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In this paper, we present an interdisciplinary and multiscalar study of an Early Iron Age smithy uncovered at the Pungrt hillfort in Central Slovenia. By examining and comparing the stratigraphic and artefactual evidence preserved at both macro- and micro-scales this study highlights the importance of integrated micromorphological and micro-refuse analyses in settlement contexts. Our integrated approach allowed us to identify the blacksmith’s workshop and cyclical skimming of the floor surface in the wider area of the anvil, revealing the presence of lime plaster technology for the first time during this period in Slovenia. Additionally, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the macro and micro-evidence examined, as well as the geoarchaeological methods used, by exploring the distinct ways in which micromorphology and micro-refuse analysis complement each other. V prispevku predstavljamo večravensko interdisciplinarno študijo starejšeželeznodobne kovačnice, odkrite na gradišču Pungrt v osrednji Sloveniji. Študija s preučevanjem in primerjavo stratigrafije in artefaktov, ohranjenih tako na makro- kot mikroravni, opozarja na pomen integracije mikro-morfologije in analize mikro-odpada pri preučevanju naselbinskih kontekstov. Takšen pristop nam je omogočil prepoznavanje kovaške delavnice, cikličnega premazovanja tal okoli nakovala in prvič v tem obdobju v Sloveniji razkril prisotnost tehnike apnenih premazov. Poleg tega opozarjamo na prednosti in slabosti preučevanih makro- in mikro-dokazov ter razpravljamo o komplementarnosti uporabljenih geoarheoloških metod.

Earlier research considered northern inland Fennoscandia a vast, empty place, where the southern men went to hunt and perhaps trade for furs with the nomadic locals. Most of the precious archaeological finds were interpreted as being either from a burial or a cache made by such a southern visitor. If these precious finds were interpreted to have belonged to the locals, they were thought to be made from inferior materials. A total of 71 convex brooches and their find contexts from northeastern inland Fennoscandia (northern Sweden, northern Finland, and northwestern Russia) are analysed in this paper to determine whether their use and materials differ from those found in southern Fennoscandia. Most of the brooches have been discovered in northern Sweden, with large hoard contexts dominating the assemblage. The number of brooches gradually decreases towards the east and they are distributed relatively evenly among burials, settlement sites, and stray finds. The analysis indicates that no lower-quality convex brooches appear to have been produced specifically for trade in the north, as the analysed brooches seem similar to their southern counterparts. Almost none of the brooches were found in pairs, which suggests a different manner of use and dress compared to the southwestern fashion. Although the brooches travelled to these northern areas, the associated fashion and intended way of use did not. The northern inland communities adopted these decorative elements but adapted them to their own purposes. These prestigious brooches served in the north both as decorative and practical components of dress and as offerings fit for the gods.

The rich and extensively studied archaeological record of the Near East provides an opportunity to develop a comprehensive archaeomagnetic dataset for exploring the behavior of the geomagnetic field with high precision. The Levantine archaeomagnetic curve (LAC) project is an ongoing effort to develop a continuous high‐resolution geomagnetic intensity curve for the Levant and Mesopotamia. The first version of the LAC covered the period between 3000 and 550 BCE. Here, we report archaeointensity data from 169 samples compiled into 32 groups dating between the 7th and the 1st centuries BCE aiming at extending the LAC up to the end of the first millennium BCE. Twenty‐two groups are assembled from storage jar handles bearing different types of royal seal impressions, which were used in Judah as part of a taxation administrative system. These groups are combined with 10 other groups of pottery assemblages, three of which are from Hellenistic destruction layers dated using radiocarbon and coins. The new curve shows that the Levantine Iron Age Anomaly (LIAA) spanned 550 years (1100 ‐ 550 BCE) and that the rate of decline during the last spike around 600 BCE could have reached ∼0.6 μT/year. During the 6th century, the virtual axial dipole moment (VADM) dropped from 160 ZAm2 to 125 ZAm2 after which field intensity only slightly increased to 135 ZAm2, until another considerable decline to ∼90 ZAm2 during the 3rd to the 1st centuries BCE. We highlight the archaeomagnetic implication of the new curve in inferring the relative chronological relationship between different stamp types. Plain Language Summary The Earth's magnetic field is continuously changing both in time and space in an unpredictable manner. A detailed description of how the magnetic field has changed throughout Earth's history offers constraints on our understanding of the mechanism generating the field in Earth's core. In this study, we reconstruct the intensity of the past field using an assemblage of well‐dated archaeological materials from Israel, dated to the Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Hellenistic and Hasmonean periods. This work is part of an ongoing effort to procure a high‐resolution curve describing the changes in field intensity for the Levant and Mesopotamia over the past several millennia. With the new data, we calculate the curve for the first three millennia BCE. The curve provides further details on an anomalous behavior of the field between 1100 BCE and 550 BCE, termed the Levantine Iron Age Anomaly (LIAA), during which the field intensity and its rate of change were significantly higher than today's. In addition, the curve forms the basis for an archaeomagnetic dating tool, which can be especially useful for periods when traditional archaeological dating methods fail to provide precise ages due to large uncertainties in radiocarbon dates. Key Points Archaeomagnetic intensity data from 32 groups of pottery in Israel dated between the 7th and the 1st centuries BCE The second generation of the Levantine Archaeomagnetic Curve (LAC.v.2.0) covering the last three millennia BCE The new data constrain the duration of the Levantine Iron Age Anomaly (LIAA) from 1100 BCE to 550 BCE

The Early Iron Age hillfort in Chotyniec (SE Poland) is the westernmost permanent settlement of the Scythian cultural circle. Recognizing the construction of the fortified settlement’s ramparts and their chronology was considered one of the priorities of the systematic research conducted since 2016. Based on 18 radiocarbon dated samples from different parts of the rampart, a chronological model of its functioning was made. It indicates that the construction of this monumental fortifications protecting the settlement in Chotyniec should be dated to between 651–595 or 531–409 BC. This dating synchronizes well with the chronology of the most important ritual and ceremonial object within the Chotyniec settlement—the so-called zolnik and other Scythian settlements from the East European forest-steppe zone.

Complex Communitiesexplores how sedentary settlements developed and flourished in the Middle East during the Early Iron Age nearly four thousand years ago. Using archaeological evidence, Benjamin Porter reconstructs how residents maintained their communities despite environmental uncertainties. Living in a semi-arid area in the present-day country of Jordan, villagers faced a harsh and unpredictable ecosystem. Communities fostered resilience by creating flexible production routines and leadership strategies. Settlements developed what archaeologists call \"communal complexity,\" a condition through which small-scale societies shift between egalitarian and hierarchical arrangements.Complex Communitiesprovides detailed, scientifically grounded reconstructions of how this communal complexity functioned in the region.These settlements emerged during a period of recovery following the political and economic collapse of Bronze Age Mediterranean societies. Scholars have characterized west-central Jordan's political organization during this time as an incipient Moabite state.Complex Communitiesargues instead that the settlements were a collection of independent, self-organizing entities. Each community constructed substantial villages with fortifications, practiced both agriculture and pastoralism, and built and stocked storage facilities. From these efforts to produce and store resources, especially food, wealth was generated and wealthier households gained power over their neighbors. However, power was limited by the fact that residents could-and did-leave communities and establish new ones.Complex Communitiesreveals that these settlements moved through adaptive cycles as they adjusted to a changing socionatural system. These sustainability-seeking communities have lessons to offer not only the archaeologists studying similar struggles in other locales, but also to contemporary communities facing negative climate change. Readers interested in resilience studies, Near Eastern archaeology, historical ecology, and the archaeology of communities will welcome this volume.