Allan S. Gilbert

The Origins of Milk and Wool Production in the Old World: A Zooarchaeological Perspective from the Central Balkans [and Comments]

When, where, and why the shift from an emphasis upon primary (meat) to secondary (milk, wool, and traction) products of domestic animals took place is uncertain. Epigraphic/glyptic and artifactual sources from, respectively, the Near East and Central Europe point to a late 4th and early 3d millennium B.C. date in the Old World. Recently collected zooarchaeological data from the Central Balkans are here used to show that there was a widespread shift in domestic-animal production strategies from an emphasis upon primary products to a more diversified orientation including both primary and secondary products between the end of the Late Neolithic and the onset of the Post-Neolithic (ca. 3300 B.C.). Implications for the various traditional explanations for the shift are discussed in light of the dramatic hanges in population distribution, settlement, land use, sociopolitical integration, mortuary practices, and exchange systems observed in this period.

Reassessing zooarchaeological quantification

Abstract Currently available means of quantifying archaeological fauna for the purpose of assessing original species ratios of the ancient kill are generally inadequate to the task. Depositional processes and the distortion they may create will, in most cases, skew such calculations, which are uniformly dependent upon some measure of representativeness in bone recovery frequencies. Examples of depositional bias are given, and encouragement is offered to zooarchaeologists to undertake taphonomic study of their collections as a means of documenting formative processes and identifying potential accumulative‐attritional agencies. An alternative approach to species ratio estimation is presented that utilizes decay functions based upon bone loss rates and depositional time intervals that would be modeled on a case by case basis.

On the origins of specialized nomadic pastoral ism in western Iran

Abstract Specialized nomadic pastoralism and its possible origins in the central Zagros mountains of Iran are discussed. An initial focus on the practicalities of archaeological investigation describes the social as well as economic aspects of productive specialization, many of which are not defined by specific depositional features and are thus not always clearly readable in the archaeological record. These difficulties, in addition to the highly variable character of pastoralism as a secondary activity within a mixed farming adaptation or a principal investment combined with other pursuits, make the question of origins a very complex one. Although an earlier appearance of specialized mountain nomadism is possible, a scenario based upon a number of archaeological indications is offered for its emergence concomitant to the growth of urbanism and centralized political organization in the Luristan region.

A ceramic chemistry archive for New Netherland/New York

Compositional analysis has made important contributions to studies of artifact provenience and technological change, but it is rarely used in U.S. historical archaeology. This article presents a non-technical description of the New Netherland/ New York ceramic chemistry archive, detailing methods used in the New York area to explore the chemical dimension of archaeological materials primarily from the historic period. Examples of preliminary results are offered to illustrate the archive’s potential; however, the article emphasizes research design. Theoretical and procedural topics of interest to archaeologists are discussed, including the cultural significance of compositional data, sampling strategy, recovery tactics for buried clays (such as resistivity probing, branded-brick sampling, and tapping of municipal borings), and interpretive problems. In addressing issues of project planning, the authors seek to encourage the establishment of archives in other areas that will facilitate inter-regional and international studies of ceramic production and trade.

Faunal Remains from Dinkha Tepe, Northwestern Iran

AbstractFaunal material recovered during the 1968 season at Dinkha Tepe, a Bronze and Iron Age site in NW Iran, is analyzed. The following topics are discussed: 1) the relative proportion of species in the collection and the probable contribution of each to the ancient diet, 2) interpretations of secondary economic uses of animals based on age criteria, 3) frequency of recovered skeletal parts as an indication of butchering procedures, 4) description and interpretation of the most commonly recovered bone tools, 5) osteometry and comparison with fauna from the nearby site of Bastam.

Biochemical Differentiation of Archaeological Equid Remains: Lessons from a First Attempt

Abstract The difficulty of distinguishing different taxa of equids from one another on the basis of skeletal morphology has led to the search for alternative means by which archaeologically recovered bones may be separated according to species or hybrid. The recently evolved biomolecular technique of protein radioimmunoassay (RIA) offers much promise in this regard because it identifies specimens using constituent proteins that differ from species to species and that tend to blend in selectively bred crosses. The method works for ancient bones only when sufficient amounts of the appropriate proteins survive.Bone samples were assayed from wild, hunted onagers recovered from Neolithic levels of Ali Kosh Tepe in lowland SW Iran and from possible hybrids recovered from Bronze Age Levels of Godin Tepe in highland western Iran. Although insufficient albumin remained with which to accomplish the intended goal of species identification, the pattern of collagen retention provided important information on the relat...

Zooarchaeological Observations on the Slaughterhouse of Meketre

Among the models recovered by the Metropolitan Museum of Art Egyptian Expedition from the Middle Kingdom tomb of Meketre at Thebes are three that deal with the management and slaughter of cattle. These appear to represent a programmatic illustration of the consecutive stages in beef production. The scenes depicted–-inspection, fattening, and butchery–-resulted in the provision of meat to nourish the soul of the deceased, but they probably also reflect to some extent aspects of real beef cattle husbandry as it was conducted on the estate during his lifetime. Presuming that the models are constructed to scale and are accurate in detail, further analysis from a zooarchaeological perspective furnishes additional information about their potential meaning. Conclusions based upon study of the models are offered only as hypotheses, however, and must be tested against archaeologically recovered fauna from Egypt.

The New Netherland/New York ceramic chemistry archive: Compositional analysis of bricks by ICP

The need to track down the origins of ceramics recovered in historical excavations within the region of New York led to the establishment of a similar collection of ceramic analytical data. This initiative, called the New Netherland/New York ceramic chemistry archive (or NNNY), resides at Fordham University. The brick component of the archive is especially important. Whereas bricks or fragments of them are common in historic sites, their relatively narrow range of morphological variability makes it difficult to erect detailed classifications or link the different types with discrete sources. The present paper will explore the use of a cheap, recently developed multielement analytical technique, inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (or ICP), that has been the basis for all NNNY determinations. A demonstration of how ICP characterization works in the discrimination of brickmaking establishments along the Hudson River in the late 19th century follows in Section 5. 13 refs., 5 figs.

Overturning Certainties in Near Eastern Archaeology

This article deals with a specific class of materials, commonly called censers. Their retrieval in large numbers at the site of Chatal Höyük, and especially the discovery of two unfinished ones, sheds new light on the production area in the Amuq. Moreover, their archaeological distribution at the site and their stratigraphic assignment provide scholars with crucial information concerning their function and dating. Craft production models will be employed to identify the workshops and their commercial range, while stylistic analysis of the Chatal ones suggests specific elements related to the local production. The analysis clearly demonstrates on the one hand that Chatal Höyük hosted one or more workshops specializing in the production of artifacts made of local stone, while on the other they were used mainly in domestic contexts, and belong to the usual household inventory. The term “censer” was first employed in scholarly literature (Przeworski 1930) in ancient Near Eastern archaeology in the 1930s to describe decorated stone bowls with a long perforated shaft that were commonly distributed within the Iron Age Levant. This term was based on the supposed similarity to Egyptian artifacts called arm of Horus and dated to the Middle and New Kingdoms (Laisney 2009) that bore some similarities to the Iron Age ones and implied a use for the burning of perfumed oils. In later periods, it has also been proposed, due to the lack of burnt traces on the vessels, that these bowls were used for aromatic oils or as spoon stoppers (Athanassiou 1977; Fritz 1987): the bowl would have been fixed to a leather container and employed as dispenser for aromatic oils. 1 Dipartimento di Storia, Archeologia, Geografia, Arte e Spettacolo, Università degli Studi di Firenze.