El projecte de recerca arqueològica a Althiburos i els seus encontorns (El Kef, Tunísia)

El coneixement de la protohistòria del Magrib oriental –entenent com a tal l’edat del bronze i la primera edat del ferro, és a dir, el segon i el primer mil·lennis aC, de la zona que correspon a les actuals Tunísia i Algèria oriental– presenta un veritable buit. Això és evident si es compara amb l’estat de la recerca sobre el mateix període a Europa, i potser encara més amb el coneixement sobre el paleolític i el neolític al nord d’Àfrica. Per al final d’aquest període, les fonts escrites gregues i romanes aporten dades abundants sobre els regnes númides i les seves relacions complexes amb Cartago i, més tard, amb Roma. Si bé existeix documentació arqueològica sobre aquests regnes, el cert és que presenta llacunes molt importants, i que, remuntant en el temps, tenim un desconeixement gairebé absolut sobre aquesta zona des de finals del III mil·lenni aC

El projecte de recerca arqueològica a Althiburos i els seus encontorns (El Kef, Tunísia)

The archaeological digs carried out between 2006 and 2009 at Althiburos has have proved the existence of contacts with the Phoenician world since the end of the eighth century BC, as well as the adoption of Punic hydraulic techniques from the sixth century BC. The relationship with the Punic world became particularly intense from the fourth century BC. It is indicated by a significant increase in the pottery imports. There is also epigraphic evidence that demonstrates the existence of a municipal organization with strong Punic influence at least from the second century BC, when a sanctuary dedicated to Baal Hammon was also created. The intense penetration of the Punic culture raises the issue of what were the political relations between Althiburos and Carthage from the fifth century BC to the time of Massinissa; more precisely, whether the former was included in the territory of the latter, or, on the contrary, it depended on the Numidian kingdom, albeit maybe housing a Carthaginian garrison

Palaeogenomic analysis of black rat (Rattus rattus) reveals multiple European introductions associated with human economic history

The distribution of the black rat (Rattus rattus) has been heavily influenced by its association with humans. The dispersal history of this non-native commensal rodent across Europe, however, remains poorly understood, and different introductions may have occurred during the Roman and medieval periods. Here, in order to reconstruct the population history of European black rats, we first generate a de novo genome assembly of the black rat. We then sequence 67 ancient and three modern black rat mitogenomes, and 36 ancient and three modern nuclear genomes from archaeological sites spanning the 1st-17th centuries CE in Europe and North Africa. Analyses of our newly reported sequences, together with published mitochondrial DNA sequences, confirm that black rats were introduced into the Mediterranean and Europe from Southwest Asia. Genomic analyses of the ancient rats reveal a population turnover in temperate Europe between the 6th and 10th centuries CE, coincident with an archaeologically attested decline in the black rat population. The near disappearance and re-emergence of black rats in Europe may have been the result of the breakdown of the Roman Empire, the First Plague Pandemic, and/or post-Roman climatic cooling.Peer reviewe

Sobre los orígenes de la civilización númida y su relación con la colonización fenicia

Este artículo muestra los resultados de un proyecto de investigación sobre los procesos económicos y sociales que condujeron a la formación de los reinos númidas conocidos a través de las fuentes greco-latinas. Los trabajos de excavación y prospección realizados en la antigua Althiburos (El Kef, Túnez) y sus alrededores han permitido establecer la existencia, al menos desde el siglo IX a.C., de una sociedad aldeana plenamente sedentaria y que desde el s. VIII a.C., tal vez como consecuencia de los primeros contactos con el mundo fenicio, practica la metalurgia del hierro. Desde el siglo IV a.C. existen elementos que indican una vida plenamente urbana, unas relaciones intensas con Cartago y la existencia de un sistema institucional desarrollado

Sobre los orígenes de la civilización númida y su relación con la colonización fenicia

Este artículo muestra los resultados de un proyecto de investigación sobre los procesos económicos y sociales que condujeron a la formación de los reinos númidas conocidos a través de las fuentes greco-latinas. Los trabajos de excavación y prospección realizados en la antigua Althiburos (El Kef, Túnez) y sus alrededores han permitido establecer la existencia, al menos desde el siglo IX a.C., de una sociedad aldeana plenamente sedentaria y que desde el s. VIII a.C., tal vez como consecuencia de los primeros contactos con el mundo fenicio, practica la metalurgia del hierro. Desde el siglo IV a.C. existen elementos que indican una vida plenamente urbana, unas relaciones intensas con Cartago y la existencia de un sistema institucional desarrollado.This paper describes the results of a research project on the economic and social processes that led to the rise of the Numidian kingdoms mentioned in the Greek and Latin sources. Several survey and excavation seasons at Althiburos (El Kef, Tunisia) have revealed the existence, at least from the 9th cent. B.C., of sedentary hamlet communities, as well as the existence of iron metallurgy from the 8th cent. B.C., maybe as an outcome of the first contacts with the Phoenician world. The available evidence for the 4th and later centuries indicates a full development of urban life, as well a close contact with Carthage and the existence of a well-developed institutional system

La campaña de excavaciones y prospecciones en Althiburos y su entorno en abril de 2012

Los trabajos realizados en Althiburos y sus alrededores han permitido completar la excavación de la muralla númida y fijar su datación en el siglo iii a. C. Asimismo, han proporcionado abundantes datos arqueobiológicos y sobre técnicas de construcción y tipologia cerámica en niveles fechables entre el siglo vii a. C. y principios del siglo iii a. C. In 705 mediatamente al NO del capitolio. También se ha terminado la excavación del túmulo D-53, confirmando su datación en época imperial y completando el conocimiento sobre su estructura, y se ha excavado totalmente otro de menores dimensiones (M-42), pero de estructura básica y cronología similares a los de D-53. Por último, se ha extendido la prospección de la necrópolis de tipo protohistórico hasta alcanzar una superficie de unos 20 km2, con un total de 855 estructuras documentadas. Todas ellas pueden considerarse como túmulos, pero determinadas peculiaridades morfológicas, a menudo ligadas a las dimensiones, permiten distinguir la existencia de seis tipos bien diferenciados.Research in Althiburos and its surroundings has allowed to complete the excavation of the Numidian defensive wall and to fix its construction date in the third century BC. It has also provided extensive archaeobiological data and valuable information on building techniques and ceramic typology from levels immediately to the NW of the Capitol that are dated between the seventh century BC and the early third century BC. We have also completed the excavation of mound D-53, confirmed its imperial era dating and completed the knowledge about its structure. Another smaller tumulus (M-42) has been fully excavated; its basic structure and dating are similar to those of D-53. Finally, the exploration of the protohistoric necropolis has been extended to reach an area of about 20 km2, with a total of 855 recorded structures. Tipologically, all of them can be considered as tumuli, but certain morphological peculiarities, often linked to their dimensions, lead to distinguish the existence of six types

Palaeogenomic analysis of black rat (Rattus rattus) reveals multiple European introductions associated with human economic history

The distribution of the black rat (Rattus rattus) has been heavily influenced by its association with humans. The dispersal history of this non-native commensal rodent across Europe, however, remains poorly understood, and different introductions may have occurred during the Roman and medieval periods. Here, in order to reconstruct the population history of European black rats, we first generate a de novo genome assembly of the black rat. We then sequence 67 ancient and three modern black rat mitogenomes, and 36 ancient and three modern nuclear genomes from archaeological sites spanning the 1st-17th centuries CE in Europe and North Africa. Analyses of our newly reported sequences, together with published mitochondrial DNA sequences, confirm that black rats were introduced into the Mediterranean and Europe from Southwest Asia. Genomic analyses of the ancient rats reveal a population turnover in temperate Europe between the 6th and 10th centuries CE, coincident with an archaeologically attested decline in the black rat population. The near disappearance and re-emergence of black rats in Europe may have been the result of the breakdown of the Roman Empire, the First Plague Pandemic, and/or post-Roman climatic cooling.Peer reviewe

Widespread horse-based mobility arose around 2,200 BCE in Eurasia

Horses revolutionized human history with fast mobility. However, the timeline between their domestication and widespread integration as a means of transportation remains contentious. Here we assemble a large collection of 475 ancient horse genomes to assess the period when these animals were first reshaped by human agency in Eurasia. We find that reproductive control of the modern domestic lineage emerged ~2,200 BCE (Before Common Era), through close kin mating and shortened generation times. Reproductive control emerged following a severe domestication bottleneck starting no earlier than ~2,700 BCE, and coincided with a sudden expansion across Eurasia that ultimately resulted in the replacement of nearly every local horse lineage. This expansion marked the rise of widespread horse-based mobility in human history, which refutes the commonly-held narrative of large horse herds accompanying the massive migration of steppe peoples across Europe ~3,000 BCE and earlier. Finally, we detect significantly shortened generation times at Botai ~3,500 BCE, a settlement from Central Asia associated with corrals and a subsistence economy centered on horses. This supports local horse husbandry before the rise of modern domestic bloodlines.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Widespread horse-based mobility arose around 2200 bce in Eurasia

Horses revolutionized human history with fast mobility1. However, the timeline between their domestication and their widespread integration as a means of transport remains contentious2–4. Here we assemble a collection of 475 ancient horse genomes to assess the period when these animals were first reshaped by human agency in Eurasia. We find that reproductive control of the modern domestic lineage emerged around 2200 bce, through close-kin mating and shortened generation times. Reproductive control emerged following a severe domestication bottleneck starting no earlier than approximately 2700 bce, and coincided with a sudden expansion across Eurasia that ultimately resulted in the replacement of nearly every local horse lineage. This expansion marked the rise of widespread horse-based mobility in human history, which refutes the commonly held narrative of large horse herds accompanying the massive migration of steppe peoples across Europe around 3000 bce and earlier3,5. Finally, we detect significantly shortened generation times at Botai around 3500 bce, a settlement from central Asia associated with corrals and a subsistence economy centred on horses6,7. This supports local horse husbandry before the rise of modern domestic bloodlines.</p