric Europe (c. 6000–1200 BC). Despite their significance, existing provenance models are limited by small, unrepresentative datasets, outdated data processing techniques, and a lack of robust validation metrics. These limitations hinder the accurate reconstruction of prehistoric exchange networks and the cultural significance of these materials.</div><div>To overcome these challenges, we present a scalable, data-driven approach that integrates portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF) analysis, machine learning (ML), and information theory. We compiled the largest geoarchaeological green phosphate dataset to date (n = 1778), sourced from three major Iberian deposits: Aliste, Encinasola, and the Gavà Mines. Using a supervised Random Forest (RF) model, we classified samples into three geographic source groups based on elemental composition, achieving 95 % accuracy. Key elements such as Ca, As, Ba, V, Sr, Ta, Cu, Cr, Mo, K, Se, Ti, S, and Zn were identified as critical discriminators through feature importance analysis and Shapley values.</div><div>The model was validated against an external dataset of 571 beads from 15 archaeological sites across Iberia and France. Results revealed that Aliste and the Gavà Mines played a more significant role in prehistoric variscite exchange than previously assumed, challenging the traditional emphasis on Encinasola as a primary source. Notably, French materials were predominantly linked to Aliste, suggesting an overland distribution network rather than maritime connections. The compositional complexity of the Gavà Mines was reflected in high uncertainty in the Catalan sites, highlighting the need for subclass distinctions in future iterations.</div><div>Our findings underscore the importance of integrating chemical and mineralogical variability into provenance studies. By quantifying uncertainty and employing probabilistic frameworks, this study provides a more nuanced understanding of prehistoric exchange networks. The methodological advancements presented here—combining expanded datasets, advanced ML techniques, and rigorous performance evaluation—set a new standard for provenance analysis in archaeology. This approach not only refines our understanding of variscite distribution but also offers a scalable framework for studying other archaeologically significant materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106428"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145529513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Erosion along the French Atlantic coastline is revealing unrecorded archaeological sites, while the shoreline retreat threatens this fragile heritage with irreversible loss. In waterlogged, anoxic sediments, insect remains are preserved in exceptional condition, enabling reconstruction of past human activities through archaeoentomological analysis. A diverse assemblage of dung beetles provides robust evidence of livestock farming from the Neolithic to Antiquity, revealing spatial and temporal variation in grazing intensity. High proportions of dung-associated species in a Middle Neolithic well indicate substantial herds as early as 5500 years ago. This provides the first evidence of coastal livestock farming in Neolithic France, illuminating a tipping point in the history of humankind. In other contexts, lower proportions imply limited grazing, potentially constrained by saline water sources. The diversity and dominance of aquatic and riparian taxa reflect a water-rich environment used for animal watering, while abundant pasture-associated taxa indicate an open landscape favorable to agropastoral practices. Comparisons between fossil and modern entomofaunas from the Gironde region reveal biodiversity shifts shaped by climatic change and human influence over millennia. These multi-millennial bioarchaeological archives offer unique insights into the deep history of biodiversity dynamics and inform debates on ecological change and evolution.
{"title":"Rolling through time: Scarab remains reveal 4,000 years of coastal pastoralism and biodiversity dynamics in western France","authors":"Lisa Richelmi , Jean-Bernard Huchet , Frédéric Santos , Florence Verdin","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106442","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106442","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Erosion along the French Atlantic coastline is revealing unrecorded archaeological sites, while the shoreline retreat threatens this fragile heritage with irreversible loss. In waterlogged, anoxic sediments, insect remains are preserved in exceptional condition, enabling reconstruction of past human activities through archaeoentomological analysis. A diverse assemblage of dung beetles provides robust evidence of livestock farming from the Neolithic to Antiquity, revealing spatial and temporal variation in grazing intensity. High proportions of dung-associated species in a Middle Neolithic well indicate substantial herds as early as 5500 years ago. This provides the first evidence of coastal livestock farming in Neolithic France, illuminating a tipping point in the history of humankind. In other contexts, lower proportions imply limited grazing, potentially constrained by saline water sources. The diversity and dominance of aquatic and riparian taxa reflect a water-rich environment used for animal watering, while abundant pasture-associated taxa indicate an open landscape favorable to agropastoral practices. Comparisons between fossil and modern entomofaunas from the Gironde region reveal biodiversity shifts shaped by climatic change and human influence over millennia. These multi-millennial bioarchaeological archives offer unique insights into the deep history of biodiversity dynamics and inform debates on ecological change and evolution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 106442"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145784430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106388
Terry L. Hunt , Carl P. Lipo
The role of introduced Polynesian rats (Rattus exulans) in the deforestation of Rapa Nui remains a contentious issue. Several critics, including Mieth and Bork (2010), argue that rats played a negligible role compared to human impacts. We address the role of rats through three lines of evidence: (1) a response to rats-are-negligible arguments, including problematic continental analogies and misunderstandings of seed predation impacts; (2) analysis of rat remains from Anakena excavations (1986–2005) showing that rats decreased over time, contradicting claims they served as a “fallback food” following resource depletion; and (3) ecological modeling demonstrating that introduced rats could reach populations of 11.2 million within 47 years, with 95 % seed predation sufficient to prevent palm regeneration. Our integrated evidence supports rats as a keystone invasive species that, through synergistic interactions with human forest clearing, drove one of the most complete ecological transformations documented in human history. These findings challenge narratives of simple anthropogenic “ecocide” and highlight the critical role of invasive species in island environmental change.
{"title":"Reassessing the role of Polynesian rats (Rattus exulans) in Rapa Nui (Easter Island) deforestation: Faunal evidence and ecological modeling","authors":"Terry L. Hunt , Carl P. Lipo","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106388","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106388","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The role of introduced Polynesian rats (<em>Rattus exulans</em>) in the deforestation of Rapa Nui remains a contentious issue. Several critics, including Mieth and Bork (2010), argue that rats played a negligible role compared to human impacts. We address the role of rats through three lines of evidence: (1) a response to rats-are-negligible arguments, including problematic continental analogies and misunderstandings of seed predation impacts; (2) analysis of rat remains from Anakena excavations (1986–2005) showing that rats decreased over time, contradicting claims they served as a “fallback food” following resource depletion; and (3) ecological modeling demonstrating that introduced rats could reach populations of 11.2 million within 47 years, with 95 % seed predation sufficient to prevent palm regeneration. Our integrated evidence supports rats as a keystone invasive species that, through synergistic interactions with human forest clearing, drove one of the most complete ecological transformations documented in human history. These findings challenge narratives of simple anthropogenic “ecocide” and highlight the critical role of invasive species in island environmental change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 106388"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145290005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-10-23DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106398
Jianxuan Hong, Shengqian Chen
Liangzhu culture, a pivotal prehistoric archaeological culture in the Taihu Basin, offers critical insights into the origins of Chinese civilization. A thorough understanding of the relationships between three central sites—Liangzhu Ancient City(良渚古城), Fuquanshan(福泉山), and Sidun(寺墩)—is essential for deepening our comprehension of the evolution of social organization within Liangzhu. Renowned for its jade culture, Liangzhu's jade artifacts, including their types and combinations, constitute key features of the civilization's material culture. This study presents an innovative approach by utilizing jade artifacts as a conduit to establish three distinct networks: a network of within Liangzhu society, a network of jade artifacts symbolizing power and status, and a jade cong (琮) network. These networks provide novel perspectives on the interrelations among the three sites. The findings reveal that Liangzhu society did not remain under the dominance of a single central power, but instead underwent a shift from a centralized to a multi-centered structure. Liangzhu Ancient City dominated the early phases, while Fuquanshan began to emerge as a central node in the third phase, and Sidun exhibited distinct local features in the fourth phase. The jade cong network elucidates a stepwise shift in political power—from the early dominance of the Liangzhu Ancient City, to the emergence of Fuquanshan in the later phases, and the subsequent prominence of Sidun.
{"title":"Network analysis of jade artifacts in Liangzhu: Exploring the relationships between Liangzhu Ancient City, Fuquanshan, and Sidun","authors":"Jianxuan Hong, Shengqian Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106398","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106398","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Liangzhu culture, a pivotal prehistoric archaeological culture in the Taihu Basin, offers critical insights into the origins of Chinese civilization. A thorough understanding of the relationships between three central sites—Liangzhu Ancient City(良渚古城), Fuquanshan(福泉山), and Sidun(寺墩)—is essential for deepening our comprehension of the evolution of social organization within Liangzhu. Renowned for its jade culture, Liangzhu's jade artifacts, including their types and combinations, constitute key features of the civilization's material culture. This study presents an innovative approach by utilizing jade artifacts as a conduit to establish three distinct networks: a network of within Liangzhu society, a network of jade artifacts symbolizing power and status, and a jade <em>cong</em> (琮) network. These networks provide novel perspectives on the interrelations among the three sites. The findings reveal that Liangzhu society did not remain under the dominance of a single central power, but instead underwent a shift from a centralized to a multi-centered structure. Liangzhu Ancient City dominated the early phases, while Fuquanshan began to emerge as a central node in the third phase, and Sidun exhibited distinct local features in the fourth phase. The jade <em>cong</em> network elucidates a stepwise shift in political power—from the early dominance of the Liangzhu Ancient City, to the emergence of Fuquanshan in the later phases, and the subsequent prominence of Sidun.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 106398"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145365039","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-10-27DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106397
Federico L. Scartascini , Alhue Bay Gavuzzo
This paper presents a LCA model of human mobility in mixed landscapes (land and water) for the north Patagonian Andes. For this, we combined participatory mapping and least cost analysis using open-source software. Four scenarios are presented in which the comparative costs of transiting aquatic environments change in an increasing order of difficulty. The results highlight the importance of aquatic transit and navigation for the human occupation of small-scale groups in this sector of Patagonia. The cost routes were validated through hiking and kayaking routes currently in use in the area and show a good fit with the developed model. Path density analysis further enabled the identification of key sectors, sites and preferential trails or corridors within the model. Finally, we discuss and highlight the versatility and robustness of the model by considering human movement strategies and the navigation impact in a regional scale.
{"title":"Least cost path analysis and fluvial navigation of Patagonian hunter-gatherers","authors":"Federico L. Scartascini , Alhue Bay Gavuzzo","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106397","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106397","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents a LCA model of human mobility in mixed landscapes (land and water) for the north Patagonian Andes. For this, we combined participatory mapping and least cost analysis using open-source software. Four scenarios are presented in which the comparative costs of transiting aquatic environments change in an increasing order of difficulty. The results highlight the importance of aquatic transit and navigation for the human occupation of small-scale groups in this sector of Patagonia. The cost routes were validated through hiking and kayaking routes currently in use in the area and show a good fit with the developed model. Path density analysis further enabled the identification of key sectors, sites and preferential trails or corridors within the model. Finally, we discuss and highlight the versatility and robustness of the model by considering human movement strategies and the navigation impact in a regional scale.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 106397"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145382599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-11-05DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106411
Dongdong Li , Suwei Guo
This paper proposes a composite metric for analyzing economic inequality reflected in prehistoric burials by integrating the value of burial goods with the labor investment required for burial construction. This approach helps mitigate interpretive biases that arise from relying on a single dimension of burial wealth assessment. To address the common challenge of small sample sizes in prehistoric burials, we adopt bootstrap resampling and apply appropriate small-sample corrections to the resulting Gini coefficients. Building on the above methods, this paper uses extensive prehistoric burial data from a site on China's Liyang Plain to trace diachronic patterns of economic inequality. The study reveals diachronic patterns of economic inequality, showing that increase in burial wealth inequality was likely tied to hydraulic infrastructure projects and that ritual power concentrated wealth more effectively than political-military power.
{"title":"An understanding of wealth inequality revealed by the Gini coefficient: Insights from prehistoric burial data in the Liyang Plain, China","authors":"Dongdong Li , Suwei Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106411","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106411","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper proposes a composite metric for analyzing economic inequality reflected in prehistoric burials by integrating the value of burial goods with the labor investment required for burial construction. This approach helps mitigate interpretive biases that arise from relying on a single dimension of burial wealth assessment. To address the common challenge of small sample sizes in prehistoric burials, we adopt bootstrap resampling and apply appropriate small-sample corrections to the resulting Gini coefficients. Building on the above methods, this paper uses extensive prehistoric burial data from a site on China's Liyang Plain to trace diachronic patterns of economic inequality. The study reveals diachronic patterns of economic inequality, showing that increase in burial wealth inequality was likely tied to hydraulic infrastructure projects and that ritual power concentrated wealth more effectively than political-military power.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 106411"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145474709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-10-30DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106415
Junxian Jing , Yongqiang Li , Xiaoying Wu , Kai Wang , Qi Liu , Yaowu Hu
Chemical analysis of organic residues absorbed in pottery can provide valuable information on culinary practices in the past. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is routine for identifying the organic compositions and biomarkers. In recent years, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has been increasingly applied to discern metabolites with more precision. However, the combination of these two techniques has never been reported in organic residue analysis to date. In this study, we, for the first time, introduce a new method to detect organic residues absorbed in pottery at the Peiligang site (Henan, China) during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. The results show that compared to traditional methods (GC-MS), the metabolomic analysis (DPMA), combined with on GC-MS and UPLC-HRMS, enables rapid and comprehensive characterization of significant organic compounds in pottery. GC-MS analysis shows the lower content of lipids (0.5–40 μg/g) in all samples, including fatty acids, fatty alcohols, monoacylglycerols, while DPMA analysis indicates the presence of more lipids including fatty acyls, sterols and their derivatives, prenol lipids, polyketides among which fatty acyls are dominant. Both methods suggest that terrestrial animal and plant resources were utilized by humans, but DPMA provides more evidence on the categories of animal and plant resources. Neither method detected the cereal biomarkers (e.g. miliacin), although they were shown in archaeobotanical and dental calculus analyses. This could have been attributed to the timeline of the development of agriculture or the inertness of extraction to plant biomarkers. It is most striking that DPMA analysis finds the secondary metabolites of aromatic plants (13-tetradecanolide, tephrosol, and coumarin A, etc.), might indicating the intentional addition of herbal plants to enhance the flavour during food processing. The universal presence of organic acids in all pottery (cooking and non-cooking) in DPMA analysis supports the previously reported claim that they are not unreliable biomarkers related to alcohol-making activities. Furthermore, the discriminating analysis of metabolites among all pottery indicates the functional difference between cooking and non-cooking pottery and emphasizes the possible importance of Ding among pottery assemblages. Overall, DPMA has been proven as a novel method to look through culinary practices with highly sensitive resolution and has great potential in expanding our knowledge of ancient culinary practices. At last, the advantages and disadvantages of applying DPMA analysis are also discussed.
{"title":"Dual-platform (GC-MS & UPLC-HRMS) metabolomics analysis as a novel method to detect organic residues absorbed in pottery: a preliminary study at the Peiligang site, China","authors":"Junxian Jing , Yongqiang Li , Xiaoying Wu , Kai Wang , Qi Liu , Yaowu Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106415","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106415","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chemical analysis of organic residues absorbed in pottery can provide valuable information on culinary practices in the past. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is routine for identifying the organic compositions and biomarkers. In recent years, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has been increasingly applied to discern metabolites with more precision. However, the combination of these two techniques has never been reported in organic residue analysis to date. In this study, we, for the first time, introduce a new method to detect organic residues absorbed in pottery at the Peiligang site (Henan, China) during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. The results show that compared to traditional methods (GC-MS), the metabolomic analysis (DPMA), combined with on GC-MS and UPLC-HRMS, enables rapid and comprehensive characterization of significant organic compounds in pottery. GC-MS analysis shows the lower content of lipids (0.5–40 μg/g) in all samples, including fatty acids, fatty alcohols, monoacylglycerols, while DPMA analysis indicates the presence of more lipids including fatty acyls, sterols and their derivatives, prenol lipids, polyketides among which fatty acyls are dominant. Both methods suggest that terrestrial animal and plant resources were utilized by humans, but DPMA provides more evidence on the categories of animal and plant resources. Neither method detected the cereal biomarkers (e.g. miliacin), although they were shown in archaeobotanical and dental calculus analyses. This could have been attributed to the timeline of the development of agriculture or the inertness of extraction to plant biomarkers. It is most striking that DPMA analysis finds the secondary metabolites of aromatic plants (13-tetradecanolide, tephrosol, and coumarin A, etc.), might indicating the intentional addition of herbal plants to enhance the flavour during food processing. The universal presence of organic acids in all pottery (cooking and non-cooking) in DPMA analysis supports the previously reported claim that they are not unreliable biomarkers related to alcohol-making activities. Furthermore, the discriminating analysis of metabolites among all pottery indicates the functional difference between cooking and non-cooking pottery and emphasizes the possible importance of <em>Ding</em> among pottery assemblages. Overall, DPMA has been proven as a novel method to look through culinary practices with highly sensitive resolution and has great potential in expanding our knowledge of ancient culinary practices. At last, the advantages and disadvantages of applying DPMA analysis are also discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 106415"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145425277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-11-10DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106413
Deborah Priß , Christina Prell , Dan Lawrence , Laura Turnbull , John Wainwright
Analysing and understanding connectivity of human social networks of (ancient) societies offers new perspectives on their functioning. However, social network approaches in archaeology rarely utilise formal statistical models to test established theories or develop new hypotheses. In this paper, we present the implementation of MCMC-MLE Temporal Exponential Random Graph Models (MTERGMs) to investigate the hollow way network between settlements of the Bronze and Iron Age Khabur Valley, Mesopotamia. Using MTERGMs, we evaluate eight hypotheses to assess which network patterns explain the formation of the hollow ways. Our results show that in the cross-sectional networks, preferential attachment, transitivity, distance and site size are important factors for tie formation while the longitudinal analysis reveals tie persistence over time with distance and transitivity being significant for tie formation. We reflect on these findings as well as the limitations of our dataset and conclude that MTERGMs are useful tools to formally evaluate archaeological theories pertaining to network structures and processes, if the available data are sufficiently complete.
{"title":"The social behind the physical - Assessing tie formation processes of ancient route systems","authors":"Deborah Priß , Christina Prell , Dan Lawrence , Laura Turnbull , John Wainwright","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106413","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106413","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Analysing and understanding connectivity of human social networks of (ancient) societies offers new perspectives on their functioning. However, social network approaches in archaeology rarely utilise formal statistical models to test established theories or develop new hypotheses. In this paper, we present the implementation of MCMC-MLE Temporal Exponential Random Graph Models (MTERGMs) to investigate the hollow way network between settlements of the Bronze and Iron Age Khabur Valley, Mesopotamia. Using MTERGMs, we evaluate eight hypotheses to assess which network patterns explain the formation of the hollow ways. Our results show that in the cross-sectional networks, preferential attachment, transitivity, distance and site size are important factors for tie formation while the longitudinal analysis reveals tie persistence over time with distance and transitivity being significant for tie formation. We reflect on these findings as well as the limitations of our dataset and conclude that MTERGMs are useful tools to formally evaluate archaeological theories pertaining to network structures and processes, if the available data are sufficiently complete.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 106413"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145485603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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