Hasil untuk "Prehistoric archaeology"

Emma Willett, Andrea Miglio, Saniya Khan et al.

The availability of asteroseismic constraints for tens of thousands of red giant (RG) stars has opened the door to robust age estimates, enabling time-resolved studies of different populations of stars in the Milky Way. This study leverages data from Kepler, K2, and TESS, in conjunction with astrometric data from Gaia DR3 and spectroscopic constraints from APOGEE DR17 and GALAH DR3, to infer parameters for over 17,000 RGs. We use the code PARAM to homogeneously infer stellar properties considering in detail the sensitivity of our results to different choices of observational constraints. We focus on age estimation, identifying potentially unreliable age determinations, and highlight stars with unreliable $Δν$ measurements based on comparisons using Gaia luminosities. These are particularly relevant in K2 data due to the short duration of the observations of each campaign, and therefore important to characterise for Galactic archaeology studies where the spatial range of K2 is a benefit. Thanks to the combination of data from different missions we explore trends in age, mass, and orbital parameters such as $R_\mathrm{g}$ and $Z_\mathrm{max}$, and examine time-resolved [$α$/M]-[Fe/H] planes across different Galactic regions. Additionally, we compare age distributions in low- and high-$α$ populations and chemically selected ex situ stars. The study also extends known mass-[C/N] ratio relationships to lower masses. The catalogues resulting from this work will be instrumental in addressing key questions in Galactic archaeology and stellar evolution, and to improve training sets for machine-learning-based age estimations.

Line Abele, Gerrit Anders, Tolgahan Aydın et al.

The accelerating growth of photographic collections has outpaced manual cataloguing, motivating the use of vision language models (VLMs) to automate metadata generation. This study examines whether Al-generated catalogue descriptions can approximate human-written quality and how generative Al might integrate into cataloguing workflows in archival and museum collections. A VLM (InternVL2) generated catalogue descriptions for photographic prints on labelled cardboard mounts with archaeological content, evaluated by archive and archaeology experts and non-experts in a human-centered, experimental framework. Participants classified descriptions as AI-generated or expert-written, rated quality, and reported willingness to use and trust in AI tools. Classification performance was above chance level, with both groups underestimating their ability to detect Al-generated descriptions. OCR errors and hallucinations limited perceived quality, yet descriptions rated higher in accuracy and usefulness were harder to classify, suggesting that human review is necessary to ensure the accuracy and quality of catalogue descriptions generated by the out-of-the-box model, particularly in specialized domains like archaeological cataloguing. Experts showed lower willingness to adopt AI tools, emphasizing concerns on preservation responsibility over technical performance. These findings advocate for a collaborative approach where AI supports draft generation but remains subordinate to human verification, ensuring alignment with curatorial values (e.g., provenance, transparency). The successful integration of this approach depends not only on technical advancements, such as domain-specific fine-tuning, but even more on establishing trust among professionals, which could both be fostered through a transparent and explainable AI pipeline.

Andrew Cheek, Anish Ghoshal, Debarun Paul

We investigate the complementary information to be gained from inflationary gravitational wave (IGW) signals and searches for QCD axion dark matter. We focus on post-inflationary Peccei-Quinn (PQ) breaking axion models that are cosmologically safe. Recent work has shown that a greater number of such models exist. This is because the heavy quarks required for the colour anomaly can provoke a period of heavy quark domination (HQD), which, through decay, dilutes the axion abundance. In this work we show for the first time that the axion dark matter mass can be as low as $m_a\sim10^{-8}\,{\rm eV}$ for models where the heavy quarks decay via dimension 6 terms. This is achieved by allowing the mass of the heavy quarks to differ from the axion decay constant, $m_Q\neq f_a$. Consequently, the observables that would distinguish between pre- and post-inflationary PQ breaking, $m_a$ and the additional relativistic degrees of freedom $ΔN_{\rm eff}$, now become indiscernible. To solve this, we propose using blue-tilted IGWs to probe HQD. In scenarios where such a blue tilt is present, the enhanced GW signal allows future interferometers to place non-trivial constraints on the parameters $m_Q$ and $f_a$, thereby complementing haloscope searches. While some degeneracies with other parameters such as $m_Q$ remain, detectors such as BBO and ET will be able to optimistically probe $f_a\gtrsim 10^{14}\,{\rm GeV}$.

Mª Ángeles Medina-Alcaide

Background This article presents the A-LIGHT project and its main results. The "Archeology of the Light" (A-LIGHT) project aims to improve our knowledge of Palaeolithic cave activities through an interdisciplinary methodology applied to rarely-studied remains: the residues of Palaeolithic light from lamps, fireplaces and torches (specially, charcoal and soot). Methods The methodology includes different stages such as: 1. Research in caves and sampling, 2 Laboratory analyses (multi-analytical approach adapted to the type of combustion residue analysed, including Anthracology, C14 dating, Bayesian analysis, SEM-EDX, TEM.EDX, Raman), 3. Ethnographic review of firelight, 4. Experimental reproduction and monitoring of Palaeolithic firelight. 5. Analyses, integration of data and synthesis. Results This approach contributes multifaceted data about the Palaeolithic activities inside the caves (lighting systems selected, fuel used, chronology and intensity of visits or paleo-paths). Experimental reproductions have enabled evaluation of the Palaeolithic lighting potential. This provide essential information for research the visibility and the accessibility of Rock Art from GIS, and allow to more realistic virtual simulations. Conclusions These data demonstrate that the Archaeology of the Light is “here to stay” and that it is an essential approach for a holistic understanding of Palaeolithic caves. Especially on the lighting systems used by paleo-groups in the underground environment (functioning, selected fuels, duration, light intensity), on the minimum number and date of prehistoric incursions, as well as on aspects related to the visibility and accessibility of Palaeolithic cave art.

Clemente González-García

Los zumbadores son juguetes conocidos en todos los países del mundo desde hace siglos que destacan por su simplicidad y sencillez. En este artículo se presentan una serie de hallazgos de zumbadores de plomo documentados mediante prospección electromagnética en el municipio de Gallegos de Argañán, Salamanca. Se estudian sus tipologías, el posible empleo de municiones esféricas para su realización, la existencia de abundantes paralelos internacionales, así como su cronología que parece situarse en torno a finales del siglo XVIII y comienzos del XIX. Los hallazgos se relacionan con la presencia de tropas en el lugar y, muy especialmente, con el despliegue de la Light Division del general Robert Craufurd entre 1810 y 1813. Todos los materiales que se presentan se encuentran depositados en el Museo de Salamanca.

Fen Liu, Shenghai Yuan, Wei Meng et al.

From prehistoric encirclement for hunting to GPS orbiting the earth for positioning, target encirclement has numerous real world applications. However, encircling multiple non-cooperative targets in GPS-denied environments remains challenging. In this work, multiple targets encirclement by using a minimum of two tasking agents, is considered where the relative distance measurements between the agents and the targets can be obtained by using onboard sensors. Based on the measurements, the center of all the targets is estimated directly by a fuzzy wavelet neural network (FWNN) and the least squares fit method. Then, a new distributed anti-synchronization controller (DASC) is designed so that the two tasking agents are able to encircle all targets while staying opposite to each other. In particular, the radius of the desired encirclement trajectory can be dynamically determined to avoid potential collisions between the two agents and all targets. Based on the Lyapunov stability analysis method, the convergence proofs of the neural network prediction error, the target-center position estimation error, and the controller error are addressed respectively. Finally, both numerical simulations and UAV flight experiments are conducted to demonstrate the validity of the encirclement algorithms. The flight tests recorded video and other simulation results can be found in https://youtu.be/B8uTorBNrl4.

Emma Chapman

The Era of the First Stars is one of the last unknown frontiers for exploration: a poorly understood billion years missing from our cosmological timeline. We have now developed several methods for finally filling in the lost billion years of the history of our Universe: stellar archaeology, detecting primordial hydrogen using 21 cm cosmological emission, and observing the earliest galaxies, most recently using the James Webb Space Telescope. This review will summarise why the first stars and galaxies are unique and worthy of observation, and the methods employed by the groundbreaking telescopes aiming to detect them.

Francisco Javier Esquivel, José Antonio Esquivel, Antonio Morgado et al.

The analysis of spectral reflectance data is an important tool for obtaining relevant information about the mineral composition of objects and has been used for research in chemistry, geology, biology, archaeology, pharmacy, medicine, anthropology, and other disciplines. In archaeology, the use of spectroscopic data allows us to characterize and classify artifacts and ecofacts, to analyze patterns, and to study the exchange of materials, etc., as well as to explain some properties, such as color or post-depositional processes. The spectroscopic data are of the so-called “big data” type and must be analyzed using multivariate statistical techniques, usually principal component analysis and cluster analysis. Although there are different transformations of the raw data, in this paper, we propose preprocessing by means of an affine transformation. From a mathematical point of view, this process modifies the values of reflectance for each spectral signature scaling them into a [0, 1] interval using minimum and maximum values of reflectance, thus highlighting the features of spectral curves. This method optimizes the characteristics of amplitude and shape, reduces the influence of noise, and improves results by highlighting relevant features as peaks and valleys that may remain hidden using the raw data. This methodology has been applied to a case study of prehistoric chert (flint) artifacts retrieved in archaeological excavations in the Andévalo area located in the Archaeological Museum of Huelva (Huelva, Andalusia). The use of transformed data considerably improves the results obtained with raw data, highlighting the peaks, valleys, and the shape of spectral signatures.

Sophie Williams, Ed Garrett, Patrick Moss et al.

We collected contemporary foraminiferal training sets from two salt marshes to enable more precise and accurate proxy historical sea-level reconstructions from southeastern Australia. Combined with an existing training set from Tasmania, this new regional set consists of 112 samples and 16 species of foraminifera, of which 13 are agglutinated. Cluster analyses group the regional training set into a high–elevation cluster, dominated by 'Trochamminita salsa', a mid–elevation cluster, dominated by 'Entzia macrescens' and 'Trochammina inflata', and a mid–low elevation cluster dominated by Miliammina fusca and tidal-flat species. We develop transfer functions using local and regional training sets and assess their performance. Our resulting site-specific and chosen regional models are capable of predicting sea level with decimetre-scale precision (95% confidence intervals of 0.12–0.22 m). These results are comparable to other examples from around the world. When developing regional training sets, we advocate that the similarity in the environmental settings (particularly salinity) should be assessed as an alternative way of grouping sites, rather than simply using spatial proximity. We compare our findings with global results and conclude that salt marshes along microtidal coasts yield models with the lowest vertical uncertainties. Studies with the lowest uncertainties are located in the western Pacific and the western Atlantic, whereas those from the eastern Atlantic generally have larger tidal ranges and carry larger vertical uncertainties. Our models expand the existing region available for sea-level reconstruction and can be used to generate new late Holocene sea-level reconstructions across southeastern Australia.

Nathan R. Sandford, Daniel R. Weisz, Yuan-Sen Ting

Increasingly powerful and multiplexed spectroscopic facilities promise detailed chemical abundance patterns for millions of resolved stars in galaxies beyond the Milky Way (MW). Here, we employ the Cramér-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) to forecast the precision to which stellar abundances for metal-poor, low-mass stars outside the MW can be measured for 41 current (e.g., Keck, MMT, VLT, DESI) and planned (e.g., MSE, JWST, ELTs) spectrograph configurations. We show that moderate resolution ($R\lesssim5000$) spectroscopy at blue-optical wavelengths ($λ\lesssim4500$ Å) (i) enables the recovery of 2-4 times as many elements as red-optical spectroscopy ($5000\lesssimλ\lesssim10000$ Å) at similar or higher resolutions ($R\sim 10000$) and (ii) can constrain the abundances of several neutron capture elements to $\lesssim$0.3 dex. We further show that high-resolution ($R\gtrsim 20000$), low S/N ($\sim$10 pixel$^{-1}$) spectra contain rich abundance information when modeled with full spectral fitting techniques. We demonstrate that JWST/NIRSpec and ELTs can recover (i) $\sim$10 and 30 elements, respectively, for metal-poor red giants throughout the Local Group and (ii) [Fe/H] and [$α$/Fe] for resolved stars in galaxies out to several Mpc with modest integration times. We show that select literature abundances are within a factor of $\sim$2 (or better) of our CRLBs. We suggest that, like ETCs, CRLBs should be used when planning stellar spectroscopic observations. We include an open source python package, \texttt{Chem-I-Calc}, that allows users to compute CRLBs for spectrographs of their choosing.

Eve Derenne, Stefano Viola, Marie Besse

This article presents the first results of the planned archaeological excavations led by Prof. Marie Besse, head of the Laboratory of prehistoric archaeology and anthropology of the Department F.-A. Forel for environmental and aquatic sciences of the University of Geneva, at the Eremita Cave site between 2012 and 2015. The Eremita Cave is located in the North Italian region of Piedmont, in the heart the calcareous massif of Monte Fenera, near Borgosesia (Vercelli). The Monte Fenera is already well known for its numerous caves, many of which contain archaeological remains chronologically spanning from the Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages. This particular situation can be explained by two elements: the uniqueness of the massif from a geological perspective when compared to the rest of the area, and its strategic localisation on the southern alpine foothills, that made it a possible stopover for the people transitioning the Alps. The interest of the researchers of the Laboratory of prehistoric archaeology and anthropology was sparked by the mention of the discovery of a bone button attributed to the “età del Rame” (Copper Age) in the Eremita Cave in the late 1980s by the Gruppo Archeologico e Speleologico di Borgosesia (GASB). The first test trenches confirmed the importance of this archaeological site with the uncovering of a pin and spiralled pearls in bronze in the middle of the cave. Further excavations began in 2013. They allowed the team to point out to two important levels. The first one being US 10, a thin silty level that contains numerous lumps of coal. The second is US 19, a level identified around 40 cm below US 10. It delivered a great amount of animal remains, mostly burned, in association with potsherds and stone blocks, and most importantly bronze finery. Four charcoal samples were sent for radiocarbon dating to Zurich (ETH), one belonging to US 10, one to US 19 in the back of the cave, and two to US 19 around the place of discovery of the pin and pearls. The results showed that US 10 is dated to the Late Bronze Age (ETH-64659, 1013-850 cal BC), and US 19 to the earliest stages of Middle Bronze Age (ETH-64657, 1767-1627 cal BC). They also confirmed that the stratigraphy of the cave was undisturbed. Culturally speaking, the shape of the pin shows affinities with the North of the Alps, while the pottery shapes display similarities with the common cultural ground of the alpine region, mostly Valais and Piedmont. Excavations are being carried on by the University of Geneva. The researchers are aiming at determining the function of the cave, mainly by studying the location of the archaeological structures and remains but also by linking the spatial distribution of potsherds to the reassembled pottery. The typological and technological analysis of the pottery assemblage should allow us to establish the cultural affiliations of the site.

Cameron Browne, Dennis J. N. J. Soemers, Éric Piette et al.

Digital Archaeoludology (DAL) is a new field of study involving the analysis and reconstruction of ancient games from incomplete descriptions and archaeological evidence using modern computational techniques. The aim is to provide digital tools and methods to help game historians and other researchers better understand traditional games, their development throughout recorded human history, and their relationship to the development of human culture and mathematical knowledge. This work is being explored in the ERC-funded Digital Ludeme Project. The aim of this inaugural international research meeting on DAL is to gather together leading experts in relevant disciplines - computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, computational phylogenetics, mathematics, history, archaeology, anthropology, etc. - to discuss the key themes and establish the foundations for this new field of research, so that it may continue beyond the lifetime of its initiating project.

Gabriel Riutort-Mayol, Michael Riis Andersen, Aki Vehtari et al.

Microfading Spectrometry (MFS) is a method for assessing light sensitivity color (spectral) variations of cultural heritage objects. The MFS technique provides measurements of the surface under study, where each point of the surface gives rise to a time-series that represents potential spectral (color) changes due to sunlight exposition over time. Color fading is expected to be non-decreasing as a function of time and stabilize eventually. These properties can be expressed in terms of the partial derivatives of the functions. We propose a spatio-temporal model that takes this information into account by jointly modeling the spatio-temporal process and its derivative process using Gaussian processes (GPs). We fitted the proposed model to MFS data collected from the surface of prehistoric rock art paintings. A multivariate covariance function in a GP allows modeling trichromatic image color variables jointly with spatial distances and time points variables as inputs to evaluate the covariance structure of the data. We demonstrated that the colorimetric variables are useful for predicting the color fading time-series for new unobserved spatial locations. Furthermore, constraining the model using derivative sign observations for monotonicity was shown to be beneficial in terms of both predictive performance and application-specific interpretability.

Oscar A. Gonzalez, Giuseppina Battaglia

We discuss the predicted performance of the HARMONI spectrograph and the ELT in the context of two specific science cases: resolved stellar populations of Local Volume galaxies and Galactic archaeology in dense environments. We have produced and analysed a set of simulated data-cubes using the HSIM software, mimicking observations across the giant elliptical galaxy Centaurus A and in the nuclear bulge of the Milky Way. We use our results to demonstrate the instruments capabilities to perform stellar absorption line spectroscopy in a large number of stars which will allow us to study the detailed kinematics and stellar population characteristics of these high density regions

Yanou Cui, Marek Lewicki, David E. Morrissey et al.

Cosmic strings are generic cosmological predictions of many extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics, such as a $U(1)^\prime$ symmetry breaking phase transition in the early universe or remnants of superstring theory. Unlike other topological defects, cosmic strings can reach a scaling regime that maintains a small fixed fraction of the total energy density of the universe from a very early epoch until today. If present, they will oscillate and generate gravitational waves with a frequency spectrum that imprints the dominant sources of total cosmic energy density throughout the history of the universe. We demonstrate that current and future gravitational wave detectors, such as LIGO and LISA, could be capable of measuring the frequency spectrum of gravitational waves from cosmic strings and discerning the energy composition of the universe at times well before primordial nucleosynthesis and the cosmic microwave background where standard cosmology has yet to be tested. This work establishes a benchmark case that gravitational waves may provide an unprecedented, powerful tool for probing the evolutionary history of the very early universe.

Yuan-Sen Ting, Hans-Walter Rix, Charlie Conroy et al.

The LAMOST survey has acquired low-resolution spectra (R=1,800) for 5 million stars across the Milky Way, far more than any current stellar survey at a corresponding or higher spectral resolution. It is often assumed that only very few elemental abundances can be measured from such low-resolution spectra, limiting their utility for Galactic archaeology studies. However, Ting et al. (2017) used ab initio models to argue that low-resolution spectra should enable precision measurements of many elemental abundances, at least in theory. Here we verify this claim in practice by measuring the relative abundances of 14 elements from LAMOST spectra with a precision of $\lesssim$ 0.1 dex for objects with ${\rm S/N}_{\rm LAMOST}$ > 30 (per pixel). We employ a spectral modeling method in which a data-driven model is combined with priors that the model gradient spectra should resemble ab initio spectral models. This approach assures that the data-driven abundance determinations draw on physically sensible features in the spectrum in their predictions and do not just exploit astrophysical correlations among abundances. Our analysis is constrained to the number of elemental abundances measured in the APOGEE survey, which is the source of the training labels. Obtaining high quality/resolution spectra for a subset of LAMOST stars to measure more elemental abundances as training labels and then applying this method to the full LAMOST catalog will provide a sample with more than 20 elemental abundances that is an order of magnitude larger than current high-resolution surveys, substantially increasing the sample size for Galactic archaeology.

P. Jofre, P. Das

Phylogenetics is a widely used concept in evolutionary biology. It is the reconstruction of evolutionary history by building trees that represent branching patterns and sequences. These trees represent shared history, and it is our intention for this approach to be employed in the analysis of Galactic history. In Galactic archaeology the shared environment is the interstellar medium in which stars form and provides the basis for tree-building as a methodological tool. Using elemental abundances of solar-type stars as a proxy for DNA, we built in Jofre et al 2017 such an evolutionary tree to study the chemical evolution of the solar neighbourhood. In this proceeding we summarise these results and discuss future prospects.

Svilar Marija M.

Over the past twenty years, research on textile has received increasing attention in archaeology worldwide, providing new insights into one of the most important crafts in human history. In contrast, activities related to spinning and weaving in the Late Neolithic settlements in the Central Balkans have only be treated with cursory attention, which has resulted in nothing more than a set of general assumptions in archaeological literature. Though some progress has recently been made, investigations of textile in prehistoric contexts are still far from their full potential. The quest for spinning bowls in ceramic assemblages constitutes an important part of the given research, providing new evidence on the production of both textiles and pottery. Therefore, the focus of this paper is on the available evidence for those activities related to textile production in the Late Neolithic, primarily to spinning, with special emphasis on the earliest occurrence of spinning bowls in the Central Balkans i.e. the technology of wetting and tightening plant fibres in ceramic vessels.

Zuzanna Różańska-Tuta

Artykuł dotyczy dwóch nóżek glinianych znajdujących się w zbiorach Instytutu Archeologii i Etnologii PAN w Warszawie. Są to fragmenty figurek antropomorficznych ludności kultury ceramiki wstęgowej rytej, odkryte w 1962 r. na stanowisku Koniecmosty 2, woj. świętokrzyskie. Dokonano analizy technologicznej, ikonograficznej i kontekstualnej statuetek oraz poruszono zagadnienia związane z badaniami nad cielesnością i tożsamością w neolicie. Tlumacz: Beata Kita

Francisco Romeo Marugán

En el yacimiento celtibérico «El Calvario», en la localidad zaragozana de Gotor, se han podido identificar hasta tres destrucciones violentas en un lapso de tiempo relativamente breve entre finales del siglo III a. C. y el primer cuarto del siglo I a. C. A las dos primeras siguió la reconstrucción total y la remodelación de las estructuras. La tercera abocó al abandono definitivo del asentamiento. Este yacimiento aragonés nos habla de una vida convulsa y violenta en esta zona de la Celtiberia entre el siglo III y el I a. C. El grado de arrasamiento de las estructuras, junto con la aparición de varias monedas, nos aproximará al contexto histórico de dichas destrucciones. Del mismo modo podremos comprobar los problemas que plantea el repertorio cerámico celtibérico para poder fijar márgenes cronológicos entre finales del siglo IV y el I a. C. «El Calvario» se encuentra a 11,5 km de la ciudad celtibérica de Aratis, y con seguridad se localiza dentro de su esfera de control político y económico, en un área en la que la metalurgia fue sin duda la actividad más relevante, llegando a ordenar, vertebrar y dar sentido a la ocupación celtibérica de toda la actual comarca del Río Aranda.