Bücher der Reihe British Archaeological Reports International Series

Each of the twenty papers presented in this book is a case study utilising archaeological research, or the results thereof, as a means of furthering our understanding of World Religions, and more specifically with regard to Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. The papers can be classified under five broad headlines: sacred space; theoretical issues; iconography; aspects of a religious whole; and archaeology and the development of Religions.

This study examines the relationship between technology and social organisation in a range of Early and Middle Bronze Age cultural groups and proposes that in the process of material culture production, technological choices not only deliver an end product but are also an essential part of complex, dynamic social strategies.

This study examines the mortuary practices of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (10,000-7,000 BC) and the early Pottery Neolithic (7,000-6,000) BC. This period saw the transformation of the economy and start of agriculture, and a corresponding explosion of symbolic development of mortuary practices.

This study is an archaeological analysis of the relationship between religious communities in Byzantine Palestina (AD 400-700), based on a catalogue of excavated Byzantine sites in the region (forming an appendix to the work). After outlining the historical, archaeological and environmental contexts of the study, the identification and dating of excavated synagogues and churches are re-evaluated. This shows that, although there are clear-cut examples of Jewish and Samaritan synagogues and Christian churches, these buildings are often so similar that it is difficult to differentiate between them. It is also shown that Jewish and Christian burial practices were so similar that, unless accompanied inscriptions or symbols, the religious identity of burials is often difficult to recognize. This suggests that different communities shared similar material cultures of religious practice, probably resulting from peaceful inter-communal interaction, and highlights chronological problems in the archaeology of Byzantine Palestina. Spatial analysis of reliably identified religious buildings is then used to show that different religious communities frequently occupied the same landscapes, and even the same settlements. The credibility of using symbols on portable artefacts to indicate religious identity is assessed, and supported, by examining their association with other religious indicators. Spatial analysis of these artefacts supports the patterns already established, strengthening the interpretation that differentreligious communities lived in close proximity. This evidence is used to argue for closer and more peaceful co-existence between religious communities in Byzantine Palestina than is usually supposed. It is suggested that this relative religious harmony contributed to the economic prosperity of the region in the Byzantine period. This apparently came to an end in the late sixth or seventh century, when most excavated Byzantine sites in the region were probably disused. Although other explanations (such as plague) are possible, this widespread abandonment may be a consequence of the Persian and/or Muslim invasions. The work concludes with three extensive Appendices of sites, burials, and religious structures.

Edited by Marie-Hélène Moncel, Anne-Marie Moigne, Marta Arzarello and Carlo PerettoProceedings of the XV World Congress UISPP (Lisbon, 4-9 September 2006). Volume 5. Session WS23.20 papers from the session on 'Raw Material Supply Areas and Food Supply Areas' held at the 15th UISPP Congress in Lisbon in September 2006.

13 papers presented at the Eighth Annual Conference of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology, held at the University of Birmingham in September 2006.

This study gathers together the results of archaeological work on the South African Namaqualand region, focusing on human adaptation to the desert environment in the late Stone Age. Settlement patterns are a major concern, with a preponderance of short-stay sites. Faunal remains are also analysed for evidence of diet.

A fresh look at the inscriptions, backed up by architectural developments and the geographical distribution of finds, to try and clear up some of the knotty problems which crop up in regard to the Third Dynasty. There is currently no agreement as to the sequence of third dynasty pharaohs, the number of pharaohs, or indeed their names.

This work investigates the craft production system in the Western Zhou (China), through a case study of a 'jue'-earrings workshop at Qijia in the predynastic capital site of Zhouyuan, excavated in 2002-2003. Conclusions are drawn from several lines of evidence, including spatial relationships of material remains in archaeological context, various stages of 'jue' production wasters, the author's experimental replication of 'jue' manufacture, and written texts and bronze inscriptions.

Archaeological sites in a well-defined area on the northwestern shore of the North Euboean Gulf, an area which roughly corresponds to the southeastern part of East Lokris (Central Greece) and which served as a corridor between northern and southern Greece over land as well as over sea. The first chapter defines the chronological and spatial framework. The following three chapters give factual information and deal respectively with the natural environment, the Mycenaean sites known in the area, and selected significant finds from the area. Part II analyzes these findings against the background of the area's location in Central Greece, north of the palace of Orchomenos and on the North Euboean Gulf, the northern part of the strait between the Greek mainland and the island of Euboea. Chapters 5 through 7 are interpretative and combine information from the previous chapters in order to, respectively, examine the influence of the landscape on site distribution, write a settlement history of the region, and examine what the finds tell us about the actual people and the society of our area in the Late Bronze Age. The conclusions of the study are briefly summarized in a final chapter.

When first studying Ancient Egyptian History, the author, a dental surgeon, was struck by the fact that, with the exception of a blind harpist or an occasional adipose figure, the Ancient Egyptian, was portrayed as healthy and fit with a superb physique. However, the reality was somewhat different. It has been discovered in previous studies of the mummies and the profusion of skeletal material which are available in many collections that their lives were far from ideal and many died in pain with diseases found in modern man. Then there are the many medical papyri which give prescriptions for treatments. Some were magical and were, in reality, spells to rid the sick individual of possession by a malign spirit. However some were rational and were passed on from doctor to doctor. This research was undertaken to investigate whether changes in the diet over a period of 4000 years had a direct effect on the dentition of the ancient Egyptian. The abundance of specimens in various collections made it possible to examine complete skulls to detect dental and bone pathology which may have been influenced by disease and the environment in which they lived. Analysis of the literature of past surveys carried out in tombs has revealed much information. Tomb paintings symbolised an ideal presentation of food for the afterlife. There are scenes illustrating agriculture and irrigation of the land. In museum collections there are papyri listing rations allotted to workmen and soldiers. Of particular importance are the burial goods. There are flagons containing dried remnants of wine and beer. There are mummified joints of beef. Offerings of fruit and grain are identifiable and have been analysed. Bread offerings, found in abundance, have been investigated to differentiate organic and inorganic components. From archaeological excavations, butchered bones from a variety of animals have been identified and the burial sites give clues as to the extent of the fertile area of the Nile Valley at different periods during the millennia. This historical evidence has been examined to evaluate the extent of medical knowledge at various periods and this has been related to the pathology found.

This work is a case study focusing on the long-term unique evolutionary trajectory of the prehistoric Liaoxi area, Northeast China. The emergence and dramatic decline of the Hongshan complex societies forms the core of this interpretation. Research on household and community levels are based previously excavated typical sites. The basic data for the spatial study at the regional level comes from the author's survey in the Lower Bang River and Upper Laohushan River valleys, Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia. The structure of the work follows the chronology of the prehistoric cultures in Liaoxi.

This study presents the first comprehensive description of a small corpus of ceramic vessels, now defined as Eastern Desert Ware (EDW). The vessels that comprise this corpus are hand-made cups and bowls, shaped without the use of a potter's wheel, with proportionally thin walls and well-finished surfaces. Larger vessels and closed forms do occur very sporadically, although these forms may so far have escaped recognition. Many of the outside and several inside surfaces of the vessels are burnished and decorated with geometrical patterns impressed or incised in the unfired clay. These patterns are often remarkably asymmetric and frequently enhanced by a white inlay or a partial red slip. Eastern Desert Ware has been found in archaeological contexts predominantly dated to the 4th-6th centuries CE, by associated pottery, coins, and radiocarbon analysis, in the Nile Valley between the Fifth Cataract, just north of where the Atbara debouches into the Nile, and the First Cataract near Aswan, as well as in the desert to the east, between Quseir and Port Sudan, an area of roughly 350,000 km² .

Proceedings of the XV World Congress UISPP (Lisbon, 4-9 September 2006). Volume 24. Session WS26This book includes papers from the session 'Babies Reborn: Infant/Child Burials in Pre- and Protohistory' held at the XV UISPP World Congress, Lisbon, September 2006.

Proceedings of the XV World Congress UISPP (Lisbon, 4-9 September 2006). Volume 18, Session C44This book includes papers from the session 'The Early Neolithic in the Iberian Peninsula: Regional and transregional components' held at the XV UISPP World Congress, September 2006.

The numerous Neolithic finds from the territory of the Republic of Macedonia show an abundance of data which can be concentrated into different relations. They all approach certain ideas through which we attempt to learn about the character of Neolithic populations and their way of life. Within the context of the explored Neolithic settlements from the Republic of Macedonia, a large number of ceramic finds (decorated vessels, figurines, seals, models of houses and 'altars') are discussed in this study. The first chapter gives a brief introduction and acquaintance with the territory and its condition during the time of all Neolithic phases. Chapter two elaborates the white painted vessels originating from whole territory of the Republic of Macedonia. Chapters three and four deal with the painted compositions from the Middle Neolithic. In the chapter 'Imprints of the Neolithic Mind' the ceramic stamps and the patterns which are usually engraved on them are presented. The second part of the book elaborates the concepts of corporeality present in the several ceramic figurative forms, including burials. Subsequent chapters are dedicated to the anthropomorphic vessels, placed in a wider context with those excavated in the Neolithic from south-eastern Europe, as well as later phases. The last chapter, 'Housing the Dead', completes the concept of burials in vessels, 'oven' forms, and ceramic 'houses'.

How did Syro-Palestinian deities come into existence in Egyptian society? What was the raison d'etre of Syro-Palestinian deities in Egyptian society? These are among the central questions explored in this study. To answer them, the author applies interdisciplinary theories of anthropology to the pure results of data analyses of six Syro-Palestinian deities. With this purpose in mind, this work consists of compilations of as much evidence as possible of each Deity (Baal, Reshef, Hauron, Anat, Astarte and Qadesh); analyses of these evidences from iconographic and textual representations with the use of statistical procedure; discussions of the results of these analyses for every deity from the viewpoints of history, theology, ideology and religious style and so on in the both royal and non-royal spheres; and conclusions are suggested through the discussions above with application of the anthropological theories: Tributary Relationship based on the comparative studies and Translative Adaptation theory.

This work envisions the Solutrean from the view point of lithic techno-economic patterns.

This catalogue of closed pottery oil lamps contains mainly intact oil lamps discovered in excavations and listed with the Israel Antiquities Authority up to the year 1988. The volume includes Archaic Greek and Hellenistic lamps made in Eastern Greece in the late 7th-5th centuries BCE; mainland Greece; Classical Greece of the 6th-4th centuries BCE; and lamps made after the conquest of the East by Alexander the Great (333-332 BCE) to the Roman conquest (1st century BCE-early 1st century CE), during which both civilizations - of the West and the East - merged into what is known as the Hellenistic period and the Hellenistic culture. The Catalogue contains 371 entries.

This book collects articles from two different workshops organized in 2009 and 2010. The TAG (Theoretical Archaeology Group) Conference in Stanford (May, 1-3, 2009) - workshop on Cyber-archaeology - and the conference Diversifying Participation. Digital Media and Learning - workshop on Virtual Collaborative Environments for Cultural Heritage (February, 18-20, 2010 in San Diego, La Jolla).

The aims of this research are two-fold. First is to present and systematically analyze the bidirectional flint blade industries from PPNB sites throughout the southern Levant. This formal 'hallmark' PPNB technology is only briefly reported in most publications, thus requiring some sort of quantification methods, such as indices for formal lithic technologies as has been done, for example, in Palaeolithic research. Broadly, the principles of indices could be employed for the bidirectional blade component; however this is inapplicable for this research since the studied samples include only complete items, thus requiring counts of complete items within the general assemblages, something not presented in most reports. Therefore the bidirectional blade component within the examined provinces are presented by their major characteristics (mode of production, raw material, technology, typology and style) in respect to sample size. The other aim is to examine two of the models discussed, 'Regionalism' and 'Craftspecialization. With regards to 'Regionalism' the author examines whether the proposed cultural units for the southern Levant region are also reflected in the bidirectional blade industries. The focus is on the area from the Litani River in the north to the Gulf of Aqaba in the south, the Transjordanian highlands to the east and the Mediterranean coast in the west. The investigation of aspects of the bidirectional blade lithic industries should complement other material culture such as architecture, burial customs and subsistence economy, amongst others, in contributing to the identification of cultural units in time and space with the southern Levant. The issue of 'Craft specialization' is examined to consider whether complex lithic economies such as the one described for 'Ain Ghazal can be identified at other sites in the southern Levant. The results are further correlated with site types (e.g. permanent and seasonal villages, ephemeral camps, ritual sites) in an attempt to detect possible inter and intra-site patterns for bidirectional blade products, and in order to provide a wider perspective on PPNB social complexity. The proposed research aims to characterize and define the nature and variability of the use of bidirectional blade technology through time and space. It is expected to provide information concerning aspects of social structure and complexity amongst the PPNB communities in the southern Levant before the rise of early urban civilizations in the Near East.

Society for Arabian Studies Monographs No.11The study presents fast disappearing information on the ethnography of agricultural communities in northern Oman and especially on the use of stars. It aims to identify the stars used and record the methods of stargazing in sufficient detail that the systems could be replicated if all local knowledge were lost. It also aims to raise awareness and improve the understanding of the significance of the traditional use of the stars in irrigated agriculture. This aspect of the cultural heritage of the region has not been written about previously in such detail. The main reason for the continued use of stars by a few communities, even though wristwatches are now widely available, is thought to be adherence to tradition both for its own sake and to avoid disputes over the sharing of water. It is considered unlikely that this ancient practice will survive more than 10 or 20 years unless the younger generation takes an interest in learning, and putting into practice, the traditions of their forefathers.

In this study of prehistoric innovation, the author argues that a range of technologies and practices need to be considered in order to place innovation into the pre-existing social and technological systems in which it functioned and to assess the means by which it was accepted and valued. In particular the study focuses on how archaeological interpretations of stone objects and stone-working can help understand the adoption and continued presence of metal and metallurgy in prehistoric Europe. The author compares traditionally identified stone skeuomorphs - that is, meaningful imitations-of metal with their putative prototypes. Three separate corpora of these stone skeuomorphs have been identified: polished stone shafthole axes from the Netherlands and surrounding areas, identified as copies of perforated, copper axes; flint daggers from Jutland, identified as copies of bronze, metal-hilted daggers; and jet spacer-plate ornaments from the British Isles, Ireland and Brittany, identified as copies of hammered gold lunulae.

This book is concerned with the developments that followed on from the introduction of farming into Britain and Southern Scandinavia (Denmark and Southern Sweden), and the idiosyncratic social and cultural patterns that emerged as the revolutionary potential of the Neolithic was gradually realised. Fundamental to the contributors approach is a concern with the ways in which communities inhabit their landscapes. If the Neolithic involved the introduction of new species of plants and animals and new forms of material culture into indigenous contexts, the longer-term consequences of this development should be gauged through changing practices of dwelling: patterns of occupation and mobility, the organisation of space, the location of ritual activities, the dead, and the sacred; and degrees of impact in ecological conditions. The authors examine the implicit knowledge, habitual practice and material culture as forms of cultural inheritance which are passed between generations, and modified by innovation.

Twenty-five papers presented to the fourth International Meeting of Anthracology held in Brussels at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) between the 8 and 13 September 2008.

India encompasses a lot of hidden treasures, such as amulets, pendants, etched and eye beads - distinct beads. Besides being used for decoration distinctive beads also have religious, therapeutic, superstitious reasons behind their use. While often regarded as the smallest object of civilization, beads in general were always an integral part of any culture. They are found in large quantities in archaeological excavations and are studied in detail in this book.

This book deals with Research into the history of insect synanthropy in Greece and Egypt', more specifically with insect remains from the Late Bronze Age site of Akrotiri and other evidence from ancient and Roman Egypt.

The potential of the scarab seal is still neglected by many archaeologists. They are primarily considered for chronological purposes, and so their capacity as an historical document is under-rated, as is their value as an archaeological tool. Luckily, more recent studies are beginning to assess the archaeological and historical value of scarabs, and in particular design scarabs, revealing them as potential indicators of cultural interaction, and it is within this genre that the anra (identified always bya sequence of hieroglyphs which includes the letters n and r) scarab is considered in this extensive study. The aim of this work is to try and establish the status, function, meaning, and significance of the anra scarab, and possibly offer something new with regard to the nature of the relationships that existed between the countries of Africa and the Levant during the latter part of the Middle Bronze Age.

Paris Monographs in American Archaeology 9Adding to the scarce material available on these remote Mexican sites, this volume (number 9 in the series of Paris Monographs in American Archaeology) is an extensive presentation of the Loma Alta excavations (Zacapu, south-west Mexico) and its rich finds (2nd century B.C - c. 1250 A.D.). The study is divided into two sections. The first concentrates on the Loma Alta site and its funerary remains, while the second analyzes the stylish iconography of the polychrome ceramic finds from the period considered to be the apogee of the region's culture (c. 700 - 1100 A.D).