Doris Esenarro, Jimena Ccalla, Guisela Yabar
et al.
The objective of this research is to conduct a spatial analysis of the functional Andean worldview of the Ankasmarka Archaeological Site, located in Calca, Peru. The preservation of cultural heritage in Latin America faces significant challenges that threaten the integrity of key sites such as Ankasmarka. Despite its historical relevance, this site lacks available open access information and data, collected in accessible reports, which hinders the attraction of attention and funding necessary for its conservation. Furthermore, urbanization and uncontrolled tourism negatively impact both cultural traditions and the connection of local communities with their past. The methodology employed is based on a systematic review of primary information, supplemented by excavation reports and official sources. Specialized software such as AutoCAD Architecture and Revit were used to carry out the topographic and architectural survey of the site, enabling the precise and rigorous interpretation of the data. This article focuses on the spatial and functional description of the site, with the aim of paving the way for future research in specific areas such as formal and structural analysis, as well as social and political dynamics. The results reveal a complex organizational structure at Ankasmarka, with enclosures designated for various functions, particularly storage and agricultural activities. The site is divided into three sectors: Sector A, which includes housing, storage areas, and tombs; and Sector B and C, with the highest concentration of housing and agricultural zones with storage areas, respectively. The findings underscore the interrelationship between agriculture, funerary practices, and architecture, highlighting the importance of Ankasmarka in the lives of its ancient inhabitants and the need for continued future research.
Seismic sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy, as emerging interdisciplinary fields, demonstrate unique advantages in characterizing seismic geomorphological responses of various system tracts within the stratigraphic frameworks of rift lacustrine basins. Focusing on the Paleogene Dainan Formation in the Gaoyou Sag of the Subei Basin, eastern China, this study integrates seismic termination patterns, sedimentary cyclicity analysis, and well-to-seismic calibration to subdivide the formation into three third-order sequences containing lowstand (LST), transgressive (TST), and highstand (HST) system tracts. The distribution of five distinct sedimentary facies exhibits pronounced sub-tectonic zonations controlled by the basin’s architecture and structural evolution, with steep slope zones dominated by nearshore subaqueous fan–fan delta complexes, gentle slopes developing normal deltaic systems, and deep-semi-deep lacustrine facies with slump turbidite fans concentrated in depositional centers. Through a novel application of 90° phase adjustment, spectral decomposition, and multi-attribute fusion techniques, the relationship between seismic amplitude attributes and lithologies are established via seismic lithology calibration. Detailed sequence evolution analyses and seismic geomorphological interpretation systematically elucidate the spatio-temporal evolution of depositional systems within different system tracts in rift lacustrine basins, providing a novel methodological framework for sequence stratigraphic analysis in continental rift settings.
Parasitic plants left little trace in the macrofossil record, making their evolutionary history mysterious. Baltic amber and other fossil lagerstätts have provided plenty of angiosperm fossils, there are only three reports of fossil leaves (cf. Schoepfia republicensis and Schoepfia sp. 1) related to Schoepfiaceae until now, making many hypotheses related to its evolution untested. Here we report a fossil corolla and stamens of a probable schoepfiaceous flower (Schoepfiaceae, Santalales) from late Eocene (37.8–33.9 Ma ago) of Kaliningrad, Russia. Unlike previously reported flowers, the new fossil is characterized by its five fused petals bearing adnate stamens. This character assemblage points to an affinity of Schoepfiaceae. This is the debut of schoepfiaceous flower in the macrofossil record, shedding a new light on the evolution of this poorly understood family. Its unexpected occurrence in Russia adds information to the discussion on the history of Schoepfiaceae.
Piroska Pazonyi, Zoltán Szentesi, Lukács Mészáros
et al.
The Süttő 21 site is a fissure fill of the freshwater limestone of the Gazda quarry in Süttő. The material was collected between 2017 and 2019, and the results are summarised in this article, with a special focus on the small vertebrate fauna of the site and its stratigraphic and paleoecological significance. The fissure fill can be placed around the Early/Middle Pleistocene boundary (ca. 1.1 and 0.77 Ma). The paleoecological analysis of the herpeto- and mammal fauna of the sequence indicates the proximity of a permanent water body. The lower part of the sequence is dominated by open habitat indicator taxa indicating a cool, dry climate. Towards the upper part of the sequence, the climate remained cool, but became wetter, and the vegetation gradually changed to forest-steppe/open forest. The fauna of the Süttő 21 site can be compared with the material of sites that are of a similar age, thus revealing taxonomic and paleoecological differences between different areas of the country. While a warm, dry climate and open vegetation can be reconstructed in the Villány Hills around the Early/Middle Pleistocene boundary, the Northern Hungarian areas had a cooler, wetter climate and a slightly more closed (sparse forest, forest-steppe) vegetation during this period.
Athiwat Wattanapituksakul, Rasmi Shoocongdej, Cyler Conrad
Ban Rai Rockshelter in northwest Thailand, dating to the Terminal Pleistocene and Middle Holocene, includes evidence for hunter-gatherer exploitation of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and arthropods. Abundant faunal remains, identified throughout site deposits, include macaques (<i>Macaca</i> sp.) and Sambar deer (<i>Rusa unicolor</i>), but these identifications are influenced by an assemblage largely comprised of preserved tooth elements and fragmented bone. Area 3 at Ban Rai has the largest abundance and diversity of faunal remains recovered and identified in this study. Here, we examine the zooarchaeological assemblage from Ban Rai Rockshelter, to understand long-term hunter-gatherer subsistence change, influenced by site preservation, during and after the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. Our results support the presence of the exploitation of arboreal taxa during the Early and Middle Holocene in northwest Thailand.