Bücher der Reihe British Archaeological Reports International Series

Archaeological excavations were carried out at al-Qisha, located on the Wadi Masila in the Mahra region of the Republic of Yemen. Situated along the Northern Indian Ocean coast, the Wadi Masila is an integral part of the Hadramaut drainage system located within the geological Hadramaut Arch. Regional surveys were carried out between 1997-2000, defining Bronze and Iron Age and Islamic period sites. Al-Qisha is an Islamic period settlement site that spans over 1 km and includes an extensive village (part of which is still inhabited), a cemetery, and a mosque. Al-Qisha as an archaeological site is enmeshed in an historical and ethnographic landscape of trade and mediation. This volume has three goals. The main objective is to present the data collected from excavations at al-Qisha, the first excavated Islamic period settlement site in the Mahra region of Yemen to date. The second goal is to examine this site in its greater cultural and physical landscape. And third, getting to the "route" of the matter, al-Qisha serves as a gateway community linked with the Ba'Abbad of Qabr Hud, the tomb of the pre-Islamic prophet Hud. This study is unique in that it presents a first attempt to integrate archaeology with the scant history and sparse ethnography of the Mahraand Hadramaut regions.

Proceedings of the 6th Annual Conference of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology, University of BristolThis volume presents 10 papers from the 6th Annual Conference of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology, held at the University of Bristol in September 2004.

Proceedings of the International Conference October 2000, Taman, Russia.28 papers from an international conference held in Taman, Russia, in 2000.

In this second volume dedicated to the study of African edged weapons (see BAR 1098, 2003 for volume 1), the author focuses on short-knives, cutlasses, chopping-knives,machetes, and sabres. These weapons are characterized by a blade with a convex or eventually a straight single edge and sometimes a limited false edge. Also included in this study are weapons with a curved double cutting edge. The typology presents five main categories, the distinctions between them being established according to morphological and metrical evidence based on the observation of 275 weapons. These weapons, collected during the colonial era (mainly at the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century), are held by various European museums and private collections. Several areas in Africa are represented in this study: Northern Africa (from Morocco to Tunisia), Western Africa (countries from the Gulf of Guinea and Sahara), Central Africa (mainly the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries), Eastern Africa (the Great Lakes area up to Djibouti, Sudan as a northern limit and Kenya as a southern limit). The categories studied are: short knives, cutlasses, chopping knives, 'machetes', and sabers. The work is illustrated with the author's own highly-detailed drawings.

This monograph focuses on the Aceramic Neolithic of Cyprus, and addresses three key theoretical topics; memory, death and landscape. Sites dating from the initial colonisation of the island (the Akrotiri phase) through to Khirokitia and its contemporaries, are contextualised within their spatial and temporal settings, and are presented here taking into consideration recent theoretical developments in archaeology and anthropology. This monograph covers what have traditionally been seen as three distinctive periods: the Akrotiri phase, the Early Aceramic Neolithic and the Late Aceramic Neolithic (sometimes referred to as the Khirokitian).

The aim of this work is to determine to what extent the exploitation of cockles changed across the Mesolithic/Neolithic transition in Denmark. This is an important question for three main reasons: The Mesolithic/Neolithic transition is a key topic in archaeological research; the exploitation of shellfish has been much discussed in terms of environmental and dietary changes over the transition period; wider issues of marine exploitation and human diets have been recently debated for the transition. This research examines these issues through a detailed study of cockles and addresses the following research questions: To what extent did shellfish consumption change through time? What evidence is there for changing cockle exploitation through time? Are there any patterns in the seasonality of cockle exploitation? After the introductory chapter, the first part of chapter 2 briefly explores the relationship between people and sea shells in prehistory and historic times. This is followed by information on the morphology, physiology, habitat and habits of the common cockle. The chapter closes with a review of past mollusc growth line research. Chapters 3 and 4 lays out the methodology followed in the selection and preparation of both the modern and archaeological cockle shells. Chapter 5 introduces background information on the two archaeological sites of Norsminde and Krabbesholm. The archaeological cockle analysis results are presented in chapter 6. Chapter 7 discusses the archaeological results in the context of the questions raised in chapter 1 and chapter 8 draws conclusions and suggests further avenues of research.

Slovakia is a convergent zone of three interrelated spheres of study in Roman history and archaeology. These three spheres are the frontier, Romanization, and cultural identity. The aim of the project that forms the core of this book is a greater understanding of how identity functions, as reflected in a culture's material remains, and what affect outside agents have on identity, if any. The primary focus of this project is cultural identity and Part I outlines the ancient German culture along the Middle Danube River using ancient literary evidence and archaeological material. Part II is an account of the archaeological project conducted at Urbárske Sedliská, along with detailed descriptions of specific artifact groups, such as pottery, seen in southwest Slovakia. The final section, Part III, is a synthesis of parts I and II, bringing together the known archaeological data of the region and the theoretical discussions with the new data recovered from the excavations.

A detailed study of mosaics from the Roman city of Italica now just north of Santiponce in the province of Seville. Romero surveys the history of their excavation, before treating the mosaics themtically, looking at first figurative, then geometric decoration, before considering manufacture and issues of conservation and restoration.

Paris Monographs in American Archaeology 25This study presents a motif classification, quantification, and regional comparisons for engraved rock art from the Maderas Volcano on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua. Maderas has the largest concentration of petroglyphs thus far reported in Central America. A formal analysis was conducted, which included construction of a typology for, then quantitative analysis of motifs found on over 700 boulders - only a portion of that known to exist on the island.

Proceedings of the XV World Congress UISPP (Lisbon, 4-9 September 2006). Volume 46. Session C75.This book includes papers from Session C75, Archaeologists without Boundaries: Towards a History of International Archaeological Congresses (1866-2006) presented at the XV UISPP World Congress (Lisbon, 4-9 September 2006) / Actes du XV Congrès Mondial (Lisbonne, 4-9 Septembre 2006).

The Nansa Valley, in many ways the westernmost drainage basin in Cantabria (N Spain), has traditionally been a blank page in archaeological terms, an area where only a few particular sites were known. The archaeological surveying carried out by the CAEAPgroup, both at cave sites and in the open air, has succeeded in showing that its archaeological record is comparable with that of the central valleys in the region. The results of the study of this record, presented in this book, suggest the existence of more or less subtle differences with the eastern part of the region. These divergences vary greatly in the different prehistoric and historic periods. Thus, at some times this valley is seen to form part of a wider area, while at others it displays traits belonging to its own character and appears to be occupied by a single human group. Otherwise, it can be included within the processes of change that affected the rest of the central part of northern Spain, with the diffusion of ideas coming from the south and west, and a powerful influence from the area of the Marina of Cantabria. This volume, a kind of "corpus" of sites, presents a full catalogue of all known sites in the valley, together with a study of the evolution of human settlement in the area. It is the starting point for future, more detailed, studies examining in depth the cultural adaptations developed by the human groups who lived along this river.

This book is the third in a series prepared by the author on traditional weapons from the African Continent. The first volume focuses on weapons with a straight symmetrical blade and double cutting edges such as daggers, various types of swords, and peculiar cutting side arms with divergent edges. In the second volume the author looks at weapons with straight or curved blades and a main convex cutting edge. In this third volume the author examines a group of unusual edged weapons showing analogies to agricultural implements. These weapons are characterized by a bent or curved blade with a main concave cutting edge. They can be compared to billhooks, sickles and scythes. Mostly originating from Central Africa these objects were produced during the 19th century and early 20th century. Their use was mainly linked with status, parade and dance, however very large examples or plain blades were also practical fighting weapons. See also BAR S1764 2008: Du couteau au sabre / From Knife to Sabre Armes traditionnelles d'Afrique 2 / Traditional Arms of Africa 2 (ISBN 9781407302539) and BAR S1098 2003: Armes traditionnelles d'Afrique (dagues, poignards, glaives, épées, tranchets et couperets Approche régionale et classification technique, morphologique et esthétique (ISBN 1841714763).

The aim of this study is to process a group of problems related to the building of residential houses in Roman Age Gaul (Tres Galliae: first century BC and the second part of the first century AD). The houses are summarized in the Catalogue that concludes the volume and provides a collection of floor plans with a brief description.

Sanjan Reports Volume 1This report on the Sanjan ceramic assemblage is the first in the series of reports on the Sanjan excavations conducted between 2002-2004. The Sanjan excavations have not only succeeded in providing a fresh perspective to Parsi / Zoroastrian history, but have also provided evidence for a prominent, multi-cultural, commercially active port settlement which formed an important component of the Indian Ocean trade network of the Early Medieval period. The ceramic assemblage at Sanjan is one of the most important collections of the Early Medieval period to be found in India to date. This body of material, comprising of West Asian, Chinese and Indigenous wares, was completely unknown in the Indian context, although scholars abroad had long been working on similar collections. The lack of corroborative material from India was regarded as an impediment in the understanding of Indian Ocean maritime trade and cultural interactions. Dr. Nanji has produced the first fully documented, researched and analysed work on Early Medieval ceramics in India. In many ways, this report is path-breaking. No other Early Medieval ceramic collection from India has been catalogued and studied in such detail, including in its methodology, fabric analysis, petrographic analysis and statistical data.

Sudan Archaeological Research Society. Publication Number 18In 1998 and 1999 volumes II and III of the reports on the University of Kentucky excavations at Kulubnarti were published by the Sudan Archaeological Research Society as numbers 2 and 4 in its monograph series. Kulubnarti III was also available through British Archaeological Reports in its International Series no. 814. Volume I had long been and, at the request of the author, the Sudan Archaeological Research Society agreed to republish the first volume. The excavations at Kulubnarti remain the only detailed study of a late medieval and post-medieval landscape in the Sudan. The extensive nature of the work on habitation sites of many differing types, on monumental buildings such as the church and the kourfa, on some of the associated cemeteries as well as of the rock art provided an immense amount of data. The Kulubnarti volumes publish all this material in full and are an invaluable source of information on life in rural settlements during this pivotal period during which Christianity vanished to be replaced by Islam. It thus sheds light on the origins of the present northern Sudanese cultures in an area long inhabited by the Nubians. The text is reproduced as in the first edition with some updating of the bibliographic references.

Paris Monographs in American Archaeology 31The Bajío (West-Central Mexico) has been considered by various authors to be a key region for understanding the processes of interaction and migration among Central, West, and Northern Mesoamerica. Since the late 1990s, our knowledge of the prehispanic societies of the Bajío has benefitted from the development of several new archaeological projects carried out by various Mexican and French institutions. The principal contribution of this research has been an emphasis on extensive excavations, which were previously quite limited in the region. The numerous stratified contexts studied have revealed new data that permit a better definition of ceramic complexes in the Bajío during the Epiclassic, the period of the zone's greatest demographic growth. This volume offers a new overview of the ceramic traditions of this region and their links with those of the neighbouring areas.

Paris Monographs in American Archaeology 32Western values imposed on pre-Columbian practices are obstacles in the understanding of the relationship between the 'skull-rack' (tzompantli) and the 'ball-court'. The impact of a long-held interpretation which stems from the belief that in the ball-game the loser was beheaded is probed, once the activities related to both sacred spaces are surveyed, to examine the genesis of an unfounded proposal. The research shows it is the product of the reminiscence, particular to each epoch, that views the pre-Columbian world from its own conception of rituals and images, those related to games and sports; cannibalism and punishment.

This book represents in-depth analysis of a deposit of pottery recovered on the Palatine Hill that is composed of materials used and discarded in the period 290-315 AD. As there are exceedingly few studies concerned with groups of pottery dated to this period, the book represents an important addition to our evidence of the period in question. Unusually large number of complete or nearly complete vessels made experiments with analytical techniques possible. The book includes detailed catalogue and concludes with the remarks on urban economy of the early Dominate.

New: 2020 preface with links to additional, updated material.This NAA study of Syro-Palestinian pottery types found at Tell el-Dab'a/Avaris is important from the perspective it provides on economic and social developments at what has been identified as the capital of the "Hyksos" in the north eastern Nile Delta during the period from the late Middle Kingdom through the Second Intermediate Period. As well as opening up a new sight-line on the pottery industry at Tell el-Dab'a / Avaris, this study is also extremely important in refining hypotheses and conclusions based on pottery analyses, and, indeed, the author presents his case for a radical rethink in the light of these NAA findings. Illustrated throughout.

With contributions by Patrizia Boccolini, Cristina Chiaramonte Treré, Vincenzo d'Ercole, Luisa Ferrero, Debora Francone, Rossella Mantia, Gianluca Melandri and Cecilia Scotti.

This book focuses upon the bio-archaeological study of the human remains recovered in a Prehistoric cave cemetery from Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) dated between 1450/1400 - 800 cal BC. Its research has benefited from methods and techniques developed by several disciplines (including human osteology, biological anthropology, forensics and paleopathology) in order to explore previously formulated hypothesis related to six major aspects: 1.) funerary practice; 2.) demography; 3.) biological variation;4.) diet; 5.) health and morbidity; 6.) main trend activities and 7.) social distance. The integration of independent results into a wider frame has allowed to distinguish several meaningful patterns. Segregation and relocation of skulls was a new feature added to the long-standing tradition of collective inhumation towards the end of the II millenium. The community experimented a limited growth conditioned by a low fertility rate and a high infant mortality. Infectious diseases were a more serious threat to health than the nutritional intake. Diet composition was varied and well-balanced, with enough rich-protein foods accessible to both sexes. Activity patterns also reflect the importance of livestock and gathering. No conclusive evidence of warfare isavailable in the whole series, as well as craft specialization. On the contrary, social relationships seem to have been ruled by cooperation.

The 'Alpha' Building at Puig Morter in Son Ferragut (Sineu, Mallorca, Spain) is one of the few domestic spaces from Mallorcan prehistory to have been explored in detail. Analysis of material remains from this archaeological site, and from other contemporaneous contexts, have led to the definition of an historical moment named the Son Ferragut Horizon by the authors of this monograph, who examine the social relations that existed at the time. The relationships established within the domestic group are analysed in such a way as to enable the identification of the existence of two differentiated groups and leading to clues as to the division of various social practices engaged in by women and men. The work centres on four main themes: the exploration of the Son Ferragut Horizon in 8th-6th centuries BC Mallorca; The 'Alpha' Building and its context; the social activities and domestic character of the 'Alpha' Building; the reciprocity and exploitation of the domestic group.

The primary aim of this monograph is to use one commodity type, the carinated-shoulder amphora, to investigate the level of centralisation and modes of production and distribution in southern Phoenicia (i.e. the city-states of Tyre and Sidon) when the region was under Persian (Achaemenid) imperial hegemony (539-332 BC). The second is to set the research findings into a broader socio-cultural context, viewing the amphorae as containers of wine, and the impact on the production and distribution of these amphorae as Persian imperial attitudes towards, and patterns of consumption of, wine. To determine whether these amphorae may be of southern Phoenician manufacture the author analyses petrographically the fabric of 307 amphorae gathered from 21 sites in thecoastal areas of southern Lebanon and Israel, and assesses to what extent the raw materials in the fabrics may be consistent with the geological formations in this region. She goes on to present a typology of carinated-shoulder amphorae of proposed southern Phoenician manufacture using an innovative technique, the 'envelope' method. This technique produces a typology which is repeatable and verifiable. An intra-regional analysis of the manufacture of these amphorae is conducted, assessing through the application of theoretical models to what extent production was centralised at this period. The study examines data which indicates the presence on a particularly significant amphora manufacturing centre in the region, and then attempts to identify the mechanism whereby amphorae were dispersed throughout the region, whether it was attached, independent, or whether both mechanisms could have existed simultaneously. Again, by applying theoretical models, the author attempts to determine to what degree amphora distribution was regionally integrated, and whether nodes of distribution existed which facilitated their dispersal. Finally, the work investigates from epigraphic and documentary sources, the role of wine in Persian culture, the quantities in which it was consumed and the wine preferences of the Persian elite, exploring what impact these factors may have had on the production and distribution of carinated-shoulder amphorae.

Archaeological Conference in Honour of the Late Professor Michael J. O'Kelly. Proceedings of the Stones and Bones Conference in Sligo, Ireland, May 1-5, 2002This volume presents the proceedings of the Stones and Bones archaeological conference held in Sligo in May 2002 in honour of the late Professor Michael O'Kelly. 15 papers are included, as are several abstracts and posters.

With a bounty of illustrations this volume traces the history of furniture making in Mesopotamia over the course of some 10000 years. This is a much neglected area of study, and using his practical experience as an architect Dr. Kubba is able to provide many new and fascinating insights.

15 papers from the Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Conference of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology held in Southampton, England in 2003.

Edited by H. L. Cobb, F. Coward, L. Grimshaw and S. Price.This volume stems from sessions at the 2004 Theoretical Archaeology Conference at Glasgow University, entitled "Hunter-Gatherers in Early Prehistory" and "Hunting for Meaning: Interpretive Approaches to the Mesolithic". The sessions came about as a response to a continuing lack of appreciation of new developments in theoretical approaches to the archaeology of prehistoric hunter-gatherers both in the Pleistocene and Holocene.

The Archaeology of the Clay Tobacco Pipe XIXThe collection of almost 1,000 clay pipes from the quarantine port of Pomègues provides a unique insight into pipe production and use throughout the Mediterranean and further afield. The author's exhaustive study makes a significant contribution to knowledge both of pipe production and circulation in a number of different ways. Although these have already been recognised and published from a range of sites throughout the Mediterranean basin, the Pomègues collection, arriving off Marseilles on ships from many ports of origin, is by far the most extensive and varied yet collected. This study establishes a logical nomenclature for the formal and technical variables that can be observed on these pipes. The Pomègues assemblage demonstrates clearly that a wide range of stylistic and constructional forms, many previously though to be late, coexisted over a wide geographical area. All existing dating typologies for Ottoman-style pipes will now have to be revised. Using existing published groups from specific sites and areas the author has attempted to identify the origins of the pipes within the Empire - whether from north Africa, the Near East, Asia Minor or Greece. Quite apart from the Ottoman-style pipes, the author provides an interesting study of the extensive Dutch element in the Pomègues collection. The pipes derive from a large number of makers and a number of probable centres and include a range of qualities, including possible copies. An attempt to combine stem-bore analysis, bowl form and maker information in a single dating statement for each pipe provides an original contribution to the study of Dutch pipes from this kind of context. The English pipes are fewer in number and more difficult to source with few distinctive regional forms or makers'marks. This study describes and identifies for the first time a major pipe production centre in Venice, producing thrown pipes in a specific technology, contrasting with the well-known moulded types from Chioggia. Finally, the author has defined, albeit tentatively, a range of 18th-century products from France and provides some indication of how such pipes can be identified in the future. This is important as very little research has been carried out on the products of an industry which, from the documentary sources, was a significant one.

Papers in honour of Martin Henig, presented on the occasion of his 65th birthdayFor weeks after his Christian baptism and confirmation into the Church of England Martin presented a vivid sight as he walked briskly along the Oxford streets. Dressed in white trousers and white open neck shirt (no jersey or jacket in even the coldest weather) and long white hair, it was a striking statement of a new life that would easily have been recognised by those early Christians who were clothed in white robes after their baptism in font or river...Martin is especially well placed, by virtue of his long-standing academic interests and his personal convictions, to build a picture of Christianity in Roman Britain. He has, after all, written about many of the crucial pieces of evidence. He can give us a clear and comprehensive survey of art in the age of Constantine. He can also identify and trace the difference that Christianity made to that art. Religion in the Roman world was highly diverse, but there were elements within it which lent themselves to a later, Christian interpretation, such as the myth of Bellerophon and the Chimera. There was also an implicit longing as expressed in Sol Invictus, which found its fulfillment in Christ the unconquered victor over sin and death, the sun which will never set. The classical heritage of myth and story was part of the education of a Roman gentlemen, the paidea, even when the empire became Christian, but a Christian could see in at least some of it a pointer and foreshadowing of Christ. Martin is able to see it in this way too. There are some in the modern world who like to stress the great gulf, the sharp difference between Christianity and other faiths. Martin shows that for the church in the fourth century the continuities and fulfillments were just as important. The 44-page bibliography of his writings is substantial evidence to the range and depth of Martin's work: a scholar's scholar indeed. So I feel specially honoured to have been invited to write this short preface to these essays honouring him.' (Richard Harries, former Bishop of Oxford).

This collection of essays brings together some of the biggest names in British archaeology to pay tribute to Sonia Chadwick Hawkes.