• Title/Summary/Keyword: prehistoric site

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Prehistoric Pathoecology as Represented by Parasites of a Mummy from the Peruaçu Valley, Brazil

  • Reinhard, Karl J;Araujo, Adauto
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.54 no.5
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    • pp.585-590
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    • 2016
  • Paleopathologists have begun exploring the pathoecology of parasitic diseases in relation to diet and environment. We are summarizing the parasitological findings from a mummy in the site of Lapa do Boquete, a Brazilian cave in the state of Minas Gerais. These findings in context of the archaeology of the site provided insights into the pathoecology of disease transmission in cave and rockshelter environments. We are presenting a description of the site followed by the evidence of hookworm, intestinal fluke, and Trypanosoma infection with resulting Chagas disease in the mummy discovered in the cave. These findings are used to reconstruct the transmission ecology of the site.

Oak Forests of the Daegok-cheon Petroglyphs Area in Ulsan, South Korea (울산 대곡천 암각화 유적지 일대의 참나무림 다양성과 분포 특성)

  • Lee, Gyeong-Yeon;Kim, Jong-Won
    • Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.50 no.1
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    • pp.126-136
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    • 2017
  • We describe characteristics of diversity and distribution of oak forests on the Daegok-cheon gorge of the Southeastern Korean Peninsula, the oldest prehistoric site, in view of a sort of food resources of acorns. The $Z{\ddot{u}}rich$-Montpellier School's method was adopted for field investigation on the oak dominant stands. A total of 20 phytosociological $relev\acute{e}s$ composed of 193 taxa were analyzed by syntaxonomy and ecological flora. The Daegok-cheon's oak forests occupied 36.9% ($513,374m^2$) of the surveyed area, and its 99% ($507,677m^2$) was Quercus variabilis and Q. serrata stands. Oak forests of the Daegok-cheon gorge are a kind of regional vegetation type characterizing by the high relative net contribution degree (r-NCD) of Platycarya strobilacea and Sapium japonicum, which are an edaphic type of the xerophilous and thermophilic oak forests. The region of the Daegok-cheon petroglyphs is defined as an ecoregion with rich acorn supply and abundant water resources, and the warmer environment, which attracts prehistoric man.

A study of animal bones excavated from the shell mound of Jeju Jongdali 1819 archaeological site (제주도 종달리 1819번지 패총에서 출토된 뼈 유물의 분류)

  • Kang, Yoonhyoung;Moon, Jihwan;Ahn, Meejung;Bang, Moon-Bae;Shin, Taekyun
    • Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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    • v.54 no.1
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    • pp.13-19
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    • 2014
  • Animal bones excavated with earthenware from the shell mound at the Jeju Jongdali 1819 archeological site, where three consecutive chronological layers covering the Neolithic (B.C. 15C-B.C. 10C), early Tamra, and late Tamra periods have been identified, were morphologically classified. The majority of the bones from all three periods were broken or split. The major fauna of the mammalian bones in all periods were Cervus spp., Sus scrofa, and Bos taurus. In the early and late Tamra periods, bones of small animals including Mustela sibirica coreana, Meles meles, Rodentia, and Aves were also found in small number. The excavated bones were from all parts of the animal bodies, including head, trunk, forelimb, and hindlimb. Collectively, these findings suggest that the major fauna from the Neolithic to late Tamra periods consisted of Cervus spp., Sus scrofa, and Bos taurus and that the fauna was dissected and carried to the shell mound site after hunting. Information from the bone remains in the shell mound are useful data for study of the wildlife and domestic animals living during the prehistoric period of Jeju Island.

Material Characteristics and Provenance Interpretation of the Stone Moulds for Bronze Artifacts from Galdong Prehistoric Site, Korea (완주 갈동유적 출토 청동기 용범의 재질특성 및 산지해석)

  • Lee, Chan-Hee;Kim, Ji-young;Han, Su-Young
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.38
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    • pp.387-419
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    • 2005
  • Material characteristics and provenance interpretation of the raw materials for the stone moulds of bronze artifacts excavated in Galdong Prehistoric site were studied. The stone moulds are made of igneous hornblendite with coarse-grained holocrystalline textures. The surface color shows greenish grey to dark green with greasy luster. The value of magnetic susceptibility of the moulds ranges from 19.2 to 71.0 (mean ; $39.2{\times}10^{-3}$ SI unit).High value of magnetic susceptibility indicates high contents of magnetite as a ferromagnetic mineral and the wide range of the values are due to heterogeneous distribution of magnetite. These are characteristics of basic igneous rocks. The rock-forming minerals of the moulds mainly consist of amphibole, plagioclase and biotite. Pyroxene, chlorite and opaque minerals are also rarely present. A large quantity of carbon was detected on the dark black crust near the surface of the moulds by quantitative analysis. Geological field survey was carried out to identify a source of the raw materials of the stone moulds around Galdong site. Hornblendite or gabbroic rocks being similar to the moulds forming rock occur at Daeseongri, Sikcheonri and Gyodongri in Jangsoo, and Illdaeri in Namwon about 50 kilometers away from the site in a straight line. They have similarity with the moulds forming rock in magnetic susceptibility ranging from 16.1 to 72.4 (mean ; $39.9{\times}10^{-3}$ SI unit). Among those hornblendite or gabbroic rocks, one in Jangsoo area is the most similar to the moulds forming rock on the basis of petrological and mineralogical characteristics. Comparing normalized patterns of major, minor, rare earth and immobile elements contents of the moulds to them of hornblendite in Jangsoo area, geochemical evolution trend and behavior characteristics show affinities between them. It suggests that the moulds forming rock and hornblendite in Jangsoo area have been originated from cogenetic magma. This hornblendite is easy to engrave an inscription or detail graphics on the surface because of its softness, and has good thermal conductivity. Hornblendite in Sikcheonri, Jangsoo is particularly produced and used for stone wares until the present day. Therefore, it is probable that the stone materials of the moulds has been imported from Daeseongri, Sikcheonri and Gyodongri in Jangsoo area. However, it cannot be completely excluded the possibility that the material of the moulds was supplied from Illdaeri in Namwon area appearing the same type of hornblendite on a small outcrops. It is necessary to carry out further archaeological studies to identify several possibilities of migration process of raw materials.

Material Characteristics and Provenance Interpretation for Chloritic Beads from the Boseong Geoseokri and Haenam Buntori Sites, Korea (보성 거석리 및 해남 분토리 유적 출토 녹니석제 구슬의 재질특성과 원산지 해석)

  • Kim, Ji-Young;Lee, Chan-Hee;Kim, Jin-Young
    • Journal of Conservation Science
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    • v.23
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    • pp.25-37
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    • 2008
  • This study focuses on identification of mineralogical and geochemical characteristics and interpretation of raw material sources for prehistoric chlorite beads excavated from Geoseokri site in Boseong and Buntori site in Haenam, Korea. These prehistoric beads consist of three grayish blue ring-shaped beads, one dark green tubular bead and one greenish black tubular bead that show acicular-columnar and fibrous microtexture. The beads are composed of $SiO_2$, $Al_2O_3$, MgO and FeO as majors and a trace amount of $K_2O$, CaO and Na_2O$. Mineral species is mostly chlorite with a small amount of quartz and feldspar. Quantitative analysis indicates that the grayish blue ring-shaped beads and the dark green tubular bead belong to clinochlore and the greenish black tubular bead does to the boundary between clinochlore and sheridantie. Chlorite is a hydrous phyllosilicate mineral and it shows various microtexture of acicular, sheeted, earthy, granular andfibrous shapes. As its hardness is 2, chlorite is easily engraved due to its softness. It has aesthetic worthy as it shows green, black and greenish gray colors and pearly to greasy luster as well. These factors would lead to the extensive use of chloritic beads as ornaments from prehistoric times. Though the mineral sources of the chlorite beads can be found in central western region of Chungnam and Iwon of Hamnam, those areas are too distant from the two relic sites. Instead, chlorite ores commonly occur as altered products in wall rock alteration zone of every hydrothermal deposit. Therefore, it is probable that raw materials of chlorite were supplied from neighboring hydrothermal environment rather than far deposits. The result needs further study to verify raw material provenance interpretation, supply, manufacture and distribution on the basis of archaeological points of view.

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Mineralogical Study on Microlites in the Baekdusan Obsidian and the Gadeokdo Obsidian Artefacts (백두산 흑요석과 가덕도 흑요석제 석기에 포함된 미세결정에 대한 광물학적 연구)

  • Jin, Mi Eun;Moon, Sung Woo;Ryu, Choon Kil;Jwa, Yong-Joo
    • Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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    • v.27 no.4
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    • pp.243-249
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    • 2014
  • We conducted investigations into the morphological characterstics and chemical compositions of the microlites included in the obsidians from the North Korean side Baekdusan (NK) and in the obsidian artefacts from the Busan Gadeokdo prehistoric site (BG). The morphology of the microlites from the NK can be divided into three groups, and trichite-acicular and trichite-asteroidal types are predominant. On the other hand the microlites from the BG show various morphological features such as acicular, margarite, lath, and asteroidal types. Silicate microlites from the NK are mostly of Ca-pyroxene compositions (hedenbergite to augite), whereas those from the BG are mostly of biotite (annite) with small amount of clinopyroxene (ferrosilite). It is well understood that the microlites from the NK are different from those from the BG in terms of the morphology, mineral content and mineral composition. Thus the obsidian aretefacts from the Busan Gadeokdo prehistoric site seem to have no genetical relationship to the obsidians from the Baekdusan.