Around the late third millennium BC small cup-shaped vessels began to appear in burial contexts across the North of England where they were found to be associated with Early Bronze Age funerary practices. Known by the name of incense cups, accessory vessels or miniature cups, their true purpose has been elusive. This study comprises an investigation of cups from Northern England and finds the tradition to be heavily influenced by Beaker culture practices resulting in the earliest cups emulating some attributes of Beaker ceramics. The Northern English Cup assemblage defies the current perception that all Cups are perforated as 63% are not; fabrics are found to be locally sourced and not imported and a review of the typology finds a strong regional adherence to the Food Vessel and Collared Urn tradition. Association in the grave with larger Urns is not as common as once believed and Cups have been found as the solitary ceramic indicating that they were important in their own right. Firing damage such as spalling has been interpreted as use of the funeral pyre for firing vessels prior to deposition with cremated remains and it is suggested that this is a recognisable signature of the cup tradition and therefore the name ‘funerary Cup’ is more appropriate. An active cross country trade network can be inferred from distributions of metalwork, precious materials and an affinity in some cases to Irish cups. / Prehistoric Society, Yorkshire Ladies Council for Education and the Andy Jagger Fund / The full text will be available at the end of the embargo period: 23rd Oct 2025

Kalavasos-Ayios Dhimitrios (K-AD; Figure 1) is a Late Bronze Age (LBA) settlement on Cyprus. It is notable for having among the earliest examples of urbanism and monumental architecture on the island along side the sites of, for example, Kition, Alassa, Enkomi, and Maroni (Philokyprou 2011; Fisher et al. in press). The LBA on Cyprus marked the beginning of urban society, economy and architecture in Cyprus (Fisher et al. in press). This study explores the social processes associated with the transition to urbanism represented by the entangled relationship between the architectural creation of social spaces and the use of these spaces as platforms for the creation and negotiation of power and influence (Fisher 2009a, 2009b; Fisher et al. in press). Specifically this study will concentrate on the construction of plaster surfaces, the immobile architecture of these social spaces, as indexes of the social development at K-AD during the LBA. Analysis of pyrogenic lime and gypsum plasters was carried out using high-resolution microscopic methods based on the integration of petrography and soil micromorphology. These techniques are employed to optically examine in-situ and oriented plaster samples in laboratory thin section. Laboratory Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis was applied to loose sediments to obtain spectroscopic data when necessary. Following the findings that lime plaster recipe variation is the result of human choice (Kingery et al. 1988; Love 2011, 2013a) the results of this analysis shows that the LBA architects at K-AD produced different recipes for different utilitarian uses and also that the construction of elite spaces demanded complex recipes that extend beyond utilitarian requirements, which can be classified as more “expensive,” resource-draining procedures (Kingery et al. 1988; Love 2011). Plaster is used at K-AD for both functional purposes and as an active component in societal creation and transformation. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / Craft specialization is a core feature of urban life but the process of specialization is not perfectly understood. This thesis seeks to explore the use of lime plaster for constructing surfaces at the Late Bronze Age (LBA) site of Kalavasos-Ayios Dhimitrios (K-AD) on the island of Cyprus. Previous research has revealed a central, monumental complex, among the first of its kind on the island, surrounded by an early city. How did the LBA people create their living environment in this new setting? This thesis has shown, through the analysis of lime plaster features, floors and walls that the LBA inhabitants of K-AD were able to create diverse, specialized surfaces with a specialized lime plaster tradition in a scale and complexity that went beyond structural requirements, suggesting these surfaces were constructed with the explicit intent for creating space imbued with social meaning.

The Covesea Caves are a series of later prehistoric sites that form a complex mortuary landscape. Previous excavations of the caves have provided evidence for the decapitation, disarticulation, and intentional deposition of human remains. Although there has been substantial analysis of the human remains, there has been little consideration of the significant number of faunal remains recovered during numerous excavations. This research represents the first focused examination of the extensive zooarchaeological record from the Covesea Caves, with an emphasis on investigating characteristics of the faunal bone related to taphonomy and processing in order to provide a proxy for the complex funerary treatments to which the human remains were subject. Analysis of Covesea Cave 2 revealed a narrative of ritual and funerary activities, from the Neolithic to the Post-Medieval Period. Zooarchaeological analysis has illustrated how certain species were significant in ritual activity, and thus utilised specifically in funerary rites. The results from this research shed more light on past cosmologies and the importance of non-human species to humans in both life and death. / Funding for fieldwork was provided by Historic Environment Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council. Lab work and species confirmation was funded by a generous grant from the British Cave Research Association. Funding for this [comparative] analysis was provided by the following organisations: The Prehistoric Society, The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, The Natural History Society of Glasgow

No / This book is dedicated to the memory of Dr Volodymyr Kruts, whose studies on the Cucuteni-Trypillia cultural complex made a major contribution to world archaeology. The volume includes chapters in English, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian, which chronologically span from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in Central and South-eastern Europe, focusing in particular on the Eneolithic/Chalcolithic period. The various papers discuss the general development of the Cucuteni-Trypillia cultural complex, including the giant-settlements (mega-sites), their different aspects of population identity, subsistence in relation to environment, and their archaeological data interpretation. There are also in-depth accounts on the relationship between the Cucuteni-Trypillians (and their settlements) and the neighbouring contemporaneous populations of Central and Southeastern Europe, with a special emphasis placed on the settlement structure, the house construction, the ritual destruction of dwellings, and the different mortuary practices. What makes the volume even more interesting is the combination of recent research, with old data from earlier excavations

Syftet med undersökningen är att göra en “modell” över hur bronsålderns strandlinje på Gotlands östra kust kan ha sett ut samt att undersöka var rösen finns placerade i landskapet. Undersökningen har haft två teoretiska utgångspunkter, seascape och platsval. Materialet som undersökts i uppsatsen är 508 rösen och 14 gravfält där rösen förekommer, samt de kartor med strandlinjerekonstruktionen som gjorts inom ramen för undersökningen. För att kunna rekonstruera strandlinjen och analysera rösenas placering har en rumslig analys genomförts i QGIS.  Den sydligaste delen av ön rekonstruerades till 7,5 m.ö.h. och den nordligaste delen, det vill säga Fårö, rekonstruerades till 12 m.ö.h. vilket gjorde att det var en skillnad på 4,5 meter mellan nord och syd. Studien visade att en majoritet av rösena placerades invid någon form av vatten, att i de norra delarna av ön var frekvensen av mindre rösen större samtidig som östkusten hade flest rösen med en diameter över 20 meter. / The purpose of the thesis is to make a "model" of what the Bronze Age shoreline on Gotland's eastern coast might have looked like and to investigate where the cairns are located in the landscape. The survey had two theoretical starting points, seascape, and site selection. The material examined in the essay is 508 cairns and 14 burial fields where the cairns occur, as well as the maps with the shoreline reconstruction made within the framework of the survey. To reconstruct the shoreline and analyse the location of the cairns, a spatial analysis has been carried out in QGIS. The southernmost part of the island was reconstructed to 7.5 m.a.s.l. and the northernmost part, i.e. Fårö, was reconstructed to 12 m.a.s.l. which meant that there was a difference of 4.5 meters between north and south. The study showed that most of the cairns were placed next to some form of water. It was also seen, that in the northern parts of the island, there were generally smaller cairns, while the east coast had the most cairns with a diameter of over 20 meters.

Due to climate changes and an increasing global temperature, the maritime transport sector has taken upon a mission to reduce their share of greenhouse gas emissions by 50% until 2050. Combustion engines used in ships mainly run on carbon-based fuels, but to achieve the reduction of emissions it is crucial to investigate the possibility of alternative fuels. Ammonia is an alternative fuel with a carbon free chemical composition that shows big potential, with several initiatives to put ammonia driven ship engines on the market in the near future. For ships to be able to run on ammonia fuel, the engine materials have to withstand the corrosive effect of ammonia whilst still ensuring that the motor runs properly. In this study, two piston ring materials are investigated with regards to long-term effects of exposure to ammonia solution. The piston ring materials investigated were comprised of a cast iron substrate covered with either a chromium ceramic coating or a with a cermet coating, the latter also coated with an aluminium-bronze based running in layer on top. The materials were submerged in 25% ammonia solution for different time intervals up to 12 weeks, with a solution change every fourth week. After exposure to ammonia, the materials were tribologically tested in a reciprocal sliding test rig. The surfaces, both inside and outside of the wear tracks, were analysed with SEM and EDS, as well as with CSI. The chromium ceramic coating did not seem to get affected by, or interact chemically, with the ammonia solution. Exposing the material to ammonia did not seemingly affect the tribological properties. However, two different behaviours were observed when analysing the cermet coated samples with a running-in layer of aluminium-bronze. These samples reacted with the ammonia solution in two different ways, resulting in the series being split into two. In both cases precipitates were formed, but the colour changes of the solutions differed for the series. The coatings were also worn differently, as in one case a flattening effect was observed throughout all time intervals, whereas in the other case the worn volume and track depth seemed to increase with exposure to ammonia solution.

Syftet med uppsatsen har varit att analysera utformningen och geografiska placering av hällbildsvoltigörer inom Västra Götaland för att förstå den eventuella relation hällvoltigörerna kan ha haft till bronsålderns metallhandelsnätverk. Det primära källmaterialet består av uppgifter om dels bronsvoltigören från Grevensvænge, Själland dels hällbildsvoltigörer i Fornsök och Svenskt Hällristnings Forsknings Arkivs som bilddatabas som kunnat styrkas av dokumentation och verifierats att figuren omfattas av uppsatsens definition av voltigör.  De kvantitativa metoder som har använts har huvudsakligen varit för att göra en jämförande analys av de parametrar som ingår i vissa analysteman. Det har inte gått att inom ramarna för en uppsats på denna nivå utläsa något påvisbart samband med metallhandelns handelsvägar. / The purpose of this essay has been to analyze the design and geographical location of rock image voltigeurs within Västra Götaland in order to understand the possible relationship the rock voltigeurs may have had to the Bronze Age metal trade network. The primary source material consists of information about the bronze vaulter from Grevensvænge, Zealand, and the rock image vaulters in Fornsök and the Swedish Rock Art Research Archive as an image database that could be substantiated by documentation and verified that the figure falls within the essay's definition of vault. Quantitative methods that have been used have mainly been to make a comparative analysis of the parameters included in certain analysis themes. It has not been possible to infer any demonstrable relationship with the trade routes of the metal trade within the framework of an essay at this level.

Skärvstenshögarna i Uppland har konstaterats vara en komplex fornlämningstyp och det har visat sig vara problematiskt att förklara dem som homogena i form och funktion över tid. En kategorisering av dem har skapats som har konstaterat att olika former av dem finns. Syftet med denna uppsats är sedermera att utgå från befintlig kategorisering och undersöka om fler kategorier och typer går att isolera ur tillgänglig empiri. Därefter för att beskriva deras form, läge, kronologi och förändring. Teoretiska ramverk som används för att begreppsliggöra skärvstensbrukets mer än tusenåriga användande är de om tradition, minne och ritual. Teorier som kan manifestera bruket som en kulturell process och dimension i tid och rum. Metoder som används för att identifiera fler kategorier och typer är dels multipel korrespondensanalys av 100 skärvstensförekomster för att generera mönster. Dels densitetsanalys av 100 C14-dateringar av detsamma för att utarbeta aspekter av tid i empirin. Slutligen används visibilitetsanalys för att generera belägg för kategoriernas olika lägen samt en kvalitativ genomgång av empirin för att skapa modeller av nya typer inom befintliga kategorier. / The burnt mounds of Uppland have been shown to be remains of a complex type and it has been proven problematic to explain them as homogeneous in form and function over time. A categorization of them has been created which has established that different forms exist. From that categorization the purpose of this essay is subsequently to investigate whether additional categories and types can be isolated from available empirical evidence. Also to include a description of their form, location, chronology, and change. Theoretical frameworks used to conceptualize the more than a thousand-year use of burnt stones are those of tradition, memory, and ritual. Theories that can manifest the practice as a cultural process and a dimension of time and space. Methods used to identify additional categories and types includes a multiple correspondence analysis of 100 burnt mounds to generate patterns. A density analysis of 100 C14 samples of the same deposits to work out aspects of time in the empirics. Finally, visibility analysis is used to ascertain the different positions of the categories as well as a qualitative review of the empirical evidence to create models of new types within existing categories.

During the first millennium BC, the people of the chalk landscapes of the Yorkshire Wolds began carving up their world with monumental linear earthworks. This project explores the meanings of the later prehistoric boundary systems of the Yorkshire Wolds. It writes a biography of the linear earthwork landscapes of the north-central Wolds, using geographic information systems (GIS), original fieldwork and theories of agency and memory. Tracing the construction, use and modification of particular linear earthworks, it examines how these monuments would have related to other features in the landscape, and how they could have exercised agency within networks of interconnected people, animals, objects and other places. Finally, the project attempts to situate these boundary systems within the larger context of Late Bronze Age and Iron Age society in order to understand how the later prehistoric people of East Yorkshire would have experienced their world. Taking a biographical approach to landscape and allowing linear earthworks to become the protagonists of this narrative, the project charts the life histories of the earthworks at Wetwang-Garton Slack and Huggate Dykes and investigates the collective authorship of the wider landscape. To understand the rural, monumental landscapes of the Wolds, we must consider the agency of not only people, but also of animals and of monuments themselves. By focussing on the relationships which bound together linear earthworks and other agents, we can begin to understand the ways in which monumentalised landscapes both reflected and generated the cosmologies of prehistoric communities. / The Appendices A to E are not included online.

The following dissertation considers the main aspects of trade during each phase of Minoan development from its beginnings in Early Minoan times (3500 BC) until the end of Minoan period in 1430 BC. The work concentrates largely on the commodities exchanged, the development of transportation and perceived trade routes as well as the role of the palaces once they were established. The theories on the Minoan Thalassocracy and colonisation are also discussed. The evidence used is mainly archaeological, which is able to trace the movement of non-perishable materials such as pottery and metals. Reference is also made to contemporary Near Eastern texts and art, as well as the Minoan Linear A and Mycenaean Linear B documents. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / M.A. (Ancient History)