Late Mesolithic burials at Casa Corona (Villena, Spain): direct radiocarbon and palaeodietary evidence of the last forager populations in Eastern Iberia

Current knowledge about the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in the Central and Western Mediterranean European regions is deeply limited by the paucity of Late Mesolithic human osteological data and the presence of chronological gaps covering several centuries between the last foragers and the first archaeological evidence of farming peoples. In this work, we present new data to fill these gaps. We provide direct AMS radiocarbon dating and carbon (d13C) and nitrogen (d15N) stable isotope analysis were carried out on bone collagen samples of two single burials from the recently discovered open-air Late Mesolithic site of Casa Corona (Villena, Spain). The results shed new light on the chronology and subsistence patterns of the last Mesolithic communities in the Central Mediterranean region of the Iberian Peninsula. Radiocarbon results date the human remains and funerary activity of the site to 6059e5849 cal BC, statistically different from other Late Mesolithic sites and the earliest Neolithic contexts, and bridging the 500 yrs chronological gap of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition from the area. Isotopic evidence shows that diet was based on terrestrial resources despite the proximity to the site of lagoon and marine ecosystems. This and previous isotope studies from the region suggest a lower reliance upon marine resources than for Atlantic and Cantabrian sites, although intra-regional patterns of neighbouring Mesolithic populations exhibit both fully terrestrial diets and diets with significant amounts of aquatic resources in them. We hypothesize that in the Central Mediterranean region of Spain the Late Mesolithic dietary adaptations imposed structural limits on demographic growth of the last foragers and favoured rapid assimilation by the earliest Neolithic populations

Sistema de Realidad Aumentada para la musealización de yacimientos arqueológicos

In this paper we are presenting a multi-marker and semi-immersive system for augmented reality to visualize and interact with archaeological sites, specifically those located in inaccessible or complex environments, such as caves or underwater locations. The use of this system in museum exhibitions helps visitors to come closer to archaeological heritage. As an example for the implementation of this system, an archaeological site has been used. It is the “Cova del Barranc del Migdia”, located in the “Sierra del Montgó”, Xàbia (Spain). The product obtained has been exhibited in various museums nationwide.En el presente artículo se presenta un sistema semi-inmersivo de realidad aumentada multimarcador para visualización e interacción de yacimientos y piezas arqueológicas ubicadas en entornos de difícil acceso, como cuevas o entornos subacuáticos. La utilización de este sistema en exposiciones museográficas permite acercar y dar a conocer al visitante el patrimonio arqueológico. Para la implementación del sistema se ha utilizado la intervención arqueológica realizada en la Cova del Barranc del Migdia, yacimiento ubicado en la sierra del Montgó en Xàbia (Alicante, España). El producto obtenido se ha expuesto en diferentes museos de ámbito naciona

Propuesta metodológica para la generación de recorridos virtuales interactivos

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).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)