Grakliani Gora, situated in Eastern Georgia within the Igoeti and Samtavisi villages of the Kaspi Municipality, represents one of the most significant multi-layered archaeological sites in the South Caucasus. The site encompasses 11 distinct cultural horizons, ranging chronologically from the Palaeolithic period to the Early Christian era. It comprises a settlement and an extensive necropolis, the latter including 365 burials dated from the Early Bronze Age to the Early Christian period. Excavations have revealed diverse architectural complexes—residential, industrial, and cultic—primarily from the 2nd–1st millennia BC. Particularly notable are sanctuaries containing early inscriptions that attest to advanced intellectual and cultural development. The introduction of a standardized weight system (363g), termed the ‘Iberian mina’, further demonstrates Grakliani’s role as a major centre of technological and economic innovation in ancient Kartli (Iberia).
With support from the U.S. National Science Foundation, co-principal investigators beginning in 2011 undertook the first non-Iraqi archaeological investigation of the Tigris-Euphrates delta in nearly 20 years. Accompanied by a geologist, they visited archaeological sites in southern Iraq to look for links between wetland resources and the emergence of Mesopotamian cities. In early April 2013, a mud-brick sample from Ur was submitted to investigate phytoliths derived from the floral additives. The microscopic analysis of 231 phytoliths identified approximately 12 phytolith morphotypes, two diatom genera, and at least one sponge spicule genus. Palaeoenvironmental and palaeoethno-botanical implications of this analysis for further research are suggested, including possible evidence for the brickmaker’s choice of readily available local plants for the mud brick.
This paper examines the carving and production of verracos, granite sculptures of bulls and male boars found throughout Castile, León, and eastern Portugal on the western Iberian plateau. Probably created during the Late Iron Age and Roman periods, these sculptures are rarely found in stratified contexts, leaving their chronology, function, and meaning open to debate. To address these uncertainties, the study applies approaches from landscape archaeology combined with microwear and geochemical analyses to reconstruct their chaîne opératoire. The results suggest the involvement of itinerant craftsmen who carved figures directly in quarried blocks or bedrock, as well as the existence of organized workshops or ‘factories’, where sculptures were shaped through standardized procedures during later production phases.
Archaeological finds from Bronze and Iron Age Europe and the Near East bear witness to an early fascination with sky observation. Notable among them are the Nebra Sky Disc from Germany (c. 1600 BC) and an Aramaic astral bowl from Luristan, Iran (mid -8th century BC). Though differing in form and period, both bronze artefacts feature inlaid or engraved astral imagery, suggesting shared concepts and techniques that merit closer study. Little research has compared astral iconography across these regions, mainly due to disciplinary specialization separating European and Near Eastern archaeology and the study of the respective iconographic traditions. The present study investigates the interplay of craftsmanship, iconography, and archaeoastronomy, reassessing manufacturing methods, colour symbolism, and astronomical meanings to contribute to a broader understanding of early visualizations of the sky.
Discovered in 1942 at Bishopsland, Co. Kildare, the Bishopsland hoard is one of the most diverse and technologically significant Bronze Age metalwork assemblages from Ireland. Comprising both metalworking tools and a range of other utiliarian as well as non-utilitarian items, it provides a rare insight into the technological and social transformations of the later 2nd millennium BC. We re-evaluate the assemblage’s chronological and functional context, situating the hoard within a broader Atlantic European framework. Cross-comparison with British and Continental material demonstrates that the Bishopsland assemblage aligns with the Penard rather than the Taunton phase of the British Bronze Age sequence (c. 1280–1140 BC) and marks the introduction of advanced metalworking techniques such as complex sheet working and lost-wax casting. These innovations reveal increasing craft specialization, tied to elite display and social differentiation. We argue that the Bishopsland phase defines the earliest stage of the Irish Late Bronze Age.
A few decades ago, Styria, spanning Austria and Slovenia, was seen as a marginal area in early Celtic expansion. Isolated grave finds suggested a dispersed and culturally mixed landscape, echoing the region’s transitional topography between the Eastern Alps and the Carpathian Basin. However, discoveries over the past twenty years have transformed this view. Newly identified cemeteries reveal a dynamic Celtic presence during the 4th century BC, marked by cultural consolidation and distinctive regional craftsmanship. Among the most striking evidence are elaborately decorated swords and scabbards from Lt B2 graves, demonstrating advanced blacksmithing and welding. Our study focuses on these artefacts to argue that Styria hosted an active regional group of Celtic sword-makers, initially influenced by Pannonian models but soon developing unique local artistic and technological traits.
Archaeology is concerned with the study of human-made objects that (usually) have been permanently separated from their original cultural context. Their interpretation is shaped by contemporary epistemological perspectives and evolving ideologies. A key challenge arises when scientific simplifications unintentionally overshadow the deeper layers of reasoning. One such example is pottery decoration, which is often regarded either as a classificatory tool or as an element conveying symbolic and cultural meanings. This article examines pottery decoration through the lens of aesthetic experience and its impact on the well -being of archaeological communities. Drawing on psychological and neuroscientific research, it argues that decoration can serve as an indicator of aesthetic perception, agency, social cohesion, and cultural stability. Furthermore, it suggests that investigating aesthetic preferences in archaeology can provide valuable insights into the well-being of past societies, highlighting the role of objec ts in shaping humans’ daily experience.
The analysis of the Grotta Capéletti pastoral assemblage shows a significant transformation in the use of hard animal materials, mirroring changes seen at other Neolithic Capsian sites. This shift, affecting all material culture, includes the introduction of new lithic tools —such as concave and tanged arrowheads—alongside traditional Epipalaeolithic implements, indicating evolving hunting strategies. Ceramic vessels and new containers made from materials like tortoise shell and ostrich eggshell become common for food preparation. The lithic industry also moves toward producing larger, more expedient tools, replacing the earlier focus on bladelets. In the bone industry, there is a transition from small Epipalaeolithic tools to larger, thicker implements, with the first appearance of tools crafted from animal ribs and scapulae. These innovations, especially in the Rivière collection, highlight advanced technical skills and a strong link between bone and ceramic technologies, reflecting new subsistence strategies tied to animal domestication.
The concept of the anthropology of image is tested on visual representa- tions from the Atlas range of the Maghreb during the Middle Holocene . The objective is to identify unsuspected symbolic behavio urs. By applying this interpretative model to the analysis of visual representations from the transition period between a hunter-gatherer economy and a food - producing economy, i.e. the 6th-4th millennia cal BC, this approach, which invites the discovery of graphically expressed logics, has proven to be well-suited to the studied theme. https
The author proposes here to take stock of the history of hemochromatosis, one of the most important diseases of genetic origin today. Based on recent examples and the study of two personal cases, the historical analysis of hemochromatosis makes it possible to specify the date of appearance of this anomaly and to specify its osteoarticular impact, particularly palmar, a key recognition index in osteo-archaeology and palaeogenetics.
Is there a patrimonialization of sex? We are the custodians of our genetic heritage, which codes for our phenotype, our internal and external envelope, and therefore inevitably influences the way we are viewed. What happens when this sex evolves naturally over time? This question does not concern deliberate sexual transformations (cross-dressing) but rather the modification of the body due to hormonal effects. What are the consequences (and the explanations given) of this patrimonial reversal, this catastrophe (in the original Greek sense of the term: the rupture of sexual continuity)? In this article, we will look at this phenomenon in Antiquity. Palaeopathology being the medical study of populations of the past, we will here investigate through texts what skeletons or mummies do not tell us about: intimacy.
Le crâne humain situé au sommet de celui des vertébrés selon la conception de l’Antiquité gréco-romaine a été au centre des réflexions et des études par moult philosophes, anatomistes, chirurgiens et autres médecins du Moyen Âge et de la Renaissance. Depuis le premier anatomiste Alcméon de Crotone (Vème siècle av. J.-C), jusqu’aux naturalistes du XIXème siècle, le crâne, son cerveau et son anatomie comparée avec les autres mammifères sont particulièrement scrutés, mais selon des dogmes interdisant la dissection du corps humain, jusqu’aux premières expériences réussies d’André Vésale, le père de la chirurgie moderne. Avec la paléontologie humaine, l’anatomie comparée et la zoologie, la céphalométrie fit ses premiers pas, à une époque où la racialisation des peuples était au centre des débats entre naturalistes. C’est à la fin du XIXème siècle, que les premières analyses sur la typologie faciale vues par un orthodontiste furent connues et se développeront tout au long du XXème siècle, appuyées par un outil d’imagerie révolutionnaire, la téléradiographie.
In 1969, Mirko D. Grmek introduced a synchronic approach to the history of diseases by formalizing the concept of pathocenosis. After describing the elements that make up pathocenosis and its sources, including palaeopathology, the contribution of this medico-historical discipline is assessed against the principle of reality. In this context, it becomes evident that paleopathology is too closely tied to the uncertainties of essential data related to archaeology (such as the filters determining which members of society received a formal burial) and palaeodemography (like determining age at death) to fully meet the requirements of pathocenosis. However, by identifying the "morbid clouds" that dominate the osteoarchaeological nosography of a cemetery population, palaeopathology can characterize it in accordance with “palaeopathocenotic estimators”.
De la fin du 18ème siècle au milieu du 19ème, la cranioscopie, ou phrénologie, prétend diagnostiquer les comportements déviants par l’examen des reliefs crâniens. Cette piste n’aboutira pas mais permettra la collecte d’un matériel important qui servira à l’édification de la craniométrie comme science descriptive de la diversité humaine. Les développements récents de l’imagerie cérébrale montrent cependant que si la phrénologie avait pressenti les aires fonctionnelles du cerveau, elle n’a plus qu’un intérêt historique, et n’apporte rien à la bioarchéologie. On peut alors penser que les efforts futurs pour tenter de construire une paléopathologie mentale, voire sociale, pour le moment inexistante, se détourneront de l’anatomie pour, grâce à la paléogénomique, s’aventurer vers la psycho-génétique, un domaine qui reste toutefois très controversé.
Léon Pales (1905–1988) was a French physician, anthropologist and prehistorian, whose scientific contributions were major and are still relevant today. His work on palaeopathology, which dates back to the 1920s, is the particular focus of this study. His work on documentary reproductions of prehistoric art and on ichnology (footprints) still constitutes an essential reference.
The authors discuss the geoarchaeological data indicating that the Oldowan-age assemblages, which are reported during the last years on the Taman peninsula, in the north-western Caucasus, and in Dagestan, in the north-eastern Caucasus, are found in the marine coast environment near the contact with the sea basin, with evidence for the presence of shallow water (in Muhkai II and other localities in Dagestan) or wave activity (in Kermek and other localities on Taman). The marine environment is not reported in any Early Pleistocene archaeological site in either Europe or south-western Asia, or Africa. Moreover, the geological contexts identified in the Early Pleistocene localities in the northern Caucasus correspond to typical conditions for the formation of eoliths or geofacts. The combined archaeological and geoarchaeological indicators strongly suggest that these North Caucasian assemblages most likely represent collections of naturally broken stones that were selected by researchers among fragments of the same rock that is present naturally in these areas.
In Roman times, according to sources, mining and metallurgy were organized and managed centrally. The area of Pannonia was supplied with iron ore from the Majdan Mountains from the early Iron Age onward, which was then largely processed according to needs by local blacksmiths. Particularly interesting questions are raised by the square column bars found at several sites in Southern Transdanubia. Similar finds were found in 1880 near Hrvatska Dubica in Croatia. Aleksandar Durman hypothesized Syrian influences in the production of iron bars, defined as Roman and about 20 cm long, forged to a weight of 11–15 libra, or 3.6–4.91 kg, based on finds found in the vicinity of the aforementioned site. In Pannonia, square column-shaped iron bars are known near the Danube (Intercisa – Dunaújváros) and the Kapos Valley (Dombóvár, Regöly), but they are heavier than the finds from Croatia, weighing 5.4–10 kg. Iron metallurgy is highly technology- and raw material-dependent, and is traditional in every detail, even from compulsion to ensure quality. Therefore, metallographic examinations play a particularly important role in research. A recent analysis of Pannonian square-bar bars shows that several pieces of bloom were forged during their production. Their microstructure is heterogeneous, typically ferrite-perlitic in which ferrite is found with Widmanstätten morphology. All indications are that the raw material blocks provided a standard good quality raw material for the production of different tools, weapons, etc.
The long sword, a weapon first known in the Aegean Bronze Age from Middle Minoan Crete (early second millennium BC), represented the culmination of a long period of development. Several problems in both casting and forging had to be solved before the production of large implements like swords could be achieved. Very early experiments with long weapons come from Early Minoan IB Crete, early in the third millennium BC. Examples from the cemetery at Hagia Photia illustrate this early phase in the production of large implements.
During the Early Bronze Age, before the expansion in copper mining and distribution of this metal from Cyprus, Aegean metal production relied especially on local ores. An example of this industry has been excavated from only a few sites in the Aegean. One of these smelting workshops has been excavated at Chrysokamino in eastern Crete. Its smelting furnaces provide a good example of the technology in use at early copper production centers in the Aegean region.
The present article proposes a new approach for the detailed analysis of lithic raw material sources and their use by various human groups during the period from the Lower Palaeolithic to the Early Upper Palaeolithic in Transcarpathia, western Ukraine. The approach is based upon the study of particular outcrops and sources of basic raw material types in Transcarpathia, examining their role in supplying various human groups across different Palaeolithic epochs and periods, both within and outside of the outcrop/source areas. Our analysis identified three localized volcanic-associated lithic raw material regions that demonstrate a ve ry limited ‘micro-region/source’ pattern of lithic exploitation. In contrast, more widely dispersed sedimentary regions with rock types that intermittently appear on the landscape show continuous use across most Transcarpathian areas and archaeological sites, including those located both at and far from outcrops/sources.
