El área de Laguna del Diamante (3.000 m snm) tiene una oferta de recursos atractiva para las sociedades humanas durante los últimos 2.000 años. Este trabajo evalúa la variable intensidad en la ocupación humana en Laguna del Diamante en cinco segmentos temporales entre 2030 y 440 años cal aP. Estos segmentos se modelaron a partir de 14 fechados radiocarbónicos procedentes de tres sitios; la densidad de lascas proximales se evalúa como proxy de intensidad de ocupación. Se comparan los pulsos registrados arqueológicamente con la variabilidad ambiental vinculada a aumento/disminución de temperatura y humedad, de los últimos milenios en tres lagunas: Aculeo, Chepical y del Maule (33°-35°S). A partir de diversos indicadores —cobertura vegetal, extensión/disminución de la cubierta de hielo, cambios de la precipitación relacionados al sistema de vientos del oeste y su variabilidad debido a El Niño Oscilación del Sur— se observó en casi toda la secuencia una asociación positiva entre condiciones favorables y ocupaciones intensas. Se discute el registro de dos pulsos de mayor intensidad: entre 1200 y 1280 años cal aP, asociado con aumento de temperatura de verano e intensificación de precipitaciones; y entre 450 y 500 años cal aP, vinculado con condiciones frías y coincidente con la presencia incaica en el área.

El Japón is a 16th century hamlet site in the marshlands of the southern Basin of Mexico in central Mesoamerica. Radiocarbon (14C) dating and OxCal modeling of human bone collagen (n = 11) identifies a range of burials at El Japón cemetery from 1550–1650 cal. CE. The refined chronology identifies use of this rural settlement well after the onset of colonial government-sponsored relocation of Indigenous people to larger settlements (congregaciones). Historically documented information in this work supports chronological modeling beyond stand-alone calibration. Stable isotopic study of bone samples demonstrates similar sources of dietary protein and carbohydrates. The similarity of carbon sources for bone apatite (bioapatite) and collagen offers security that both bone fractions are viable 14C dating opportunities. Recent extension of this work examines bioapatite 14C dates (n = 5) from the same bone samples when quality parameters are met—atomic carbon-nitrogen ratios of 3.2–3.3 and collagen yield of 10–20%. No significant difference is found between collagen and bioapatite dates of the same individuals (p = 0.17, Mann-Whitney U test). 14C dates from human bone samples in this primarily terrestrial dietary context can be successfully acquired from either collagen or bioapatite fractions.

Excavations at the Wacheqsa sector from Chavin de Huantar identified contexts from the Middle Formative (1100–900 BC) and Late Formative (900–550 BC) periods. We present results of starch analysis conducted in culinary equipment (ceramics) retrieved from domestic occupations and a large midden. Microbotanical analysis revealed a variety of plant food resources, such as maize, beans, olluco, and possibly chili peppers.

Coccidioidomycosis is an infectious fungal disease endemic in Bolivia's Gran Chaco region that is caused by inspiration of the spores of Coccidiodes species. It is a respiratory pathology that can spread to the skeleton and produce diffuse lytic lesions in different parts of the body. This disease has rarely been described in historic populations, and we present here a new case of coccidioidomycosis in a mummified human individual. It corresponds to a female individual with an age at death of 25–35 years, dated to the Tiwanaku epoch of the thirteenth century AD. It was found inside a sepulchral cave near the city of Ulloma in western Bolivia. Radiographic examination shows numerous osseous lytic lesions with central cavitation concentrated on the cranial table and vertebral bodies. The observed condition could correspond to the secondary phase of coccidioidomycosis. This diagnosis is noteworthy because coccidioidomycosis was mainly described as a male work-related disease and has never been found in ancient western Bolivia.

The prints, negatives and albums in the British School at Rome's Thomas Ashby Photographic Archive are a rich assortment of materials created by Ashby and his colleagues, such as Agnes and Dora Bulwer. The archive was the natural and spontaneous product of Ashby's personal and working life and it was not until after his death that it was transferred into the public institutional domain. This article investigates the original intention of Ashby's archive, its transfer from a private to public context, and its subsequent evolution and reception. Building on the work of previous BSR staff and scholars, the article looks at Ashby's archive from a fresh perspective, emphasizing the need to consider the archive's original non-public authorial intent, its polyphonic elements, and the diachronic nature of its formation and reception from Ashby's time to the present. Given that images within photographic archives are now regularly viewed as digital objects, this is a timely discussion of the nature of private photographic archives that have been moved into the public domain. It is now more important than ever that archives like Ashby's are acknowledged as entities with detailed and complex histories, and that these histories are taken into account when viewing the individual photographs within the archive.

We have conducted radiocarbon (14C) dating of Japanese tree rings from 1053 to 921 BCE and 41 BCE to 130 CE. Dating was also performed using oxygen isotope dendrochronology to investigate subtle structures of the calibration curve corresponding to the beginning and the end of the Yayoi period in Japan. These two results followed IntCal20, which included the 14C ages of two Japan-sourced trees. The findings suggest that dating of specimens obtained from areas around the Japanese archipelago may be affected by periodic monsoons from the ocean, an effect that needs further examination.

As there exists a growing demand for chronological research and tracer applications using radiocarbon (14C) analyses of samples smaller than 100 μg C, a compact micro-specific hydrogen graphitization method has been developed at the Xi’an Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) Center. This article describes the performance of the system and the mass of carbon background produced during ultra-small sample preparation. Furthermore, we discuss the results of contamination corrections and perform 14C analyses on small samples with known age or reference values. The results reveal that our 14C analysis of ultra-small samples of 10–100 μg C can obtain accurate and reliable results, and the micro-scale 14C-AMS analysis technique meets our research objectives for dating and tracer applications.

In 1885, during excavations on the southwest slope of the Quirinal Hill, two magnificent Hellenistic bronzes were discovered by Rodolfo Lanciani. Although Lanciani dated the burial of the bronzes to the era of the barbarian attacks on the city of Rome, here it will be argued that the bronzes may have been excavated elsewhere by clandestine diggers and then reburied on the Quirinal slope, in a stash of robbers’ loot. Utilizing newly located archival sources that shed fresh light on the excavation, and interrogating Lanciani's published accounts of it, this paper presents a case study of this small area of the hill. This leads in turn to an investigation of Lanciani's practice as a cartographer in plate XXII of his Forma Urbis Romae where the hillside was subsequently depicted. Plate XXII has a wider relevance for any user of the FUR because a close analysis of this one plate suggests that Lanciani's representation of the southwest Quirinal is dominated by a cartographic rhetoric. This is composed of significant omissions, obfuscations and graphic hierarchies all of which are employed to influence and manipulate the reader. It is argued that plate XXII of Lanciani's map is a persuasive rendering rather than a disinterested record of the ancient structures that were found buried there. This has significance for any reader of the FUR.

Indigenous communities globally are challenged by threats to heritage resources due to residual effects of colonization, outsider encroachment on traditional spaces, and economic and political inequities. The effects of climate change add another dimension to these challenges, not only by altering familiar ecosystems and landscapes but also through the destruction of Indigenous heritage spaces. The University of Maine's Northeast archaeology program supports Indigenous resilience to climate change through community-engaged approaches to archaeological research. Recent shell heap research at the Holmes Point West site in Machiasport, Maine, exemplifies these efforts by blending archaeological science with service through Passamaquoddy language preservation and community engagement. This article discusses the University of Maine's partnership with the Passamaquoddy Nation and reflects on the nexus of Indigenous archaeology, heritage protection, and climate change resilience.