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"Bronzes, Byzantine."
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Irrigation of World Agricultural Lands: Evolution through the Millennia
Many agricultural production areas worldwide are characterized by high variability of water supply conditions, or simply lack of water, creating a dependence on irrigation since Neolithic times. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the evolution of irrigation of agricultural lands worldwide, based on bibliographical research focusing on ancient water management techniques and ingenious irrigation practices and their associated land management practices. In ancient Egypt, regular flooding by the Nile River meant that early agriculture probably consisted of planting seeds in soils that had been recently covered and fertilized with floodwater and silt deposits. On the other hand, in arid and semi-arid regions farmers made use of perennial springs and seasonal runoff under circumstances altogether different from the river civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and early dynasties in China. We review irrigation practices in all major irrigation regions through the centuries. Emphasis is given to the Bronze Age civilizations (Minoans, Egyptians, and Indus valley), pre-Columbian, civilizations from the historic times (e.g., Chinese, Hellenic, and Roman), late-Columbians (e.g., Aztecs and Incas) and Byzantines, as well as to Ottomans and Arabs. The implications and impacts of irrigation techniques on modern management of water resources, as well as on irrigated agriculture, are also considered and discussed. Finally, some current major agricultural water management challenges are outlined, concluding that ancient practices could be adapted to cope with present challenges in irrigated agriculture for increasing productivity and sustainability.
Journal Article
A Werner A2 ewer from Byzantine Cartagena and the distribution of bronze cast vessels in the western Mediterranean around 600 CE
During the 6th and 7th c. CE, Carthago Spartaria (modern Cartagena) became one of the most important cities in the Byzantine province of Spania. Recent archaeological excavations at Cerro del Molinete have significantly increased our knowledge of the ancient city, enabling the exploration of an early Byzantine neighborhood built over the Roman Forum district. A cast bronze ewer of type Werner A2 was found in a pit dug over the temple that presided over the Forum. The associated materials, mainly pottery and glass vessels, are compatible with a deposition between 580/90 and 650/60 CE. This assemblage improves our understanding of the trade networks interconnecting the Mediterranean basin during the 6th and 7th c. CE. In this context, we argue that the unknown production center of the A2 ewers was located in the northern Adriatic, probably in Ravenna.
Journal Article
Maltese History And Its Cultural Heritage
The seven islands in the Ionian Sea form one of the smallest states in the world - Malta. The Phoenicians called it Malat, the Greeks called it Melita or Melite, and the Maltese called it Ghasel, meaning honey. The Maltese gave it this name because of the specific color of the soil, the rocks, but also because of the tradition of honey cultivation on the territory of Malta. Malta's cultural heritage is inversely proportional to the size of the state. Seven megalithic temples are found on the islands of Malta and Gozo, each the result of a distinct stage of cultural development. The two temples on the island of Gozo, dating from the Bronze Age, are impressive for their gigantic structures. Some other examples in this regard, given by UNESCO experts, are the monuments: Auberge de Baviere, Church of the Shipwreck of Saint Paul the Apostle, Mantel Theatre, the Library located in the heart of the capital Valletta and many others. From the strong cultural wealth of Malta we cannot omit the The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta. The birth of the Knights Hospitaller dates back to around 1048. The original hospitaller mission became the main activity of the order, growing ever stronger during the 20th century, most especially because of the contribution of the activities carried out by the Grand Priories and National Associations in many countries around the world.
Journal Article
Empty Shelves: Tracking the Flow of Goods During Ancient Climate Crises in Central Anatolia
Archaeological investigations of ancient climate change have become an important focus for many researchers. A number of studies have focused on scientific techniques to identify the intricate details of the event, and the subsequent impact of these climatic changes on the ecological landscape. These more scientifically oriented studies have allowed the present authors to investigate a more subtle impact on the landscape: trade disruption during ancient climate crises viewed from the rural settlement of Çadır Höyük on the north central Anatolian plateau. The ebb and flow of trade networks in the past can be tied to many external sociopolitical and socioeconomic factors that may have had little to do with the air outside. We investigate here whether climate change was a significant factor that interfered with trade networks during three periods: The 4th millennium BCE Late Chalcolithic (the 5.2 ka climatic event); the late 2nd millennium BCE (3.2 ka climatic event); and the Medieval Warm Period from the 10th to the 13th century CE. This study presents the evidence for regular, and sometimes robust, trade or provision of goods and resources prior to these three climate events, and the disruption or dissolution of these during the height of each climate crisis, particularly in the earlier two periods; in the last period, climate variability was only one of many factors affecting trade networks on the plateau. We profile how the residents of ancient Çadır Höyük managed these intermittent “empty shelves” and filled in gaps using local resources and ingenuity.
Journal Article
An Early Fourth Century AD Hoard said to be from Boyabat near Sinop, Northern Turkey
An early fourth century AD bronze coin hoard, confiscated in 2019 from an illicit antique dealer in Boyabat near Sinop (northern Turkey), is kept today in the Museum of Sinop. Boyabat is a township in the province of Sinop, located in a river valley parallel to the southern Black Sea coast, c.100 km south of Sinop over the coastal mountain range. Archaeologically speaking, Boyabat is not very well known in the Greek or Roman eras; most of the archaeological surface finds are of the Byzantine and Post Byzantine periods. The exact provenance of the hoard is not known, since its alleged find spot, \"Boyabat\", could have been adduced by the seller, perhaps because he wanted to hide its true origin. The hoard might rather originate from Sinop or the surrounding area along the southern Black Sea coastline which is located far from the coastline in the rugged areas of ancient south-eastern Paphlagonia.
Journal Article
Field Observations of Burial Mounds from the Soviet Military Topographic Maps for the Yambol Province, SE Bulgaria
Burial mounds are a ubiquitous feature of the Bulgarian landscape, estimated at some 20,000 today [1]. One of the largest non-destructive efforts to document the outstanding mounded landscapes in the Yambol Province in Bulgaria (3,355 sq km) has been undertaken by the Tundzha Regional Archaeological Project (TRAP) as part of its mission to document the long-term history of human activity in the Middle Tundzha River [23456]. TRAP has digitized near thousand potential mound symbols from the Soviet topographic maps covering the Yambol Province and then visited and systematically described their locations between 2009-2022, producing a dataset of 1260 feature observations of which 1095 were classified as mound observations. Each record lists the geographic coordinates, placename, land use, dimensions, conservation and archaeological potential of each feature. Mound chronology was added where known on the basis of excavation reports. The data have been used for studies of location preferences, cultural heritage decline, machine-learning training data and other methodological studies [78910]. To facilitate further reuse of this data, the dataset has been aggregated, streamlined, and deposited on Zenodo.
Journal Article
Stature estimation in Ancient Greece: population-specific equations and secular trends from 9000 BC to 900 AD
Stature is critical for our understanding of human morphology and evolution. This necessitates the development of accurate stature estimation methods. The aim of the present study is to generate population-specific equations for ancient Greece and to explore the diachronic stature trends over the last 10,000 years. In parallel, it introduces the Logarithmic Human Stature Index (LHSI) as a new tool for inter-population comparisons. We collected anthropometric data and reconstructed stature using the anatomical method from 77 males and 59 females from Greece (3rd c. BC–9th c. AD). We utilized this dataset to generate population-specific equations. We then applied the new formula to 775 individuals (10th millennium BC–9th c. AD) from Greece exploring stature secular trends. We tested the new equations to different populations of European origin (662 males and 498 females). Ordinary least square sets based on lower limbs provided the best estimations with the smaller errors. Male and female stature in ancient Greece in the last 10,000 years ranged from 159.7 to 170.6 cm and from 153.1 to 160.4 cm, respectively. We observed a decrease from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic period, a gradual increase from the Bronze Age to the Archaic/Classical periods, and a steady increase from the Roman period onwards. Stature secular trends in Greece are in accordance with historic, archaeological, and genomic data and similar to European patterns. LHSI is a valuable tool for anthropometric comparisons between reference series and thus can contribute to the choice of the optimal stature estimation formula.
Journal Article
DORYLAION KALIP YAPIMI KASELERI/Dorylaion Moldmade Bowls
The excavation site of Dorylaion, which is now known as Sarhöyük, is located about 3 km to the North East of Eskisehir, 2 km to the South of the Porsuk river. The site is located at the junction of important roads in central Anatolia leading to the Marmara Sea, the Aegean coast and the Mediterranean region. The excavation carried out so far revealed the existence of the cultures in the Early Bronze Age, the Hittites, the Phrygians, the Hellenistic Kingdom as well as the Roman and Byzantine Empires. The layers of the Hellenistic period were uncovered during the excavation at the central area of the mound. This Hellenistic quarter, covering 900 square meters, is formed by a series of rubble foundations, mud bricks and open air courtyards inside the structures. Another Hellenistic settlement was found in a similar plan located in the West of the mound in the West sector covering an area about 300 m2. Dorylaion moldmade bowls are the most reliable findings in dating the Hellenistic layers. During the archeological excavations in the site carried out from 1989 to 2009 (especially after 2005), 40 moldmade bowls and 3 fragments of molds were found. Moldmade bowls are arranged according to their type of decorations on them. They are classified in five main groups such as; Imbricate Bowls, Long Petal Bowls, Alternating Floral Bowls, Figured Bowls and Geometric Bowls. As the limited number of the findings are not qualified to give a reliable comparison and chronological order, they are dated by analogy. In this respect, Dorylaion moldmade bowls can be dated between the last quarter of 3rd century and last quarter of 2nd century BC. Although, findings of molds are limited, they reveal clearly the manufacturing of bowls in Dorylaion. Mold belonging to imbricate bowls, indicates the manufacturing of moldmade bowls in Dorylaion in the 2nd century. Craftsmen not only produced bowls in a usual composition but also in a quite primitive technique for the local demand.
Journal Article