The Quantitative Investigation of Aboriginal Sites: Comparative Physical and Chemical Analysis of Two California Indian Mounds

1947 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. F. Cook ◽  
A. E. Treganza

The investigation of archaeological sites in North America has in the past concerned itself predominantly with the discovery and examination of burials and artifacts and associated fauna. This purely qualitative approach has been essential to the elucidation of problems in the culture history of aboriginal man. At the same time, except in such cases where obvious stratigraphy displays itself, few efforts have been directed toward the analysis of the matrix itself, the deposits in which the more spectacular bones, pottery, and implements of war are embedded. Nevertheless, it is wholly possible that accumulations of debris, such as habitation mounds or midden deposits, may be able to supply information of a quantitative character which will throw light upon the population, living conditions, and ecological status of the former inhabitants. A recent study1 based upon older excavations of California shell mounds has indicated the type of information which might be obtained. The present paper explores certain aspects of the methodology applicable to the general problem.

1986 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie K. Stein

The history of coring and augering at archaeological sites is traced to two periods in the twentieth century. In the first period, Period I (1935-1955), the technique was used primarily to correlate archaeological deposits with river sediments for dating purposes. Rarely were the deposits containing artifacts cored or augered; rather the stratigraphic relationship of cultural to non-cultural deposits was sought. Most of this work was done in the Lower Mississippi River Delta where geologists had calculated absolute dates for river deposits. This period seems to have ended with the availability of radiometric dating and was followed by Period II (1964-present). After 1964 there is a renewed interest in coring and augering, mostly following a shift in archaeological research interests from culture history toward ecological questions. This shift coincides with the availability of a new device: a mechanical corer. During Period II, coring is utilized in many different projects, including reconstructing the environment surrounding sites, collection of samples from subsurface deposits, and locating buried archaeological sites. Following the discussion of the history of coring and augering, a description of equipment, techniques, and data potential is presented.


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 27-33
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Ostaszewska ◽  
Bogumił Wicik ◽  
Andrzej Harasimiuk

The paper presents the results of research on the degradation of chernozems in part of the Proszowice lobe (near Pińczów). The currently progressing process of degradation of chernozems is showed in the decline of their physical and chemical properties (among others increased predisposition to soaking, changes in the content of organic carbon and nitrogen). The results were analyzed in the context of changes in the technology of farming. For the analysis, samples from areas with different types of use and different history of use (including archaeological sites) were collected. A significant decline of soil properties was found. They were expressed by destruction of the soil structure of humus horizon. It starts increase in the susceptibility of the soil clumping, soaking and erosion. The humus contents in researched samples are low (as content for Chernozem), but there is no different in this parameter determined half century ago. Currently, low values of the C/N coefficient indicate the impact of mineral fertilization (increasing the nitrogen content) and are part of the anthropogenic degradation of the analyzed Chernozems.


2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Sterner ◽  
Nicholas David

The publication, largely by ethnoarchaeologists, of new data on the tamper and concave anvil technique of pot-forming (TCA) permits a reassessment of this uniquely African technique, its toolkit, and its culture history. A survey, inspired by the technologie culturelle school, of its varied expressions in the southern Saharan, Sahelian and northern Sudan zones from Mali to Sudan and extending north into Egypt emphasises the potential of the technique for the efficient production of spherical water jars of high volume to weight ratio, much appreciated in arid environments. The technique is demanding and therefore practised for the most part by specialists. The origins and diffusion of the technique are assessed in the light of the ethnological, archaeological, linguistic, and historical evidence, and a four stage historical development is sketched.


Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 539
Author(s):  
Benton C. Clark ◽  
Vera M. Kolb ◽  
Andrew Steele ◽  
Christopher H. House ◽  
Nina L. Lanza ◽  
...  

Although the habitability of early Mars is now well established, its suitability for conditions favorable to an independent origin of life (OoL) has been less certain. With continued exploration, evidence has mounted for a widespread diversity of physical and chemical conditions on Mars that mimic those variously hypothesized as settings in which life first arose on Earth. Mars has also provided water, energy sources, CHNOPS elements, critical catalytic transition metal elements, as well as B, Mg, Ca, Na and K, all of which are elements associated with life as we know it. With its highly favorable sulfur abundance and land/ocean ratio, early wet Mars remains a prime candidate for its own OoL, in many respects superior to Earth. The relatively well-preserved ancient surface of planet Mars helps inform the range of possible analogous conditions during the now-obliterated history of early Earth. Continued exploration of Mars also contributes to the understanding of the opportunities for settings enabling an OoL on exoplanets. Favoring geochemical sediment samples for eventual return to Earth will enhance assessments of the likelihood of a Martian OoL.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 2719
Author(s):  
Nicodemo Abate ◽  
Alessia Frisetti ◽  
Federico Marazzi ◽  
Nicola Masini ◽  
Rosa Lasaponara

Unmanned aerial vehicles are currently the most used solution for cultural heritage in the field of close range and low altitude acquisitions. This work shows data acquired by multitemporal and multispectral aerial surveys in the archaeological site of San Vincenzo al Volturno (Molise, Italy). The site is one of the most important medieval archaeological sites in the world. It is a monastic settlement that was particularly rich during the early Middle Ages, and is famous for its two full-frescoed crypts which represent a milestone in the history of medieval art. Thanks to the use of multispectral aerial photography at different times of the year, an area not accessible to archaeological excavation has been investigated. To avoid redundancy of information and reduce the number of data to be analysed, a method based on spectral and radiometric enhancement techniques combined with a selective principal component analysis was used for the identification of useful information. The combination of already published archaeological data and new remote sensing discoveries, has allowed to better define the situation of the abbey during the building phases of the 8th/9th century and 11th century, confirming and adding new data to the assumptions made by archaeologists.


1996 ◽  
Vol 36 (312) ◽  
pp. 300-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Pustogarov

In the history of humankind, no matter how far back we look into the past, peaceful relations between people and nations have always been the ideal, and yet this history abounds in wars and bloodshed. The documentary evidence, oral tradition and the mute testimony of archaeological sites tell an incontrovertible tale of man's cruelty and violence against his fellow man. Nevertheless, manifestations of compassion, mercy and mutual aid have a no less ancient record. Peace and war, goodneighbourly attitudes and aggression, brutality and humanity exist side by side in the contemporary world as well.


Author(s):  
Zinaida Kh. Tedtoeva

The problem of perceiving fiction has aesthetic, sociological, historical and psychological aspects. In this regard, in the methodology of teaching Russian literature to the national audience, special attention is paid to the deep, faithful and subtle reproduction of the literary works of writers, the development of the reader’s talent. Fiction as a form of art is a special area of the aesthetic. In a truly fictional work, all its elements are subordinate to the expression of a certain content, expressive, figurative, therefore, the reader’s understanding of a literary work is not only aesthetic, but also evaluative in nature. There are three stages of students’ perception of the writer’s creation: 1) recreation and experience of images of the work, with the leading process of imagination; 2) understanding of the ideological content; V.G. Belinsky called this stage “true pleasure”; 3) the influence of fiction on the personality of the reader as a result of the perception of the work. Fiction affects the worldview, speech, moral behavior in society, aesthetic and artistic development, in general, the formation of a person’s personality. The teacher tries to ensure that students have the necessary knowledge, developed, recreational imagination, emotional sensitivity, a sense of the poetic word, observation, the ability to make comparisons, comparisons, generalizations, conclusions. Their perception of a work of art is a difficult process that directly depends on previous knowledge of literature, facts of the history of culture, history of society. The complexity of the spiritual world of a modern young person is due to the development of personality in the context of the rapid progress of society. All this poses a difficult task for methodological science - to diversify the means of analysis, its types and techniques, effective ways of influencing art on students. In the national audience, the main problem of studying Russian literature - the teacher needs to reveal Russian-national literary ties with specific examples, based on certain historical conditions, national specifics, use translations of the works of the Russian writer into the native language of students, literary local history material, highlight the attitude of cultural figures of the native people to the work of the Russian writer, to his personality.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 1273-1322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark D McCoy

Building directly upon a previous summary of 45 dates (Weisler 1989), this paper presents radiocarbon age determinations for 175 samples from archaeological and natural contexts and a revised culture history of Moloka'i Island, Hawai'i (cal AD 800 and 1795). Significant culture historical trends include an early settlement pattern apparently generalized with respect to ecozone; a remarkably long initial period of marine and endemic bird exploitation; strong material evidence for the concurrent intensification of subsistence economies, population increase, and the structuring of the social landscape through ritual; and links between island politics as described in oral traditions and site construction. Moreover, these results support a late chronology for the colonization of Hawai'i and demonstrate the value of spatial technology for building large chronometric databases.


Author(s):  
А.А. Кудрявцев ◽  
С.А. Володин

В 1943–1944 гг. сотрудники Института истории материальной культуры принимали участие в работе Чрезвычайной государственной комиссии (ЧГК). Это выражалось в составлении инструкций по установлению стоимости различных археологических памятников для определения нанесенного им ущерба в период оккупации, составлении их списков и анкетировании. В 1944 г. ИИМК по заданию ЧГК организовал восемь экспедиций в освобожденные районы РСФСР и УССР с целью обследования ряда поселений и курганных могильников, а также музеев с археологическими коллекциями, пострадавших в военные годы. Участие в деятельности ЧГК позволило Московскому отделению ИИМК сохранить основные функции научного учреждения в тяжелый период войны. In 1943–1944 the staff of the Institute for the History of Material Culture was involved in the work performed by the Extraordinary State Commission. The Institute staff prepared guidelines to be used in assessing the value of various archaeological sites to determine the damage caused to the sites during the occupation period, prepared relevant lists and conducted questionnaire-based interviews. In 1944 by order of the Extraordinary State Commission, the Institute organized eight expeditions to the liberated regions of the Russian SFR and the Ukrainian SSR in order to survey a number of settlements and kurgan burial grounds as well as museums with archaeological collections damaged during the war. Involvement in the activities of the Extraordinary State Commission enabled the Moscow Branch of the Institute to continue performing its main functions as a research institution during the hard time of the war.


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