Methodological proposal to generate interactive virtual walkthrough

Los recorridos virtuales se perfilan actualmente como una de las herramientas más eficaces para la divulgación del patrimonio arqueológico, especialmente en aquellos casos en los que el yacimiento, por su ubicación o por su morfología, no pueda ser visitado. En este artículo describimos la metodología para la obtención de este tipo de productos, dividido en dos fases: la documentación geométrica previa para la obtención del modelo digital y su incorporación a un motor de juegos para la generación del recorrido interactivo. En esta misma línea, proponemos como caso de estudio la intervención en el yacimiento arqueológico de la Cova del Barranc del Migdia, yacimiento arqueológico situado en la vertiente Sur del monte Montgó, dentro del Parque Natural del Montgó, en el municipio de Xàbia (Alicante, España).Virtual walkthroughs have become one of the most effective tools for the dissemination of archaeological heritage, particularly in those cases in which the site, by location or by their morphology, can not be visited. In this paper we describe the workflow for producing such tools, focusing on its two main phases: 3D digital documentation and the use of a game engine to create a virtual walkthrough. In this same line, as a case study, we describe the intervention in the archaeological site “Cova del Barranc del Migdia”, located on the southern face of Mount Montgó, within the Montgó Natural Park, in the town of Javea (Alicante, Spain)

La Torreta - El Monastil (Elda, Alicante): a new chalcolithic settlement in the Vinalopó river basin

Con el presente artículo se da a conocer un nuevo yacimiento arqueológico calcolítico documentado como consecuencia de la construcción de un polígono industrial en una de las terrazas del río Vinalopó, a los pies de la sierra de la Torreta (Elda). En buena parte del área ocupada por el yacimiento no se pudo realizar una actuación arqueológica planificada con anterioridad al inicio de las obras del polígono, como tampoco se pudieron excavar parte de las estructuras detectadas.Nous découvrons un nouveau site archéologique chalcolithique documenté grâce à la construction d’un polygone industriel sur l’une des terrasse fluviales de la rivière Vinalopó, aux pieds de la Sierra de la Torreta (Elda). Une grande partie de l’aire occupée par le site n’a pas pu être l’objet d’une intervention archéologique planifiée avant le commencement des travaux de construction de ce polygone, ainsi même on ne put fouiller una partie des structures détectées

Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers

Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants.Open access funding provided by Max Planck Society. This project has received funding by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreements no. 803147-RESOLUTION (to S.T.), no. 771234-PALEoRIDER (to W.H.), no. 864358 (to K.M.), no. 724703 and no. 101019659 (to K.H.). K.H. is also supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG FOR 2237). E.A. has received funding from the Van de Kamp fonds. PACEA co-authors of this research benefited from the scientific framework of the University of Bordeaux’s IdEx Investments for the Future programme/GPR Human Past. A.G.-O. is supported by a Ramón y Cajal fellowship (RYC-2017-22558). L. Sineo, M.L. and D.C. have received funding from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) PRIN 2017 grants 20177PJ9XF and 20174BTC4R_002. H. Rougier received support from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences of CSUN and the CSUN Competition for RSCA Awards. C.L.S. and T. Saupe received support from the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (project no. 2014-2020.4.01.16-0030) and C.L.S. received support from the Estonian Research Council grant PUT (PRG243). S. Shnaider received support from the Russian Science Foundation (no. 19-78-10053).Peer reviewe

Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers

: Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe4, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants

Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers

Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe4, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants.Peer reviewe

La calera de la Torreta (Elda, Alicante), un ejemplo de instalación preindustrial rehabilitada vinculada a la construcción del ferrocarril

La terminación del tramo ferroviario Alicante-Almansa en 1857 conllevó la finalización del ferrocarril que unía definitivamente la capital, Madrid, con Alicante. Todo un hito que significó un impulso económico que favoreció el paso de una economía agrícola a otra comercial e industrial en gran parte del Vinalopó. Este camino de hierro ha dejado huella en nuestro territorio, y supuso en su momento un impacto medioambiental y visual muy importante, toda una serie de instalaciones como puentes, atarjeas, garitas, estaciones, muelles, o túneles, como el que se halla en la Torreta de Elda, único túnel de esta línea férrea que une Madrid y Alicante. Túnel de 485 metros de longitud, revestido de sillarejo y con sillares en sus dos frentes. Para construir este túnel fue necesario montar varios hornos de cal, que se ubicaron en las inmediaciones del propio túnel y que todavía hoy se conservan en parte. Uno de estos hornos es la calera de la Torreta, que nos habla de una época determinada, mediados del siglo XIX, de una manera de trabajar y transformar la piedra caliza en cal, aglutinante que se utilizó en la construcción del túnel ferroviario. La rehabilitación de esta calera se ha realizado con rigor y criterio, por profesionales que saben, en este caso, trabajar con la piedra seca, técnica tradicional a poner en valor. Cabe reseñar la importancia del voluntariado medioambiental en esta recuperación patrimonial y paisajística

Recent contributions to the Late Medieval urbanism of Crevillent (Alicante): the Mudejar cemetery of El Raval

Unas obras de rehabilitación en el sector oriental del Casco Antiguo de Crevillent (Alicante), han permitido localizar parcialmente una necrópolis mudéjar encuadrada cronológicamente entre los siglos XIV-XV. Se han registrado 31 inhumaciones depositadas en estrechas fosas excavadas en la tierra, con individuos de diferentes edades, combinándose la colocación del cadáver en decúbito lateral derecho y decúbito supino. Este cementerio mudéjar se sitúa en las afueras del núcleo urbano y justo al lado de uno de los caminos de salida de la ciudad, colindando con el denominado “raval” núcleo de población islámica de origen feudal (S. XIV). Hemos podido datar por C-14 los restos óseos de dos sepulturas, así como presentar anexo el estudio osteoarqueológico de cada enterramiento, suponiendo todo un avance en la investigación de los espacios funerarios islámicos, de difícil definición. A nivel de Crevillent, esta excavación supone un hito en la arqueología urbana y en el conocimiento de su urbanismo medieval.Recent renovation work in the eastern part of the old quarter of Crevillent (Alicante) has revealed part of a Mudejar cemetery dating to the 14th and 15th centuries. 31 inhumations deposited in narrow ditches have been carefully recorded. Several individuals of different ages have been found, in right lateral decubitus position and supine position. This Mudejar cemetery is located on the outskirts of the town centre, beside one of the roads out of the town, next to the “Raval” Islamic quarter of the feudal period (14th Century). We have been able to date bones from two graves (by C-14), and include an osteoarchaeological study of each burial as an annex. This a big step forward in the research of Islamic funerary spaces, whose definition is difficult. This excavation is a milestone in Urban Archaeology for the Crevillent area, and an understanding of its medieval urbanism

Las murallas medievales de Villena

No existe un estudio específico sobre la estructura, disposición y composición del cerco murado de Villena. La primera aproximación la debemos a J. Mª. Soler García, quién interpreta el posible trazado de la muralla exterior. Posteriormente, sólo se han realizado pequeñas recensiones sobre la misma base. La falta de estudios más concluyentes se debe en gran medida a la falta de datos arqueológicos que confirmen o modifiquen los primeros planteamientos del eminente investigador

El cementerio mudéjar del Raval (Crevillent-Alicante)

Between 2005 and 2007, two excavations in Crevillent’s urban area have allowed to document a Mudejar maqbara and a whole of 81 burials have been exhumated. The first analyses of carbon 14 show dates that are between the end of 14th century and the first quarter of the 16th century. Generally, they are rectangular graves, sometimes with the short sides rounded, straight and narrow walls covered with slabs of stone or wood. The buried is arranged SW-NE in supine decubitus or right back decubitus and in some cases, they are in supine decubitus with the head inclined to the South-East. Two concentrations of infantile burials stand out. The trousseau is scant, very common and it does not offer chronological precisions. Shroud’s remains are kept. The disposition of the buried, the catalogation of a Carlos I coin and the carbon 14 dates allow to intuit an evolution North-South of the cemetery. From an osteo-archaeological study we know the ages, sexes, food habits and several types of pathologies. The maqbara would be located outside of the Raval, city centre of feudal origin in 14th century close to one of the ways of exit of the city.This necropolis belongs to a Moslem population under Christian control or of converted islamics, who try to keep their customs in a hostile environment.Entre 2005 y 2007 dos excavaciones en el casco urbano de Crevillent han permitido documentar una maqbara mudéjar, de la que se han exhumado un total de 81 inhumaciones. Los primeros análisis de carbono 14 arrojan fechas entre finales del siglo XIV y primer cuarto del siglo XVI. Se trata generalmente de fosas rectangulares, a veces con los lados cortos redondeados, paredes rectas y estrechas, cubiertas con losas de piedra o de madera. El inhumado se dispone SW-NE en decúbito supino o lateral derecho, y en algunos casos en decúbito supino con la cabeza ladeada al Sureste. Destacan dos concentraciones de inhumaciones infantiles. El ajuar es escaso, muy común y no ofrece precisiones cronológicas, habiéndose conservado restos del sudario con el que fue inhumado un difunto. La disposición de los inhumados, la catalogación de una moneda de Carlos I y las fechas de C14, permiten intuir una evolución Norte-Sur del cementerio. Se ha llevado a cabo asimismo un estudio osteoarqueológico, gracias al cual se conocen las edades, sexos, costumbres alimentarias y diversos tipos de patologías. La maqbara quedaría situada extramuros del denominado Raval, núcleo urbano de origen feudal (s. XIV) junto a uno de los caminos de salida de la ciudad. Esta necrópolis pertenece a una población musulmana bajo dominio cristiano o de islámicos conversos, que tratan de mantener sus costumbres en un ambiente hostil a los mismos