Neolithic Human Societies and Woodlands in the North-Western Mediterranean Region: Wood and Charcoal Analysis

An overview of woodland history in the north-western Mediterranean region, based on charcoal analysis (Anthracology) from Mesolithic and Neolithic sites, is proposed for the Mediterranean areas of France, Spain and Portugal. The taxonomic identification of charcoal fragments and the diachronic variations of taxa frequencies provide, for each settlement, an accurate image of the local vegetal cover. During the end of the last glaciation, beginning of the Holocene, vegetation dynamics reflects the evolution of climatic and geographic conditions. Any potential ecological impact by hunter-fisher-gatherer communities (Mesolithic) remains invisible; the same comment applies to the farming-herding…

La Antracología: Método de recogida y estudio del carbón prehistórico

A view of the vegetation and economic exploitation of the forest in the Late Neolithic sites of Les Jovades and Niuet (Alicante, Spain)

SummaryThe results of the charcoal analysis obtained in two open air sites of the Late Neolithic, although contrasting with what is known so far about their economy, as well as with the results of different palaeoamblental studies undertaken in other sites, mainly caves with long sequences, within the same area or in other near areas, form the main interest of this paper. We will begin presenting the data pertaining to both sites individually which, in the final part, will be assessed in order to reach a better understanding of the relationship between men and their natural environment during the Neolithic period.

Pinares y enebrales. El paisaje solutrense en Iberia

Se presentan estudios antracológicos de yacimientos de la península Ibérica con el objetivo de conocer la flora durante el Solutrense y, a partir de ella, las condiciones termoclimáticas y ombroclimáticas. Con los datos publicados e inéditos se demuestra que los refugios de las especies más cálidas están al sur del paralelo 40º N. La flora identificada en los carbones se puede agrupar en cuatro categorías: criófilas, termófilas, matorral y ribera. Se observa un gradiente latitudinal de la distribución de los marcadores más térmicos como Pinus pinea, Rosmarinus officinalis, mientras que los pinos criófilos están distribuido por todas las regiones. Se propone la identificación botánica de los…

La Fusta. Patrimoni cultural i biològic

Wood: biological and cultural heritage. Anthracology is a branch of archaeobotany that came into being at the beginning of the 20th Century for the botanical identification of prehistoric wood and carbon. The goals are paleoecological, ethnological and methodological. The protocol followed for this analysis involves the observation of plant tissues under reflected-light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to identify the material botanically. In recent years, this kind of analysis is being applied to heritage objects and those in restoration; here we will give some examples: an historic object, the restoration of a monument and the reconstruction of a prehistoric landscape.

Different parts of the same plants. Charcoals and seeds from Cova de les Cendres (Alicante, Spain)

Abstract The analysis of archaeobotanical macroremains from Cova de les Cendres (Teulada-Moraira, Alicante, Spain) allows a better understanding of the dynamic of the vegetation during the Upper Palaeolithic in the region. The anthracological sequence shows that Pinus type nigra/sylvestris dominates in the area during the Upper Palaeolithic, while more open formations of Juniperus and Fabaceae spread in Upper Solutrean and Early-Middle Magdalenian. The carpological analysis that has been carried out in the Middle Magdalenian level has brought to light different species of Juniperus (J. sabina, J. communis and J. oxycedrus). This information indicates that during the period, Cova de les Cend…

Cooked and raw. Fruits and seeds in the Iberian Palaeolithic

Fruits, seeds, leaves and underground storage organs were all consumed by human groups during the Palaeolithic. These plant foodstuffs provided humans with minerals, vitamins and nutrients essential for optimal health. In this sense, fire control was a crucial human achievement since cooking allowed the physical and chemical modification of these elements by eliminating toxins, enhancing the digestion of foodstuffs and increasing their energy value. The use of fire during plant processing increases the potential preservation of archaeobotanical remains, as well. Based on the preserved plant elements and their characteristics, the chaîne opératoire of plant consumption can be reconstructed. …

Abric de la Ratlla del Bubo (Crevillent, Alicante). Results of the 1986-1991 campaigns. New data on its palaeolithic sequence

El Abric de la Ratlla del Bubo (Crevillent, Alicante) es uno de los yacimientos clave para el conocimiento del Paleolítico superior en el área central del Mediterráneo ibérico, especialmente en lo que a sus fases iniciales se refiere. El yacimiento ha sido objeto de varias intervenciones arqueológicas, tanto clandestinas como científicas. Sin embargo, hasta este trabajo, la información disponible era parcial y, en muchos casos, remitía a materiales sin referencia estratigráfica. En este estudio se exponen los resultados del análisis del material lítico, del registro vegetal y de la fauna recuperada en las campañas de 1986 a 1991. Además, se presenta una amplia serie de dataciones radiocarbó…

La prehistoria de la vegetación en la Península Ibérica

L'anthracologie préhistorique: à propos de certains problèmes méthodologiques

ResumeAfin d'avancer dans nos connaissances ecologiques et ethnologiques des temps passes, il etait essentiel de mettre en place une methodologie en accord avec les problemes poses. Deux themes sont developpes dans ce travail: la dispersion spatiale des taxons vegetaux dans l'ensemble du gisement et l'etude approfondie du contenu anthracologique des structures de combustion et sa relation avec celui des niveaux d'habitat.