Way Back When
Waste Nothing: The Impact of Glass and Metal Recycling in Imperial Roman Towns
Guido Furlan & Chiara Andreatta
European Journal of Archaeology, November 2023, Pages 467-485
Abstract:
In this article, the authors investigate the effectiveness of glass and metal recycling in Roman towns. The comparison of sealed primary deposits (reflecting what was in use in Roman towns) with dumping sites shows a marked drop in glass and metal finds in the dumps. Although different replacement ratios and fragmentation indices affect the composition of the assemblages recovered in dumps, recycling appears to have played a fundamental role, very effectively reintroducing into the productive chain most glass and metal items before their final discard. After presenting a case study from Pompeii, the authors examine contexts from other sites that suggest that recycling practices were not occasional. In sum, recycling should be considered as an effective and systematic activity that shaped the economy of Roman towns.
Neo-Confucianism and the rise of science and technology in Medieval China
Baomin Dong & Bowen Cheng
Economic History Review, forthcoming
Abstract:
The Song dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) witnessed a surge of scientific and technological development, notably in mechanical engineering, metallurgy, shipbuilding and nautics, civil engineering, manufacturing, etc. At the same time, Neo-Confucianism, which advocated 'upholding heavenly principle and annihilating human desire', flourished in Song time. The rise of Neo-Confucianism as a conservative movement appeared fundamentally at odds with the splendid technological achievements in Medieval China. To address the question, we dismantle the notion of Neo-Confucianism in the Song dynasty context by constructing the indices of the Neo-Confucian spirit characterized by the pursuit of principle (li), broad learning, and scepticism on the basis of Song Confucian works recorded in the Records of Song and Yuan scholarship (Song Yuan xue an). Our results show that the popularity of Neo-Confucianism facilitated the development of science and technology during the Song period. Using historical Confucian academy data compiled from several extensive surveys, we show that the vigorous development of the Confucian academies served as a channel to propagate the Neo-Confucian spirit in a locality, thereby influencing the scientific and technological output of the Song era.
Vittrup Man -- The life-history of a genetic foreigner in Neolithic Denmark
Anders Fischer et al.
PLoS ONE, February 2024
Abstract:
The lethally maltreated body of Vittrup Man was deposited in a Danish bog, probably as part of a ritualised sacrifice. It happened between c. 3300 and 3100 cal years BC, i.e., during the period of the local farming-based Funnel Beaker Culture. In terms of skull morphological features, he differs from the majority of the contemporaneous farmers found in Denmark, and associates with hunter-gatherers, who inhabited Scandinavia during the previous millennia. His skeletal remains were selected for transdisciplinary analysis to reveal his life-history in terms of a population historical perspective. We report the combined results of an integrated set of genetic, isotopic, physical anthropological and archaeological analytical approaches. Strontium signature suggests a foreign birthplace that could be in Norway or Sweden. In addition, enamel oxygen isotope values indicate that as a child he lived in a colder climate, i.e., to the north of the regions inhabited by farmers. Genomic data in fact demonstrates that he is closely related to Mesolithic humans known from Norway and Sweden. Moreover, dietary stable isotope analyses on enamel and bone collagen demonstrate a fisher-hunter way of life in his childhood and a diet typical of farmers later on. Such a variable life-history is also reflected by proteomic analysis of hardened organic deposits on his teeth, indicating the consumption of forager food (seal, whale and marine fish) as well as farmer food (sheep/goat). From a dietary isotopic transect of one of his teeth it is shown that his transfer between societies of foragers and farmers took place near to the end of his teenage years.
From Tents to Pit Houses: A Quantitative Study of Dwelling Trends in Mesolithic Norway, 9500-4000 BC
Silje Fretheim
European Journal of Archaeology, forthcoming
Abstract:
A quantitative analysis of 150 Mesolithic dwellings in Norway, dated to between 9500 and 4000 cal BC, forms the core of a chronological and regional study based on fifteen variables, including floor size and shape, floor modifications and wall features, internal hearths, numbers and distribution of artefacts, traces of maintenance or reuse, and the number of dwellings per site. The study identifies a distinct change in dwelling traditions between the Early and Middle Mesolithic, around 8000 cal BC. Tents are typical of the Early Mesolithic, whereas remains of pit houses dominate in all later phases of the Mesolithic. The study also sheds light on variability in dwelling traditions after 8000 cal BC, which appears to relate to changes in social structure, growing territoriality, and regional differences.
The rise and fall of antimony: Sourcing the "colourless" in Roman glass
Patrick Degryse et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, February 2024
Abstract:
Antimony (Sb), a metalloid, is considered a rare occurence in the archaeological record. Though Sb ores are scarce they were utilised over several millennia for a variety of applications from copper alloys to glass and glaze. In particular, they were used for opacifying or decolouring glass and glazes. Amongst Sb minerals, only stibnite can achieve, in a controlled manner, the desired effect as a decolourizer or opacifier. Mass production of Sb-decoloured natron glass seemingly halts close to the time that Dacia is lost to the Roman empire. The use of Sb as an opacifier soon follows suit, with Sn replacing it. In this paper we investigate the possibility that the disappearance of Sb-decoloured glass production is linked to the loss of access to the mines of Dacia. Lead and re-evaluated Sb isotopic analyses show that the most likely sources of stibnite for late Roman Sb-decoloured natron glass are indeed the stibnite mines of Dacia.
"Until death do us part": A multidisciplinary study on human-animal co-burials from the Late Iron Age necropolis of Seminario Vescovile in Verona (Northern Italy, 3rd-1st c. BCE)
Zita Laffranchi et al.
PLoS ONE, February 2024
Abstract:
Animal remains are a common find in prehistoric and protohistoric funerary contexts. While taphonomic and osteological data provide insights about the proximate (depositional) factors responsible for these findings, the ultimate cultural causes leading to this observed mortuary behavior are obscured by the opacity of the archaeological record and the lack of written sources. Here, we apply an interdisciplinary suite of analytical approaches (zooarchaeological, anthropological, archaeological, paleogenetic, and isotopic) to explore the funerary deposition of animal remains and the nature of joint human-animal burials at Seminario Vescovile (Verona, Northern Italy 3rd-1st c. BCE). This context, culturally attributed to the Cenomane culture, features 161 inhumations, of which only 16 included animal remains in the form of full skeletons, isolated skeletal parts, or food offerings. Of these, four are of particular interest as they contain either horses (Equus caballus) or dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) -- animals that did not play a dietary role. Analyses show no demographic, dietary, funerary similarities, or genetic relatedness between individuals buried with animals. Isotopic data from two analyzed dogs suggest differing management strategies for these animals, possibly linked to economic and/or ritual factors. Overall, our results point to the unsuitability of simple, straightforward explanations for the observed funerary variability. At the same time, they connect the evidence from Seminario Vescovile with documented Transalpine cultural traditions possibly influenced by local and Roman customs.