Prehistoric Archeology

Clark, P and Rady, J 2008 ‘The Prehistoric Period’, in P Bennett, P Clark, A Hicks and I Riddler, At the Great Crossroads: Prehistoric, Roman, and medieval discoveries on the Isle of Thanet 1994–95, Canterbury Archaeological Trust Occasional Paper, 4, Canterbury: Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 9–100

Dracorex was a dinosaur of the family Pachycephalosauridae, that lived during the Late Cretaceous of North America. The type (and only) species is Dracorex hogwartsia, meaning "dragon king of Hogwarts".
It is known from one nearly complete skull (the holotype TCMI 2004.17.1), as well as four cervical vertebrae including the atlas, third, ninth and eighth. These were discovered in the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota by three amateur paleontologists from Sioux City, Iowa. The skull was subsequently donated to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis for study in 2004, and was formally described by Bob Bakker and Robert Sullivan in 2006.

Dracorex, a herbivore, had a skull with spiky horns, bumps, and a long muzzle. The species also sports well-developed supratemporal fenestrae and a heavily-armored flat skull – lacking the characteristic pachycephalosaurid dome. Coupled with these two features is the excessive number of osteoderms in the form of irregular osteodermal crust: a number of nodes, larger hornlets, and spikes. Disregarding this, Dracorex is physically comparable to Stygimoloch. In the Pachycephalosauridae family, the Asian taxa includes a number of (somewhat) flat-headed pachycephalosaurs (Homalocephale calat'hocercos, Goyocephale lattimorei, and Wannanosaurus yansiensis). However, prior to the discovery of Dracorex, the only semi-flat-headed pachycephalosaur from North America was Stegoceras validum (inclusive of Ornatotholus' browni). Even then, the semi-flat-headed trait was only present in juveniles of the species.

Aside from having a flat, nodal skull, the most prominent feature of Dracorex is the pair of huge and unrestricted superior temporal openings. The supratemporal fenestrae are much larger front-to-back and side-to-side than in Homalocephale, and larger than in Goyocephale. Only a fragmentary Wannanosaurus skull shows fenestrae as large as those of Dracorex. This fenestral architecture has been seen in ancient archosaurs, but not in other pachycephalosaurs.

Consequently, if unreduced superior fenestrae are morphologically primitive, then Dracorex is more primitive in the temporal region than any other known pachycephalosaur. However, Sullivan (2003, 2006) demonstrated that the oldest known pachycephalosaurs were, in fact, fully-domed, and that the flat-headed morphology appeared later in the fossil record. This suggests that doming may be primitive for pachycephalosaurs and that a reversion to the non-domed, flat-headed state is a secondary (derived) character reversion, coupled with the re-opening of the supratemporal fenestrae. Indeed, while Stegoceras has been considered to be transitional between domed and flat-headed taxa, it may indicate the beginning of a character reversion to suppression of doming and opening of the supratemporal fenestrae in some taxa.

The excavated specimen was most likely a young adult. However, based on ossification of the mid-cervical arch with the centrum, it was near maturity. The animal was approximately 10 feet (3 m) long.

However, at the 2007 annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Jack Horner of Montana State University presented evidence, from analysis of the skull of holotype specimen TCMI 2004.17.1, that Dracorex may well be a juvenile form of Pachycephalosaurus.

Classification
In the original description, Bob Bakker included Dracorex in the family Pachycephalosauridae within the subfamily Pachycephalosaurinae. In the latter in the Pachycephalosaurini tribe together with Pachycephalosaurus forming a clearing next to Stygimoloch . To carry out the analysis of the relationships between the genders, he observed the differences in cranial ornamentation.

In a comprehensive study of numerous fossils of Pachycephalosaurus published in 2009, John R. Horner and Mark B. Goodwin , a strong variation warn ontogenetic of the skull : large morphological differences between juveniles and adults. For them, the flat Dracorex skull , the nodules at the front end, the small spines at the back, and the thick but non-dome-shaped frontoparietal, indicate that the only known specimen is a juvenile Pachycephalosaurus

Alternative interpretation
Dracorex may be a closely related individual of Stygimoloch and / or Pachycephalosaurus in which the cupola and horns are not well developed either because the animal was a juvenile or a female. This consideration was supported at the 2007 annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Jack Horner from Montana State University presented evidence, from analysis of the skull of the only extant specimen of Dracorex , that this dinosaur could be a juvenile form of Stygimoloch . In addition, he presented data indicating that both Stygimoloch and Dracorex may be juvenile forms ofPachycephalosaurus . Horner and MB Goodwin published their findings in 2009, showing that the spine / nodule bones and cranial domes of all three species' exhibit extreme plasticity and that both Dracorex and Stygimoloch are known only from juvenile specimens, while Pachycephalosaurus is only known from specimens. Adults". These observations, plus the fact that all three forms lived at the same time and place, lead them to conclude that Dracorex and Stygimoloch may have simply been juvenile Pachycephalosaurs that had lost their spines and developed domes as they aged. The researchers were unable to break out Dracorex's skull to sample it,  and had to use a cast of the skull for descriptive purposes.
A 2010 study by Nick Longrich and colleagues also supported the hypothesis that all flat-headed pachycephalosaurus were juveniles, suggesting that flat-domed forms, such as Goyocephale and Homalocephale , represent the juveniles of domed adults. 
In 2016, Goodwin and Evans analyzed the youngest known ontogimorphs of Pachycephalosaurus , collected from the Hell Creek Formation. While this material would normally refer to DracorexSince it represented one or more individuals younger than the only known Dracorex individual and displayed similar characteristics, the items showed that the unique characters in Dracorex and Stygimoloch represent morphological characters consisting of a morphological continuum for Pachycephalosaurus . In other words, these younger individuals showed that Dracorex characteristics were probably transient and can be easily traced on a growth curve to Pachycephalosaurus , where Stygimoloch and Dracorex are incorporated into this genus. As such, DracorexIt is probably not a single species, but a more modern synonym for Pachycephalosaurus .
This study has not been challenging and represents the most recent analysis of this genre. In conclusion, an ontogenetic relationship is established, being infantile, juvenile and adult individuals of the same species, between Dracorex hogwartsia , Stygimoloch spinifer and Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis , the latter being the bearer of the valid species name, as it is the first of the three to be described.

Name
The name Dracorex hogwartsia was inspired by young visitors to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis as a tribute to both dragons (Dracorex means "dragon king"), which the animal resembled, as well as the Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling (hogwartsia for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the fictional school from the popular series).

References
^ Bakker, R. T., Sullivan, R. M., Porter, V., Larson, P. and Saulsbury, S.J. (2006). "Dracorex hogwartsia, n. gen., n. sp., a spiked, flat-headed pachycephalosaurid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota." in Lucas, S. G. and Sullivan, R. M., eds., Late Cretaceous vertebrates from the Western Interior. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 35, pp. 331–345. [1]
^ Erik Stokstad,"SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY MEETING:Did Horny Young Dinosaurs Cause Illusion of Separate Species?", Science Vol. 18, 23 Nov. 2007, p. 1236; http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/318/5854/1236.

The results of three archaeological seasons carried out in a settlement discovered in the Congreso lsland (Chafarinas lslands, North Africa, Spain) are presented, where different habitat structures (hearths, silos), which yielded an important amount of interesting archaeological materials, like cardial pottery, ostrich shell vessels and a highly specialized lithic industry, were located. lt is a small habitat with agriculture and livestock rising as showed by the-faunal and palaeobotanical analyses, but with an important role of shellfish gathering. This site has been 14C dated to the mid Vth millennium cal BC.

The depicted signs found on the Caucasus Dolmens are quite minimal but do give us some hints about the intent behind their construction. Other ancient constructs are used to provide some background on similar themes from other ancient cultures,

The visual devices used by Tony Blair and George Bush to get themselves elected and maintain power, come not from modern times, but a world that is thousands of years old. How Art Made the World ventures back to the creation of Stonehenge and the reign of Alexander the Great to reveal how imagery became an indispensable weapon in every leader's political armoury.

This episode explores how art can be used as a persuasion device by those in power and when did we learn to use images, to create a powerful icon or symbol, this way?

The use of art as a tool for those in power, started at different times, in different cultures. Near Stonehenge the grave of the Amesbury Archer was discovered in 2002, the grave was different to those previously found near the site, as this one was not Roman, but much earlier, dating to when the first sarsen stones were erected. What made him interesting were his gold hair tresses, possibly the oldest dated gold objects in Britain, and the fact that he was a foreigner, from the region that is now Germany / Switzerland. The archer had completed an epic journey for the time, and the treasures in his grave show a man of status. Art for personal adornment, like these hair clasps, elevated him above his peers.

As time progressed, art became a political tool, kings competed for more dazzling adornments. As kingdoms got bigger the kings had to overcome communication issues. Darius the Great of Persia, ruled over 20 nations from Persepolis. As very few people could read, Darius had stone reliefs created that combined styles from all over the empire, the carvings showed each nation bring tributes to their king. This showed respect, and the carvings communicated that Darius admired and respected his people. Darius created a symbol for himself, that of the archer, symbolic to Persians of leadership and wisdom, central to the concept of kingship. Darius embossed this symbol on gold coins, which became the currency to trade within the empire.

Darius’ conqueror, Alexander the Great, took this concept further. From an early age, Alexander’s image was being made for him. In his fathers tomb, an Ivory head recognisable as Alexander’s was found, showing that his image had been made for him in advance of him becoming king. In Pompeii, a copy of an original Macedonian painting, shows Alexander the Great, fearless, fixated on his enemy and leading from the front. He is in the midst of battle with king Darius, shown fearful and panicking. Where Darius had used a symbol to communicate his power, Alexander used his face. On defeating the Persians, Alexander melted down all their coins replacing them with coins bearing his head. Tests have shown that people are more influenced by the image of the head and this technique has endured 2500 years and still used today.

This artistic power can be used for sinister purposes, to persuade us to see things a certain way or even deceive us. The earliest known use of this dates back to the Romans. In 40BC Rome was in crisis, the city state was split between royalists and republicans. You could tell people’s political allegiance by how they dressed. Octavian (Augustus) understood the power of art and used it to his advantage. He needed to persuade his opponents ,and used artists to create a less threatening image, one that won over the republicans. Although the image showed him as a powerful general, it didn’t show any military arms, and his gestures were more about humility than power. His armour breast plates show him accepting surrender of the Parthian Empire, with the gods looking on approvingly. The statue offered reassurance, but it was all a lie. While he portrayed himself as a peace maker, he was getting rid of the opposition; while he was preaching humility, he lived like corrupt royalty and while pretending to hand power to the people he reinstated himself as a king.

The leaders of past used paint and marble, today we use digital manipulation. But as humans we still remain vulnerable to the persuasive power of art.

Analiza in arheološka interpretacija lidarskih podatkov zavarovanega območja spomenika Kazlje – gradišče Vahta (EŠD 7283) z okolico.
Strokovno poročilo o delu in rezultatih

Za arheološko interpretacijo obravnavanega območja v Kazljah (občina Sežana) smo procesirali 41,3 miljonov točk lidarskih podatkov in arheološko interpretirali površino 4 km2.
Dokumentirali smo 320 potencialnih arheoloških sledi, od tega 268 prazgodovinskih, 1 rimsko in 5 arheoloških sledi iz 1. svetovne vojne. Izpostavi

Studie byla publikována v knize ,,Ivan Pavlů ed.: Památky archeologické - Supplementum 13 – In Memoriam Jan Rulf " vydané v Praze roku 2000. ISBN: 80-86124-27-4 / The study was published in the book "Ivan Pavlů ed .: Archaeological Monuments - Supplementum 13 - In Memoriam Jan Rulf" published in Prague in 2000. ISBN: 80-86124-27-4.

The existence of a knapped stone industry using several volcanic and metamorphic rocks during the Late Neolithic south of the Upper Rhine plain (first half of the 4th millennium), in particular in Basse Alsace (Michelsberg and Munzingen cultures), has long been emphasized. Particular production was made of artefacts in pale hyperacidic rhyolite found in deposits in the valley of the Nideckbach affluent of the River Bruche in Bas-Rhin. Currently, 47 chronologically certain Neolithic pieces in pale rhyolite have been found on the sites of six settlements in Basse Alsace. Use of this material increased from the mid-to late Michelsberg/Munzingen transition, then fell off at the time of the Munzingen B and C. Production revolved around the extraction of splinters that are clearly longer than they are wide. The supports produced are relatively standardized and display the same simplified and technically sophisticated operating modes. The pieces created seem to have been strongly conditioned by the morphology of the fragments and constraints imposed by the knappability of the rhyolite. Whatever their morphology, the fragments were mostly turned into scrapers. The thinnest may have been sought for their cutting edge. The exploitation of volcanic and metamorphic rocks, associated with a more frequent use of local Muschelkalk flint, may have been the result of a strong reduction in the importation of good quality flint in this region at the start of the Late Neolithic.

In these times of confinement, the French Prehistoric Society decided to offer open access to the whole first number of its quarterly bulletin. The articles are fully available in PDF format.
http://www.prehistoire.org/515_p_55320/bulletin-de-la-spf-2020-tome-117.html


Sommaire
Contents

- Éditorial.

- Diversité technique des débitages laminaires au Néolithique ancien à Vaux-et-Borset (Hesbaye, Belgique) : manières de faire, problèmes d’interprétation et perspectives anthropologiques
Technical diversity of blades productions in the Early Neolithic at Vaux-et-Borset (Hesbaye, Belgium): ways of doing things, problems of interpretation and anthropological perspectives
Solène Denis & Laurence Burnez-Lanotte
pp. 7-46.

- Cinquante ans après la découverte : état des connaissances et apport des fouilles récentes sur le site campaniforme de la République à Talmont-Saint-Hilaire (Vendée)
Fifty years on: an overview of the Bell Beaker site « la République » in Talmont-Saint-Hilaire (Vendée, France) in the light of recent excavations
Lolita Rousseau, Henri Gandois, Quentin Favrel, David Cuenca Solana, Catherine Dupont, Nicolas Garnier, Colas Guéret, Marine Laforge, Bertrand Poissonnier & Thomas Vigneau
pp. 47-84.

- The Yamnaya Impact North of the Lower Danube: A Tale of Newcomers and Locals
L'impact Yamnaya au nord du bas Danube : une histoire d'étrangers et d’indigènes
Bianca Preda-Bălănică, Alin Frînculeasa & Volker Heyd
pp. 85-101.

- Au pied du Camp de Recoux, le Champ des Rochers à Soyaux (Charente) : de l'occupation néolithique au complexe funéraire et/ou cultuel de la fin de l'âge du Bronze et de l'âge du Fer
The « Champ des Rochers » in Soyaux (Charente) from the Neolithic settlement to the funerary and
or religious complex of the late Bronze and Iron Age
Isabelle Kerouanton, avec la collaboration de & Bruno Boulestin
pp. 103-132.

- Occupations mésolithiques en contexte de rive : l’exemple de la rue Claudy à Lyon-Vaise (Rhône)
Riverbank Mesolithic occupations: the case study of rue Claudy in Lyon-Vaise
Alexandre Angelin, Alexis Taylor, Mathieu Rué & Stéphane Carrara
pp. 135-139.

- Deux stèles anthropomorphes inédites du Néolithique final gardois : Jonquières (Cannes-et-Clairan) et La Rouquette no 2 (Saint-Hilaire-de-Brethmas)
Two new anthropomorphic stelae from the Final Neolithic in Gard: Jonquières and La Rouquette n° 2
Jules Masson Mourey
pp. 140-143.

- Découvrir, comprendre et interpréter des gravures pariétales : une histoire de la science archéologique à travers l’histoire de l’étude scientifique du Mont Bégo (1868-1947)
Maddalena Cataldi
pp. 144-145.

- De poids et de mesure. Les instruments de pesée en Europe occidentale aux âges des Métaux (XIVe-IIIe s. av. n.è.) : conception, usages et utilisateurs
Thibaud Poigt
pp. 146-149.

- Une aristocratie à l’âge de pierre ? L’égalitarisme des sociétés du Paléolithique supérieur en question (Musée national de Préhistoire, 9-11 octobre 2019)
Jean-Marc Pétillon
pp. 150-153.

- Giligny François et Bostyn Françoise, dir. (2016) – La hache de silex en Val de Seine. Production et diffusion des haches au Néolithique
Anne Augereau
pp. 154-155.

- Querré G., Cassen S. et Vigier E. (2019) – La parure en callaïs du Néolithique européen
Jean Guilaine
pp. 155-158.

- Nicole Pigeot (1950-2019)
Marianne Christensen, Carole Fritz, Dominique Legoupil, Monique Olive, Gilles Tosello & Boris Valentin
pp. 159-164.

- Eugène Bonifay (1927-2019)
Claude Mordant & Jean Courtin
pp. 165-171.

- Assemblée générale du 25 janvier
pp. 172-183.

El hipogeo XXI de Calascoves es una cámara funeraria excavada en la roca del acantilado de Biniadrís. Las excavaciones llevadas a cabo, a pesar del expolio a que estaba siendo sometido, han permitido obtener una visión general de las prácticas funerarias en Menorca entre finales del siglo IX aC hasta el siglo IV aC La recuperación de numerosos restos de muebles funerarios de madera y otros elementos arqueológicos permiten entrever la gestión que hacían las comunidades prehistóricas, no sólo de sus prácticas funerarias, sino del paisaje vegetal de la isla. Destaca la recuperación de varias puntas de jabalina, brazaletes de bronce y de un pendiente de plata, que nos señalan los contactos con diferentes puntos del sur de Europa así como la llegada de los primeros objetos fenicios a la isla. En conjunto, el hipogeo XXI nos ayuda a comprender mejor la sociedad prehistórica menorquina antes del siglo IV aC

Recent fieldwork in the main excavation area at Göbekli Tepe has focused on the excavation of deep soundingsto reach the natural bedrock in preparation for the construction of a shelter, urgently required for the protection of the exposed Neolithic architecture. Eleven deep soundings have been excavated to the bedrock. At several locations, considerable amounts of carbonized botanical material were discovered, so far unique for excavations at Göbekli. A series of more than 150 samples has been produced either on site or by flotation of the relevant soil units. To test the quality of the material for radiocarbon dating, five samples from the area of the large enclosures from Layer III were submitted for AMS-radiocarbon dating. These new data, together with a further age made on collagen from an animal tooth, are presented and discussed in context with previously available absolute chronological evidence.

Rock art has been poorly investigated in Croatia and in the southeast of Europe. The CRORA (CROatian Rock Art) project was launched in 2009 and aims to systematically catalogue, valorize, and present rock art in Croatia. This project has identified 122 parietal art sites (rock art engravings and paintings) in Croatia, dated from the Palaeolithic to the Modern age, were recorded,  demonstrating that this region, with its abundance of karst phenomena, has great potential region for the further systematic survey and study of rock art.
A dozen rock art paintings sites were identified in the frame of this investigative effort - most located in small rock shelters facing river valleys - that exhibit numerous similarities with the schematic rock art found in parts od Italy, France, Portugal and Spain dated to the period from the Neolithic to the dawn of the Bronze Age. Similar sites have also been identified in Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. These new discoveries in Croatia and in the adjacent regions of the eastern Adriatic coast broaden our knowledge of the phenomenon of schematic rock art and open an completely new area for its study.

Riassunto (il progetto CROatian Rock Art e la scoperta di arte rupestre schematica in Croazia)
L'arte rupestre è stata poco studiata in Croazia e nel sud-est dell'Europa. Il progetto CRORA (CROatian Rock Art) è stato lanciato nel 2009 e mira a catalogare, valorizzare e presentare sistematicamente l'arte rupestre in Croazia. Questo progetto ha permesso di documentare un totale di 122 siti, con incisioni e pitture, databili dal Paleolitico all'Età Moderna, dimostrando come questa zona, nonostante i suoi numerosi fenomeni carsici, abbia un grande potenziale per ulteriori indagini sistematiche e studi sull'arte rupestre.
Nell'ambito di questo sforzo investigativo sono stati identificati una dozzina di siti con pitture rupestri, per lo più in piccoli ripari rocciosi lungo i solchi fluviali, che mostrano numerose somiglianze con l'arte rupestre schematica di Italia, Francia, Portogallo e Spagna, databili dal Neolitico agli albori dell'età del Bronzo. Siti simili sono stati individuati anche in Slovenia e Bosnia-Erzegovina. Queste nuove scoperte in Croazia e nelle regioni adiacenti della costa adriatica orientale ampliano la nostra conoscenza del fenomeno dell'arte rupestre schematica e aprono un'area completamente nuova per il suo studio di questo fenomeno.

In marine geology, a guyot (also known as a tablemount) is an isolated underwater table mountain (seamount) with a flat top more than 200 m (660 ft) below the surface of the sea. The diameters of these flat summits can exceed 10 km (6.2 mi).
Guyots are most commonly found in the Pacific Ocean, but they have been identified in all the oceans except the Arctic Ocean.
Guyots show evidence of having once been above the surface, with gradual subsidence through stages from fringed reefed mountain, coral atoll, and finally a flat-topped submerged mountain.

I recently had the opportunity to review Alex Gibson’s thought provoking volume, 'Enclosing the Neolithic: Recent studies in Britain and Europe'. That review, to which the reader is directed for further commentary, identified as a weakness the uneven spread of regional case studies, and in particular the omission of studies from the West Country, Wales and North West England, which are so important in understanding the Irish Sea Zone. The aim of this paper is to address this with regard to the material from the North West of England, and in particular Cumbria. This paper is therefore meant to be read in conjunction with Gibson’s edited volume.