STAR Science & Technology of Archaeological Research
Dados do Periódico
| Tipo | JOURNAL |
|---|---|
| Editora | Taylor & Francis (GB) |
| ISSN | 2054-8923 |
| Scopus | 21100887616 |
| Wikidata | Q50815230 |
| OpenAlex | S4210199811 |
| MAG | 4210199811 |
| Site | https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ysta20/5/2?nav=tocList& |
| Total de publicações | 139 |
| Período coberto | 2015 - 2025 |
| País | GB |
| Idioma | EN |
| Acesso | Open Access |
| Indexação | Scopus |
| Citada por | 5 |
| Fator de impacto | 0.725 |
| SJR | 0.287 (Q2) |
| SNIP | 0.568 |
| CiteScore | 1.8 |
| Índice h | 2 |
| Participação feminina na autoria | 47.8% |
STAR Science & Technology of Archaeological Research is dedicated to the scientific and technological methods used in archaeology. As archaeology is a subfield of anthropology, this journal maintains a cognate relationship, particularly for historical anthropology and material culture studies. It offers a regular, though not central, intersection with social anthropology
Archeology · Archeology (arts and humanities) · 3D Surveying and Cultural Heritage · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeological Research and Protection · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archeology (arts and humanities · Building materials and conservation · Conservation Techniques and Studies
Accuracy and precision of smartphone colorimetry
This study evaluates the accuracy and precision of color measurements obtained from digital images captured using smartphone cameras, validated against standard color cards under controlled lighting conditions. RGB (Red, Green, Blue) and HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value) parameters were extracted using the Colorimeter application (app) on an iPhone and the PineTools program on a computer. Both methods demonstrated high precision, as indicated by small…
Unlocking colonial records with Artificial Intelligence. Achieving the automated transcription of large-scale 16th and 17th-century Latin American historical collections
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Spanish and Indigenous people produced millions of colonial documents in diverse calligraphic styles in Latin American territories. Accessing their rich information requires specialised palaeographic skills and often indigenous language expertise. Recent advancements in Machine Learning offer promising solutions to these challenges. This study developed two computational methods: (1) a historical document clas…
Mineralogical and chemical study of the salt alteration of masonry blocks in the baths of Antoninus ruins at Carthage, Tunisia
The coastal archaeological site of Carthage in Tunisia (36°51′16′′ N, 10°20′06′′ E) is a valuable cultural heritage that requires conservation efforts. The presence of salt-related decay in the baths of Antoninus ruins (162 AD) is threatening their aesthetic appearance and structural stability. The buildings show various aspects of deterioration: honeycombs and black crusts. We provide a characterization of the deterioration mechanism caused by s…
Medical imaging technologies applied to ancient human behaviour and lifestyle
Non-Invasive Chemical Analyses on Byzantine Copper Alloy Doors in 11th and 12th Century Italy
For the first time, chemical analyses by XRF of all Byzantine copper alloy doors in Italy from the 11th and 12th centuries are presented, compared, and interpreted. Three main alloying groups were detected for the eight doors: leaded bronze (Montecassino), leaded brass (Monte Sant’Angelo, Amalfi, San Paolo fuori le mura, Venice SC), and quaternary alloys (Atrani, Salerno, Venice MD). This leads to the conclusion that Byzantine workshops used diff…
Chronological classification of Ming and Qing dynasty ceramics images based on an enhanced ResNet50 model
To overcome the limitations of expert-dependent and conventional methods in Ming-Qing ceramic chronology analysis, we propose an enhanced ResNet50 model that integrates dual attention mechanisms (channel and self-attention) to amplify discriminative visual features. A reliable dataset of Ming and Qing ceramics was constructed for training and evaluation. Experimental results show that the improved “Ours” model achieves 94.75% accuracy on the test…
Contextual ethical framework for artificial intelligence in the management of cultural heritage
Recently, Artificial intelligence has turned out to be increasingly integrated into cultural heritage management, enabling innovations in digital preservation, virtual reconstruction, and more advantageous interactive visitor experiences. However, despite its contributions, its use faces many challenges and also raises numerous ethical concerns. This research aims to Analyze AI ethical concerns related to cultural heritage and develop solutions t…
Digitising the past, preserving the future
In 1903, the Berlin Museum of Ethnology commissioned Alfredo Jahn Hartman to conduct archaeological excavations in the Lake Valencia basin in Venezuela. Jahn explored two sites, Camburito and El Zamuro, where he unearthed pre-Columbian artefacts and human burials and subsequently sent them to Berlin. More than a century later, we digitised this collection following a detailed protocol to obtain scans with submillimetre accuracy reproducing the ge…
An early Byzantine ecclesiastical complex at Ashdod-Yam
In this study we show the successful deployment of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) together with Electrical Resistivity Surveys (ERS) in guiding the archeological excavations at Ashdod-Yam (southern coast of Israel). This approach enabled the precise identification of excavation targets relating to an Early Byzantine ecclesiastical complex located in a residential neighborhood of the modern city of Ashdod. Applied over the course of five years, th…
Integration of an archaeological database in a virtual reality environment
Virtual reality and databases are two technological domains employed in many scientific fields. In archeology, several works are being developed along these lines. This paper presents the workflow for the creation of an executable virtual reality: it integrates a virtualization of the archaeological site of Venta Micena (Granada, Spain) and a database of some of the most relevant archaeological remains from that site. The strength and novelty of …
Color analysis and classification of earthenware from Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan temple in southern Thailand using machine learning
Potsherds from Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, a revered Buddhist temple in Thailand’s Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, were studied in the context of maritime Southeast Asia and local craftsmanship during the thirteenth–fourteenth century. The CIE L*a*b* and CIE L*C*h* colors of fine- and coarse-paste wares were analyzed using unsupervised and supervised machine learning algorithms. An illustrative example demonstrated the classification capability an…
Automatic ceramic identification using machine learning. Lusitanian amphorae and Faience. Two Portuguese case studies
This article presents a novel approach to classifying archaeological artefacts using machine learning, specifically deep learning, rather than relying on traditional, time-consuming human-based methods. By employing Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), this approach aims to expedite and enhance the identification process, making it more accessible to a wider audience. The study focuses on two types of artefacts- Roman Lusitanian amphorae (2nd-5t…
Exploring the acid-insoluble shell organic matrix of freshwater mussels (Unionoida) as a proxy for palaeodietary and paleoenvironmental studies
The shells of freshwater mussels, commonly found at archaeological sites associated with the Kodjadermen-Gumelnița-Karanovo VI human groups (5th millennium BCE, Romania and Bulgaria), were a significant dietary component for this population. The organic matrix of these ancient shells is often well-preserved and can be analysed using stable isotopes.This study establishes the empirical relationship between the isotopic composition of the acid-inso…
To pretreat, or not to pretreat, that is the question. The value of pretreatment protocols in the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of archaeobotanical cereal grains from Croatia and Serbia
Isotopic analysis of archaeological charred plant remains is a useful tool to infer past agricultural practices. However, debate continues over whether charred seeds should be untreated or pretreated before analysis, to counteract any residual contamination and retrieve the “true” isotopic signature of the seed. This paper presents a case study examining whether archaeobotanical remains from Croatia and northern Serbia should be pretreated before…
Smartphone photos as a non-destructive approach to characterise siliceous artefacts
A methodological proposal was developed for the study of prehistoric siliceous artefacts which includes the use of smartphone photography as an analytical tool. Different kinds of materials (cherts, rock crystal and quartzite) were sampled from the lithic assemblage of La Calvera rock-shelter (Camaleño, Spain), chosen as a case study. Each sample was photographed with a smartphone and colour features were compared with portable and non-destructiv…
Archaeometallurgical research into the ironworking activities of the Medieval Harbour at Hoeke (Belgium)
Archaeological research at Hoeke, a Late Medieval outer harbour of Bruges (Belgium), has revealed large quantities of iron slags, fuel and other remains of iron working. Archaeometrical study has provided an enhanced insight into the historic iron working process, a craft activity which had up till now remained completely unknown in one of the largest economic hubs of medieval Europe. Several petrological, mineralogical and geochemical analytical…
Direct dating confirms the presence of otter and badger in early Holocene Ireland
The origin of Ireland’s fauna is an unresolved issue in the history of the island. Although researchers once considered Ireland’s mammals to have spread to Ireland during the early postglacial from 11,700 cal BP, research has increasingly suggested humans translocated many of these species to Ireland. However, due to sparse evidence, the origin of Ireland’s purported native mustelid species remains unanswered. In this study, we shed light on the …
Ceramic traditions and technological choices revealed by early Iron Age vessels
Early Iron Age pottery from central Italian regions has so far largely been studied with a particular emphasis on typological and stylistical features. However, an analytical approach to ancient ceramic technology can reveal a wealth of data on the know-how of early Iron Age central Italian craftspeople and their production choices. With this aim we conducted archaeometric analyses of forty vessels from one of the main protohistoric cemeteries of…
On the evolution of limestone-tempered pottery in the American Midwest
During the Middle and Late Woodland periods in the American Midwest some small-scale societies transitioned from grit to limestone as the primary clay temper. Limestone offers experimentally demonstrated benefits to vessel manufacture, including decreased wall thickness, but given the society-wide changes in mobility and exchange that also occurred, we investigated whether the use of limestone temper resulted in a different vessel weight relative…
GPR Mapping of buried monumental retaining walls at biblical Kiriath-Yearim near Jerusalem
In 2019 a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) investigation was conducted at Kiriath-Yearim near Jerusalem, one of the largest Bronze and Iron Ages mounds in the highlands of the southern Levant. The main objective was to test an archaeological hypothesis regarding the existence of an Iron Age summit compound which was supported by monumental stone retaining walls.We used a wheeled GPR with simultaneous central frequencies of 200, 400, and 800 MHz. De…
Landscapes of the “Coast of Death”
This paper investigates the landscapes of Neolithic communities found within Costa da Morte (Coast of Death), Galicia. Its goal is to uncover whether or not the megalithic monuments of a particular and coherent area of the south-eastern side of the Atlantic Façade are situated in relation to complex locational variables. In particular, in this paper, we explore the entirety of their surrounding horizon. For the very first time, we were able to de…
Advancing and refining archaeological dental calculus research using multiomic frameworks
Dental calculus (calcified dental plaque) is a cross-cultural biological matrix that is emerging as a critical source of information for anthropologists and oral health professionals. It contains a multitude of diverse biomolecules, providing information about an individual’s culture, diet, ancestry, and health. Most researchers who study archaeological dental calculus use genomic or proteomic approaches, although a wide range of other techniques…
“Here we go again”
C dates and demonstrate that different protocols have significant effects on the quality and yield of extracted collagen
Measuring the impact of parchment production on skin collagen stable isotope (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) values
Parchment is one of the most abundant resources in archives across the world and is a unique time-sensitive material through which centuries of livestock economies, trade and craft can be explored. We examine the impact of structural and chemical modifications during production to δ13C and δ15N values in the skin, particularly the removal of cutaneous keratins and lipids and the conversion of amide functional groups into carboxyl groups via alkal…
A Response to Léa Drieu et al., 2020, “Is It Possible to Identify Ancient Wine Production Using Biomolecular Approaches?” ( STAR
Comparable to Drieu et al.’s viewpoint, we argue that it is possible to identify ancient Eurasian grape wine by current biomolecular methods, but only in conjunction with the relevant archaeological, archaeobotanical, and other natural and social scientific data. Additionally, we advocate an inductive–deductive working hypothesis model, which is appropriate for the “historical science” of archaeology. We focus on two key deficiencies of Drieu et …
On the evolution of limestone-tempered pottery in the American Midwest
During the Middle and Late Woodland periods in the American Midwest some small-scale societies transitioned from grit to limestone as the primary clay temper. Limestone offers experimentally demonstrated benefits to vessel manufacture, including decreased wall thickness, but given the society-wide changes in mobility and exchange that also occurred, we investigated whether the use of limestone temper resulted in a different vessel weight relative…
Illuminated Manuscripts from Turfan Tracing Silk Road Glamour by Analyzing Pigments
Investigation of manuscripts found in sites along the Silk Road shows the history of communication and exchange between Asia and the Mediterranean over the centuries. Different scripts and languages preserved on paper in certain styles provide information about traditions and provenance. To get an idea of the cultural background of the highly developed painting techniques obvious in some illuminated manuscripts, the material used for writing and …
Amplification of TruSeq ancient DNA libraries with AccuPrime Pfx
Recent developments in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies have enabled the reconstruction of complete genome sequence and nucleosome and methylation maps from ancient individuals. A diversity of degradation reactions affect DNA molecules after an organism dies, introducing specific nucleotide misincorporation patterns in HTS data that are typically exploited to distinguish modern contaminants and authentic DNA templates. In this study,…
Modern humans' paleogenomics and the new evidences on the European prehistory
The modern human settlement of Europe is a complex process with overimposed migrations and regionalisation episodes, as well as adaptive processes that shaped the genome of modern populations. New developments in massive sequencing techniques allow now the generation of an unprecedented amount of genomic data, including the genotyping of a large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the generation of complete ancient genomes. These…
The ceramic ecology of florida
The success of pottery provenance studies is fundamentally dependent upon spatially patterned variation in the composition of exploited clay resources. Uniformity in clay composition within a region and recognizable differences between regions of interest are essential requirements for determining provenance, but these parameters are difficult to satisfy in study areas such as the coastal plain of the southeastern USA in which chemical and minera…
Characterization of Costa Rican Archaeological Ceramics From the Formative Period
The study of archaeological samples through electrochemical methods may render valuable information about the manufacturing technology of ancient societies in the Costa Rican territory. The combination of immobilized micro-particles of archeological samples into a glass–conducting (ITO) substrate as an electrode with a Nafion® binder, and the use of square wave voltammetry as analytical tool proved to be an advantageous method for the analysis of…
An unusual example of gold cloisonné from Central Anatolia
Presents the examination and XRF analysis of a gold cloisonné object dating from ca. 1800 BCE, discovered by the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology (JIAA) in the Kaman-Kalehöyük excavation of 2010 in Turkey, representing the Assyrian Colony Period in Central Anatolia. Kaman-Kalehöyük is a rural settlement along the ancient Silk Road trade route dating from the Bronze Age (2300 BCE) through the Ottoman Empire. The object is constructed fr…
Exploring Late Bronze Age systems of bronzework production in Switzerland through Network Science
Many hundreds of Bronze Age bronze artefacts are known from excavations in Switzerland, yet the interpretation of production networks from the object find locations remain problematic. It is proposed that the decorative elements used on items, such as ring-jewellery, can be used as elements to assist in the identification of artisanal traditions and ‘schools’, and also regional or community preference and selection of specific designs. Combining …
Recognizing Geomagnetic Storms in Marine Magnetometer Data
Strong magnetic field perturbations resulting from Earth-directed solar events, collectively referred to as geomagnetic storms, can adversely affect many aspects of marine archaeological survey. The immediate onset of geomagnetic storms and the fast compression of the magnetopause creates a short-duration, high amplitude spike in Earth’s magnetic field that appears similar to the signature of an archaeological anomaly. Aggressive processing, anal…
Archaeology and archaeometallurgy
This paper uses examples from Mediterranean and in particular Italian prehistory to explore the interface between prehistoric archaeology and metals analysis by examining three areas: the usefulness of data from past analyses (‘what is it made of?’), lead isotope analysis and the problem of unpublished data (‘where is it from?’), and the interpretation of analytical data (‘what does it mean?’). Issues discussed include big data, the integration o…
Preferential amplification of repetitive DNA during whole genome sequencing library creation from historic samples
Repetitive microsatellite DNA forms a universal component of eukaryote genomes and specific biochemical properties of such repeat regions may influence the outcome of laboratory protocols. The Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) genome contains an order of magnitude more dinucleotide repeats than the majority of vertebrates, with over eight percent of its genome that can be classified as either AC or AG dinucleotide repeat. We find that the abundance of …
Poor preservation of antibodies in archaeological human bone and dentine
The growth of proteomics-based methods in archaeology prompted an investigation of the survival of non-collagenous proteins, specifically immunoglobulin G (IgG), in archaeological human bone and dentine. Over a decade ago reports were published on extracted, immunoreactive archaeological IgG, and the variable yields of IgG molecules detected by Western blots of 1D and 2D SDS-PAGE gels. If IgG can indeed be recovered from archaeological skeletal m…
Clovis Colonization of Eastern North America
Over the past several decades, archaeologists, anthropologists, linguists, and others who study cultural phenomena have begun to appreciate that methods developed to reconstruct the evolutionary, or phylogenetic, relationships among biological taxa can be used to create cultural sequences based on heritable continuity. One method in particular is cladistics, which creates hypothetical statements of relatedness—rendered as trees—based on the model…
Textile technology in Nepal in the 5th-7th centuries CE
The first results of textile and dye analyses of cloth remains recovered in Samdzong, Upper Mustang, Nepal, are presented. The site consists of ten shaft tombs, dated between the 400-650 CE, cut into a high cliff face at an elevation of 4000 m asl. The dry climate and high altitude favoured the exceptional preservation of organic materials. One of the objects recovered from the elite Samdzong 5 tomb complex is composed of wool fabrics to which co…
Wild to domestic and back again
This paper presents the results of the first comprehensive scientific study of the fallow deer, a non-native species whose medieval-period introduction to Britain transformed the cultural landscape. It brings together data from traditional zooarchaeological analyses with those derived from new ageing techniques as well as the results of a programme of radiocarbon dating, multi-element isotope studies and genetic analyses. These new data are here …
Age effects and the influence of varying proportions of terrestrial and marine dietary protein on the stable nitrogen-isotope compositions of pig bone collagen and soft tissues from a controlled feedi…
In this study, femoral collagen, rib collagen, femoral muscle, loin muscle and liver samples from sows, piglets and pigs raised in a controlled feeding study are analysed for their nitrogen-isotope compositions. The objectives of this research are to investigate the relationship between tissue and dietary δ15N values across age categories under controlled feeding and housing conditions, and to assess tissue 15N-enrichment relative to diet when pi…
Luminescence dating of mortar and terracotta from a Royal Tomb at Ulaankhermiin Shoroon Bumbagar, Mongolia
The spectacular royal tomb “Ulaankhermiin Shoroon Bumbagar” was discovered in Bulgan province, Mongolia, in 2011. Excavation of the site revealed its internal structure; a slope of 42 meters in length leading down to the underground mausoleum at a depth of 7 m below the ground. Archaeological investigations provided the site with an independent age control suggesting the construction date of the Royal tomb to the last quarter of the VII century. …
Settlement Sizes and Agricultural Production Territories
Archaeological data from Upper Mesopotamia provide ample information on the extent of agricultural production territories around tell-based nucleated settlements as well as site sizes —as a proxy for ancient populations. In following, this study investigates the potential relationship between settlement sizes and food production levels during the Early Bronze Age. To start with, CORONA imagery is used to document landscape evidences of past produ…
Studying a Funerary Roman Vessel Glass Collection from Patras, Greece
In a rescue excavation of a Roman funerary complex located at the city of Patras, Achaia, Greece, an assemblage of high quality glass vessels of the 2nd-3rd c. AD was recovered. Here we present the results from the physicochemical examination of the collection using a combination of non-destructive techniques, namely optical microscopy, portable X-Ray Fluorescence, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Infrared spectroscopy (IR) techniques. The analys…
More than meets the eye
This study contributes to the history of paper in Central Asia during the first millennium C.E. and aims to create a typology of paper based on a systematic study of Chinese manuscript collections found along the Silk Roads. The further aspect of this study aims to improve our knowledge of archaeometric research considered with the revision and test of scientific methodology which can then be used for historical and philological scholarship. By u…
Is Non-destructive Provenancing of Pottery Possible With Just a Few Discriminative Trace Elements
This study outlines how to perform a fully non-destructive compositional analysis of pottery, but with the limited number of discriminative elements quantifiable by pXRF. The spectrometer was calibrated with fired clay samples spiked with Ti, Fe, Ga, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr and Nb. Methodological outliers resulting from surface modifications and paste heterogeneity were identified by multiple spot analysis per fragment and sorted out. From ten late medieva…
Sourcing obsidian
Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry [LA-ICP-MS] is one of the most successful analytical techniques used in archaeological sciences. Applied to the sourcing of lithic raw materials, it allows for fast and reliable analysis of large assemblages. However, the majority of published studies omit important analytical issues commonly encountered with laser ablation. This research presents a new advanced LA-ICP-MS protocol develo…
Preliminary Investigation of Sri Lankan Copper-alloy Statues
The historical framework for the discussion is the chronology of Sri Lankan culture, which, based on the most recent archaeological evidence and radiocarbon dates, has been defined by three major periods: Early Historic (500 BC-300 AD), Middle Historic (300 AD-1200 AD) and Late Historic (1200 AD-1815 AD). A classification for the evolution of bronze sculpture with reference to the established historical chronology for Sri Lanka has been proposed …
An experimental study of two grave excavation methods
The process of archaeological excavation is one of destruction. It normally provides archaeologists with a singular opportunity to recognise, define, extract and record archaeological evidence: the artefacts, features and deposits present in the archaeological record. It is expected that when archaeologists are excavating in a research, commercial or forensic setting the methods that they utilise will ensure a high rate of evidence recognition an…
Relative performance of two DNA extraction and library preparation methods on archaeological human teeth samples
DNA extraction and library preparation are crucial steps in any ancient DNA study. Although palaeogenomic researchers are facing a growing choice of DNA extraction and sequencing library preparation methods, how their performance varies with DNA preservation remains unclear. To help elucidate this question, we compared the performance of two common DNA extraction and Illumina library preparation methods on a set of archaeological human samples, c…
Characterisation and Analysis of Metallic Artefacts from the Pylos Archaeological Museum
The present study focuses on the analysis of four unique artefacts, originally recovered from a tomb complex of the Hellenistic period and now displayed at the New Pylos Archaeological Museum, Niokastro fortress of Pylos, Greece (since 2016). The items are rod-shaped, with a length between 5.5 and 14.6 cm and intricate decorative patterns. The rods were analysed following a multi-technique, non-invasive approach, using optical microscopy, XRF, SE…
Complex metallographic study on Gepid bronze and silver buckles from the Great Hungarian Plain (5-6 th cent.)
This work presents a complex metallographic examination of bronze, silver and golden artefacts from early medieval German (Gepid) cemeteries of the Hungarian Plain, focusing on the finds from Tiszapüspöki.A newly developed non-destructive X-ray diffraction method was applied on the artefacts for the first time, as a novel approach, for sampling-free residual stress measurements. Other techniques such as optical microscopy and scanning electron mi…