Ancient Mystery
Luminescence Dating of Stone Structures in the Northeastern United States
James Feathers & Shannon Mahan
American Antiquity, forthcoming
Abstract:
There is no consensus on who built the numerous stone structures that dot the archaeological landscape in the northeastern United States. Professional archaeologists traditionally have attributed them to colonial farmers, but increasing numbers of archaeologists have joined many nonprofessional groups and Native Americans in arguing for Indigenous origins. Better understanding of these structures can be obtained by determining how old they are. This article reviews nearly 60 luminescence ages, on both sediments and rocks, that have been obtained in recent years. Many of the derived ages fall in the sixteenth century, between initial European contact and substantial colonial settlement. A few ages are significantly older, suggesting that this technology has a deeper origin. The results warrant more research into these structures and rethinking their significance.
Spatiotemporal distribution of the North American Indigenous population prior to European contact
Robert Kelly et al.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 11 February 2025
Abstract:
We examine spatiotemporal trends in the pre-European-contact Indigenous population of North America using radiocarbon (14C) dates of the past 2000 y. At a continental scale, the Indigenous population of the past ~14,000 y peaked at ~1150 CE and then declined until a brief recovery shortly before 1500 CE, after which 14C probability declines precipitously. After testing, we reject the hypothesis that the 1150 CE peak and decline is a result of 14C sampling issues. We then examine the 14C record of the past 2000 y in each of 18 watersheds where we find peaks ranging from ~800 to 770 CE to after European contact, with the majority, in the interior of the continent, declining ~1080 to 1300 CE. Although all Indigenous populations declined after European contact, that of a large portion of the country (the Great Lakes, New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Central Plains, the Northwest, and California) did not decline until after contact.
Optically dating of a Paleolithic site in coastal regions of South China and its correlation with the late Pleistocene environment evolution
Jianhui Jin et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, February 2025
Abstract:
The coastal regions of South China are crucial for the emergence and migration of early Austronesian hominids to Taiwan Island and the Pacific islands, but most Paleolithic sites in this area remain unexplored wilderness areas without clear archaeological stratigraphy or formal excavation. The research on archaeological chronology faces challenges due to the absence of direct evidence for determining site ages; instead, it relies on indirect methods such as comparing lithology, knapping techniques, and other usage characteristics with regional stratigraphic ages based on recovered stone tools. This presents a challenge when studying prehistoric human-land relationships in the region. However, the Kuahaicun site located on coastal islands along the southeastern coast offers valuable materials for investigating activities of Paleolithic populations along both South China’s coast and its islands since the late Pleistocene period. This study employs a comprehensive investigation and sampling approach, utilizing optically stimulated luminescence dating to determine burial age. Furthermore, by integrating regional aeolian landform characteristics and trends in sea level changes, we examine the influence of geomorphic environmental evolution during the transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic periods on ancient human migration and diffusion patterns. 1) The findings suggest that the stratigraphy primarily consists of sedimentary layers dating back to 25–10 ka, representing the transition from Late Paleolithic to Early Neolithic. The luminescence sensitivity of quartz grains indicates diverse sediment sources in this area, including aeolian deposits with efficient long-distance transportation due to thorough and repeated bleaching, as well as alluvium and colluvium deposits with limited bleaching. 2) By comparing the developmental process of coastal aeolian sand with regional sea level changes, it becomes evident that the main period of Austronesian ancestor activity in South China, as evidenced by this site, significantly aligns with a crucial phase of aeolian deposition. Moreover, this correlation coincides with three low sea level phases during the late Pleistocene Fujian marine transgression. 3) Commencing from the Middle Paleolithic period onwards, Austronesian ancestors gradually migrated downstream along the Minjiang River and Jiulong River towards their respective estuaries. The presence of a transient land bridge during the Late Pleistocene Fujian marine transgression (18–15 ka) potentially facilitated the migratory movements and territorial expansions of ancient populations along China’s southern coastline, enabling their transition from mainland coastal regions to nearby islands.
Understanding the history of the late Roman synagogue at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee through radiocarbon dating and observations on site formation
Dennis Mizzi et al.
PLoS ONE, February 2025
Abstract:
Galilean-type synagogues are monumental, basilical structures found in northern Israel that have long been dated, mainly on stylistic grounds, to the 2nd-3rd centuries CE. This chronology is influenced by historical considerations -- specifically, the notion that monumental synagogues must have been constructed before Jews came under Christian rule in the early 4th century. However, the stratigraphic contexts of the pottery and coins associated with the foundation of these buildings suggest they represent an architectural innovation dating to the 4th (especially the later 4th) to 6th centuries CE. The Huqoq Excavation Project was initiated in 2011 with the goal of determining the construction date of a Galilean-type synagogue through controlled stratigraphic excavation, including the systematic collection of samples for radiocarbon dating along with micromorphological analysis of the fill deposits. Here we present the initial results of these analyses, which indicate that the radiocarbon ages conform with the pottery data to place the construction of the Huqoq synagogue in the late 4th-early 5th centuries (late Roman period). However, the ages of dated samples from thick fills overlying the floor, which were deposited when the synagogue was rebuilt and expanded in the early 14th century (late medieval/Mamluk period) do not reflect the stratigraphic sequence.
Reevaluating the Organization of Lapidary Production at Chaco Canyon
Hannah Mattson
American Antiquity, forthcoming
Abstract:
Several decades ago, the National Park Service's Chaco Project revealed evidence for widespread ornament manufacture at small sites (small houses) in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, as well as possible workshop-scale production at two of these locations. Given that consumption of finished jewelry items is clearly concentrated at large sites (great houses), it was suggested that lapidary production was part of a larger corporate political strategy, in which goods produced in surrounding small houses were used to sustain communal events related to construction activities and ritual performances at great houses. This article addresses a critical gap in this narrative -- ornament production at great houses. Using Pueblo Bonito as a case study, I present the results of a systematic analysis of lapidary tools from the site and characterize the nature of on-site ornament manufacture. I find evidence that significant jewelry-making was occurring at Pueblo Bonito, at least on par with previously documented small-house jewelry workshops, and that a portion of this was embedded within elite households. These results require us to reconsider the role of ornament production in Chacoan political economy.
Leaning on to rise up: From high to low cutting at the origins of cereal agriculture in the near East
Juan José Ibáñez et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, February 2025
Abstract:
Harvesting low, transporting the crops in sheaves, threshing them and using the straw for different activities is a well-documented technical process in traditional agriculture. However, when did this procedure start? We have used confocal microscopy and texture analysis of cereal harvesting gloss in experimental tools to identify textural parameters allowing discriminating tools used to reap near the ground (low) from those used to cut near the ear (high). The classificatory algorithm was applied to an ensemble of 260 sickle elements recovered in different occupation levels of 11 archaeological sites dating from the Natufian, PPNA, PPNB and Pottery Neolithic periods, from 11,000 to 6000 cal BC. We aim to know whether cereals were harvested near the ear or near the ground during the origins of agriculture and how this harvesting behaviour evolved. Our study shows that the transition from high to low harvesting was a long process that took place during the origins of cereal agriculture, from the 11th to the 7th-millennium cal BC. This shift in harvesting techniques was related to the increasing use of straw as a building material, for basketry, for feeding or as a bed for livestock. During the Natufian period, wild cereals in natural stands were reaped in an unripe state near the ear. During the PPNA, wild cereals started to be cultivated, though wild cereals in natural stands were occasionally harvested. High cutting was still dominant during this period, though sometimes cultivated cereals were reaped cutting near the ground. During the PPNB, when the transition from wild to domestic cereals occurred, harvesting was carried out dominantly near the ground, indicating a growing need to use straw. Finally, during the Pottery Neolithic, low cutting was the standard method to harvest cereals. The reaped crops were probably grouped in sheaves and transported to the threshing area, a technical procedure that has persisted up to very recently in the Mediterranean area.