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Ephyra-Epirus: The Mycenaean Acropolis presents the results of the 1975-1986 and 2007-2008 excavations on the prehistoric-Mycenaean acropolis of Ephyra, one of the most important Bronze Age sites of Epirus. Ephyra is a small coastal fortified site in the region of the lower Acheron valley and the only one that has been systematically excavated, producing impressive and, in some cases, unique Bronze Age remains (architectural, burial, pottery, artefacts). It stands on a high hill, in an exceptional position that overlooks and commands the lower Acheron valley and provides easy access both to the nearby Glykis Limin, the Ionian sea and the hinterland. Moreover, it is surrounded by three successive perivoloi, two of which (middle and lower) belong to LH III times, with a monumental south entrance gate.Ephyra fits the criteria of a major fortified settlement, as it covers an important and strategic prehistoric citadel, cemetery, residence and port of call for those travelling to the West. Strictly based on the archaeological data presented, this study suggests that the acropolis had a permanent Mycenaean population during the entire LH III period and continued to thrive after the collapse of Mycenaean centres until (and including) the Archaic period. Finally, it is tempting to suggest a correlation of the archaeological record with the Homeric tradition (Homeric Efýra, Od.a..259,b.238).

In the early centuries AD, the small region of Gandhara (centred on what is now northern Pakistan) produced an extraordinary tradition of Buddhist art which eventually had an immense influence across Asia. Mainly produced to adorn monasteries and shrines, Gandharan sculptures celebrate the Buddha himself, the stories of his life and the many sacred characters of the Buddhist cosmos. Since this imagery was rediscovered in the nineteenth century, one of its most fascinating and puzzling aspects is the extent to which it draws on the conventions of Greek and Roman art, which originated thousands of kilometres to the west.Inspired by the Gandhara Connections project at Oxford University’s Classical Art Research Centre, this book offers an introduction to Gandharan art and the mystery of its relationship with the Graeco-Roman world of the Mediterranean. It presents an accessible explanation of the ancient and modern contexts of Gandharan art, the state of scholarship on the subject, and guidance for further, in-depth study.

Who were the Dioskouroi? This study sets out to revisit the evidence and explore the Greeks’ experience of the Spartan brothers Kastor and Polydeukes in image, myth and cult. Commonly equated with the Roman Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, first by Roman writers in antiquity and subsequently by their western successors, the Greek Dioskouroi are here examined as they were represented in the period before the Roman hegemony of Greece. The evidence is explored through a series of case studies, chosen to focus chiefly on the brothers’ homelands in myth – Sparta, Messene and Argos in the Peloponnese. Also reviewed is their presence on Eastern Aegean shores, and on trading routes where Greeks and other mariners may have sought the protection of the Dioskouroi, above all Thera, Kyrene and Naukratis. Our journey of rediscovery also includes Delos, crossroads of cultures in antiquity. In the process, some fresh perspectives have emerged, not least that Kastor and Polydeukes may not always have been synonymous with the Dioskouroi and, when they were, that appellation may have carried a specific and votive meaning.

Cecil Torr’s 19th-century studies of Rhodes, in the Greek Dodecanese, off the coast of Asia Minor, were the first and most authoritative English guides to the island’s multi-layered history: nothing approaching them had been attempted before. Impeccably qualified – Harrow (Arthur Evans was a class-mate), Trinity Cambridge, and Inner Temple barrister of formidable reputation – Cecil Torr had the true antiquarian’s obsession for factual presentation and detailed analyses of primary sources. The result is a rock-solid account of the story of Byzantine Rhodes and the times of the Knights of St John, including the extraordinary events of the Great Siege which culminated in the Knights’ expulsion from the island in 1522. First published in 1887, Rhodes in Modern Times is an historical guide to the Byzantine and medieval landscapes of Rhodes. Strolling with Torr up the ‘Street of the Knights’, or on the great walls of the Old Town, or around its now peaceful moat, takes you as close as you’ll safely dare to the events of this front line in East/West relations of 500 years ago: a guided tour in and out of three ‘time zones’ – Rhodes in her medieval splendour, at the turn of the 19th century, and today. This edition of Torr’s classic (recommended by Lawrence Durrell, no less, referring to “… the scholarly Englishman who has given us the best historical monograph on the island… Read him and you will see why…” - “Reflections on a Marine Venus”) includes an extended prologue (in Greek with English translation) by Dr Elias Kollias, a leading authority on medieval and Byzantine Rhodes. Additional sections include a biography of Cecil Torr, detailed chronologies of Rhodes’ history, and a ‘tour’ with Torr in and around the famous Old Town.

Christopher Wordsworth (1807-85), the “Great Christopher” of Winchester and Trinity College, Cambridge, was a nephew of William the poet, and brother to the student who launched the University Boat Race. In 1832 he took a gap-year, after his brilliant studies in ancient Greek and Latin classics, to travel back in time over two thousand years to Pericles’ Athens. The account of his tour, Athens and Attica (1836), is still the perfect scholarly companion to the history, topography, and myths of an area compact in dimension yet vast in terms of its contribution to Western civilization. “The Bazaar or Market at Athens is a long street. Looking up you command a view of the commodities. Barrels of black caviar, small pocket-looking-glasses in red pasteboard cases, onions, tobacco piled up in brown heaps, black olives, figs strung together upon a rush, pipes with amber mouthpieces and brown clay bowls, silver-chased pistols, dirks, belts, and embroidered waistcoats. Such is the present state of Athens…a few Turks still doze in the archways of the Acropolis, or recline while smoking their pipes, and leaning with their backs against the rusty cannon. A few days ago the cannon of the Acropolis fired the signal of the conclusion of the Turkish Ramazam – the last which will ever be celebrated in Athens.” – Christopher Wordsworth, 1832

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 2002.

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 2003.

“Not the shadow of a smile disturbs the dry exposition of the scholarly Englishman [Cecil Torr] who has given us the best historical monograph on the island… Read him and you will see why...” (Lawrence Durrell, "Reflections on a Marine Venus"). Cecil Torr’s two 19th-century studies of Rhodes, in the Greek Dodecanese, off the coast of Asia Minor, were the first and most authoritative English guides to the island’s multi-layered history. Although more than a hundred years have passed since publication, the reclusive scholar’s "Rhodes in Ancient Times" and "Rhodes in Modern Times" remain firmly embedded in related bibliographies. Impeccably qualified – Harrow (Arthur Evans was a class-mate), Trinity Cambridge, and Inner Temple barrister of formidable reputation – Cecil Torr had the true antiquarian’s obsession for factual presentation and detailed analyses of primary sources. First published in 1885, "Rhodes in Ancient Times" is an historical and cultural guide to one of the most influential and powerful maritime states in the Mediterranean. Torr’s scholarly curiosity leads him to explore the island’s history, culture, myths and legends, arts, and contribution to learning in the centuries before Christ. Naturally, the celebrated Colossus is not overlooked!

CONTENTS: (1) Saad A. al-Rashid, The development of archaeology in Saudi Arabia; (2) Laïla Nehmé, Towards an understanding of the urban space of Madāin Salih, ancient Hegra, through epigraphic evidence; (3) Diane Barker & Salah Ali Hassan, Aspects of east coast Hellenism and beyond: Late Pre-Islamic ceramics from Dibbā 76 and Dibbā al-MurabbaΚah, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates; (4) Mark Beech, Richard Cuttler, Derek Moscrop, Heiko Kallweit & John Martin, New evidence for the Neolithic settlement of Marawah Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; (5) Ali Tigani ElMahi & Nasser Said Al Jahwari, Graves at Mahleya in Wādī Κandām (Sultanate of Oman): a view of a late Iron Age and Samad period death culture; (6) Heiko Kallweit, Mark Beech & Walid Yasin Al-Tikriti, Kharimat Khor al-Manāhil and Khor Āl Manāhīl — New Neolithic sites in the south-eastern desert of the UAE; (7) Jürgen Schreiber, Archaeological survey at Ibrām in the Sharqīyah, Sultanate of Oman; (8) Donatella Usai, Chisels or perforators? The lithic industry of Ras al-Hamra 5 (Muscat, Oman); (9) Paul Yule, The Samad Culture — Echoes; (10) Soumyen Bandyopadhyay, Diversity in unity: an analysis of the settlement structure of Hārat al-Κaqr, Nizwā (Oman); (11) Abdulrahman Al-Salimi, Makramid rule in Oman; (12) Valeria Fiorani Piacentini, Sohar and the Daylamī interlude (356–443/967–1051); (12) Alessandra Avanzini & Alexander V. Sedov, The stratigraphy of Sumhuram: new evidence; (13) Lamya Khalidi, The prehistoric and early historic settlement patterns on the Tihāmah coastal plain (Yemen): preliminary findings of the Tihamah Coastal Survey 2003; (14) Krista Lewis, The Himyarite site of al-Adhla and its implications for the economy and chronology of Early Historic highland Yemen; (15) Joy McCorriston, Michael Harrower, Eric Oches & Abdalaziz Bin Κaqil, Foraging economies and population in the Middle Holocene highlands of southern Yemen; (16) Carl S. Phillips, A preliminary description of the pottery from al-Hāmid and its significance in relation to other pre-Islamic sites on the Tihāmah; (17) Eivind Heldaas Seland, Ancient South Arabia: trade and strategies of state control as seen in the Periplus Maris Erythraei; (18) Peter Stein, Once again, the division of the month in Ancient South Arabia; (19); Claire Hardy-Guilbert, The harbour of al-Shihr, Hadramawt, Yemen: sources and archaeological data on trade (20) Ingrid Hehmeyer, Diurnal time measurement for water allocation in southern Yemen; (20) Mikhail Rodionov, "Satanic matters": social conflict in Madūdah (Hadramawt), 1357/1938; (21) Axelle Rougeulle, The Sharma horizon: sgraffiato wares and other glazed ceramics of the Indian Ocean trade (c. AD 980–1140); (22) Yosef Tobi, An unknown study by Joseph Halévy on his journey to Yemen.

At the heart of this book is a comparative study of the stone rows of Dartmoor and northern Scotland, a rare, putatively Bronze Age megalithic typology that has mystified archaeologists for over a century. It is argued that these are ‘symbols’ of Neolithic long mounds, a circumstance that accounts for the interregional similarities; other aspects of their semantic structures are also analysed using rigorous semiotic theory. The research presented here takes an evolutionary approach, drawing on biological theory to explain the active role of these monuments in social evolution and to investigate the processes at work in the development of prehistoric landscapes. New theory is developed for analysing such archaeological sequences, and for understanding and explaining material culture more generally. The local sequences are contextualised by examining European megalithic origins, tracing the long mound concept back to the LBK longhouses. It is argued that all of these related forms — longhouses, long mounds, and stone rows — are implicated in a process of competitively asserting ancestral affinities, which explains the constraint on cultural variation, and thus the formation of remarkably stable monument traditions, that led to the convergence between Dartmoor and northern Scotland in the Early Bronze Age.

This volume, edited by Rogério Sousa, is part of the scholarly ferment which has wheeled around the subject of ‘coffin’ during the last twenty years. Its magic and religious evaluation identifies it from time to time as body container, but at the same time substitute body for the deceased, a maternal womb in which the regeneration will occur, a microcosm, tomb, funerary temple, as well as a conduit to the dead, a powerful tool activated by means of the Opening of the Mouth ritual. -From the Foreword, by Alessia Amenta In February 2013, the Symposium Body, Cosmos and Eternity: the Symbolism of Coffins in Ancient Egypt convened at the historical building of the University of Porto to debate conceptual frameworks underlying the contemporary study of Egyptian coffins. Rising from the close association with the depiction of the mummified body, the anthropoid coffins soon absorbed a rich mythological imaginary related to the constellation of Nut, the mother goddess of the sky supposed to give birth to Osiris, and evolved continuously, integrating larger and more complex sets of beliefs, mirroring the increasingly bolder use of coffins in the funerary rituals. It was this complex set of beliefs involving the coffin that we proposed to explore in this series of symposia. Following our original purpose, the studies presented in this volume display an excellent overview on the new trends of research on coffin studies, with diverse contributions concerned either with symbolism or social significance of coffins, museums´ collections or archaeological finds. These studies superbly showcase the richness of coffins as documental sources for the study of Egyptian religion, economy and society.

What became of towns following the official end of ‘Roman Britain’ at the beginning of the 5th century AD? Did towns fail? Were these ruinous sites really neglected by early Anglo-Saxon settlers and leaders? Developed new archaeologies are starting to offer alternative pictures to the traditional images of urban decay and loss revealing diverse modes of material expression, of usage of space, and of structural change. The focus of this book is to draw together still scattered data to chart and interpret the changing nature of life in towns from the late Roman period through to the mid-Anglo-Saxon period. The research centres on towns that have received sufficient archaeological intervention so that meaningful patterns can be traced. The case studies are arranged into three regional areas: the South-East, South-West, and Midlands. Individually each town contains varying levels of archaeological data, but analysed together these illustrate more clearly patterns of evolution. Much of the data exists as accessible but largely unpublished reports, or isolated within regional discussions. Detailed analysis, review and comparisons generate significant scope for modelling ‘urban’ change in England from AD 300-600. ‘Towns in the Dark’ dispels the simplistic myth of outright urban decline and failure after Rome, and demonstrates that life in towns often did continue with variable degrees of continuity and discontinuity.

Much has been written about the history of Northern Ireland, but less well-known is its wealth of prehistoric sites, particularly burial sites, from which most of our knowledge of the early inhabitants of this country has been obtained. This work brings together information on all the known sites in Northern Ireland that are in some way associated with burial. It has been compiled from a number of sources and includes many sites that have only recently been discovered. A total of 3332 monuments are recorded in the inventory, ranging from megalithic tombs to simple pit burials. In addition to providing an inventory of all known sites, along with a selection of photographs and plans, the work also includes an introduction to the prehistory of Northern Ireland, an explanation of terms and a full bibliography. The aim is to provide a foundation for more specific research projects, based on a standardised information format of this largely untapped resource. For example, the work highlights several large and previously unrecognised clusters of prehistoric burial monuments, some located at unusual landscape features. Hopefully, further analysis will lead to a greater understanding of why this should be and stimulate a renewed interest in the prehistory of Northern Ireland. Enhanced awareness of this should complement knowledge of the historical period to provide a more balanced picture of human activity here.

This volume was conceived to provide a forum for Mexican and foreign scholars to publish new data and interpretations on the archaeology of the northern Maya lowlands, specifically the State of Yucatán. Increased communication among scholars has become increasingly important for grasping a better understanding of the great amount of data emerging from the State of Yucatán. There has been more salvage work conducted in this state than in any of the others throughout Mexico and the data is overwhelming. Because of this large amount of salvage work, archaeologists in the INAH office in Yucatán have had little time to publish the great majority of the new information. Further, many of the forums that are easily accessible to scholars in the northern lowlands have constrictive space restraints not conducive to publishing data. With these points in mind, this volume seeks to gather papers that did not necessarily have to have a theoretical focus, and that could be data laden so that the raw data from many of these projects would not be confined to difficult to access reports in the Mérida and Mexico City offices. The result is a series of manuscripts on the northern lowlands, most of which focus on the State of Yucatán. Some of the papers are very data heavy, while others have a much more interpretive emphasis. Yet all of them contribute to a more complete picture of the northern lowland Maya.

Stelae dating to the Epiclassic (650-900 CE) and Early Postclassic (950-1150 CE) from Tula, Xochicalco, and other sites in Central Mexico have been presented in the archaeological and art historical literature of the last four decades—when they have been addressed at all—as evidence of Classic Maya ‘influence’ on Central Mexican art during these periods. This book re-evaluates these claims via detailed comparative analysis of the Central Mexican stelae and their claimed Maya counterparts. For the first time the Central Mexican stelae are placed in the context of often earlier local artistic traditions as well as other possible long-distance connections. Comparison of Tula and Xochicalco stelae with earlier and contemporary stelae from Oaxaca and Guerrero demonstrates connections equally as plausible as those posited with the Maya region, and supported by archaeological evidence. While it is clear that some Central Mexican stelae, especially Stela 4 from Tula, reflect Maya contacts, this has to be balanced by consideration of local and other long distance developments and connections.

"This volume gathers together the first 10 years of The European Archaeologist (ISSN 1022-0135), from Winter 1993 through to the 10th Anniversary Conference Issue, published in 2004 for the Lyon Annual Meeting. In reality, like the Journal of European Archaeology, The European Archaeologist (TEA) was born before the official foundation of the EAA at Ljubljana in September 1994, and began publication the year before. The first issue announces the Ljubljana Inaugural Meeting, and documents the work of the International Steering Committee which promoted the Association. Readers can then trace the initial development of their brainchild, from the euphoria of a post-1989 Europe where Archaeologists could at last freely communicate to the consolidation of the Association as a key player in the Archaeology of the continent. Perhaps the most striking thing, reading through these early issues of TEA, is how the central concerns of the EAA, for heritage, commercial and academic archaeology have remained central to its content. This volume is published as the Association meets in Istanbul for its 20th Annual Meeting." –from the preface by Mark Pearce

This volume contains detailed information about 63 sites and shows, amongst other things, that the viticulture of the western delta was significant in Ptolemaic and Roman periods, as well as a network of interlocking sites, which connected with the rest of Egypt, Alexandria, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean. Far from being a border area — as perhaps it had been in the Pharaonic period — the west Delta network exerted an important economic production influence over a very wide area. In addition, with access to medieval and later Arabic sources, Kenawi’s discussion of the sites has an added dimension not found in the work of western scholars. Mohamed Kenawi’s meticulous and determined work has resulted in an improved set of data for the Delta and shown how its potential can be tapped.

The “Begram ivories” are widely considered to be miniature masterpieces of Indian art and are one of the largest archaeological collections of ancient ivories. They were excavated at the site of Begram, in northern Afghanistan, in 1937 and 1939 and belong to a period when Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India were united under rulers of the Kushan dynasty. Divided soon afterwards between the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul and the Musée national des arts asiatiques–Guimet in Paris, the collection in Kabul suffered a disaster during the civil war which ravaged the country during the early 1990s. Some of the pieces were successfully concealed by museum staff but most were stolen, hundreds have since been reported in different collections and very few have yet been recovered. In 2011 a group of twenty bone and ivory plaques was generously acquired for the National Museum of Afghanistan by a private individual. These were scientifically analysed, conserved and exhibited at the British Museum and returned to Kabul in 2012. This book describes their story from excavation to display and return, with individual object biographies and detailed scientific analyses and conservation treatments. It also discusses how these objects have attracted very different interpretations over the decades since their discovery, and how the new analyses shed a completely fresh light on the collection. It is lavishly illustrated in full colour, and includes many previously unpublished views of the objects when they were originally exhibited in Kabul. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the archaeology of Afghanistan, Indian art, polychromy, museum studies, object biographies or the history of conservation.

Over her career Susan Sherratt has questioned our basic assumptions in many areas of the later prehistory of the Mediterranean and Europe, deploying a canny eye for detail, but never losing sight of the big picture. Her collected works include contributions on the relationship between Homeric epic and archaeology; the economy of ceramics, metals and other materials; the status of the ‘Sea Peoples’ and other ethnic terminologies; routes and different forms of interaction; and the history of museums/collecting (especially relating to Sir Arthur Evans). The editors of ΑΘΥΡΜΑΤΑ (Athyrmata) have brought together a cast of thirty-two scholars from nine different countries who have contributed these twenty-six papers to mark Sue’s 65th birthday – a collection that seeks to reflect both her broad range of interests and her ever-questioning approach to uncovering the realities of life in Europe and the Mediterranean in later prehistory.

The study of human remains from ancient Egypt and Nubia has captured the imagination of many people for generations, giving rise to the discipline of palaeopathology and fostering bioarchaeological research. This book contains 16 papers that cover material presented at a workshop entitled ‘Palaeopathology in Egypt and Nubia: A Century in Review,’ held at the Natural History Museum, London (August 29–30, 2012), which formed part of a three-year research project, ‘Sir Grafton Elliot Smith: Palaeopathology and the Archaeological Survey of Nubia.’ The papers explore the subject of palaeopathology from its beginnings in the early 1900s through to current research themes and the impact of technological development in the field. Revealing the diverse range of methods used to study human remains in these regions, the book gives readers an insight into the fascinating work carried out over the last century, and suggests some possible future directions for the field.

This book assesses the results of recent metallographic examination of 45 sword blades (mid-2nd century BC to early-16th century) from the territory of what is now Poland. Pre-Roman blades were usually made from one piece of metal of varying quality (better quality items were perhaps imported). Most high quality and complex technology Roman blades were in all probability of Roman provenance, while some low quality one-piece examples may have been made locally. The Migration Period and Early Middle Ages witnessed the greatest diversification of technological solutions. However it is much more difficult to define the provenance of blades based on their technology in these periods. The range of technologies in use strongly decreased in the High and Late Middle Ages.

In der Ägyptologie werden ökonomische Fragen stiefmütterlich behandelt. Diese Studie beschreibt die Ökonomie der ersten Hälfte des 2. Jahrtausends und die Umwelt, in die diese Ökonomie eingebettet ist, als Mosaik. Die Metapher ‚Mosaik‘ verwendet Mosaiksteine, welche Teile eines Bildes darstellen können. Einzelne Mosaiksteine sind offen für eine Integration in andere mögliche Bilder. Wo immer möglich beruhen Mosaiksteine auf Daten aus der betrachteten Periode, andere Mosaiksteine tragen als Modelle zum Mosaik bei. Verschiedene Mosaiksteine bestehen aus Schätzungen z.B. zu Produktion und Konsum. Das Mosaik soll ermöglichen, das Ägypten der betrachteten Periode als lebende Gesellschaft darzustellen. Es ist kaum überraschend, dass verschiedene Facetten des Bildes hypothetischen Charakter haben und das Mosaik zu einem beträchtlichen Teil unvollständig ist. Das Feld, fehlende oder auch konkurrierende Mosaiksteine in weiteren Studien zu entwickeln, ist weit offen.Heqanachts Papyri bilden die Basis für den Versuch, einen konkreten Haushalt im Bild der wirtschaftlichen Struktur des Landes darzustellen, als fragmentarische Emergenz einer Momentaufnahme, einer Mikrogeschichte.

The lector is first attested during the 2nd Dynasty and is subsequently recognised throughout ancient Egypt history. In previous studies the lector is considered to be one of the categories of the ancient Egyptian priesthood. He is perceived to be responsible for the correct performance of rites, to recite invocations during temple and state ritual, and to carry out recitations and perform ritual actions during private apotropaic magic and funerary rites. Previous treatments of the lector have rarely considered the full extent of his activities, either focusing on specific aspects of his work or making general comments about his role. This present study challenges this selective approach and explores his diverse functions in a wide ranging review of the relevant evidence. Why did he accompany state organised military, trading and mining expeditions and what was his role in healing? In the temple sphere he not only executed a variety of ritual actions but he also directed ritual practices. What responsibilities did he fulfil when sitting on legal assemblies, both temple-based and in the community? Activities such as these that encompassed many aspects of ancient Egyptian life are discussed in this volume.

Few regions possess so many and mainly complete Roman bridles as do the Vesuvian sites. Singular find conditions permit both comprehensive antiquarian-historian analyses of their production, functionality, and everyday use and new approaches to their typology and chronology. The 103 catalogued specimens belong to four types of bronze headstalls, namely metallic noseband, bitless metal bridle (“hackamore”), multipartite metallic bridle (“metallic halter”), and muzzle as well as two types of bits, namely snaffle bit with circular cheekpieces and curb bit. All of them occurred in more or less numerous variants of local or provincial origin. Special attention is paid to the reconstruction of application methods and combinations of types as well as the replica of a snaffle bit with circular cheekpieces. Bitless metal bridles followed Greek models, multipartite metallic bridles Celtiberian ones and, in combination with Thracian or Italian curb bits, formed typical military bridles. All Campanian finds came from civilian contexts such as luxury villae, villae rusticae, urban houses, and workshops. Thanks to find circumstances they can be attributed to draught animals, beasts of burden or mounts (horse, donkey, mule) which also showed up in stables and skeletal remains.

During the international conference ‘Settlement, Communication and Exchange around the Western Carpathians’ held in Kraków in October 2012, attention was focused on the complex issues of long-term cultural change in the populations surrounding the Western Carpathians, with the aim of striking a balance between local cultural dynamics, subsistence economy and the alleged importance of far-reaching contacts, and communication and exchange involved in this process. Specialists from Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the United States met and discussed for two days their archaeological findings relating to questions of (Trans)Carpathian communication, settlement patterns, and agricultural and technological changes that occurred (mainly) during the Neolithic and Bronze Age. Additionally, case studies from Northern Poland and Eastern Germany were included to provide a perspective on the variability of traditions and economic strategies in different natural environments and topographical settings. Drawing on a broad spectrum of methods (including anthropological, archaeobotanical, geochemical, and geophysical), and adhering to different theoretical approaches, the objective was to contribute to a more holistic understanding of prehistoric settlement strategies, adaptation to marginal (and not so marginal) environments, and the role of communication for prehistoric populations to the north and south of the Western Carpathians.

This book brings together the scientific contributions of a wide panel of Sicilian and mainland Italian specialists in prehistory. Taking inspiration from a conference organised by the Soprintendenza ai Beni Culturali e Ambientali of Agrigento and by the municipal council of Sciacca in November 2011, the decision was taken to broaden and deepen some of the main themes discussed on that occasion. Therefore this book focuses on the Sciacca region and its landscape which is extraordinarily rich in natural geological phenomena and associated archaeological activity, for example the Grotta del Kronio and the numerous dolmens present nearby. This volume seeks to explore the various aspects – habitational or ritual – of the prehistoric use of the numerous caves present in the region and to analyse the many features of the island’s megalithic architecture. The text includes an historical review of the processes of discovery of the archaeological evidence, also an account of the current research projects and research activities.

Large numbers of Greco-Italic and Dressel 1 amphorae were exported to many parts of Gaul during the late Iron Age and they provide a major source of information on the development and growth of the Roman economy during the late Republican period. This volume examines in detail this trade to the Auvergne region of central France and provides a typological and chronological study of the main assemblages of Republican amphorae found on the farms, agglomerations, oppida, and funerary sites, dating from the second century BC until the early first century AD. Other topics examined include the provenance of the amphorae, the stamps, painted inscriptions and graffiti, the distribution of Republican amphorae in the Auvergne, and the evidence for their modification and reuse. Finally, a gazetteer of Republican amphora findspots from France is also provided.

This book re-assesses archaeological research into holy well sites in Ireland and the evidence for votive deposition at watery sites throughout northwest European prehistory. Ray examines a much-ignored and diminishing archaeological resource; moving beyond debates about the possible Celticity of these sites in order to gain a deeper understanding of patterns among sacred watery sites. The work considers how and why sacred springs are archaeologically-resistant sites and what has actually been found at the few excavated in Ireland. Drawing on the early Irish literature (the myths, hagiographies, penitentials and annals), the author gives an account of pre-Christian supermundane wells in Ireland and what we know about their early Christian use for baptism, and concludes by considering the origins of “rounding” rituals at holy wells.

Mesoamerica is one of the cradles of early civilizations in the ancient world, featuring a wide diversity of cultures exhibiting a high degree of social inequality and stratification. At the pinnacle of the society was the ruler, the court and the high elite. This social segment was responsible for the creation and consumption of the hallmarks of civilizations, including monumental architecture, great monolithic monuments and a wide array of highly decorated, exotic and exceptional material culture. As such royal courts defined the very tastes and styles that characterise entire civilizations. This volume collects eight recent and innovative studies on the subject rulership, palatial compounds and courtly culture by staff and students of the American Indian Languages and Culture studies programme at Department of Cross-cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Together these studies span the breadth of Mesoamerica, from the Early Classic metropolis of Teotihuacan (ad 200-550), to Tenochtitlan, the Late Postclassic capital of the Aztec (ad 1300-1521), and from the arid central Mexican highlands in the west to the humid Maya lowlands in the east.