Metodología de excavación y análisis de concheros : experiencias acumuladas después de 20 años de estudios etnoarqueológicos en la Costa Norte del Canal Beagle (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina)

Los estudios etnoarqueológicos llevados a cabo en yacimientos Yámana de la costa norte del Canal Beagle (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina), han permitido desarrollar una metodología de excavación y análisis de concheros potencialmente aplicable en yacimientos similares de la Península Ibérica. El estudio de los restos malacológicos integrando diferentes técnicas de análisis, permite obtener un reflejo detallado sobre las dinámicas de formación de estos yacimientos y las estrategias organizativas de los grupos de cazadores recolectores pescadores que los generaron.The ethonoarchaeological studies of the Yamana sites from the north coast of the Beagle Channel (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina), has allowed us to develop a particular excavation methodology and a shellmidden analysis method potentially applicable to similar sites from the Iberian Peninsula. The study of mollusc remains, integrating different analytic techniques, permits us to obtain detailed information about the site formation and the organization strategies of the hunter-gatherers-fishers that generated shellmiddens in the area

Co-constructing knowledge with the International Panel for Ocean Sustainability

UIDB/04666/2020 UIDP/04666/2020The efficacy of global environmental assessments in informing and shaping ocean and coastal management is hampered by recognized gaps in global science endeavours. In order to bridge these gaps, and secure inclusive and equitable knowledge co-construction by ocean stakeholders, the International Panel for Ocean Sustainability (IPOS) is emerging. Here we present the outcomes of the “Bridging Shades of Blue Workshop” held in Spain 2023. A diverse group of Ocean knowledge holders, including policymakers, small-scale fishers, marine social scientists and ocean lawyers gathered to reflect on the key features, challenges, strategies, actors to be involved, as well as pathways to balance power for advancing an inclusive and equitable IPOS. As a result, six foundational dimensions of IPOS’s institutional identity were proposed as IPOS ID cards: 1) Diversifying Ocean Knowledge Systems, 2) Widening the Range of Methods for Ocean Knowledge Production, 3) Informing Decision-making, 4) Engaging at the Interfaces of Knowledge with Decision-making, 5) Communicating, Learning, and Sharing Knowledge, 6) Measuring Progress and Evaluating Success. We conclude by emphasizing IPOS’s potential role as a beacon for inclusive, equitable, and sustainable ocean governance.publishersversionpublishe

Unraveling Island Economies through Organic Residue Analysis: The Case of Mocha Island (Southern Chile)

Biophysical conditions played a fundamental role in early human colonization of insular territories, particularly in food-producing societies dealing with limited resources and the challenges of maintaining a sustainable carrying capacity. Studies on past human colonization of small oceanic islands thus offer insights into economic plasticity, ecological impacts, and adaptation of early food-producing groups. On the coast of southern Chile, early evidence is dated to 950 cal BP of island colonization by coastal populations with mainland subsistence systems based on the exploitation of marine resources, along with gathering, managing, and cultivating plants and hunting terrestrial animals. Strikingly, the extent to which these mixed economies contributed to insular colonization efforts is largely unknown. Here we used organic residue analysis of ceramic artifacts to shed light on the subsistence of populations on Mocha Island in southern Chile. We extracted and analyzed lipids from 51 pottery sherds associated with the El Vergel cultural complex that flourished in southern Chile between 950 and 400 cal BP. Chemical and stable isotope analysis of the extracts identified a range of food products, including C3 and C4 plants and marine organisms. The results reveal the central role of mixed subsistence systems in fueling the colonization of Mocha Island

Elucidating historical fisheries’ networks in the Iberian Peninsula using stable isotopes

[EN] Processed fish is known to have been systematically traded in Europe since the Early Middle Ages to meet increasing demand of incipient markets and religious precepts, yet specific details regarding the supply of different fish in Southern Europe is often missing. Here, we address this gap through an integrated approach involving bone metrics and stable isotopic analysis of archaeological European hake (Merluccius merluccius, Merluccidae) from the Iberian Peninsula. The results offer new insights regarding historical fisheries production systems, including the regions exploited and commercial routes, whilst also revealing biological differences between archaeological and present-day hake populations in the North-east Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. This research highlights the fruitful result of combining ichthyoarchaeological and historical data for tracking down the origin and development of historical fisheries in south-western Europe and their bearing on modern fisheries.SIThis research was mainly supported by the European Commission through the FISHARC-IF 658022 Marie-Curie-Sklodowska-IF fellowship for Career development. Additional support was received by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [HAR 2014-55722-P (Ictioarqueologia de la Prehistoria cantábrica: Modelos para la caracterización de las primeras pesquerías europeas), HAR 2017-88325-P (Historical archaeobiology of the European hake (Merluccius merluccius, L.1758) in the NE Atlantic: The Iberian evidence (AD 10th–18th)), and the European Molecular Biology Organization (ASTF 354-2016). The research is also under the framework of the the Leidse Universiteit Fonds-Bakels 2021 fund, the PID-118662GB-100 (FISHCIIS - Fishing Isotopes) project from the Ministry of Science and Innovation, and the Research Group of Cultural Landscapes and Heritage of the University of the Basque Country. We finally want to thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions that have improved the quality of this paper. This work contributes to the “María de Maeztu” Programme for Units of Excellence of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CEX2019-000940-M)

Long-term resilience of late holocene coastal subsistence system in Southeastern South america.

Isotopic and molecular analysis on human, fauna and pottery remains can provide valuable new insights into the diets and subsistence practices of prehistoric populations. These are crucial to elucidate the resilience of social-ecological systems to cultural and environmental change. Bulk collagen carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis of 82 human individuals from mid to late Holocene Brazilian archaeological sites (∼6,700 to ∼1,000 cal BP) reveal an adequate protein incorporation and, on the coast, the continuation in subsistence strategies based on the exploitation of aquatic resources despite the introduction of pottery and domesticated plant foods. These results are supported by carbon isotope analysis of single amino acid extracted from bone collagen. Chemical and isotopic analysis also shows that pottery technology was used to process marine foods and therefore assimilated into the existing subsistence strategy. Our multidisciplinary results demonstrate the resilient character of the coastal economy to cultural change during the late Holocene in southern Brazil

Shell sclerochronology and stable isotopes of the bivalve Anomalocardia flexuosa (Linnaeus, 1767) from southern Brazil: : implications for environmental and archaeological studies

We conduct the first stable isotopic and sclerochronological calibration of the bivalve Anomalocardia flexuosa (Linnaeus, 1767) in relation to environmental variables in a subtropical coastal area of southern Brazil. We investigate incremental shell growth patterns and δ18O and δ13C values of modern specimens collected alive from the Laguna Lagoonal System (LLS). As shells of Anomalocardia flexuosa are also the main components of pre-Columbian archaeological shell mounds and middens distributed along the Brazilian coastline, late Holocene archaeological specimens from a local shell mound (Cabeçuda) were selected to compare their stable carbon and oxygen isotopes with those of modern specimens. Shell growth increments, δ18O and δ13C values respond to a complex of environmental conditions, involving, for example, the effects of temperature and salinity. The isotopic information extracted from archaeological specimens from Cabeçuda shell midden in the LLS indirectly indicates that environmental conditions during the late Holocene were different from present day. In particular, intra-shell δ18O and δ13C values of archaeological shells reveal a stronger marine influence at 3 ka cal BP, which is in contrast to the seasonal freshwater/seawater balance that currently prevails at the LLS

Utilising phytanic acid diastereomers for the characterisation of archaeological lipid residues in pottery samples

Phytanic acid diastereomers, 3S,7R,11R,15-phytanic acid (SRR) and 3R,7R,11R,15-phytanic acid (RRR), were determined by GC-MS in extracts of archaeological ceramic. The SRR% was higher in pottery from coastal sites corresponding with 13C enriched n-alkanoic acid corroborating a predominantly marine origin for the food residues. Conversely, low SRR% and 13C depleted n-alkanoic acid were found at inland sites, which are most likely derived from ruminant products. These observations are explained by differences in the bacterial transformation of phytol to phytanic acid between ruminant and aquatic organisms and allow these products to be easily distinguished in archaeological contexts

The historical ecology of subsistence and early commercial fisheries in mangrove systems in Brazil

Human population growth and the technological advancements of the 20th and 21st centuries have significantly altered human-environment interactions and led to unprecedented anthropogenic footprints on coastal and ocean systems. Despite thousands of years of exploitation for subsistence and, later, commercial purposes, the ecology of mangrove fisheries along the Brazilian coast and the consequences of these activities remain poorly understood. This is largely due to a pervasive lack of historical baselines, and highlights the conservation crises affecting some of the world's biodiversity hotspots. In this study, we used otolith metrics and stable isotope analysis to investigate changes in the body length and trophic ecology of several demersal species recovered from pre-colonial (4500 cal BP to 1500 AD) and historical (late 19th and early 20th centuries AD) archaeological sites in Babitonga Bay, the largest mangrove system in southern Brazil. Our results revealed that pre-colonial and historical fisheries exploited a wide range of mangrove habitats, encompassing brackish to marine systems. Pre-colonial subsistence fisheries, however, targeted predominantly small and juvenile individuals in nursery areas, while early commercial fisheries targeted larger adult specimens, likely due to their higher commercial value. Our study shows that some drivers of stock overexploitation, such as the preferential capture of large and adult individuals, were found to be occurring more than 150 years ago along the southern Brazilian coast. Given the deep roots of human footprints in Brazil, our findings underscore the significance of incorporating historical data into the formulation of fisheries management strategies in subtropical and tropical regions

'Palaeoshellomics' reveals the use of freshwater mother-of-pearl in prehistory

The extensive use of mollusc shell as a versatile raw material is testament to its importance in prehistoric times. The consistent choice of certain species for different purposes, including the making of ornaments, is a direct representation of how humans viewed and exploited their environment. The necessary taxonomic information, however, is often impossible to obtain from objects that are small, heavily worked or degraded. Here we propose a novel biogeochemical approach to track the biological origin of prehistoric mollusc shell. We conducted an in-depth study of archaeological ornaments using microstructural, geochemical and biomolecular analyses, including 'palaeoshellomics', the first application of palaeoproteomics to mollusc shells (and indeed to any invertebrate calcified tissue). We reveal the consistent use of locally-sourced freshwater mother-of-pearl for the standardized manufacture of 'double-buttons'. This craft is found throughout Europe between 4200-3800 BCE, highlighting the ornament-makers' profound knowledge of the biogeosphere and the existence of cross-cultural traditions

Chemical analysis of pottery demonstrates prehistoric origin for high-altitude alpine dairying

The European high Alps are internationally renowned for their dairy produce, which are of huge cultural and economic significance to the region. Although the recent history of alpine dairying has been well studied, virtually nothing is known regarding the origins of this practice. This is due to poor preservation of high altitude archaeological sites and the ephemeral nature of transhumance economic practices. Archaeologists have suggested that stone structures that appear around 3,000 years ago are associated with more intense seasonal occupation of the high Alps and perhaps the establishment of new economic strategies. Here, we report on organic residue analysis of small fragments of pottery sherds that are occasionally preserved both at these sites and earlier prehistoric rock-shelters. Based mainly on isotopic criteria, dairy lipids could only be identified on ceramics from the stone structures, which date to the Iron Age (ca. 3,000 - 2,500 BP), providing the earliest evidence of this practice in the high Alps. Dairy production in such a marginal environment implies a high degree of risk even by today’s standards. We postulate that this practice was driven by population increase and climate deterioration that put pressure on lowland agropastoral systems and the establishment of more extensive trade networks, leading to greater demand for highly nutritious and transportable dairy products