古人类遗址湖北郧西黄龙洞的铀系年代

湖北郧西黄龙洞为近年来发现的晚期智人遗址。本文报道该地点具明确层位意义的洞穴次生碳酸盐岩和骨化石样铀系测年的结果。含文化堆积下伏一局部钙板的年代为约100ka BP, 其中部偏上一局部钙板为约77ka BP, 表层钙板形成于27—57ka BP间。人类化石和石制品出土于文化堆积的底部, 其年代应在57—100ka BP, 并很可能在77—100ka BP间。与人牙化石同层的四枚犀牛牙化石在35—72ka BP间, 与基于次生碳酸盐岩的年代框架没有冲突。本文结果为中国现代人类的早期出现和距今40—100ka BP间有人类活动提供了有力证据。     

云南西畴仙人洞动物化石铀系年代

本文报道晚期智人地点云南西畴仙人洞动物牙化石的铀系测年结果。4个样品的230Th234U年龄范围为47—105ka,测定了其中2个样品的227Th/230Th年龄,结果与230Th/234U法的一致。在没有进一步的地层和年代证据的情况下,将西畴人牙化石的年代暂定为47—105ka或许是合理的。但洞穴地点骨化石铀系年代总体偏年轻,上述年代范围很可能被低估。本文结果与我们已有研究的广西通天岩、前洞等地点一致,是晚期智人在我国出现比原认为的早得多的又一例证。     

甘肃省徐家城旧石器遗址的年代

庄浪县徐家城遗址是甘肃省新发现的含丰富旧石器文化遗物的遗址,主要埋藏于水洛河第二级阶地上覆的马兰黄土中。AMS14C测年及气候事件对比相结合的综合年代研究显示, 遗址主要文化层时代集中在距今4.6~2.3万年间, 属于晚更新世晚期。遗址所在的陇西盆地发现近50处晚更新世旧石器遗址, 测年、黄土地层学等的综合年代学研究利于建立该地区晚更新世完整的年代学框架, 为我们进一步讨论晚更新世人类行为演化、人类行为与环境变化的互动等重要学术问题提供了基础。     

周口店山顶洞遗址年代的加速器质谱法再测定与讨论

本文报道了用加速器质谱方法测定山顶洞五个动物化石样品年龄的结果,在此基础上对山顶洞文化的年代范围进行了讨论。     

Taxodium distichum (baldcypress) growth rings reveal origins of an 18th century Jesuit plantation,New Orleans,Louisiana, USA

Tree-ring methods along with historical documents and oral history reveal the structure history of a Jesuit plantation built in the 1760s in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jesuit missionaries arrived in South Louisiana and other European colonies in the early 18th century with intentions to spread Catholicism to local natives and African Americans. Tree-ring dating of the attic and ceiling timbers reveal cutting dates as early as 1762 and hand-made nails demonstrate pre-1800 construction, confirming that the Jesuit plantation is the second-oldest surviving structure in New Orleans. Historic documents depict a standing structure similar to that of today’s structure in 1765. However, the current structure is missing a second floor, and numerous attic timbers date to the late 1780s. We assume that repairs to the original structure follow numerous hurricane strikes and a city-wide fire in New Orleans. Taxodium distichum (baldcypress) timber samples are also indicative of logging and lumber practices of the time, especially within a large city. Dendrochronological analyses reveal that the baldcypress trees used in construction of the structure may have been sourced from numerous sites across the Gulf Coast via a lumberyard that may have served as an export station for timbers across the Caribbean and Europe. Historical documents allude to the appearance of the original structure in 1765, the 300-year ownership of the property, lumber practice of the time, and the history of New World Jesuit missions.     

Isolation and identification of eight microsatellite loci in the Cherokee darter (Etheostoma scotti) and their variability in other members of the genera Etheostoma, Ammocrypta, and Percina

The Cherokee darter Etheostoma scotti is a federally threatened fish endemic to the Etowah River system of northwest Georgia. In order to analyse the population structure and genetic diversity of this fish, eight tetranucleotide microsatellite genetic markers were developed. The marker set was applied to 13 additional darter species to test cross-species amplification and polymorphism. Successful amplification was obtained for all eight loci in each of the 13 other species of darters, with between seven and eight polymorphic loci per species.     

Tree-rings and transportation in the New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) timber industry: Investigating the time lag from tree to building

The interpretation of felling dates established by dendrochronological dating requires understanding of sample context and building practices, as well as knowledge of processes and timescales within the timber supply chain. In New Zealand (N.Z.), tree ring analysis of kauri from colonial-era (1840–1906) and early Dominion-era (1907–1920) buildings has been undertaken since 2000 and felling dates have been identified from several structures, providing a terminus post quem date for construction or modification of the building. What has been lacking is a good understanding of how long it took for a kauri tree to become timber used in a building or other structure. As a first estimate, felling dates from a small set of buildings were compared to documented construction dates, suggesting a delay of up to 5 years. To improve interpretation of felling dates, we investigated timescales associated with two stages of timber production within the 19th and early 20th century kauri timber industry: (a) transportation from stump to mill, and (b) seasoning of sawn timber. Documentary sources for ∼1850 until the 1920s were analysed, covering the development, expansion and decline of industrialised kauri timber production. The available evidence suggests that transportation to the sawmill was the most important variable. Logs could arrive within a few weeks of felling or potentially experience a delay of a year or more. Transportation times were affected by geography, weather, spatial differences and temporal changes in transportation methods and economic fluctuations. Seasoning of sawn timber probably contributed little to the time lag, as the balance of evidence suggests framing timber was not usually seasoned. In general, any delay associated with transportation and seasoning is unlikely to be more than a couple of years. The findings support the earlier use-date range of up to 5 years, but suggest it is generous. The dating of waney-edge timbers from buildings with accurate construction dates would help refine a use date range for kauri, as would further research into other stages of the production process including conversion of logs, transportation to market, and stockpiling in the timber yard and/or building site. The current study is also a starting point for further research in three related areas: (a) biography of timber; (b) technological change; and (c) trade networks.     

A dendrochronological evaluation of three historic pioneer cabins at Spring Mill Village,Indiana

Spring Mill was an important pioneer village in Lawrence County, Indiana during the 19th century, with its three-story gristmill serving much of the region. Due to the historical and regional importance of Spring Mill to pioneers, the state of Indiana recreated the original village in the 1930s. While most wooden structures were recreated using donated logs from historic structures around the state, three original nearby structures were relocated to the park. The history of Spring Mill is well documented, but less is known about the three original structures, which are the oldest wooden structures in the village. We used dendroarchaeological methods to determine the construction history of the three original pioneer structures. We found the cutting dates of logs from two of the structures (Granny White and Sheeks Houses) confirmed colloquial construction dates, while the Todd House was believed to be constructed fifteen years earlier than the cutting dates suggested. We also found the preferred wood for pioneer homes was L. tulipifera, as most of the logs used in the original construction of the homes were from this species. Using dendroarchaeological methods provided a means to determine the construction history of pioneer cabins in southern Indiana and our findings suggest that these methods can be used throughout the Midwest where reference chronologies are available.     

A critique of the chronometric evidence for hominid fossils: I. Africa and the Near East 500-50 ka

The chronometric dating evidence for all hominid fossils from Africa and the Near East that have previously been dated to 500-50 ka is critically assessed using the concept of chronometric hygiene, and these dates are revised using Bayesian statistical analyses where possible. Sixteen relevant hominid sites lacking chronometric evidence are briefly discussed. Chronometric evidence from 37 sites is assessed in detail. The dates for many hominid fossils are poorly constrained, with a number dated by comparisons of faunal assemblages-a method that does not have good chronological resolution for much of the last million years. For sites with stratigraphic sequences of dates, it is generally possible to refine the dating, but in some cases, the revised chronology is less precise than previous chronologies. Fossils over 200 ka in age tend to be poorly dated, but for the last 200 kyr, dating is better due to the availability of electron-spin-resonance and thermoluminescence dating. Consideration of the chronologies favored by the proponents of the out-of-Africa and multiregional hypotheses of human evolution shows their selectivity. The chronological assessment of the fossils here is compatible with either hypothesis. If evolutionary schemes that do not rely on the morphology of the hominid fossils to decide the sequence of fossils are to be built, then further dating is required, alongside full publication of existing dates.     

Plant Remains From Phillips Spring,A Multi Component Site In The Western Ozark Highland Of Missouri

Abstract

Phillips Spring (23Hi216) is a multicomponent archaeological site associated with an active artesian spring on a terrace of the Pomme de Terre river in western Missouri. Preservation of both carbonized and uncarbonized plant remains is excellent and remains of plants representing 32 taxa, including 24 potential food plant, occur atthe site as well as eight taxa of wood charcoal. In addition, there are remains of squash (Cucurbita pepo) and bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) dating 4260 B.P., 40008.), 1999 B.P., and squash dating 2293 B.P. When combined with data from a Woodland storage pit at nearby Boney Spring (squash dated at 1920 B.P.) and Blackwell Cave (bottle gourd at 730 B.P.), it appears that these cultigens were being grown in the western Missouri Ozarks for much of the last 4000 years. Phillips Spring is a multicomponent (Late Archaic and Middle Woodland) site situatedon a terrace of the Pomme de Terre River in Hickory County, Missouri. Discovered in 1973, the site was subsequently excavated during four field seasons: 1974, 1976, 1977 and 1978. The 1974 excavations defined four cultural horizons including three Late Archaic and a Woodland component (Chomko 1976) and produced numerous well preservedplant remains. The presence of squash (Cucurbita pepo) in the earliest component, later associated with a date of3927 B. P., prompted additional testing of the site in 1976 and full scale excavation in 1977 and 1978 (Kay 1978, Robinson 1978). Results of the 1974 excavations have been previously discussed (Chomko 1978, Chomko and Crawford 1978) and the present paper discusses the plant remains from the 1976 and more extensive 1977 excavations. While the 1978 material, presently awaiting analysis, will undoubtedly increase both our knowledge of activity patterns at the site and our sample size of specific types of features and biotic remains, it will probably not add substantially to the extensive list of plant taxa which have been recovered from the spring.     

Dendrochronological dating of historic log cabins on the Belle Meade Plantation,Davidson County,Tennessee, USA

The Harding Cabin is a one and one half story, double pen log cabin located on the Belle Meade Plantation in Davidson County, Tennessee, USA. Historical accounts attribute the eastern cabin to Daniel Dunham who originally settled in the area ca. 1780 and the western cabin to John Harding who purchased the land from the Dunham family in February 1807. We used dendrochronological dating techniques to determine the years of harvest for trees cut and used to build both cabins. We found that both cabins were predominantly made from two genera not commonly used to build log cabins in the southeastern U.S., Fraxinus (ash) and Ulmus (elm). We obtained ring width measurements from 30 cores from all walls on both cabins and used graphical and statistical techniques to crossdate the tree-ring series and create floating chronologies for both species. We crossdated these with reference chronologies from the ITRDB. The Fraxinus chronology was dated from 1657 to 1805 while the Ulmus chronology was dated from 1583 to 1805. Cutting dates indicated that most if not all trees used to build both cabins were cut in late winter/early spring of 1807 before the trees had broken dormancy. We propose that both cabins were built the same year but by different families. We propose that the Harding family built the eastern cabin while Harding’s slaves built the western cabin, originally at a different location on the property. Once the mansion was completed by 1820, the slave cabin was relocated beside the Harding cabin.     

Precision dating of Cook’s Mill,a Civil War era structure in West Virginia

Dendroarchaeology can provide critical understanding of a structure built during key historic periods, such as the American Civil War (1861–1865), when historical documentation is likely to be sparse or incomplete. Cook’s Mill is located in Greenville, West Virginia and extensive information derived from deeds, court records, wills, and oral history places the present mill’s original construction in 1857. The American Civil War began shortly after its construction and military conflict in the area led to the burning of several key structures, one of which was an unknown mill in Greenville (formerly Centerville). Written history suggests the mill is original and survived the American Civil War, however we used dendroarchaeology to confirm its precise date of construction. We collected 46 samples from the mill and 6 cross sections from a nearby exhumed bridge for dendrochronological dating. The mill was constructed with white oak (Quercus alba) and tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) logs and the bridge samples were white oak. We visually and statistically crossdated 32 white oak samples from the mill and bridge by comparing them to a local chronology developed for this study and two regional oak chronologies from the International Tree-Ring Data Bank. Based on terminal ring attributes and cutting date years we were able to provide a suggested construction date of the spring or early summer of 1868. This date suggests Cook’s Mill was the mill burned during military conflict in the area and that the current structure was subsequently rebuilt following the conclusion of the war.     

Border Cave revisited: a revised ESR chronology

In view of a decade of progress in ESR dating we have revised the ESR chronology of Border Cave. A detailed gamma ray survey in 1994 and newly calculated beta attenuation data led to total dose rate estimations that are between 0 and 30% smaller than previously estimated. Accordingly, the resulting ESR age estimates are between 0 and 30% older. The ESR dates are now in good agreement with independent age estimates, particularly(14)C and amino acid racemization. New ESR dates for the lowermost dated sedimentary layer, 5 WA (white ash), indicate that the sedimentation of the sequence started around 200 ka ago.     

Dating the demise: neandertal extinction and the establishment of modern humans in the southern Caucasus

This paper considers the recent radiometric dating (¹⁴C-AMS, TL, ESR) of 76 late Middle and early Upper Paleolithic samples from Ortvale Klde Rockshelter, located in the Republic of Georgia. We present a critical evaluation of each date based on its stratigraphic and archaeological context, its pretreatment and contamination history, and its resulting accuracy and precision, the goal being to establish a sound chronology for the site. Only by systematically identifying aberrant dates within a data set and isolating them from further analysis can we hope to understand cultural and biological phenomena on an accurate temporal scale. Based on the strict discard protocol outlined here, we omit 25% of the dated samples from the analysis. The remaining data speak to the lengthy tenure of Neandertals in the region, but also to their relatively rapid demise and the establishment of modern human populations ∼38-34 ka ¹⁴C BP (42-39 ka cal BP_Hulu). We compare these chronometric data with those from the neighboring sites of Bronze and Dzudzuana caves, as well as Mezmaiskaya Cave, located in the northern Caucasus. While the lack of key contextual information limit our ability to subject these other data sets to the same critical evaluation procedure, they provide the first interregional temporal assessment of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic “transition,” the results of which suggest an initial expansion of modern humans into the southern Caucasus followed by expansion along the Black Sea coast and into the northern Caucasus.     

Precise tree-ring dating of building activities despite the absence of bark: A case-study on medieval church roofs in Damme,Belgium

A detailed dendrochronological survey was performed on the medieval roofs of the Church of Our Lady (CoOL) in Damme, Belgium. Seen its complex architectural history, special attention was paid to the identification of consecutive building phases, based on combined architectural historical research and tree-ring dating. In total 64 increment cores were taken throughout the roof structures of the CoOL. All roof timbers are made of European oak (Quercus robur/petraea), of which only few have surviving sapwood or bark. Tree-ring dating confirms the late 13th/early 14th century construction date of the roofs. For all chronologies that were composed, the highest correlation values are found with reference chronologies covering the catchment area of the river Meuse. From the dating results of the timbers of the CoOL it becomes clear that the same timber source was used for nearly a century. On several of the examined roof timbers, rafting joints were observed, demonstrating that the timbers were indeed tied together as a raft and floated down the river.By implementing sapwood estimates in a Bayesian chronological model (OxCal), tree-ring series with surviving sapwood from coeval roof structures were combined in order to narrow down the time range for the felling date. Based on the refined interpretation of the felling dates, several consecutive building phases can now be identified and dated, leading to a new interpretation of the architectural history of the CoOL. Intriguingly, a marked interruption in building activities is observed around 1300. Probably this is related to the instable political situation at that time, caused by the armed conflict that emerged between the Count of Flanders and the king of France. Since Damme served as the outport of the riotous city of Bruges, it was alternately seized by the French and Flemish, both consuming considerable amounts of timber and other building materials for military fortifications. Potentially this led to a shortage in building materials and provoked a stop in building activities.This paper demonstrates the power of Bayesian models to refine the interpretation of dendrochronological dates in architectural analyses of medieval historical buildings.     

San Bernardino Cave (Italy) and the Appearance of Levallois Technology in Europe: Results of a Radiometric and Technological Reassessment

The introduction of Levallois technology in Europe marked the transition from the Lower to the early Middle Paleolithic. This new method of flake production was accompanied by significant behavioral changes in hominin populations. The emergence of this technological advance is considered homogeneous in the European archaeological record at the Marine isotopic stage (MIS) 9/MIS 8 boundary. In this paper we report a series of combined electron spin resonance/U-series dates on mammal bones and teeth recovered from the lower units of San Bernardino Cave (Italy) and the technological analyses of the lithic assemblages. The San Bernardino Cave has yielded the earliest evidence of Levallois production on the Italian Peninsula recovered to date. In addition to our results and the review of the archaeological record, we describe the chronological and geographical differences between European territories and diversities in terms of technological developments. The belated emergence of Levallois technology in Italy compared to western Europe corresponds to the late Italian Neanderthal speciation event. The new radiometric dates and the technological analyses of San Bernardino Cave raise the issue of the different roles of glacial refugia in the peopling and the spread of innovative flaking strategies in Europe during the late Middle Pleistocene.     

The Upper Cave at Zhoukoudian and the origins of the Mongoloids

The best evidence for identifying the inhabitants of northeast Asia in the terminal Pleistocene or early Holocene periods is provided by the human burials from the Upper Cave at Zhoukoudian, and in particular the “Old Man”. Apart from the Minatogawa finds on Okinawa, all Late Pleistocene human remains from East Asia that are reasonably well published are poorly preserved and often have equivocal dates. Since the time the Upper Cave was excavated it has been supposed that the human remains were the link between “Peking Man” and the modern Mongoloid complex. We have carried out multivariate analyses of the “Old Man” cranium employing new measurements of Weidenreich's cast of the skull and comparative data from Howells' survey of modern human groups. Despite our expectations the analyses have not shown the “Old Man” to be closely linked with the Mongoloids. Considering all the evidence available we conclude that the common belief of a close biological relationship between the people buried in the Upper Cave and the modern Mongoloids is not yet adequately demonstrated. Of crucial importance in interpreting the Upper Cave burials is their antiquity, which is still commonly thought to be in the order of at least 18 000 years. We believe that recent C-14 dates of about 11 000 years, determined from animal bones, indicate the earliest possible date for the burials. The time span between the Upper Cave burials and the earliest known modern Mongoloids in north China is in the order of about 4–5000 years. It is possible that a major population shift has occurred in north China between the terminal Pleistocene and the mid Holocene, when farming first appears. If this is so, the Upper Cave people may not have been closely allied to the Mongoloid groups that now inhabit East Asia and the Americas.     

Phillips Spring, 23HI216:

Abstract

The Phillips Spring Site is situated on a Holocene terrace of the Pomme de Terre River in northern Hickory County, Missouri. Eleven. radiocarbon dates provide a good chronologie framework for the four cultural components recognized at the site. There are three Archaic components which span the period 4280 to 1990 BP. The initial Archaic occupation coincides with the establishment of the present vegetation pattern in the area. A single Late Woodland assemblage, dating from 1410 to 1000 BP, is comparable in cultural content to components of the HighlandAspect.     

The Emergence of Mesolithic Cemeteries in SW Europe: Insights from the El Collado (Oliva,Valencia, Spain) Radiocarbon Record

Located on the Iberian Mediterranean coast, El Collado is an open-air site where a rescue excavation was conducted over two seasons in 1987 and 1988. The archaeological work excavated a surface area of 143m2 where 14 burials were discovered, providing skeletal remains from 15 individuals. We have obtained AMS dates for 10 of the 15 individuals by means of the direct dating of human bones. The ranges of the probability distribution of the calibrated dates suggest that the cemetery was used during a long period of time (781–1020 years at a probability of 95.4%). The new dates consequently set back the chrono-cultural attribution of the cemetery from the initial proposal of Late Mesolithic to an older date in the Early Mesolithic. Therefore, El Collado becomes the oldest known cemetery in the Iberian Peninsula, earlier than the numerous Mesolithic funerary contexts documented on the Atlantic façade such as the Portuguese shell-middens in the Muge and Sado Estuaries or the funerary sites on the northern Iberian coast.