Amarasinghe, Kalaycı, and van Aerde study the Silk Road network as an object of political infrastructure. Their aim is to shed light on the modern “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) project led by... Show moreAmarasinghe, Kalaycı, and van Aerde study the Silk Road network as an object of political infrastructure. Their aim is to shed light on the modern “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) project led by China. The authors begin their investigation by highlighting the Silk Road’s intricate history, composed of multiple agents ranging from individuals to empires. They scrutinize the normative historiography of the Silk Road and pinpoint the problematic areas in the narrative. Their focus is mainly to identify the Chinese contributions to this Eurasian project, as well as how the current narrative is selectively exploited by the BRI project as a proxy for China’s ambition to achieve global governance. Show less
Archaeologists are creating ever-increasing amounts of textual data. So much in fact, that manual reading and inspection has become practically impossible. By leveraging computational approaches,... Show moreArchaeologists are creating ever-increasing amounts of textual data. So much in fact, that manual reading and inspection has become practically impossible. By leveraging computational approaches, it is possible to extract relevant information from this big data, allowing for more efficient research and new analyses. In this chapter, methods and techniques to extract information from archaeological texts through Machine Learning are introduced and discussed, with a focus on practical examples. After reading the chapter, you should have a clear grasp on the possibilities of text mining in archaeology, the current state of research, and enough information to start your own text analyses. Show less
Stable isotope analysis has become an essential tool in investigations of ancient migration and paleodietary reconstruction. Because the biogeochemistry of bone collagen and apatite is well known,... Show moreStable isotope analysis has become an essential tool in investigations of ancient migration and paleodietary reconstruction. Because the biogeochemistry of bone collagen and apatite is well known, current methods rely almost exclusively on analyses of bones and teeth; however, dental calculus represents a potentially additional biological source of isotopic data from ancient skeletons. Dental calculus is a mineralized bacterial biofilm that forms on the surfaces of teeth. Sampling dental calculus does not damage the dentition and thus can be used in cases where it is not possible to perform destructive analyses of conventional mineralized tissues. Like bone and dentine, dental calculus contains both inorganic and organic components, allowing measurement of C, N, O, H, and Sr isotopes. Additionally, dental calculus forms as serial, non-remodeling laminar accretions on the tooth surface, opening up the possibility of analyzing discrete time points during the lifetime of an individual. However, as a microbial biofilm and not a human tissue, the biochemistry of dental calculus is complex, containing multiple calcium phosphate mineral phases, organic and inorganic food remains, hundreds of human and bacterial proteins, and diverse biomolecules from thousands of endogenous bacterial taxa. Isotopic investigation of dental calculus is still in its infancy, and many questions remain regarding its formation and processes of diagenesis. This chapter (1) reviews the unique advantages presented by dental calculus as a novel source of biological isotopic data, (2) critically evaluates published isotopic studies of dental calculus, and (3) explores the current challenges of dental calculus stable isotope analysis through a case study of an Ancient Puebloan Basketmaker II population from the American Southwest. Show less
In general, the fifth millennium BCE in the Dutch wetlands and southern Scandinavia might be described in similar terms regarding the presence of ceramic hunter-gatherers who evidently had contacts... Show moreIn general, the fifth millennium BCE in the Dutch wetlands and southern Scandinavia might be described in similar terms regarding the presence of ceramic hunter-gatherers who evidently had contacts of some kind with central European farming communities. Whereas the end of this millennium saw a relatively swift transition to farming in southern Scandinavia, the Dutch wetlands seem to have taken a different route. Here, the dominant opinion is that of a gradual and earlier start of animal husbandry and cereal cultivation, albeit of a limited economic importance. This contribution will question the Dutch dataset and discuss new data on the use of ceramics and the date and scale of the start of animal husbandry and cereal cultivation. We conclude that the transition to farming (cereal cultivation and animal husbandry) occurred around 4200 BCE, predating the transition to farming in the UK and southern Scandinavia. Show less
Some twenty-five years ago, hundreds of clay sealings as well as a series of stone stamp seals were foundin excavation at Tell Sabi Abyad in Syria. Dating to the late seventh millennium cal. BC,... Show moreSome twenty-five years ago, hundreds of clay sealings as well as a series of stone stamp seals were foundin excavation at Tell Sabi Abyad in Syria. Dating to the late seventh millennium cal. BC, the find repre-sents one of the largest assemblages of prehistoric sealings known in the Near East until now. By now, evenmore seals and sealings have been found at the site. Their occurrence in securely stratified contexts allowed for interpretations about their use in controlled storage events by pastoralists. This paper is primarilyconcerned with the date of introduction of the sealing practice at Tell Sabi Abyad and its embedding inthe wider cultural setting of the time. Show less
An important collection of well-preserved leather finds, predominantly footwear, from closely dated 3rd and 4th century contexts, giving an insight into the population of the fort and the origins... Show moreAn important collection of well-preserved leather finds, predominantly footwear, from closely dated 3rd and 4th century contexts, giving an insight into the population of the fort and the origins of the troops stationed there. Show less
The concept of frugal innovation tends to be exclusively related to capitalism and modernity. The authors argue that this is a limited perspective. The chapter explores its paradigmatic role in... Show moreThe concept of frugal innovation tends to be exclusively related to capitalism and modernity. The authors argue that this is a limited perspective. The chapter explores its paradigmatic role in history by focusing on ‘Greco-Roman Antiquity’ (roughly 500 BCE - 500 CE), a period characterized by rapid change and enduring innovations. The concept of anchoring - the effective integration and accommodation of the new in existing conceptual categories for relevant social groups - is introduced to the conceptual toolbox of the study of frugal innovation. With a historical perspective on what innovation entails, it becomes clear that redesigning and ‘good-enough’ solutions are what probably drives innovation and its diffusion throughout history. In fact, therefore, the alternative perspective that needs explanation is not the ‘frugal’ one, but rather the (ahistorical and typically Western) idea that innovation is about linear economic growth enabled by unlimited resources. The present turn to frugal innovation is therefore better understood as a return to frugal innovation. Show less
