New insights into the neolithisation process in southwest Europe according to spatial density analysis from calibrated radiocarbon dates

The agricultural way of life spreads throughout Europe via two main routes: the Danube corridor and the Mediterranean basin. Current archaeological literature describes the arrival to the Western Mediterranean as a rapid process which involves both demic and cultural models, and in this regard, the dispersal movement has been investigated using mathematical models, where the key factors are time and space. In this work, we have created a compilation of all available radiocarbon dates for the whole of Iberia, in order to draw a chronological series of maps to illustrate temporal and spatial patterns in the neolithisation process. The maps were prepared by calculating the calibrated 14C date probability density curves, as a proxy to show the spatial dynamics of the last hunter-gatherers and first farmers. Several scholars have pointed out problems linked with the variability of samples, such as the overrepresentation of some sites, the degree of regional research, the nature of the dated samples and above all the archaeological context, but we are confident that the selected dates, after applying some filters and statistical protocols, constitute a good way to approach settlement spatial patterns in Iberia at the time of the neolithisation process

SEM-EDS analysis of western Mediterranean obsidians: a new tool for Neolithic provenance studies

The contents of Na, Al, Si, K, Ca and Fe of 99 obsidians from the western Mediterranean islands of Lipari, Palmarola, Pantelleria and Sardinia were determined with the energy-dispersive spectrometer of a scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS). The Na and in a lesser way other elements contents characterize any obsidian source-island. In Sardinia (80 samples), the four Monte Arci obsidian geochemical types can be discriminated from binary diagrams of element contents or by a discriminant analysis based on the six elements measured. It is concluded that SEM-EDS offers a new option for Neolithic obsidian provenance studies in this region

L'ossidiana del Monte Arci (Sardegna sud-occidentale: nuove acquisizioni sulle fonti e sfruttamento delle materie prime alla luce dei dati archeometrici.

Si presenta in questo lavoro una sintesi preliminare delle nuove acquisizioni conseguite nell'ambiro di un progetto interdisciplinare volto ad affinare la conoscenza delle variazioni diacroniche nelle dinamiche di diffusione infraregionali ed interregionali dell'ossidiana ed in particolare la definiziorre della distribuzione topografica dei depositi e delle strategie di acquisizione, delle modalità di accesso alle fonti, di riduzione e veicolazione della materia prima in epoca preistorica. Sulla base di un'estesa campionatura geologica (143 esemplari) e della mappatura dei depositi della materia prima con le loro caratteristiche strutturali e composizionali, sono state integrate tra lnro analisi di determinazione dei principali gruppi chimici dell'ossidiana sarda (SA, SB, SC) attuate sia per attivazione neutronica strumentale (INAA, 72 canlpioni) sia mediante microsonda elettronica (EPM, 71 campioni). Le analisi alla rnicrosctnda hanno permesso inoltre di distinguere i sottogruppi SB1 ed SB2. I dati acquisiti hanno consentito di presentare una prima carta geochimica di riparrizione dei tipi di ossidiana nei giacimenti secondari (depositi alluvionali). L'interpretazione dei dati sulla tecnologia e la provenienza dei manufatti raccolti nei siti neolitici dell'area tirrenica in futuro dovranrlo tener conto di questa ripartizione

A map of the Monte Arci (Sardinia Island, Western Mediterranean) obsidian primary to secondary sources. Implications for Neolithic provenance studies

Four types of obsidians from the Monte Arci volcanic complex (Sardinia) were used by Neolithic men in the North Tyrrhenian area of the western Mediterranean. A map of their occurrences from primary sources (mother rocks) to distant secondary deposits in the surrounding plains is presented. Some 1457 specimens were macroscopically characterized and in addition ~15% of them fingerprinted from their elemental compositions as determined by electron microprobe, neutron activation analysis or ion beam analysis. The results show that secondary sources, up to now largely neglected in provenance studies of ‘archaeological’ obsidians will have from now to be taken into account