Abstract: This study investigates the Roman land division system, centuriation, using LIDAR data and historical data to understand the landscape during the Roman period, in this case between Roman cities such as Siscia and Andautonia. LIDAR data analysis provided evidence of the preservation of Roman centuriation system in present day forest Turopoljski lug. The azimuth suggests that the centuriation aligns with Siscia's ager, while the precise territorial limits between the two agers remain unclear. Additionally, the orientation of Siscia's streets and the alignment of modern roads like Zagrebačka street suggest continuity of Roman road systems. The research also sheds light on the agricultural nature of the region, challenging traditional views of Turopolje as a swampy, forested area. The presence of Roman-era drainage systems and the re-evaluation of the historical landscape indicate that the region was actively cultivated. The study also discusses the abandonment of the centuriation system after the Roman period and its subsequent transformation into forested land. Future research should focus on the exact borders between the agers of Siscia and Andautonia, and the ongoing influence of Roman land divisions on later historical landscapes. This is the first time that centuriation grid was discovered in the continental part of Croatia.

Abstract: A series (n=22) of glasses from the site Kapucinski vrt (garden of the Capuchin monastery, 5th-17th c. CE) in Koper (Capodistria), a port town in northern Adriatic, was measured by a combined PIXE and PIGE method. Koper has been continuously populated since late Roman period with a rich medieval history, thus offering an opportunity to study Early Medieval glass. Stemmed goblet fragments, in the original publication dated between the 6th-9th c. CE, and several other vessel types (beakers, flasks or bottles, lamps) were selected for analysis. The measurements were expected to show the trends in glass production and consumption from Late Antiquity until the Middle Ages, notably the transition between the natron to plant ash glass and supply of fresh glass. Among the set of 22 glass vessel fragments both natron and plant ash glass were identified. For finer classification we relied on a newly developed method of Euclidean distances with respect to major concentrations. Natron glass was of the types of Foy 2.1 (9 examples), Magby (2 examples) and Levantine I (Apollonia; 2 examples). Two glasses remain undetermined but testify Egyptian origin. Most natron glasses show signs of recycling. Among the three unrecycled glasses (about 20% of the whole set) there are the two examples of Levantine glass and a Magby glass lamp; this may indicate a modest supply of fresh glass during the period. Plant ash glass may be attributed to the Early or High Middle Ages, exploiting purified alkalis of the Levantine coasts (known as alume catino in later Venetian glassmaking), while the admixture of impurities in the siliceous sands suggest circulation and consumption of glass that was produced and traded in the eastern Mediterranean since the 10th centuries onwards.

Abstract:

The discovery of an Aurignacian lithic assemblage along the northern coast of the Island of Lemnos in the northeast Aegean Sea has opened new perspectives to the study of the beginning the Upper Palaeolithic in Greece. The site is located some 93 m from the present seashore. It was discovered in the summer of 2020 ca 2 km west of the Pournias Bay. The lithics were exposed in a well-defined oval concentration, ca 25x10 metres wide, buried by a Holocene sand dune. They were uncovered after sand removal by a bulldozer for the construction of a parking place. The knapped stones are made almost exclusively from hydrothermal siliceous rocks, a raw material available on the island. Raman spectroscopy and optical observations confirmed that this raw material is chalcedony. The surfaces of most artefacts are weathered due to deposition in an environment rich of marine salt which did not preserve any organic material suitable for radiocarbon dating. The knapped stone assemblage consists of diagnostic artefacts among which are different types of carinated end scrapers, cores, and a few bladelets. The discovery of an Aurignacian site plays an important role in the study of the Palaeolithic peopling of Lemnos and the northeast Aegean in general, a period which was previously known only through Epipalaeolithic sites discovered and exca-vated mainly along the eastern coast of the island.

Abstract: This paper pleads to the necessity of an international quality standard for built heritage intervention reviews. Despite the established doctrine in the wider field of conservation, the performance of built heritage management is significantly variable in different countries, and the core principles are sometimes glaringly ignored, without consequences. While the management and the corresponding legal areas are very difficult mechanisms to interfere with directly, a review system is seen here as a potentially constraining instrument, albeit indirect, towards a more coherent implementation of the agreed principles of intervention. The proposed system is based, in this preliminary form, on the principles of the Venice Charter as sources for the core evaluation criteria. The purpose is not to generate uniform, plain or unique responses to the generic bad or good question, but rather to determine where interventions can be situated on the spectrum between bad and good. A consistent case study is presented for the recent intervention on the Roman fortress Capidava, in present day Romania. The content is meant to be accessible to a wider audience with interest in built heritage.

Abstract: The decipherment of the Indus Valley script has remained one of the most enduring challenges in historical linguistics. This paper presents a groundbreaking computational and linguistic analysis that successfully identifies and interprets structured inscriptions found on nine Indus Valley copper plates. By integrating symbol frequency analysis, AI-assisted pattern recognition, comparative mythology, and proto-linguistic reconstruction, we demonstrate that these inscriptions encode a structured theological and philosophical discourse rather than purely administrative records. Our findings reveal a coherent logographic-ideographic system with strong syntactic parallels to Proto-Elamite and Mesopotamian religious texts, suggesting that the script was used to encode sacred knowledge, cosmological principles, and ritual invocations. The application of deep learning and linguistic modeling not only advances the effort to decipher the Indus Valley script but also provides unprecedented insights into its role in ancient civilization, positioning it as an intellectual and spiritual system rather than a mere tool for economic record-keeping.

Abstract: In this paper, we revisit the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition in western Scotland and the links between Early European farmers and middens in light of new aDNA, radiocarbon, and stable isotopic evidence. New carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic data for food sources (plant and animal remains) from a Mesolithic site are presented, and dietary FRUITS models are recalculated based on these data. We also respond to recent criticisms of the Bayesian approach to diet reconstruction. Results support the view that Neolithic people had at most a minimal contribution of marine foods in diet and also point to a dual population model of transition in western Scotland. A significant aspect of the transition in coastal western Scotland is the co-occurrence of Neolithic human remains with shell-midden deposits, which appears to contradict stable isotopic evidence indicating a minimal contribution of marine resources to the diet of early farming communities in the region. Finally, we highlight the need for further research to fully address these issues, including 1) targeted isotopic analyses of potential plant and animal resources, 2) single-entity radiocarbon and ZooMS analyses of animal bones and artefacts from shell-middens, and 3) further aDNA analyses of the remains of Late Mesolithic and Neolithic people.

Abstract:

The technological development of ceramic production during the Early Modern Age in the Iberian Peninsula remains a critical topic in historical archaeological research. This study investigates pottery from Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, focusing on materials from the Convent of Santo Domingo, dated between the late 15th and early 17th centuries. Through the analysis of production wastes, including dolia and olive jars (botijas), this text unveils key aspects of regional ceramic practices. A multidisciplinary methodology—encompassing petrography, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)—was employed to determine the compositional, technological, and provenance characteristics of the ceramics. The findings reveal the use of heterogeneous clay pastes, indicating diverse material sources and evolving production techniques over time. This paper allows a better understanding of technological transitions in pottery manufacturing, which establishes a basis for further archaeometric studies that explore the complexities of early modern ceramics in southwestern Andalusia. Importantly, these results question the role of Seville as an exclusive ceramic production center for the Atlantic commercial trade, proposing alternative manufacturing hubs, such as Jerez de la Frontera.

Abstract: Legislation and regulations aimed at ensuring the preservation of cultural heritage exist in many countries worldwide and Egypt. The legislation creates a regulatory framework and defines the roles and responsibilities of various departments and agencies, while it also formalizes institutional arrangements. In the Antiquities sector, the main objective of such legislation is to protect, for the enjoyment of future generations, the Archaeological heritage resource from any unwarranted destruction. The analytical method of the texts of the relevant laws has been adopted in writing the research as it is based on extrapolation and comparison, through reviewing the legal texts that the legislator mentioned in this regard, whether they are at the heart of the Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt for the year 2014, contained in the laws that relate to antiquities and heritage trying to analyze it and discussing it to demonstrate its sufficiency to provide the necessary protection and management tools for this important archaeological heritage. Legislation, both internationally and nationally, on archaeological heritage management is often based on a dominant heritage discourse that focuses on material conservation. The range of legislation that either directly or indirectly influences the protection and management of Archaeological heritage is extensive currently there exists within the Egyptian legislative landscape a myriad of statutes that impinge on Archaeological heritage. This paper explores the Integration between these statutes and the availability of strengthening the imperative to protect Archaeological heritage through such instruments as policy statements and plans. The effectiveness of these changes, however, will only become apparent as these planning instruments are reconsidered in light of the enhanced requirements.

Abstract: The UNESCO site of Arslantepe is located in Eastern Anatolia in the Malatya Plain (Türkiye) about 10km from the Euphrates River. Here for about a century archaeological excavations have been carried out reconstructing a long sequence of human frequentation starting from 5000 years BC up to the Middle Ages. The settlement, one of the most important and largest in the region, has undergone numerous changes over time resulting in a complex superposition of structures, palac-es, temples and burials concentrated on the hill. With the aim of extending the knowledge of the site, in 2022 geophysical surveys were carried out through the application of electrical resistivity tomography, covering a surface of approximately 4,300 m2 in an unexplored area at the foot of the hill. In this paper, the Extended data-adaptive Probability-based Electrical Resistivity Tomog-raphy Inversion approach (E-PERTI), recently published as development of the probability to-mography imaging approach, has been applied to a large apparent resistivity field dataset providing the best estimate of the most probable estimate of the resistivity distribution through an intrinsic linear regression model implementing standard least squares routines. Results seem to prove the effectiveness of the E-PERTI approach in noise dejection enhancing associated resistivity highs that can be ascribable to the trace of a potential fortification. The obtained information rep-resents new unexpected data that opens new frontiers of archaeological research adding value to the knowledge of the site.

Abstract: A technique for characterization of color of small ochre samples was proposed. The technique includes visual color determination with the aid of stereomicroscope and Munsell Soil Color Chart, conversion of Munsell values to CIE L*a*b coordinates, cluster analysis and principle component analysis (PCA). The technique was applied to ochre samples form Kapova Cave and Kamennaya Balka 2 Upper Paleolithic sites. Characterization the color of a statistically significant number of pigment samples makes it possible to identify the relationships between different structural features of the cultural layer, reliably identify a wide range of artistic practices in parietal caves in addition to the actual creation of drawings, and also possibly serves as a chronological marker at multi-layered sites.

Abstract: The Micia site, is recognized as an archaeological civil settlement that was inhabited, and soldiers from several troops, were stationed in the Roman camp. From the end of the 2nd century AD, the civil settlement was rebuilt, with residential areas, industrial areas, port, public baths (civilian and military), amphitheater, religious areas (temples) and enjoying the facilities of a city. In this regard, the present work will first address the composition of the samples taken from the Roman monuments identified in Micia area and will highlight for the first time for this Roman site the presence of a form of tremolite-asbestos. This paper analyzes for the first time the presence of traces of tremolite-asbestos in stone samples collected from Roman monument buildings extracted from quarries near the city of Deva and used in civil, military and funerary structures from Micia. Highly performant and sensitive analytical techniques have been used to put into evidence the tremolite-asbestos species, to identify the structure, composition and morphology of these minerals inside of the building materials from Roman monuments, as follows: optical, stereo and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence with wavelength dispersion (EDXRF), FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, thermal analysis (TGA/DTA). It is presumed that tremolite-asbestos species has been included in the material layers used as mortars at Micia settlement in order to protect these monuments.

Abstract: The Spanish Merino is the most significant sheep breed globally due to its economic and cultural importance in human history. It has also had a substantial influence on the development of other Merino and Merino-derived breeds. Historical sources indicate that crossbreeding to produce finer, higher-quality wool was already taking place in the south of the Iberian Peninsula during the Roman era. This evidence suggests that individuals with a racial pattern very similar to that of the modern Merino may have already existed on the peninsula. The presence of skeletal remains of these animals at various human settlements dated to the late fourth and third millennia BC could provide insights into the genomics of these ancestral sheep. This study analyzes ancient DNA extracted from nine skeletal remains from three archaeological sites in southern Iberia, dated to the third millennium BC. The samples were sequenced and aligned with the ovine genome. The genetic distances observed among the samples indicate a closer relationship between several animals from the Marinaleda (Seville) and Grañena Baja (Jaén) sites, suggesting possible shared livestock practices among these communities, while this was not evident at the La Minilla site (La Rambla, Córdoba). The varying ages of sacrifice or death identified in the faunal studies of the sites producing the samples suggest a focus on meat exploitation at La Minilla (La Rambla, Córdoba), while in Grañena Baja (Jaén) and Marinaleda (Sevilla), the emphasis appears to have been on the use of secondary products. The genomic results of the nine Ovis aries individuals support this hypothesis.

Abstract: This research is part of the NeuroArtIfAct project []aimed at exploring the cognitive and emotional processes involved in perceiving Etruscan artifacts. This case study is focused on the Sarcophagus of the Spouses at the National Etruscan Museum in Rome. The study utilized AI and eye-tracking technology to analyze how viewers engage with the Etruscan Sarcophagus of the Spouses, revealing key patterns of visual attention and engagement. Open AI ChatGBT 4o was used in conjunction with Python in order to elaborate all the spreadsheets and data coming from the eye0tracking recording. Results showed that viewers primarily focused on the central figures, especially the faces and hands, indicating a high level of interest in the human elements of the artifact. The longer fixation durations on these features suggest that viewers find them particularly engaging, likely due to their detailed craftsmanship and symbolic significance. The eye-tracking data also highlighted specific gaze patterns, such as diagonal scanning across the sarcophagus, which reflects the composition's ability to guide viewer attention strategically. These findings suggest that the artifact's design effectively captures and directs viewer attention, emphasizing its cultural and emotional significance.

Abstract: Maria Valtorta (MV) (1897–1961) – an Italian mystic who claimed to have visions of Jesus’s life – describes Jesus’ crucifixion with many details from which significant data can be retrieved. My investigation based on these data and the topography of northwest Jerusalem in the I century AD, shows that Jesus’ crucifixion place, Golgotha (the “skull”), is neither at the Holy Sepulchre nor in the Garden Tomb area. The paved road to Golgotha she accurately describes arrives at its top with the minimum mean route gradient; its half way defines two distinct tracts with same height and same walking time but different mean route gradient; at half way Jesus is allowed to walk to the top in a spiral country road less steep than the second tract. The paved road leads to a place where few years after Jesus’ crucifixion the Psephinus Tower, described by Flavius Josephus, was erected, in the area known today as the Russian Compound. In conclusion, the Golgotha reveiled by MV’s writings was located at the same site of the Psephinus Tower.

Abstract: Traditional painting artefacts study and documentation face the limitations of well-known recording tools and methods, such as handwritten or digital descriptions, scaled 2D drawings in situ, measurements with calipers, rulers or tape measures, sketches, tracings, as well as conventional or technical photographs. This paper advocates Close-Range Photogrammetry (SfM-MVS) and Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) for recording vital morphological and 2.5D geometric features of painted surfaces with high accuracy. These digital tools, widely accessible due to increased computing power, enhance art observation, material study and conservation assessment. Despite specialized alternatives like 3D laser scanners, the focus here is on the cost-effective SfM-MVS and RTI, which offer advanced pixel colour accuracy. The ability to reproduce photorealistic textures proves essential for accurate documentation of painted artefacts. The paper showcases promising results from applying these methods to a mural from the Palace of Tiryns, justifying their fundamental role in an integrated scientific art study methodology.

Abstract: This article is based on the findings of a mapping project of portions of the runoff agricultural system in the Levant in during the Byzantine period, the purpose of which was to study the resemblance between the components of that system in the desert and those in the sedentary land. These include dammed wadis, specific agricultural installations and settlement sites, among them chapels and livestock pens. The focus on agricultural installations has led to the possibility of dating the peak of the agricultural system’s functioning to the second half of the sixth century CE. Two assumptions will be put to the test: (1) that the establishment of the agricultural system overlapped the climate crisis in Europe that compromised food production in most areas of the Byzantine Empire – but not in the Levant, which for a certain period became a food supplier; (2) that the Church, as the emissary of the empire, stood at the head of the system.

Abstract: The social recognition of cultural landscapes has increased in recent years. Culture must be accessible to all citizens, helping them to interpret the cultural landscape in the most respectful and autonomous way possible. Nevertheless, the link between accessibility and heritage requires a sensitive perception of the environment and individuals in their different situations. Usually, however, only partial solutions are offered, whereas a global, truly sustainable and inclusive approach should be adopted. In this sense, information design can play an essential role in the enjoyment and knowledge of Heritage Landscapes. The aim of this article is to present some reflections on this topic, which have led a group of teachers and students from the Laboratory of Architectural, Cultural and Heritage Landscape of the University of Valladolid (LAB/PAP) to develop experimental design proposals for the archaeological site of Tiermes, in Soria, Spain. The method applied is based on field research, case studies, project proposals, workshops and user testing. The resulting proposals emerge from the previous research developed by the LAB/PAP. They will focus on information design to present this extraordinary site in an inclusive way. The final discussion will decide which of these proposals will be easier and more useful to implement.

Abstract: During the 3rd millennium cal BC, the Indus communities exploited great quantities of chert from the Rohri Hills mines in Upper Sindh for making different types of artefacts. This paper discusses the way chert was transported to the Indus Civilization centres and the problems related to the type, quantity and quality of raw material and artefacts that were transported, when, why, and where. This paper raises the question of land and water transport. Both these methods were probably used according to the landscape location of the Indus sites. Another problem regards the landscape characteristics of the Indus Valley during the Bronze Age before the climate changes which took place around the end of the 3rd millennium cal BC, and the disappearance of the Hakra River, which was an important watercourse during the Indus phase. What do we know of the way the Indus communities exploited, transported, and circulated knappable chert? Why the Indus settlements excavated around the Rohri Hills, the largest chert mines of the Indian Subcontinent, have yielded little evidence of chert artefacts and nodules? What do we know of this important problem which is strictly related with the everyday life of the Indus communities and their economy? Why this problem has been systematically neglected by most archaeologists despite its importance?

Abstract: This paper considers how prehistoric rock art can illuminate the environmental conditions of a vast but poorly known region in the distant past and in the process shed light on issues of environment, faunal survival, and cultural change. The rock art being considered here is located in the Baga Oigor valley of Bayan Ölgiy aimag, northwestern Mongolia; together with the petroglyphic complexes of Tsagaan Gol and Aral Tolgoi, it is part of the largest, most ancient, and best–preserved body of rock art in this mountainous region dividing North and Central Asia. The Baga Oigor complex itself includes materials dating from the late Paleolithic (12,000 yrs BP) through the Turkic Period (mid-first millennium CE). Within the thousands of compositions included in the complex, one of the least noticed images is that of the moose (Alces alces). Yet as much as any other animal representation within the petroglyphs of Baga Oigor, this image reveals the radical transformation of the environment of the Altai Mountains over several thousand years and its cultural implications. The examination of Alces alces and of its pictorial contexts sheds light on a world inhabited by ancient hunters and herders and sharpens our understanding of the dynamics of cultural change.

Abstract: This paper investigates the influence of microorganisms and clay minerals on the deterioration process of ancient Egyptian murals in the Al-Qurna region, situated on the west bank of Thebes (Luxor), Egypt. To achieve this objective, an extensive examination of building materials (including bedrock, building stone, mortars, and plasters) from various tombs within the study area was conducted. The investigation employed a multidisciplinary approach, combining micro-biological analysis with advanced techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) as well as petrographic examination. These methods were employed to identify the composition of the materials and to assess the masonry structure’s response to deformation caused by endogenous factors, particularly clay minerals. Additionally, mycological analyses were performed using a swabbing cotton sterile technique, revealing the presence of several species, including Ascosphera apis, Aspergillus tamarii, Aspergillus ochraceus, Doratomyces sp, and Eurotium repens. Notably, swelling clays—such as smectite, illite, and chlorite—along with mixed layers of illite-smectite and illite-vermiculite were detected in the studied samples. The presence of such deleterious clay minerals and fungi imperils wall painting preservation, causing discoloration, surface alteration, physical decay, and structural instability. Informed conservation strategies must address these threats for sustained integrity.