Geochronology of paleoenvironmental change,clovis type site,Blackwater draw,New Mexico

Geoarchaeological investigations at the Clovis type site, Blackwater Locality No. 1, in 1983 and 1984 included core drilling, archaeological test excavations, stratigraphic profiling, sedimentary analyses, and radiocarbon dating. Six lines of core holes transverse to the outlet channel clearly defined the subsurface configuration and stratigraphy of the prehistoric spring run. Pieces of large animal bone from units B, C, D, and E that elsewhere in the site contain Paleoindian artifacts suggest occurrences of additional buried sites along the ancient spring run. Four Paleoindian projectile points recovered during archaeological testing confirm these prospects. The Clovis type site, located in an abandoned gravel pit, is in a natural depression initially occupied by a late Pleistocene lake. After breaching of the depression by overflow or sapping, it became a springhead and was enlarged by slumping and slopewash. Detailed stratigraphic profiling of the south wall of the abandoned gravel pit provided precise stratigraphic control for sediment sampling and radiocarbon dating, and revealed more complex microstratigraphy and facies relationships than heretofore known for the site. The interfingering of dune facies around the depression with lacustrine and spring-laid facies within it aid paleoclimatic interpretation. Deflational contacts within the depression appear to correlate with adjacent wedges of dune sand reflecting relatively arid intervals. Between these arid episodes occur intervals of increased ground water level attended initially by deposition of spring-laid sands of unit B during the late Pleistocene (13,000–11,500 yr B.P.). As the water table rose following a period of severe deflation, slumping and gravity flow deposited clayey sand, Unit C, on the floor of the blowout between 11,500 and 11,000 yr B.P. During this time Clovis people first appeared at the site. After another brief period of deflation, a lake rose causing sand of Unit D₀ to be washed in from shore followed by deposition of diatomities, units D₁ and D₂. These were separated by a brief influx of eolian sand, unit D_2z. Between 10,800 and 10,000 yr B.P. outflow from the lake was reduced by accumulation of eolian sand in the outlet while Folsom people and later Agate Basin people arrived to hunt bison during this time. Cody complex people appeared during and after a brief erosional episode that preceded deposition of eolian silt and sand of units E and F from 10,000 to 8000 yr B.P. Eolian deposition during post-Folsom time converted the pond to a wet meadow and eventually, during Cody time, to a grassy swale. Some of these deposits were blown out during the Altithermal arid period (ca. 8000-5000 yr B.P.), a time when prehistoric Archaic peoples excavated wells in the floor of the depression. Subsequent eolian activity has resulted in deflation and dune migration during the late Holocene. The best prospects for Paleoindian finds are along the buried outlet south of the south wall and in early Holocene dune sands on the uplands around the depression. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Fish remains from the Formative Period (1000 BC–AD 400) of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia: Zooarchaeology and taphonomy

This paper presents a detailed zooarchaeological study of fish remains from the site of Kala Uyuni, Bolivia. The fish remains of 31 flotation samples from different archaeological contexts and dated to the Formative Period (1000 BC–AD 400) are described in terms of frequency, weight, taxa distribution, sizes, skeletal representations, and exposure to heat. The results confirm the importance of fish in the diet of the inhabitants of the site and provide insights about the particularities of their exploitation, consumption, and differential discard across the site throughout time. A strong decline in the procurement and consumption of fish is observed for the Late Formative which seems to be a consequence of both environmental and social processes.     

Thermoluminescence dating of St. Croix ceramics: Chronology building in Southwestern Nova Scotia

Using the classic thermoluminescence (TL) dating technique for fired ceramic materials, we have obtained the first direct ages for five ceramic artifacts recovered from BfDa-1, a prehistoric archaeological site located in St. Croix, southcentral Nova Scotia. BfDa-1 is the only archaeological site in Nova Scotia to produce the full range of ceramic styles associated with the Woodland or Ceramic Period (c. 1050 B.C. to A.D. 1500); thus our new chronology can be used to revise the current local and regional ceramic chronologies. The five sherds from the St. Croix site yielded absolute gas of 1.15 ± 0.15 ka to 2.62 ± 0.29 ka (1 ka = 1000 years). The oldest of these TL ages was obtained on a sherd decorated with a pseudoscallop shell design and is in excellent agreement with a ¹⁴C date of 2500 ± 120 B.P. associated with Early Ceramic artifacts at this site. The other TL ages are in agreement with the relative ceramic chronology deduced from their decorative attributes. All five TL dates are in the correct depth-age order. This demonstrates that the recent excavations explored a part of the site which remained undisturbed in spite of extensive agricultural and horticultural activities in the vicinity in recent centuries. The dates also indicate a high degree of compression for the cultural remains at the site. They suggest a sediment deposition rate of 1.3 cm/100 yr during the early stages of the occupation period (2000–2600 yr B.P.), and a decrease in the deposition rate to 0.5 cm/100 yr during the last 2000 years. These dates provide the first successful application of TL dating to ceramics of the Minas Basin area. They confirm an initial hypothesis based on the stylistic attributes of ceramics recovered from BfDa-1, that human occupation at the site must have been of long duration. The excellent quality of the analytical data indicates that the TL dating technique should be well suited to the study of ceramic technology in other parts of the province, and that local mineralogy is suitable for optical dating of sediments at the site and elsewhere in Nova Scotia. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Identification of activity areas by soil phosphorus and organic matter analysis in two rooms of the Iberian Sanctuary “Cerro El Pajarillo”

This article shows the results obtained from our research on two rooms of the 4th century B.C. Iberian sanctuary “Cerro El Pajarillo” in Huelma (province of Jaén, southern Spain). Our research method combines traditional archaeological procedures with analysis of chemical markers, in particular, analysis of phosphorus and organic matter in samples of soil taken from the floor of the rooms. These analyses help identify two activity areas: one related to storage, and another to food consumption and refuse. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Geoarchaeology of stratified paleoindian deposits at the Big Eddy site,Southwest Missouri,U.S.A.

The Big Eddy site (23CE426) in the Sac River valley of southwest Missouri is a rare recorded example of distinctly stratified Early through Late Paleoindian cultural deposits. Early point types recovered from the site include Gainey, Sedgwick, Dalton (fluted and unfluted), San Patrice, Wilson, and Packard. The Paleoindian record at Big Eddy represents only a fraction of the site's prehistoric cultural record; stratified cultural deposits in alluvium above the Paleoindian components span the entire known prehistoric sequence, and terminal Pleistocene alluvium may contain pre‐Early Paleoindian cultural deposits. This study focused on the paleogeomorphic setting, stratigraphy, depositional environments, pedology, geochronology, and history of landscape evolution of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene alluvium at the site. The Paleoindian sequence is associated with a complex buried soil 2.85 m below the modern surface (T1a) of the first terrace of the Sac River valley in the site vicinity. This soil formed at the top of the early submember of the Rodgers Shelter Member (underlying the T1c paleogeomorphic surface) and contains at least 70 cm of stratified Paleoindian cultural deposits, all in floodplain and upper point‐bar facies. A suite of 36 radiocarbon ages indicates that the alluvium hosting the Paleoindian sequence aggraded between ca. 13,250 and 11,870 cal yr B.P. (11,380 and 10,180 14C yr B.P.). Underlying deposits accumulated between ca. 15,300 and 13,250 cal yr B.P. (12,950 and 11,380 14C yr B.P.). By ca. 11,250 cal yr B.P. (9,840 14C yr B.P.) the T1c paleogeomorphic surface was buried by the earliest increment of a thick sequence of overbank sheetflood facies, ultimately resulting in deep burial and preservation of the Paleoindian record. The landform‐sediment assemblage that hosts the Paleoindian and possibly earlier cultural deposits at Big Eddy is both widespread and well preserved in the lower Sac River valley. Moreover, the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene depositional environments were favorable for the preservation of the archaeological record. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

中国古代家养动物的动物考古学研究

鉴定家养动物的系列方法包括形体测量、病理现象、年龄结构、性别特征、数量比例、考古现象、食性分析、DNA研究等。按照迄今为止出土的动物骨骼资料,中国主要家养动物开始出现的时间和种类依次为距今10000年左右出现狗,距今9000年左右出现猪,距今5000多年出现绵羊,距今4000多年出现黄牛,距今约3700年左右出现马和山羊,距今约3600年左右出现鸡。中国古代家养动物出现的模式可以分为直接在当地驯化和通过文化交流从其他地区引进这样两种。     

Paleoindian bison procurement and paleoenvironments in Middle Park of Colorado

The Upper Twin Mountain Site, located within a geologic slump scar at 2548 m altitude, provides significant information on Paleoindian bison procurement. As the highest known Paleoindian bison bone bed, the site contained the partial skeletal remains of at least 15 adult Late Pleistocene bison (B. antiquus), Goshen projectile points, and debitage. Radiocarbon dates of 10,240±70 and 10,470±50 yr B.P. place Upper Twin Mountain midway between the northern Plains Goshen and southern Plains Plainview sites. With a late fall or early winter mortality of the bison and the presence of only local stone, year round occupation of Middle Park is indicated. Analysis of the geology, soil, and pollen, from the archaeological and nonarchaeological deposits at the Upper Twin Mountain and elsewhere in the region are used to describe the paleoenvironmental conditions in Middle Park. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Temporal dynamics of soil erosion and rainfall erosivity as geoindicators of land degradation in Northwestern Argentina

The subtropical region of Northwestern Argentina displays severe environmental deterioration due to a combination of factors, including seasonally contrasting weather, highly erodable loessic soils, a topography with varied slopes, and natural vegetation coverage restricted by deforestation and agricultural advance, in addition to exploitation of natural resources by people. The aim of the present research was to determine the landscape degradation, using as geoindicators the increase in erosion by water and the pluviometric gradient variations through time.Two regions were chosen as sample areas in the province of Tucumán: the eastern foothills and plain of the Southeastern Ranges (Western Chaco); and the intermountain valley of Tafí. Erosion increase was quantified by measuring the length of gullies and ravines; and the sedimentation in the artificial lake (La Angostura) located in the center of the valley of Tafí. Climate changes were analyzed by means of the rainfall erosivity variations in both sample areas during the last 30 years.The lineal increase in erosion is closely related to the pluvial dynamics. Nevertheless, this erosive intensification is also dependent on the interaction of environmental factors and human activities (deforestation, land use changes, unrestricted agriculture).     

Geoarchaeological evidence of a Chola‐period tsunami from an ancient port at Kaveripattinam on the southeastern coast of India

Literature of the ancient Chola Dynasty (A.D. 9th–11th centuries) of South India and recent archaeological excavations allude to a sea flood that crippled the ancient port at Kaveripattinam, a trading hub for Southeast Asia, and probably affected the entire South Indian coast, analogous to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami impact. We present sedimentary evidence from an archaeological site to validate the textual references to this early medieval event. A sandy layer showing bed forms representing high‐energy conditions, possibly generated by a seaborne wave, was identified at the Kaveripattinam coast of Tamil Nadu, South India. Its sedimentary characteristics include hummocky cross‐stratification, convolute lamination with heavy minerals, rip‐up clasts, an erosional contact with the underlying mud bed, and a landward thinning geometry. Admixed with 1000‐year‐old Chola period artifacts, it provided an optically stimulated luminescence age of 1091 ± 66 yr and a thermoluminescence age of 993 ± 73 yr for the embedded pottery sherds. The dates of these proxies converge around 1000 yr B.P., correlative of an ancient tsunami reported from elsewhere along the Indian Ocean coasts. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

OSL Age Determination of Archaeological Stone Structures Using Trapped Aeolian Sediments: A Case Study from the Negev Highlands,Israel

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating is widely applied to sediments in paleoenvironmental sciences. However, there are only limited examples determining the age of archaeological stone structures by OSL using dust deposits. The age of dust deposits associated with ancient buildings may be used to date the onset of settlement (sediment below structures), settlement activity (occupation layer), or the time after a settlement had been abandoned or destroyed (sediment between collapsed roofs and walls). In this study, OSL dating is applied to establish numerical dates for settlement structures situated in the Negev Highlands, Israel. Two archaeological sites are investigated to identify their occupation history, by dating nine samples of aeolian dust trapped within the remains of ancient buildings. The OSL dating technique is applied using coarse grain quartz and a standard single‐aliquot regenerative‐dose (SAR) protocol. It was possible to date the onset of sedimentation in a later phase of the human occupation or shortly after the sites were abandoned, to 3.7 ± 0.3 ka (Intermediate Bronze Age) at the central site and to 2.7 ± 0.2 ka (Iron Age) at the ephemeral site. These results are supported by archaeological evidence gained from pottery finds and the architecture of the ancient buildings.     

A reinterpretation of the great pit at Hofstaðir,Iceland using sediment thin section micromorphology

The site at Hofstaðir in northeast Iceland has been central to the debate on pre-Christian Norse temples and temple-farm complexes throughout the Scandinavian world. Critical to an understanding of the site have been the various and conflicting interpretations of the great pit feature, which have included the hypotheses that it was intentionally made for the disposal of rubbish after temple feasts, that it was a cooking pit for large-scale food preparation within a temple–farm complex, and that it was the location of a rubbish tip for ordinary farmstead waste materials. In this article we test these competing hypotheses using the technique of thin section micromorphology. These analyses represent the first application of micromorphology to questions of archaeological site formation processes in Iceland, a volcanic island with commonly occurring Andisols. Although this soil type poses new challenges to archaeological soil micromorphology, it was found that pedofeatures, microstructures, and anthropogenic inclusions provide a basis for interpreting site formation processes on Andisols as on other soil types. We conclude that the pit feature had its origins as a sunken-featured building and that the hollow created by the building's abandonment and collapse was later filled with domestic farmstead waste. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Palaeoeskimo site burial by solifluction: Periglacial geoarchaeology of the tayara site (KbFk‐7), Qikirtaq Island,Nunavik (Canada)

The geoarchaeological study of the Palaeoeskimo Tayara site on Qikirtaq Island (Nunavik) has led to a better understanding of archaeological site formation in the arctic periglacial environment. The surrounding geomorphology (extra‐site) is characterized by fine‐grained, low plastic and leached postglacial glaciomarine sediments that have been reworked by sheet‐like solifluction. This process buried the northern part of the Tayara site with mean annual rates between 1.68 and 2.86 cm/yr over approximately 350 years (1330–980 yr B.P.). The physicochemical and mineralogical properties of the frost‐susceptible glaciomarine sediments may explain their susceptibility to solifluction. This process was probably enhanced by longer thawing periods or warmer/moister summer months that induced active layer thickening or rapid soil thawing. The dates we obtained in the downstream valley show that solifluction occurred during short warm periods in the Late Holocene between ca. 1500 and 1000 yr B.P., after 1000 yr B.P. (or after 500 yr B.P.) and recently (90–60 yr B.P.). Our data provide insights on the site factors and climate factors that govern site burial by solifluction. Solifluction promoted the preservation of the three superposed archaeological levels in the Tayara site; however, the waterlogging of the site related to solifluction also likely caused the subsequent abandonment of the site by the Palaeoeskimo people. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Pedosedimentary development of part of a Late Quaternary loess‐palaeosol sequence in northwest Argentina

The field properties, magnetic susceptibility, particle size, calcium carbonate content, soil micromorphology and optical luminescence ages of the upper 6.1 m and lowermost 4.7 m of the 45 m loess–palaeosol sequence at El Lambedero in the Tafí del Valle region of Tucumán Province (Sierras Pampeanas, northwest Argentina) have been used to set up a partial stratigraphy and chronology, as well as a basic pedosedimentary model of loess accumulation, palaeosol development, reworking and erosion for the site. The minimum ages derived from the basal part of the section suggest that loess began to accumulate some time before 165 ka. A thick and well‐developed pedocomplex in the upper profile is correlated with at least the latter part of marine isotope stage (MIS) 5, whereas the overlying palaeosol may be attributable to pedogenic activity during MIS 3. The absence of material younger than 33 ka close to the surface of this rounded spur landform is probably the result of either non‐deposition or erosional stripping in response to climatic change, or episodic uplift in this seismically active region. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Buried and Submerged Greek Archaeological Coastal Structures and Artifacts as Gauges to Measure Late Holocene Seafloor Subsidence off Calabria,Italy

This synthesis integrates recently acquired archaeological and geological data with earlier documented observations to shed light on the subsidence of ancient Greek coastal facilities in southern Italy. These are now positioned between former shorelines and inner shelf sectors at five Calabrian margin localities. Submergence of coastal to inner shelf facilities has resulted in part from sea‐level rise by about 2 m associated with glacio‐hydro‐isostatic factors since archaic to classic Greek time. This phenomenon alone, however, does not explain the wide variation of measured subsidence rates from site‐to‐site. The marked lowering of coastal site substrates by seismo‐tectonic activity (including extensional fault motion), stratal readjustments at depth, and compaction of underlying sediment sequences is significant. Four of the subsided facilities are positioned near emerged Calabrian areas where prevailing Holocene average annual land uplift rates range to ˜1.0 mm/yr; at the fifth, near Hipponion, terrains have risen by nearly 2 mm/yr. In marked contrast, submerged and/or buried structures record the following late Holocene long‐term average rates of coastal margin subsidence: Sybaris‐Thuri on the Taranto Gulf margin (˜0.5–1.0 mm/yr); Hipponion‐Vibo Valentia along the Tyrrhenian coast (˜0.8 to ˜3.2 mm/yr); and Locri‐Epizefiri, Kaulonia, and Capo Colonna on Calabria's Ionian margin (˜1.6, ˜1.6–2.4, and ˜4.0 mm/yr, respectively). © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Erosion of archaeological sites: Results and implications of a site simulation model

A computer simulation model has been developed to investigate the postdepositional changes on archaeological sites due to soil erosion in a semiarid (Mediterranean) environment. Both soil matrix and archaeological artifact movement are accounted for by the model. The model is applied to a series of hypothetical site configurations on hillslopes, using archaeological structures, to observe the morphological changes due to slope form. The results show considerable variation in site preservation potential, relating to different initial spatial patterning of the site and initial slope form. The model predicts thresholds for the start of movement by artifacts, and suggests a correlation between the location of deposition and the potential for disturbance of the artifact record. Implications are drawn from the results of the simulations, both in terms of archaeological theory and practice, and in terms of site conservation and management. The simulation method is recognized as a useful tool for the investigation of natural site formation processes. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Implications of the fluvial history of the Wacheqsa River for hydrologic engineering and water use at Chavín de Húntar,Peru

Channeling of water through a variety of architectural features represents a significant engineering investment at the first millennium B.C. ceremonial center of Chavín de Huántar in the Peruvian Central Andes. The site contains extensive evidence of the manipulation of water, apparently for diverse purposes. The present configuration of the two local rivers, however, keeps available water approximately 9m below the highest level of water‐bearing infrastructure in the site. Geomorphic and archaeological investigation of the fluvial history of the Wacheqsa River has revealed evidence that the Chavín‐era configuration of the Wacheqsa River was different. A substantially higher water level, likely the result of a local impoundment of river water caused by a landslide dam, made the provision of water for the hydrologic system within the site a more readily practical possibility. We review what is known of that system and argue that the fluvial history of the Wacheqsa River is critical to understanding this aspect of hydrologic engineering and ritual practice at Chavín. This study demonstrates the relative rapidity and archaeological relevance of landscape change in a dynamic environment. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Geochronology and Geomorphology of the Pioneer Archaeological Site,Upper Snake River Plain,Idaho, USA

Pioneer is an open‐air, stratified, multicomponent archaeological site located in the upper Snake River Plain of southeastern Idaho, USA. Block excavations provided an opportunity to contribute to the Late Quaternary geomorphic history of the Big Lost River drainage and provide geochronological context of archaeological components at the site. The stratigraphic sequence is interpreted as reflecting multiple depositional episodes and five soil‐formation periods beginning pre‐7200 cal. yr B.P. and lasting to the historic period. The stratigraphic sequence contains an archaeological component dated to ∼3800 cal. yr B.P. and several other components post‐800 cal. yr B.P. Major site formation processes include fluvial deposition and erosion, pedogenesis (accumulation of secondary carbonates), and bioturbation. Periods of increased deposition at Pioneer and elsewhere along the Big Lost River are inferred to have occurred between ∼8400–6500 cal. yr B.P. and ∼2700–400 cal. yr B.P., potentially related to cooler/wetter episodes of the mid‐to‐late Holocene, including increased precipitation during the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (post‐750 cal. yr B.P.). There is also evidence of a high‐energy erosional event at ∼3800 cal. yr B.P. indicating a large middle Holocene flood. Pioneer provides an example of the archaeological and paleoclimatic value of studying alluvial buried soil stratigraphic sequences in arid environments.     

On the waterfront: Quaternary environments and the formative occupation of Southwestern Ecuador

The occurrence of tectonic uplift in coastal South American prehistory is discussed and evidence of emerged shoreline features is presented for the area of the Santa Elena Peninsula in Ecuador. It is hypothesized that this activity, once thought to be exclusively Pleistocene in timing, continued on into the Holocene. Given this perspective and field data, the role of the Early Formative Period Valdivia phase (3500-1500 B.C.) site of Real Alto is examined, as is the economic structure of Real Alto society. the pattern of site distribution and data from geological units indicate a long period of tectonic activity that restructured the Ecuadorian coastline and affected northern Andean prehistory. the implications for the origins of Valdivia and New World pottery are reconsidered in light of new information on the Quaternary environments of Ecuador.     

Geochemical Characterization of Bolivian Formative Earthen Architecture by Wavelength‐Dispersive X‐ray Fluorescence

In this study, we employ wavelength‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (WDXRF) to characterize construction materials from Formative civic architecture (1000 B.C.E.–C.E. 400), ethnographic mudbricks, and off‐site controls from the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia. The preparation of earthen construction materials for civic buildings can shed light on aspects of community development such as labor organization, resource management, and architectural technologies. We apply geochemical results to reconstructing how public buildings were made as communities moved toward socio‐political complexity in this region. However, there are few geochemical studies in the Andes, and little prior scientific analysis of earthen architecture. We therefore tested the efficacy of WDXRF for this region, and developed control materials. Our archaeological samples were selected from two Formative villages, Chiripa and Kala Uyuni. In this study, we performed WDXRF analyses on 63 archaeological and control samples including archaeological floors, walling, plasters, and mortars, as well as contemporary ethnographic walling and topsoils. Elemental signatures for 28 elements clearly distinguished the archaeological flooring, walling, plaster, and mortars from ethnographic and off‐site controls. More subtle variations were detected that distinguish study sites and the different material types. Laboratory‐calibrated multi‐element XRF effectively supports efforts to reconstruct the pathways to social complexity in the Titicaca Basin.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Niger Delta soil: contamination sources and profiles

The distribution and sources of PAHs in soil as well as PAHs profiles have been investigated in areas with anthropogenic pollution in the Niger Delta (Nigeria) such as Warri and Ughelli. PAHs were identified in 21 soil samples (0–10cm upper layer) collected in May, 2003. The typical total PAHs level in Niger Delta soil ranged from 182 ± 112 - to - 433 ±256 íg/kg dw. PAH concentrations in soil samples from Warri Refinery, Tanker Loading point and Ugboko via Rapele oil field were quite high ( the mean ÓPAH concentrations were 433, 402 and 384 íg/kg dry weight respectively). The dominant PAHs in soil samples were pyrene, naphthalene and benzo[k]fluoranthene. The soil total PAHs (PAH_tot.) concentration, normalized to organic carbon content (OC), ranged from 11.4 to 47.2 mg PAH_tot. /kg OC; and showed that organic matter of the soil samples from Quality Control Centre, Ugelli West is highly contaminated with PAHs and had a value of 47.2 ± 31.2 mg PAH_tot./kg OC. Two and three ring aromatic hydrocarbons predominated in soil samples from Ughelli West, Tanker Loading point and Delta Steel Company, which is indicative of petrogenic origin.