Search results for "lithic"
showing 10 items of 392 documents
In glacial environments beyond glacial terrains: Human eco-dynamics in late Pleistocene Mediterranean Iberia
2013
The Iberian Peninsula south of the Ebro River enjoyed one of the mildest climates of Pleistocene Europe, but still experienced significant and rapid environmental shifts caused by global climate regimes. We examine the interplay between technological, social, and land-use dynamics as culturally mediated responses to climate change outside the periglacial zone. We combine information from excavated sites across eastern and southeastern Spain with systematic survey data from an intensive study area within this larger region to examine Upper Paleolithic behavioral adaptations to the environmental shifts of the late Pleistocene (late MIS-3 through MIS-2). We define indexes that serve as proxies…
Systematic consumption of non-marine gastropods at open-air Mesolithic sites in the Iberian Mediterranean region
2011
Arenal de la Virgen and Casa Corona, located in the upper Vinalopo Valley (SE of the Iberian Peninsula), are open-air Mesolithic sites dated to the Middle Holocene – 8600-7800 cal BP. Recent excavations have provided evidence of non-marine assemblages dominated by terrestrial (Sphincterochila candidissima and Iberus alonensis) and fresh water gastropods (Melanopsis tricarinata tricarinata) associated with habitation structures. These sites represent the first documented cases of systematic land snail consumption at open-air residential camps in the Iberian Mediterranean Region. This report presents the assemblage composition and modern ethological parameters, and discusses taphonomic proces…
Cordage, basketry and containers at the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary in southwest Europe. Evidence from Coves de Santa Maira (Valencian region, Spai…
2019
In this study we present evidence of braided plant fibres and basketry imprints on clay recovered from Coves de Santa Maira, a Palaeolithic-Mesolithic cave site located in the Mediterranean region of Spain. The anatomical features of these organic fibre remains were identified in the archaeological material and compared with modern Stipa tenacissima (esparto grass). Based on direct dating, the fragments of esparto cord from our site are the oldest worked plant fibres in Europe. Sixty fragments of fired clay are described. The clay impressions have allowed us to discuss the making of baskets and containers. According to their attributes and their functional interpretation, we have grouped th…
Il mare e la città. Cefalù e il Parco delle mura megalitiche di Pasquale Culotta, Giuseppe Leone e Tania Culotta.
2019
Il Mediterraneo è una delle fonti dell’architettura tout court ed è all’origine della storia dell’abitare del Vecchio Mondo. Al ruolo costante e di fondazione del Mare Nostrum si collega, diversi millenni dopo, quello avuto come impulso all’architettura contemporanea e, in particolare, al Movimento Moderno. Su tale imprescindibile rapporto si innesta una specifica questione relativa alle città costiere e al modo in cui queste abbiano concretamente declinato l’interazione con il mare. Se l’arco cronologico si restringe dal secondo dopoguerra ad oggi, molti di questi rapporti sono occasioni mancate, incontri distratti, dove le coste, al pari dei fondi agricoli, sono state considerate, in modo…
Identification of Morphological Biosignatures in Martian Analogue Field Specimens Using In Situ Planetary Instrumentation
2008
International audience; We have investigated how morphological biosignatures (i.e., features related to life) might be identified with an array of viable instruments within the framework of robotic planetary surface operations at Mars. This is the first time such an integrated lab-based study has been conducted that incorporates space-qualified instrumentation designed for combined in situ imaging, analysis, and geotechnics ( sampling). Specimens were selected on the basis of feature morphology, scale, and analogy to Mars rocks. Two types of morphological criteria were considered: potential signatures of extinct life ( fossilized microbial filaments) and of extant life (crypto-chasmoendolit…
Climate change and population dynamics during the late Mesolithic and the Neolithic transition in Iberia
2009
This paper explores how Early Holocene climate changes in the Western Mediterranean would have affected Late Mesolithic settlement distribution and subsistence strategies in Iberian Peninsula, thereby giving rise to various adaptive scenarios. The current radiocarbon data set concerning the Neolithisation process has revealed the rapidity of the spread of farming in Iberia. Considering both the implications of the last hunter-gatherers’ adaptation strategies and the population dynamics of agro-pastoral communities, we address the migration patterns underlying the Mesolithic- Neolithic transition. In conclusion, we propose that the initial colonization process was the result of two successiv…
Human paleogenetics of Europe--the known knowns and the known unknowns.
2014
The number of ancient human DNA studies has drastically increased in recent years. This results in a substantial record of mitochondrial sequences available from many prehistoric sites across Western Eurasia, but also growing Y-chromosome and autosomal sequence data. We review the current state of research with specific emphasis on the Holocene population events that likely have shaped the present-day genetic variation in Europe. We reconcile observations from the genetic data with hypotheses about the peopling and settlement history from anthropology and archaeology for various key regions, and also discuss the data in light of evidence from related disciplines, such as modern human geneti…
More data on ancient human mitogenome variability in Italy: new mitochondrial genome sequences from three Upper Palaeolithic burials.
2021
BACKGROUND: Recently, the study of mitochondrial variability in ancient humans has allowed the definition of population dynamics that characterised Europe in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. Despite the abundance of sites and skeletal remains few data are available for Italy. - AIM: We reconstructed the mitochondrial genomes of three Upper Palaeolithic individuals for some of the most important Italian archaeological contexts: Paglicci (South-Eastern Italy), San Teodoro (South-Western Italy) and Arene Candide (North-Western Italy) caves. - SUBJECTS AND METHODS We explored the phylogenetic relationships of the three mitogenomes in the context of Western Eurasian ancient and modern va…
Diachronic variation in the Middle Paleolithic settlement of Abrigo de la Quebrada (Chelva, Spain)
2017
Abstract This paper compares levels IV and VIII of Abrigo de la Quebrada. The study includes knapping technique, raw material, fauna, and the spatial distribution of lithic and bone remains. Although both levels correspond to cumulative palimpsests, patterns of resource management and use of space that suggest changes in the rhythm of occupation and the functionality of the settlements can be discerned. A change in mobility patterns probably underpins the differences between these two levels of Quebrada, but assessing this hypothesis is made difficult by the lack of comparable documentation for other sites in the region.
Origin and correction of the deviations in retention times at increasing flow rate with Chromolith columns.
2010
Chromoliths can be used at flow rates beyond those feasible for conventional microparticulate packed columns. Ideally, the plots of the retention time versus the inverse of delivered flow rate should exhibit y-intercept of zero. However, significant positive deviations correlating with the solute polarity were observed for several compounds chromatographed with a Chromolith column, owing to the increased system pressure. Consequently, the dead time marker exhibits a smaller deviation, making the retention factors depend on the flow rate. Chromoliths are made of a silica-based monolith encapsulated within a PEEK tube, and should suffer larger stress with pressure than stainless steel columns…