Typologie d'actualités : Publications

Article | Ancient DNA sheds light on the funerary practices of late Neolithic collective burial in southern France

Source : http://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.1215

The Aven de la Boucle (Corconne, Gard, southern France) is a karst shaft used as a collective burial between 3600 and 2800 cal BCE. The site encompasses the skeletal remains of approximately 75 individuals comprising a large majority of adult individuals, represented by scattered and commingled remains. To date, few studies have explored the potential of ancient DNA to tackle the documentation of Neolithic collective burials, and the funerary selection rules within such structures remain largely debated. In this study, we combine genomic analysis of 37 individuals with archaeo-anthropological data and Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates. Through this multidisciplinary approach, we aim to characterize the identity of the deceased and their relationships, as well as untangle the genetic diversity and funerary dynamics of this community. Genomic results identify 76% of male Neolithic individuals, suggesting a marked sex-biased selection. Available data emphasize the importance of biological relatedness and a male-mediated transmission of social status, as the affiliation to a specific male-lineage appears as a preponderant selection factor. The genomic results argue in favour of ‘continuous’ deposits between 3600 and 2800 BCE, carried out by the same community, despite cultural changes reflected by the ceramic material.

Article | Burned Wood as a Cultural Marker? Ancient Ligneous Landscapes and Firewood Use at Bonneville Estates Rockshelter, Nevada, USA

Source : https://doi.org/10.1163/27723194-bja10033

Plant resources have been widely relied upon by past hunter-gatherer societies; their remains uncovered at archaeological sites can serve as precious archives of the lives of past humans. However, while faunal remains are generally well preserved, botanical materials are usually charred, and less commonly preserved under conditions of desiccation, imbibition or freezing. Bonneville Estates Rockshelter (BER), Nevada, was intermittently occupied by humans from the end of the Pleistocene to recent times and has yielded a rich archaeobotanical corpus consisting of both charred and dessicated remains that have been only partially studied. The present work is an analysis of about 2500 wood charcoal fragments recovered from the PaleoIndigenous (ca. 13 000–10 500 cal. BP) and Early Archaic (ca. 8200–4800 cal. BP) strata of the site. We present the plants selected for firewood during different occupations, question whether this selection is related to cultural and/or environmental factors and compare our results with data on current firewood use by the native populations of the arid American West.

Article | An 8000 years old genome reveals the Neolithic origin of the zoonosis Brucella melitensis

source : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50536-1

Brucella melitensis, un important pathogène pour le bétail et une zoonose qui cause des maladies et des avortements chez les petits ruminants et les humains, constitue aujourd’hui un fardeau économique considérable. L’analyse génomique d’un mouton vieux de 8000 ans provenant du site archéologique de Menteşe Höyük en Turquie (province de Bursa, nord-ouest), montre que B. melitensis circulait déjà parmi le bétail néolithique. Ce génome basal permet de dater la spéciation de B. melitensis à environ 9800 ans avant le présent par rapport à l’espèce B. abortus qui cible plus particulièrement les bovins, ce qui correspond au développement des premières économies pastorales. Cette étude suggère que l’élevage concomitant de plusieurs espèces a favorisé l’évolution et l’adaptation de ce pathogène.

Article | Ancient anthropogenic soil beneath Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Source : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2024.108104

Over 1000 years of irrigation agriculture by the Hohokam (450–1450 CE) left an indelible mark on soils of the lower Salt River Valley in Arizona. Defining the nature, extent, and formation of these anthropogenic soils, named Salt River Adobe during the valley’s first soil survey, is important for understanding human impacts to the environment and agricultural history of arid lands. Towards that objective, we describe an undisturbed, buried example of the Salt River Adobe from the Salt River floodplain and present evidence for its anthrogenesis based on archaeological context, age, physicochemical properties, micromorphology, and pollen content. We determined that the Salt River Adobe at this location represents approximately 500 years of irrigation sedimentation and pedogenesis resulting in a 70+ cm thick cumulic soil. Cessation of irrigation within the project area occurred in the 1200s CE at a time of peak Hohokam population. Our evidence suggests fairly continuous multi-century irrigation farming by the Hohokam at one location with soil productivity maintained by irrigation sedimentation and possible fertilization. We hypothesize that cessation of farming at this location during a time of high food-demand was due in part to gradually reduced soil permeability and tilth. More research is needed to better understand the geographic extent and genesis of Salt River Adobe and the role it played in Hohokam farming and cultural history.

Article | Investigating grandmothers’ cooking: A multidisciplinary approach to foodways on an archaeological dump in Lower Casamance, Senegal

Because they hold information about cultural identity, foodways have been the focus of a variety of disciplines in archaeology. However, each approach documents different stages of culinary preparation and is constrained by the preservation specificities of each type of artefact and ecofact. Difficulties in achieving an interdisciplinary approach may explain the scarcity of such studies. In this paper, we propose a methodology that combines archaeozoological, carpological and microbotanical analysis of ecofacts retrieved in the sediment, with use-alteration, organic residue and microbotanical analysis carried out on pottery vessels, recovered during the excavation of a XXth century archaeological dump site in Lower Casamance (Senegal). The results demonstrate the strength of this multiproxy approach in reconstructing past foodways by characterising the importance of aquatic, terrestrial animals and plant products in the Diola Kassa diet. In addition, this study questions the modalities of food transformation by assessing the preparation techniques of animal and vegetal products (cutting marks, heating processes etc.) and the function of pottery vessels (transport, storage, cooking etc.). Aquatic products and rice were a significant part of the diet of the users of the dump (from archaeozoology, carpology, phytoliths and organic residue analysis) and wet cooking (boiling?), salty and acidic foods seem to have been particularly prevalent (from use-alteration). The absence of specific animal and plant parts in the archaeological record, as well as some pottery function, is also questioned. Beyond gathering the results of each approach, this study focuses on the interweaving of different research methods to depict past foodscape. 

Article en open access : https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0295794

Projet : Foodways in West Africa (Sinergia)

Article | Chemical analyses reveal dual functionality of Early Mesolithic birch tar at Krzyż Wielkopolski (Poland)

Source : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104591

Dataset : https://doi.org/10.34847/nkl.0e8as770

Birch bark tar played an important role as an adhesive in the European Middle Palaeolithic and Mesolithic with key practical functions. For the Mesolithic in northern Europe, tar is suggested to have a variety of functions, including decorative, on various artefacts such as amber beads, antler and bone objects. However, no chemical characterisation has been conducted to confirm the organic composition of such decorations. To address this gap, we conducted organic residue analysis on archaeological samples taken from three artefacts excavated at the Early Mesolithic site Krzyż Wielkoposki (Poland). These include a wooden shaft, an antler point, and a perforated antler object with ornamental engravings. We further replicated two potential aceramic birch bark tar production techniques and employed Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for molecular differentiation. Our results show that birch bark tar served a dual functionality in tool hafting and ornamentation at Krzyż. We found compositional differences among archaeological samples, but comparing these results to experimental data presents significant challenges. Our findings shed light on birch bark tar versatility, and imply more widespread use of birch bark tar as a decorative element in the European Mesolithic than has hitherto been recognised.

Ouvrage | Hayonim Cave From the Early to the Middle Palaeolithic in the Levant (Israel)

source : 10.59641/i8d53db9

Paperback ISBN: 9789464261851 | Hardback ISBN: 9789464261868 | Imprint: Sidestone Press | Format: 210x280mm | 306 pp. | Language: English | 51 illus. (bw) | 82 illus. (fc) | Keywords: cave; Palaeolithic archaeology; early human behavior; lithic technology; taphonomy; pyrotechnology; geoarchaeology; site formation processes; zooarchaeology | download cover | DOI: 10.59641/i8d53db9

This is a full Open Access publication/Téléchargement gratuit de l’ouvrage à cette adresse

www.sidestone.com/books/hayonim-cave

Preface
L. Meignen O. Bar-Yosef

Chapter 1 – Introduction
Liliane Meignen, Ofer Bar-Yosef

Chapter 2 – Hayonim geology and stratigraphy
Paul Goldberg, Liliane Meignen, Steve Weiner, Ofer Bar-Yosef

Chapter 3 – Fire use, cave occupations by early Middle Palaeolithic Humans in Hayonim Cave
Liliane Meignen, Paul Goldberg

Chapter 4 – Faunal perspectives on carbonate preservation and hearth-centered activities during the Middle Palaeolithic in Hayonim Cave
Mary C. Stiner

Chapter 5- Hayonim Cave: Lithic assemblages, from the end of the Lower Palaeolithic to the Middle Palaeolithic
Liliane Meignen

Chapter 6- Technological, cultural and behavioral changes in the Levant from the Late Lower Palaeolithic to the mid-Middle Palaeolithic: Contribution from the Hayonim sequence
Liliane Meignen

The research presented in this book results from an international interdisciplinary research program in Hayonim cave (Israel) from 1992 to 2000, directed by Prof O. Bar-Yosef (Harvard University) and L. Meignen (CNRS, France), and focusing on a long archaeological sequence dated to circa 300-140 000 years ago. The intensive fieldwork and research following it allowed us to document an essential period of human history in the Levant: the end of the Lower Palaeolithic and Early Middle Palaeolithic, during which recent discoveries showed that the early H. sapiens, expanding out of Africa, reached SW Asia around 180-190 000 y ago.

This book brings together the impressive findings of nine years of excavations and analysis by an interdisciplinary team of well-known scholars from US universities (Harvard, Boston, University of Arizona), Weizmann Institute (Israel) as well as from the French CNRS.

Several complementary approaches are implemented to understand early human economic, cultural and behavioral changes observed at this crucial period. It is based on detailed studies of lithic artifact technology, the remains of systematic fire use and cave occupation by early humans, and foraging strategies that include the early development of human adaptations for hunting large prey. In the context of the highly debated cultural break observed at the end of the Lower Palaeolithic, we propose new interpretations based on these innovative results.

This volume will provide a cornerstone for the history of humankind in a critical geographic region, at the crossroads between Africa and Eurasia.

Article | Differences in birch tar composition are explained by adhesive function in the central European Iron Age

Open access : https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0301103

Birch bark tar is the most widely documented adhesive in prehistoric Europe. More recent periods attest to a diversification in terms of the materials used as adhesives and their application. Some studies have shown that conifer resins and beeswax were added to produce compound adhesives. For the Iron Age, no comparative large-scale studies have been conducted to provide a wider perspective on adhesive technologies. To address this issue, we identify adhesive substances from the Iron Age in north-eastern France. We applied organic residue analysis to 65 samples from 16 archaeological sites. This included residues adhering to ceramics, from vessel surface coatings, repaired ceramics, vessel contents, and adhesive lumps. Our findings show that, even during the Iron Age in north-eastern France, birch bark tar is one of the best-preserved adhesive substances, used for at least 400 years. To a lesser extent, Pinaceae resin and beeswax were also identified. Through statistical analyses, we show that molecular composition differs in samples, correlating with adhesive function. This has implications for our understanding of birch bark tar production, processing and mode of use during the Iron Age in France and beyond.

Article | Neolithic shepherds and sheepfold caves in Southern France and adjacent areas: An overview from 40 years of bioarchaeological analyses

Source : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2023.03.004

In southern France, the analysis of fossil dung layers from caves and shelters occupied by the first Neolithic farmers has provided a wealth of information about the lives of shepherds and their flocks, and thus on pastoral systems. Since the early 1980s, the development of sedimentological, archaeozoological and archaeobotanical studies has made possible to collect a large amount of data. More recently, the implementation of a whole range of innovative approaches allows a more detailed approach to pastoralism. This paper proposes a synthetic approach of 40 years of bioarchaeological analysis on Neolithic sheepfold caves (grottes-bergeries). Their interpretation focuses on understanding the early agropastoral system: pastoral use of wild and cultivated plantresources (fodder, litter, care and health of livestock), mobility systems, seasonality, practices and appropriation of territory.

Article | The impact of climate change on the agriculture and the economy of Southern Gaul: New perspectives of agent-based modelling

Source : https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0298895

What impact did the Roman Climate Optimum (RCO) and the Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA) have on the rise and fall of the Roman Empire? Our article presents an agent-based modelling (ABM) approach developed to evaluate the impact of climate change on the profitability of vineyards, olive groves, and grain farms in Southern Gaul, which were the main source of wealth in the roman period. This ABM simulates an agroecosystem model which processes potential agricultural yield values from paleoclimatic data. The model calculates the revenues made by agricultural exploitations from the sale of crops whose annual volumes vary according to climate and market prices. The potential profits made by the different agricultural exploitations are calculated by deducting from the income the operating and transportation costs. We conclude that the warm and wet climate of the Roman period may have had an extremely beneficial effect on the profitability of wine and olive farms between the 2nd century BCE and the 3rd century CE, but a more modest effect on grain production. Subsequently, there is a significant decrease in the potential profitability of farms during the Late Antique Little Ice Age (4th-7th century CE). Comparing the results of our model with archaeological data enables us to discuss the impact of these climatic fluctuations on the agricultural and economic growth, and then their subsequent recession in Southern Gaul from the beginning to the end of antiquity.