This article introduces and reviews archaeological and textual evidence related to Zeng, one of the most prominent and long-standing regional states in late Bronze Age China. It reconstructs the history of Zeng using diverse types of data and, most critically, examines how Zeng formed and engaged in interregional networks of interaction and exchange. By adopting a network-based perspective, this article challenges the traditional Zhou-centric framework and, in doing so, rediscovers the significance of Zeng in the history of Early China.

Lebanon has known permanent and successive human occupations since the Lower Palaeolithic, which contributed largely to its rich archaeological and cultural heritage. Numerous archaeological excavations have unearthed remains spanning most prehistorical and historical periods. The Chalcolithic (ca. mid-5th to mid-4th millennium BCE in the Levant), the focus period of this paper, represents a critical transitional phase in prehistoric societal evolution, though absolute chronological data from this period in Lebanon remains limited. A few sites from this period have been studied in Lebanon, with very few 14C dates produced. The RML79 site lies on the northern slope of the Ashrafieh hill, to the east of the capital Beirut, and was excavated intermittently between 2008 and 2012. The preliminary phasing of the site is based on the retrieved ceramics, which indicate that the site was occupied as early as the Chalcolithic period, giving for the first time new insights into a human occupation from this period in the eastern outskirts of the capital. Radiocarbon dates of four charcoal samples collected from the Chalcolithic phase of RML79 confirmed that the latter occupation occurred during the second half of the fifth millennium, with a possible peak in human activity between 4330 BCE and 4000 BCE.

In this article we present and contextualize a potential example of early Mesoamerican dot numeration on a fragmentary Middle Preclassic ceramic figurine dating to 750–650 cal BC from the site of La Blanca, San Marcos, Guatemala. We begin with a brief discussion of numerical systems and their relationship to developments in early writing and graphic notation. We then situate the few known examples of Mesoamerican numeration that predate the Late Preclassic (300 BC–AD 250) period. From there, we pivot to the early urban center of La Blanca and its robust figurine tradition before turning our attention to the series of dots that mark this small ceramic object. We argue that this unique fragmentary figurine hints at the relationship between numeration, bodies, and identity in ancient Mesoamerican worldviews.

Archaeologists have demonstrated the value of deep learning models for detecting archaeological objects in lidar data. As landscape-level projects become the norm, archaeological data derived from deep learning predictions can be integrated into these initiatives through coupled natural-cultural landscapes planning. However, the paucity of archaeological training datasets limits the application of deep learning models to relatively common and well-documented object classes. Using procedurally generated training datasets may be one approach to overcome this bottleneck. To test the efficacy of procedural generation for developing deep learning training data, we trained models to detect a novel object class (hypothesized historic tar kilns) in the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana. We developed two procedural generation approaches to embed simulated archaeological objects in a lidar-derived DEM and used these datasets to train deep learning (Mask R-CNN) models. We then evaluated model predictions within lidar-derived visualizations and during field survey. Our trained models detected targets with high recall but low precision. Field investigation suggested that the objects were not tar kilns but a different historic feature class. This study suggests that models trained on simulated objects are a useful addition to lidar analysis tool kits and can be directly integrated into archaeological field investigation workflows.

Bayesian modeling applied to accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon (AMS 14C) dates on samples associated with burials and seasonal campsites of various cultures suggests a revised chronology for the Sal steppes and northern fringes of the Kuma-Manych Depression in the Lower Don region in the south of the Russian Plain. The new chronological framework makes it possible to eliminate existing time gaps and refine or extend chronological periods. It also shows short overlapping periods with co-existence of regional groups. The time range covers several millennia, from the fifth millennium BC to the middle of the second millennium AD. The new radiocarbon chronology reveals significant regional differences. These results are very important because the Lower Don region stands out from other regions due to its geographical location, and because its populations had a large impact on the cultural development in eastern Europe and beyond throughout millennia.

This paper focuses on Early Roman thin-walled (ThW) pottery from the agora and Fabrika Hill in Nea Paphos, Cyprus. The material was examined macroscopically, and a selection of samples was subjected to elemental analysis (WD-XRF) and thin-section petrography to trace their provenance. The results revealed the presence of local production as well as off-island imports. They also show the low consumption of ThW pottery at the site as well as the dominance of the imports from Asia Minor over local production. These support the interpretation that external cultural influence, although present, had little effect on the islanders, who apparently were conservative in their choice of vessels and practices. The paper thus aims to contribute to a broader scholarly debate on the influence of Roman traditions on local productions and on processes of globalisation in antiquity. Furthermore, it discusses the phenomenon of the production of ThW vessels in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.

A small glass flask found in 1983–4 in a late second-century context at Tanner Row, York has been identified as a kohl bottle. These were used as eye makeup containers, and are overwhelmingly found in Egypt. The use of kohl can rarely be traced via its containers outside that area. This article explores the implications of this find for York and the soldiers stationed there.

In this study, we analyzed a set of translucent green stones found at the Panamanian archaeological sites of El Caño and Sitio Conte. To characterize the samples, we used optical microscopy, portable X-ray fluorescence, UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, FTIR, and photoluminescence. These analyses identify the stones as emeralds and reveal geochemical signatures consistent with a Colombian origin. We then conducted a comparative stylistic technological assessment using cluster analysis, which included samples from Panama and other regions of the Isthmo-Colombian Area, as well as Ecuador. This analysis indicates that artisans modified some emeralds locally, while others may have arrived as finished or partially worked objects. Our findings validate the existence of complex interregional exchange networks in the Isthmo-Colombian Area between the eighth and tenth centuries AD. Within this context, the chiefdoms associated with the archaeological sites of El Caño and Sitio Conte (ca. AD 800–1000) played a significant role in stimulating regional trade relationships.

The Berlanga Cup is the second piece found in Hispania of the type known as the Hadrian’s Wall series. Despite its artistic interest, it bears important information about the Wall, since it is the only element of the series that mentions the forts located on the eastern side of Hadrian’s Wall. This study encompasses research on epigraphy, archaeometry, the virtualisation of the piece, and the survey of its context with a GPR and an artefactual survey. Arguments are provided regarding use as gifts purchased by their owner or given to him to commemorate his military career, perhaps linked to the Corhors I Celtiberorum, which would later accompany him on his return to his place of origin in Roman Celtiberia.