Local diversity in settlement, demography and subsistence across the southern Indian Neolithic-Iron Age transition: site growth and abandonment at Sanganakallu-Kupgal

The Southern Indian Neolithic-Iron Age transition demonstrates considerable regional variability in settlement location, density, and size. While researchers have shown that the region around the Tungabhadra and Krishna River basins displays significant subsistence and demographic continuity, and intensification, from the Neolithic into the Iron Age ca. 1200 cal. BC, archaeological and chronometric records in the Sanganakallu region point to hilltop village expansion during the Late Neolithic and ‘Megalithic’ transition period (ca. 1400–1200 cal. BC) prior to apparent abandonment ca. 1200 cal. BC, with little evidence for the introduction of iron technology into the region. We suggest that the difference in these settlement histories is a result of differential access to stable water resources during a period of weakening and fluctuating monsoon across a generally arid landscape. Here, we describe well-dated, integrated chronological, archaeobotanical, archaeozoological and archaeological survey datasets from the Sanganakallu-Kupgal site complex that together demonstrate an intensification of settlement, subsistence and craft production on local hilltops prior to almost complete abandonment ca. 1200 cal. BC. Although the southern Deccan region as a whole may have witnessed demographic increase, as well as subsistence and cultural continuity, at this time, this broader pattern of continuity and resilience is punctuated by local examples of abandonment and mobility driven by an increasing practical and political concern with water

La géochimie organique des sédiments marins profonds. Mission orgon 3, 1976 (Mauritanie, Sénégal, Iles du Cap-Vert). Généralités et résultats obtenus à la mer. Organic Geochemistry of Deep Marine Sediments. Orgon 3 Mission, 1976 (Mauritania,Senegal,Cape Verde Islands). General and Results Obtained At Sea

Sept articles distincts traitent, le premier des généralités sur la mission ORLON 3, le second du cadre géologique général, les cinq autres des résultats obtenus à la mer dans les domaines de l'interprétation des profils d'échosondeur, de la descrip-tion des carottes, de l'examen de la matière organique figurée, de l'étude des gaz occlus et enfin de la microbiologie. Les profils d'échosondeur permettent de préciser la topographie des fonds, qui apparaissent comme entaillés de canyons. Ils permettent aussi de déceler les glissements sédimentaires qui apparaissent comme un processus normal de mise en place des sédiments dans la région étudiée. La description immédiate des carottes a permis, en particulier, de mettre en évidence des niveaux turbiditiques à éléments bioclastiques subsistant sous la lysocline, ce qui, entre autres, confirme les considérations précédentes. L'examen de la matière organique figurée fait soupçonner l'importance de l'apport détritique éolien, ce qui est une nouveauté. L'étude des gaz occlus oppose nettement la région Nord (radiale de Nouadhibou), au Sud (région des fleuves côtiers et du canyon de Kayar). Dans cette dernière, les gaz ne contiennent pratiquement que du méthane comme hydrocarbure ; les teneurs sontirrégulièrement réparties et ne montrent aucune corrélation, ni avec la teneur en carbone organique, ni avec la richesse microbienne des niveaux. Au Nord, le méthane est un peu moins prédominant (l'éthane représente quelques centièmes du méthane, les homologues supérieurs sont à l'état de traces). S'il n'y a pas corrélation avec la richesse microbienne, il y en a par contre avec la teneur en carbone organique et les teneurs s'accroîssent régulièrement en profondeur pour atteindre le double des teneurs mesurées au Sud. L'interprétation de ces données n'est pas évidente. La microbiologie a mis en évidence un phénomène déjà entrevu aux précédentes missions ORLON. A la pauvreté générale en bactéries des sédiments étudiés, jointe à la disparition totale de ces bactéries très rapidement dans la profondeur des carottes, se superpose ici, dans des niveaux profonds différents suivant les carottes, une microflore très abondante et active (non sporulée). L'importance géologique de cette découverte ne saurait être sous-estimée. <br> Seven separate articles will be published on the ORLON 3 mission.The first will deal with general aspects, the second with the general geological setting and the other five with the results obtained at sea in the fields of interpreting echosounder profiles, describing tore samples, observing parriculote organic motter, examining entrapped gas and investigating microbiology. Echosounder profiles describe the topography of the sea bed which appears to be slashed by canyons. They also detect sedimentary sliding which appears as a normal process of sediment deposition in the region being investigated. The im.nediate description of core samples in particular revealed turbidite levels with bioclastic elements subsisting under the lysocline, thus confirming the preceding considerations among others. An examination of the figured elements in the organic matter suggests the importance of eolian detrital influx, which is something new. An analysis of the entrappeci gas gives rise ta clearcut opposition between the northern region (radial of Nouadhibou) and the southern region (a region of coastal rivers and the Kayar canyon). In the latter region, the gas contains almost nothing other thon methane as a hydrocarbon. The amounts of methane in the gas are irregularly distributed and show no correlation either with the organic carbon contents or with the microbial richness of the levels. In the north the methane is slightly less predominant (ethane represents a few hundredths of methane, and the upper homo-logous series have merely traces). Although there is no correlation witb the microbial richness, there is nonetheless one with the organic carbon content which increases regularly at depth to attain double the amounts measured in the south. The interpretation of such data is not obvious.Microbiology revealed a phenomenon thot had already been glimpsed during preceding ORLON missions. In addition ta the general bacterial poverty of the sediments analyzed, combined with the total disappearance of such bacteria very quickly as depth increases in the cores, is here superimposed the presence of some discrete levels, at depths depending on the cores, where thrives a very abundant and active (unsporulated) microflora

Coupled transport and poro-mechanical properties of a heat-treated mortar under confinement

International audienceThis experimental investigation focuses on a mortar heated/cooled up to 105, 200, 300 or 400 °C. The reference state for the material corresponds to mass stabilization at 60 °C oven-drying. Extensive (and tortuous) micro-crack development is shown by SEM and FIB/SEM imaging after heating-cooling up to 400 °C. Poro-mechanical performance is significantly affected after 400 °C heat-treatment, as plastic straining develops with increasing hydrostatic stress Pc; simultaneously, intrinsic gas permeability Kint decreases irreversibly after a first loading, and remains significantly lower whatever the subsequent Pc loading. These results are mainly attributed to the irreversible closure of heat-induced micro-cracks. This interpretation, based on our micro structural analysis, is validated experimentally under hydrostatic loading: a dedicated static gas experiment provides directly the pore volume under given Pc. By comparison with experimental data on heat-treated cement paste, we conclude that the irreversible pore closure of heat-treated mortar is related to that of micro-cracks mainly located at the paste/aggregate interface

Phytolith analysis reveals the intensity of past land use change in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot

This paper presents a study of phytoliths (opal silica bodies from plants) from sediment sequences obtained from two tropical forest patches in the Western Ghats of India: a sacred grove (sequence covers last 550 cal BP) and a forest patch in a plantation (sequence covers last 7500 cal BP). The sites are located at mid-elevation (c. 650–1400 m above sea level) in a mosaic landscape showing anthropogenic open habitats and plantation as well as some evergreen forests. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the landscape composition of grassland and forest over time in the region, grassland being invariably shaped by anthropogenic activities, particularly fire for cultivation. In particular, we compare the phytolith record with the previously published pollen record from the same cores in order to improve our understanding of grass diversity and abundance over time. We identified and classified phytoliths into 34 morphotypes from five taxonomic groups: Poaceae (grasses), Cyperaceae (sedges), Arecaceae (palms), Pteridopsida (ferns) and woody dicotyledons (broad-leaved trees and shrubs). We also calculated the humidity–aridity index (Iph). First, our results show that grasses are the most represented phytolith types in both sites, followed by broad-leaved trees and shrubs, palms, sedges, and ferns. Second, the highly variable climatic index Iph over the last 1000 years suggest that changes in phytolith percentage (e.g. broad-leaved trees) might be caused by human agro-pastoral activities, such as clearing through fires and irrigation. Prior to these human activities, the phytolith signal for early Holocene climate is congruent with the existing literature. Finally, this study compares new phytolith results with previous pollen data from the same sites. We find good agreement between these two botanical proxies throughout, thus validating our findings. We provide important evidence regarding the history of environmental change due to anthropogenic activities in the Western Ghats. This has important implications because it provides insights into how tropical forest will respond to increased intensity of human activities