Carbon occurs as organic and inorganic matter in numerous complex forms and mixtures. Thermal separation of sample mixtures (e.g. sediment or soil), coupled with radiocarbon analysis, is a valuable approach for investigating the source, residence time, or age of different carbon components. At the NEIF Radiocarbon Laboratory we have built equipment for thermally separating samples for radiocarbon analysis using ramped oxidation. The original instrumentation has been successfully tested and validated for the purpose of partitioning samples based on their temperature of thermal decomposition, and for reliable radiocarbon measurement of different sample components. However, the original configuration of our instrument has limitations; a single analysis takes 2–3 hours, and an operator must be present to manually isolate samples from the required temperature ranges. To address this, we have upgraded our ramped oxidation equipment to include computer-controlled solenoid valves. These are activated according to a user-defined sampling scheme which enables autonomous collection of thermally partitioned samples. Here, we describe the latest improvements and present thermograms showing compatibility with the previous version of our equipment. This includes measurements of the radiocarbon background of the equipment, and results for known 14C-content radiocarbon standards. These demonstrate the reliability of the new configuration of our equipment for radiocarbon measurements.

This brief note corrects an aspect of our 2024 paper looking at the evidence for the route of the Dorchester aqueduct in which we attributed a previously hypothesised route for the aqueduct to Christopher Sparey-Green.

Semioidentity refers to the sign–identity relationship in its pragmatic and metapragmatic dimensions. A component of social semiotic analysis, the study of semioidentity offers a distinctive contribution to archaeology by making explicit the different kinds of signs and their functions in the interpretive process. It privileges indexical signs as a means of anchoring interpretation and thus provides opportunities for additional higher-order claims about ideology and belief systems. A semiotic approach contributes to knowledge growth by positing that the most reliable interpretations—that is, those most likely to be true in the long term—are those that incorporate a variety of semiotic resources since their functions will act to constrain one another. In this essay, I discuss semiotic resources and semiotic ideology from the perspective of Peircean semiotics. I then offer a case study focusing on the archaeology of the Pueblo Revolt and the emergence of a pan-Pueblo historical consciousness to illustrate some of the rich insights that it affords.

Identity is a permanent integral feature of archaeological research. Even when it seems marginal to the current archaeological agenda, identity is brought back into the discussion by the urgency to engage with—often homogenizing—identity-based policies in contemporary politics. Lately, the emphasis placed on difference, fluidity and multivocality within archaeology has sensibly advanced the debate. Nevertheless, immutable identities continue to arise in studies of antiquity, replicating essentialist assumptions on the human past built around binary structures and simplistic equations of culture-historical reminiscence between material culture/practices and identities. The contributors to this special issue show how informing archaeological discourse with a semiotic methodology enhances the visibility of social dynamism, cultural complexities, among ancient human groups. This is particularly true for the communities silenced by history. These papers push the ontological and epistemological boundaries of archaeology by envisaging the archaeological record as a set of interconnected signs, whose cognitive potential overcomes the material space they occupy so that they become meaningful to different individuals and communities in diverse ways. Their stance maintains that semiotics holds the largely unexplored potential to enhance our understanding of the complexity of the past, ultimately offering a compelling standpoint to engage with contemporary identity-centred political debates.

The Salapunku archaeological site is located within the Historic Sanctuary – National Archaeological Park of Machu Picchu (HS-NAPM) in the Cusco area of Peru. Although Salapunku is related to the Inca settlements of the HS-NAPM, during archaeological excavations, we distinguished different moments of cultural occupation from the earliest human presence to complex pre-Hispanic societies such as the Inca and finally to the colonial period. Previous research on the site’s chronology was based on typological analyses of pottery and other artifacts found during archaeological research. This radiocarbon analysis, the first of its kind in this area, establishes a chronology of the cultural history of this significant settlement, considered the gateway to the Cordillera of Vilcabamba.

The excavations at Wroxeter conducted by J.P. Bushe-Fox examined a zone of the Roman city very different to the public baths and macellum complex extensively investigated in the later twentieth century. Bushe-Fox’s work in Insula 8 is the best and largest sample of Wroxeter’s residential buildings investigated to date; the focus of this paper is the large number of complete ceramic vessels included in the pits and wells he excavated. Recognition of the act of burying complete vessels, and of that practice as a meaningful tradition in antiquity, has developed over the last 25 years. Revisiting the Bushe-Fox excavations has provided a large body of new evidence for the practising of domestic rituals at Wroxeter.

This article presents the methodological reflections of two anthropological studies in Oaxaca, the Guiengola Archaeological Project and the San Carlos Yautepec Ethnographic Landscape Project. Both projects emphasize not only the involvement of local people, descendant communities, or both in archaeological work as temporary workers or spectators of the research results but more importantly as active participants in development of the archaeological research design. This includes involvement in such processes as the proposal of and reflection on an anthropological study, the formulation of relevant questions, ontological considerations when interpreting the results, and participation in dissemination tasks after these studies are concluded. Involving people from local and descendant communities does not detract from the scientific nature of anthropological work but instead results in much richer data, as the mapping of the archaeological city of Guiengola and the analysis of pre-highway pedestrian mobility patterns in Oaxaca in the past demonstrate.

This article maps how cultural heritage has been securitized in international discourse by analyzing seven key United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and UN Security Council (UNSC) documents (2003–2017). Drawing on the Copenhagen School’s framework and its distinction between identification and mobilization, the study reveals a two-stage process. Initially, heritage destruction was framed as a human rights violation, later escalating into a global security threat linked to terrorism and conflict financing. Through a sectoral and scalar typology of referent objects, the analysis highlights divergent framings by UNESCO (societal, normative) and the UNSC (military, strategic). Despite strong discursive alignment—culminating in UNSC Resolution 2347—the mobilization of extraordinary measures remained limited. The article concludes that heritage securitization is discursively robust but operationally incomplete, shaped by institutional capacities, leadership shifts, and evolving geopolitical contexts. These findings contribute to the broader literature on security politics, norm diffusion, and the symbolic power of heritage in global governance.

Building on two recent contributions to this journal, this paper investigates the possible connections between Hadrian’s tour of the north-western provinces in a.d. 121–23, the expeditio Britannica, the disappearance of the Ninth Legion, the Hadrianic fire of London and the cessation of work at several sites along Hadrian’s Wall. These events are discussed as independent elements, their date ranges each narrowed to what is normally expected. The convergence of evidence invites a fresh examination of the possibility that a major security crisis erupted following the imperial visit of a.d. 122. Potential causes and consequences are briefly explored, including the apparent suppression of this ignominious episode.

The natural variability of atmospheric 14C has been significantly altered by anthropogenic activities linked to technological advancements and energy consumption over the past two and a half centuries. The Suess effect, a consequence of the combustion of old carbon (fossil fuels) since the mid-18th century and the bomb peak from the mid-20th century’s thermonuclear tests, has obscured the natural 14C signal in the atmosphere. This study presents a 14C analysis of leaves, flowers, and grass collected from various locations worldwide. Over the last 10 years, more than 150 samples have been collected and used as materials for experiments conducted by students in physics lab classes (Department of Physics, ETH Zurich) or as part of school projects. Short-lived vegetal fragments are ideal material for teaching radiocarbon dating and demonstrating our research. The collection of data presented here underscores the sensitivity of radiocarbon analysis for detecting fossil carbon components. Trees from urban sites worldwide demonstrate a dilution of the atmospheric 14C concentration of 2–3%. Trees growing close to busy roads and traffic show a dilution of up to 10%. Moreover, the data show a fading trend of the bomb peak observed from 2015 to the present, as well as the direct impact of fossil CO2 on the 14C concentration of the living biota around us.

The aim of this paper is to provide an in-depth study, including both invasive and non-invasive chemical analyses, and lead isotope analysis, of one of the northernmost Early Neolithic copper flat axeheads in Europe, the Öja axehead from west Sweden. In addition, we present an updated catalogue of the early copper axeheads found in Sweden. Our analyses suggest that the copper used to manufacture the Öja axehead originates from eastern Serbian ore sources, confirming previous studies on other Early Neolithic metal finds from southern Scandinavia. Comparing our results with the current understanding of copper production and circulation across the continent during the 5th and 4th millennium BCE, important new questions emerge concerning early copper mining in south-east Europe and the production and consumption of early copper artefacts in Europe and Scandinavia.

This article examines endangered language protection through domestic legislation, questioning reliance on international linguistic human rights frameworks. While international courts frequently decline to enforce language rights independently, national legislation proves more effective in safeguarding linguistic diversity.

Through a comparative case study of Qatar, Lebanon, and Morocco, this research identifies effective domestic approaches to protecting linguistic diversity. Qatar’s Law No. 7 of 2019 balances Arabic promotion with minority protections. Lebanon’s multilingual educational framework and Morocco’s constitutional recognition of Tamazight demonstrate how domestic mechanisms provide substantive linguistic safeguards. These cases reveal that successful preservation requires enforceable domestic legislation rather than theoretical international frameworks lacking implementation mechanisms.

The article exposes critical gaps between idealistic international instruments and enforceable protections, advocating state-centered approaches that treat language as both cultural heritage and living practice. Effective preservation emerges from coordinated national legislation combined with community initiatives within existing human rights frameworks. This shift from international idealism to domestic pragmatism offers viable pathways for protecting global linguistic diversity – particularly urgent given that approximately 3,000 languages face extinction within the coming decades. The study presents implementable alternatives to failed international strategies, demonstrating how context-specific domestic policies achieve meaningful preservation outcomes.

A copper-alloy spear-shaped mount, found during excavations at the extramural settlement at Inveresk Roman fort, represents a rare British example of a beneficiarius lance symbol. Stylistic parallels are found among a corpus of personal ornaments used by soldiers of the beneficiarii and are typically restricted to sites on the German limes. This paper discusses the style and function of this object and what its presence reveals about Inveresk and its role in the administration and control of Roman Scotland.