Epilithic and Endolithic Bacterial Communities in Limestone from a Maya Archaeological Site

Biodeterioration of archaeological sites and historic buildings is a major concern for conservators, archaeologists, and scientists involved in preservation of the world's cultural heritage. The Maya archaeological sites in southern Mexico, some of the most important cultural artifacts in the Western Hemisphere, are constructed of limestone. High temperature and humidity have resulted in substantial microbial growth on stone surfaces at many of the sites. Despite the porous natureof limestone and the common occurrence of endolithic microorganisms in many habitats, little is known about the microbial flora living inside the stone. We found a large endolithic bacterial community in limestone from the interior of the Maya archaeological site Ek' Balam. Analysis of 16S rDNA clones demonstrated disparate communities (endolithic: >80% Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Low GC Firmicutes; epilithic: >50% Proteobacteria). The presence of differing epilithic and endolithic bacterial communities may be a significant factor for conservation of stone cultural heritage materials and quantitative prediction of carbonate weathering.     

The use (and misuse) of archaeological salmon data to infer historical abundance in North America with a focus on New England

Information about historical animal or plant abundance often either explicitly or implicitly informs current conservation practice. If it can be shown that an organism was not historically abundant in a region, its conservation importance may be downgraded. In contrast to abundant archaeological support for historic importance of salmon in the Pacific Northwest, historic abundance of Atlantic salmon in New England has been called into question based on the rarity of salmon bones in archaeological sites. These data have been used to argue that the importance of salmon to the region has been exaggerated and that expensive restoration efforts in some rivers should be reconsidered. Here, we argue that lack of archaeological bone fragment abundance does not make a convincing case against historical Atlantic salmon abundance in New England for three primary reasons. First, salmon bones were rare or absent at sites that still have large salmon runs. Second, the lack of salmonid bones in general at archaeological sites suggests poor preservation and/or recovery of bone for these species relative to bones of other fishes. Third, given the presence of large numbers of non-salmonid anadromous fish in the site areas where people fished and deposited fish bones, power to detect salmon bones in studies to date may have been generally low. We present reliable historical accounts that help build a convincing case that salmon were historically abundant in New England rivers. We suggest that rarity of salmon bones in the existing archaeological data should not have unwarranted influence on present-day conservation decision-making in New England.     

Identification of semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus,Linnaeus 1758) and wild forest reindeer (R.t. fennicus,Lönnberg 1909) from postcranial skeletal measurements

Reindeer bones are common finds from archaeological sites from prehistoric and historic Fennoscandia. The interpretation of the reindeer bone finds, however, is often hindered by the difficulty to separate the different subspecies of reindeer using the postcranial skeletal morphology. In this paper, skeletal measurements of modern semi-domesticated reindeer and wild forest reindeer are explored with multivariate statistical methods in order to find suitable methods for subspecies identification. The results are then applied to archaeological reindeer bone finds from Northern Finland and archaeological implications of the results are discussed.     

Synthèse des données archéologiques récentes sur le peuplement à l’Holocène de la réserve de faune de la Lopé, Gabon

This article summarizes the results of archaeological research led from 1995 to 1998 in the fauna reserve of Lopé (Gabon). The excavated sites were dated from the Upper Pleistocene to the Post-colonial period. It is the longest and the most complete archaeological sequence presently known in Central Africa. These results show evidence of human presence in the reserve for over 40?000 years and that this greatly contributed to the preservation of the ecotone landscape of Lopé. In addition, these results offer the first systematic analysis of the sites and the ceramic artefacts produced and used in the centre of Gabon during the last three millennia. Supported by chronological, linguistic and palaeoenvironmental data, these results allow us to refine the ceramic typology and to prove the antiquity of husbandry, agricultural practices and iron production in this part of Africa. Finally, they allow us to clarify the various phases of settlement in the reserve and to reveal an important historic phenomena in connection with the expansion of the bantu languages and/or the bantu speaking peoples, who populate a third of the African continent.     

Early and Middle Holocene Hunter-Gatherer Occupations in Western Amazonia: The Hidden Shell Middens

We report on previously unknown early archaeological sites in the Bolivian lowlands, demonstrating for the first time early and middle Holocene human presence in western Amazonia. Multidisciplinary research in forest islands situated in seasonally-inundated savannahs has revealed stratified shell middens produced by human foragers as early as 10,000 years ago, making them the oldest archaeological sites in the region. The absence of stone resources and partial burial by recent alluvial sediments has meant that these kinds of deposits have, until now, remained unidentified. We conducted core sampling, archaeological excavations and an interdisciplinary study of the stratigraphy and recovered materials from three shell midden mounds. Based on multiple lines of evidence, including radiocarbon dating, sedimentary proxies (elements, steroids and black carbon), micromorphology and faunal analysis, we demonstrate the anthropogenic origin and antiquity of these sites. In a tropical and geomorphologically active landscape often considered challenging both for early human occupation and for the preservation of hunter-gatherer sites, the newly discovered shell middens provide evidence for early to middle Holocene occupation and illustrate the potential for identifying and interpreting early open-air archaeological sites in western Amazonia. The existence of early hunter-gatherer sites in the Bolivian lowlands sheds new light on the region’s past and offers a new context within which the late Holocene “Earthmovers” of the Llanos de Moxos could have emerged.     

Clients, Contracts, and Profits: Conflicts in Public Archaeology

The client-oriented approach to contract archaeology is a technical service rather than genuine scientific research. Such an approach fails to meet the requirements of the law, fails to satisfy the needs of archaeological science, and frequently fails to protect the client's interests. A client orientation encourages an excessive emphasis on profits from contract work. Profits not only exclude a balance of archaeological, client, and public interests but threaten the scientific future of contract work. Solutions to the problem of client-oriented work include better academic training as researchers, support for government archaeologists, a strong professional consensus on ethical and performance standards, and attention to public interests. [ contract archaeology, client-oriented archaeology, research profits, research obligations, professionalism ]     

Seeing the Past: Visual Media in Archaeology

As digital media become increasingly affordable and accessible, visual representation in archaeology is expanding across several dimensions. In this essay, I examine some emerging forms of visual media in archaeology, including online documentaries, maps and photographs, hypermedia, experimental films, and peripatetic video. Visual media offer powerful opportunities for engagement with the public. In addition, archaeologists are finding new ways to use the visual in interpretation, analysis, and critique. Experimental visual works often are self-consciously reflexive, questioning and exposing the ways archaeological knowledge is constructed, represented, and disseminated.     

Fort Union Porcellanite And Fused Glass: Distinctive Lithic Materials Of Coal Burn Origin On The Northern Plains

Abstract

Among the most common surface indicators of archaeological sites in south central Montana and northern Wyoming are the grey and red porcellanite flakes resulting from tool making activities. Although one of the major lithic materials used by prehistoric inhabitants of the northern plains region, porcellanite’s identity has remained relatively unknown. Amateur and professional archaeologist alike have loosely referred to this material as “metamorphosed siltstone”, “baked shale”, “Powder River chert”, “grey chert”, “fired brick”, “jasper”, etc. Similarly, fused glass is often misrepresented as obsidian. Because of its unique origin, definablearea of occurrence (the western coal region, the European coal fields, and perhaps other coalbearing areas), and its extensive utilization by the prehistoric populations of the region, porcellanite and fused glass deserve additional attention from archaeologists.     

Scapula Skin-Dressing And Fiber-Processing Tools

Abstract

Information from ethnographic and archaeological literature supports the interpretation that some bison scapula tools were used for dressing skins. Sim!lar scapula artifacts may have been used for processing bark fiber used in making cordage or weaving. References to possible scapula processing tools from the Plains Northwest Coast, Great Lakes Riverine Area, and the Southeast are summarized. Specimens made of deer and elk scapulae probably represent functionally similar tool types. These artifacts may be more common than the available reports on Plains sites indicate, and archaeologists should exercise care when identifying scapula tools. We cannot assume that all scapula artifacts represent hoes or hoe fragments.     

意大利遗址公园规划设计探究——以罗马图拉真考古遗址公园为例

遗址公园作为遗址保护、展示教育与考古研究的有效途径,在世界范围内得以广泛推广与发展。意大利在文化遗产保护领域走在世界前列,其完备的法律保护制度、成熟的遗产保护理念和文物保护技术都有一定的借鉴意义。以罗马图拉真遗址公园为例,通过对其历史沿革的梳理,从遗址的空间结构和历史时序性上解读遗址时空特性,探讨其在坚持遗址原真性的基础上,如何从遗址保护理念、规划设计策略和实施技术路径3个层面对遗址进行保护与阐释,旨在解析意大利在遗址公园规划设计中的理念与方法,探讨其对于遗址公园建设实践的价值。     

The Challenge of Race to American Historical Archaeology

Historical archaeologists should be leaders in examining the archaeological dimensions of race and racism in the United States. With few exceptions, though, this has not been the case, as most archaeologists have conflated race and ethnicity. American historical archaeologists have a great opportunity to provide new insights to the anthropological investigation of race and racism if they choose to take this course of action,     

Holocene pollen diagrams from Greece

Pollen diagrams are presented from three sites in Greece. Two cores from the Strymon Delta in Macedonia are thought to span parts of the period from Classical to Turkish times. A dated core from Kleonai in the Peloponnese has good pollen preservation in the early Neolithic, Bronze Age and Roman periods. A peat bog at Asi Gonia in the White Mountains of Crete has a continuous pollen record for the last 1500 years. The palynological evidence for human impact in various historic periods is assessed in the light of archaeological evidence. The problems of interpretation of pollen cores from Greece are discussed and the complex inter‐relationship between human impact and environmental factors is emphasised.     

Mediating Nationalism and Archaeology: A Matter of Trust?

Recognizing that the past is a property of value, archaeologists have traditionally presented themselves as "trustees" of that property. Yet they have in fact become contractors who try to divorce themselves from the consequences of their work. The two roles are very different, and there is much to be gained from re-creating the idea of archaeological trusteeship. A trustee is a disinterested protector of property for the beneficiaries; a contractor is responsible only to the signatories to the contract and has no impartial obligations. Recognizing the distinction is crucial to the argument that archaeologists can "make a difference" in how cultural property is negotiated.     

Random drift and culture change

We show that the frequency distributions of cultural variants, in three different real-world examples--first names, archaeological pottery and applications for technology patents--follow power laws that can be explained by a simple model of random drift. We conclude that cultural and economic choices often reflect a decision process that is value-neutral; this result has far-reaching testable implications for social-science research.     

中国古人类活动遗址形成过程研究的进展与思考

中国境内分布着数千处古人类活动遗址,是早期人类演化与适应行为研究的重要区域.虽然以往的研究一直关注地学手段在解读遗址地貌和地层形成过程中的作用,然而,作为正确鉴别遗址完整性和早期人类生存行为研究的遗址形成过程(或遗址成因)分析,长期以来缺少系统性的研究和关键指标的选择.本文结合古人类活动遗址保存的地貌和主要沉积物类型,...     

Skeletal manifestations of infantile scurvy

Recent investigations of human skeletal material from the historic St. Martin's cemetery, England, found a range of abnormal lesions in six infants that are almost certainly related to scurvy. Porous and proliferative bone lesions affecting the cranial bones and scapulae were found, and this paper presents images obtained using both macroscopic and scanning electron microscope examination of the lesions. Previous work on infantile scurvy (Ortner et al., 1997-2001) relied heavily on changes at the sphenoid, which is often missing in archaeological bone, so the identification of changes attributable to scurvy on other cranial bones and the scapulae is encouraging. The ability to recognize changes related to scurvy on a range of bones will ensure an enhanced potential for recognition of this disease in future research involving archaeological bone. Research on historical documents from Birmingham dating to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, combined with the probable cases of scurvy identified, supports the view that the paucity of cases of infantile scurvy from the archaeological record reflects a lack of understanding and recognition of bone manifestations, rather than a lack of occurrence in this period. Changes linked to scurvy were only found in infants from the poorer sections of the community from St. Martin's, and this is almost certainly linked to patterns of food consumption and may be related to shortages of potatoes, due to blight, experienced during this period.     

Gezamenlijke besluitvorming zorgt voor een betere toepassing van evidence-based medicine in de geriatrische patiënt

Evidence based medicine (EBM) is the integration of the best research evidence, clinical expertise and patient values in the decision making process for patient care. However, elderly people are often excluded from participating in scientific studies and they often have multiple morbidities, which complicates the application of EBM. Shared decision making (SDM), a process where clinicians and patients share the best available evidence when faced with the task of making decisions, and where patients are supported to consider options, to achieve appropriate treatment can help to shape EBM for this group of patients.In this article, we provide tools for finding relevant literature for the geriatric patient population and for shaping the SDM process to achieve personalized care.     

The exploitation of megafauna during the earliest peopling of the Americas: An examination of nineteenth-century fossil collections

This paper describes human-modified bones originally from the Pampas region, and that form part of nineteenth-century fossil collections of native fauna. We describe the morphological and configurational features of the marks, relate them to the various stages in the butchering process, and discuss access type. An examination of various different American sites is used to interpret this evidence at a coarse-grained level. Although these collections are more biased than current archaeological materials with regard to their sedimentary origin and previous handling, the application of modern technology has allowed us to obtain new data. Therefore, despite their complex history, these artefacts can be incorporated into the broader body of modern archaeological research. This type of study adds new value to our historic heritage and underscores its usefulness in modern enquiries, in this case, related to the topic of how Homo sapiens interacted with the native fauna in the southern Cone of South America.     

Techniques of DNA-studies on prehispanic ectoparasites (Pulex sp., Pulicidae,Siphonaptera) from Animal mummies of the Chiribaya culture,southern Peru

During a paleoparasitological survey of several animal mummies (Cavia aperea f. porcellus and Canis familiaris) from Chiribaya Baja, an archaeological site in Southern Peru, an unexpected find was made. In the well preserved fur, large numbers of mummified fleas (Pulex simulans/irritans) that parasitized the animals during life were encountered. Due to the relative recent event of the host mummification and the outstanding preservation of the fleas, an attempt for the retrieval of DNA was made. A DNA extraction and sequencing protocol for archaeological ectoparasitic remains has been established, taking additional studies for tissue and protein preservation into account. Tissue preservation was assessed with transmission electron microscopy and the protein preservation was tested through the racemisation ratios of aspartic acid. Regions of the 28S rDNA gene were successfully amplified and sequenced. Further research perspectives are outlined.