Climate Change vs Cultural Heritage: An Adaptation Strategy for the Archaeological Site of Ancient Messene

This article examines the effects of climate change on archaeological sites, using as a case study the archaeological site of Ancient Messene in Greece, and proposes an integrated adaptation strategy. In order to determine the site’s most significant risks, a climate data analysis was conducted, taking into account three different climate emission scenarios (Representative Concentration Pathways) and two future periods (2031-2060, 2071-2100). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) vulnerability assessment methodology was adopted to assess the vulnerability of the archaeological site to the effects of climate change. This is the first time such a methodology has been followed in Greece. The analysis revealed that the site’s critical hazards are fire, desertification, and flooding. The geographical location of the site in an intensely dry microclimate and the lack of safe and functional electromechanical and road infrastructure increase its vulnerability. The materials of the monuments are indirectly and directly impacted by climate change, whereas the vegetation is negatively impacted by the frequency of extreme events, especially wildfires. Based on the analysis results, a five-axis adaptation strategy was developed.

Micromorphological Features of Paleo-Stagnic-Anthrosols at Archaeological Site of Sanxingdui,China

The archaeological site of the Sanxingdui may date back as far as 5,000 years ago. The typical profiles of Palaeo-Stagnic-Anthrosols near the ancient site were selected, which aimed to identify diagnostic horizons employing methodology of soil taxonomic classification and to reveal the micromorphological properties of the paleosols. Under long-term anthropogenic mellowing, the discernible differentiation between anthrostagnic epipedon and its subhorizons as well as hydragric horizon and its subhorizons occurred in Paleo-Stagnie-Anthrosols at the archaeological site of the Sanxingdui. The mieromorphological properties diversified among each specific diagnostic subhorizon, e.g., the developed microstructure in cultivated subhorizon within anthrostagnic epipedon, closely arranged particles and considerable micropores beneficial to both of water conservation and filtration in plow subhorizon within anthrostagnic epipedon, and automorphic optical-orientation clays and calcareous corrosion in hydragric horizons. The findings above of micromorphological features related with diagnostic horizons are significant for soil taxonomic classification.

Spatial Distribution of Archaeological Sites in Lakeshore of Chaohu Lake in China Based on GIS

There are about 19 Neolithic Age sites and 120 Shang-Zhou dynasties sites in the western lakeshore of Chaohu Lake,Anhui Province,China.Based on sites data,topographic data,drainage maps,administrative maps and SPOT5 remote sensing data,spatial analysis methods were introduced into the archaeology of Chaohu Lake Basin with Geographic Information System(GIS).The spatial analysis methods include:1) Point Density Analysis with density model to acquire the shift of the sites;2) Distance Analysis to reveal the spatial structure of the sites;3) 3D Analysis based on Digital Elevation Model to get micro-geomorphologic features of the sites;and 4) Buffer Analysis to discover the relationship between the sites and rivers.The results indicate that the archaeological sites spread from the western lakeshore of Chaohu Lake gradually to the northwest,later to the south,and then symmetrically spread.Controlled by productive forces and other factors,ancient people preferred to reside in those places near water,or in plain and fertile land,which resulted in linear and decentralized distribution of the sites,and presented such disciplines as river valley directivity,terrace directivity and soil directivity.This paper indicates that the distribution of archaeological sites was influenced earlier by natural elements and later by human elements in the study period.The research is important for the integration of GIS and archaeology.

A new inorganic-organic hybrid material as consolidation material for Jinsha archaeological site of Chengdu

An organic-inorganic epoxy-silica-acrylate(ESA) hybrid material was used for the consolidation of Jinsha archaeological site of Chengdu in China.The hybrid materials have multiple functional groups,such as anhydride,epoxy,hydroxyl and carboxyl,which can form networks at room temperature and result in an enhanced chemical and water resistance of the consolidated soil.With increasing of TEOS content,the hybrid materials keep colorless with only some reduction of transparency,while the hybrid materials obviously turn from moderate yellowish to brown yellow with the increase of the epoxy resin(EOR) content after 120 min UV irradiation.SEM observation indicates that the hybrid soil consolidation materials can effectively penetrate into the soil substrate,fill up most of the pores,decrease the area porosity and consolidate the Jinsha archaeological soil.The consolidation performances are in the sequence:ESA > K2SiO4(PS) > tetraethyl orthosilicate(TEOS).

Living （on） Archaeological Sites in Turkey： Engagement of Local Communities into Decision Making Process

Archeological sites have been considered as ＂dead＂ sites consisted from building remain buried into ground in modern heritage management doctrines for a long period. Thus their conservation policies are mainly shaped according to this Western perspective. After the spread of international doctrines in conservation of cultural heritage to other parts of the world, it was realized that some archaeological sites were more than group building remains. They were pilgrim sites for the local communities continuously for centuries onwards. Even in some cases, they have traditional management systems to take care for the site. This has raised the awareness about the gaps in modern heritage conservation approaches. International organizations have mentioned about the involvement of local groups in heritage management systems considering their traditional and cultural association with the cultural site. This has provided shifting of conservation approaches from conventional approaches towards living heritage approach in such delicate cultural heritage sites. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the historic generation of policies towards local communities living on archaeological sites in Turkey comparing the policies between living （on） archaeological sites and living archaeological sites approach.

History of Most Significant Buddhist Archaeological Sites in Gandhara(Pakistan)Discovered During the 20th Century

Gandhara is an ancient name of the region which presently comprises on the surrounding area of Peshawar Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.The spread of Buddhism in ancient times followed the path of the Silk Road and one of the main routes of the Great Silk Route passed through the Karakorum linking Kashgar with Kashmir and Gandhara.About 1,000 years,countless people travelled along this Silk Route.Their evidences are depicted on the rocky cliffs on the way sides and on rough boulders,strewn in the upper valley of the Indus River and its tributaries.The region of Gandhara,due to its prime position,therefore served as a gateway to Silk Route giving access to Central Asia and to the countries of East and West.While Magadha was known as the first holy land of Buddhism,whereas Gandhara served as second holy land of Buddhism,which was a centre of Buddhist religious practices.The Buddhist sanctuaries generally have statutes of the Buddha or Bodhisattvas to shrine.A large number of antiquities which were discovered during the 20th century by the course of excavations from the different archaeological sites in Gandhara are now pride procession of Museums both at home and abroad.This paper presents an investigation about the history and sterling discovery of the some outstanding and remarkable archaeological sites in Gandhara region(Pakistan)during the 20th century carried out mainly by Archaeological Survey of India(ASI),which was established in 1860 by the British Government in India.

Archaeological sites distribution and its physical environmental settings between ca 260-2.2 ka BP in Guizhou, Southwest China

This study presents an analysis of the spatial-temporal distribution of 230 ar- chaeological sites in Guizhou Province, Southwest China for three selected time periods from the Paleolithic Age to the Shang-Zhou Dynasties. The relationship between archaeological sites distribution and environmental changes is also discussed based on paleo-environmental proxies of 6480 and δ3C recorded in stalagmites from Southwest China. The results show that： in the Paleolithic Age （260-10 ka BP）, archaeological sites were concentrated in the central, northwestern and southwestern parts of Guizhou, where the high-altitudinal karst landforms with many natural caves suitable for human habitation are developed. In the Neo- lithic Age （10-3.6 ka BP）, most of human settlements were concentrated in the central, northwestern and southwestern parts, while, a fewer sites were found on river terraces in the southern and eastern parts, and the intermontane basins in the central and western Guizhou. During the Shang-Zhou Dynasties （3.6-2.2 ka BP）, the sites were mainly distributed in the intermontane basins and on river terraces, which were suitable for primitive aerial farming. The analysis of paleo-environmental proxies of 6180 and δ3C since 260 ka BP suggested that climate fluctuations had little imPact on human settlements in this study area. The distinct physical environment, especially the spatial patterns of karst landforms and arable land played an important role in the archaeological sites distribution of Guizhou.

Geographic distribution of archaeological sites and their response to climate and environmental change between 10.0–2.8 ka BP in the Poyang Lake Basin, China

The temporal-spatial geographic distribution of archaeological sites and its feature between 10.0-2.8 ka BP （ka BP= thousands of years before 0 BP, where ＂0 BP＂ is defined as the year AD 1950） were determined, based on GIS spatial analysis in the Poyang Lake Basin. The relationship between geographic distribution of sites of different periods under subsis- tence existence of ancient civilizations, climate and environmental change was investigated. The results revealed numerous archaeological sites of the Neolithic Age （10.0-3.6 ka BP）. The sites were mainly located in the northern part of the Poyang Lake Basin, a hilly and mountainous area with many river terraces suitable for the development of human civilization. The number of archaeological sites rapidly increased during the Shang and Zhou dynasties （3.6-2.8 ka BP） and spread widely on the floodplains of the middle and lower reaches of Ganjiang River and onto the west, south, and southeast beach areas of the Poyang Lake. Holocene records of climate change suggested that it was possible that climate fluctuations had a great impact on human evolution in the study area. Before 3.6 ka BP, westward and northward expansion of Neolithic cultures in the Poyang Lake watershed occurred under the background of climate amelioration （becoming warmer and wetter）. The ancient people lived in the hilly areas with high elevation. The simple mode of a fishing and gathering economy was mostly suited to this area in the early Neolithic Age. The scope of human activities was expanded and cultural diversity developed in the late Neolithic Age. However, with population growth and increasing survival pressure in a dry-cold climatic stage after 3.6 ka BP, this sim-pie living mode had to be abandoned, and various forms of economy, the majority being ag- riculture, were developed on flood plains of the lower reaches of numerous rivers around Poyang Lake. This promoted flourishing of the Bronze culture of South China.

Paleofire Indicated by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil of Jinluojia Archaeological Site,Hubei,China

Combustion-derived and land-plant-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） have been investigated by using the GC-MS analysis in an ancient soil profile from Jinluojia （金罗家） archaeological site at Macheng （麻城）,Hubei （湖北） Province,Central China.Retene,cadalene and simonellite were proposed to be derived from contemporary land plants.The pyrolytic PAHs identified include fluoranthene,pyrene,benzofluoranthenes,benzo[e]pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene.The distribution of these pyrolytic PAHs varies with depth,displaying a pattern different from the land-plant-derived compounds.On the basis of the parameter diagnostic of sources and the distribution patterns,these pyrolytic PAHs were demonstrated to be of combustion origin,rather than petrogenic origins,combustion of petroleum products and coal,or a post-depositional process such as pedogenesis or leaching.These combustion-induced PAHs were believed to result from both natural processes and anthropogenic activities.Two episodes of the elevated content of pyrolytic PAHs and charcoal fragments were identified in Ming-Qing （明清） Dynasty and late Xizhou （西周） to early Dongzhou （东周） Dynasty,inferring the occurrence of two enhanced paleofires.The two enhanced paleofire episodes were found in association with the two cold and dry paleoclimate and two episodes of enhanced abundance of charcoal fragments,inferring a dominance of the natural processes triggering the enhanced paleofire.The two periods of paleofire were also characterized by the frequent and enhanced anthropogenic activities such as war fights,likely suggesting the occurrence of anthropogenic contributions.

Plant Remains from an Archaeological Site as Indicators of Vegetation and Agricultural Practice Between(3 320±400) and(2 080±80) yr BP in Gangetic West Bengal,India

Diverse plant remains recovered from an archaeological site of Chslcollthlc-Early Historic age in the Bhalrabdanga area of Pakhanna （latitude 23°25′N, longitude 87°23′E）, situated on the west bank of the Damodar river, Bankura district, West Bengal, India, include food grains, wood charcoals, and palynomorphs. Radiocarbon dating of the recovered biological remains reveal the age of the site as （3 320 ± 400） to （2 080± 80） yr BP. The food grains were Identified as Oryza sativa L. and Vigna mungo L, and seeds of Brassica cf. campestris L. were also found; these indicate the agricultural practice and food habits of the ancient people living at Pakhanna from the Chalcolithlc to the Early Historic period. Sediments Including plant remains have been broadly divided into two zones, considering archaeological findings and radiocarbon dating. Analysis of the plant remains （I.e, wood charcoals and palynomorphs） in addition to cultivated food grains has revealed that a rich vegetation cover existed in this area, with a prevailing tropical and humid climate, comprising the timber-yielding plants Shores sp., Terminalia sp., and Tamarindus sp., with undergrowths of diverse shrubs and herbs during the Chalcolithic period （zone I） dated （3 320 ± 400） yr BP. Comparatively poorer representation and frequency of plant remains Indicate a drier climate during the Early Historic period （zone Ⅱ） dated as （2 110 ± 340） to （2 080 ± 80） yr BP. Comparisons of the archaeobotanical data recovered from the Chalcollthic and Early Historic period and also a principle components analysis Indicate a change In the climate of the area from tropical and humid at （3 320 ± 400） yr BP to tropical and drier conditions at （2 110 ± 340） to （2 080 ± 80） yr BP. The present-day tropical, dry deciduous vegetation of the area suggests that climate change has occurred in the area since the contemporaneous past. The plant remains database has been utilized to reconstruct the settlement pattern of the community living in the site between （3 320 ± 400） and （2 080 ± 80） yr BP. The community settled near the riverbank, practicing cultivation.

Climate Change Adaptation and Historic Settlements: Evidence from the Old Town of Corfu

The Old Town of Corfu is an excellent example of a historic town and a World Heritage Site, distinguished by its authentic and unique character, as reflected in its Venetian-era fortifications and extensive historic building stock. Simultaneously, the Old Town of Corfu is also a vibrant modern city vulnerable to various pressures, including climate change. This paper aims to evaluate the effects of climate change on this modern city monument, assess its vulnerability using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s methodology, and develop a comprehensive set of adaptation proposals. The methodology of this paper is based on the analysis of climate data for the Old Town of Corfu, from which the assessment of the extreme weather events and climate changes that pose the greatest threat to the Old Town and the assessment of its vulnerability to these threats are derived. The dense geometrical characteristics of the city’s structure, the intense pathology observed in the materials and structures of the historic building stock, problems in the existing electromechanical infrastructure, and the poor management of issues such as increased tourism and heavy traffic congestion are the primary factors that make the Old Town of Corfu vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Study of Preservation Status and Dietary Reconstruction in the Human Remains Recovered from Roopkund Lake through Chemical Analysis of Faunal Remains

Present study is carried out in the bone samples collected from Roopkund Lake in district Chamoli Garhwal, Uttarakhand which is located at 5,029 meters from main sea level in between Nanda Ghunghti and Trishuli peak. This historical site belongs to 9th century A.D. All the samples selected for the study were dried in room temperature as well as hot air oven at 32 ~C. Cleaning, pretreatment and digestion process of faunal remains was followed through established scientific methods. Chemical analysis i.e. concentration of different elements such as calcium, strontium, barium, magnesium and zinc as well as isotopic ratios of Carbon and Nitrogen was estimated with the help of ICP （inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy） and AAS （atomic absorption spectrophotometer）. The results obtained from the chemical analysis are significant. On the basis of concentration of different elements and ratios of Nitrogen and Carbon isotopes, the dietary habits of the peoples buried in the Roopkund Lake are identified, which is different from sample to sample person to person. Besides this, the results are also significantly helpful for knowing the preservation status of faunal remains in Roopkund Lake. Finally this study also indicated the potentiality of chemical analysis for reconstructing the palaeodiet behaviour and preservation status of bone remains.

China ABC

China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd.(CHEC) was established in 1980 and became a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company Ltd.(CCCC) in 2005. Recently, the CCCC was ranked No.165 in the Fortune Global 500 List and No.4 in the Top Global Contractors by Engineering News Record (ENR). Being a major operation arm of CCCC internationally,