Dietary and territorial mobility patterns of the last hunter-gatherer and the first producer societies in the Western Pyrenees.

378 p.En esta Tesis Doctoral se estudian, mediante análisis de isótopos de carbono, nitrógeno y estroncio, los patrones de alimentación y movilidad territorial de los grupos humanos de la Prehistoria Reciente. Para ello, se han tomado muestras, tanto arqueológicas (humanas y faunísticas), como contemporáneas (plantas y caracoles), de los yacimientos de Santimamiñe y Pico Ramos para el caso de Bizkaia, Fuente Hoz y Kurtzebide para Araba, y Karea, Marizulo, Iruaxpe I y Urtao II para Gipuzkoa. Estos yacimientos abarcan una cronología que va desde el Mesolítico hasta la Edad de Bronce, aportando un punto de vista diacrónico sobre las costumbres alimentarias y la movilidad de estas sociedades. Los resultados isotópicos han aportado información que muestra una tendencia general al consumo de proteínas de origen terrestre tipo C3. Esta tendencia no muestra variaciones teniendo en cuenta los individuos analizados correspondientes a diferentes zonas o cronologías, lo que nos permite corroborar el cese de la explotación intensiva de los recursos marinos desde el Mesolítico. Tan sólo encontramos dos excepciones del yacimiento de Santimamiñe que podrían relacionarse con un mayor consumo de alimentos vegetales o fluviales, proteínas marinas o bien de plantas C4. Respecto a los resultados de 87Sr/86Sr obtenidos de los individuos de diferentes cronologías son llamativos, debido a la gran cantidad de individuos que muestras valores no-locales. Estos resultados parecen indicar una extensa área de desplazamiento, quizás relacionada con prácticas trashumantes

Anthropic resource exploitation and use of the territory at the onset of social complexity in the Neolithic-Chalcolithic Western Pyrenees: a multi-isotope approach

Carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope analyses from bone collagen provide information about the dietary protein input, while strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) from tooth enamel give us data about provenance and potential territorial mobility of past populations. To date, isotopic results on the prehistory of the Western Pyrenees are scarce. In this article, we report human and faunal values of the mentioned isotopes from the Early-Middle Neolithic site of Fuente Hoz (Anuntzeta) and the Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic site of Kurtzebide (Letona, Zigoitia). The main objectives of this work are to analyze the dietary and territorial mobility patterns of these populations. Furthermore, as an additional aim, we will try to discuss social ranking based on the isotope data and existing literature on this topic in the region of study. Our results show that, based on the bioavailable Sr values, both purported local and non-local humans were buried together at the sites. Additionally, they suggest similar resource consumption based on C3 terrestrial resources (i.e. ovicaprids, bovids, and suids) as the main part of the protein input. Overall, this study sheds light on how individuals from different backgrounds were still buried together and shared the same dietary lifestyle at a time in the Prehistory of Iberia when social complexities started to appear

El yacimiento calcolítico de Karea (Aia) en el contexto de las cuevas sepulcrales de Guipuzkoa (País Vasco)

En el yacimiento arqueológico de Karea (Aia, Gipuzkoa), integrado por las cavidades contiguas de Karea-A y Karea-B, se recuperaron numerosos restos cerámicos y faunísticos (Karea-A) y vestigios de una inhumación calcolítica (Karea-B). El presente trabajo se ha vertebrado en dos ejes. En primer lugar, el estudio de ambos depósitos mediante diferentes disciplinas: (1) estudio antropológico; (2) estudio del ajuar, compuesto por restos cerámicos y faunísticos; (3) identificación antracológica de los restos leñosos recuperados en el depósito funerario y por último, (4) estudios isotópicos que nos han permitido obtener datos de la alimentación (δ13C y δ15N) y procedencia (87Sr/86Sr) del sujeto inhumado en el yacimiento. En segundo lugar, siendo este el objetivo preferente de este trabajo, contextualizar y establecer una comparativa con otras manifestaciones sepulcrales prehistóricas en cueva de la región. Karea-A eta Karea-B haitzuloez konposatutako historiaurreko Kareako (Aia, Gipuzkoa) aztarnategi arkeologikoan, zeramika, fauna zein kalkolitoko ehorzketa baten aztarnak berreskuratu ziren. Honako lan honek ondorioz, bi ardatz ditu. Alde batetik, deposituen azterketa diziplina desberdinen bidez: (1) azterketa antropologikoa; (2) hatua osatzen duten zeramika nahiz fauna aztarnen azterketa; (3) ehorzketan berresku- ratutako egur-ikatzen behaketa eta, (4) ehortzitako gizabanakoaren elikaduraren (δ 13 C y δ 15 N) eta jatorriaren ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) inguruan berri ematen diguten analisi isotopikoak. Bestetik, eta artikulu honen helburu nagusi izanez, kobazuloa bere testuinguruan kokatu zein, eskualdean dauden gainontzeko ehorzketa kobazuloekin alderaketa burutu. Archaeological site of Karea (Aia, Gipuzkoa) was discovered in 2007 by Antxieta Jakintza Taldea (a Basque cultural-speleological aggru- pation from Azpeitia -Gipuzkoa-). This site has two contiguous cavities where different archaeological remains were discovered: Karea-A and Karea-B. Karea-A, which has small dimensions and an easy entrance, was excavated in 2008 by Antxieta Jakintza Taldea and Maria José Iriarte-Chiapusso (archaeologist and IKERBASQUE researcher). Faunal remains and abundant pottery remains were recovered there, sugges- ting a short time human occupation during prehistorical times. At the same time, the speleological group found a second cave which has a small and hidden entrance: Karea-B. The researchers supposed that the cavities were linked in the past, but, an internal collapse divided both caves. They also found some human bones in a small side gallery. The excavation of Karea-B in 2009 resulted in the discovery of a chalcolithic inhumation. Some pottery and fauna remains, which were identified like grave goods, were also found with the human body. Under this burial, charcoal fragments were recovered, suggesting a ritual or hygienic aim because there is no fire signal into the bones. We here present a multi - disciplinary study of this archaeological deposit consisting of: (1) anthropological study; (2) pottery and faunal grave good assemblage study; (3) anthracological study of the wood recovered at the burial; (4) isotopic study to gain information on diet (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) and provenance ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) from the buried individual. Finally, we have contextualized this new finding amongst other cave burials from Gipuzkoa and especially in Urola Valley

Territorial mobility and subsistence strategies during the Ebro Basin Late Neolithic-Chalcolithic: A multi-isotope approach from San Juan cave (Loarre, Spain)

The use of isotopic analysis in human and animal remains from the Holocene has proved to be a very useful tool to explore the exploitation and adaptation of past populations to different environments. In this study we present isotopic analysis results of carbon, nitrogen and strontium from the Late Neolithic-Chalcolithic site of San Juan cave (Loarre, Spain). We analysed 33 humans, divided in adult and subadult groups, and 16 animals recovered from the same archaeological context. Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen has allowed to distinguish an homogeneous subsistence pattern during the Late Neolithic-Chalcolithic transition. The use of strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) in human dental enamel suggests 19% (4 out of 21) are non-local individuals, based on comparison with the local bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr range calculated using microfauna teeth from the archaeological context, modern plants and snails. This new study gives information about Late Neolithic communities located in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula, and it allows inference of the socio-economic structure, territorial mobility and individual provenance of humans.Fil: Villalba Mouco, Vanessa. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Sauqué Latas, Víctor. Universidad de Zaragoza; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Antropología de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Instituto de Antropología de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Sarasketa Gartzia, Izaskun. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Pastor, M. Victoria. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: le Roux, Petrus J.. Cape Town Universtity; SudáfricaFil: Vicente, Diana. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Utrilla, Pilar. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Salazar García, Domingo C.. Cape Town Universtity; Sudáfrica. Universidad del País Vasco; Españ

Stable isotope ratio analysis of bone collagen as indicator of different environments conditions and dietary habits in Northeastern Iberia during the 4th and 3rd millenium calBC

The Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods are poorly understood in northeastern Iberia. Most of the information comes from the sepulchral structures rather than habitat settlements. The high number of individuals usually recovered from this types of collective burial spaces, together with the low number of direct radiocarbon dates available on them, forces us to be cautious and consider all the studied assemblages as belonging to the so-called Late Neolithic-Chalcolithic time period. To evaluate human dietary patterns of the Late Neolithic-Chalcolithic populations from the northeast of Iberia, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis was carried out on 78 humans and 32 faunal bones from Cova de laGuineu (Font-rubí, Barcelona) and Cueva de Abauntz (Arraitz, Navarra), both of them sepulchral sites. Results show a common dietary pattern in both sites, indicating an homogeneous protein diet based on C3 terrestrial resources and no isotopic evidence of the consumption of C4 plants. Only one individual from Cueva de Abauntz, who directly dates to the first moments of the use of the cave as a burial place, suggests a different protein intake. The inter-population analysis shows a significant difference between both human and faunal δ13C values, suggesting an environmental influence on the isotope values depending on the geographic location. This effect should not be discarded and always assessed with baseline isotopic values in future studies at each area of Iberia and for different chronological moments