A05_01

Humans in Siberia at the Last Glacial Maximum: desolate landscapes or suitable habitats?

Kuzmin Y¹,

¹Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, SiberianBranch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russian Federation

Recent progress in Paleolithic chronology of northern Eurasia with the help of radiocarbon dating has allowed us to sub-divide the Upper Paleolithic into stages. One of the most intriguing issues is the possibility of humans to exist in Western/Central Europe north of the Alps, in Eastern Europe, and in Siberia during the coldest phase of the Upper Pleistocene, the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), ca. 19,000–26,500 cal BP. Some scholars previously suggested that people retreated from South Siberia and Central/Eastern Europe at the peak of the LGM. However, according to the latest summaries there are about 35 sites in Southern/Central Siberia (south of 58° N) dated to ca. 22,600–27,700 cal BP. Some sites possibly associated with the LGM are found in more northern latitudes, up to 70° N. One of the recent examples of human adaptation to the cold and dry LGM environment is the Volchia Griva site in central Western Siberia (54.7° N) where several radiocarbon dates (run on animal bones and hearth charcoal) in the interval of ca. 22,200–23,600 cal BP were generated from a habitation layer. The high degree of adaptation (efficient hunting strategies, tailored fur clothes, and dwellings) allowed humans to colonize the vast swathes of southern and central Siberia at the height of the LGM. It is now clear that the concept of the “depopulation” of Siberia during the LGM is completely out of date.

This research is funded by the Russian Science Foundation, grant 20-17-00033.

A05_02

Chuchuwaya: People and Nature in the Similkameen

–        Chronological modelling –

Quiles A¹, Delannoy J², Allison M³, Chalmin E², Clyburn A⁴, Gould B⁵, Jacquet J², Rowley S⁶, Geneste J⁷

¹Institut français d'archéologie orientale (IFAO), Cairo, Egypt, ²Université Savoie Mont-Blanc – Laboratoire EDYTEM, Le Bourget-du-lac, France, ³Upper Similkameen Indian Band, Hedley, Canada, ⁴independent researcher, Hedley, Canada, ⁵Similkameen Consulting, Hedley, Canada, ⁶Museum of Anthropology - University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, ⁷UMR 5199 CNRS Pacea, Bordeaux, France

Chuchuwayha rockshelter (British Columbia, Canada) is a sacred place within the territories of the Upper Similkameen Indian Band, who initiated this project. Occupants have left evidence of their presence in archaeological deposits and through the over 70 pictographs. The project is developed in a multiscalar approach, both spatially and temporally, involving the fields of archaeology, geosciences, archaeometry and ethno-archaeology. It aims to restore the temporalities of the major events that have shaped the life of the site, whether natural or anthropogenic, and to frame the realization of the preserved rock art.

Cosmogenic dating (¹⁰Be) is used to determine the age of the site as used by people. Its application is based on the morphogenic evolution of the site and the different identified collapses phases, using the 3D model of site evolution. ¹⁴C dates on organic materials collected during the excavation enable modeling the time depth of human occupation and the pictographs making. A homogeneous compact ash level marks the major ancient catastrophic event of Mt St Helens Yn that occurred more than 3000 years ago. The precise timing of this event and the time frame within which people could reoccupy the region is being modeled. Silico-calcic crusts are covering and fossilizing ancient decorated wall morphologies and sometimes pictographs. ¹⁴C/U-Th cross-dating of wall crusts will enable us to set termini for the art realisation.

The resulting multitechnical chronological model will restore the story of the life of the Chuchuwayha site, both from human, animals and natural points of views.

A05_03

Chronology, Climate & Resilience: Using Multi-Proxy Bayesian Chronologies to Examine Pastoralist Responses to Dynamic Steppe Environments and Landscapes in Mongolia.

Green E¹

¹University Of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom

This paper presents a novel approach for the examination of chronology alongside paleoclimatic proxies for specific localities, helping to bridge gaps in Mongolian paleoclimatic records, and focusing on understanding climatic and environmental change from the ‘smaller picture’ up. Presented here will be an extensive suite of new and published radiocarbon dates alongside stable isotope data for C/N, O, S isotopes from human and animal remains excavated from burial contexts across the Egiin Gol to construct a robust Bayesian chronology for north Mongolia that supplements current chronological frameworks, corroborates emerging narratives of increasing cultural complexity across Eurasian Prehistory and demonstrably questions traditional narratives of homogeneity. This multi-faceted study explores the application of stable isotopes as proxies for paleoclimate (alongside diet and foddering practices) and explores how nomadic pastoral communities adapted to the dynamic and changing environments of Eastern Eurasia during the Middle Holocene, and the Bronze and Iron Ages. This will enable a better understanding of the environments and climates of Eurasian landscapes, whilst contributing to Pan-Asian narratives of human adaptation and resilience throughout the Holocene.

A05_04

The unique early Holocene cetacean skeleton accumulation of the Forth Valley, Scotland

Staff R¹, McMaster P¹, Owen A¹, Persano C¹

¹University Of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Accumulations of cetacean (marine mammal) skeletons are rare in the geological record. One such accumulation, identified in early Holocene deposits of the valley of the River Forth, central Scotland, has been known since the early 1800s. However, the circumstances which permitted cetacean skeletons to accumulate there remain unclear. Association with Mesolithic inhabitants of Scotland (c.12,000-6000 cal BP) has been recognised, but their role as a causal agent of this accumulation has previously been dismissed. Using radiocarbon dating to provide robust chronology, we speculate here upon whether natural processes alone can explain the accumulation of this unique cetacean assemblage.

A05_05

Landscape transformations since first farmers to presence recorded in soil pauperization in Eastern Bohemia

Lisa L ¹,  Bajer A², Kočár P³, Petr L⁴, Štolc D⁵, Peška J⁶, Světlík I¹

¹Academy of Sciences, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Prague, Czech Republic, ²Mendel University, Brno, Czech Republic, ³University of Western Bohemia, Pilsen, Czech Republic, ⁴Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, ⁵Archaia, Prague, Czech Republic, ⁶ACO, Olomouc, Czech Republic

The current, very gradually undulating morphology of the landscape in Eastern Bohemia is often attributed to the physical properties of the subsoil. However, a very important modeling factor, namely man, is often neglected. Thanks to rescue archaeological excavations during the construction of the highway, a number of buried paleo-valleys were discovered. The base of the valleys at a depth of more than four meters is formed by a dark infill. The bases of profiles were dated to the time of the first farmers in the Neolithic. The original Neolithic landscape therefore had to look relatively different, furrowed by relatively deep valleys of streams that no longer exist today. These valleys had to be a source of water and vegetation, so their identification in the landscape is quite important. Due to the changes induced either climatically or anthropogenically, slope processes had to take place in the past, thanks to which the valleys were filled with slopes. It remains clear that the overburden of the buried soil is covered with soil originating from the immediate vicinity of the valley and contaminated (mixed) with the subsoil. In time, this obscuration is probably comparable to the medieval colonization of the landscape. However, the upper 70 cm of the filling is necessarily an anthropogenic matter, most likely associated with modern field consolidation. This corresponds to the general scheme that has been indicated so far in the interpretation of the formation processes of paleo Valley filling in this area.

A05_06

Data before the deluge: Prospects and limitations of summarising large radiocarbon datasets to investigate climate- and environmental impact on hunter-gatherers

Hoebe P ¹,  Peeters H¹, Arnoldussen S¹

¹University Of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands

Radiocarbon ‘dates as data’ approaches (Summed Probability Distributions - SPDs) have become common in archaeological studies as instruments to investigate the impact of external events on societies. Such studies use radiocarbon dates as a proxy for the intensity of past human activity. Research- and preservation bias are inherent issues in such studies that have to be contended with. Do density fluctuations relate to changes in human activity, or to the intersection of site accessibility, differences in organic preservation, and the process of archaeological research and policy?

We collected a large radiocarbon dataset of Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, consisting of ca. 5500  radiocarbon dates. We investigated whether changes in the density of hunter-gatherer communities’ activity correlates with the timing of Late Glacial climate fluctuations, Early Holocene climate events (11.4, 10.3, 9.3 and 8.2ka events), and the drowning of ‘Doggerland’ (i.e. the North Sea).

Our SPD model tests (conducted with the R package rcarbon) show several significant density fluctuations that may be correlated to climate and environmental events, and others that may relate to sociocultural changes or to bias. To deal with bias, we conducted permutation tests on subsets of the dataset that are potentially affected by different formation processes. This exploration highlights the impact of sample material choice, which is constrained by geographically and temporally differentiated preservation conditions and influenced by policy. Future steps involve expanding the analysis in relation to landscape dynamics as well as closer analysis of the timing of cultural changes.

A05_07

Radiocarbon dating occupation of The Riverland region of the Murray River, South Australia.

Jacobsen G ¹,  Roberts A², Westell C², Jones R², Moffat I², Morrison M³, Rudd R⁴, River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation⁵

¹ANSTO, Lucas Heights, Australia, ²College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, ³Department of Archaeology, University of New England, Armidale, Australia, ⁴School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, ⁵River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC, Adelaide, Australia

The Riverland region in South Australia is on the River Murry, Australia’s longest river, which originates in the Australian Alps in New South Wales and is part of an extensive river system that encompasses one-seventh of Australia – The Murray-Darling Basin (MDB).

Until recently, there had been few radiocarbon determinations in the Riverland region, creating a large gap in understanding past occupation in the MDB. To address this gap in knowledge, the Flinders University is working with the indigenous landowners, represented by the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (RMMAC) to identify and investigate archaeological sites in the Riverland region to determine a chronology for occupation and learn how the RMMAC ancestors adapted to the changing environment.

An extensive research project is underway, here we present initial radiocarbon dating and findings, encompassing occupation since before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the time of the European invasion in the 19th Century. Dating of 48 shell and charcoal shell samples have provided the earliest date for occupation of this region to 29 ka, this is followed by a hiatus until around 15 ka with subsequent occupation continuing through the Holocene. At around 4 ka oven mounds appeared, indicating innovations to broadening food resources in response to changing environmental conditions.

A05_08

Reservoir effect of shells from Tell Abraq, Sharjah Emirate, UAE

Lindauer S ¹,  Händel M², Magee P³

¹Curt-Engelhorn-Centre Archaeometry, Mannheim, Germany, ²Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria, ³Zayed National Museum, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

We present reservoir effects on shells of species Terebralia palustris and Marcia sp. that have been recovered in the course of archaeological excavations at the multi-period site of Tell Abraq, Sharjah Emirate, UAE. The site was inhabited from the early Bronze Age, throughout the Iron Age, and into the pre-Islamic period. Situated in a lagoonal environment with former mangrove forests at the Arabian Gulf coast, Tell Abraq provides a well-defined and stratigraphically controlled archaeological context for investigations on the reservoir effect of the two species chosen. The data will be discussed in a wider context with respect to results obtained at other sites. This allows for a differentiation between environmental effects on a local scale in comparison to more global effects. Shells are not only indicators of palaeoenvironmental conditions but also represent an important tool to reconstruct the precise chronologies of both ocean circulation and human occupation on the Arabian Gulf coast of southeast Arabia in the mid to late Holocene.

A05_09

Decisive Progress in the Absolute Chronology of Ancient Egypt

Erdil P ¹,  Kuitems M¹, Webster L², Knoblauch C³, Bestock L⁴, Höflmayer F², Beeckman H⁵, Fuller D⁶, Manning S⁷, Dee M¹

¹Centre for Isotope Research, ESRIG, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands, ²Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austrian Archaeological Institute, Vienna, Austria, ³Department of Heritage, History and Classics, Swansea University, Wales, UK, ⁴Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, Brown University, Providence, USA, ⁵Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium, ⁶Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, UK, ⁷Cornell Tree Ring Laboratory, Department of Classics, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA

In recent decades, there have been numerous attempts to use radiocarbon dating to establish an absolute chronology for ancient Egypt; however, important discrepancies have remained unresolved, especially with regard to the Old and Middle Kingdom periods. As part of the ECHOES project at the University of Groningen, we have conducted a new study that builds on previous radiocarbon-based research. Here, we present close to 50 new radiocarbon dates obtained on samples from secure Old and Middle Kingdom contexts and, in conjunction with existing data, we provide an updated absolute chronology for the dynastic period. We discuss key modelling assumptions, such as the application of a regional offset to samples from the Nile Valley. We report two key findings: First, our new model much better secures the absolute position of the Old Kingdom and lends support to the hypothesis that this period of political unity ended around the time of the so-called 4.2 ka aridification event. Second, we address the placement of the reign of the king Senusret III, where different interpretations of a Sothic (Sirius) record have led to a long-running debate. Our Middle Kingdom model includes 38 high-precision radiocarbon dates from Uronarti, an Egyptian fortress in Nubia. With this data, we restrict the accession year of Senusret III to the early 19th century BCE. Accordingly, at 95% probability, our model supports only the High Chronology position for the Middle Kingdom, thereby resolving the long-running debate over the date of this king and the chronology of the whole Middle Kingdom.

A05_P01

Indigenous Dynamics and the Early North American Fur Trade: Results from AMS Dating Iroquoian Villages in southern Ontario, Canada

Conger M¹

¹University Of Georgia, Athens, United States

Formally established in the 1580s, the North American fur trade quickly became an important point of articulation between Indigenous and European societies and economies. While direct trade was mostly confined to the north Atlantic coast, increased demand for small mammal pelts prompted “down-the-line” changes in Indigenous landscape and resource use far inland. The Tionontate, an Iroquoian group living northwest of Lake Ontario, are thought to have formed in the 1580s in response to the fur trade. In this poster I present new date estimates, derived from AMS dating and Bayesian Chronological modeling, for Sidey-Mackay and McQueen-McConnell, two of the earliest (assumed ca. AD 1580-1600) Tionontate villages. I employ multiple sampling and modeling strategies which have been developed to overcome mid-sixteenth century calibration curve plateaus and wiggles, and to take advantage of the short-lived nature of Iroquoian village sites. This includes the use of unidentified wood charcoal as terminus post quem, and site Phase duration constraints. Results, while not entirely independent, indicate that the two sites were occupied up to 70 years prior to the formal inception of the fur trade, during a period of increased regional conflict and political consolidation. This suggests that Indigenous North Americans were involved with the down-the-line effects of seasonal and coastal European-Indigenous trade much earlier than previously thought, and situates that involvement within a dynamic Indigenous sociopolitical landscape. Further, this research underscores the importance of absolute dating on Indigenous sites believed to date to the early colonial era in North America.

A05_P02

Pollen and bulk radiocarbon ages from  a montane lake core – Yagour Plateau, High Atlas, Morocco

Cornelissen H¹, Fink D ²,  Fletcher W¹, Hughes P¹, Bell B¹, Rhoujjati A³, Ewague A⁴

¹Department of Geography, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom, ²ANSTO, Sydney, Australia, ³Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, , Morocco, ⁴Université Chouaib Doukkali, El Jadida, , Morocco

The Yagour plateau in the Marrakech High Atlas, Morocco (31.31°N, 7.60°W, 2460 masl.) supports a montane (sub-alpine) wetland. It contains a rich collection of petroglyphs and pastoral usage on the plateau by surrounding villages is maintained by adherence to an historic cultural and community-based system called Agdal  that regulates annual grazing access. We retrieved a 290 cm sediment core with excellent preservation from a marginal lake that spans 13 ka BP providing a high-resolution palaeo-environmental Holocene record and insights into the archaeological and cultural heritage of the region. Our age-depth model rests on a 28-sample radiocarbon Bayesian analysis of common depth pollen concentrates, charcoal and bulk organic sediment. We find significant age differences between these C-bearing materials which are thought to be due to site-specific processes. We surmise that old-carbon from a variety of possible sources is likely driving the age differences throughout the Holocene period. The  most likely two sources would be secondary carbonate accumulation in the porous and faulted Triassic sandstone and surface pedogenic carbonates produced during drier conditions. Increased groundwater pressure due to Holocene niche snowpack melt in the nearby mountains drove a larger input of spring water at Yagour.  However, unknown factors drive a reversal in the chronological trend in the Late-Glacial period. The age-differences between sample-types highlight the importance of a cohesive understanding of lithostratigraphy and hydrology of previously undated sites in order to underpin robust chronologies used for environmental and cultural research.

A05_P03

Dating of the Kawela Mound, one of the earliest habitation sites in the Hawaiian Islands

Weisler M^1,2, Hua Q ³,  Rogers A⁴, Collins S⁵, Mendes W⁶

¹School of Social Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, ²Archaeology Programme, School of Social Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, ³Australian Nuclear Science And Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, Australia, ⁴ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Monash Indigenous Studies Centre, Monash University, Clayton, Australia, ⁵Pacific Consulting Services, Honolulu, USA, ⁶P.O. Box 144 , Ho‘olehua, , USA

Chronometric dating of colonisation period sites is arguably amongst the most contentious issues in island and coastal archaeology worldwide, and it is certainly true for Polynesia. The human colonisation of East Polynesia has garnered most attention in Oceania as the earliest sites anchor foundational discussions of the timing, speed, and direction of colonisation of the last region settled on Earth. Recent reviews have critiqued and summarised the literature for the Hawaiian Islands, suggesting that the islands were colonised following the general model of initial colonisation in fertile, windward-valley environments, local population growth, and subsequent expansion to marginal, leeward locales. However, this observation was based on a limited sample of the oldest sites in windward settings, including three habitation sites and one agricultural complex.

In this paper, we discuss the leeward environmental context and dating of the Kawela Mound habitation site on Moloka‘i island. A total of 21 samples from four cultural layers, including twigs, charred nuts and wood, and marine shell, from three excavated trenches were radiocarbon dated. The resulting dates and Bayesian phase modelling indicate that the earliest occupation of the Kawela Mound is 1124-1261 AD (95% CI), documenting it as the oldest on Moloka‘i island and one of a handful of early habitation sites in the archipelago. Our results suggest that early coastal habitations can be found in leeward as well as windward sides of islands and can be used to provide a model for locating early sites along this leeward coastline that should be applicable elsewhere.

A05_P04

Holocene activity of the Tanna faults revealed by sediment core analyses and ground penetrating radar profiling, the Izu Peninsula, Japan

Kimura H ¹,  Nakanishi T², Yukawa M¹, Hosoya T³, Sung K⁴, Hong W⁵

¹Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Abiko, Japan, ²Museum of Natural and Environmental History, Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan, ³Chuo Kaihatsu Corporation, Kawaguchi, Japan, ⁴Carbon Analysis Lab. Co., Ltd., Gyeryong-si, Republic of Korea, ⁵Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral Resources, Daejeon, Republic of Korea

The active left-lateral strike-slip Tanna fault is one of the major faults of the NS-trending Kita-Izu fault zone, which ruptured during the 1930 Kita-Izu earthquake (Mjma=7.3). The fault zone is located in the Izu Peninsula, northern tip of the Izu–Bonin–Mariana arc, at about 100 km southwest from Tokyo. In order to reveal the Holocene activity on the Tanna fault, we surveyed the near-surface structure of an offset valley across the fault by radiocarbon dating of sediments obtained from arrayed four drilling cores and ground penetrating radar (GPR) profiling. The drilling sites were located across the NS-trending secondary strand that runs parallel to the northern part of the main strand of the Tanna fault approximately 50 m to the west. The GPR surveys were conducted along the arrays of the drilling sites. We interpreted several dipping horizons showing sedimentary structure on the geological cross-sections. The horizons were dated by AMS radiocarbon ages of plant fragments and organic soil samples that were measured by Carbon Analysis Laboratory (CAL) and Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral Resources (KIGAM). The results explained the Holocene vertical offsets associated with the oblique slip of the Tanna fault. This work was started as a research project funded by the Izu Peninsula UNESCO Global Geopark, and supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) JP15K01255 and JP18K03768 from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

A05_P05

Absolute dating of the rampart of an Early Iron Age hillfort in Chotyniec  (Poland) in the context of radiocarbon dating

Krapiec M ¹,  Czopek S², Tokarczyk T²

¹AGH University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland, ²University of Rzeszow, Rzeszow, Poland

The Early Iron Age hillfort in Chotyniec near Radymno (south-eastern Poland, 8 km west of the current Poland–Ukraine border) has been systematically excavated since 2017. It is the mostly north-west located hillfort of the Scythian cultural circle in its forest-steppe variant.

It has an earthen rampart within which no archaeological material allowing dating was found. At the bottom of the rampart there is a central trench, probably for a palisade, which was the oldest fortification. The radiocarbon method was used for dating of 20 samples of charcoal and fragments of wood. The duration of successive phases of the rampart was determined using a Bayesian model, allowing the calculation of probability distributions for the beginning, end and possible duration in calendar age.

The end of the functioning of the first phase (with the central pit) can be identified in the 2nd half of the 7th-1st half of the 6th century BC. The earthen rampart, like the previously dated zolnik, was functioning in the 6th century BC.

A05_P06

Absolute chronology of the pile-dwelling constructions at Seretya II site (Western Russia) and palaeoecological context

Krapiec M ¹,  Mazurkevich A², Kittel P³, Dolbunova E², Bernard V⁴, Maigrot Y⁵, Szychowska-Krąpiec E¹

¹AGH University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland, ²The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia, ³University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland, ⁴Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France, ⁵CNRS-Université Paris 1 Panthéon – Sorbonne, Nanterre, France

Results of several years archaeological research of the Serteya II site revealed the use of the area by hunter-fisher-gatherer socialites from the Mesolithic, through the Early Neolithic until the Mid- and Late Neolithic. Extremely important are the wooden constructions of Late Neolithic pile-dwellings of domestic structures, which are well-preserved within lacustrine sediment along with reach artefacts and ecofacts. The archaeological layer, at a depth from ca. 80 to ca 150 cm b.s.l. within coarse detritus gyttja, was excavated using underwater and wetland archaeological methods. Until now, six pile-dwellings, with floor remains made from large wooden bark placed on poles and wooden planks, as well as fireplaces with sand bases, were discovered. The accompanying artefacts were attributed to the Zhizhitsa Culture (ca. 2900–2000 BC). The archaeological layers are also rich in ecofacts, as: fish remains, shells of hazelnuts, water chestnuts, acorns, bones.

The radiocarbon date set shows that these constructions could have existed between 2900 and 2000 cal. BC, while the heydays of the pile-dwelling settlement took place ca. 2470–2270 cal. BC. The archaeological and palaeoenvironmental contexts suggest that they functioned in a palaeolake shore zone with seasonal(?) water table fluctuations. The disappearance (or at least a decrease in the importance) of the pile-dwelling settlement coincided with the 4.2 ka BP cooling event, resulted in an increase of palaeolake water table.

The research project was financed by grants from the National Science Centre, Poland based on the decision No. 2017/25/B/HS3/00274.

A05_P07

Implications concerning the palaeoenvironment of a Late Pleistocene woolly rhinoceros specimen lived in the Pannonian Basin

Major I¹,  Lisztes-Szabó Z¹, Gasparik M², Magyari E³, Szabó B³, Pandolfi L⁴, Borel A⁵, Futó I¹, Horváth A¹, Kiss G¹, Markó A⁶, Molnár M¹

¹Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Debrecen, Hungary, ²Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary, ³Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary, ⁴Università di Firenze, Florence, Italy, ⁵Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique , Paris, France, ⁶Hungarian National Museum, Budapest, Hungary

The excavations (2014-2017) at the Pécel-Kis hársas site (Hungary) yielded the remains of an old female woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) together with four chert and three obsidian artefacts. To gather more information on this species and the contemporary palaeoenvironment of the finding location, multi-isotopic analyses were performed.  The specimen died ca. 20.5 ka, at the very end of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) of the Pleistocene, presumably due to Epigravettian hunters. In a European context, it is one of the latest occurrences of the species in the continent. Based on bone stable carbon and nitrogen isotope, dental wear and dental plant microfossil results, a lichen (possibly moss) dominant diet could be drawn. Such diet element was so far unknown concerning woolly rhinos. In accordance with the optimum environmental conditions of the foraging plants, the stable strontium and oxygen isotope results of bioapatite also suggest a relatively cold local climate with a calculated mean annual air temperature of around 0.7 ºC. Thus, a mosaic, pioneering vegetation and a tundra/steppe-like habitat can be assumed to have been dominated at the Pécel-Kis hársas site at the end of the LGM. Considering the longer turnover time of the ¹⁵N isotope in collagen, the harsh conditions could probably endure for a longer period, not just for a winter season.

A05_P08

Detection of tectonic movement and marine reservoir effect in the Holocene sediments from the Ukishima plain, Shizuoka, central Japan

Nakanishi T¹,  Ishiyama T², Noguchi M³, Hong W⁴

¹Museum of Natural and Environmental History, Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan, ²the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, ³Geoanalysis Network of Tokyo capital region, Tokyo, Japan, ⁴Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral Resources, Daejeon, Republic of Korea

To investigate paleoenvironmental changes and tectonic activities, one Holocene sediment core with length of 30 meters was obtained from the Ukishima plain in the inner part of Suruga Bay, which corresponds on the boundary of the Eurasia and Philippine Sea Plates. This drilling site locates in a subsidence area associated with the subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate (Matsuda, 1978, Matsubara, 1984, Fujiwara et al., 2006, 2008, Komatsubara et al., 2007). Based on analyses of lithology, molluscan and diatom assemblages, and radiocarbon dating, we interpreted six sedimentary facies in order of older age: transgressive lag, estuary, estuary front, inner bay, lagoon, and artificial soil. These paleoenvironmental changes had been mainly associated with the sea-level rise during the deglacial period. To determine marine reservoir effects, the radiocarbon ages of marine shells and terrestrial plants were measured from same horizons of estuary to inner bay sediments. Reservoir ages of 6 pairs from these facies were recognized during the period from 7,900 to 6,800 cal BP. The average was 310 ± 120 years within 150 ± 70 to 470 ± 60. The chronological change in the reservoir effect will be correlated with the Holocene sediments from the coastal area in Southwest Japan under the Kuroshio warm current (Nakanishi et al., 2017ab, 2019). This core was obtained by the Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion at the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Radiocarbon dating was partially funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI grant number JP18H01310.

A05_P09

Newly found settlement features from Nitra-Lupka

Nezvalová L ^1,2,  Fottová E², Milová B²

¹Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha 8 - Libeň, Czech Republic, ²Slovak Academy of Sciences, Nitra, Slovakia

Nitra-Lupka is the important site from the Great Moravian period in Slovakia. Fortified hillfort which was supposed to be from this period, battery of pottery kilns and Early Medieval cemetery were found there. It was researched from 1959 until 1975. Few small range excavations took place on the site at the beginning of the 21st century. At the same time the dating of hillfort into the Early Medieval period was questioned. There was also problem with localisation of settlement which would belong to the battery of pottery kilns. The settlement was discovered recently in 2021 during development-led excavations at Nitra-Šindolka. It was found during the construction of ecoduct. Two bread kilns and four other features were discovered. Numerous ceramics and other findings were discovered in them. In the feature 6, which was probably used for storage, numerous sherds and some animal bones were discovered. The two of the bones (phalanges of cattle) were dated by radiocarbon dating. These are the first ¹⁴C data which were obtained from this site and they are very important for precise dating of this site.

A05_P10

Chronology of Lake Lubińskie (W Poland) sediments

Piotrowska N ¹,  Bonk A², Żarczyński M², Tylmann W², Enters D^3,4, Makohonienko M⁵, Rzodkiewicz M⁵

¹Institute of Physics-CSE, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland, ²Division of Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland, ³Lower Saxony Institute for Historical Coastal Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany, ⁴Institute of Geography, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany, ⁵Institute of Geoecology and Geoinformation, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland

Landscape and ecosystem transformations depend on combined climatic forcing and human activity. The assessment of ecological baseline conditions and eutrophication trends requires, among others, the analysis of different proxies providing qualitative and quantitative results. Diatom and pollen preserved in lake sediments hold excellent potential for the reconstruction of lake trophic conditions. Combined with geochemical data and a robust chronology they allow a detailed reconstruction of long-term conditions for individual sites and precisely defining the timing of changes. Among them, lakes containing annually laminated (varved) sediments offer records with one of the highest time-resolution possible. We used a multiproxy combined dating techniques including varve microfacies analysis and varve counting, radiometric measurements (¹⁴C, ¹³⁷Cs, and ²¹⁰Pb), and Bayesian age-depth modelling. Due to some parts of poor varve preservation and possible hiatuses, the final chronology is based on combination of radiometric dating results analyzed statistically in OxCal and supported by varve counting. The composite 506-cm-long sediment core from Lake Lubińskie covers the time period from 2007 CE (year of coring) to 946 +113/-144 BCE.    

A05_P11

Radiocarbon dating of the ancient canals in the lower Mekong delta,Vietnam

Quang Mien N¹,  Nang Chung T²

¹Institute of Archaeology, Ha Noi, Vietnam, ²Association of Archaeology, Ha Noi, Vietnam

This study presents preliminary results of research on ancient canals near the ancient town of OcEo - BaThe in the lower Mekong delta of southern Vietnam. The canals have been mapped by aerial photograph interpretation and investigated in the field by hand auger drilling and trenching of one of these. The geophysical methods were used: electromagnetic profile and electric resisitivity tomography. The results indicates the base of the canal as well as revealing disturbance and mixing of the canal infill sediments. Radiocarbon dates of the canal bed identify  excavation (or re-excavation) of the canal bed between the first millennium BC and the middle of the first millennium AD. This age is consistent with the time of initial occupation of OcEo-BaThe  in the fourth century BC. Multiple charcoal samples with a pooled age of late sixth to early seventh century AD probably signal the onset of canal infilling. The apparent demise of the canals coincide with a major change in land-use signalled in pollen and diatom data from the regional plain. This tentative chronology will be refined when more canals are investigated and greater precision is achieved in radiocarbon dates as well as combining with other dates.

A05_P12

A radiocarbon chronology for “Grotte di Pertosa” in Campania, Southern Italy

Larocca F^1,2, Breglia F^2,3, Calcagnile L⁴, D'Elia M⁴, Quarta G⁴

¹University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Gruppo di ricerca speleo-archeologica, Bari, Italy, Bari, Italy, ²Centro di ricerca speleo-archeologica “Enzo dei Medici”, Roseto Capo Spulico (CS), Italy, ³Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy, ⁴CEDAD-University of Salento, Lecce, Italy

The Pertosa Caves, today also known as the Pertosa-Auletta Caves, constitute an important karst system in the Campania region (southern Italy). Crossed by the waters of a river that re-emerges on the surface, they have an overall development of about 3 km. Thanks to the width of the entrance, the excellent position, the general convenience and the natural availability of water directly on the site, the initial part of the cavity was frequented by humans, without interruption, from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. During the protohistory, in particular, the moment of most marked human presence is recorded in the cave: in this phase an extensive pile-dwelling system was built on the waters of the underground river. The system was probably created to make the environment, subject to frequent flooding, suitable to settle. This structure today constitutes an archaeological unicum not only in Italy but throughout Europe. We briefly analyze its general characteristics providing a radiocarbon chronology which allowed to assess the occupation phases of the contexts and the life span of the wooden artefacts, which came to us to us in a very good state of preservation.

A05_P13

The open-air Middle Palaeolithic sites on the East European Plain: improved chronology and environmental context

Otcherednoy A¹, Zaretskaya N²,  Hein M³, Hoffecker J⁴, Panin A²

¹Institute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy Of Sciences, St-Petersburg, Russian Federation, ²Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation, ³Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary  Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany, ⁴Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA

One of the principal obstacles to further study of the Middle Palaeolithic of Northern Eurasia is the lack of an adequate understanding of the chronological position of the cultural layers of key open-air sites on the East European Plain. Until recently, radiocarbon dating was exclusively used to obtain chronometric data on Middle Palaeolithic sites. Accordingly, chronology of Middle Palaeolithic sites was largely based on radiocarbon dating. Renewed study of Khotylevo I and Betovo (Desna River valley, basin of Dnieper), has been pursued with radiocarbon dating as well as other serial chronometric methods (Otcherednoy et al. 2019; 2022; Hein et al. 2020).  Conventional and AMS dating, including ultrafiltration and other methods of sample purification (XAD-2) were extensively used. The dates obtained were older than 40 000 or between 25 and 30 ka BP. The results can be divided into two groups: a series of dates with numerous inversions that are not consistent with the stratigraphy, as well as widely varying dates on the same cultural layer (Khotylevo I) or a series of dates that significantly antedate previously assumed age of the site (Betovo). Two series of OSL dates obtained for these sites fell in the MIS 5c-MIS 4 age range for the Khotylevo I cultural-bearing deposits, confirming the earlier stratigraphic and geomorphological conclusions, but showed the good agreement with ¹⁴C calibrated dates at Betovo. Thus, we conclude that the area was inhabited throughout the Pleniglacial, and the combined dating results on the stratigraphic “canvas” significantly increase the reliability of chronology.

A05_P14

Radiocarbon dating of Xiawangdu neolithic site at coastal plain in eastern China and its environmental settings

Zhang H¹,  Lin P¹, Gu Y¹, Wu J¹, Lu H¹

¹School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

The lower Yangtze region in China, with varied coastal environments and a flourishing Neolithic culture, was one of the major rice domestication centers in Asia. Sedentary societies occupied the Lower Yangtze in the eastern coastal regions of China at the beginning of the Holocene. In present day China, the region is highly developed, densely populated, and is commonly referred to as “the land of fish and rice.” Environmental changes, such as climate, vegetation, and sea-level rise, play major roles in supporting sustainable development. A detailed radiocarbon dating of the Neolithic sites is critical to understand the relationship between the process of domestication and climate variability and sea-level rise. And, furthermore, help to accurate predict future climate change impacts, including recent global warming and on-going sea-level rise, thereby benefitting societies and their economies. Here we present the results of 36 radiocarbon datings(including TOC, pollen concentration, seeds and wood)and 24 grain-size analyses from Xiawangdu neolithic site in the Ningshao Plain, southern part of the lower Yangtze which in cluding both Hemudu and Liangzhu cultural stages. The results show that Xiawangdu site was fromed older than 6300 cal. yr BP when Hemudu culture was declining and the Lianghzu culture started developing at about 5200 cal. yr BP. Radiocarbon dating of TOC and pollen concentration are usually older than the actual stratigraphic age because participation of organic matter from source areas. The prosperity of Hemudu culture may be rising by the increasing of regional precipitation and suitable environment.