Coefficient corrections for portable X-ray fluorescence data of the Niton XL3t No. 97390 (coefcor I-IV) developed according to the Munich procedure.

Portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF) devices are commonly utilized to analyze the chemical composition of various materials, such as archaeological pottery and siliceous substances. The discussion regarding the suitability of this method for such samples is ongoing, as the data are often said to be quantitatively unreliable. Nevertheless, the development of coefficient corrections (coefcors) offers a means to transparently demonstrate the quality and comparability of p-XRF data.

A Whole Range of Cattle-An Isotopic Perspective on Roman Animal Husbandry in Lower Austria and Burgenland (Austria).

In this study, we try to combine traditional archaeozoological biometry, based on outer bone measurements, with stable isotope analyses of bone collagen. Right from the start of archaeozoological research in Central and Western Europe, the important size variability in Roman domestic cattle has puzzled scholars. According to an established view, these differences in bone size are attributed either to the simultaneous presence of different types or even breeds or to the result of crossbreeding of smaller, native, and larger Roman cattle.

Palaeogenomic analysis of black rat (Rattus rattus) reveals multiple European introductions associated with human economic history.

The distribution of the black rat (Rattus rattus) has been heavily influenced by its association with humans. The dispersal history of this non-native commensal rodent across Europe, however, remains poorly understood, and different introductions may have occurred during the Roman and medieval periods. Here, in order to reconstruct the population history of European black rats, we first generate a de novo genome assembly of the black rat.

South-to-north migration preceded the advent of intensive farming in the Maya region.

The genetic prehistory of human populations in Central America is largely unexplored leaving an important gap in our knowledge of the global expansion of humans. We report genome-wide ancient DNA data for a transect of twenty individuals from two Belize rock-shelters dating between 9,600-3,700 calibrated radiocarbon years before present (cal. BP).

Emergence of monopoly-Copper exchange networks during the Late Bronze Age in the western and central Balkans.

In this paper we present the first results of an interdisciplinary research project focused on Late Bronze Age metallurgy in the western and central Balkans. The comprehensive chemical and lead isotope analysis, and a strict consideration of archaeological criteria, has provided a deeper insight into supra regional metal exchange networks between the 14th and 9th century BC in this part of Europe. Particularly interesting and surprising are results regarding the provenance of raw materials for copper production, which have a chemical composition and lead isotope ratios that closely correspond to ore deposits in the southern Alps (North Italy).

A 41,500 year-old decorated ivory pendant from Stajnia Cave (Poland).

Evidence of mobiliary art and body augmentation are associated with the cultural innovations introduced by Homo sapiens at the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic. Here, we report the discovery of the oldest known human-modified punctate ornament, a decorated ivory pendant from the Paleolithic layers at Stajnia Cave in Poland. We describe the features of this unique piece, as well as the stratigraphic context and the details of its chronometric dating.

Adaptive capacity and flexibility of the Neanderthals at Heidenschmiede (Swabian Jura) with regard to core reduction strategies.

The branched reduction system at the Heidenschmiede described here is hitherto exceptional for the Middle Paleolithic of the Swabian Jura. By means of refits and supporting objects, we are able to describe a superordinate reduction system that combines several individual reduction concepts, such as Levallois and blade production, within one volume. In the Middle Paleolithic of the Swabian Jura, blade technology has thus far played a rather minor role.

High altitude hunting, climate change, and pastoral resilience in eastern Eurasia.

The transition from hunting to herding transformed the cold, arid steppes of Mongolia and Eastern Eurasia into a key social and economic center of the ancient world, but a fragmentary archaeological record limits our understanding of the subsistence base for early pastoral societies in this key region. Organic material preserved in high mountain ice provides rare snapshots into the use of alpine and high altitude zones, which played a central role in the emergence of East Asian pastoralism. Here, we present the results of the first archaeological survey of melting ice margins in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia, revealing a near-continuous record of more than 3500 years of human activity.

Author Correction: Ancient genomes reveal social and genetic structure of Late Neolithic Switzerland.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Ancient genomes reveal social and genetic structure of Late Neolithic Switzerland.

Genetic studies of Neolithic and Bronze Age skeletons from Europe have provided evidence for strong population genetic changes at the beginning and the end of the Neolithic period. To further understand the implications of these in Southern Central Europe, we analyze 96 ancient genomes from Switzerland, Southern Germany, and the Alsace region in France, covering the Middle/Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age. Similar to previously described genetic changes in other parts of Europe from the early 3rd millennium BCE, we detect an arrival of ancestry related to Late Neolithic pastoralists from the Pontic-Caspian steppe in Switzerland as early as 2860-2460 calBCE.

Osseous Frame Index calculations of the early medieval South-West Germany.

The proper description of former populations is one of the most difficult tasks in anthropology. Archaeological material is often limited due to fragmented and sometimes poorly preserved bone material resulting in incomplete data. Published skeletal raw data are available from the past, but much of this data is either unavailable or not used for scientific studies.

Secondary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy in a male from the Early Medieval settlement of Lauchheim, Germany.

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA) is rarely diagnosed in archaeological human skeletons. Here, we report on the well-preserved skeleton of a middle-adult man from the early Medieval settlement site of Lauchheim (Germany) that exhibits pronounced multi-layered shell-like periosteal new bone formation in a bilaterally symmetric fashion on the long bones, the skeletal elements of the pelvis and those of the pectoral girdle. In addition, the two distal phalanges recovered show signs of osteoclastic resorption on their distal tuberosities.

Central European Woolly Mammoth Population Dynamics: Insights from Late Pleistocene Mitochondrial Genomes.

The population dynamics of the Pleistocene woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) has been the subject of intensive palaeogenetic research. Although a large number of mitochondrial genomes across Eurasia have been reconstructed, the available data remains geographically sparse and mostly focused on eastern Eurasia. Thus, population dynamics in other regions have not been extensively investigated.

Metabolite profiling in Trigonella seeds via UPLC-MS and GC-MS analyzed using multivariate data analyses.

Trigonella foenum-graecum is a plant of considerable value for its nutritive composition as well as medicinal effects. This study aims to examine Trigonella seeds using a metabolome-based ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) in parallel to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) coupled with multivariate data analyses. The metabolomic differences of seeds derived from three Trigonella species, i.

The Aegean in the Early 7th Millennium BC: Maritime Networks and Colonization.

The process of Near Eastern neolithization and its westward expansion from the core zone in the Levant and upper Mesopotamia has been broadly discussed in recent decades, and many models have been developed to describe the spread of early farming in terms of its timing, structure, geography and sociocultural impact. Until now, based on recent intensive investigations in northwestern and western Anatolia, the discussion has mainly centred on the importance of Anatolian inland routes for the westward spread of neolithization. This contribution focuses on the potential impact of east Mediterranean and Aegean maritime networks on the spread of the Neolithic lifestyle to the western edge of the Anatolian subcontinent in the earliest phases of sedentism.

Drought stress variability in ancient Near Eastern agricultural systems evidenced by δ13C in barley grain.

The collapse and resilience of political systems in the ancient Near East and their relationship with agricultural development have been of wide interest in archaeology and anthropology. Despite attempts to link the archaeological evidence to local paleoclimate data, the precise role of environmental conditions in ancient agricultural production remains poorly understood. Recently, stable isotope analysis has been used for reconstructing site-specific ancient growing conditions for crop species in semiarid and arid landscapes.

Images of the invisible-prospection methods for the documentation of threatened archaeological sites.

To understand the development of prehistoric cultural and economic activities, archaeologists try to obtain as much relevant information as possible. For this purpose, large numbers of similar sites must be identified, usually by non-destructive prospection methods such as aerial photography and geophysical prospection. Aerial archaeology is most effective in locating sites and the use of digital photogrammetry provides maps with high accuracy.