Long distance Networks

Ethnographic and archaeological  cross cultural data from California and the South Pacific show two main categories of beads and ornaments were commonly identified as jewelry and money which had different elements of form and context.  These elements were compared with bead data from 32 Paleolithic sites and found to be similar suggesting rules of jewelry and money were the same in the Paleolithic as in ethnographic times.

Ethnographic and archaeological data from California and the South Pacific shows two common categories of ornamentation are identified that have standard elements of form and function.  These elements are compared with Paleolithic data from 32 Paleolithic and Neolithic.  The results suggests that similar rules of use and form have occurred throughout Human historyho

This study focuses on the issue of long-distance trade of Prague Jews during the 16th century which was oriented towards today’s Bavaria and the Austria, namely to marketplaces in Linz and Krems. In the long term, the imperial town of Nuremberg constituted the most important intermediary of goods from the Mediterranean and Western Europe for Prague’s foreign trade, which was also reflected in supplier-customer contacts of Jewish merchants from Prague. The text aims to describe these main tendencies of Prague long-distance trade and to discuss legislative measures that were in place for Jews in the territory of Bavaria and the Austria during the 16th century. Although not only a stay in these two regions but even a passage through them was rather complicated – or even forbidden – due to various regulations, the practice shows that Jewish merchants maintained long-term business relations with suppliers from Nuremberg and also visited Austrian marketplaces in Linz and Krems. The text maps this situation using examples of Jewish merchants from Prague and brings concrete evidence about the nature of these business relations.

Bereits bei der ersten gezielten Ausgrabung im Salzbergwerk Hallstatt im Jahre 1846 fiel die hervorragende Erhaltung der gefundenen prähistorischen Gegenstände aus organischem Material auf. Die Untersuchungen der Prähistorischen Abteilung des Naturhistorischen Museums seit 1960 brachten hunderte Pickelstiele, etliche Schuhe, Kappen und Tragsäcke und hunderte Textilfragmente, Schnüre und Seile aus Bast, Holzgefäße und Leuchtspäne, menschliche Exkremente, abgebrochene Pickelspitzen, ungewöhnliche Schweineknochenensembles und vieles mehr ans Tageslicht. Der Großteil der Funde und Befunde aus dem Salzbergwerk Hallstatt hat nur in dieser Umgebung die Jahrtausende überdauert. Es existieren zu vielen Stücken keine Vergleiche von anderen Ausgrabungen und entsprechend schwierig gestaltet sich die Modellbildung zu Funktion und Gebrauch derselben. Um diesem unbefriedigenden Umstand zu begegnen, wählte Fritz Eckart Barth bereits in den 60er Jahren die Methode der Experimentellen Archäologie. Den ersten Abbauversuchen mit nachgebautem Gezähe folgten Schnittmuster für Schuhe, Ziegensacknachbildungen, die Rekonstruktion der Ernährung der Hallstätter Bergleute und Untersuchungen zur bronzezeitlichen Schinkenproduktion. Die Bandbreite der Versuche und Experimente wurde ständig erweitert und findet heute durch das Vorhandensein zweier
Werkstätten im Grabungsquartier von Hallstatt geeignete Voraussetzungen. Zusätzlich werden die nachgebauten Werkzeuge auch im Rahmen von Öffentlichkeitsveranstaltungen eingesetzt.
Bewetterung: Ein wichtiges Thema für die Forschung in Hallstatt ist die Frischluftzufuhr im Bergwerk. Die sogenannte Bewetterung kann bis jetzt noch nicht geklärt werden, vor allem auch da noch keine ausreichenden Informationen zu den Ausmaßen der Abbauräume und Schächte vorliegen. Mittels eines Modelles des bronzezeitlichen Bergwerkes sollte jene Frage genauer geklärt werden.
Haspeln und Fördern: Die Art und Weise des Transports, durch die großen Schächte im bronzezeitlichen Bergbau, ist uns in Hallstatt bisher leider nicht bekannt. Der Fund eines 4 cm dicken Lindenbastseiles im
Christian von Tuschwerk mit einer Bruchlast von über einer Tonne ist bisher der einzig gesicherte Nachweis dafür. Die Haspel aus dem bronzezeitlichen Kupferbergwerk am Mitterberg, Salzburg, legt nahe dass
möglicherweise diese Technologie auch in Hallstatt eingesetzt wurde. Durch mehrere Experimente mit einer rekonstruierten Haspel wurden erste Erfahrungen gesammelt. Typologisierung und Quantifizierung von Abbrennspuren bronze- und hallstattzeitlicher Leuchtspäne: Bereits
im Neolithikum wurden Leuchtspäne zur Beleuchtung eingesetzt. Leucht- bzw. Kienspäne sind dünne radial gespaltene Hölzer, die in der Regel aus Kiefer hergestellt wurden. In Hallstatt herrscht jedoch eine konträre
Situation: Im Heidengebirge, dem urgeschichtlichen Betriebsabfall, finden sich Leuchtspäne, die zum Großteil aus dem nur schlecht brennbaren Holz der Weißtanne bestehen. Noch dazu findet man diese Leuchtspäne immer nur einzeln und nie im Bündel abgebrannt. Eine Methode, um auf die Frage nach der korrekten Handhabung nachzugehen, ist ein Blick auf die vorhandenen Abbrennspuren zu werfen, um so Einsicht auf die Benützung zu bekommen.
Brandversuche Leuchtspäne – Lösungsansatz Ankohlverfahren: Da Tanne so gut wie kein Harz enthält, ist die Brennbarkeit von unbehandelten Leuchtspänen schlecht. Trotzdem bestehen ca. 95% der Originale aus
Tanne. Es wurden Tests mittels Gaschromatographen und diversen archäologischen Experimenten durchgeführt, diese hatten den Zweck etwaig aufgetragene Substanzen (Fette, Harz, Öl usw.) nachzuweisen. Es waren aber keine Rückstände auf den Spänen feststellbar. Durch einen Zufall habe ich bemerkt, dass angekohlte Späne eine bessere und stabilere Brennbarkeit als nicht angekohlte aufwiesen. Ich führte mehrere Messungen an diversen Leuchtspanformen durch und präsentiere hier in meinem Vortrag erste Ergebnisse.

Literatur:
F. E. Barth, Abbauversuche im Salzbergwerk Hallstatt. Der Anschnitt 28/1, 1976, 25-29.
B. Heinzl, E. Auer, B. Slowacki, K. Kowarik, H. Reschreiter, N. Popper, F. Breitenecker, Physical Modelling for Hallstatt
Archaeology. Simulation Notes Europe, 22/1, 2012, 25-32.
F. Köstelbauer, Leuchtspäne aus dem Hallstätter Salzbergwerk. Typologisierung und Quantifizierung der bronze- und
hallstattzeitlichen Funde. Bachelorarbeit Universität Wien, 2013.
K. Kowarik, H. Reschreiter, G. Wurzer, Modeling a mine. Agentbased Modeling, Systemdynamics and Experimental
Archaeology applied to the Bronze Age Saltmines of Hallstatt. In: Mining in European History. Special Conference of the
SFB HiMAT: Historical Mining Activities in the Tyrol and Adjacent Areas: Impact on Environment and Human Societies.
Conference Guide. Conference Series. Innsbruck 2009, 44-53.
K. Kowarik, H. Reschreiter, Archäologie am Berg – Wege des Wissens in Hallstatt, Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und
Wissenschaftsvermittlung am Hallstätter Salzberg, ein Konzept der Prähistorischen Abteilung. Archäologie Österreichs
19/1, 2008, 71-74.
K. Löcker, H. Reschreiter, Rekonstruktionsversuche zu Bastschnüren und Seilen aus dem Salzbergwerk Hallstatt.
Experimentelle Archäologie, Bilanz 1996. Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Nordwestdeutschland. Beih. 18, 1997, 125-
132.
G. Raab, Beleuchtung in der Urgeschichte. Unveröffentlichtes Manuskript, 2013.
J. Reschreiter, Archäologie am Berg – Vermittlung bronzezeitlicher Lebens- und Arbeitswelt durch Experimentelle
Archäologie. In: Neues Museum. Die Österreichische Museumszeitschrift 05/4 und 06/1, Januar 2006, 96-97.
H. Reschreiter, R. Totschnig, M. Grabner, Timber! – Bäume fällen in der Bronzezeit. Archäologie Österreichs, 21/1,
2010, 32-34.
H. Schiel, Betrachtungen zu den bronzezeitlichen Leuchtspänen aus dem Bergwerk in Hallstatt. Bakkarbeit an der
Universität Wien, Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, 2010.
C. Seisenbacher, Seilziehversuche im Hallstätter Salzbergwerk. Bachelorarbeit an der Universität Wien, 2013
(unveröffentlicht).
C. Vadeanu, Bewetterung in prähistorischen Bergwerken. Bachelorarbeit Universität Wien, 2012.

In a research project on glass from the Viking Age market in
Ribe, southwestern Jutland, Denmark,1 nearly 200 samples
of raw glass, mosaic tesserae, vessel fragments, waste from
bead production and finished beads were analysed by laser
ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry
(LA-ICP-MS). Among these, one red and two opaque orange
barrel-shaped beads had a unique high-alumina composition
that seems to be closely related to small, drawn, monochrome
‘Indo-Pacific’ beads known to have been produced
in South and Southeast Asia,2 but with trace elements
different from any other known glass types.

Ecuador is a key area in South America when it comes to understanding the economic, social and archaeological aspects of pre-Hispanic cultures in the northwestern region of the Andes. Among the most complex societies to have inhabited this territory is the so-called Manteño culture (AD ∼800-1530), which spanned across most of Ecuador's central Pacific coast. Ongoing research at the site of Ligüiqui (Manta, Manabí) has enabled us to obtain a more complete overview of the chronological sequence of the Manteño period as well as contributing further data on the advanced stage of social development reached during the period; characterized by the hierarchical arrangement of sites, the use of extensive settlement models, and semi-circular stone fish traps (corrales). In order to understand the role played by this coastal site in the complex Manteño culture, a detailed radiocarbon study was performed in the sequence of the Ligüiqui site. In addition, using a detailed review of available Manteño settlement radiocarbon data (13 sites and 64 dates), we established a chronostratigraphic framework for the culture. Our data indicate that Ligüiqui probably acted as a supply centre for marine-origin products from the twelfth century onwards with activity peaking during the Late Manteño period. A multisite comparison using Bayesian modeling indicates an early onset of the Manteño culture in Ligüiqui around AD 700, and a general demise in most of the sites AD ∼1500 or slightly before. This culture finally collapsed before AD ∼1600 during the early Spanish colonial period. Only one site, La Libertad, shows potential evidence of having remained a Manteño settlement after that date.

The paper presents an extraordinary new find from the site of Velika Humska Čuka near Niš, in Southeastern Serbia. During the 2022 excavation campaign, a set of bronze jewelry was discovered, comprised of a pin, a band, ten salteleons, and ten circular pendants. Of particular importance are finds of circular pendants, which are known throughout the Bronze Age in the territory of Europe. Such pendants are traditionally connected with Central Europe and the Hügelgräber culture, therefore representing an uncommon find for the Central Balkans. The paper provides a stylistic and typological analysis of jewelry, complemented with physical and chemical analyses, and further discusses the scope and effects of interactions between Central Europe and Central Balkans during the Bronze Age.

Two thousand years ago, maritime trade flourished in Southeast Asia and archaeological excavations have revealed that Island Southeast Asia played an important role within developing trading networks. The sites of Sembiran and Pacung on the north coast of Bali, Indonesia, have produced a wide range of artifacts that demonstrate links to mainland and island Asia. Here, we examine faunal remains from these sites to assess the role that livestock played in north Bali diet and trade at that time. In addition to abundant pig (Sus cf. scrofa) remains, the sites yielded the earliest securely dated goat (Capra hircus) remains known from Southeast Asia. Moreover carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and strontium stable isotope analyses of bone collagen and tooth apatite indicate that some of these goats were from a markedly different environment than the pig, human, and dog remains from the sites. It is likely that these goats were imported from a different

The paper presents an extraordinary new find from the site of Velika Humska Čuka near Niš, in Southeastern Serbia. During the 2022 excavation campaign, a set of bronze jewelry was discovered, comprised of a pin, a band, ten salteleons, and ten circular pendants. Of particular importance are finds of circular pendants, which are known throughout the Bronze Age in the territory of Europe. Such pendants are traditionally connected with Central Europe and the Hügelgräber culture, therefore representing an uncommon find for the Central Balkans. The paper provides a stylistic and typological analysis of jewelry, complemented with physical and chemical analyses, and further discusses the scope and effects of interactions between Central Europe and Central Balkans during the Bronze Age.

2016 anmälde metallsökaramatören Robert Bytner att han hade hittat två holkyxor och ett mindre bronsfragment tillsammans i Tumba. Fragmentet visade sig senare tillhöra en holkmejsel. Typologiskt hör fyndkombinationen hemma i bronsålderns period V, som enligt kol-14-dateringar på bränt ben ur danska urnegravar varade 950-870 cal BC. Depåer med flera bronsåldersföremål är ovanliga i Mälardalen. 3-4 oktober 2022 ledde jag därför en efterundersökning av fyndplatsen i samarbete med Daniel Sahlén vid Stockholms Länsmuseum. Arbetsstyrkan bestod mest av arkeologistudenter från Stockholms Universitet. Platsen ligger i en skogsbacke ovanför torplämningen Gustavsdal (icke registrerad), direkt ovanför den branta södra flanken av en skogklädd kulle. Denna del av Botkyrka är fattig på fornlämningar. Närmaste kända skärvstenshög och hällristningslokal ligger tillsammans 3,3 km norrut vid Älvesta. Just frånvaron av kända fornlämningar var förstås en förutsättning för att en detektorist skulle få hobbytillstånd för platsen. Vi genomförde 17 persontimmar metallsökning på och kring fyndplatsen tiotals meter i alla riktningar men fann bara enstaka 1900-talsföremål, bland annat patronhylsor från diverse jaktvapen. I april 2020 hade jag besiktigat platsen men kunde då inte se något spår av Bytners igenfyllda grop. På de GPS-koordinater som han angivit grävde vi nu ett schakt på 3 x 3 m med två sidor orienterade åt kompassnorr. Vi skärslevsgrävde jorden i kvadratmeterrutor och sållade den genom 4 mm maskvidd. Enda artefaktfynden var en tegelflisa och en fönsterglasskärva, båda på bara några millimeter. Bytner hade återfyllt sin grop med de knytnävsstora stenar som täckte yxorna. Vi såg inget spår av den. Några fördjupningar i sterilens yta var i stället uppenbarligen rester efter gamla stubbar. Den gråbeiga mjälans yta låg 4-20 cm under markytan, mestadels knappt 10 cm. Ett grundläggande problem med undersökningsupplägget var att vi hade att göra med felmarginalerna hos två GPS:er. 2016 mätte Bytner in depåfyndet med en felmarginal på några meter. Nu grävde vi på den plats som min GPS pekade ut, också med några meters felmarginal. Summan av de båda felmarginalerna är ca 5 m. Eftersom schaktet bara rymde en cirkel med 1,5 meters radie är det inte så konstigt att vårt schakt verkar ha missat depågropen. Bytner bor i Spanien och kunde därför inte hjälpa oss på plats, även om han mot förmodan skulle ha något decimeterexakt minne av depåns belägenhet sex år senare. Sammanfattningsvis gjordes alltså inga relevanta iakttagelser eller nyfynd. Vår metallsökarinsats gör det dock troligt att det inte finns förhistoriska metallföremål kvar i närheten, om de inte är mycket djupare nedgrävda än Bytners fynd.

Tra le zona di frontiera spicca il Canton Ticino settentrionale, in particolare la necropoli di Madrano, ai piedi del Gottardo. Le sue tombe ricche di fibule smaltate denunciano rapporti stretti con il centro Europa, mentre altre fibule (le Mesocco) sono locali.

Inledning Svarta rödstjärten Phoenicurus ochruros expanderade långsamt norrut i Europa under 1800-talet. I södra och mellersta Tyskland var den en vanlig häckfågel redan i mitten av århundradet. I Nordtyskland betecknades den däremot ännu på 1880-talet som sparsam och exempelvis Hamburgs äldre fågelfaunor redovisar endast enstaka häckningsfynd (Rosenius 1926, Wittenberger 1976, Glutz & Bauer 1988). Den förekom sällsynt i Nederländerna men saknades fortfarande som häckfågel i Storbritannien (Fitter 1955, Vleugel 1960 a, b, Glutz & Bauer 1988). Även de danska häckfynden var vid denna tidpunkt fåtaliga och koncentrerade till sydligaste Jylland (Malling Olsen 1992). Den första bekräftade häckningen i Sverige dateras till Mörarp i Skåne 1900 och åren därpå återfanns ytterligare några par exempelvis vid sockerbruk i Helsingborg (Borén 1903). Tidsperioden fram till andra världskriget höll sig sedan numerären till synes oförändrade på samma låga nivå (Rosenius 1926, Curry-Lindahl 1963). Denna uppsats belyser den svarta rödstjärtens status i städer som blev sönderbombade under krigsåren 1940-1945 och dess betydelse för artens fortsatta expansion. De uppkomna biotopernas po

Long-distance contacts of the Netolice Area in the Early Middle Ages.
The evidence of coins and ornaments. In this text, we present five extraordinary metal finds from the area of Netolice, the Prachatice District, dated to the period from the end of the 8th to the 10th centuries. Only two of them (a gilded belt strap end decorated with niello, and an imitative coin based on the Bavarian type) are chronologically related to the existence of the Na Jánu Hillfort as a centre; the other ones are earlier. All these finds are evidence of long-distance contacts of the area with the southeast (the late Avar type) and with the west especially (the two belt strap ends and two coins) and they were probably related to the so-called Linz Trail. The most important is the denier of Louis the Pious, minted in Paris, which extends the evidence of the circulation of Carolingian coins in Bohemia, and its close connection with Bavaria in the 9th century. The imitative issue based on the Bavarian type, dated to the period 967–976, extends this, relatively numerous, group of coins and attests the Bavarian influence in the 10th century Bohemia.

802.11 WiFi technology is commonly used for creating wireless networks with a range of about one hundred meters. With careful planning and proper antennas, this same equipment can be used to make point-to-multipoint links of tens of kilometers and point-to-point links of hundreds of kilometers. This paper presents some experiments at distances of up to 382 kilometer  that were performed in Venezuela from April 206 to July 2007, as well as an affordable instrument setup for long distance antenna alignment.

The Indonesian Archipelago extends over 5000 km of latitude, from 95°E to 141°E, and hosts some of the world's largest active metal mines. While some fascinating ethnographic and historical sources exist, virtually nothing is known of the country's prehistoric metallurgical traditions. Given Indonesia's scale, this situation cannot be remedied in short order, but with this paper we seek to elucidate some metal production and consumption behaviours on Bali, located around 115°E, during the last centuries of the first millennium BC and the early to middle first millennium AD. The studied early Metal Age assemblage of 27 copper-base artefacts from the sites of Pacung, Sembiran, Bangkah, Pangkung Paruk, Gilimanuk and Manikliyu includes bangle, bowl, drum, hook, mirror and ornamental typologies, and fragments thereof. Fourteen of the 27 samples were suffering from corrosion, but a strong tendency towards leaded copper alloys (21 of 27) can be distinguished, with some bronzes, a high-tin bronze and a leaded hightin bronze. The high proportion of leaded artefacts mean that lead isotope data cannot be used to identify possible sources of copper, but there is good consistency with Mainland SouthEast Asian Iron Age leaded alloy signatures for the bulk of the assemblage, possibly indicating the existence of long-range (~2000-3000 km one way) exchange systems at the outset of the Island SouthEast Asian Metal Age, and perhaps as far as China and India in the case of the mirror and bowl, respectively. Of particular note, the Manikliyu 'Pejeng' drum, a stylistically idiosyncratic type known from Bali and Java, and for which there is local production evidence, transpired to be consistent in terms of elemental composition and lead signature with Mainland 'Dong Son' drums. This could suggest that Pejeng drums were produced not just from metal imported from the Mainland but with melted down Mainland drums; an intriguing case of local reinterpretation of foreign elite material culture and iconography.

Studies of trade routes across Southeast Asia in prehistory have hitherto focused largely on archaeological evidence from Mainland Southeast Asia, particularly the Thai Peninsula and Vietnam. The role of Indonesia and Island Southeast Asia in these networks has been poorly understood, owing to the paucity of evidence from this region. Recent research has begun to fill this void. New excavations at Sembiran and Pacung on the northern coast of Bali have produced new, direct AMS dates from burials, and analytical data from cultural materials including pottery, glass, bronze, gold andsemi-precious stone, as well as evidence of local bronze-casting. This suggests strong links with the Indian subcontinent and Mainland Southeast Asia from the late first millennium BC, some 200 years earlier than previously thought.

edited by Brigitta Hauser-Schäublin and I Wayan Ardika T villages on Bali’s north-east coast have a long history. Archaeological finds have shown that the coastal settlements of Tejakula District enjoyed trading relations with India as long as 2000 years ago or more. Royal decrees dating from the 10th to the 12th century, inscribed on copper tablets and still preserved in the local villages as part of their religious heritage, bear witness to the fact that, over a period of over 1000 years, these played a major role as harbour and trading centres in the transmaritime trade between India and (probably) the Spice Islands. At the same time the inscriptions attest to the complexity in those days of Balinese society, with a hierarchical social organisation headed by a king who resided in the interior – precisely where, nobody knows. The interior was connected to the prosperous coastal settlements through a network of trade and ritual. The questions that faced the German-Balinese research...

This paper presents data on two new species for Sweden, Carulaspis minima and Pulvinaria regalis. Although C. minima has never been found in Sweden, records from the US Plant Quarantine testify that specimens of this insect were present on juniper berries imported from Sweden 1956. P. regalis was observed in 2006 and is now spreading in the south province. This paper also presents 30 new province records which are presented with notes on host plants and distribution patterns in the country.

Rescue excavations in Prohear, southeast Cambodia, recently saved the last untouched graves of one of the richest prehistoric sites in Southeast Asia. Many Iron Age burials dating from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD contained gold and silver ornaments so far unknown from archaeological contexts together with indications for the presence of an immigrated elite. A first selection of 59 objects were analysed by LA-ICP-MS to obtain detailed information about the composition, as well as minor and trace elements. The majority of the ornaments consist of electrum and auriferous silver with low copper concentrations, and two main groups indicating different alluvial gold sources can be distinguished by different concentrations of Pt, Ir, Bi and different Pd/Pt ratios, one group being related to rich burials with non-local features. The SEM and EDX analyses of four objects revealed two different gilding techniques observed for the first time in Southeast Asian artefacts: foil-fusion gilding, related to special AgeAue(Cu) eSn alloys containing up to 4% tin, and depletion gilding.

Rescue excavations in Prohear, southeast Cambodia, recently saved the last untouched graves of one of the richest prehistoric sites in Southeast Asia. Many Iron Age burials dating from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD contained gold and silver ornaments so far unknown from archaeological contexts together with indications for the presence of an immigrated elite. A first selection of 59 objects were analysed by LA-ICP-MS to obtain detailed information about the composition, as well as minor and trace elements. The majority of the ornaments consist of electrum and auriferous silver with low copper concentrations, and two main groups indicating different alluvial gold sources can be distinguished by different concentrations of Pt, Ir, Bi and different Pd/Pt ratios, one group being related to rich burials with non-local features. The SEM and EDX analyses of four objects revealed two different gilding techniques observed for the first time in Southeast Asian artefacts: foil-fusion gilding, related to special AgeAue(Cu) eSn alloys containing up to 4% tin, and depletion gilding.

Substansen togs bort från och med 2004 av besparingsskäl då den endast påträffats vid ett enda tillfälle. # Substansen återinfördes efter att ha varit borttagen under året innan. Tabell 6. Antal prov per år och antal analyserade substanser per prov i regnvattnet År från Söderåsen. Substanser som tillkommit eller tagits bort från analyserna presenteras jämfört med föregående år Antal prov Antal subst. Nytillkomna substanser Borttagna substanser fr o m aktuellt år

En analys av möjligen använda huggverktyg vid byggnadet av Alvastra pålbyggnad Kandidatuppsats i laborativ arkeologi Stockholms Universitet HT 2012 Abstract: This paper deals with the question of with witch tools the Alvastra pile dwelling was built. To reach a result I calculate the curvature on 29 stone axes, 8 double-edged axes and 21 simpleedged axes, used in the middle-neolithic in what today is Sweden. These results are then compared with two jams (the point in the pole where the axes edged stopped and left a mark) on two piles from Alvastra pile dwelling. Erkännande: Denna uppsats hade aldrig blivit till utan hjälp av vissa personer som delat med sig av sina kunskaper och dyrbara tid för att hjälpa mig att nå de resultat som jag gjort. Först ut måste jag tacka mina handledare Lena Holmquist som väglett mig i uppbyggnaden i arbetet och Joakim Schultzén som hjälp mig med den metod som använts i denna uppsats, fotogrammetri, och med många matnyttiga tips på vägen. Ett stort tack till Jackie Taffinder vid Statens historiska museum i Stockholm för visningarna av stenyxorna från Alvastra pålbyggnad. Ett stort tack även till Fredrik Hallgren för litteraturtips berörande ämnet experimentell arkeologi med stenyxor. Sist men inte minst ett stort tack till Anders Carlsson, docent i arkeologi vid SU för litteraturtips och råd på vägen. Omslagsbild: Påle nr 33 enligt Mats P. Malmers sammanställning av Alvastras pålbyggnad nr 1 till 884 från -77. Foto: Peter Nelson och en av de sju pålar som undersökts i denna uppsats.

Hasslefyndet kastar ljus över kontaktvägar, metallanvändning och offerskick under bronsålderns slutskede Genom de tusentals bronsföremål från bronsåldern som har påträffats i Sverige kan vi se spår efter bronsåldersmänniskornas kontaktnät. I Sverige brukar bronsåldern räknas som perioden mellan 1700 och 500 f.Kr. Under denna tid verkar man inte ha utvunnit koppar lokalt i Sverige, så för att få tillgång till den eftertraktade bronsen skaffade man sig koppar och tenn från andra områden. Analyser av metallerna i bronsföremål som har påträffats på olika platser i Sverige tyder på att Skandinavien var en del av ett vidsträckt utbytesnätverk i Europa vid denna tid. Kopparen som finns i de undersökta föremålen har visat sig ha sitt ursprung i olika delar av västra, centrala och södra Europa.

In the days of the Late Roman Empire, the Limes Moesiae followed the course of the Lower Danube. A Roman road, the Via Istrum, ran along the southern bank of the river, linking legion camps, forts, watchtowers, signal posts and stations, from Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica) to Noviodunum (Isaccea). One of the three units of the Classis Histriae (i.e., the Danube Fleet), the Classis Moesica, secured the border control on the river. It operated not only along the Danube from the Iron Gates to the Danube Delta, but also along the northern Black Sea coast, from the delta to the Crimea. While the Danube Fleet played a significant role in the logistics for the legions by transporting food, weapons and troops it was also a great economic factor, due to the activities of its headquarters, and its ports, marinas and wharfs. The river trade on the Lower Danube covered a wide variety of commodities in the Late Roman period.

Studies with primary focus on Viking age gilding techniques in Scandinavia has not been carried out since the sixties. During the past 50 years knowledge about prehistoric gilding techniques and traces of them in the archeological material, as well as the usage of natural sciences within archaeology, has developed considerably. The aim of this thesis was to revisit the topic of gilding and shed new light on Viking age metalworking in Scandinavia with focus on gilding techniques. The second aim was to determine the possibilities and limitations of the study of gilding with a non-destructive methodology. The surfaces of 13 metal objects, four of which are indigenous and the rest are imported goods, were analyzed with SEM-EDS. The chemical compositions of the gilded layers as well as the underlying silver-or copper alloys were analyzed. Furthermore, observations of micro morphological structures were carried out on the gilt surfaces. Interpretations of both chemical compositions and micro morphology were carried out in order to identify what technique or techniques have been used for gilding. The results show that two of artefacts have not been gilded at all, five of them have been fire gilded and the results of the remaining six objects are inconclusive mainly due to lacking reference data. It can be concluded that further research regarding the aging of gilt surfaces on gilded artefacts, more specifically the loss of mercury in fire gilded surfaces over time, needs to be carried out.

The muscularii, the men of the musculorum/musculariorum units, have been considered at times to be either siege engineers or marines in small boats. This paper examines all of what little is known about the units, and proposes for the muscularii a different function as "musclemen" that has a better fit with the established facts.

We undertook an extensive literature review of the distribution of the variscite and other green stone adornments across Western Spain. This region has a crucial importance for the understanding of this phenomenon, since two of the three main variscite mines exploited during the prehistory are located there. Perhaps due to such importance, Western Spain has been the scenario of an ongoing analytical effort that, however, has not yet been accompanied by a global, interpretative synthesis for the entire area. From a database of little more than 130 Neolithic to Early Bronze Age archaeological sites with green stone beads, we offer a state of the art and a first quantification of the distribution of the variscite and other green stone adornments across Western Spain. This step is essential for achieving a basic understanding of the chronological evolution, regional differences and socioeconomic processes that made possible the occurrence of intense mining activities and also the exchange of those trinkets across really long distances.

En este trabajo, se ofrece una revisión extensiva de la literatura científica referida a la distribución de adornos realizados en variscita y en otras piedras verdes a lo largo de España Occidental. Esta región tiene una importancia crucial para la comprensión de este fenómeno, puesto que dos de las tres minas principales explotadas durante la prehistoria están situadas allí. Quizás debido a esta importancia, el Occidente Español ha sido el escenario de un esfuerzo analítico –actualmente en marcha– que, sin embargo, no siempre ha ido acompañado de una síntesis interpretativa global para toda el área. A partir de una base de datos de poco más de 130 yacimientos del Neolítico al Bronce Inicial con cuentas realizadas en piedra verde, ofrecemos un estado de la cuestión y una primera cuantificación de la distribución de los adornos en variscita y otras piedras verdes a lo largo de España Occidental. Este paso resulta fundamental para poder alcanzar un conocimiento básico de su evolución cronológica, sus diferencias regionales y de los procesos socioeconómicos que hicieron posible la aparición de intensas actividades mineras así como el intercambio de estos diminutos objetos a lo largo de distancias realmente largas.

å länge de mäktiga järnbruken ännu var i drift, långt fram i historisk tid, fraktade ångbåtar malm och tackjärn på Tämnarån, ständigt fram och tillbaka mellan Strömsbruk, Fors och Ullfors. Då sjöd ån av liv. Båtarna stävade fram och tillbaka med sina transporter, folk lastade och lossade, människor möttes och utbytte nyheter. Tanken förmedlar känslan av en förgången tid, då Tämnarån innebar en värld av möjligheter för de människor som valt att bosätta sig i dess närhet. Möjligheter till mer långväga kontakter med andra människor har haft en oerhörd betydelse för hur samhällskulturer vuxit fram och präglats. I vår samtid färdas vi på andra sätt, i ett helt annat tempo. Den nya motorvägen rusar snart fram, tvärs igenom detta gamla kulturlandskap med sina åldriga färdvägar, oberoende av såväl Tämnarån som den mäktiga Uppsalaåsen. Motorvägen tecknar sig som ett självständigt utropstecken av modern tid, där omvärlden blir allt lättare och snabbare att nå. Och omvärldens människor kommer, i sin tur, att genom denna möjlighet söka sig till detta kulturlandskap på grund av dess inneboende värden och möjligheter. Precis som människor i gångna tider har gjort. Och på samma sätt som då, kommer landskapet och människorna att influeras och förändras i takt med den allt ökande tillgängligheten.

Taiwan Beijing 0 km 2000 N Taiwan presents a puzzling anomaly in the development and expansion of South and Southeast Asian trade routes. The lack of historical records from the island emphasises the value of archaeology for understanding the establishment of trade and the transmission of people, ideas and knowledge. Recent research focusing on newly excavated sites such as Jiuxianglan shows that the Metal Age in Taiwan began around 400 BC, much earlier than was previously thought. Furthermore, it seems that early trade predominantly prioritised links to the south, and not, curiously, with Mainland China to the immediate west as had traditionally been supposed.