Department of Archaeology

The co-evolution of hominins and Stone Age culture

Human biological and cultural evolution are tightly intertwined; the two display dependent relationships and each influences the trajectory of the other. Archaeological evidence for hominin culture first emerges ca 3.3 million years ago, but increasing data attests to an earlier,...

A Multi-Analytical Approach for the Characterization of Archaeological Plant-Based Fibers and Residues: The Case of Oluz Höyük (North–Central Anatolia)

This study presents a multi-analytical approach for the characterization of plant-based archaeological remains, including bast fibers and seed coats, recovered from hearth soils, ash deposits, and ceramic contexts at Oluz Höyük (north–central Anatolia). The proposed protocol inte...

Indigenous harvesters detect climate-sensitive emerging disease in barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus) threatening food security

We report a filarioid nematode outbreak in barren-ground caribou ( Rangifer tarandus ) from the Canadian Arctic that was identified by Inuit harvesters through a community-based surveillance program. Harvesters reported discolouration of tissues and presence of yellowish fluid ac...

Past rapid spread of introduced livestock coincided with vegetation clearance on Madagascar

Debates persist around the past and present effects of introduced livestock on the native biodiversity of Madagascar. Indeed, the variable habitat and past rate of spread of livestock across the island's distinct ecoregions are poorly known. Sets of 14C and stable isotope data fr...

Mediterranean Late Bronze Age copper ingots: A new lead isotope-based synthesis

Within the dynamic exchange networks of the Mediterranean Late Bronze Age, copper ingots are central to reconstructing the scale, organization, and intensity of economic and cultural contact. Yet, whether Late Bronze Age copper ingots derived from a single copper source or were m...

Ancient DNA preservation in the Caribbean

Abstract Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis has transformed how we study human migration, species dispersals and environmental change, but poor preservation remains a major challenge. This is especially true in tropical settings, where hot and humid conditions accelerate DNA decay. Beca...

Student voices and the reform of secondary schooling in the Australian Capital Territory in the 1970s

Purpose This article discusses the report of the Working Committee on College Proposals for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and its recommendations (Campbell Report), presented in late 1972. A particular focus is consultation of school students. Surveys asked students if t...

Constructing seascapes and social memory: Coastal burials in Neolithic Korea

In this paper, I explore how Incipient and Early Neolithic communities in coastal Korea used mortuary practices to make the sea socially meaningful—and how those practices were closely tied to marine adaptation and emerging subsistence strategies. Using a comparative dataset of c...

Geomorphological dynamics at the coast: A sedimentary stratigraphy for Atlit-Yam, the earliest coastal village at the Eastern Mediterranean and its submerged landscape

During the early Holocene, rapid sea level rise led to the inundation of worldwide coastal areas, with the surrounding shallow landscapes being the most affected. The Carmel coast, located in the East Mediterranean, preserves a rich record of such a submerged landscape dotted by...

Optimal canopy light-use strategy shapes global greenness dynamics

“Greenness” is a key indicator of the functional state of vegetation. However, the physiological processes behind seasonal patterns in greenness are diverse and incompletely understood, hindering the predictability of climate-driven shifts in global foliage phenology. Optimality...

Three millennia of lizard and snake consumption by Natufian foragers

Squamate (lizard and snake) exploitation provides a rarely documented window into human dietary flexibility at the end of the Pleistocene. This study analyzes over three millennia of squamate remains from el-Wad Terrace (Israel), revealing that large-bodied snakes and lizards for...