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Vani Region Archaeological Survey
User Collection- Creator:
- Ratte, Christopher and Mokrisova, Jana
- Description:
- The data presented here were collected in the course of an archaeological survey of the region around Vani in the Republic of Georgia, carried out between 2009 and 2011, with follow-up visits in 2014 and 2017. The survey was sponsored by the University of Michigan, the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University, and the Otar Lordkipanidze Institute of Archaeological Research in Tbilisi. , The archaeological site of Vani lies in the territory of ancient Colchis, a triangular area bordered by the Black Sea to the west and by the greater and lesser Caucasus Mountains to the north and south – famous in Greek legend as the land of the Golden Fleece and the home of Medea. Vani itself is situated approximately 70 km inland, in the foothills of the lesser Caucasus. A regional culture recognizable on the evidence of distinctive traditions of pottery and metalworking and the appearance of a network of relatively large settlements had emerged in Colchis by the late second and early first millennia BC. , Vani is one of the most extensively studied archaeological sites in Colchis. Excavations have revealed a continuous occupation sequence extending from the 8th to the 1st centuries B.C. Especially notable are the rich and unusual graves of the Classical period (6th-4th centuries), the monumental stone architecture of the Hellenistic period (3rd to 1st centuries), especially fortifications enclosing an area of approximately 6 ha, and the extensive evidence for interaction with the Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds, including not only commercial and luxury imports (Greek transport amphorae, fine bronze and silver utensils from both the Greek world and Persia), but also local production of bronze sculpture and one long Greek bronze inscription., In spite of the richness of the site, however, important questions about its purpose and function over time remain unresolved. How extensive was the ancient settlement? Was Vani an isolated stronghold, a regional population center, a sanctuary, or a combination of two or all three? How does it compare with other sites in Colchis? In addition to ongoing research at Vani itself, regional survey provides an obvious approach to some of these questions. In previous years, examination of a number of outlying sites had already yielded remains extending in date from the Early Bronze Age to the mediaeval period., and The purpose of the regional survey project begun in 2009 was to integrate existing knowledge about Vani and environs into the kind of technological and conceptual framework characteristic of contemporary American survey archaeology. Of particular importance was the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as an organizational and analytical tool, and of geophysical prospection both in the immediate environs of Vani and at regional sites. Like all regional surveys, our project recorded evidence of all periods, from prehistory to the present day, but we were particularly interested in questions having to do with the increasing social complexity of Colchis in the mid- and later 1st millennium BC – when Greek explorers began to establish colonies on the Black Sea coast of Georgia, and the Persian empire pushed up against the mountains of the Caucasus. What was the nature of Colchian society in this period? How was it affected by interaction with the larger Greek, Persian, and Pontic worlds? And how can regional survey at Vani and throughout Colchis help us to address these questions?
- Keyword:
- Classical Archaeology, Fortifications, Churches, Sanctuaries, Quarries, Modern Settlements, Settlements, and Burials
- Discipline:
- Humanities
25Sub-collections1Works -
Realm 3: Tumulus Excavations
User Collection- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- The PASH Data Collection is comprised of Five data “realms”: 1) Survey and site data, 2) Settlement excavations, 3) Tumulus (burial mound) survey and excavations, 4) Artifact analysis, and 5) Geological data. All databases, field notebooks, unit and profile drawings, photographs, photo descriptions, radiocarbon dates, and geophysical survey data related to the tumuli excavations have been made available in PASH Deep Blue Data Realm 3., Total size of all files: approximately 2 gigabytes Chapter(s) linked to: Eight Abbreviations: “T” = tumulus, as in T099; “S” = site, as in S006, The excavation methods employed by PASH at tumuli replicate those employed at settlements. Natural stratigraphy was followed where possible, and arbitrary stratigraphic levels were defined when necessary. Arbitrary stratigraphic levels at tumuli often exceeded the 10 cm interval used at settlements, due to the large number of large rocks that needed to be removed. Due to the numerous rocks, not all mound fill was screened; rather, we screened every third bucket through quarter-inch mesh. By contrast, all soil from features was screened. Soil was sampled for flotation and water screening from every level and feature, but unlike samples from settlements, it has not been processed and analyzed. Each tumulus, being roughly circular, was divided into quadrants along the cardinal directions, and 1-m baulks between quadrants were defined. Quadrants were excavated separately by level. Sometimes quadrants were excavated concurrently. Tumulus unit/level/feature designations are therefore preceded by tumulus (T000) and quadrant (Q000) numbers. Artifact provenience was recorded down to levels and features, with important in situ artifacts sometimes being mapped into level/feature drawings along x-y-z axes. Strata and artifacts were measured cm below surface using a dumpy level. All levels and features were drawn and photographed, individually and by quadrant. , In each mound we followed natural stratigraphy whenever and wherever possible. However, given the steep downward curves of many strata, following the slopes of mound surfaces, this was not always possible. Thus, it is likely that some levels combine artifacts from different mound strata. To control partially for this difficulty, quadrant levels were often subdivided into separate units on the interior or the exterior of mounds (designated “collections units” or CUs). Mound and grave architecture, when present, was left in place until fully defined and documented and then removed if necessary. Baulks were drawn in profile and photographed and removed en masse at the end of each excavation., and Prior to excavation, all mounds surveyed in Shtoj and Shkrel were mapped and fully documented. The state of preservation (present day and projected into the future) of each mound was recorded (from poor to excellent, and from fully safe to critically endangered). Given that so many mounds in both regions were already damaged or had been destroyed, or were actively threatened, we decided to excavate mounds that were (1) already completely removed (T-085), (2) damaged by agricultural activities (T-052), (3) going to be removed by a landowner (despite legal prohibitions) (T-088), and (4) previously looted or excavated (T-099). We did not want to excavate seemingly intact, undamaged mounds. Our tumulus excavations can therefore be aptly described as “rescue” excavations.
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Science and Humanities
5Works -
Realm 2: Settlement Excavations
User Collection- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- The PASH Data Collection is comprised of Five data “realms”: 1) Survey and site data, 2) Settlement excavations, 3) Tumulus (burial mound) survey and excavations, 4) Artifact analysis, and 5) Geological data. All databases, field notebooks, unit and profile drawings, photographs, photo descriptions, radiocarbon dates, and geophysical survey data related to the settlement excavations have been made available in PASH Realm 2. and The excavations we conducted at Kodër Boks, Zagorë, and Gajtan were designed to gather as much data as possible, as quickly as possible. They were composed of test pits (“units,” i.e., sondages), primarily 1x1 m in size, occasionally larger, positioned based on the results of field surveys and systematic surface collections of artifacts, but also with reference to prior excavations (at Zagorë and Gajtan) and geophysical data (collected at Gajtan). Excavations followed natural stratigraphy where possible; when such strata were not present, we excavated in 10-cm arbitrary levels. Artifact provenience was recorded down to levels and features, with important in situ artifacts sometimes being mapped into level/feature drawings along x-y-z axes. When identified, archaeological features (e.g., pits, floors, walls, etc.) were excavated separately from levels. Excavators organized forms and accompanying journal entries by “level” and “feature” for each unit. Each level and feature was drawn and photographed. Artifacts were bagged together by level and type. Radiocarbon samples were wrapped in tin foil and bagged separately. Soil samples were taken from each level using the “pinch” method. Upon completion, a profile wall of each unit was photographed, and, in some cases, drawn. Artifacts (with the exception of metal) were washed in water, dried on racks in the sun, and sorted and labeled in the PASH field laboratory. They were analyzed in preliminary fashion first in the field by PASH staff and later by experts.
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Science and Humanities
3Sub-collections0Works -
Realm 4: Artifact Analysis
User Collection- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- The PASH Data Collection is comprised of Five data “realms”: 1) Survey and site data, 2) Settlement excavations, 3) Tumulus (burial mound) survey and excavations, 4) Artifact analysis, and 5) Geological data. All databases, drawings, photographs, photo descriptions, radiocarbon dates, and analytical data related to artifacts, ecofacts, and human remains have been made available in PASH Deep Blue Data Realm 4. Each artifact dataset will include all or some of the following: - Database files: CSV, Excel, PDF, Word; - Photos: Jpeg; - Drawings: PDF Total size of all files: approximately 10 gigabytes. See individual records or readme for linked chapters. and All artifacts found in the course of survey and excavation were brought to a museum facility in Shkodër (at the Hotel Meteor, on the Shkodër-Koplik road). They were cleaned, labeled, drawn, photographed, and described. Artifact descriptions were entered into one of three databases: pottery, chipped stone, and small finds. Each artifact was assigned a unique identifying number containing locational information. Pottery numbers typically begin with a tract or other collection unit (e.g., grid square in a site-surface collection) identifier, followed by a sequence number if more than one potsherd or ceramic was located in a tract or unit. Lithics and other small finds were assigned a GT number (GT-001, GT-002, etc.; GT being the Albanian acronym for Small Find). During a study season held in December 2014, artifacts were analyzed in more detail by specialists, each of whom produced a lengthier description of pottery, chipped stone, or small finds. A subset of ceramic and groundstone samples was retained for petrographic and chemical analysis. Finally, all seeds and wood charcoal recovered through flotation and all animal bones were analyzed. Human remains from Tumulus 99 were subjected to Strontium-isotope and aDNA analysis.
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Humanities and Science
6Works -
Realm 1: Field Survey and Site Collections
User Collection- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- The PASH Data Collection is comprised of Five data “realms”: 1) Survey and site data, 2) Settlement excavations, 3) Tumulus (burial mound) survey and excavations, 4) Artifact analysis, and 5) Geological data. All databases, field notebooks, paper maps, GIS files, photographs, and photo descriptions related to the intensive survey, of tracts and tumuli, and the collection of sites have been made available in PASH Deep Blue Data Realm 1 (this sub-collection)., Over the course of five years, 11 field teams (Teams A–K) surveyed 2530 tracts in Shkrel and Shtoj, covering 16.1 km2. Survey data were eventually collapsed into six geographic zones (1–6). All tracts were surveyed using standard Mediterranean survey methods. For each tract (recorded consecutively by team letter and a number, e.g. A-001, A-002, etc.), surveyors walked at 15-m intervals and counted all tile/brick, ceramic fragments, and small finds. We conducted a full-coverage survey, meaning that all land forms—including fields, hills, and terraces—in each survey zone were surveyed, unless the landowner objected or the vegetation was so dense as to render survey impossible. Each tract was photographed and a GPS point at the center of the tract was obtained. Photos and photo descriptions were maintained in separate databases by each team. Information about tracts was recorded by hand in notebooks by team leaders. This included data about a tract’s soil, geology, ground cover (plants growing in the tract, crops planted in the field), associated structures, associated archaeological features (including tumuli), informant testimony, visibility, and, most critically, artifact counts. , and Realm 1 is divided into two sub-collections: Survey Data and Site Data. Both sub-collections are organized by data type. Survey data includes Tract photos and Photologs, Survey maps, Spatial data files, and a Collection Unit (CU) survey database. Site Data includes the Site database, Site documentation, Site photos and Photologs, and Spatial data files.
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Science and Humanities
2Sub-collections0Works -
Realm 5: Geological Data
User Collection- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- The PASH Data Collection is comprised of Five data “realms”: 1) Survey and site data, 2) Settlement excavations, 3) Tumulus (burial mound) survey and excavations, 4) Artifact analysis, and 5) Geological data. All of the geological data from cores and auger holes have been made available in PASH Deep Blue Data Realm 5. , Much of the work conducted by PASH took place on a geomorphic feature we call the Shtoj alluvial fan. Geological research was done along the distal margins of the Shtoj alluvial fan in the fringing freshwater wetlands of Shkodër Lake. Field reconnaissance in 2010 consisted of drilling twelve 5-cm diameter auger holes across the fan to a maximum depth of 4.8 m. A composite sediment sample was collected every 0.3 m during drilling. Between 2012 and 2014, sediment cores were taken at four wetland locations on the southeastern shore of Shkodër Lake. North-south trending core locations were selected following results of samples collected during the 2010 reconnaissance and are 1 km east of the Shkodër Lake shoreline. Twenty-two cores, ranging in length from 0.24 m to 0.87 m, were taken from four sites using a 6.3-cm diameter polycarbonate piston corer. , and (See readme in Geological Data record for full documentation; Chapter linked to: Chapter Two).
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Science and Humanities
1Works -
Zagorë
User Collection- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- The following works contain the databases, field notebooks, unit and profile drawings, photographs, photo descriptions, radiocarbon dates, and geophysical survey data related to the Zagorë settlement excavation.
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Science and Humanities
4Works -
Kodër Boks
User Collection- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- The following works contain the databases, field notebooks, unit and profile drawings, photographs, photo descriptions, radiocarbon dates, and geophysical survey data related to the Kodër Boks settlement excavation.
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Humanities and Science
3Works -
Mound survey
User Collection- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- TBD
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Humanities and Social Sciences
0Works