Europe (Geographic Keyword)
151-175 (1,158 Records)
Extreme climatic events and natural disasters often have a recurrence periodicity beyond that of ethnographic, sociological and, at times, even historical investigation. In a deep historical perspective focused on geo-cultural heritage, however, human communities have been affected by numerous kinds of natural disasters that may provide useful data for scenario-based risk reduction management vis-à-vis future calamities. Using selected past volcanic eruptions as examples and merging Lee Clarke’s...
Can commingled human remains be useful in reconstructing life during the Neolithic? A case study from Xemxija, Malta. (2015)
Osteological material has historically been underexploited in archaeological research. This is most directly true of commingled assemblages which present an exclusively difficult challenge to bioarchaeologists. The commingled assemblage here examined is the result of the episodic usage of rock-cut tombs, advanced in post-mortem fracture, and disruption during transport and storage. The aim of this study is to reconstruct skeletal profiles, age, sex, and pathological demographics through the...
Can urban agglomerations be seasonal, low-density and egalitarian?: new interpretations of the Ukrainian Trypillia megasites (2017)
Recent geophysical investigations of Trypillia megasites created a second methodological revolution, following the first revolution (1970s) defined by the discovery of the megasites and their dating to the 4th millennium BC. So far, this second revolution comprised primarily a methodological advance based upon detailed geophysical prospection; but its potential gains may be subverted without a fundamental re-interpretation of the very nature of megasites. The prevailing view of the megasites for...
Carbonate microfacies in shell middens of northern Iberia: implications for Holocene environment and Mesolithic settlement (2016)
In the Cantabrian region (northern Spain) the exploitation of marine resources is well known. This is especially true during the Mesolithic, as attested by the particular record of carbonate-cemented shell middens in caves and rockshelters, although only a few sites have shell middens in stratigraphic position, allowing archaeological excavation. Recent investigations at three sites, El Alloru, El Mazo and La Fragua, demonstrated that these deposits record a complex accumulation of calcium...
Care and the Disregard of Care in Medieval Ireland (2019)
This is an abstract from the "Mind the Gap: Exploring Uncharted Territories in Medieval European Archaeology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. In recent years, bioarchaeologists have become interested in developing archaeologies of care. Their goal is to articulate evidence of disease/trauma/impairment on skeletons with social processes that shape healthcare and other forms of assistance. Realizing the full potential of this perspective requires...
Carved footprints and prehistoric beliefs: examples of symbol and myth, practice and ideology. (2015)
Footprints are frequent on prehistoric petroglyphs. The author has studied its design, sprawl, dating and interpretation in archaeological research as a wider investigation of this theme. Case studies of significant rock art sites in Scandinavia, the Mediterranean and the Near East show that the footprint is a general phenomenon, occurring in all these areas during the time period c. 3000 BC - 500 BC. The footprints have been interpreted in different ways; as the epitome of an otherwise...
Castles and Colonialism: Exploring Meaning in Historic Irish Archaeology (2016)
Castles, architecture embedded with colonial power, can be understood as communicating display, power, prestige, corruption, oppression in the periods in which they were constructed and used, only to see the meanings shifted, reemphasized, manipulated, and recreated in the modern period. This paper examines the multiple temporal and conceptual values of medieval castles in north County Tipperary, Ireland, as objects of material culture whose meaning has shifted in significance from the period in...
Castles and their Landscapes: A Gravity Model Experiment (2017)
Castle studies in recent years has developed two major themes in developing technology: landscape studies and spatial analysis. Studies of castle landscapes have shown that external spaces were intensively used and a significant part of the space actively portrayed as noble environment. Spatial analysis has been key in identifying spaces of control, privacy, and household interaction within the castle structure. One of the limitations of spatial analysis in castle studies is the failure to...
Castles in Communities Anthropology Settlement Survey: Preliminary data from 2015/2016 field seasons at Ballintober, Ireland (2017)
An overview of project design and preliminary results from two field seasons of research aimed at expanding our understanding of settlement in later medieval Ireland. The field school program run by Foothill College at Ballintober Castle in Co. Roscommon has made remarkable progress 1) identifying possible phases of Anglo-Norman and subsequent Gaelic Irish castle construction and occupation, 2) utilizing different geophysical techniques to find a Deserted Village associated with the castle,...
The Castles in Communities Model: An Integrative Approach to a Field School, Research Project and Community Collaborative in Ireland (2019)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Castles in Communities: Medieval Ireland Past to Present (CIC) is a multi-year project in Ballintober, County Roscommon, Ireland, with a trifold identity of an archaeological and anthropological field school, a research project focused on medieval Ireland, and a community collaborative focused on heritage preservation and celebration. The underlying premise of...
Castles of Conquest or Factionalism and the Creation of Political Landscapes (2019)
This is an abstract from the "The State of the Art in Medieval European Archaeology: New Discoveries, Future Directions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Castles play a significant role in the creation of a social and political landscape. The placement and proximity of castles to each other and to other places in the landscape can be markedly different depending on the political circumstances of their creation. The castles of Germany’s Altmühltal...
Catholic Burial as Native Resistance in Post-Dissolution Ireland (2015)
The Dominican friary in Trim, County Meath, Ireland, was founded in AD 1263 by Geoffrey de Geneville, Lord of Trim. An important religious center, the Black Friary was used for burial during the late Middle Ages both by the Dominican friars and by lay individuals living around the town. In 1540, as part of the dissolution of the monasteries, the commissioners of King Henry VIII suppressed the friary and sold its lands, buildings, and goods. However, although the site no longer possessed formal...
Causalities, time-scales and processes of environmental and cultural change in Italy between the Final Upper Palaeolithic and Early Neolithic (2015)
This paper reconsiders the significance of a generally warmer and wetter climate, expanded plant ranges and sea level rise to human groups in mainland and island Italy between the Final Upper Palaeolithic and Early Neolithic. Fundamental cultural changes in demography, subsistence strategies and social organization certainly coincided broadly with these environmental changes, and do suggest a degree of human adaptation, although the cultural resilience of hunter-gatherer lifestyles should not be...
The Celtic community of the Heuneburg: An Energetics Approach to Their Building Activity between 600 B.C. and 540 B.C. (2016)
During the first Iron Age, between 600 B.C. and 540 B.C., the ruling elite of the Celtic community at Heuneburg in Southern Germany erected monumental buildings, mainly mud-brick fortifications and funeral mounds. The costs and efforts involved in the construction of these buildings have been estimated using the science of energetics. This study analyses the energy effort involved in the construction, preferentially on the basis of energy values which would have applied in the historical and...
Celtic Crosses and Quetzal Masks: On the (Re)production of the Archaeological Record (2017)
In an era of globalization and mass production, archaeological objects and images are not immune to being transformed into commodities and sold for profit. This (re)production of the past can profoundly influence the ways that consumers understand the history of particular times and places—often erasing the experiences of marginality and resilience that archaeologists work so hard to recover. This paper examines two distinct cases in which historical images (and periods) are being transformed...
A Census of Women in the Upper Paleolithic (2017)
Binary models of gender are often uncritically applied in paleoanthropology, even if the biological sex or gender identity of a specimen or representation is ambiguous. In the Upper Paleolithic, indicators ranging from simple bifurcating lines to overt representations of secondary sex characteristics may be used to identify an illustration, engraving, or piece of portable art as "male" or "female." These taxonomic rubrics are rarely stated explicitly. Still, the impression given by an overview...
The centrality of small islands in Arctic Norway from the Iron Age to the recent historic period (2015)
The definition of island marginality in northern Norway was radically altered by the advent of motorized fishing vessels in the early 20th century. Prior to this development, small offshore islands were of central importance for settlement and marine related activity due to their proximity to fishing grounds. In this paper I discuss three settlements on small and ‘marginal’ islands in Arctic Norway from 68°19’ to 71°05’ N latitude that illustrate the centrality of such locations since the Early...
Centuries of warrior boat graves - the Valsgärde burial ground (2017)
The Valsgärde burial ground is one of key sites for the Viking phenomenon project. This burial site was used for more than 1000 years. It is the best preserved and the only "entirely" excavated boat grave site in Sweden. Here we can follow the changing burial rites and interactions with the world during the 1st Millennia AD. Valsgärde has been seen as a place where an unbroken series of male elite individuals were buried for nearly eight centuries. However, detailed studies of all burials, both...
Ceramics production and trade across the Great Hungarian Plain: Chemical analysis of Bronze Age ceramics from Békés 103 in Eastern Hungary (2016)
The Bronze Age in Europe is noted for an increase in foreign interaction and trade, yet some areas show few signs of receiving non-local goods. Using chemical analysis of Bronze Age ceramic pastes from the cemetery of Békés 103 and nearby clay sources, this poster seeks to investigate trade networks and exchange between the people of the site and other areas of the Great Hungarian Plain. Using LA-ICP-MS, we examine the extent of trade and the degree to which the community participated in the...
Ceramics production and trade in Western Anatolia: A reexamination of the ceramic mould-making process at Seyitömer Höyük in Kütahya, Turkey (2017)
During the Early Bronze Age at Seyitömer Höyük, ceramics began to be standardized in their shape and size through the use of a mould-making process. Evidence from the archaeological record suggests that this innovative technique was incorporated at the site due to the increase in trade and demand for ceramics from other settlements in Anatolia, from nearby Küllüoba to faraway Troy. The early use of a mould-making process established Seyitömer Höyük’s pivotal role as a ceramic hub and trading...
Ceramics provenience: chemical analysis of ceramics and clays in Eastern Hungary via LA-ICP-MS (2017)
This project explores the provenience of ceramics found at the Bronze Age Békés 103 cemetery. By answering the question of where these ceramics came from, it is possible to hypothesize which Bronze Age communities used the cemetery. To do this, clays were collected throughout Eastern Hungary for chemical analysis. Clay is often found along river banks, but many modern rivers may have been polluted. Instead, paleo-meanders of modern rivers were chosen as collection sites; these were identified...
Cetacean Exploitation in the Medieval London (2017)
Zooarchaeology aims to reconstruct the relationship between humans and animals based on the bone remains of these animals. However the field is often primarily concerned with (domesticated) terrestrial mammals, frequently neglecting cetaceans. This can be ascribed to the fact that zooarchaeological cetacean remains are often too fragmented for identification and a general lack of extensive cetacean reference collections for comparison, resulting in poor understanding of early human-cetacean...
Challenges in Integrating Archaeology into Late-Period Preservation Projects: An Example from Menorca, Spain (2015)
The island of Menorca, Spain, belonged successively in the 18th century to Spain, England, France, again England, and finally Spain. During this period, the British constructed their first purpose-built naval hospital on Isla del Rey, a small island in Mahon Harbor. To date, heritage-related efforts on Isla del Rey have focused on the architectural restoration of the hospital buildings, as well as on the development of exhibit spaces. In 2013, Boston University started a collaboration with the...
Changes in occupational patterns during the Middle Paleolithic: the case of Teixoneres Cave Unit III (MIS 3, Moià, Barcelona, Spain) (2016)
The aim of this work is to contribute to the debate about Neanderthal behavioral diversity from the Middle Paleolithic site of Teixoneres Cave (MIS 3, Barcelona, Spain). During the formation of Unit-III, the landscape was dominated by a deciduous forest with wet meadows and a progressive climatic tendency toward cooling and aridity. The alternation between large carnivores and human groups marks the upper part of the unit. In this sub-unit, human occupations correspond to small groups that...
Changes to the Western Eurasian Hominin Climate Niche (2019)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The climate niches that early modern humans and our earlier hominin ancestors inhabited have undergone major changes over time. This study documents climate niche expansions, contractions, and stationarity across four time periods (Last Interglacial, Last Glacial Maximum, Mid-Holocene, and 1950¬–2000) in western Eurasia. Using spatially gridded global...