Hans Barnard

An Ancient Irrigation Canal in the Pampa Tamarugal (Chile)

ABSTRACT Southwest of Tarapacá Valley, in the Pampa Tamarugal of northern Chile, the remains of a canal were discovered running south for more than 6 km. Mapping and excavations indicated that this narrow (about 3 m) and shallow (about 0.5 m) construction was intended to divert water from the perennial Tarapacá River, combine this with occasional run-off from the mountains to the east, and irrigate a system of agricultural fields in a depression on the pampa. Several piles of rocks (cairns) and cleared lines (geoglyphs) were seen in the vicinity of the canal. The recovered pottery sherds were identified as belonging to the Pica-Charcollo tradition (800–1500 c.e.), while four radiocarbon dates from excavated wood and charcoal clustered around 1400–1600 c.e. This places the canal around the time of the colonization of the area by the Inka Empire, which made Tarapacá Valley into a regional center for mining and marine resources. The rationale behind its construction is likely a combination of the need to mitigate fluctuations in the availability of water for agriculture and the production of a larger food surplus.

The preservation of exposed mudbrick architecture in Karanis (Kom Aushim), Egypt

Excavations in the arid regions of Egypt provide insight into the many types and uses of mudbrick architecture. Upon exposure the inherently unstable building material decays rapidly, resulting in severe loss or complete destruction of once well-preserved buildings. The preservation of mudbrick structures is relatively complicated and expensive. Research has focused on the circumstances that enable preservation and the influence of climate and weather over time. Conservation treatments should address these two processes as soon as possible after exposure of the structures. Our assessment of a range of conservation methods leads to the conclusion that reburial is among the least objectionable method of preservation, despite its drawback of returning the excavated buildings to a situation where they are invisible to both researchers and the public.

The roman quarry and installations in Wadi Umm Wikala and Wadi Semna

A detailed surface survey of the gabbro quarry and related facilities in Wadis Umm Wikala and Semna indicates activity in the first to second or early third centuries AD. Surface pottery found associated with quarry faces, loading ramps, related huts, skopeloi, a putative temple, a main adminstrative building and nearby hydreuma attest to intensive operations here contemporary with periods of early exploitation of the larger quarries of Mons Claudianus and Mons Porphyrites farther north in the Eastern Desert. A lengthy Greek inscription of the early first century AD recovered here over a century ago records that the ancient name of the site was Ophites.

Reconstructing the built environment of the Millo Complex, Vitor Valley, Peru

The Vitor Valley is an alluvial oasis linking the Arequipa highlands to the Pacific coast of southern Peru. The northern limit of the valley hosts a dense archaeological landscape of interspersed fieldstone structures and cemeteries known as the Millo Complex. This cluster comprises three principal segments referred to as Millo 2, Millo 3, and Millo 4; each of which preserves extensive architecture. Here we report on our research of the visible remains of the built environment of these sites, focusing on the relationships between structures, topography, visibility, and access. We suggest that these segments operated as contemporaneous and interdependent components of the larger settlement. Radiocarbon analysis of charcoal samples recovered from excavations at Millo 2 and surface ceramics from across the Millo Complex place this within the Middle Horizon (600‒1100 CE), a period of profound social change and reconfiguration of geopolitical relationships across the south-central Andes. The exact role that the Millo Complex played in this period of regional transition remains unclear. While sizable Ramada cemeteries adjacent to these sites point to local origins and activity, the intrusion of an iconic D-shaped structure at Millo 3 may indicate the introduction of non-local traditions associated with the Wari state. This article offers working hypotheses that may be addressed through future targeted excavations.

Painted textiles: knowledge and technology in the Andes

Many Andean textiles are painted, a tradition practiced across the Andes as early as the Lithic period (ca. 10000‒4000 B.C.E). Despite its prevalence and aesthetics, research into painted textile technology is limited. Recently, samples from nine painted Andean textiles were collected from different museums and analyzed at the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles. The samples represent a range of cultures, locations, and times. Analytical techniques included polarized light microscopy and X-ray florescence spectroscopy. Due to the paucity of published data on painted textiles, a comparison is made with mural paintings. Results show that Andean painters used a range of pigments, including ocher and cinnabar, and that pigments were chosen based on their chemical and physical characteristics from at least the Early Horizon period (ca. 950 B.C.E.‒200 C.E.) onward, although there were also cultural preferences for specific pigments. The quality of the cinnabar pigment especially shows that Andean painters had great technical knowledge and skills, superior to what was previously suspected. Patterns of pigment choice and application indicate that painted textiles were primarily produced for funerary purposes.

Chemical Insights into the Function of Four Sphero-Conical Vessels from Medieval Dvin, Armenia

Sphero-conical vessels are commonly found in small quantities at medieval sites throughout the Near East. These relatively small vessels have a distinctive torpedo shape, sturdy walls, and a narrow, nipple-shaped opening. Several functions have been proposed for them, including incendiary devices, plumb bobs, aeolipiles in pottery kilns, the main part of a water pipe, and containers for precious liquids such as mercury, scented oils, ink, wine, or beer. We analyzed the organic residues preserved in the walls of four sphero-conical vessels excavated in twelfth–thirteenth century layers at Dvin, Armenia, using gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). These vessels all contained trace levels of fat and oils, findings that we interpret as the remains of scented oils. This interpretation adds support to the proposed primary function of these vessels as containers for perfumes but does not exclude the possibility that different vessels may have been used or reused for one or more of the other suggested purposes.

The Fourth Century ad Expansion of the Graeco-Roman Settlement of Karanis (Kom Aushim) in the Northern Fayum

The Graeco-Roman town of Karanis, founded during the Ptolemaic Period in the north-eastern Fayum in the third century bc and long thought to have been abandoned in the third century ad actually saw a substantial expansion during the fourth century AD. With the creation of an 3 extension towards the west and the expansion of the eastern part, the town grew in both directions. We argue that this expansion may be related to a sudden rise of the water level in Lake Moeris (Lake Qarun), perhaps linked to a catastrophic dam breach in the eastern part of the Fayum, and the subsequent relocation of the inhabitants of the low-lying settlements north and east of the lake.