Paleomobility in Iberia: 12 years of strontium isotope research

Many institutions and reasearchers have supported our research and/or contributed with their samples, among them: Museo Arqueológico Regional de Madrid, Museo de Guadalajara, Museo de Albacete, Raquel Aliaga, Rodrigo de Balbín, Enrique Baquedano, Jess Beck, Primitiva Bueno, Susana Consuegra, Miguel Contreras, Rafael Garrido, Raúl Flores, Mauro Hernández and Rubi Sanz. This material is based upon work supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain, under Grant No. PGC2018-095506-B-I00. The reviewers positive and careful comments have substantially improved and clarified the manuscript.All data used is attached and available on line at www.idearq.orgWe examine the quantity, contextual quality and spatial distribution of the data gathered in the strontium isotope archaeological database for the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, an open source available as part of IDEArq (www.idearq.org), the spatial data infrastructure hosted at the Instituto de Historia (CSIC). It has to date 1635 87Sr/86Sr values from human and animal samples, and environmental proxies recovered during archaeological research. The data has allowed us to produce the first regional and peninsular strontium isoscapes for Iberia. We discuss the benefits and limitations of approaching mobility in Iberia through 87Sr/86Sr isotope analysis and suggest directions for future collaborative research.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain, under Grant No. PGC2018-095506-B-I0

Funerary practices in megalithic tombs during the Argaric Bronze Age in South-Eastern Iberia: The cemetery of Los Eriales

The transition between the Copper Age and the Argaric Bronze Age in south-eastern Iberia has traditionally been understood in an evolutionary framework that would have involved the replacement of some cultural forms by others. The chronology of megalithic societies has changed this assumption, revealing that the continuity of ancestral funerary practices is also a key feature of the Bronze Age. In this context, the new radiocarbon series from Los Eriales discussed in this paper can be considered a key contribution. Three main aspects stand out according to their statistical analysis: i) Los Eriales should be considered the most recent Iberian megalithic cemetery, as ritual activity began in the last centuries of the third millennium cal BC; ii) funerary activity took place during short events of intensive ritual depositions spanning a few decades, mainly in the 21st and 18th centuries; and iii) Los Eriales cemetery was mainly used during the Argaric period, which means the coexistence of two very different funerary practices: collective megalithic rituals and individual intramural inhumations. The continuity of megalithic rituals can be explained in terms of resilience to the social fragmentation that characterised Argaric societies.FEDER programme–University of Granada (A-HUM-123-UGR18 and B-HUM-174-UGR20)Regional Government of Andalusia (P18-FR-4123)Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2020-114282GB-I00)Universidad de Málaga / CBU

Funerary practices in megalithic tombs during the Argaric Bronze Age in South-Eastern Iberia: the cemetery of Los Eriales

The transition between the Copper Age and the Argaric Bronze Age in south-eastern Iberia has traditionally been understood in an evolutionary framework that would have involved the replacement of some cultural forms by others. The chronology of megalithic societies has changed this assumption, revealing that the continuity of ancestral funerary practices is also a key feature of the Bronze Age. In this context, the new radiocarbon series from Los Eriales discussed in this paper can be considered a key contribution. Three main aspects stand out according to their statistical analysis: i) Los Eriales should be considered the most recent Iberian megalithic cemetery, as ritual activity began in the last centuries of the third millennium cal BC; ii) funerary activity took place during short events of intensive ritual depositions spanning a few decades, mainly in the 21st and 18th centuries; and iii) Los Eriales cemetery was mainly used during the Argaric period, which means the coexistence of two very different funerary practices: collective megalithic rituals and individual intramural inhumations. The continuity of megalithic rituals can be explained in terms of resilience to the social fragmentation that characterised Argaric societies.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA. This research was supported by the FEDER programme–University of Granada (A-HUM-123-UGR18 and B-HUM-174-UGR20), the Regional Government of Andalusia (P18-FR-4123), and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2020-114282GB-I00)

New random generalized linear model for sex determination based on cranial measurements

The estimation of the sex of the individual is a parameter of great value in forensic contexts and, above all, in archaeological contexts, where it is more difficult to apply genetic studies. In contrast with methods based on non-metric variables, we propose the use of a random generalized linear model for the determination of sex, starting from the Howells craniometric database and testing them on the dataset of known sex of the Forensic Data Bank, with 2524 and 1314 individuals respectively. After eliminating the individual’s considered outliers or with missing data, we proceeded to analyse which variables were more dimorphic between sexes (bizigomatic width, ZYB; bijugal width, JUB; mastoid height, MDH; glabela-occipital length, GOL; bifrontal width, FMB); these were used to build the statistical model. Subsequently, a comparison was made between the functions proposed by other authors and our model to determine their capacity in absolute terms, as well as by sex. The result is a random generalized linear model made up of 300 bags that, based on the five measures mentioned, reached 86.26% precision classifying the sex of individuals from the Forensic Data Bank (89.7% in the male sample and 82.82% in the female one). Although the method presented here should be taken with caution and not as the only way to estimate sex, it has proven to be statistically accurate in addition to having a non-regional vocation.Peer reviewe