Late Prehistory Research Articles

Absolute dates for the recent prehistory of the province of Malaga: a critical review

This report is about the radiocarbon measurements of Late Prehistory from province of Málaga. First of ali we have calibrated ali the dates with the computer software "CALIB". Later, we check critically the precision and accuracy of each one, and finally we discuss about the current state of this chronological method for the study of our prehistory and we suggest sorne advices to improve his archaeological use.

THE EXPLOITATION OF LOCAL LITHIC RESOURCES DURING THE LATE PREHISTORY OF NORTHWEST IBERIAN PENINSULA

This paper explores the basic characteristics affecting the mechanical behavior of non-flint rocks, such as quartz and slate, during knapping. The impact of some of these features, such as anisotropy, cleavage, and the morphostructure on the selection and exploitation processes of quartz and slate is addressed through the analysis of the flaked assemblages of five Late Prehistory sites from NW Iberia. We suggest that the presence of characteristics providing a more homogeneous and controllable mechanical behavior would have had a significant role on the selection and exploitation of these raw materials. Also, certain traits a priori considered as non-suitable might be contemplated as rather advantageous for the knapping.

The Radiocarbon Chronology of Southern Spain's Late Prehistory (5600–1000 cal BC): A Comparative Review

SummaryThis paper is the first updated review of the scope, depth and problems related to the current radiocarbon chronology of the late prehistory of southern Iberia. The aim is twofold. First, it critically analyses the quantity and quality of radiocarbon dates used to interpret the diverse trajectories of western Mediterranean societies throughout more than four millennia. Secondly, it reviews a set of three different and prominent archaeological phenomena from an inter‐regional comparative perspective: primary and secondary burial practices, domestic stone architecture and ditched enclosures. Our long‐term, geographically wide‐ranging approach locates similarities while highlighting the effects of local and historical conditions in certain divergent circumstances.

Temporalities of human–livestock relationships in the late prehistory of the southern Levant

The secondary products revolution is re-appraised here as a critical process in human history that created durable and enduring relationships between people and their livestock. The secondary products revolution is conventionally described in terms of agricultural intensification and a step towards urban development. This process marks a shift from a strategy in which most animals are culled when they reach an optimal weight, which for ruminants occurs relatively early in life, to one in which individual animals are selected for their potential to yield one or more renewable products over the course of life and raised until they can no longer produce secondary products, which tends to occur in adulthood. This new mode of practice placed individual members of two species on an intersubjective ontological plane and moreover, spelled a shift in the temporality of human–livestock relations. This paper draws out the consequences of these ever-closer relationships in the course of human efforts to exploit renewable resources from domesticated animals. In particular, secondary products exploitation extended the lives of lactating female stock, sheep and goats desired for their fibres, oxen engaged in ploughing and donkeys working as pack animals. In this paper, the implications of these new long-term human–animal relationships, which originated and intensified sporadically in different regions of the Near East starting as early as the Neolithic, are discussed in light of the new temporality that attended practices of long-term stock-keeping. This model is examined in light of zooarchaeological, micromorphological and representational evidence for human–livestock relations from the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age of the southern Levant.

Recent research on the Late Prehistory of the arid regions in Jordan

Recent research on the Late Prehistory of the arid regions in Jordan

Aportaciones hidrogeológicas al estudio arqueológico de los orígenes de la Edad del Bronce de La Mancha: la cueva monumentalizada de Castillejo del Bonete (Terrinches, Ciudad Real, España)

Recent studies show that the motillas of the Bronze Age in La Mancha contain the oldest wells in the Iberian Peninsula. But why are there no motillas in Campo de Montiel, a territory traditionally placed inside this cultural area? In Castillejo del Bonete, an archaeological site located in Campo de Montiel, there is a cave used and sealed during Late Prehistory. We here report the first paleohidrogeological interdisciplinary research in La Mancha, analyzing some spring and freatic levels from the Campo de Montiel aquifer, as well as from inside the Castillejo del Bonete chasm. Our findings suggest an association between the hydrogeological substrate and the spatial distribution of the motillas, discarding the idea that the chasm at Castillejo del Bonete could be a mine or an aquifer access. This supports the idea that Castillejo del Bonete was an exceptional symbolic monument during the Chalcolithic and the Bronze Age, within a new type of site of the cultural group of the Bronze Age of La Mancha.

Deer use in good times and in bad: A Fort Ancient case study from southwest Ohio

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) utilisation before and during increased moisture variability and pronounced drought conditions during the late prehistory of southwestern Ohio is examined to assess the fit with the expectations of foraging efficiency models. The focus is on three Fort Ancient sites in the upper portion of the Great Miami River, including SunWatch, a large village located in present-day Dayton, Ohio. SunWatch was occupied during the Late Prehistoric era in the region. The earlier uses (AD 1150–1300) occurred during optimal moisture conditions. The later uses (AD 1300–1450) occurred within the context of increased droughts and extreme moisture variability. To address questions related to changing deer utilisation in response to drought, deer remains are examined temporally for the SunWatch site and two smaller Fort Ancient sites in the region (Wegerzyn and Wildcat). Results from this preliminary and exploratory study indicate that through time, deer body size is stable or decreases, juvenile deer became more abundant in the hunted assemblages, and human butchering strategies became less selective. These support the conclusion that environmental stress on the deer population led to a change in the deer population and influenced the way humans used deer.

Repositioning the Role of Written Sources in Archaeological Research

Contrary to the general attitude that the role of written sources in archaeological research marks the separation between two distinct fields of research – prehistorical and historical archaeology, the critical research into the history of the discipline points that the development of archaeology has not followed this pattern. Rather, the dominant role of the written sources in the study of classical past has been transferred onto the practices of praehistorical archaeology. Discussing the role of ancient sources in the research of the so-called “Illyrian question”, this paper addresses the consequences of this dominant role of written sources in the archaeological study of the past and points to the ways in which the interpretation of the classical texts influenced the theoretical-methodological framework of research of the late prehistory of the Balkans.

PATTERNS OF VIOLENCE IN LATE SOUTHWESTERN PREHISTORY: A BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE WARFARE MODEL OF PUEBLO AGGREGATION

Endemic warfare and the need for defensive settlement strategies have been suggested as one explanation for increases in site size during the Pueblo IV period of the American Southwest. This study evaluates the relationship between site size and community defensive capabilities during late Southwestern prehistory using the relative frequency and patterning of lethal and nonlethal cranial trauma in skeletal samples from Pueblo III and Pueblo IV period sites. It presents new data concerning the skeletal evidence of interpersonal violence from the Chavez Pass Ruin and embeds this information within a synthetic analysis of extant skeletal data for over 2,400 skeletons from 31 archaeological contexts across the Greater Southwest. Contrary to the expectations of a model in which increased site size conferred concrete defensive benefits to residents of large pueblo sites, patterns of skeletal trauma throughout the Southwest suggest no clear link between site size and defensive capability.

Anthropogenic impact and lead pollution throughout the Holocene in Southern Iberia

Present day lead pollution is an environmental hazard of global proportions. A correct determination of natural lead levels is very important in order to evaluate anthropogenic lead contributions. In this paper, the anthropogenic signature of early metallurgy in Southern Iberia during the Holocene, more specifically during the Late Prehistory, was assessed by mean of a multiproxy approach: comparison of atmospheric lead pollution, fire regimes, deforestation, mass sediment transport, and archeological data. Although the onset of metallurgy in Southern Iberia is a matter of controversy, here we show the oldest lead pollution record from Western Europe in a continuous paleoenvironmental sequence, which suggests clear lead pollution caused by metallurgical activities since ~3900cal BP (Early Bronze Age). This lead pollution was especially important during Late Bronze and Early Iron ages. At the same time, since ~4000cal BP, an increase in fire activity is observed in this area, which is also coupled with deforestation and increased erosion rates. This study also shows that the lead pollution record locally reached near present-day values many times in the past, suggesting intensive use and manipulation of lead during those periods in this area.

Early Marquesan Settlement and Patterns of Interaction: New Insights from Hatiheu Valley, Nuku Hiva Island

Hatiheu, one of Nuku Hiva’s largest and most fertile valleys, is an ideal setting for settlement but the valley’s early human history is poorly known. Its importance in late prehistory is well attested, with six major community ceremonial complexes (tohua) and hundreds of domestic structures (paepae). Recent excavations and AMS dating at Pahumanoo- te-tai indicate use of the area began around the late 13th to late 14th century AD and continued into the post-contact period. Evidence from the earliest occupation suggests a structure and domestic activities, including preparation and cooking of both wild and domesticated animals, and tool maintenance and adze manufacture involving both local and exotic raw materials, as identified through pXRF analysis. A remarkable number of stone sources are represented in the relatively small sample, including the newly identified East Hatiheu Quarry (described herein), four other Nuku Hiva localities, Eiao Island and a possible southern Marquesan source. A ~600-year stratigraphic sequence of repeated burning, erosion, and colluviation informs on long-term geomorphic dynamics at this locality. Pahumano joins a number of similarly-aged sites from throughout the archipelago which, as a whole, identify the 13th to 14th centuries ad as a period of widespread established settlement.

Archéologie préhistorique de la partie centrale du Main Ethiopian Rift : contribution à l’établissement de la séquence Late Stone Age d’Afrique orientale

Prehistory of the Central Main Ethiopian Rift (Ziway-Shala basin) : Establishing the Late Stone Age sequence in Eastern Africa Supported by the CFEE, ARCCH, MAEE, INRAP and the laboratory TRACES, this project, " Late Stone Age sequence in Ethiopia", is devoted to the collection of new data on the late prehistory of the Horn of Africa. To answer to this objective, several fieldwork seasons have been carried out since 2007 in the area of lakes Ziway, Langano and Abijata, located in the central part of the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley. Over the course of this project, we have intensively explored different geological contexts, and in particular the fluvio-lacustrine plain of the Bulbula river and the impact of volcanic eruption on the landscape and on human acquisition strategies. This area provides an ideal terrain for the study of prehistoric human/ environment relationships in the context of a shifting natural environment (lake fluctuations / volcanic activity). This collaborative program, developed in a region with a uniquely rich and well preserved sedimentary and archaeological record, has supplemented new data establishing the geomorphological and geological setting, with a stratigraphic sequence in which several new archaeological sites have been discovered and studied. Most notable are several sites dating to around 30,000 BP, a period previously poorly documented in Ethiopian Prehistory, and several sites dating to the transition between the Pleistocene and Holocene periods (between 12,000 and 9,000 cal BC). The archaeological sequence we have identified in the Bulbula plain is discontinuous because it is linked to lakelevel fluctuations but also to arid and volcanic events. Nevertheless, the different windows of preservation identified shed new light on a variety of issues regarding the late Prehistory of this area. It concerns particularly a final stage of the MSA (contemporary OIS3) and diverse expressions of the LSA. The signature of this diversity is both technical and economical, around the role of hunting and fishing practices. This interdisciplinary project combines geomorphological and archaeological perspectives with detailed work on raw material sampling and analysis.

Radiocarbon evidence for a prehistoric deliberate translocation: the weasel (Mustela nivalis) of Mallorca

We present radiocarbon evidence for the presence of the weasel (Mustela nivalis) on Mallorca prior to the Roman colonization of the Balearics. Bone collagen from a single specimen recovered at Cova del Ninot, Mallorca rendered two radiocarbon ages, independently obtained at two laboratories (2σ interval: 386–206 cal BC). These dates indicate that the translocation of the weasel to Mallorca occurred in Late Prehistory. The inhabitants of Mallorca at that time were the Talaiotic people (Iron Age settlers of the Balearics). The weasel appears to have been introduced by Talaiotic mercenaries returning to the island on Carthaginian ships. This is the first documented case of the translocation of a wild carnivorous mammal to the Gymnesic Islands (i.e., Mallorca and Menorca) in prehistoric times. Some ecological consequences of this invasion are outlined.

Understanding human movement through spatial technologies. The role of natural areas of transit in the Late Prehistory of South-western Iberia

Archaeological, historical, and ethnographic research has demonstrated how mountainous environments influence the socio-cultural dynamics of the communities that live in them and in their neighbouring areas. The development of these communities tends to occur at the margins, often far away from centres of political power. This marginality is also extended to movement in these regions, where mountain ranges regularly constitute mighty obstacles on account of their natural configuration which plays a central role in strategy, commerce and travelling. In the case of western Sierra Morena in Spain, its constitution shaped both the ways of transit through the mountains during Later Prehistory and the historical routes of communication that traverse Andalucia. Using a GIS methodology developed specifically to identify particular characteristics of the landscape relevant to human movement, such as passageways, crossing points, and natural areas of transit, we examine the role that natural accessibility had for the late prehistoric societies of this region. We conclude that the location of their habitats and symbolic places are strongly related to corridors, possibly due to an increasing importance of herding activities.

English

English

FROM HUTS TO ‘THE HOUSE’: THE SHIFT IN PERCEIVING HOME BETWEEN THE BRONZE AGE AND THE EARLY IRON AGE IN CENTRAL IBERIA (SPAIN)

SummaryThis paper focuses on the domestic realm in Late Prehistory in inland Iberia. A diachronic study of living quarters reveals two organizational approaches based on very different principles. The Bronze Age societies consisted of ephemeral family units: their huts are scattered, being relocated completely and regularly about every decade. From 800 BC onward, nucleated and permanent villages are formed: they are centred around ‘the house’. This is an institution that shelters generations of a family; it is the basic cell of the social order introduced in the Iron Age when everyday domestic practices were differently organized. Dwelling places become larger and are rebuilt over earlier ones. This change in practice is due to a new emphasis on links with the ancestral past and the genealogical transmission of land rights.

Multiple pathways across past landscapes: circuit theory as a complementary geospatial method to least cost path for modeling past movement

The incorporation of geospatial technologies in archaeology has resulted in productive advances in the analysis of past behavioral processes. Archaeologists have relied on the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) application of cost surface analysis and the computation of least cost paths (LCP) to study movement, one key social process. Recent research has identified limitations with LCP for modeling nonhuman species movement, notably the inability of LCP to accommodate multiple pathways. Archaeology must consider the implications of these critiques for models of past human movement. In this paper, I apply a different approach, circuit theory modeling, enacted through the program Circuitscape, to an archaeological case study previously analyzed with LCP modeling, travel to a regionally significant ceremonial earthwork center during Late Prehistory (ca. AD 1200–1600) in the Northern Great Lakes. Through this comparative analysis, I evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of these methods for modeling past movement. The results suggest LCP modeling and circuit modeling offer archaeology complementary geospatial methods for conceptualizing past mobility. Combining circuit theory and LCP allows archaeologists to produce richer models of past movement by appreciating scenarios where multiple pathways are important as well as scenarios where optimum single travel routes have priority.

A Revised Radiocarbon Sequence for Karluk-1 and the Implications for Kodiak Island Prehistory

The Karluk-1 site has played a central role in defining the late prehistory of the Kodiak archipelago, in particular the Koniag tradition and its genesis. As part of the Bryn Mawr College Karluk Archaeology Project, Richard Jordan and Richard Knecht excavated the site in the 1980s and obtained six radiocarbon dates. Here, I add 21 new dates for the Karluk-1 site, which suggest that the site was occupied approximately 250–300 years later than previously thought. These new dates help to refine our understanding of Karluk’s place in prehistory and raise questions about the role of the Little Ice Age in driving cultural changes observed at Karluk-1.

SIG y Paisajes Virtuales en 3D. Posibilidades de divulgación de la Prehistoria Reciente de la Sierra de Atapuerca

<p>Archaeology has developed several theoretical and methodological perspectives with the application of the Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Digital Terrain Models (DTM), Virtual Reality (VR) and the 3D Modelling. In the spreading a gradual progress has begun for mapping the sites on its environmental context with the virtual generation of the topographic and ecological features. The aim of this paper is the analysis of the possibilities of spreading of the settlement patterns in the Late Prehistory around Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos), VI to II millennium cal. BC-. The technical process is the modelling and 3D animation for video of Virtual Landscapes with GIS. The conclusion is that the Virtual Flying with GIS is a fundamental tool for the graphical spreading of the prehistoric settlement, especially with archaeological sites of surveys.</p>

Geodynamic and hydro-geological constraints regarding the extension of the prospective archaeo-cultural area within the northern Romanian coastal zone

An obvious discrepancy is noticed between the very few archaeological sites discovered until now on the Danube Delta plain area and the large number of such sites, whose ages range from the Middle Paleolithic to the Middle Ages and more recently, identified on its higher topography surroundings.The combined effects of the regional subsidence of the coast and delta area, with amplitudes of −2 to −4 mm/y and of the secular mean sea level rise (+0.5/1.0 mm/y) continuously change the “land-mean sea level” relative relationship, placing the prospective archaeo-cultural layer corresponding to the Late Prehistory – Antiquity period at a burial depth which now exceeds 4–5 m. This situation partly explains the limited success of the archaeological research carried out until now within the Danube Delta plain area and recommends a systematic use of the geophysical investigation methods in future. The integrated interpretation of the coastal zone bathymetry and sedimentology mappings and of the shoreline geomorphological evolution in time highlights the sedimentary processes that presently shape the littoral study zone allowing to divide it in sectors where either sediments accumulation or erosion processes prevail. The study draws attention to the Împuţita – Câşla Vădanei and Coşna – Vadu littoral sectors where the intense marine erosion of the shoreline and the adjacent seabed also imminently endangers their prospective archaeo-cultural load.