ABSTRACT Environmental pollution and contamination are issues readily examined in numerous sciences. However, despite being in the ideal position to discuss these issues and their consequences, in archaeology, such issues have yet to be investigated in greater detail. A primary factor contributing to the limited involvement of archaeology in the discourse of pollution and contamination is diagenesis. This paper presents how archaeology can contribute to the environmental pollution and contamination debate by employing a rigorous sampling strategy of animal teeth and using complementary analytical techniques such as, ICP-MS and LA-ICP-MS. The animals retrieved from the Bronze Age archaeological sites of Klárafalva Hajdova (2300-1500 BCE) and Kiszombor Új-Élet (2700–1950 BCE), located in the Southern Carpathian basin, show variations between individual animals and species in their in vivo lead (Pb) uptake, along with differences in the diagenetic alterations of the teeth. The presented results emphasise the significance of archaeological insight in debates on pollution and contamination, thus placing archaeology at the focal point of these debates.

ABSTRACT This study uses the National Institutes of Health ImageJ software to investigate the colour variation and degree of compaction in paleosols developed on 3500–2600 BCE layers of volcanic ash in the excavation site for the new Chiaia Metro Station at Piazza Santa Maria degli Angeli in downtown Naples. Plough marks on the paleosols indicate agrarian activity during a 700-year period. The darkening toward the top of the paleosols, especially around root-like stringers extending down from the surface, is due almost exclusively to alteration of glass in pumice particles to clay minerals. Feldspar crystals in the same ash show no signs of alteration. One set of plough marks appears to be too regular and closely spaced (<12 cm) to have been formed by multiple passes with a single-bladed stick plough, raising the question of whether a multiple-pronged plough could have been used, even though no archeological evidence indicates their use at that time. Bent crystals of biotite indicate that the ashes underwent compaction. The preferred orientation of mineral grains indicate that all of the ashes underwent about 12% compaction, regardless of proximity to a ploughed surface. We conclude that the compaction was due to load pressure rather than to agrarian activity.

ABSTRACT Throughout the Aegean, the Late Bronze Age (LBA) to the Early Iron Age (EIA) has been characterised as a period of societal change. After the collapse of palatial economies in the south (c.1200 BC), Greece entered a phase referred to in the past as the ‘Dark Ages’. Research into the nature of EIA agriculture has been relatively limited and although this situation has improved within the last decade there are still significant knowledge gaps. This paper will shed new light on LBA-EIA arable agriculture by presenting crop stable isotope analysis from the site of Methone in northern Greece. These data are used to examine site-specific agricultural strategies as well as allowing for an evidence-based understanding of economic variability in this region. The results reported show that at Methone and likely throughout Greece in the Early Iron Age, inhabitants continued to pursue relatively ‘low-input’ agricultural systems that were adapted to specific local settings and environmental conditions, even in the face of a period of potential aridity. Ultimately, this research provides a fresh approach to Iron Age (IA) Aegean agriculture whilst also highlighting the need to proceed with further research from other IA Aegean sites.

ABSTRACT In recent decades, the role of marine resources in prehistoric hunter-gatherer diets has been widely debated. While some scholars propose that shellfish served as an emergency food supply during resource scarcity, others highlight their broader nutritional benefits. This paper applies δ18O analyses to Patella vulgata Linnaeus, 1758 shells from Cuevona de Ardines and El Cierro caves (Asturias, Spain) to determine seasonal patterns in shellfish collection during the Early Magdalenian (ca. 19,600–18,900 cal BP) and Azilian (ca. 13,600–12,700 cal BP) periods. These data provide insights into human subsistence strategies, enhancing our understanding of coastal resources in their diets and mobility patterns. Additionally, past sea surface temperatures (SST) were estimated using δ18O values derived from shells. The results were compared with anthracological remains from Cuevona de Ardines and El Cierro, as well as other available evidence (pollen surveys, marine cores, isotopic analyses, etc.), to achieve a more accurate palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Findings indicate that, during the Early Magdalenian, shellfishing primarily occurred in autumn, followed by summer and spring. For this period, an annual mean SST of 12.6°C is proposed. During the Azilian period, harvesting also predominantly took place in autumn, albeit to a lesser extent throughout the rest of the year, with an annual mean SST close to 14°C. These results are compared and discussed in the context of other sites with similar chronologies.

ABSTRACT The Early and Middle Holocene was a key period in the process of human settlement of the Fuegian archipelago, being also a period of several climatic and environmental fluctuations that affected human societies. Analysis of charred woody and carpological remains from the oldest layers of Binushmuka I, Túnel I, and Imiwaia I, provides valuable vegetation use and management data during this period. Anthracological studies identified 7 taxa, with Nothofagus pumilio and Berberis sp. being the most abundant of all sites. Túnel I had the highest taxonomic diversity, while Imiwaia I had the lowest. In addition, carpological analysis revealed that Poaceae, Empetrum rubrum and Galium antarcticum were dominant in the record. These results indicate differences in plant use and environmental conditions between the sites, contributing to a broader understanding of local vegetation dynamics and human-environment interactions in the Fuegian Archipelago during the Holocene.

ABSTRACT In the Eastern Torres Strait, a multi-proxy approach combining micro- and macro-scale geoarchaeological techniques has been applied at Ormi (Dauar Island), an archaeological midden site dating from 2600–2250 cal. BP. This study combines soil micromorphology with particle size analysis and geochemical analyses (Carbon/Nitrogen ratios; Total Phosphorus (Pt) and Portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF)) to assess integrity of the deposits. The geoarchaeological analyses provide new insights into site formation processes, while microscopic analyses on paleosols allow settlement chronologies (including those associated with pottery) to be refined.

ABSTRACT This study highlights the paleoecological history of Quintana Roo, Mexico using palynological and elemental signatures from Lake Chichancanab sediments. Pollen Zone I, 4700-3200 cal yr BP, is dominated by tropical forest taxa, indicating wetter climate. However, a prolonged drought occurs between 4300 and 4000 BP. Pollen Zones IIa and IIb, 3200-1700 BP, exhibit a decline in seasonal dry tropical forest and rise in disturbance species, aligning with the regional drying trend and expansion of Maya settlements during the Late Preclassic. Pollen Zones IIIa and IIIb (1700 BP-present) are dominated by disturbance pollen, reflecting late Holocene drying and sociopolitical dynamics that altered ecosystem processes. Elemental analysis of the lake core suggests a transition from a stable environment in Zone I to higher detrital input in Zone IIa, supporting drier conditions indicated by the pollen data. Between 2500 and 1700 BP, the Ca/S ratio suggests enhanced detrital input under dry and open conditions. Between 1700 and 1000 BP the Ca/Fe ratio reflects low detrital input and carbonate deposition. From 1000 BP until present a decreased Ca/Fe ratio suggests increased detrital input. These novel data further our understanding of the relationships between humans, vegetation, and climate of the Maya region.

ABSTRACT The extinction of the cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) and the factors leading to their demise have been widely discussed. Environmental change, dietary inflexibility, human predation, and resource competition all potentially contributed to their decline. Determining the ecological and dietary behaviour of cave bears is crucial in contextualising their extinction. Here, bone collagen δ13C and δ15N evidence from the site of Šalitrena Pećina (Serbia), from a cave bear population dating to 40.2–37.9 kyr cal. BP is used to explore their dietary behaviour. Large ranges in δ13C and δ15N values suggest consumption of varied plants across an isotopically diverse landscape. Pan-European comparisons of cave bear δ13C and δ15N values are indicative of local adaptions to the landscape with flexibility in plant types consumed across different ecological zones. A mosaic pattern of extinction, influenced by habitat and environmental pressures associated with cooling conditions likely impacted on extinction of the species. Reflecting on the ecology of cave bears, can help to support conservation efforts for species under threat today. European brown bears (Ursus arctos), mirror past cave bear population distributions. Supporting habitat creation and connectivity between populations may help to minimise the impact of environmental change and anthropogenic activity on European brown bears.

ABSTRACT The Solutrean period in Cantabrian Spain runs from between ca. 24 and 19.5 ky cal BP, that is from the Heinrich Event 2 to the early part of Greenland Stadial-2b. El Cierro cave (Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain) presents one of the most complete Upper Palaeolithic stratigraphical sequences in northern Spain; it has two levels (Cierro H2 and H1) dated by radiocarbon ca. 22 ky cal BP that contain abundant biotic and abiotic remains. In this paper we present the results of the zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of the Upper Solutrean levels of El Cierro. These remains correspond entirely to vertebrates, mainly large mammals, and to a much lesser extent fish and birds. Through the taphonomic analysis of the bones we determine the role that the different animal resources played in the diet of the Upper Solutrean hunter-gatherers at El Cierro by analysing the ways in which prey were acquired, processed and consumed. This allows us to understand the ways in which human groups made use of the surrounding environment for their survival and the type of exploitation they carried out of the faunal resources, and to compare the results obtained in the subsistence strategies of El Cierro with other sites in Cantabrian Spain.

ABSTRACT Burnt mounds are among the most numerous archaeological features excavated in Ireland, with thousands identified. They contain large quantities of charcoal and can offer insight into the composition and utilisation of past woodlands. This study presents analysis of charcoal from two Irish sites, revealing contrasting approaches to woodland exploitation. Bealick 1, Co. Cork had three phases of use: Late Neolithic–Chalcolithic, Early to Middle Bronze Age and Middle to Late Bronze Age. Corylus avellana and Quercus spp. were the dominant fuel sources, with ring curvature indicating the opening of woodland allowing the expansion of other light demanding taxa. Pollsharvoge 1 had two phases of use: Middle to Late Bronze Age and Early to Developed Iron Age, with four main taxa exploited: Corylus avellana, Alnus glutinosa, Fraxinus excelsior and Quercus spp.. While ring curvature indicates the felling of Fraxinus excelsior and Quercus spp., the use of small to medium-sized wood from Corylus avellana and Alnus glutinosa reflects sustainable fuel procurement. These findings demonstrate burnt mounds can provide sufficient charcoal assemblages for environmental reconstruction, and that differing fuel resourcing strategies can be identified. Examination of charcoal from these sites can provide deeper understanding into how communities were altering woodland structure, and how this may be tied into wider patterns of landscape use.