Late Holocene Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Miller) woodlands in Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean): Investigation of their distribution and the role of human management based on anthracological, dendro-anthracological and archaeopalynological data

The pioneering nature of Mediterranean pines and their phytosociological role have been largely discussed in relation to different agents (e.g., edaphic, climatic or anthropogenic). In this context, Aleppo pine is one of the most widespread pine species in the Mediterranean basin, as it is especially adapted to climatic constraints, such as drought and high seasonality, and has a high tolerance for salinity and strong coastal winds. It is also well adapted to regeneration after anthropogenic landscape disturbances, highlighting its important after-fire regeneration rates. In this sense, phytosociological studies conducted in Mediterranean landscapes have found that this species'' wide distribution is mostly due to its rapid regeneration after human landscape transformation, including fire, and the abandonment of agricultural lands. Aleppo pine is considered to broadly develop after human action in sclerophyllous formation, in which it would be scarce or absent without human intervention. Parallel, paleoenvironmental and archaeobotanical studies have attempted to trace these trends back to prehistoric times to investigate this species'' role in Late Pleistocene and Holocene vegetation and evaluate the role of climate and human action in its diachronic dynamics. In this study, we present a compendium of anthracological, dendro-anthracological and archaeopalyonological data with the objective of (i) investigating the nature and distribution of Aleppo pine on the island of Mallorca and (ii) evaluating the possibility that human action could have resulted in the spread of this pine species during the first two millennia of permanent human occupation of the island (c. 2300 cal. BCE–1st-century ACE). Investigating these archaeobotanical datasets, as well as making comparisons with anthracological and paleoenvironmental studies in neighbouring Mediterranean zones (Iberia), allowed us to attest that Aleppo pine is a natural, pre-human component of the Holocene vegetation of the island, and it is especially well-adapted to coastal environments. Moreover, we describe the trends and characteristics of the human management of pine woodlands through anthracology and dendro-anthracology, suggesting that human action did not provoke widespread growth of Aleppo pine in Mallorca at the expense of other vegetation types during prehistory. Such processes, well-documented by current phytosociological studies, probably began at some unknown point after the Romanisation of the island

Ancient crops provide first archaeological signature of the westward Austronesian expansion

The Austronesian settlement of the remote island of Madagascar remains one of the great puzzles of Indo-Pacific prehistory. Although linguistic, ethnographic, and genetic evidence points clearly to a colonization of Madagascar by Austronesian language-speaking people from Island Southeast Asia, decades of archaeological research have failed to locate evidence for a Southeast Asian signature in the island's early material record. Here, we present new archaeobotanical data that show that Southeast Asian settlers brought Asian crops with them when they settled in Africa. These crops provide the first, to our knowledge, reliable archaeological window into the Southeast Asian colonization of Madagascar. They additionally suggest that initial Southeast Asian settlement in Africa was not limited to Madagascar, but also extended to the Comoros. Archaeobotanical data may support a model of indirect Austronesian colonization of Madagascar from the Comoros and/or elsewhere in eastern Africa

Ancient crops provide first archaeological signature of the westward Austronesian expansion.

The Austronesian settlement of the remote island of Madagascar remains one of the great puzzles of Indo-Pacific prehistory. Although linguistic, ethnographic, and genetic evidence points clearly to a colonization of Madagascar by Austronesian language-speaking people from Island Southeast Asia, decades of archaeological research have failed to locate evidence for a Southeast Asian signature in the island's early material record. Here, we present new archaeobotanical data that show that Southeast Asian settlers brought Asian crops with them when they settled in Africa. These crops provide the first, to our knowledge, reliable archaeological window into the Southeast Asian colonization of Madagascar. They additionally suggest that initial Southeast Asian settlement in Africa was not limited to Madagascar, but also extended to the Comoros. Archaeobotanical data may support a model of indirect Austronesian colonization of Madagascar from the Comoros and/or elsewhere in eastern Africa

Ancient crops provide first archaeological signature of the westward Austronesian expansion.

The Austronesian settlement of the remote island of Madagascar remains one of the great puzzles of Indo-Pacific prehistory. Although linguistic, ethnographic, and genetic evidence points clearly to a colonization of Madagascar by Austronesian language-speaking people from Island Southeast Asia, decades of archaeological research have failed to locate evidence for a Southeast Asian signature in the island's early material record. Here, we present new archaeobotanical data that show that Southeast Asian settlers brought Asian crops with them when they settled in Africa. These crops provide the first, to our knowledge, reliable archaeological window into the Southeast Asian colonization of Madagascar. They additionally suggest that initial Southeast Asian settlement in Africa was not limited to Madagascar, but also extended to the Comoros. Archaeobotanical data may support a model of indirect Austronesian colonization of Madagascar from the Comoros and/or elsewhere in eastern Africa

Towards an archaeology of the social meanings of the environment: plants and animals at the Son Ferrer prehistoric ceremonial and funerary staggered turriform (Mallorca, Balearic Islands)

This paper, focusing on the Son Ferrer prehistoric ceremonial and funerary site on the island of Mallorca, aims to investigate the social role of plants and animals in a ritual space linked to mortuary practice. The approach adopted does not distinguish between biofacts and artefacts, but considers that both categories interact in the definition, performance and experience of the social actions that generated the bioarchaeological dataset. We envisage plants and animals as socialised active entities and approach the site as a scene of social performances coherent with the other social spheres and practices of a given community

From influence to impact: The multifunctional land use in Mediterranean prehistory emerging from palynology of archaeological sites (8.0-2.8 ka BP)

Archaeobotany is used to discover details on local land uses in prehistoric settlements developed during the middle and beginning of late Holocene. Six archaeological sites from four countries (Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey) have pollen and charcoal records showing clear signs of the agrarian systems that had developed in the Mediterranean basin during different cultural phases, from pre-Neolithic to Recent Bronze Age. A selected list of pollen taxa and sums, including cultivated trees, other woody species, crops and annual or perennial synanthropic plants are analysed for land use reconstructions. In general, cultivation has a lower image in palynology than forestry, and past land uses became visible when oakwoods were affected by human activities. On-site palynology allows us to recognise the first influence of humans even before it can be recognised in off-site sequences, and off-site sequences can allow us to determine the area of influence of a site. Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites show similar land use dynamics implying oak exploitation, causing local deforestation, and cultivation of cereal fields in the area or around the site. Although a substantial difference makes the Neolithic influence quite distant from the Bronze Age impact, mixed systems of land exploitation emerged everywhere. Multiple land use activities exist (multifunctional landscapes) at the same time within the area of influence of a site. Since the Neolithic, people have adopted a diffuse pattern of land use involving a combination of diverse activities, using trees–crops–domesticated animals. The most recurrent combination included wood exploitation, field cultivation and animal breeding. The lesson from the past is that the multifunctional land use, combining sylvo-pastoral and crop farming mixed systems, has been widely adopted for millennia, being more sustainable than the monoculture and a promising way to develop our economy. © The Author(s) 2019

Reinvestigation of Kuumbi cave, Zanzibar, reveals later stone age coastal habitation, early Holocene abandonment and iron age reoccupation

The late Pleistocene and Holocene history of eastern Africa is complex and major gaps remain in our understanding of human occupation during this period. Questions concerning the identities, geographical distributions and chronologies of foraging, herding and agricultural populations — often problematically equated with the chronological labels ‘Later Stone Age (LSA)’, ‘Neolithic’ and ‘Iron Age’ — are still unresolved. Previous studies at the site of Kuumbi Cave in the Zanzibar Archipelago of Tanzania reported late Pleistocene Middle Stone Age (MSA) and LSA, mid-Holocene Neolithic and late Holocene Iron Age occupations (Sinclair et al. 2006 Sinclair, P.J.J., Juma, A., and Chami, F.A. 2006. “Excavations at Kuumbi Cave on Zanzibar in 2005.” In The African Archaeology Network: Research in Progress, edited by J. Kinahan and J.H.A. Kinahan, 95–106. Dar es Salaam: Dar es Salaam University Press.[Google Scholar]; Chami 2009 Chami, F.A. 2009. Zanzibar and the Swahili Coast from c.30,000 Years Ago. Dar es Salaam: E&D; Vision Publishing.[Google Scholar]). Kuumbi Cave considerably extends the chronology of human occupation on the eastern African coast and findings from the site have been the basis for the somewhat contentious identification of both a coastal Neolithic culture and early chicken, a domesticate that was introduced to Africa from Asia. The site therefore warrants further investigation. Here we report on a new excavation of the Kuumbi Cave sequence that has produced a suite of 20 radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates. Our results suggest that the cave’s stratigraphy is complex, reflecting taphonomic processes that present interpretive and dating challenges. Our assessment of the stratigraphic sequence demonstrates three phases of habitation, two of which reflect terminal Pleistocene occupation and are characterised by quartz microliths, bone points and the exploitation of terrestrial and marine species, and one of which reflects later reoccupation by AD 600. In this latter phase, Kuumbi Cave was inhabited by a population with a locally distinct material culture that included idiosyncratic Tana or Triangular Incised Ware ceramics and medium-sized limestone stone tools, but with a subsistence economy similar to that of the late Pleistocene, albeit with more emphasis on marine foods and smaller terrestrial mammals. Our results suggest that Kuumbi Cave may have been unoccupied for much of the Holocene, after Zanzibar became an island. Our findings also place into question earlier identifications of domesticates, Asian fauna and a mid-Holocene Neolithic culture at the site

Ação para a aprendizagem: uma descrição histórica e contemporânea das atividades das Empresas Juniores da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Sócio-Econômico. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração.O estudo ora apresentado teve como tema e problema de pesquisa verificar até que ponto e de que maneira as Empresas Juniores (EJ) são parceiras da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) na contribuição para a formação profissional dos discentes. Para atingir o objetivo, foram estabelecidos como objetivos específicos: a descrição do surgimento, organização e funcionamento das EJ, destacando os aspectos significativos, a descrição dos principais resultados alcançados e as dificuldades encontradas pelas EJ e a descrição das perspectivas destas EJ num contexto nacional sob a ótica política, social e econômica. Esta pesquisa se caracteriza por um estudo empírico do tipo exploratório, explicativo, não experimental, e o delineamento utilizado foi o estudo de caso que permitiu analisar as configurações estruturais das sociedades civis denominadas Empresa Júnior. Trabalhou-se com uma amostra significativa de 87,5% do total das EJ existentes no período da coleta de dados (documental e entrevistas), não alcançando os 100% somente porque as mesmas estavam temporariamente desativadas. A amostra totalizou 07 (sete) EJ, mais a Federação das Empresas Juniores do Estado de Santa Catarina (FEJESC), com 42 (quarenta e dois) participantes diretamente envolvidos. Os dados primários foram coletados através de análise documental e os dados secundários por meio de entrevistas semi-estruturadas, com formulações e interrogações abertas. Estas entrevistas semi-estruturadas foram gravadas e no momento adequado foram transcritas para seguir o procedimento padrão de melhor análise. Os resultados foram analisados a partir da análise documental e análise de conteúdo para as entrevistas semi-estruturadas, onde foram categorizadas conforme procedimento para este tipo de pesquisa qualitativa. No referencial teórico procurou-se apresentar: evolução histórica da educação; as habilidades e competências para transmitir e receber conhecimento no processo de aprendizagem; o trabalho como método e fundamento pedagógico, encerrando com uma breve apresentação das relações entre universidades e empresas. No capítulo da metodologia, caracterizou-se a pesquisa em: Referências Norteadoras da Pesquisa; Delimitação do Estudo; Definição de Termos; Questões de Pesquisa; Técnicas de Coleta de Dados; Procedimentos de Coleta de Dados e Limitações da pesquisa. No capítulo quarto, analisaram-se e interpretaram-se os dados coletados da pesquisa, dividindo-os por questões de pesquisa, analisando-as separadamente. Nas conclusões, para melhor entendimento, dividiu-se em subitens assim definidos: conclusões em relação ao resultado da pesquisa; recomendações e sugestões