The thesis presents the results of evaluation of archaeological finds from the two settlements in Písek (site "nemocnice") and Topělec. Both settlements are dated to the Late Bronze Age. With respect to the fact that only Late Bronze Age sites of smaller extent have been evaluated and published in South Bohemia so far, the studied settlements offer a more complex view on the composition of ceramic finds in this period and region. Both sites provide ceramic finds analogous to those from Central and Wes Bohemia, however, they do not differ significantly from other South Bohemian sites.

This diploma thesis focuses on studies of chipped stone industry of the Early Bronze Age in Bohemia and deals with questions connected to its occurrence in settlement and burial sites. The first part of this study presents the results of artefact analysis. The anylised complex of artefacts consists of 108 items and originates in following localities: Kolín - ringroad, Pátek near Poděbrady, Polepy near Kolín, Velké Přílepy a Vliněves. The analysis included the typological and morphological characteristics, used material and the links to their position in settlement objects and other finds. The second part of this diploma thesis summarizes present knowledge of prestigious artefacts such as silicite daggers, axes and arrowheads. Furthermore, it investigates the matter of contacts between Central Bohemia and Moravia on the basis of Moravian stone materials distribution. A catalogue of chipped stone industy from Central Bohemia is also included in this diploma thesis.

Les pétroglyphes de l’Âge du Bronze (1500-500 BC) en Suède se situent essentiellement au Bohuslän. Les résultats précédents portaient généralement sur l’identification et l’interprétation des items et des scènes. D’autres éléments comme le regroupement des cupules, la position des bateaux, la pente et l’orientation des dalles ne sont généralement pas traités. Nous avons utilisé un corpus déjà existant, constitué de 300 relevés de sites d’une petite région du Bohuslän englobant trois petites villes Kville, Bottna et Svenneby. Les données sont traitées par des analyses statistiques exploratoires multidimensionnelles. Les résultats apportent tout d’abord des signatures particulières pour chaque site e.g. Bottna présente un caractère marin, Kville est riche en anthropomorphes mais pauvre en bateaux et Svenneby est particulièrement riche en bateaux avec des hommes à leur bord. Ils montrent ensuite la nécessité de distinguer différentes représentations d’un même item. Par exemple la subdivision de l’item « bateaux » en 5 types permet d’établir que Bottna est riche en deux types de bateaux caractéristiques de deux périodes de l’Âge du Bronze, Svenneby particulièrement peu dense est lui riche en bateaux d’une autre époque. De plus, le regroupement des cupules (en matrice, groupe, ligne ou cupules isolées) montre des particularités liées aux sites dont il accentue la différenciation. La notion de « certitude raisonnable » avec la probabilité d’erreur renforce la validité des conclusions. Par ailleurs, une étude numérique sur l’inclinaison des bateaux montre qu’ils sont très généralement en position horizontale et suggère qu’ils ont probablement été gravés tout près du rivage. / Swedish Bronze Age rock carvings (1500-500 BC) are primarily located in Bohuslän. Previous research generally consisted in identifying and interpreting both items and scenes. Other aspects such as cup marks clusters, boats position, slope and panels orientation have been largely ignored. This thesis relies on a pre-existing corpus of 300 panels from a small region of Bohuslän including three small towns Kville, Bottna and Svenneby. Individual items were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis. We first identify specificities for each site, e.g. marine focus in Bottna, numerous anthropomorphic figures in Kville but with few boats, low density of artifacts in Svenneby but many figures onboard boats. We then demonstrate the importance of distinguishing between different forms of given items. For example, when boats are classified into five different types, Bottna appears to be featuring two of these five types, namely the two types attributed to two periods of Bronze Age. Relying on the same classification, Svenneby that generally has a low density of artifacts, is characterized by boats attributed to another period. In addition, the analysis of different cup marks clustering (matrix, group, line or isolated) enables us to identify more precise specificities for site differentiation. We also introduce the concept of “reasonable certainty” to indicate the error risk in conclusions and strengthen the reliability of our results. Furthermore, we report a quantitative study on boat inclination demonstrating that boats were generally carved along the horizontal axis, suggesting that they were carved close to the waterside.

Ce travail de thèse est consacré à l'étude des populations des piémonts ouest du Zagros au Bronze ancien (IIIe millénaire av. J.-C.). Il s'appuie sur des données céramiques inédites issues de missions archéologiques récentes travaillant dans le gouvernorat de Soulaimaniyeh (Kurdistan, Irak) depuis 2011 : Kunara (haute vallée du Tanjaro) dont l'occupation principale date de la fin du IIIe millénaire av. J.-C. et les prospections de la haute vallée du Tanjaro et des régions de Raniah, Peshdar et Bingird. Le IIIe millénaire av. J.-C. est une période complexe composée de plusieurs phases historiques pour lesquelles des assemblages céramiques purent être identifiés. Pour le début du millénaire, l'attestation de céramique Ninive V ou de « Scarlet Ware » dans les corpus de prospection fut déterminante pour localiser les implantations. Pour la fin du millénaire, l'étude du corpus céramique stratifié permit d'établir une typologie locale. Après avoir été comparé aux assemblages céramiques des régions environnantes (Mésopotamie du Nord, Mésopotamie Centrale et Zagros iranien), notre corpus révéla une affinité culturelle plus marquée avec la Mésopotamie Centrale mais également un contact évident avec la Mésopotamie du Nord. La réflexion sur la répartition des populations et l'évolution de l'organisation régionale au cours du millénaire à partir des corpus de prospection permit de développer trois thèmes que sont les particularismes locaux perceptibles dans la tradition potière, les degrés d'intégration de la région étudiée dans les modèles politiques et sociaux de la période et enfin la place des piémonts irakiens du Zagros dans les échanges à longue distance attestés au Bronze ancien. / This thesis concerns the people of the western Zagros foothills during the Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium B.C.). It is based on new data from recent archaeological missions, in the Suleimaniyeh governorate (Kurdistan, Iraq) since 2011: Kunara (upper Tanjaro valley) mainly dated to the end of the 3rd millennium B.C. and the surveys of the upper Tanjaro valley and the areas of Raniah, Peshdar and Bingird. The 3rd millennium B.C. is a complex period divided into different historical phases, for which ceramic assemblages were defined. For the beginning of the millennium, the presence of Ninevite V pottery and Scarlet Ware in the surveys' corpuses was decisive to localise the occupations. For the end of the millennium, a local typology was established from the stratified pottery. This was compared to the assemblages of the surrounding areas (North Mesopotamia, Central Mesopotamia and lranian Zagros). The corpus has revealed an affinity more evident with Central Mesopotamia but also a link with North Mesopotamia. Thoughts on the organisation of occupations and the regional evolution through time according to the survey's corpuses allowed me to develop three themes: the local particularities seen through the pottery tradition, the degrees of integration of the studied area in the political and social models of the period, and the place of the lraqi Zagros' foothills in the long-distance trade of the Earl y Bronze Age.

This study aims to identify human interference and tendencies in the Bronze Age settlement of Malthi, Greece. It has employed a spatial analysis, a Kernel Density Estimate, to locate areas of anthropic interference and evaluate if the initial excavation report, despite its flaws, can be used in newer research. The study was able to identify intense Middle Helladic human presence on some of the areas of the settlement, mainly the ‘central terrace’, prove that Natan Valmin’s excavation report can still be used to gain new knowledge regarding the Bronze Age, and that a thorough investigation of the standing architecture needs to be done. / Syftet med den här studien är att identifiera mänsklig närvaro och tendenser på bronsåldersboplatsen i Malthi, Grekland. En rumslig analys, en Kernel Density Estimation, har använts för att lokalisera områden av mänsklig närvaro och har utvärderat om original utgrävningsrapporten, trots sina brister, kan användas i ny forskning. Studien kunde identifiera intensiv Mellanhelladisk närvaro i några delar av boplatsen, mestadels på ’central terrassen’, och kunde visa att Natan Valmins utgrävningsrapport kan användas för att få ny kunskap om bronsåldern, och att en ingående studie av de stående arkitektoniska elementen måste göras.

Estudou-se a evolução morfológica de precipitados .. em matriz .. Cu-Al, através de tratamentos isotérmicos interrompidos por têmpera, em amostras previamente solubilizadas desde o início da precipitação, até o crescimento competitivo. Caracterizou-se a forma dos precipitados após tratamentos em diversas temperaturas, por microscopia ótica e microscopia eletrônica de varredura, de estruturas atacadas profundamente. A forma dos precipitados após tratamentos prolongados a 700 ºC tende a ser esférica, enquanto nos tratamentos a 600 ºC, tende a ser facetada. Com temperaturas decrescentes de 700 º para 600 ºC a forma passa gradualmente de esférica para facetada. Verificou-se que a distribuição espacial dos precipitados depende da velocidade de aquecimento. Com altas velocidades (tratamento em banho de sal), a distribuição é homogênea; com velocidade de aquecimento lentas (tratamento em forno de mufla) os precipitados apresentam-se alinhados, indicando nucleação heterogênea. O crescimento competitivo foi caracterizado através de medidas das distribuições de tamanhos de precipitados. Esta medida foi realizada utilizando micrografias de secções polidas, com um equipamento semi-automático. As medidas de distribuição de tamanhos das secções de precipitados foram processadas para a obtenção da distribuição de diâmetros reais dos precipitados através de um programa de computador utilizando o algoritmo de Saltykov. ......... / The morphological evoluation of .. precipitates in a . Cu-Al matrix has been studied from the beginning of precipitation until coarsening, using isothermal treatments on previously solubilized samples. The shape of precipitates after treatments at many temperatures was studied using Optical Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy of deep etched samples. The precipitates treated for long periods at 700 ºC approach an spherical shape, while treatments at 600 ºC the precipitates become faceted. The special distribution of the precipitates are determined by the heating rate from room temperature to isothermal treatment temperature. With high heating rates the distribution is homogeneous. With low heating rate the precipitates are arranged in rows, due to heterogeneous nucleation. Coarsening was studies by measuring the distribution of precipitate sizes on microphotographs of polished sections using a semi-automatic device. The mesures of section sizes were processed to obtain the real diameter distribution using a computer program based on Saltykov\'s algoritm. .....

More than sixty years after Michael Ventris’ decipherment of the Linear B script, 14 of its 87 syllabic signs still have no sound-values assigned to them. This group of ‘undeciphered’ signs represent a significant gap in our ability not only to read the Linear B script, but also to understand its development and use. Chapter 1 of this thesis analyses the origins and usage of signs with known sound-values to establish what types of values are in principle most likely to be found amongst the undeciphered signs: this investigation also enables an exploration of the development of Linear B, its relationship with its parent script Linear A, and the motivating factors underlying the creation of new Linear B signs. Chapter 2 consists of studies of each individual undeciphered sign, including a palaeographic analysis of their forms, discussion of their corpus of attestations, and an examination of their prospects of decipherment and possible sound-values in the light of the results of Chapter 1. Finally, Chapter 3 employs this group of signs in a case-study to explore the potential of palaeographic analysis to contribute to our understanding of wider issues concerning the Linear B script and its context of use within the Mycenaean palaces. This case-study focuses in particular on two main uses of palaeography: as a means of assigning a relative chronology to Linear B texts, and as evidence for the reconstruction of the Mycenaean scribes’ administrative work and training.

This thesis examines the character of Middle Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age (3600-1200 BC) funerary and ritual practices in Wales. This was based on the analysis of chronological (radiocarbon determinations and artefactual evidence), contextual (monument types, burial types, deposit types) and osteological (demographic and pyre technology) data from a comprehensive dataset of excavated human bone deposits from funerary and ritual monuments. Funerary rites in the Middle Neolithic (c. 3600-2900 BC) sometimes involved the deposition of single inhumation or cremation burials in inconspicuous pit graves. After a hiatus in the Late Neolithic (c. 2900-2400 BC), formal burials re-appeared in the Chalcolithic (c. 2500-2200 BC) with Beaker burials. However, formal burials remained relatively rare until the Early Bronze Age (c. 2200-1700 BC) when burial mounds, which often contained multiple burials, became the dominant type of funerary monument. Burial rites for this period most commonly involved the cremation of the dead. Whilst adult males were over-represented in inhumations, no age- or gender-based differences were identified in cremation burials. Patterns in grave good associations suggest that perceived age- and-gender-based identities were sometimes expressed through the selection of objects to be placed in the graves. The tradition of cremation burials carried on into the Middle Bonze Age (c. 1700-1200 BC), although formal burials became less common. Circular enclosures (henges, timber circles, stone circles, pit circles), several of which were associated with cremated human bone deposits, represented the most persistent tradition of ritual monuments, with new structures built from the end of the fourth millennium BC to the middle of the second millennium BC in Wales.

The conservation of cultural heritage responds to the necessities of understanding the site’s history, developments and key values. Archaeological heritage comprises tangible and intangible evidence so conservation operates equally on the two main domains, archaeology and architecture, which are inseparable and feed each other. Moreover, urban dimension is essentially included where the cultural heritage presents interesting urban settings linked to the architectural and cultural values. This thesis addresses all these important issues with the aim to identify, preserve and present the cultural values of archaeological sites in Syria, which are exceptionally rich in representing most of the Western ancient civilisations. The thesis focuses on the City of Ugarit, the capital of an important Bronze Age civilisation. The thesis aims to establish a poignant conservation concept on different scales, ranging from micro single architectural unit, the house, to the macro scale of the entire city. The study probes the ways of employing archaeology and architecture to produce conservation principles and architectural approaches for identifying, preserving and presenting the site’s cultural values. These procedures expose tangible and intangible values of the city, facilitate strong engagement of the visitors with the archaeological ruins, and simultaneously protect the original fabric from the visitation flux. The study is built upon understanding Ugarit’s archaeology, architecture and even social aspects, combining them in the analysis of each key area (Royal quarters, Domestic areas and Temples) to form well-founded interpretations and prioritise values. The proposal eventually combines all studied areas in a comprehensive narrative, which feeds the urban proposal for the whole city. In understanding the very rich and complex sites in Ugarit, a combination of in situ surveys, systematic recording, extensive analysis of literature and archaeological reports, and architectural reading of the fabric are carried out. This framework is a coherent base for the architectural intervention choices, which attempt to balance preservation implications and new materiality. Building virtual models of the proposed interventions enables the test of volumes, materiality, choices and the overall architectural experience. These models present the proposed interventions together with the original ruins. Therefore, the models are a great vehicle to transmit the reality of the conservation proposal and enhance its perception.

Abstract 3200 years ago a massive battle took place at the river Tollense in MecklenburgVorpommern, Germany, possibly involving thousands of people. 130 victims have been found so far. Several show signs of former violence. Axes, wooden clubs, knives and a vast number of arrowheads have been found among the human skeletal remains. According to isotope analyses on tooth enamel from human remains at the site, a considerable amount of the victims did not originate from the local area. The isotope analyses divided the victims into two major groups, one local and the other probably originating from Central Europe. In other words, the battlefield of the Tollense were not fought by local farmers and craftsmen. This, together with the extent of the battle, the weapon finds and traumata on the human remains, has led archaeologists to assume that the battle was fought by professional warriors. If this is true, the battlefield of the Tollense would be the first of its kind in the Northern European Bronze Age. Sammanfattning Uppsatsen diskuterar omfattningen och karaktären av slaget vid floden Tollense som utspelade sig för 3200 år sedan i vad som idag är Nordtyskland. Slagfältet har uppmärksammats för att vara den första konflikten med professionella krigare i bronsålderns Nordeuropa. Tidigare forskning om ämnet saknar en konsekvent definition av begreppet professionell krigare. För att avgöra om det var professionella krigare som stred vid Tollense definierar uppsatsen begreppet utifrån teoretiska perspektiv såsom antropologiska klassifikationer av hövdingadömen, krigare och soldater, men också genom att belysa kontaktnätverken och den långväga handel som växte fram under bronsåldern. Omfattningen och karaktären av slaget vid Tollense beskrivs utifrån hur många människor som deltog på slagfältet samt vilka arkeologiska fynd som talar för huruvida de var professionella krigare och inte lokala bönder och hantverkare som drabbade samman. Uppsatsen är en klassisk litteraturstudie. Utgrävningarna vid Tollense pågår i skrivande stund, vilket innebär att det inte finns någon slutpublikation med färdigställda resultat. För att besvara frågeställningarna om antalet deltagare i konflikten samt huruvida de var professionella krigare eller inte, redogör uppsatsen för analyser av de mänskliga kvarlevorna som återfunnits vid Tollense och vapnen som användes på slagfältet. Avslutningsvis ger uppsatsen en personlig tolkning av vad fyndmaterialet säger om hur många människor som var involverade i konflikten och vad som talar för att de var professionella krigare. Diskussionen lyfter fram hövdingadömen som centraliserade och hierarkiska samhällsstrukturer och hur detta möjliggör organiserad krigföring.