Old World Stuff
The Circulation of Pearls in the Eastern and Western Worlds During the Neolithic Age: New discoveries from the Xihetan site in the Hexi Corridor, China
Li Zeng et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science, June 2026
Abstract:
The Xihetan Site is a Neolithic site located in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, where a large number of white bead ornaments have been unearthed. Through various scientific analysis techniques, including ultra-depth microscopic observation, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), these bead ornaments were identified as having an inner core composed of dolomite or vanadate minerals and an outer layer with a calcite structure, indicating they are seawater pearls. The pearls unearthed at Xihetan date back approximately 4,086 to 3,820 years, making them the earliest and largest in quantity discovered to date in the Hexi Corridor region. Based on the global context of Neolithic pearl discoveries and considering the co-occurrence of these pearls with artifacts bearing Western cultural characteristics, such as bronze objects, Maceheads, and seashells, it is speculated that these pearls likely originated from the Persian Gulf region and were transmitted to the Hexi Corridor via Central Asia. This study provides new material evidence for exploring cultural exchanges between the East and the West during the late Neolithic period.
The Emperor's Gift: Power and Legitimacy across the Late Roman Frontier
Susanne Hakenbeck
Cambridge Archaeological Journal, forthcoming
Abstract:
This paper explores the dynamics of power and legitimacy between the late Roman Empire and the societies beyond its northern and eastern frontiers, arguing that shared understandings of political authority, developed through centuries of interaction, facilitated the establishment of post-Roman kingdoms. Unlike the more formalized relationships with client kingdoms along the empire's eastern and north African frontiers, interactions along the northern and eastern European borders were more fluid. The paper posits that gift-giving, particularly of imperial brooches and gold medallions, was central to establishing political relationships between the Roman emperor and rulers beyond the frontier. These gifts created networks of obligation, with recipients potentially owing peace, tribute, or military service. A newly identified imperial brooch from Ureki in Georgia suggests a wider geographical reach of these networks. However, by the fifth century, rulers beyond the frontier began to imitate Roman symbols of power, commissioning their own versions from local craftworkers. By doing so, they cut themselves loose from earlier ties of obligation. The paper concludes that this long history of interaction and mimesis of Roman power structures enabled populations beyond the Roman frontier to understand and ultimately emulate Roman imperial power.
Caprine dairy exploitation on the Iranian Plateau from the seventh millennium BC
Emmanuelle Casanova et al.
Nature Human Behaviour, May 2026, Pages 849-859
Abstract:
Animal domestication and development of pastoralism in southwest Asia revolutionized human subsistence strategies. Various centres of ruminant domestication and diffusion routes of agropastoralism have been identified. The area between the northern and central Zagros Mountains on the Iranian Plateau is a cradle for goat domestication and eastward spread of agropastoralism. However, the early exploitation of ruminant milk by pastoral communities in the Zagros remains insufficiently studied. Here we show residues of caprine dairy products that were detected from the analysis of lipid residues in pottery vessels and protein residues in human dental calculus. These results, combined with the faunal spectra and radiocarbon analyses directly on the dairy residues, show that sheep and goat dairy products were widely exploited in the Zagros from the seventh millennium BC. This pattern parallels the contemporaneous exploitation of cattle milk in Anatolia. Neolithic communities in both regions reveal similarly complex dynamics of early ruminant milk use, marking the emergence of independent yet synchronous trajectories in the diffusion of agropastoral lifeways.
Cross-Cultural Connections: Roman Material Reception and Adaptation in South and Southeast Asia
Krisztina Hoppál et al.
Cambridge Archaeological Journal, forthcoming
Abstract:
This study explores the reception and adaptation of Roman and Roman-inspired materials in South Asia and Southeast Asia during the early historic period. Drawing on a database of over 300 objects, it compares materials such as glass vessels, beads, engraved gems, and coin adaptations. While South Asia shows greater diversity and quantity of Roman imports, Southeast Asia demonstrates selective appropriation and creative transformation, often filtered through South Asia, particularly peninsular India. Southeast Asia favoured high-quality imports and innovative hybrid adaptations blending Mediterranean and Indic elements. In contrast, South Asian adaptations tended either to evoke Roman originals more closely using easily accessible raw materials such as in the case of terracotta bullae, or, when made from more valuable raw materials, often to diverge more substantially from the Roman prototypes. This pattern is further complicated by the emergence of Sri Lanka as a key crossroads in Indian Ocean networks after the fourth century CE. The study highlights regional differences in integrating Roman materials, revealing unique cultural priorities and engagement with global trade networks.
Neolithic plaster floors at Motza: Earliest case of burning dolomite for plaster
Yonah Maor et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science, June 2026
Abstract:
The key component in plaster is typically calcite from limestone, but in Pre-Pottery Neolithic Motza, the plaster craftsmen burnt both limestone and local dolomite to make their plaster floors and installations. The pyrogenic dolomite plaster, taking properties from dolomite stone, would have been stronger and more water resistant than typical calcitic plaster. However, using dolomitic lime is challenging and requires a high level of expertise at all steps of preparation, which may explain why it is not commonly found in archaeological sites. In fact, the first prior reported use of dolomitic lime plaster is dated to the Roman period, almost 8000 years after the dolomitic lime plaster at Motza. Moreover, in both historic and modern dolomitic lime, the magnesian lime produced does not recombine with the calcitic lime to form dolomite; instead, a range of other magnesium-rich minerals and amorphous compounds are formed. Surprisingly, the dolomitic plasters at Motza contain mainly dolomite and calcite, yet the properties of the dolomite support its identification as pyrogenic dolomite that re-formed after decarbonization in the plaster-making process. This is proposed based on thorough analytical testing of archaeological plaster kiln remains and floors, as well as experimental materials, using infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. The results suggest a technology lost to history that allowed a complete dolomite-lime cycle, similar to the known calcite-lime cycle.