Biography of artefacts

This report presents the results from a Level 2 Historic Building Survey.

Although at first glance the farm range seems to comprise a simple sequence incorporating a barn, a byre and a lean-to structure, its evolution is far more complex. The building in the middle of the range – the byre – is the earliest structure, and although not depicted on the 1839 tithe map potentially dates to the 18th or early 19th century. It was probably first built as a cottage to perhaps house local farm- or quarry-workers. Heating was provided by a chimney at first floor level. Later, a two-storey barn was added to the west, with animal accommodation below and hayloft above. At some point after, the early cottage was reduced in height and converted for use as a byre. The upper floor of the barn was then converted for domestic use, with the addition of a chimney, a lathe and plaster ceiling, and wall cupboard.

Graffiti was observed at first-floor level within the barn and additional recording was undertaken to enable its closer examination. Much of the graffiti consisted of names and initials which represent otherwise invisible people, unassociated with the more formal historical records of the
farm. However, there were also markings which could be linked to the Robson family who farmed White Kirkley for over 100 years from the late 1840s through to 1968.

The lean-to structure at the east end of the range was the last to be added. This was constructed in the late 19th century, probably for the storage of a cart or similar farm machinery.

The two main buildings were further adapted to accommodate more modern farming practices. The first floor of the barn was removed, and larger ‘cart’ doors added to accommodate modern machinery. These doors were reinforced by steel bars and columns.

The graffiti present within the barn included several dates, all of which span the 20th century. These dates can be used to suggest that the first floor was removed at some point after 1950 and possibly during the 1960s.

This report presents the first complete decipherment prototype of the Phaistos Disk using symbiotic methodologies and cooperative artificial intelligence. Integrating multiple AI engines, technical protocols, and cross-validation, the research documents the process of morphological analysis, phonetic simulation, and semantic reconstruction of this enigmatic Minoan artifact. The results demonstrate the viability of symbiotic approaches for deciphering historical codes once considered indecipherable, paving the way for new applications in computational archaeolinguistics.

The material remains of the English Civil War siege of Colchester 1648 have become the focus of a collective memory which has influenced interpretation of the siege and its effect in popular and academic histories as well as in more popular transmission. The re-examination of this apparent evidence for destruction allows the subsequent biographies of these sites of memory and the myths that grew up around them to be traced to reassess the significance of these sites and their meanings.
This is an unreviewed draft of a very old paper that I first drafted in 2009. Any mistakes and errors are entirely mine.

This essay is dealing with the question of the possibility for a non archaeologist to learn something about the Scandinavian Bronze Age by reading novels taking place in the specific period. I have studied novels written by Scandinavian writers between 1980 and present. Before I started I constructed nine different categories that I was to look for in the novels. The categories were constructed in the aim to get as a complete picture as possible of the Bronze Age society. The results were then compared to archaeological evident and theories and discussed in terms of this connection. I also discussed the writers own historical context as a reason for some descriptions of the Bronze Age. At last I put these two questions together in one and discussed if the Bronze Age was described in an adequate way and if there was a possibility of learning from the novels.

Poniendo como ejemplo la fechación del sistema hidrológico de la macro-aldea de Marroquíes Bajos, se debate la eficacia de las cronometrías tipológicas y radiocarbónicas en su relación con el tiempo del proceso, que asocia los cambios en el registro a los cambios socio-económicos. Para ello se examina el concepto de simultaneidad observando que introduce la relatividad y la incertidumbre en las interpretaciones. Este problema puede superarse asumiendo la existencia de escalas de simultaneidad y aceptando las consecuencias del carácter actual de toda realidad arqueológica. Se concluye con la necesidad de hacer de la naturaleza del tiempo arqueológico un objeto de estudio de la disciplina.

The EPSRC's "Usability Challenges to emerge from e-Science" highlighted the need to consider practices to make Grid technology more usable. As part of this agenda the Pegasus project is studying the UK particle physics community's development and use of Grid technologies as it prepares for the launch of a major new experiment at CERN. We outline the aims of the project, describes its methodology, and provides an overview of its expected contribution. We present tentative initial contributions from the project and outline how we aim to contribute to e-science as the project progresses.

U radu se donosi pregled članaka koji se bave obradom prapovijesnoga keramičkog materijala kako bi se upozorilo na nedosljednosti u nesustavnoj i neujednačenoj terminologiji te, u skladu s time, metodologiji obrade. Pregledano je sedam arheoloških časopisa koji su dostupni na Hrčku (https://hrcak.srce.hr/) (Archaeologica Adriatica, Histria Archaeologica, Opuscula Archaeologica, Osječki zbornik, Prilozi Instituta za arheologiju, Vjesnik Arheološkog muzeja u Zagrebu i Vjesnik za arheologiju i historiju dalmatinsku). U velikom dijelu tekstova nailazi se na terminologiju koja se još oslanja na tradicijsku arheologiju šezdesetih i sedamdesetih godina prošlog stoljeća. Način na koji obrađujemo i opisujemo keramički materijal vrlo dobro ilustrira stanje i stav prema obradi keramičkog materijala koji je i dalje duboko ukorijenjen u tradicionalnome kulturno-povijesnom pristupu

Earlier objects are frequently identified in later contexts, though rarely form the focus of discussion. This paper presents 34 sites where earlier Bronze Age metalwork has been found in later Bronze Age contexts in southern Britain, including hoards and nonhoard contexts. These 'out-of-time' objects follow complex trajectories and can inform us about the potential ways past societies conceived their own pasts, especially when contextualized in broader integrated landscapes. Out-of-time objects might be deposited singly or within hoards to reinforce community boundaries and legitimize links with past communities. The form, wear and treatment of these objects pre-deposition (e.g. curation and/or deformation) as well as the places in which they were buried represent indicators of prehistoric processes of commemoration and/or forgetting.

Сажетак: Проучавања уметнички обликованог дрвета, унутар поља визуелне и материјалне културе српске цркве 18. и раног 19. века, била су већином усмерена на вештину дубореза, ксилографију те обликовање храмовних ентеријера и израду иконостаса. Изузимајући дрворезане крстове, богослужбеним предметима и црквеним сасудима није посвећена већа пажња, док су они намењени Светој евхаристији најслабије познати. Збирка послевизантијске уметности Народног музеја Србије поред бројних крстова чува корице јеванђеља, путир и литургијски дискос начињене од дрвета. Уз одабране примере од овог распрострањеног али веома пропадљивог материјала из других музејских збирки и фондова Српске православне цркве, може се распознати типологија и начин обликовања дрвених богослужбених предмета. У периоду туркократије дрво има велики значај као доступан и једноставан материјал за уметничко-занатску обраду. Сврставани често у објекте народне уметности и фолклора, дрвени сасуди посматрани су изван историјских прилика и специфичности визуелне културе 18. и првих деценија 19. века. Артифицирани богослужбени предмети повезани су са феноменом цркава брвнара као сакралних простора у потпуности обликованих од дрвета и материјалном културом свакодневице раздобља из кога потичу. Познавањем типологије поменутих предмета, уз аналогије можемо изнети прецизније хипотезе о изгледу литургијског ритуала и црквеним приликама на подручју Београдског пашалука у столећу које претходи националној револуцији, а чији су материјални објекти претежно познати посредством ретких инвентара. Кључне речи: визуелна и материјална култура, црквена уметност, уметничка обрада дрвета, богослужбени предмети, Београдски пашалук, Српска православна црква, 18. и 19. век.

Originally presented at the 2015 conference "Textual Archaeology of the Ancient Near East: Are We Doing It Wrong?" at Cambridge and last revised in 2019, this paper addresses the text:artefact divide in Ancient Near Eastern studies. While archaeologists focus on material and visual culture, and Assyriologists prioritise textual content, this division often limits holistic interpretations. Reviewing methods such as text in context, diplomatics, and metatext analysis, this study advocates for an entangled approach that integrates textual and material culture. Using a case study from the Ur III administrative center at Puzrish-Dagan, it demonstrates how examining the materiality of texts—context, physical characteristics, and production—can reconstruct administrative networks and socio-political structures. By treating inscribed objects as lived social artefacts, this study offers a pathway to bridging disciplinary gaps.

This paper is the first in a series examining the history and cultural significance of the decorated Celtic helmet from the grave of Silivaș, which belonged to Count Teleki Domokos’ private collection. That collection, which included items from significant archaeological sites in Transylvania, reflects the political and intellectual dynamics of southeastern Europe in the early 20th century. As a noteworthy example of the La Tène period military equipment, the helmet warrants a re-evaluation of its history a century after its initial publication. Using a microhistorical approach,
the paper traces the biography of this significant Celtic assemblage and the interconnected lives of stakeholders – state officials and private collectors – united by a shared interest in the past.
Spanning the late Austro-Hungarian Empire through the interwar period to the aftermath of World War II, it highlights the assemblage’s navigation of public and private spheres amidst political and cultural upheaval. Focusing on Count Domokos Teleki and his engagement with the Transylvanian Museum Society, the paper investigates the fate of his private collection during World War I. By using unpublished archival materials and correspondence, it reconstructs the assemblage’s discovery, exchange, display, and scholarly treatment while exploring the emotional and intellectual contexts of those involved. The Mureș River serves as a symbolic boundary reflecting the shifting identities of that era.
Ultimately, this narrative illustrates how material culture and personal motivations intersected with broader historiographic trends, providing new insights into Transylvania’s cultural legacy during a pivotal moment.

Fibulae are often used as reliable chronological markers in archaeology. Their use-life could vary greatly depending on their shape, size and the material they were made of. Gold fibulae were extremely rare, although they were a sign of authority and wealth. Two miniature Early La Tène type of fibulae from the Early Hellenistic period and four massive Roman crossbow fibulae, all from the collection of the National Institute of Archaeology with Museum in Sofia were examined by a non-destructive XRF analysis and microscopic traceological observation. The present research aims to investigate the possibilities to determine if and how long these artefacts were used before their deposition and what happened to them after their discovery.

Call for Papers open till 6th February 2025 for the session #28, Materiality of studying and presenting ancient religion in museums and other secondary settings, to be held during the 31st EAA Annual Meeting in Belgrade, Serbia 3 - 6 September 2025.

In the Carolingian period, a specific type of disc brooch emerged in what is now Germany and the Netherlands. Its material is copper alloy with enamel, although recent research has included disc fibulas without enamel in the discussion of these Heiligenfibeln. This latter designation was derived from the alleged nimbuses above the heads of the human figures depicted on the brooches. At the beginning of the twenty-first century about 100 Heiligenfibeln were known. Their number has increased considerably in the last decades, and this calls for a new inventory to provide a basis for revising the picture of their distribution and evaluating the received opinions on this unique phenomenon of early medieval personal decoration.

Tussen half mei en half juni waren 28 eerstejaarsstudenten archeologie weer actief op de leeropgraving te Klooster Yesse (Essen, Haren). Op het terrein van het cisterciënzer vrouwenklooster dat bestond tussen 1215 en 1594, leerden zij de veldtechnieken van de archeologie in de praktijk. it jaar werd tussen 13 mei en 9 juni opgegraven, waarbij er op diverse plaatsen in en rond de centrale clausuur (de kloostertuin met aangrenzende pandgangen en werkvertrekken) werd opgegraven. De belangrijkste vragen van dit jaar waren gericht op de vroegste bewoningsperioden van Yesse. In 2022 werd namelijk een houten paal aangetroffen die onder de steenbouwfase tevoorschijn kwam en te dateren was tussen 1047 en 1215 AD. Was dit de enige paal of waren er meer? Zou dit een houtbouwfase kunnen zijn die voorafging aan het klooster? En betreft het dan een boerderij of een houten clausuur?

This research aims to explore the materiality of the palm tree Attalea funifera Martius, commonly known as piaçava or piaçaba, as a living fiber of the Jatimane quilombo, located in the Southern Lowlands of Bahia, Brazil, and its innovative developments. Based on artistic experiences and experiences that cross the fields of design and art, we seek to expand the affordances of this subject. We present a historical approach to the materiality of piaçava, since the creation of the quilombo, contextualizing it through objects that represent the African presence and survival in Brazil, especially textile objects, as well as their ancestral technical knowledge. This investigation uses qualitative methods such as literature review, research-creation, iconographic and ethnographic studies, configured through an artistic-scientific residency. We involve the local community in experiences and exchanges of knowledge, seeking co-creative processes and the construction of textile objects, especially using waste from the fiber cleaning and separation process to meet conventional market standards. The research highlighted the developments of black fiber, revealing different possibilities of use, ways of reusing and developing artistic objects, mainly weaving, modeling and the manufacture of piassava fabric, expanding the creative potential of artisans. An important contribution of the study was the possibility of rethinking the manufacturing processes of piassava objects, adding artistic and design values, and expanding the community's perception of their design and relational culture with black fiber. This research is especially useful for designers and artists who wish to work with communities, focusing on terroir, landscape and memory as fundamental axes for co-creation in artisan communities.

In this paper an attempt is made to design a mathematical machine based on the Pythagorean theory of fitting an equivalent parallelogram (given angle and side) with another parallelogram. An equivalent square or rhombus is constructed given a rectangle or a parallelogram respectively. It is then proved that this mechanism can simultaneously draw a parabolic arc. The parameters of this mathematical machine are checked. In each case, an attempt is made to find the focus and the directrix of the corresponding parabola. The important help of the GeoGebra software for the initial mechanical design of the machine is highlighted, but also the important differences of this simulation from the physical construction.

A longstanding debate in Dutch Neolithic archaeology concerns the distinction between the Vlaardingen culture and the Stein group. These groups are occasionally merged in a larger complex with the German Wartberg group. In this article I aim to move beyond typological classifications by discussing the problem from the perspective of object biographies and communities of practice. For the German Wartberg group we can argue that this group has virtually nothing in common with the Vlaardingen culture and Stein group, besides the occasional presence of perforations under the rims of certain types of ceramics. The differences between the Vlaardingen and Stein group are less straightforward. From a typological perspective these groups are virtually indistinguishable. But if we look at the biography of axes and blades we see that these objects have different life trajectories. In Vlaardingen settlements there is no production of axes and generally no production of blades, they were imported in a ready-made state from Stein settlements. Despite the intensive exchange networks in place, the skills to produce these objects were not shared between these groups. Therefore, I will argue that these groups should be seen as separate communities of practice.

During the excavations of the Jaén Tramway System, several archaeological trenches were made in the southwestern border of Marroquíes archaeological site. In addition to a wall of mud-bricks and stones, a double ditch separated by a higher central rock thorn was documented. A channel of union between both ditches was defined in a section of this last rock thorn. Both the inner wall of the innermost ditch, under the wall, and the thorn itself had reinforcements of stones and mud-bricks. The available dates for the ditches suggest the end of the fortification system with ditches at the beginning of the II Millennium B.C., at least two centuries after the dates proposed by other authors. This end is more in line with the set of available dates for the archaeological site. In addition, a more internal ditch offered a set of partial corpses that suggest the end of a long process of worship and treatment of the deceased people. The available dates places their death in the last century of...

Bone and antler points, found on Dutch beaches, give a new insight in life on Mesolithic Doggerland. Doggerland is the North sea basin, stretching from the Netherlands to Great Britain, Norway and Denmark, once part of Europe’s mainland. After the last glaciation it was dry land inhabited by hunter-gatherers, until around the beginning of the Mesolithic (10,000 cal. BC), sea levels began to rise. This lasted until around 6050 cal. BC, when Doggerland was completely drowned. Due to the submersion, Doggerland holds the most complete archaeological record of human presence in Mesolithic Northwestern Europe. This archaeological record is however disturbed by sand extraction for beach reinforcements, which use sand from areas off the coast of South-Holland. Therefore remains from Doggerland, such as flint, osseous artefacts and even human remains, are found on Dutch beaches. Artefact biographies provide new insights on Doggerland’s inhabitants. Most artefacts are made of bone or antler,
with (barbed) points being the largest part of the assemblage. Many of these bone and antler points were studied by the authors to construct their artefact biography: from raw material to discard or deposition. Material selection was studied using ZooMS, showing that there may be a preference for the use of red deer as raw material. Furthermore, ZooMS analysis identified two points made of human bone, highlighting the possible symbolic and cultural meaning of these objects. The production process of grinding the points on stone (and scraping with flint), cutting barbs with flint and hafting them using a combination of fibres and birch tar was inferred through techno-functional analysis. A high degree of wear on the points and reworked barbs on some, suggests that they were (heavily) curated weapon tips. Most were probably used as arrowheads, based on their small size. This suggests hunting with bow and arrow was an important subsistence strategy in Mesolithic Doggerland. Eventually, the points were deposited, either left behind or lost. Nowadays, they are found again, starting their second use-life.

Andersson, D. 2023. Hällristningsforskning: En studie om hur forskningen förhåller sig till sydskandinaviska hällristningsskepp och cirkelmotiv. Uppsala. Sydskandinaviska hällristningar har varit av stort intresse för arkeologin under en längre tid. Cirkelmotiv och skepp är några av de vanligaste hällristningsmotiven och detta har resulterat i att en mängd studier har publicerats genom åren. Olika forskare försöker att komma närmare ristningarna på olika plan. Det rör sig om olika symboliska ingångar, men också de mer objektiva ingångarna som datering och utbredningar. Istället för en fördjupning i hällristningarnas betydelser, ägnar sig denna studie åt att studera hur forskningen ser ut inom detta fält. Olika forskares arbeten presenteras vilka skiljer sig i metodiker och teoretiska ingångar. En del är publicerade i fel tid, vilket menas att de avviker från den dåvarande forskningstrenden. Resultatet av det kan variera. En del tenderar att hamna i skuggan av de som följer trenden, men blir relevanta efter sin tid. Studien försöker således att se till vad som händer med forskningen som avviker och även vad de teoretiska ingångarna grundar sig i.

Poniendo como ejemplo la fechación del sistema hidrológico de la macro-aldea de Marroquíes Bajos, se debate la eficacia de las cronometrías tipológicas y radiocarbónicas en su relación con el tiempo del proceso, que asocia los cambios en el registro a los cambios socio-económicos. Para ello se examina el concepto de simultaneidad observando que introduce la relatividad y la incertidumbre en las interpretaciones. Este problema puede superarse asumiendo la existencia de escalas de simultaneidad y aceptando las consecuencias del carácter actual de toda realidad arqueológica. Se concluye con la necesidad de hacer de la naturaleza del tiempo arqueológico un objeto de estudio de la disciplina.

Poniendo como ejemplo la fechación del sistema hidrológico de la macro-aldea de Marroquíes Bajos, se debate la eficacia de las cronometrías tipológicas y radiocarbónicas en su relación con el tiempo del proceso, que asocia los cambios en el registro a los cambios socio-económicos. Para ello se examina el concepto de simultaneidad observando que introduce la relatividad y la incertidumbre en las interpretaciones. Este problema puede superarse asumiendo la existencia de escalas de simultaneidad y aceptando las consecuencias del carácter actual de toda realidad arqueológica. Se concluye con la necesidad de hacer de la naturaleza del tiempo arqueológico un objeto de estudio de la disciplina.

This paper introduces a technological and cultural biography of an exceptional copper-based belt buckle plate from ancient Jaffa. The exploration of intricate metalworking techniques and the cultural significance of this find provide new insights into late antique material culture in the Levant. Although similar buckles appear in museum collections around the world, few have archaeological provenience and, to date, none have been analyzed and published in terms of their material characteristics. This study establishes a metallurgical database for future comparative analyses, employing X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to characterize the buckle’s composition and manufacture. The results reveal the use of recycled metals, casting, cold fastening, and decorative finishing techniques, including contouring of the openwork shapes. The analysis finds no evidence of enameling, challenging existing theories about these buckles. A comparison of the crafting techniques and design elements of this belt buckle plate with those of similar buckles shows evidence of distinctive artisanal traditions. The socio-cultural inferences of its art and iconography are also explored in light of the geopolitical landscape after the Arab conquests. This study sheds light on the production and distribution of Levantine buckles and enriches understanding of their use in late antique culture and society.

This study is part of the research programme Decline and fall? Social dynamics in the Low Countries in the Late Roman period, a cooperation between Ghent University and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). I wish to thank the project members Nico Roymans, Wim De Clercq and Stijn Heeren for their input and critical reading.

This paper examines two rare original Sword Designs, which have recently come to light, patterns said to be the two sides of the Sword of Honour awarded with the Freedom of the City of London to Admiral Seymour, Baron Alcester, Commander-in-Chief HM Ships and Vessels Mediterranean, for the Egyptian Campaign in 1882. The paper places the designs in their historical and iconographical context and assesses, by examining various evidence, if the patterns are, in fact, the original designs of the sword actually presented to Seymour at the Guildhall in 1883.

Desde las primeras publicaciones sobre la denominada "Cultura de los Silos" han sido varias las funciones atribuidas a las áreas de silos que los arqueólogos excavan en los yacimientos de la Edad del Cobre: almacenamiento de cereales, rituales, enterramientos o simples basureros. Pero las características de forma, dimensión y distribución espacial que algunos autores han analizado no han proporcionado hasta ahora una explicación satisfactoria para un buen número de esas estructuras, si tenemos en cuenta la densidad del contenido orgánico y su relación con la energía invertida en su excavación. Desde esta publicación proponemos otras funciones que se pueden añadir a las ya mencionadas atendiendo a las actividades agropecuarias actuales practicadas en países de Sudamérica, África y Asia. Esas funciones son las de elaboración de compost y el ensilaje.

2 RESUMEN En el curso de las excavaciones del Sistema Tranviario de Jaén se pudieron realizar varios sondeos en el límite suroccidental del yacimiento de Marroquíes. Además de una muralla de adobe y piedras se localizó un doble foso separado por una espina central más elevada, en un tramo de la cual se determinó un canal de unión entre ambos fosos. Tanto la pared interior del foso más interno, bajo la muralla, como la propia espina presentaban refuerzos de piedra y adobe. Las fechas del foso sugieren el fin del sistema de fortificación con fosos a principios del II milenio a.C., al menos dos siglos después de las fechas propuestas por otros autores. Este fin resulta más acorde con el conjunto de fechas disponibles para el yacimiento. Ulteriormente una zanja más interna ofreció un conjunto de cadáveres parciales que sugieren el punto final de un largo proceso de culto y tratamiento de los difuntos. Las dataciones disponibles sitúan su fallecimiento en último siglo del III milenio a.C. pero su deposición final en la zanja debió ser bastante posterior y quizás cercana al abandono final del asentamiento calcolítico.

L'implantation d'une première communauté scientifique sur la planète Mars invite les architectes, depuis le concours de la NASA, à concevoir des prototypes d'habitats marties. Cette idée nous a incitée à aller dans ce sens. Nous offrons une étude plus humanisée qui participe à l'amélio- ration des premiers actes de réflexion sur l'habitabilité de la planète Mars. En donnant des réponses architecturales aux différentes contraintes à affronter sur les lieux et en veillant à offrir à ces pionniers un meilleur profit du paysage martien et ce pour améliorer le vécu humain.

How are challenging pasts remembered, and how are they forgotten? Fifty years after the end of the American war, 70 years after the end of the war with France, the remnants of trauma remain real and tediously present. Psychological and historical-representational violence continues: simultaneously an impossible burden to carry and difficult to move beyond. A popular slogan insists that Vietnam is a country, not just a war. However, worldwide images and understandings of war are shaped by what happened in Vietnam, and a critique of violence must take up the structural role of memory even as time passes. Commemoration challenges form a grid to contain and suppress unwanted and resistive elements.

The research for this essay took up a series of images in connected consecutive frames: history, heritage, commercial and global manifestations of the “same” material iconography. Considering a central and famous representation depicting the defeat of the French, contradictions and ambiguities are built into the material context gleaned from news reports, documentaries, cinema, memoirs, archives, museums, art and scholarship. Memory’s double entendre plays with the relevance of structure in images that demand close attention, even when institutionalised as reified consumer entertainments. Here, the war may still be wholly political, especially where artefacts remain visible but, in interesting ways, are also ignored.

The third excavation campaign during 2019 in the northern sector of Valencina de la Concepción site has documented several huts, including some new ones, UC 314 and UC 444, and the excavation of ditches 1, 2 and 5 has begun. The chronology of the site in the northern sector, from 49 dates, it suggests, at the moment, 6 large phases: Late Neolithic, Early Chalcolithic, 3300-3000 BC, transition Early-Middle Chalcolithic, 3000-2800 BC, Middle Chalcolithic, the best represented phase, 2800-2550 BC, Late Chalcolithic I, 2550-2450 BC and Late Chalcolithic II, 2450-2350 BC. On the other hand, based on the ditches identified in the geomagnetic surveys of 2017 and 2018, and other documented ditches in the modern urban area of Valencina de la Concepción, we propose the presence of 5 ditched enclosures that surrounded the settlement. Enclosure 3, the smallest and internal one, with two parallel ditches, 11 and 12, from the Early Chalcolithic. Enclosure 2, with three wide ditches, 5, 6 and 7, from the beginning of the Middle Chalcolithic. Enclosure 1, with ditches 1, 2 and 3, which presents semicircular gates, like bastions, from the transition of Middle to Late Chalcolithic. The two ditches of enclosure 5, which represent the moment of maximum extension of the settlement, from the Middle Chalcolithic. Finally, enclosure 4, with ditch 10, also from the transition of Middle to Late Chalcolithic, which is 11 m wide, -8.5 m deep and has a V-shaped section, which cut the two ditches, 11 and 12, of enclosure 3.
Key words: Chalcolithic. Guadalquivir estuary. Archaeological excavation. Ditched enclosures. Absolute chronology

La tercera campaña de excavación durante 2019 en el sector norte del yacimiento de Valencina de la Concepción ha documentado diversas cabañas, incluyendo algunas nuevas, UC 314 o UC 444 y se han empezando a excavar los fosos 1, 2 y 5. La cronología del poblado en el sector norte, a partir de 49 dataciones, sugiere, de momento, 6 grandes fases, Neolítico Final, Calcolítico Inicial, 3300-3000 AC, transición Calcolítico Inicial-Medio, 3000-2800 AC, Calcolítico Medio, la fase mejor representada, 2800-2550 AC, Calcolítico Final I, 2550-2450 AC y Calcolítico Final II, 2450-2350 AC. Por otra parte, a partir de los fosos identificados en las prospecciones geomagnéticas de 2017 y 2018, y otros fosos documentados en el casco urbano moderno de Valencina de la Concepción, proponemos la presencia de 5 recintos de fosos que circunvalaban el poblado. El recinto 3, el más pequeño e interno, con dos fosos paralelos, 11 y 12, del Calcolítico Inicial. El recinto 2 con tres fosos anchos, 5, 6 y 7, desde comienzos del Calcolítico Medio. El recinto 1, con los fosos 1, 2 y 3, que presenta puertas en forma de semicírculo, a modo de bastiones, de la transición del Calcolítico Medio al Final. Los dos fosos del recinto 5, que suponen el momento de máxima extensión del poblado, del Calcolítico Medio. Finalmente, el recinto 4, con el foso 10, también de la transición del Calcolítico Medio al Final, que presenta un ancho de 11 m, -8,5 m de profundidad y sección en V, el cual secciona los dos fosos, 11 y 12, del recinto 3.
Palabras clave: Calcolítico. Estuario del Guadalquivir. Excavación arqueológica. Recintos de Fosos. Cronología absoluta.

Preprint. Comparing Viking Age Norway and Denmark, the article examines the primary proposition that as centers of authority become progressively more robust, violence will be proportionately contained. The article introduces a new approach in using indications of violence as a focal point to elicit broader social practices. The disciplines employed in this study – archaeology, osteology, philology, and sociology – are used together in the study of covariance of different indicators across a societal range. The indicators for assessing violence include skeletal trauma and weapon frequency. For assessing the steepness of the social pyramid, we use runestones, indicating variations in social stratification, and monumental constructions as a measure of power to command labor. Among the findings: weapons and interpersonal violence in Norway was much more widespread than in Denmark, and the social pyramid in Denmark was progressively steeper and more complex than in Norway. “Official” executions accounted for the preponderance of violence in Denmark, while rare in Norway. Denmark was evidently a more “civilianized” society than Norway. The comparative research supports the primary proposition. The research, furthermore, suggests that Denmark and Norway were sociologically distinct societies, which accords with recent findings that the respective regions displayed distinct, though still similar, genetic profiles.

The Account of the Stronsa Beast The sea serpent has been described in various mythologies dating back to antiquity. One account dates to September of 1808, in which a report of a large sea serpent came ashore at Bothelsholm or Rougom Bay, in Stronsa. 1 The Hampshire Chronicle wrote "It was 55 feet long, but the tail seemed to have been broken by dasing among the rocks; so it is calculated to have been 60 feet in the whole. Where thickest, it might equal the girth of an Orkney horse, which you know is a starved English poney. The head was not longer than a seal's and had spiracles or blow-holes. From the back hung down numerous filaments, eighteen inches long, (the mane described by Pontoppidan); these filaments bear the most perfect resemblance to the silk-worm gut, or Indian sea-grass used in trouting. The monster had three pairs of fins, or rather paws: the first pair 5 ½ feet long, with a joint at the distance of 4 feet from the body." 2 The esteemed anatomist Dr. John Barclay (1758-1826) was subsequently consulted regarding the suspected sea serpent of Stronsa. Dr. Barclay wrote about his findings in his work entitled Remarks on some parts of the Animal that was cast ashore on the Island of Stronsa, September 1808, accompanied by several Affidavits, relating to the Animal. 3 In this work, Dr. Barclay produced two relevant plates.

Early modern Germany had a common language and to a large extent a shared culture, yet the lack of a centralized seat of power meant that each of its kingdoms and principalities had its own Residenzstadt, the seat of one of a bewildering array of electors, dukes, princes, prince-bishops, landgraves and margraves. For most of these rulers, the challenge of holding in tension the shifting imperatives of cooperation and competition in the political and military spheres also extended to the cultural arena, where it was played out in part through the maintenance of a court musical establishment as extensive as the budget could accommodate (and sometimes more). While there is a long tradition of scholarship on music in the German courts, it has tended to be fragmentary, and much of it has not been readily accessible in English. The editors of this volume are therefore to be congratulated on assembling a systematically organized collection of essays by an impressive international panel of scholars, each of whom is an expert on a particular court and its archival sources. While the book makes no claims to comprehensiveness-the selection of case studies was, as the editors note, ultimately dependent on the willingness of expert scholars to share their research, as well as the survival of relevant primary sources-it is nevertheless a wideranging and representative study of German courts and their musical practices during a crucial period of development and change in the early-and mid-eighteenth century. It includes much new and occasionally surprising information, and a substantial amount of material made available in English for the first time. This ranges from the complex logistics of the Warsaw Kapelle of the Saxon kings of Poland (Alina _ Zòrawska-Witkowska), to a reappraisal of the sometimes lurid contemporary accounts of Margrave Carl Wilhelm of Baden-Durlach, whose 'seraglio' of sixty female Hofsängerinnen [court singers] waited upon him in Turkish-style tents pitched in the pheasant garden, and followed his coach on horseback, dressed as hussars (Rüdiger Thomsen-Fürst). In line with the theme of 'changing artistic priorities' announced in the volume's subtitle, the editors have opted for a 'snapshot' approach, examining the state of music in each court in 1715, 1730, 1745 and 1760. In practice, the 'snapshot' years necessarily vary in each essay, depending on the vagaries of surviving records and disruptive events such as the seven-years war, but this variability paradoxically highlights why this approach is valuable: it allows for a chronological survey of the changing artistic and political priorities of different rulers over a significant period, while also acknowledging the changing practical circumstances that inevitably affected artistic outcomes and the professional lives of musicians. A particular contribution of this collection is the inclusion of comprehensive tables of key artistic personnel at each court at each 'snapshot' date. These are an invaluable resource for tracing the career paths of individual musicians within and between courts, and also provide insight into the changing organizational structures and numerical strengths of individual court music establishments over a period of almost half a century. Apart from the value of the essays themselves, these tables alone would surely make this volume an indispensable reference for years to come. Samantha Owens' and Barbara Reul's admirably clear and concise introductory chapter provides a broader context for the individual case studies that follow. They clarify terminology that may be unfamiliar to non-specialists, and highlight both the Reviews 125

For many years I have been experimenting with lime bark, which is what most Neolithic well buckets are made of. But where do I get suitable lime bark? For a reconstruction of the well bucket from Erkelenz-Kückhoven (Germany), for example, I need a piece of thin lime bark about 60 cm long and 30 cm wide. The problem is that the bark can only be removed in one piece in early spring when the tree is in full sap – but at this time of year tree felling is no longer permitted in Germany.