Dated Culture
The advent of complex metallurgy
Yuval Goren et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science, October 2025
Abstract:
This study investigates the origins of extractive metallurgy in the southern Levant. It explores the beginnings of extractive metallurgy during the Ghassulian culture of the Chalcolithic period (approximately 4700/4500–3800 BCE), providing evidence that the production of complex alloys began earlier than previously believed. Utilizing a new radiocarbon sampling method that focuses on the production dates of metal objects rather than when they were discarded, the research examines artifacts from the famous Naḫal Mishmar hoard and their ritual context in Israel's Judean Desert. The study highlights the impact of the evolution of long-distance trade in copper alloys over time. The contrast between sophisticated objects made using the lost-wax technique with metal alloys from distant sources and simpler copper tools of local origin emphasizes the technological and socio-economic complexity of early metallurgy and trade in West Asia during the Chalcolithic era. Recent excavations at the Chalcolithic shrine in Ein Gedi provide valuable new insights that enhance our understanding of the chronology of Ghassulian culture. These findings can also help clarify the long-discussed relationship between the Ein Gedi shrine and the Naḫal Mishmar hoard.
Conceptual origins and geomorphic evolution of the temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak (Luxor, Egypt)
Benjamin Thomas Pennington et al.
Antiquity, forthcoming
Abstract:
Despite almost a century and a half of excavation, the dynamic landscape into which the temple complex of Karnak was embedded is not well understood. Presenting the results of the first comprehensive geoarchaeological survey of the area, the authors show that Karnak was built upon a fluvial terrace segment surrounded by river channels in an island configuration potentially recalling the ‘primeval mound’ of Egyptian creation myths. Permanent occupation of the site became possible after 2520 BC ±420 years, likely during the Old Kingdom. Subsequent landscape changes were dramatic, with the occupants of the island responding both opportunistically and proactively.
From meat to raw material: The Middle Pleistocene elephant butchery site of Casal Lumbroso (Rome, central Italy)
Beniamino Mecozzi et al.
PLoS ONE, October 2025
Abstract:
The site of Casal Lumbroso is located in the north-west sector of Rome (central Italy). Stratigraphic and geochemical data presented here evidence that the archaeological and paleontological horizon lies at the top of the Tiber River aggradational succession related to the MIS 11c sea level highstand (dated at ca. 404 ka), and that the paleohabitat was characterised by wooded environments and humid climatic conditions. Paleontological analysis allows attributing most of the remains to an adult individual of straight-tusked elephant, Palaeoloxodon antiquus, with sporadic elements referred to Stephanorhinus sp., Bovinae, Cervinae, Cervus elaphus, Dama sp., Canis sp., Oryctolagus sp., Talpa sp., Testudines, and Amphibia. Two bird remains are referred to Anatidae and Strigiformes. A rich lithic assemblage, mainly made of flint, was also found associated with the fossil remains. Taphonomic, technological and functional analyses indicate that the P. antiquus carcass was probably exploited by humans not only as a food source, but also as a source of raw material, as documented by the presence of several intentionally fractured elephant bone fragments, some of them also with flake removals, with localized use wear traces. The findings at Casal Lumbroso highlight once again the importance of the territory around the city of Rome for Middle Pleistocene studies. The northwestern sector of the city, where other important sites such as Castel di Guido and La Polledrara di Cecanibbio have also been discovered, is therefore crucial for understanding human strategies for exploiting elephant carcasses.
Environment and hunting territories for Late Neanderthals in central Italy: New palaeoecological data from Grotta dei Santi (Monte Argentario – Tuscany, Italy)
Juan Ochando et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, October 2025
Abstract:
The Italian peninsula is a key biogeographical region in southern Europe, which acted as a refugium for flora and fauna and favoured the persistence of human groups during the Late Pleistocene. This study uses pollen analysis of coprolites from the Late Mousterian site of Grotta dei Santi, (Monte Argentario Promontory, Tuscany, Italy), in which the Palaeolithic human presence is chronologically constrained between ̴ 48 and 44 ka BP. The vegetation landscapes during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 were reconstructed and compared with other palaeoenvironmental proxies from the same site. Palynological analyses revealed a semi-forested/forested environment within the Mediterranean landscape, with a relatively high diversity of woody taxa, including conifers, mesophytic angiosperms, elements of Mediterranean forest and of xerothermic scrub. The most remarkable result is the persistence of temperate climatic conditions throughout the studied sequence, even at the beginning of Greenland Stadial 12, as shown by both pollen and microfaunal records. This allowed the local maintenance of an unchanged availability of environmental resources. In this light, we assume that the definitive abandonment of the cave by Mousterian people cannot be linked to environmental stress. In other words, other factors must be taken into account to explain the possible demographic gap that seems to have occurred in the coastal area of southern Tuscany between the last Mousterian groups and the arrival of early modern humans at the nearby site of Grotta La Fabbrica. In a broader perspective, our work contributes to adding a new piece to the debate on the complex dynamics associated with the demise of Neanderthals in Europe.
Early tobacco use by populations of the interfluvial coast of Antofagasta during the Archaic period (6000–3000 BP; northern Chile): A GC-MS study of dental calculus
Pedro Andrade et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science, October 2025
Abstract:
The use of Nicotiana species among pre-Hispanic populations in the Americas has a long and diverse history. This study provides direct evidence of early tobacco consumption on the hyper-arid coast of Antofagasta, Chile, dating to the Archaic period (ca. 6000 BP). Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), we analyzed dental calculus samples from 12 individuals and detected cotinine -- a metabolite of nicotine -- in seven samples. These findings extend the regional timeline of tobacco use by about 4000 years compared to previous evidence. The absence of smoking or snuffing paraphernalia suggests alternative consumption methods, such as chewing, possibly for medicinal purposes. The presence of cotinine in both male and female individuals suggests that tobacco use may not have been limited to one gender, although further research is needed to confirm possible patterns of access or consumption. This research highlights dental calculus as a valuable bioarchaeological substrate and offers new insights into early cultural practices and human–plant interactions associated with Nicotiana in South America. Due to the small sample size and variable preservation, these results should be viewed as preliminary and require confirmation through further archaeological and botanical analyses.