Progress in Nucleic Acid Research and Molecular Biology

The article consists of a study of locally produced vessels discovered during the excavation of the coastal tower of L?Osari (Belgod?re, Haute-Corse) in 2015, under the direction of L. Vidal (Inrap). This monument, dedicated to maritime surveillance in the face of the constant threat of Ottoman piracy at the time, is located on a rocky coast in northern Corsica and belongs to a network of buildings (around a hundred) of the same type built along the coast of the whole island between 1530 and 1700. Excavations have brought to light numerous remains attesting to the daily life of the guards (torregiani) occupying the tower. The dishes are largely made up of imported pottery from various workshops, mostly Italian, and some locally produced. The latter is characterised by its manufacturing features: it is non-wheeled and degreased with asbestos. In this sense, it is part of a tradition dating back to the late Middle Ages or even older. The study concerns this category of vessels. It first focuses on the chaine op?ratoire and uses the results of experimental approaches to clarify certain aspects. It was, thus, possible to determine that the vases were produced from the bottom, using a method involving the superimposition of clay strips, previously flattened with a roller. A particular technical point exists in the way in which the typical basket handle was hung. The use of asbestos, a resource present nearby, as a degreasing raw material, is explained by an improvement in the mechanical and thermal solidity of the vases. This was a Corsican tradition already observed during the Iron Age and which experienced a revival between the end of the Middle Ages and the 20th century. We then present a morphometric assessment based on the opening, the bottoms, the walls and the handles, intended to provide a reference for comparison of ceramic sequences discovered in the future. This is followed by a typological analysis of the shape repertoires and a study of their relative distribution. The most frequent vases are cooking pots (pignule) with a basket handle, a form that appeared on the island two centuries earlier. Low forms (testi and tiani) are also very common. The study also reveals certain functional aspects of this coarse looking production, complementary to the use of imported pottery. This point is underlined by the absence of locally produced tableware, which can be explained by the greater importation of this category of small containers. The identification (or not) of traces of use has also shown that the use of cooking pots with handles on racks is not a certainty, in spite of historiographical considerations to this effect. The contextualisation highlights the interest of the sequence, which can be considered a reference set for the period between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century in northern Corsica. In conclusion, hypotheses are put forward on the ways in which the occupants of the tower were supplied with locally produced vases and on the culinary functioning in force in these buildings, which are characteristic of the modern period in Corsica.

Similarities between the forms of log cabins in the Carpathians and the Dinarides are evident. There is also an obvious likeness between the natural environment in the Dinarides and the Carpathians. This raises the logical question of why the builders in these two places built houses identical in form and whether the natural environment had any influence on this. Scientists have determined that humans inherit a genetic attraction towards their natural surroundings and that they react positively to it, even if they have never experienced living there. The constant contact humans had with nature and naturally occurring shapes and forms led them to develop aesthetic preferences towards this kind of imagery and build architectural spaces they could associate with them. The Dinaric and Carpathian log cabins are a clear example of how the environment influenced the aesthetic preferences of vernacular builders, creating a need to design naturally evocative spaces inspired by the imagery they perceived in their natural habitat. It is very telling that the vernacular builders, who could have built their log cabins in a number of different ways without coming into conflict with objective factors of their surroundings, still independently chose an identical design. The desire of builders in the Carpathians and the Dinarides to build forms that matched their natural environment is evident, which, according to evolutionary psychology, is a consequence of evolutionary development and the need to ensure survival. Builders in the Carpathians and the Dinarides used more complicated and demanding constructive elements in order to get a more natural form of the building. When they create, humans can only use the forms they are familiar with and which they have developed aesthetic preferences for, and this includes any naturally occurring shapes, such as vegetation and terrain configuration. The similarities between the Dinaric and Carpathian log cabins are a result of the vernacular builders using locally sourced natural materials and taking into account factors such as climate, vegetation and terrain configuration, which they had developed similar aesthetic preferences for. The natural environment, as a factor of aesthetic preferences of vernacular builders, conditioned the architectural form of the Carpathian and Dinaric log cabins.

In the wooded landscapes on the last northern slopes of the mountain Cer, a very well-preserved palisade ditch enclosure of small dimensions and a regular circular shape was discovered (site of Sancina, Desic village). Over the last few years, archaeological excavations at this site have focused on the inner space, bordered by a massive ring-shaped earthen rampart. An unusually wide and deep ditch surrounds a high earthen embankment of flattened conical shape, bordered on the inside by a palisade ditch, with traces of densely packed and deeply buried wooden posts. The excavations so far have not revealed any interruption in the circular palisade ditch, which could confirm the existence of an entrance, i.e., a passage, clearly bordered by an earthen rampart. In the central part of the circular fortification a deep shaft/well was discovered, which has been explored to the level of underground water. Apart from traces of smaller hearths on the inside of the palisade ditch and several deeply buried conical pits, with traces of charred, vertically placed posts, there are no other architectural remains inside the circular fortification. Traces of a catastrophic fire have been discovered inside the entire fortification and are especially visible above the palisade ditch. According to numerous sherds of secondarily burned ceramic vessels, the circular enclosure in Desic belongs to the post-Vinca culture of the Early Copper Age. According to the shape and basic elements of architecture, we assume that the earthen fortification in Desic belongs to a special form of smaller prehistoric enclosures, characteristic of circular palisade fortifications in the area of the Upper Tisza region, in the north-eastern parts of the Great Hungarian Plain.

The paper brings the results of archaeological excavations of Mound 28 at the Paulje necropolis, conducted in the autumn of 2019, along with the excavations of two adjacent mounds. All of the aforementioned mounds were partially damaged and eroded through decades of ploughing. Consequently, remains of a Late Bronze Age burial were recorded solely in Mound 28. According to the grave inventory comprised of bronze jewellery and analogies from concurrent necropolises, it is assumed that the burial belongs to a female individual (?). Besides the extraordinary examples of bronze jewellery, such as pins, an arm ring, bracelets, crescent-shaped pendants, torques, and remains of amber jewellery, the organic substructure below the fully cast arm ring has been successfully dated. According to the absolute dating, the jewellery is attributed to the 14th century BC, and the inventory of the grave completely corresponds to the previously dated features from the Paulje necropolis. Therefore, certain forms of bronze jewellery were provided with a more precise chronological position based on the absolute dates. The burial is attributed to the Brezjak culture.

The archaeological rescue excavation near Pecica resulted in the unearthing of nine graves with scant grave goods, which, on the basis of the aspects of the funerary ritual and 14C analyses, could be dated to the period between the second part of the 6th century and first part of the 7th century. Taking into account the fact that these graves were dispersed over a very large territory (cca 1.8 ha), at a distance of dozens of meters from one another, without an organised character of a funerary location (like other cemeteries), with a heterogeneity of orientations, we suppose that these individuals were not related biologically, and they did not form a community, but that they were buried by different mobile communities at different times (pastoral nomadism). At the same time, based on the 14C analysis, it became very clear that some of them, like the individual from the grave Feature 448 was part of the group of those ?Avars? who conquered the regions of the Carpathian Basin before the year 568. From this point of view, we believe that we would not be too mistaken if we advanced the hypothesis that a certain nomadic life was maintained from the second half of the 6th century to the middle of the 7th century, adapted to the geomorphological realities of the Carpathian Basin, at least in a part of the community, in the frame of so-called mid-range nomadism.

The technology of brickmaking was introduced to the area of Viminacium by the Romans. The development and growth of the urban settlement in the 1st-4th century necessitated the need for huge quantities of construction materials. Large-scale production of ceramic building materials, which are often abbreviated to CBM, is attested both by the numerous finds of the material itself, as well as traces of the manufacturing process. More than 15 kilns and several structures used in the process were discovered in the vicinity of Viminacium. Still, the subject of Viminacium CBM production has only been modestly studied. Thus, the aim of this paper is to analyse this production, namely the characteristics and organisation of its processes, based on the results of archaeological excavations and previously published research. To achieve this goal, we focused on the layout of the particular manufacturing sites, and the production process organisation, together with the necessary review of the characteristics of the found kilns and other structures used in the production process.

As part of a comprehensive archaeological survey of the area around the site of Glac in the north-west of Serbia, a detailed examination has been undertaken of the pattern of the Roman roads, including the location of a vicinal road that led from the eastern periphery of ancient Sirmium along the Sava river to the Great Canal of the emperor Probus, the present-day Jarcina channel. The context of vicinal roads in the general pattern of Roman roads together with the implications of the road construction and usage throughout the Roman period including changes in the settlements pattern along its route are explored.

Following more than seven decades of research on the Bronze Age cremation burial grounds in the territory of Serbia, the new absolute dates provide us with an opportunity to determine a more precise chronological sequence of different local cultural manifestations. Although the pioneers of the Serbian archaeology after WWII defined the main cultural trajectories that led to the establishment of cremation as the main burial rite during the 2nd millennium BC, several misconceptions were established that need to be corrected, considering new data. We regard this paper as our contribution to the better understanding of the cultural and chronological sequence in the Central Balkans during the Bronze Age.

Although the artefacts belonging to the so-called Danubian Horsemen cult have been scientifically examined from various standpoints, the definitive answers to the question of their nature have not yet been reached. One of the key reasons that can be distinguished with regard to this is the lack of insight into the archaeological context since, in comparison to the total number of these artefacts, a small percentage of the samples have been found during archaeological excavations. As the more recent corpora of lead icons points to the conclusion that a significant number originates from the area of the province of Pannonia Inferior, especially its south-eastern part (today`s Srem, Macva and Posavina), in this paper we have tried to establish at least the widest context they belonged to. Thus, based on the place where they were found, and considering the basic features of the site where it was possible, we investigated whether they belonged to a settlement, necropolis or military setting. Consequently, we concluded that the civil context was dominant in this geographic area in the case of the finds of the so-called Danubian Horseman cult, while we also determined which type of icons were the most prevalent. As the concentration of the lead plaques in this area surpasses the other Danubian provinces, we recognise new possibilities for the interpretation of their function as well as the dating of particular series.

The paper presents and analyses the only known Early Byzantine marble life-size statue of a secular woman in the Byzantine empire, which was discovered in the Nis Fortress in 1931. She is dressed in an unpretentious but dignified stola with a wide belt under her breasts, necklace around her neck and cloak on her back, status symbols by which prominent persons were recognisable throughout the Middle Ages. Being aware of the fact that it is not possible to be certain of her identity, we have enough reasons to suggest that this is a statue of an unknown imperial woman (the empress or a woman from the imperial environment) who, like emperors, was presented with the cloak. As such, it was a common part of the city forum of Naisos, as well as a worthy successor to the composition of Tetrarchs and the statue of Constantine the Great. Stylistic analysis indicates the still living ancient heritage united with Christian concepts of the dress design and its resemblance to the dresses of women from the Empress Theodora?s entourage date it back to the 6th century and Justinian?s epoch.

In the border zone between the Roman provinces of Upper Moesia and Thrace a sanctuary dedicated to Zeus and Hera, defined by the toponymic epithet Souidept?noi, was discovered on the Belava mountain, near Turres (today?s Pirot). The sanctuary presumably encompassed a temenos, an altar and two smaller temples, oriented east-west, with the entrance on the eastern side. Unfortunately, illegal excavations were conducted on the area of the sanctuary by thieves, who stole the small reliefs offered to the deities venerated in the sanctuary, of which the authors of this paper could obtain the data of 31 fragmented votive plates, most of them inscribed. A variety of iconographic schemas, especially the standing divine couple or Zeus and Hera in quadriga, as well as the combination of three onomastics stocks (Thracian, Greek and Latin) illustrate the diversity of traditions and the cultural interferences at work during imperial times. It can be presumed that the sanctuary dedicated to Zeus and Hera Souidept?noi existed from the 2nd to the end of the 3rd or the beginning of the 4th century.

The aim of this paper is to discuss some aspects concerning the ?Tekija-Bare hoards horizon?: their ?Dacian? origin, their significance, and the manner in which this phenomenon emerged after the practice of burying assemblages of silver body ornaments had ceased to the north of the Danube one or two generations earlier. The so-called Tekija-Bare group of hoards originates from the northern Danubian hoards containing silver body ornaments. This is demonstrated by the typology of some silver costume accessories and the tradition of burying them together with silver coins and metal or ceramic vessels. The appearance of these hoards south along the Danube in the second half of the 1st century AD was the result of the revival of some northern Danubian ritual practices. This revival can be ascribed to the ?Getae? who were moved to the south of the river by Aelius Catus at the beginning of the 1st century AD and were later known as Moesi, according to Strabo (VII.3.10). The displacement of a large number of people, including entire communities, resulted in the transfer of a number of ritual practices and beliefs from one territory to another. However, these were transformed and adapted according to the new social conditions from Roman Moesia.

Fibulae with a knob on a backward-bent foot, of which different variants of the Picugi type are probably best known, evolved in the eastern Adriatic and its hinterland, and the wider south-eastern Alps during the last two centuries BC. A similar but distinct type of fibula named the Rakitno type has been identified based on its morphological characteristics and distribution. Fibulae of this type have mainly been recorded at sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in the Sava valley and eastern Slavonia. Similarities in the way they are decorated, with a series of knobs on the backward-bent foot, link fibulae of the Rakitno type with other contemporary forms recorded in the south-eastern part of the Carpathian Basin (fibulae of the Jarak type) and the south-eastern Alps (fibulae of the Mihovo type), indicating that designs were exchanged and then adapted to different communities in local workshops. On the other hand, finds of fibulae of the Rakitno type at sites in eastern Slavonia attest to contacts with communities settled in the western Balkans. Despite the absence of finds from closed associations, documented comparisons allow for fibulae of the Rakitno type to be dated to the latter half of the 2nd and the early 1st centuries BC, with the assumption that this design was typical of female costume.

The several decades long rescue excavations of the ancient city of Viminacium have brought to light a large number of finds with very varied functions. In this paper, we will focus our attention on the remains of agricultural tools. They can be grouped according to their application: tools for clearing plants and preparing the soil for cultivation, tools used for tillage, implements for shredding and preparation for planting, as well as those used for mowing, harvesting, soil cleaning, and haymaking. The finds of agricultural tools that we present in this paper, although small in number, represent the most reliable indicators of agricultural activities in the period from the 2nd to the beginning of the 4th century, when Viminacium went through its period of greatest prosperity.

As part of a comprehensive archaeological survey of the area around the site of Glac, near ancient Sirmium, a detailed examination has been undertaken of the location of the via militaris from Sirmium to Bassianae in light of previous studies and new field surveys. In locating the road, the questions of the findspot of two Roman milestones, the location of the eastern gate of the city of Sirmium, the nature of road way stations including mutationes, and the likely location of the way station at Fossae mentioned in the Bordeaux Itinerary and Ravenna Cosmology have been considered. The implications of the road construction on the patterns of rural settlement and economy in the Glac Study Area are highlighted.