Cultural continuities and discontinuities at the Neolithic transition in Eastern Iberia: an analysis of the morphometry of geometric microliths

The main goal of this paper is to explore possible cultural continuities and discontinuities at the Neolithic transition in Eastern Iberia. To address this issue, we introduce a twofold methodology, consisting of Geometric Morphometrics and the use of the self-developed Geomeasure system, to examine evolutionary patterns in geometric microliths. These are a specific type of arrowhead shared by both the last hunter-gatherers and the first farmers from two reference sites in the region: Cueva de la Cocina and Cova de l’Or (Eastern Iberia). Although advances in research have contributed to a better comprehension of this process, there are still unanswered questions, especially when the study is approached from a regional perspective. Such is the case for the Neolithisation of the Eastern Iberian Peninsula, and the way in which the previous Mesolithic population interacted—if they interacted at all—with the first farmers. In this case, some sites present archaeological contexts that have been catalogued as acculturation contexts. This has traditionally been the case for phase C of Cueva de la Cocina (Spain), although recent research points to the possibility that the content of this specific deposit is the result of post-depositional processes. Here we try first to understand the cultural evolutionary patterns and relations between the different geometric microlith technocomplexes and, second, to address the specific problem of the interpretation of taphonomic disturbances in the archaeological record. We use the Cueva de l’Or and the Cueva de la Cocina for comparison, and our conclusions raise serious doubts about the existence of an acculturation phase at the latter

The geometric microliths of cueva de la cocina and their significance in the mesolithic of Eastern Iberia: A morphometric study

This work presents the analysis of the geometric microliths of Cueva de la Cocina (València, Spain). It does so considering the hypothesis that, given the size of the cave's assemblage and its distinctive cultural markers, it could have acted as an aggregation site for the Late Mesolithic in the Mediterranean Iberia. The work presented here uses the cultural similarity of the geometric microliths of different sites to test this hypothesis, relying on several methodological techniques such as tactical simulation and geometric morphometrics, while offering proposals for the correction of data imbalance in archaeological data. As a conclusion, our data points to the fact that, for the last phase of the Late Mesolithic (phase B in the regional sequence) the site could have indeed acted as an aggregation site, but we require caution on the results of our analysis fundamentally on two grounds: (1) whether the cultural variation of the geometric microliths offers enough resolution for microscale analysis and (2) the necessity to combine this proxy with other types of archaeological artefacts which could give (or rest) strength to our hypothesis

A multi-method approach with machine learning to evaluating the distribution and intensity of prehistoric land use in Eastern Iberia

The present study seeks to better understand the coupling of social and biophysical systems during the late Pleistocene and Holocene, a period characterized by changing interglacial conditions as well as human population expansion and intensified ecosystem management. The approach consists of a combination of patch-based archaeological survey methods, sediment column sampling for paleoenvironmental data, geospatial analysis, and machine learning for chronological unmixing, allowing the systematic evaluation of the distribution and intensity of prehistoric land use in the study area of eastern Mediterranean Iberia. Occupational and Land Use Intensity maps developed from continuous distributions of surface artifacts as well as a summed probability density curve developed from 14C dates indicate low but steady human presence in the study area during the Middle Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic with a marked decrease of human presence across the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary. The Early (and Middle) Neolithic saw the most ubiquitous and intensive occupation of the study area followed by a significant decline during the Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic. The charcoal analysis also supports this pattern. Early Neolithic farming strategies may not have been damaging initially during the climatic regime of the Early Holocene but exacerbated the impacts of higher temperatures and summer droughts, with a loss of the most productive farmland, seen at the onset of the Late Neolithic. Similar boom-bust population trends have been documented throughout Europe during these same time spans and may indicate a recursive interaction or “coupling” between global and regional climate events and human land use strategies

Las plaquetas grabadas de Cueva de la Cocina (Dos Aguas, Valencia) a través de la tecnología 3D

El conjunto de plaquetas con grabados lineales recuperado durante las primeras intervenciones en Cueva de la Cocina (excavaciones Luís Pericot en los años 40) ocupa un lugar destacado entre los episodios gráficos de cronología Holocena en el arco Mediterráneo peninsular (Pericot, 1945) (Figura 1). Hasta la fecha, el estudio de estas plaquetas ha quedado circunscrito a una descripción somera, si bien su mención resulta recurrente por obedecer a una manifestación gráfica singular –grabado en soporte mueble– del Mesolítico geométrico, y también a la excepcionalidad que supone su presencia casi exclusiva en este yacimiento. En el marco de la investigación que nuestro equipo de trabajo desarrolla sobre su secuencia, se ha procedido a la revisión de los materiales depositados en los fondos del Museo de Prehistoria de Valencia, que incluyen, en el momento actual, un total de 34 plaquetas con motivos lineales grabados en una o ambas caras, y que se organizan siguiendo un patrón compositivo dispuesto a partir de un eje central. En este trabajo presentamos el protocolo de registro diseñado para integrar el estudio y documentación de la colección de plaquetas grabadas en un entorno de trabajo 3D. Para ello, se ha realizado el modelado de las piezas mediante el escaneado 3D y su texturización a través de técnicas fotogramétricas. Los resultados obtenidos permiten, por un lado, optimizar el análisis cuantitativo de los datos mediante la automatización de la medición y descripción formal del tipo de grabado y su secuencia de ejecución; y por otro, realizar el calco digital con una precisión milimétrica evitando las consabidas distorsiones. Este nuevo protocolo de restitución, en combinación con observaciones microscópicas, permitirá caracterizar todos los elementos –tratamiento del soporte, técnica, útiles y secuencia de gestos– que intervienen en la cadena operativa de preparación y decoración de las plaquetas de Cocina. El análisis espacial de las plaquetas decoradas en la secuencia mesolítica descrita en la cavidad (García Puchol et al., 2017) (Figura 2) contribuye a afinar su posición estratigráfica y de este modo avanzar en la interpretación del significado de esta manifestación gráfica en el marco de la secuencia regional y peninsular

Taphonomic processes inconsistent with indigenous Mesolithic acculturation during the transition to the Neolithic in the Western Mediterranean

We applied taphonomic analysis combined with geostatistical approaches to investigate the hypothesis that Cocina cave (Eastern Iberia) represents an acculturation context for the appearance of Neolithic Cardial pottery. In the 1970s, Fortea suggested that this important site was a prime example of acculturation because of the presence of early Neolithic pottery in late Mesolithic contexts. Since that time Cocina cave has been heralded as an example of indigenous hunter-gatherers incorporating Neolithic cultural elements into their lifeways. We analyzed the area excavated by Fortea in the 1970s by digitizing archaeological records and testing the spatial distribution of artifacts using geostatistical analysis and high-resolution AMS radiocarbon dating. We con- textualized the findings by discussing key issues of archaeological depositions with the goal to better understand the palimpsest that usually occur in prehistoric sequences. Our analysis indicates that the mixture of Mesolithic and Neolithic materials resulted from taphonomic processes rather than acculturation

Contextualizando la cerámica impressa : horizontes culturales en la Península Ibérica

Organizado por: GRAMPO: Grup de Recerques Arqueològiques al Mediterrani i Pròxim Orient. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona PREMEDOC: Grup de Recerca de Prehistòria del Mediterràni Occidental. Universitat de València Servei d'Arqueologia. Ajuntament de Barcelona. Con la colaboración de: Museu d'Història de Barcelona. Ajuntament de BarcelonaDesde hace poco tiempo en el estudio sobre los orígenes de las primeras sociedades agrícolas en el Mediterráneo Occidental se ha generado un amplio debate en torno a la filiación y características culturales de los primeros grupos que practican una economía de subsistencia. En este contexto encuentra sentido la discusión sobre la presencia en la península Ibérica un momento relacionable con la denominada Impressa-Ligur presente en diferentes regiones del arco Ligur Provenzal. Este volumen, fruto de una reunión científica, reúne información actualizada sobre la posible presencia de estos contextos cerámicos en torno a la mitad del VI milenio cal en la península Ibérica dentro del marco más amplio del Mediterráneo occidental. Las primeras producciones cerámicas del Occidente son analizadas poniendo énfasis tanto en sus características como sobre todo en el contexto y la lectura histórica que aportan. Estructuradas por áreas geográficas, las 14 contribuciones realizadas por 38 investigadores nacionales e internacionales, ofrecen una visión inédita y original sobre una de las novedades más importantes de la investigación en Prehistoria reciente en el último decenio