Archaeological research on the architecture and sculpture of Tiwanaku society in the south-central Andes follows two separate paths: one emphasizes iconographic interpretation, whereas the other studies lithic materials’ origin and spatial relations. This separation, stemming from dualistic modern thought, is an obstacle to a comprehensive understanding of lithic sculptures and their role in Tiwanaku society. This article focuses on the Ponce and Bennett monoliths, the two largest and most complex sculptures of the Tiwanaku ceremonial center. It presents the results of an iconographic analysis identifying minimal design components ordered in a three-level nested hierarchy and their distribution over the spatial structures of both sculptures. This analysis incorporates existing information about lithic materials and quarries, the monoliths’ locations, and spatial relationships. All those data are interpreted in the light of Aymara and Quechua ontologies about the relationships between mountains, stones, and images. Characterizing aspects of the Tiwanaku site and its role in lithic production, this article extends the limits of Tiwanaku society to include nonhuman agents and suggests that we overcome anthropocentric biases.

In this study, we investigate the distribution of radiocarbon and uranium in the calcified opercula of Turbo sp. collected from Ryukyu region and Chiba, Japan, to explore the potential of U/Th dating using mollusks collected from the Japanese archipelago. We acquired high-resolution radiocarbon and uranium concentration measurements using single-stage accelerator mass spectrometry and laser ablation−inductively coupled plasma−mass spectrometry. Our results show that uranium in the opercula of modern Turbo sp. is unevenly distributed at concentrations 1000 times less than those in coral skeletons. Radiocarbon found in the calcified opercula samples record ambient seawater radiocarbon values as well as coral skeletons. Uranium in the calcified opercula of Holocene Turbo marmoratus were also unevenly distributed and concentrated within the opercula in a different manner than observed in modern samples, suggesting uranium exchange after death. Our results suggest variable uptake of uranium isotopes into mollusk shells and highlights the need for rigorous sample selection criteria when choosing mollusks species for U/Th dating around Japan.

Metric analysis of skeletal material is integral to the analysis and identification of human remains, though one commonly used measuring device, the osteometric board, has lagged in recent advancement. Traditional boards are bulky and require manual measurement recording, potentially generating intra- and interobserver error. To address these limitations, we tested the reliability, validity, and error rates of a novel device, the Portable Osteometric Device Version 1 (PODv1), which measures distance using laser sensors with time-of-flight technology. Forty-five volunteers measured four skeletal elements with the PODv1 and a PaleoTech osteometric board in three rounds. Comparison of tibia, humerus, and femur measurements with both devices showed no significant differences, although the maximum length of the ulna did differ, potentially because of observer confusion regarding the PODv1's user instructions for this element. Our results suggest that the PODv1 is a reliable, valid measurement device compared to traditional osteometric boards. Although both device types can produce calibration, transcription, and observer errors, the time-of-flight technology and the absence of manual recording built into the PODv1 may limit those errors. These advancements and their potential positive impacts on the accuracy of osteometric data collection may have far-reaching benefits for osteological, bioarchaeological, paleopathological, and forensic anthropological data collection.

This theme issue has two primary goals: to illuminate the underdeveloped or faltering areas of the discipline as they relate to archaeological collections and to offer tangible paths forward to address the systemic problems identified as they impact the future of archaeology. Present-day archaeology is complicated due to its many sectors of practice: academia/faculty; cultural resource management; federal, state, and local government; tribal governments and communities; descendant communities; students; the general public; and different types of archaeological repositories. Given this complexity, it can be difficult to identify the expectations (and realities) of each sector, which, if better understood, would help illuminate the nuances of preservation, accountability, discoverability, and use of archaeological collections across the discipline. Without a solid understanding of these nuances, efforts to advance the discipline are undermined. This introduction provides an overview of the articles that address emerging and urgent issues and offer viable steps forward. These challenges include the interrelationships between ethics, collaboration, and training; the preservation and management of digital records and data; collections discovery and reuse; collections-based research; training in material culture; making collections knowable to constituencies outside archaeology; preparing for repatriation from a management perspective; and the intricacies of the archaeological digital data system.

The study of human remains can provide valuable information about aspects of past populations. Here we present an updated database consisting of 590 radiocarbon (14C) dates for human remains from Holocene South Africa before European contact. We calibrated or recalibrated all the previously published dates using the most recent calibration curve for the southern hemisphere. Each date is roughly georeferenced and plotted according to their Stone Age or Iron Age contexts, revealing the broad distribution pattern of dated Holocene human remains across South Africa—perhaps reflecting aspects of past population distribution and densities, but also underscoring historical collection practices, archaeological research focus, and preservation conditions. We use Kernel Density Estimation models to show peaks and troughs of dated remains through time, with Later Stone Age peaks at ∼5.5 ka cal BP, ∼2 ka cal BP and ∼0.5 ka cal BP, and Iron Age peaks ∼1.1 ka cal BP and ∼0.5 ka cal BP, some of which show broad correspondence to climatic data. Our data, based on dated remains only, do not provide a full reflection of past populations, and our large-scale, coarse-grained analysis cannot yet assess the reasons for the peaks in dated human remains in detail. Yet, the study provides a new resource, and a data-driven overview that highlights aspects to be explored with further contextual analyses against the available archaeological records, population histories and climatic indicators through time and across space.

This paper offers a temporal analysis of the megalithic group of La Lora in the context of northern Iberian Plateau megalithism. For this purpose, 67 accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon (AMS 14C) dates were obtained on human bone from the minimum number of individuals recovered from nine tombs. This is the first systematic dating project carried out in this dolmen group and has enabled the chronology of the main funerary series to be updated. The results reveal that the actual funerary use dates mainly to the 4th millennium BC, although, as deduced from the archaeological material, some tombs were reused in later periods. Additionally, the significant architectural polymorphism of the group, consisting mainly of simple dolmens and large corridor tombs, suggested a temporal evolution to monumentality. However, the dating shows a more complex reality, since it is likely that the large tombs functioned as funerary pantheons during the 4th millennium BC, characterized by a cyclical and recurrent use. In contrast, the simpler structures were preferred to be of shorter use and restricted to the first half of the 4th millennium.

Preparation of bones for radiocarbon (14C) dating is still quite a challenge for researchers. The methods are being tested and improved, to increase reliability of dating results and to verify the previous ones. In this work, a set of gelatine samples, extracted from Cervus elaphus and Cervus canadensis bones from various sites in Europe and a set of human bones from archaeological sites in Poland were subjected to retreatment using ultrafiltration in Gliwice Radiocarbon Laboratory. The tested samples represent a wide range of ages, from older than 40,000 14C years BP to modern. The prepared material was subjected to the measurement of C/N atomic ratios and 14C dating using the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) technique. Also, the stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) values were determined. In a few cases ultrafiltration allows to improve gelatine quality for long-stored samples, by increasing the %C and %N as well as decreasing C/Nat ratios. Nevertheless, this effect was not observed for majority of the samples. Remeasurements of long-term stored samples give mostly the same 14C ages for ultrafiltered ones and for those without ultrafiltration.