Els camins del present, viatges pel passat i el futur

La temàtica sobre la qual el Dr. Riera i Tuèbols ha escrit al llarg de la seva trajectòria professional és àmplia i diversa i, per tant, múltiples poden ser les refl exions al voltant del pensament i la seva obra. Aquest volum n’és una mostra. Cal assenyalar que aquesta diversitat temàtica no és aleatòria, sinó el resultat d’una concepció holística de la cultura que li ha permès eliminar les fronteres entre aspectes aparentment allunyats com l’origen de l’Univers, la il·lustració, la fi losofi a de la natura, la bioètica o la Segona Guerra Mundial..

Pitch production during the Roman period: an intensive mountain industry for a globalised economy?

The authors’ research project in the Pyrenees mountains has located and excavated Roman kilns for producing pitch from pine resin. Their investigations reveal a whole sustainable industry, integrated into the local environmental cycle, supplying pitch to the Roman network and charcoal as a spin-off to the local iron extractors. The paper makes a strong case for applying combined archaeological and palaeoenvironmental investigations in upland areas, showing mountain industries to have been not so much marginal and pastoral as key players in the economy of the Roman period and beyond it into the seventh century AD

Evolució geomorfològica del barri de la ribera en èpoques històriques

Es presenta una nova proposta d'evolució geomorfològica del front litoral barceloní, entre el mont Tàber i el parc de la Ciutadella, a partir de la integració de nova informació sedimentològica, datacions radiocarbòniques i dades arqueològiques. Aquestes dades evidencien l'existència d'una cala preromana al peu del mont Tàber que serà regularitzada amb les aportacions sedimentàries del riu Besòs a partir de l'època romana, quan es forma la barra sorrenca de Santa Maria del Mar-mercat del Born. Durant l'època medieval, la formació de barres configura zones protegides que seran utilitzades com a espais portuaris. La progressiva incidència de la progradació deltaica del Besòs marca la dinàmica litoral d'aquesta zona amb l'arribada d'un canal fluvial al segle XVI. La construcció de successius trams de moll al llarg del segle XVII accelera la progradació litoral i dóna lloc a la plana de la Barceloneta

Climatic and land use changes on the NW of Iberian Peninsula recorded in a 1500-year record from Lake Sanabria

L'estudi de diversos descriptors paleoambientals com ara el pol·len, les diatomees i la sedimentologia, realitzat en sediments procedents del llac de Sanabria (NO de la península Ibèrica), ha aportat informació sobre les oscil·lacions climàtiques atribuïdes als períodes càlids tardoromà i medieval, així com a la petita edat del gel. Entre els anys 440 i 950 dC, el clima es caracteritzà per temperatures suaus i un règim de precipitacions mediterrani, malgrat l'existència de pulsacions més fredes vers els anys 530 i 700 dC. Les evidències pol·líniques dels usos del sòl indiquen l'extensió d'activitats ramaderes i agrícoles. Aquesta fase correspon al final del període càlid romà i al període càlid medieval. El canvi de condicions climàtiques es produeix entre els anys 950 i 1100 dC, moment en què els valors mínims de matèria orgànica, pol·len arbori, concentració de diatomees, nitrogen total (TN) i mida del gra indiquen temperatures més baixes i un règim de precipitacions més regular. Aquest període correspon a la petita edat del gel, que finalitzà vers l'any 1590 dC. Posteriorment, la productivitat del llac tendeix a recuperar els valors previs, malgrat que es produeixen episodis freds i curts. Els valors de carbó orgànic total, TN i diatomees covarien amb els índexs de temperatura del NO de la península Ibèrica i posarien de manifest que, amb anterioritat a l'era industrial, el sistema lacustre de Sanabria estava controlat principalment per les condicions climàtiques. Des de l'any 1920 dC, la productivitat del llac està influenciada per l'activitat humana.This multi-proxy paleoenvironmental study from Lake Sanabria (NW Iberian Peninsula), based on pollen, diatom, and sedimentology, provides evidences of climatic oscillations attributed to the Late Roman and Medieval Warm Periods as well as the Little Ice Age (LIA). From 440 to 950 AD, the climate was characterized by mild temperatures and a Mediterranean rainfall regime, although climatic cold periods were recorded at ca. 530 and 700. Evidence from pollen indicators of land-use suggests that grazing and farming were widespread activities. This period corresponds to the end of the Roman Warm Period and the Medieval Warm Period. The onset of new climate conditions occurred between 950 and 1100 AD, as minimum values of organic matter, arboreal pollen, diatom concentration, total nitrogen (TN), and grain size indicate low temperatures and a more regular rainfall regime. This period corresponds to the LIA and ended at 1590 AD, when lake productivity tended to recover to previous values in spite of the occurrence of cool events. Total organic carbon, TN, and diatom content covary with the temperature index for the NW Iberia, suggesting that Lake Sanabria was mainly controlled by climate before the industrial period. Since 1920 AD, lake productivity has been mainly influenced by human activity

Coastal Evolution in a Mediterranean Microtidal Zone: Mid to Late Holocene Natural Dynamics and Human Management of the Castelló Lagoon, NE Spain

We present a palaeoenvironmental study of the Castelló lagoon (NE Spain), an important archive for understanding long-term interactions between dynamic littoral ecosystems and human management. Combining geochemistry, mineralogy, ostracods, diatoms, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal and archaeo-historical datasets we reconstruct: 1) the transition of the lagoon from a marine to a marginal environment between ~3150 cal BC to the 17th century AD; 2) fluctuations in salinity; and 3) natural and anthropogenic forces contributing to these changes. From the Late Neolithic to the Medieval period the lagoon ecosystem was driven by changing marine influence and the land was mainly exploited for grazing, with little evidence for impact on the natural woodland. Land-use exploitation adapted to natural coastal dynamics, with maximum marine flooding hampering agropastoral activities between ~1550 and ~150 cal BC. In contrast, societies actively controlled the lagoon dynamics and become a major agent of landscape transformation after the Medieval period. The removal of littoral woodlands after the 8th century was followed by the expansion of agrarian and industrial activities. Regional mining and smelting activities polluted the lagoon with heavy metals from the ~11th century onwards. The expansion of the milling industry and of agricultural lands led to the channelization of the river Muga into the lagoon after ~1250 cal AD. This caused its transformation into a freshwater lake, increased nutrient load, and the infilling and drainage of a great part of the lagoon. By tracking the shift towards an anthropogenically-controlled system around ~750 yr ago, this study points out Mediterranean lagoons as ancient and heavily-modified systems, with anthropogenic impacts and controls covering multi-centennial and even millennial timescales. Finally, we contributed to the future construction of reliable seashell-based chronologies in NE Spain by calibrating the Banyuls-sur-Mer ΔR offset with ceramic imports from the Emporiae archaeological site

Human management and landscape changes at Palaikastro (Eastern Crete) from the Late Neolithic to the Early Minoan period

On the east Mediterranean island of Crete, a hierarchical society centred on large palatial complexes emerges during the Bronze Age. The economic basis for this significant social change has long been debated, particularly concerning the role of olive cultivation in the island's agricultural system. With the aim of studying vegetation changes and human management to understand the landscape history from Late Neolithic to Bronze Age, two palaeoenvironmental records have been studied at Kouremenos marsh, near the site of Palaikastro (Eastern Crete). Pollen, NPP and charcoal particles analyses evidenced seven phases of landscape change, resulting from different agricultural and pastoral practices and the use of fire probably to manage vegetation. Moreover, the Kouremenos records show the importance of the olive tree in the area. They reflect a clear trend for its increasing use and exploitation from 3600 cal yr BC (Final Neolithic) to the Early Minoan period, that is coeval with an opening of the landscape. The increase of Olea pollen was due to the expansion of the tree and its management using pruning and mechanical cleaning. The onset of olive expansion at c. 3600 cal yr BC places Crete among the first locales in the eastern Mediterranean in the management of this tree. Between c. 2780 and 2525 cal yr BC the landscape was largely occupied by olive and grasslands, coinciding with an increase in grazing practices. The high Olea pollen percentages (40-45%) suggest an intensive and large-scale exploitation of the olive tree. The results suggest that a complex and organized landscape with complementary land uses and activities was already in place since the Final Neolithic. The notable expansion of olive trees suggests the relevance of olive exploitation in the socio-economic development of Minoan towns of eastern Crete. Other crops, such as cereals and vine, and activities such as grazing have also played an important role in the configuration of the past landscape

Mediterranean polyculture revisited: olive, grape and subsistence strategies at Palaikastro, East Crete, between the Late Neolithic and Late Bronze Age

This paper examines agriculture, farming and dietary resources in east Crete, and re-evaluates the role of grape and olive in its prehistoric economy, these being key in debates on the emergence of social complexity. To do so bioarchaeological, paleoenvironmental and landscape survey data from the Bronze Age town at Palaikastro and its territory are combined. The results indicate a highly compartmentalised landscape, including intensive crop cultivation and extensive animal herding with careful monitoring to maintain productivity. A heightened specialisation in ovicaprine management at Palaikastro and east Crete seems to be delineated. Marine resources were regularly exploited from easily accessible coastal areas. Other activities included viticulture since the Early Minoan period, with the possible involvement of several houses in wine-making. A final important activity in the area was large-scale olive tree management since the Final Neolithic period and through to the Late Bronze Age, that seems to be entangled with ovicaprine herding and grazing. Thus, the demand for olive oil production does not seem to have been the driving force behind the intensification of the tree management, at least initially, but a corollary of its use in other aspects of the local economy