The dogma of the Iberian origin of the Bell Beaker: attempting its deconstruction

The hypothesis of an Iberian origin of the Bell Beaker has been advanced from the beginning of the 20th century on. For a time challenged by the assumption of a cradle located rather in the north-western part of continental Europe, it is currently making a comeback and is supported by most specialists of the Bell Beaker phenomenon. An examination of the conditions related to its construction demonstrates that its dominant position owes more to contingent causes such as the charismatic personalities of its creators and their study areas than to an objective analysis of the archaeological record. A small exercise of archaeology-fiction in which we will trace back the history of research based on the assumption of a central-European origin highlights the structural weakness and the dogmatic character of the hypothesis of the Iberian cradle.

Mass cannibalism in the Linear Pottery Culture at Herxheim (Palatinate, Germany)

The Early Neolithic central place at Herxheim is defined by a perimeter of elongated pits containing fragments of human bone, together with pottery imported from areas several hundred kilometres distant. This article offers a context for the centre, advancing strong evidence that the site was dedicated to ritual activities in which cannibalism played an important par

Signes et communication dans les civilisations sans paroles

L’homme du troisième millénaire doit faire un effort considérable pour analyser des sociétés où les moyens de communication n’ont rien à voir avec ceux dont il dispose à ce jour. Les articles regroupés ici traitent de ces communications qui ont prolongé la parole et la mémoire dans la majorité de la population mondiale jusqu’à une date récente. Les grottes ornées, les mégalithes, les mises en scène funéraires, les décors soignés ou les simples grafitti sur des objets de la vie courante, sont autant de messages difficiles à décrypter aujourd’hui. Les quelques exemples retenus illustrent les choix de chaque culture, avec leurs représentations symboliques, réalistes ou idéalisées dont la forme reste très attachée à la culture orale

La nécropole Rubané de Mulhouse-Est (Haut-Rhin, Alsace) : révision des données archéo-anthropologiques

L’ensemble funéraire rubané moyen (5100 av. n.è.) de Mulhouse-Est, découvert fortuitement lors de l’exploitation d’une gravière dans les années 1960, présente le double intérêt de correspondre à la plus ancienne nécropole de la région, mais également à l’une des plus exceptionnelles, tant au niveau de l’état de conservation des os que de la richesse du mobilier funéraire. Le site a livré une vingtaine de sépultures, principalement individuelles, dont certaines présentent des aménagements inte..

Analyse pollinique du site de Hagenthal‑le‑Bas (Haut‑Rhin, France) et occupations archéologiques de l’est du Sundgau

Un paléochenal du ruisseau (le Kirchbach) parcourant la partie basse du village de Hagenthal-le-Bas (68) a été repéré lors d’une prospection destinée à inventorier les zones susceptibles de faire l’objet d’analyses palynologiques dans cette région du Sundgau, située à l’extrême sud de l’Alsace, sur le piémont au nord du massif jurassien. Cette prospection s’inscrivait dans le cadre du programme de recherche développé autour de l’abri Saint Joseph, situé sur la commune de Lutter à 8 km au sud-ouest de Hagenthal, qui a fait l’objet d’une fouille programmée entre 2005 et 2011. Le forage effectué dans ce paléochenal a permis de recueillir 4,50 mètres de sédiments limono-organiques déposés lors des épisodes de divagations du cours d’eau ; la sédimentation discontinue est affectée par de nombreuses lacunes chronologiques. La mesure en continu de la susceptibilité magnétique montre une succession de cycles et de pics de fortes valeurs répartis sur toute la séquence, traduction pour la plupart des déplacements du cours d’eau dans le fond de la vallée. Douze datations par le radiocarbone ont été effectuées sur cette séquence. La construction du modèle âge/profondeur a été difficile en raison de l’irrégularité de la sédimentation. Ce modèle confirme l’existence d’une importante lacune entre environ 9 000 et 4 000 ans cal. BC (environ 11 000-6 000 BP). Le diagramme palynologique débute au cœur de l’Allerød, entre environ 11 500 et 11 150 ans cal. BC (13 450-13 100 ans cal. BP), dans un environnement très forestier dominé par le pin. La fin de l’Allerød, la totalité du Dryas récent et l’extrême début de l’Holocène correspondent à un régime beaucoup plus actif du ruisseau qui a empêché toute sédimentation fine. À partir d’environ 9 400-9 300 ans cal. BC (vers 11 400 BP) débute alors une longue période largement dominée par le pin qui va durer jusque vers 3 600-3 500 ans cal. BC (vers 5 500 BP). Vers 4 400-4 300 ans cal. BC (environ 6 300 BP), apparaissent quelques grains de pollen de céréales accompagnés d’armoise et de Rubiaceae. Si ces très faibles indices de présence humaine se situent bien dans une phase ancienne du Néolithique, ils sont toutefois plus récents que les occupations les plus anciennes du site archéologique de Lutter. Au cours du Néolithique final, pendant environ un millénaire, des signes plus évidents d’impact de l’homme sur l’environnement de cette micro-région sont visibles. Ensuite, il faudra attendre le milieu de l’Âge du Fer pour que de nouveaux indices polliniques d’anthropisation réapparaissent dans ce diagramme. Jusqu’au ve siècle de notre ère, ils restent pourtant très discrets, masqués par les apports polliniques de la forêt humide qui occupe le fond de la vallée. À partir des ve-vie siècles, jusqu’au xiie-xiiie siècles, des cultures variées, des pâtures et des prairies de fauche occupent une grande partie du territoire alors que les collines proches restent le domaine des forêts. Il est très probable que cette phase de forte emprise agricole se prolonge encore sur plusieurs siècles. En effet, à partir de 90 cm de profondeur, soit vers le xive siècle, une phase détritique (trop pauvre en pollen) se développe et occupe toute la partie supérieure de la séquence. Cette phase détritique pourrait être la conséquence des effets locaux du Petit Âge Glaciaire. Toutefois, les indices polliniques d’anthropisation élevés tendent plutôt à attribuer cette augmentation du détritisme à l’anthropisation de plus en plus importante du bassin versant de ce ruisseau.A stream paleochannel (the Kirchbach) situated in the lower part of the Hagenthal-le-Bas village was spotted during an archaeological survey. One of the aims of this survey was to identify sites suitable for pollen analysis in the Sundgau area, the extreme south of Alsace in the foothills of northern Jura Mountain. The study is part of a research program developed around the Saint Joseph rock shelter, located in the Lutter municipality 8 km southwest of Hagenthal, which was excavated between 2005 and 2011. A 4.5 meter silty organic sequence was found in this paleochannel. The sequence suffered several episodes of flooding and is characterized by a discontinuous sedimentation. Measurements of magnetic susceptibility showed a succession of cycles and peaks of strong values distributed over the entire sequence and correlated with the movements of the stream running in the valley. Twelve radiocarbon dates were performed on this sequence but the construction of an age/depth model was hampered by irregular sedimentation. Nevertheless the estimated age depth model confirmed the existence of a significant gap between ca. 9,000 and 4,000 cal. years BC (about 11,000-6,000 BP). The palynological diagram starts in the middle of the Allerød interstadial, between ca. 11,500 and 11,150 cal. years BC (13,450-13,100 cal. years BP), in a forest environment dominated by pine (Pinus). The end of the Allerød period, i.e. Younger Dryas and early Holocene, was characterized by a stronger stream regime which prevented steady sedimentation. Starting around 9,400-9,300 cal. years BC (ca. 11,400 BP) a long period dominated by pine lasted until around 3,600-3,500 cal. years BC (ca. 5,500 BP). From 4,400-4,300 cal. years BC (ca. 6,300 BP), on the sediments disclose some cereal pollen grains together with Artemisia and Rubiaceae pollen. This weak evidence of possible human impact corresponds to the early phase of the Neolithic period, which is however more recent than the oldest occupations detected in the Lutter archaeological site. During the Neolithic period, unambiguous signs of human impact on the environment are regularly found for a whole millennium. After this time, new anthropogenic indicators reappear in the diagram only in the middle of the Iron Age. They remain discreet until the 5th century AD hidden by the pollens from the wet forest which covers the bottom of the valley. Between the 5th-6th and the 12th-13th centuries, various crops, pastures and hay fields occupy the major part of the territory while the nearby hills remain forested. It is likely that this strong farming activity extended over many centuries. Indeed, from 90 cm deep, i.e. in the 14th century, a detrital phase (poor pollen preservation) is found up to the top of the sequence. This detrital phase could result from local effects of the Little Ice Age. However, palynological evidence of a heavy human impact suggests that it rather derives from the huge environmental footprint of medieval and modern agricultural practices in the stream catchment area

Dating the emergence of dairying by the first farmers of Central Europe using 14C analysis of fatty acids preserved in pottery vessels

Direct, accurate, and precise dating of archaeological pottery vessels is now achievable using a recently developed approach based on the radiocarbon dating of purified molecular components of food residues preserved in the walls of pottery vessels. The method targets fatty acids from animal fat residues, making it uniquely suited for directly dating the inception of new food commodities in prehistoric populations. Here, we report a large-scale application of the method by directly dating the introduction of dairying into Central Europe by the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) cultural group based on dairy fat residues. The radiocarbon dates (n=27) from the 54th century BC from the western and eastern expansion of the LBK suggest dairy exploitation arrived with the first settlers in the respective regions and were not gradually adopted later. This is particularly significant, as contemporaneous LBK sites showed an uneven distribution of dairy exploitation. Significantly, our findings demonstrate the power of directly dating the introduction of new food commodities, hence removing taphonomic uncertainties when assessing this indirectly based on associated cultural materials or other remainsPeer reviewe

Between Life and Death: stable isotopes and their reflection in funerary practice at the early Neolithic cemetery Mulhouse-Est, Alsace

Building on previous research, this study reports new stable dietary isotope results in conjunction with existing samples from the individuals buried at Mulhouse-Est. This was an early Neolithic cemetery located in Alsace and consisted of 24 articulated burials in addition to disarticulated remains, belonging to the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) culture. The main research question explored whether the diet thus reconstructed varies with burial practices, such as the presence or absence of specific..

Superconducting motors for aircraft propulsion: the Advanced Superconducting Motor Experimental Demonstrator project

The European Union-funded Advanced Superconducting Motor Experimental Demonstrator (ASuMED) project started in May 2017 with the purpose of demonstrating the benefits of a new, fully superconducting motor for reaching the targets established by the Flightpath 2050 plan. The project aims at a motor power density of 20kW kg$^{-1}$ using a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) stator. The rotor will use HTS stacks operating like permanent magnets. A highly efficient cryostat for the motor combined with an integrated cryogenic cooling system and associated power converter will be used. This article provides a general overview of the prototype that is currently being assembled and that will be tested soon

Superconducting motors for aircraft propulsion: the Advanced Superconducting Motor Experimental Demonstrator project

Abstract: The European Union-funded Advanced Superconducting Motor Experimental Demonstrator (ASuMED) project started in May 2017 with the purpose of demonstrating the benefits of a new, fully superconducting motor for reaching the targets established by the Flightpath 2050 plan. The project aims at a motor power density of 20kW kg−1 using a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) stator. The rotor will use HTS stacks operating like permanent magnets. A highly efficient cryostat for the motor combined with an integrated cryogenic cooling system and associated power converter will be used. This article provides a general overview of the prototype that is currently being assembled and that will be tested soon

Dairying, diseases and the evolution of lactase persistence in Europe

Update notice Author Correction: Dairying, diseases and the evolution of lactase persistence in Europe (Nature, (2022), 608, 7922, (336-345), 10.1038/s41586-022-05010-7) Nature, Volume 609, Issue 7927, Pages E9, 15 September 2022In European and many African, Middle Eastern and southern Asian populations, lactase persistence (LP) is the most strongly selected monogenic trait to have evolved over the past 10,000 years(1). Although the selection of LP and the consumption of prehistoric milk must be linked, considerable uncertainty remains concerning their spatiotemporal configuration and specific interactions(2,3). Here we provide detailed distributions of milk exploitation across Europe over the past 9,000 years using around 7,000 pottery fat residues from more than 550 archaeological sites. European milk use was widespread from the Neolithic period onwards but varied spatially and temporally in intensity. Notably, LP selection varying with levels of prehistoric milk exploitation is no better at explaining LP allele frequency trajectoriesthan uniform selection since the Neolithic period. In the UK Biobank(4,5) cohort of 500,000 contemporary Europeans, LP genotype was only weakly associated with milk consumption and did not show consistent associations with improved fitness or health indicators. This suggests that other reasons for the beneficial effects of LP should be considered for its rapid frequency increase. We propose that lactase non-persistent individuals consumed milk when it became available but, under conditions of famine and/or increased pathogen exposure, this was disadvantageous, driving LP selection in prehistoric Europe. Comparison of model likelihoods indicates that population fluctuations, settlement density and wild animal exploitation-proxies for these drivers-provide better explanations of LP selection than the extent of milk exploitation. These findings offer new perspectives on prehistoric milk exploitation and LP evolution.Peer reviewe