Novel techniques and methodologies in Mountain Archaeology

Abstract/Description

How hunter-gatherer populations adapted mountain environments is a perennial question in archaeology. A central technological adaptation to these environments is leather clothing, which is signaled by the archaeological occurrence of lithic hide-scraping tools. End scrapers are one of the most common tool types in early North American lithic assemblages. Paleoindian end scrapers sometimes exhibit anomalous spur features characterized by one or two lateral protrusions located on the working edge. This analysis examines usewear on a large sample of Paleoindian end scrapers from the northern Rocky Mountains. Low-power light microscopy and optical profilometry are used to examine the ostensible working surfaces of the spur features. Additionally, experimental scraper analysis examined the effectiveness of the optical profilometer to measure uswear using both the Sa and Ra roughness coefficient. Preliminary results indicate that both the dorsal and proximal surface were used in scraping tasks, consistent with the hypothesis that the spurs were functional and not merely incidental to hafting or maintenance. This finding points to an unknown technological tradition likely associated with clothing manufacture among the Rocky Mountain’s first peoples. We conclude with a series of hypothetical applications to spur future research.

Abstract/Description

This research investigates the spatial analysis of the Wiggin’s Fork hunting complex in mountainous Western Wyoming through a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) lens. Initially believed to consist of a single buffalo jump, systematic survey and analysis of GIS data has revealed a far more extensive and intricate network of communal hunting features. Early field surveys aimed at establishing site boundaries led to the discovery of multiple undocumented cairn lines and potential jumps, significantly expanding the known extent of the site. GIS played a crucial role in mapping and visualizing these high-altitude features, establishing a deeper understanding of spatial organization and site functionality. The analysis of satellite imagery further refined site interpretations, revealing new hunting structures and contributing to ongoing archaeological discoveries. Additionally, the real-time visualization and analysis of GIS data in the field has allowed for more efficient and targeted survey efforts. This project aims to explore how GIS techniques in challenging terrain highlight the scale and sophistication of Indigenous communal hunting strategies while enhancing the study of Indigenous hunting styles, refining archaeological methodologies, and contributing to the preservation and understanding of cultural heritage.

Abstract/Description

The UNESCO World Heritage Site n. 94 of Valcamonica in the Italian Prealps (Lombardy region) is famous for its prehistoric rock art dating from the late Upper Palaeolithic to modern times. They are found throughout the valley on exposed sections of fine-grained Permian sandstone (Verrucano Lombardo) and depict a wide range of abstract and figurative scenes and motifs. Despite the many representations of activities and objects associated with daily life, such as ox-drawn ploughing, weaving and houses, our knowledge of the settlement characteristics of the valley is still inconsistent. Previous interpretations of the phenomenon have even suggested that the valley was largely uninhabited, visited only periodically for resource extraction (metals) and symbolic activities. Although recent research, mostly preventive archaeological interventions, is increasingly providing evidence of structured and diffuse human occupation of the valley, systematic settlement studies are still lacking. We present a new project that challenges the view of an empty valley by pointing out the persistent research bias towards exceptional rock art, which obscures the subsistence and settlement context of the communities that created these images. Following a landscape archaeological approach, our study integrates environmental studies with non-invasive prospection of the immediate surroundings of incised rock outcrops. We illustrate our approach with a case study near the town of Capo di Ponte, i.e. the “Quattro Dossi” area, where an excavation project by the University of Pavia has revealed significant evidence of repeated occupation from the late Neolithic to the late Iron Age, although no dwelling or habitation structures have yet been identified.

Abstract/Description

Dynamic environments, such as those found in alpine regions, are shaped by complex formation- and post-depositional processes that often obscure the clear reconstruction of archaeological contexts. To address these challenges, microarchaeological approaches—incorporating sediment and soil micromorphology alongside micro-X-ray fluorescence (µXRF) for elemental characterization—are increasingly indispensable. These methods allow for a more-nuanced interpretation of structural, depositional, and compositional aspects of the archaeological layers that constitute, embed, and surround material remains.

This paper presents a series of case studies from different alpine regions in Austria (North Tyrol, East Tyrol, and Upper Austria) and demonstrate the efficacy of these analytical techniques in clarifying site formation processes and cultural transformations. The case studies span diverse contexts, including sub-alpine Mesolithic camps, Roman provincial cities, prehistoric mining caves repurposed as cultic spaces in Late Antiquity, and Iron Age alpine-style houses built on moraines. Through these examples, we highlight the versatility and analytical power of microarchaeological and microchemical methods in refining archaeological interpretations.

By emphasizing the integration of diverse methodological and interdisciplinary approaches, this study underscores their crucial role in reconstructing past human activities in dynamic landscapes. These techniques not only enhance our understanding of site evolution but also provide a unifying framework for addressing complex archaeological questions across diverse temporal and environmental settings.

Abstract/Description

In areas where traditional archaeological material is sparse or absent, soil archives provide invaluable insights into past human presence and activity. Soil geochemical analysis thereby enables the reconstruction of land use, activities, and human-environment interactions through their chemical signatures. By dwelling, farming, herding, and engaging in daily life, humans leave distinct elemental traces in the soil. Once extracted, variations in elemental concentrations and their spatial distribution allow for the identification of activity zones and the reconstruction of past human presence over time. This approach has been successfully applied across various archaeological contexts, from individual structures to a broader landscape scale. However, its effectiveness depends on the specific ‘memory’ of local soils, thus their capacity to retain and reflect past environmental information. To date, this aspect has not been systematically assessed for (high) mountain soils. In recent years, pilot studies in mountain archaeology have slowly begun incorporating soil geochemical methods into their research frameworks. One such project, conducted in 2023 on the Dachstein Plateau, Upper Austria, employed a sampling raster across structural remains and their surroundings. Aiming to evaluate both the potential and limitations of geochemical analysis in (high) mountain contexts, preliminary results have shown the overall applicability of such approaches for mountain archaeological endeavours. While much remains to be understood about the sources and dynamics of chemical elements in mountain soils, the study offers an initial basis for discussion and further methodological development in these specific research areas.

Abstract/Description

The Dzhungar Mountains in northern Tien Shan, Kazakhstan, are part of the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor, which extends from the Hindu Kush to the Altai. This corridor is significant for human migration and cultural exchange due to its water availability and ecological diversity. The Dzhungar Mountains contain several Bronze Age sites, including the Dali settlement complex and an adjacent circular megalithic structure several meters in diameter. Megaliths in Central Inner Asia are rare, undated, and understudied, leaving their chronological relationship to the Bronze Age unclear.

Infrared Stimulated Luminescence rock surface burial dating (IRSL RSbD) is a new tool in quaternary geochronology and allows determining the burial age of rock surfaces since their last exposure to sunlight. The method is based on the fact that, over time, rock surfaces can store energy in the crystal lattice of rock-building minerals, such as feldspar, due to naturally occurring radiation. This energy can be read out as luminescence signal upon infrared stimulation under laboratory conditions and burial ages calculated.

For dating the Dali megalith structure, we used infrared-stimulated luminescence of feldspar from the buried face of the granitic megalith boulders and complemented this with single-grain OSL dating of the sediment beneath the boulders. This combined dating approach helps to establish a chronological framework for the Dali megalithic structure and assess its relationship to the Bronze Age timeline of the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor.

Abstract/Description

Mountainous areas frequently are seen as barriers to human mobility due to highly rugose terrain, patchy environments, and other factors that presumably discourage movement. However, preferential pathways or corridors develop due to anisotropy in these factors, creating conduits for human movement. Here, we present a new geospatial framework for modeling human mobility in the north – central Andes (approximately 8 ° N – 30 ° S latitudes), which leverages energetic and pheric distance (or distance measured as travel time) models. We apply this model to two case studies. The first examines how movement between specific resource locations and early Initial Period politically- and religiously-important centers throughout central – northern Peru contributed to the emergence cultural networks in the subsequent Formative period, especially the Chavin phenomenon. The second models migration routes related to the peopling of the high Andes. These cases show that this modeling approach has both explanatory power as well as predictive potential.