1,720,966 research outputs found
The pottery of Takarkori rock-shelter (Tadrart Acacus, Libya): an intra-site analysis for the study of occupation and formation processes in Early to Middle Holocene Central Sahara
No full textL'obiettivo del progetto di ricerca è quello di ricostruire i processi formativi e l'uso dello spazio all'interno del riparo di Takarkori (Tadrart Acacus, Libia S-O, Sahara centrale) nelle diverse fasi di occupazione durante l'Olocene iniziale e medio, attraverso l'analisi spaziale e contestuale del repertorio ceramico in associazione con strutture e depositi significativi. L'applicazione di un'analisi multiforme del repertorio ceramico, dagli attributi tecnologici e stilistici agli aspetti tafonomici e contestuali, permetterà l'identificazione dei diversi processi formativi e la caratterizzazione funzionale dell'uso del riparo nelle differenti fasi di occupazione. L'esplicitazione di modelli e ricostruzioni della vita del sito nel più ampio scenario della preistoria del Sahara centrale permetterà inoltre di verificare e confrontare diacronicamente le occupazioni di cacciatori-raccoglitori prima e di pastori Neolitici poi, e di ricostruire sincronicamente dinamiche e aspetti contestuali.The aim of the research project is to reconstruct the formation processes and use of space within the Takarkori shelter (Tadrart Acacus, Libya S-W, Central Sahara) in the different phases of occupation during the Early and Middle Holocene, through the spatial and contextual analysis of the ceramic repertory in association with significant structures and deposits. The application of a multifaced analysis of the pottery repertoire from technological to stylistic attributes to taphonomic and contextual aspects will allow the identification of the different formative processes, and the functional characterisation of the shelter’s use in the different phases of occupation. The explication of models and reconstructions of the life of the site in the broader scenario of the prehistory of the central Sahara will also allow to verify and compare diachronically first hunter-gatherer and then pastoral occupations, and synchronically reconstruct contextual dynamics and aspect
A Holocene ceramic sequence in the Central Sahara: pottery traditions and social dynamics seen from the Takarkori Rockshelter (SW Libya)
No full textThis article presents the Early and Middle Holocene pottery repertoire of the Takarkori
archaeological site, a rockshelter in the Tadrart Acacus massif in southwestern Libya, Central Sahara.
This long sequence, extending from 10,200 to 4300 cal BP, is one of the best preserved Holocene contexts in North Africa, recording much of Holocene cultural evolution and chronologically framed by a large number of radiocarbon dates. The study of the
assemblage resulted in a well-defined seriation of the pottery sequence, supported by statistical and comparative methods. Following an integrated approach, the study identifies continuities and changes in ceramic production that enhance our understanding of the human occupation of Takarkori and its cultural variations. The multi-scalar and multi-dimensional perspectives highlight technological traditions and cultural dynamics and provide new insights into the origin and use of pottery, first among Late Acacus hunter-gatherers and later among Pastoral Neolithic herders and their regional interconnections. This study clarifies the position of the Takarkori ceramic
sequence within the broader regional and interregional contexts from the Early to the Middle Holocene.
By indicating contacts and interrelationships among different areas of the Sahara and neighboring regions, from the massifs of Central Algerian Sahara to the plains of the Eastern Sahara, the study adds new insights into North Africa’s prehistory. It contributes
to an increasingly accurate reconstruction of the Holocene’s chronological and cultural sequences
Networking through pottery characterisation at Takarkori rock shelter (Libyan Sahara, 10,200–4650 cal BP)
No full textRoutine pottery analyses (optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray fluorescence) and digital image processing of polarised light photomicrographs were used to answer questions on the provenance and technology of pottery assemblages belonging to Late Acacus hunter–gatherers (ca. 10,200–8000 cal BP) and Pastoral herders (ca. 8300–4650 cal BP) from Takarkori rock shelter (SW Libya, central Sahara). This integrated analytical approach on potsherds was combined with the characterisation of local clayey sediments to identify different local and proximal sources for coarse and fine sediments exploited for pottery production. Two main fabric groups (i.e. Q* and QF*) were identified among the analysed potsherds, where the sediments from the Takarkori area are compatible with the quartz-dominated fabrics (Q*). The local fabric QVe shows evidence of dung addition. Pottery with plutonic non-plastic inclusions (QF*) points to provenance from the southern edges of the Tassili n’Ajjer and is more frequent in Late Acacus and Early Pastoral layers. New insights into pottery production and circulation between Early Holocene Saharan hunter–gatherers and Pastoral communities, as well as into modes of occupation of Takarkori rock shelter, are provided
Spatial analyses of archaeobotanical record reveal site uses and activities at Early to Middle Holocene Takarkori (Libya, Central Sahara)
Get PDFThis study investigates botanical remains from the Takarkori site in the Tadrart Acacus region (SW Libya) to reconstruct socio-economic and cultural characteristics of human groups during the Holocene. By analyzing micro- and macrofossils of plant origin, we aim to understand the availability and management of environmental resources and how plant taxa were used by humans. The exceptional preservation of archaeobotanical material across all occupation levels, facilitated by the region's geomorphological and environmental conditions, provides a unique opportunity to study pre-Pastoral and Pastoral Neolithic activities within a comprehensive diachronic framework. Our research extends previous investigations by examining the spatial distribution of archaeobotanical remains in association with site furniture and material correlates, offering insights into the functional use of space within the site. Also, the features of plant assemblages and their distribution patterns indicate the planning in the use of plant resources and the diverse uses beyond subsistence, including ritual and cultural practices. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of Holocene environmental and cultural dynamics, highlighting the importance of archaeobotanical data in archaeological research
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Coprolites from rock shelters. Hunter-gatherers “Herding” Barbary sheep in the Early Holocene Sahara
No full textArchaeological deposits in rock shelters have enormous informative potential, particularly in arid environments where organic materials are well preserved. In these areas, sub-fossilized coprolites and dung remains have been identified as valuable proxies for inferences about past environments, subsistence economies and cultural trajectories. Here we present a multidisciplinary analysis of bovid (ovicaprine) coprolites collected from the Early Holocene hunter-gatherer occupation at Takarkori rock shelter (SW Libya, central Sahara). Our results show that Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) were managed as early as ~9500 years calBP, mostly with the rearing of juveniles. Palynological analysis of individual pellets suggests a seasonal confinement of the animals and the selection of fodder. The analysis of coprolite distribution also indicates sophisticated strategies of Barbary sheep “herding” and spatial differentiation of specialized areas within the rock shelter, including the construction and use of a stone-based enclosure for corralling animals. These highly structured and organized forms of control over wild animals are interpreted as a potential co-evolutionary trigger for the subsequent rapid adoption and integration of the incoming pastoral Neolithic economy
Africa, North: Eastern Sahara
No full textThe Eastern Sahara is one of the best-known areas of North Africa when it comes to archaeological and geoarchaeological research. A fair amount is known about the region's past cultural and climatic developments. The present entry features some of the events related to Eastern Sahara's long term occupational history, stretching from early human settlement during the Early and Middle Stone Age to the last human settlement of the Aterian before the long late Pleistocene hiatus. At the beginning of the Holocene the desert transformed into a savannah thanks to the northward penetration of the monsoon. Following the greening of the Sahara, complex pottery producing hunter-gatherers thrived in the area, accompanied during the very beginning of the Middle Holocene by the development of animal husbandry and food producing Neolithic societies
- …
