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Archaeology in the Late Quaternary: Emerging Materials, Methods, Issues and...
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Archaeology in the Late Quaternary: Emerging Materials, Methods, Issues and Perspectives

A special issue of Quaternary (ISSN 2571-550X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 5778

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yong Ge

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100045, China
Interests: phytolith analysis and its applications in paleoecology; animal diets; archaeology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, new analytic methods have furthered the progress of archaeology, especially in research of the late Quaternary. Recent archaeological findings, combined with new analytic methods, have renewed knowledge in multiple aspects, such as the interaction between different groups of humans, the dispersal of lithic technology, the origin of agriculture, and the function of various artefacts. However, new findings also raise new issues, such as the revision of theoretical models, and the reconsideration of the route of human and technology dispersal, among others. As such, it is necessary to bring these issues together for consideration.

This Special Issue aims to collect new archaeological findings for the late Quaternary, and to introduce new methods and associated issues and perspectives.

The topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the original study of new archaeological materials, the application of new methods to solve archaeological issues, and reviews and perspectives on such studies.

Dr. Yong Ge
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Quaternary is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • archaeology
  • archaeobotany
  • archaeometry
  • stone tools
  • artefacts

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3969 KB  
Article
A Multi-Analytical Archaeometric Approach to Chalcolithic Ceramics from Charneca do Fratel (Portugal): Preliminary Insights into Local Production Practices
by Ana S. Saraiva, Mathilda L. Coutinho, Joaquina Soares, Carlos Tavares da Silva, João C. Caninas and João Pedro Veiga
Quaternary 2025, 8(4), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat8040072 - 3 Dec 2025
Viewed by 299
Abstract
The archaeological site of Charneca do Fratel, in Vila Velha de Ródão, Portugal, is a fortification that is radiocarbon-dated from the third millennium BCE. The archaeological fieldwork in 1987 revealed the first Chalcolithic settlement on the northern Portuguese bank of the Tagus River. [...] Read more.
The archaeological site of Charneca do Fratel, in Vila Velha de Ródão, Portugal, is a fortification that is radiocarbon-dated from the third millennium BCE. The archaeological fieldwork in 1987 revealed the first Chalcolithic settlement on the northern Portuguese bank of the Tagus River. Its architectonic concept is similar to that observed in southern Portugal, proving new insights into the study of the process of Chalcolithisation of western Iberia. Its location close to the Tagus River, in the vicinity of fertile soils, fishing and hunting areas, and sources of raw materials that are probably used to produce stone tools and pottery, indicates a self-sustained society in the frame of an accentuated tendency for sedentarisation. In the present work, 20 samples were submitted to an archaeometric approach to shed light on the technological aspects of Chalcolithic ceramic production techniques on the northern bank of the Tagus River. The obtained results indicate two chemically distinguishable ceramic groups within Fratel’s findings, with a high variation in paste colourations, ranging from dark greyish and bright red. Mineralogical analysis indicates that firing occurred at temperatures between 700 °C and 850 °C. The results point to a local production, with ceramic manufacturing procedures that are analogous to other Chalcolithic settlements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Archaeology in the Late Quaternary: Emerging Materials, Methods, Issues and Perspectives)
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35 pages, 13854 KB  
Article
Middle Paleolithic Neanderthal Open-Air Camp and Hyena Den Westeregeln (D)—Competition for Prey in a Mammoth Steppe Environment of Northern Germany (Central Europe)
by Cajus G. Diedrich
Quaternary 2025, 8(4), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat8040052 - 24 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1065
Abstract
A gypsum karst sinkhole at Westeregeln (north-central Germany) was filled during the Late Pleistocene, first by fluvial flooding, then by solifluctation, and finally with wind-transported loess. Pleistocene mollusks and bones of snakes, birds, micro- and macromammals, and hyena coprolites were accumulated, often mixed [...] Read more.
A gypsum karst sinkhole at Westeregeln (north-central Germany) was filled during the Late Pleistocene, first by fluvial flooding, then by solifluctation, and finally with wind-transported loess. Pleistocene mollusks and bones of snakes, birds, micro- and macromammals, and hyena coprolites were accumulated, often mixed in gravel or sand layers with Middle Paleolithic artifacts, whereas ice wedges reach deep into the sinkhole. The high amount of small flint debris prove on-site tool production by using 99% local Saalian transported brownish-to-dark Upper Cretaceous flint, which could have been collected from the Bode River gravels near-site. Only a single quartzite and one jasper flake prove other local gravel sources or importation. A large bifacial flaked knife of layer 4 dates to the early/middle Weichselian/Wuermian (MIS 5-4), similar to two triangular handaxes in the MTA tradition and an absolutely dated woolly rhinoceros bone (50,310 + 1580/−1320 BP). A cold period of Late Pleistocene glacial mammoth steppe megafauna is represented, but the material is mostly strongly fragmented and smashed by humans. Neanderthal camp use on the gypsum hill is indicated also by small charcoal pieces, burned bone fragments, and fire-dehydrated flint fragments. Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss) hyenas are well known from Westeregeln, with an open-air commuting den site, which was marked with feces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Archaeology in the Late Quaternary: Emerging Materials, Methods, Issues and Perspectives)
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19 pages, 5546 KB  
Article
Perspectives on Early Amazonian Agriculture from Guyana and Venezuela
by Mark G. Plew and Pei-Lin Yu
Quaternary 2025, 8(3), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat8030034 - 1 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1643
Abstract
Debates about prehistoric Amazonian subsistence, social organization, and landscape use have ranged from ethnographically based characterizations of relatively mobile foragers to archaeological evidence that suggests sedentary agriculturalists. Recently, great antiquity of settled agriculture and complex social organization has been asserted for portions of [...] Read more.
Debates about prehistoric Amazonian subsistence, social organization, and landscape use have ranged from ethnographically based characterizations of relatively mobile foragers to archaeological evidence that suggests sedentary agriculturalists. Recently, great antiquity of settled agriculture and complex social organization has been asserted for portions of the northern Amazon. However, the role of theory and inferences drawn from habitat diversity have receded in these debates. This paper synthesizes the current literature regarding long-term evolutionary changes in Amazon Basin societies with an archaeological case study from mound-building sites of Guyana and ethnoarchaeological data from Venezuelan forager–gardeners to develop a hypothesis regarding the critical role of habitat, aquatic resources, and seasonality in the transition from intensified foraging to cultivation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Archaeology in the Late Quaternary: Emerging Materials, Methods, Issues and Perspectives)
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15 pages, 4669 KB  
Article
Food Production and Landscape Reconstruction of Liangzhu Culture Village (5000–4600 B.P.)—Archaeobotanical Evidence from the Site of Zhumucun, Southern China
by Xiaoqu Zheng, Fan Yang, Mingli Sun and Qinyu Chen
Quaternary 2025, 8(2), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat8020021 - 27 Apr 2025
Viewed by 1663
Abstract
Preserved macro-botanical and charcoal remains collected from the Zhumucun site have revealed the paleodiet and agricultural production of a small settlement during the Liangzhu period. Further, they have also helped to reconstruct the landscape and social organization that occurred therein. The plant remains [...] Read more.
Preserved macro-botanical and charcoal remains collected from the Zhumucun site have revealed the paleodiet and agricultural production of a small settlement during the Liangzhu period. Further, they have also helped to reconstruct the landscape and social organization that occurred therein. The plant remains assemblage shows that rice was the main crop at this site; however, the appearance of the millets may also indicate the spread and communication between southern and northern China. An analysis of the discarded spikelets confirmed that rice was locally produced and processed. A study of charcoal helped restore the vegetation landscape in the settlement and provided valuable insights for reconstructing the functional zoning and agricultural production at the site. Following an analysis of the plant distribution and utilization patterns at the site, it became clear that the Zhumucun site functioned as a small agricultural settlement. Compared to other settlements from the Liangzhu period, the Zhumucun site likely supported a smaller population. The site could be divided into smaller groups, including facilities in residential areas, processing areas, tomb areas, and farming areas. Agricultural production at the Zhumucun site appears to have been highly coordinated, with activities carried out in a unified manner and primarily by local households. This efficient system of resource management likely reflects a well-organized labor structure, where food surpluses may have been redistributed to support other higher-level settlements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Archaeology in the Late Quaternary: Emerging Materials, Methods, Issues and Perspectives)
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Review

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13 pages, 4116 KB  
Review
A Review of ArcGIS Spatial Analysis in Chinese Archaeobotany: Methods, Applications, and Challenges
by Zhikun Ma, Siyu Yang, Bingxin Shao, Francesca Monteith and Linlin Zhai
Quaternary 2025, 8(4), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat8040062 - 31 Oct 2025
Viewed by 427
Abstract
Over the past decade, the rapid development of geospatial tools has significantly expanded the scope of archaeobotanical research, enabling unprecedented insights into ancient plant domestication, agricultural practices, and human-environment interactions. Within the Chinese context, where rich archaeobotanical records intersect with complex socio-ecological histories, [...] Read more.
Over the past decade, the rapid development of geospatial tools has significantly expanded the scope of archaeobotanical research, enabling unprecedented insights into ancient plant domestication, agricultural practices, and human-environment interactions. Within the Chinese context, where rich archaeobotanical records intersect with complex socio-ecological histories, GIS-driven approaches have revealed nuanced patterns of crop dispersal, settlement dynamics, and landscape modification. However, despite these advances, current applications remain largely exploratory, constrained by fragmented datasets and underutilized spatial-statistical methods. This paper argues that a more robust integration of large-scale archaeobotanical datasets with advanced ArcGIS functionalities—such as kernel density estimation, least-cost path analysis, and predictive modelling—is essential to address persistent gaps in the field. By synthesizing case studies from key Chinese Neolithic and Bronze Age sites, we demonstrate how spatial analytics can elucidate (1) spatiotemporal trends in plant use, (2) anthropogenic impacts on vegetation, and (3) the feedback loops between subsistence strategies and landscape evolution. Furthermore, we highlight the challenges of data standardization, scale dependency, and interdisciplinary collaboration in archaeobotanical ArcGIS. Ultimately, this study underscores the imperative for methodological harmonization and computational innovation to unravel the intricate relationships between ancient societies, agroecological systems, and long-term environmental change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Archaeology in the Late Quaternary: Emerging Materials, Methods, Issues and Perspectives)
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