Search results for "Archaic"

Continuity and discontinuity in the semantics of the Latin preposition per: a cognitive hypothesis

2009

We intend to analyse the semantic network of the preposition ‘per’ (“through”, “across” etc.) in Early Latin and the role of its conceptual structure in the spread from basic/spatial to abstract meanings. Although prepositions in ancient languages have raised a great deal of attention, there is little regarding Latin, and an in-depth semantic analysis of Latin prepositions is still lacking. A cognitive-based investigation of Plautus’ comedies (254-184 BCE) shows that, unlike other Indo-European languages, the spatial value rests on a schema representing ‘motion along a path’ not necessarily involving a bounded Landmark. The spatial meanings are predominant in Archaic Latin; the only abstrac…

Archaeometric characterization of late Archaic ceramic from Erice (Sicily) aimed to provenance determination

2019

A set of 20 ceramic samples was autoptically selected from the numerous findings recovered from the stratigraphic excavations of the late Archaic city walls of Erice (western Sicily), in order to be analyzed with archaeometric techniques for provenance determination. The excavations were recently carried out as part of a research project funded by the Freie Universiat Berlin and the Fritz Thyssen Foundation. Specifically, the ceramic material consists of tableware with a painted geometric decoration of presumed local/regional production, as well as apparently imported black-glazed pottery. Both the categories can be traced back to a chronological period between the second half/last quarter …

The indigenous settlement of Monte Iato (western Sicily): an ethnoarchaeometric approach for outlining local Archaic ceramic productions

2021

AbstractAn ethnoarchaeometric approach has been followed to identify the textural and compositional characteristics of the ceramic pastes produced in ancient Iaitas/Ietas, an indigenous site located in western Sicily on Monte Iato, a few tens of kilometres from Palermo. This approach was primarily motivated by the lack of discovered Archaic kilns or production sites/workshops and the inability to identify reference groups. Raw clays were sampled in the territory of San Cipirello and San Giuseppe Iato (today’s municipalities both sited on the northern slopes of Monte Iato), together with representative historic tiles and bricks locally produced until fairly recently. Grain-size analysis and …

Precise chronology of Polynesian temple construction and use for southeastern Maui, Hawaiian Islands determined by 230Th dating of corals

2015

International audience; Emergent archaic states in pre-contact Hawai'i used a ritual control hierarchy implemented through a system of temples to manage production, extract tribute, and reinforce the legitimacy of the ruling elites. Based on a limited sample of precise 230Th dates from coral offerings on Maui Island temples it had been hypothesized that this temple system rapidly expanded during the period from A.D. 1580–1640. We tested this hypothesis by obtaining an expanded sample of 39 new 230Th coral dates from temples in Kahikinui District, and one sample from the summit of a cinder cone that likely had ritual significance. Combined with seven coral dates previously obtained, this yie…

Compositional reference for the documented Archaic production of indigenous matt-painted pottery at Entella (Western Sicily)

2015

This contribution is focused on a specific class of indigenous Archaic pottery (sixth and fifth century BC) with matt-painted geometric decoration that was recovered in large quantities in the excavations at Entella, an indigenous site located in western Sicily. The site of Entella was strategically considerable in this part of Sicily, controlling the north-south routes running along the river Belice. Kiln structures were attested at Entella that, until today, it is the only Archaic site in the area with an unmistakable evidence of production of fine pottery. The present research is aimed at yielding a complete petrographic and chemical characterization of the table ware produced at Entella…

Gortina. Nuovi dati dagli scavi dell’insediamento di Profitis Ilias

2018

Recent research in the Iron age settlement on the hill of Profitis Ilias (Gortyn) revealed part of a building belonging to the latest phase of the village (VIII-VII cent. B.C.), and perhaps intended to some civic function. Its building process involved the demolition of a part of a thick wall dated in the Protogeometric age, possibly to be identified with the defense wall of the former settlement. The stratigraphy in the building area showed significant evidence for the site occupation after the abandonment of the village.

Ebla before the Achievement of G palace Culture:some preliminary evaluations

2008

Grammaticalization of actional values in Archaic Latin

2008

This paper aims at showing how prefixation does not modify systematically the actional value of Latin verbs. Scholars of historical grammars of Indoeuropean languages and traditional studies about prefixation agree with the idea that in Latin, and in all Indoeuropean languages, preverbation results on actional value of predicates: Delbruck 1897 argued that prefixes perfectivize verbal meaning since they indicate its accomplishment; Meillet and Vendryes 1924 claimed that the prefixe focuses a specific point of the process described by the non prefixed verb; van der Heide 1934 believed that Latin preverbs express the accomplishment of the process denotated by the non prefixed verbs. More rece…

Archaeometric evidence attesting production of indigenous archaic pottery at Monte Polizzo (Western Sicily)

2012

Excavations at the proto-urban indigenous settlement of Monte Polizzo (western Sicily) have not yielded so far any evidence of in-situ ceramic production (i.e. kiln structures). However several archaeological concerns put forward to consider it as a likely production centre of pottery during the Archaic age. In this paper a first attempt to check the compositional correspondence between ceramic fabrics and local clay sources has been made. A comprehensive archaeometric investigation of native pottery, mainly composed of matte-painted table ware dated from the 7th to the 4th century BC, recovered from the Acropolis of Monte Polizzo has allowed the identification of five distinct ‘Paste Compo…

Short-term occupations at high elevation during the Middle Paleolithic at Kalavan 2 (Republic of Armenia).

2021

The Armenian highlands encompasses rugged and environmentally diverse landscapes and is characterized by a mosaic of distinct ecological niches and large temperature gradients. Strong seasonal fluctuations in resource availability along topographic gradients likely prompted Pleistocene hominin groups to adapt by adjusting their mobility strategies. However, the role that elevated landscapes played in hunter-gatherer settlement systems during the Late Pleistocene (Middle Palaeolithic [MP]) remains poorly understood. At 1640 m above sea level, the MP site of Kalavan 2 (Armenia) is ideally positioned for testing hypotheses involving elevation-dependent seasonal mobility and subsistence strateg…