The lost photos: archaeothanatology applied to photo documentation from the 1960s reveals new data about Mesolithic burials, Sado valley, Portugal

The Mesolithic shell middens in Portugal aggregate some of the largest and earliest burial grounds known, around 8000 years old, arranged and maintained by populations with an exclusive hunting, fishing, and foraging lifestyle. The archaeological material is housed in museums and consists of artefacts, field documentation (written, graphic) and more than 300 human skeletons. This archaeological assemblage is exceptional due to its quality and antiquity, but its early excavation introduces several challenges to the modern research. Here we present an analysis of the burials in the shell middens of Arapouco and Poças de S. Bento in the Sado valley, Portugal following the principles of archaeothanatology to reconstruct past ritual practices as responses to death. Our analysis was based on unpublished photographs from the 1960s and our aims were 1) to identify the nature of the deposits (primary, secondary); 2) to describe the space of decomposition of the cadaver (filled, empty, mixed); 3) to reconstruct the initial position of the cadaver in the feature; 4) to reconstruct the grave features, such as size and shape; 5) to detect the initial presence of perishable materials deposited along with the cadaver, such as structures behind the bodies, or wrappings of the body at the time of disposal; 6) to clearly define the deposits containing more than one individual; 7) to identify post-depositional manipulations of the cadaver. The method, which emerged in the context of field archaeology lays great emphasis on the field situation and it has been argued that assessment of the material may not be possible if key observations are not documented in situ. Despite the limitations, we demonstrate with this case study that archaeothanatology is a robust and reliable method to assess, study, and retrieve new data from the extensive archaeological assemblages of human remains available in museums.N/

Os mortos na Gruta do Escoural (Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal): interações nas primeiras sociedades camponesas do sudoeste da Península Ibérica

The arrival of farmers to the south-western Iberian Peninsula was followed by a period of complex human interaction after 5500 BCE. This marked the arrival of new technologies and subsistence practices such as pottery, husbandry and domestication of plants, but also the co-existence of diverse social structures and world-views in a territory populated by hunter-gatherers. Biological and sociocultural interactions between local and migrant groups at the onset and establishment of the Neolithic in Atlantic Europe are poorly understood. The Neolithic funerary context in the Escoural cave, Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal, offers a research opportunity to examine these processes because it is uniquely well preserved and its use intersects key periods to understand multilayered human interaction. In this paper we present a synthesis of what is known about the Neolithic use of the cave complemented by new observations in the scope of a multidisciplinary project centred on the Escoural Cave started in 2018.A entrada dos primeiros agricultores no SO da Penísula Ibérica, c. 5500 BCE, foi acompanhada pela introdução de novas tecnologias e formas de subsistência. As interacções que se estabeleceram entre grupos locais e migrantes nesta etapa do processo histórico, que marca o advento e a consolidação do Neolítico na Europa Atlântica, são mal conhecidas. O contexto funerário da Gruta do Escoural (Montemor-o-Novo) constitui uma oportunidade para investigar estes processos, não só devido ao seu grau de preservação, mas porque a sua utilização intercepta períodos-chave para a compreensão de múltiplos aspectos dessa interacção humana. Os materiais arqueológicos escavados na década de 1960 incluem restos humanos, artefactos em pedra e osso, cerâmicas e adornos. Apesar de a cultura material sugerir uma afiliação ao Neolítico Médio (c. 4500-3500 BCE), a datação de restos humanos sugere um intervalo de tempo mais tardio (c. 3500-3000 BCE), marcado pela construção de monumentos megalíticos na região. O cruzamento de culturas de cronologia neolítica no Escoural é igualmente apoiado por cerâmicas cardiais e impressas, sugerindo uma utilização da cavidade no Neolítico Antigo (c. 5500-4700 BCE). Neste artigo apresentamos uma síntese dos dados conhecidos sobre a ocupação Neolítica da Gruta do Escoural, a par de novas observações realizadas no âmbito de um projeto iniciado em 2018 e centrado nesta cavidade. O objectivo deste projecto é implementar uma perspectiva interdisciplinar ao estudo da Arqueologia da Morte, investigando paralelamente as interacções humanas criadas com a introdução e consolidação de novas formas de vida na região (c. 5400-3000 BCE).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The prehistoric sequence of Abittaga cave (Amoroto, Biscay): review of J.M. Barandiarán excavations (1964-1966)

Resumen: El yacimiento de la cueva de Abittaga, excavado por J.M. Barandiarán entre 1964 y 1965, contiene una secuencia arqueológica con ocupaciones del Magdaleniense Superior y de la Prehistoria Reciente. Este yacimiento apenas ha participado en los debates de la prehistoria vasca de los últimos 40 años, fundamentalmente porque el yacimiento había sido estudiado de manera parcial y porque la información estratigráfica resultaba confusa. En este trabajo presentamos la revisión la colección arqueológica de Abittaga (industria lítica, ósea, cerámica, macrofauna y restos humanos). Se presentan además nuevas dataciones para las ocupaciones magdalenienses (nivel VII), y las de la Prehistoria Reciente (niveles I-III), y los resultados de la intervención arqueológica realizada en 2016. Estos resultados proporcionan una visión actualizada de un yacimiento usado con fines sepulcrales en la Edad del Bronce y como campamento ocasional, dentro de una amplia red de emplazamientos en la cuenca del Lea, durante el Magdaleniense Superior.Abstract: The archaeological site of Abittaga cave, excavated by J.M. Barandiarán between 1964 and 1965, has yielded a stratigraphic sequence with Late Magdalenian and Recent Prehistory occupations. For several reasons, this site has barely contributed to the debates about the Basque Prehistory during the last 40 years, debates such as the subsistence strategies and cultural transformations of the last hunter gatherers in the region, or the use of caves by the first farmer communities. This can probably be explained not only by the absence of a complete comprehensive analysis of the site and the archaeological materials, but also because some of the information provided by J.M. Barandiarán about the site, specially about its stratigraphy, was rather confusing. In this work we present the systematic revision of the archaeo-palaeontological collection, and we offer new data about the lithic tools, bone industry, pottery, and faunal and human remains. The analysis of the documentation of the site recorded by J.M. Barandiarán and J.M. Apellániz complemented with the results of the excavation made in 2016 at the site, suggest that the archaeological deposits excavated by J.M. Barandiarán probably correspond with deposits in primary position preserved only by the right wall of the entrance hall of the cave. The analysis of the pottery assemblage suggests different uses of the cave between the III and the I millennium cal BC. The presence of a single human individual buried in levels I-III, directly dated between 1895-1689 cal BC, indicates a funerary use of the cave during the Bronze Age. Levels IV-VI are really poor in archaeological materials and thus very difficult to interpret. Level VII presents the bulk of the archaeological material and it has been dated between 14321-14051 cal BP. In this level, the lithic assemblage is well preserved, with different refitting series. Almost all the lithic artifacts have been knapped using Flysch flint, but there are examples of flint varieties coming from more than 50 km of distance. We have recognized an in situ bladelet production obtained from carinated burins and small blocks, and the production of larger blades outside the cave, that were subsequently carried to Abittaga. The retouched toolkit is composed basically by burins, partially retouched blades and backed bladelets, with a remarkable absence of endscrapers. On the other hand, the bone industry is rich and varied, with bone points, single-row barbed harpoons, and rods. This lithic and bone industry is similar to other coeval sites in the same region such as Santa Catalina or Atxurra. The Late Magdalenian occupation of Abittaga cave is interpreted as a short-term occupation which was part of a wider settlement network that existed at that time in the Lea basin.La intervención y el estudio de materiales antiguos en la cueva de Abittaga, fue autorizada y subvencionada por el Servicio de Patrimonio Cultural de la Diputación Foral de Bizkaia (A013/2016, 72095530YA). AGO ha recibido apoyo de FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación-Agencia Estatal de Investigación (proyecto PGC2018-093925-B-C33), del Grupo de Investigación IT1418-19 de Eusko Jaurlaritza-Gobierno Vasco y tiene un contrato Ramón y Cajal (RYC-2017-22558). AGS tiene un contrato predoctoral de la UPV/EHU para realizar la tesis en cotutela entre dicha universidad y la Universidad de Burdeos. Iñaki Intxaurbe (UPV/EHU) nos ha proporcionado las coordenadas de los yacimientos reflejadas en el mapa de la Figura 1. Queremos agradecer al Arkeologi Museoa de Bilbao las facilidades concedidas para la consulta de materiales y de documentación anexa, especialmente a Sonia Aníbarro. Encarnación Regalado y Ander Ugarte colaboraron en la excavación de 2016

Tito Bustillo Cave (Ardines, Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain): archaeological excavations in the Living Area

RESUMEN: En este artículo se revisa la información disponible sobre las intervenciones arqueológicas llevadas a cabo en la conocida como Área de Estancia de la cueva de Tito Bustillo, tanto por Miguel Ángel García Guinea (campaña de 1970), como por J. Alfonso Moure Romanillo (campañas de 1972 a 1986). Se hace particular hincapié en la publicación de nuevos datos sobre el yacimiento, relacionados con dataciones radiocarbónicas y con determinados análisis llevados a cabo a partir de los restos de origen biótico (mamíferos, aves, peces, moluscos, industria ósea y objetos de adorno) y abiótico (procedencia de las materias primas líticas). Por último, se adelantan los primeros resultados sobre la intervención arqueológica llevada a cabo en el año 2020 en esta zona de la cueva, que consistió en la realización de la topografía y en la limpieza de los perfiles dejados en las intervenciones de los años setenta y ochenta del siglo pasado, con el objeto de tomar muestras de diferentes tipos, destinadas a comprender mejor la dinámica del yacimiento.ABSTRACT: This paper reviews the available information about the excavations carried out by Miguel Ángel García Guinea (1970) and J. Alfonso Moure Romanillo (1972-1986) in the chamber in Tito Bustillo cave known as the Living Area. It highlights the publication of new data about the deposit, comprising radiocarbon dates and the analyses of biotic remains (large mammals, birds, fish, molluscs, bone industry and objects of adornment) and abiotic artefacts (provenance of lithic raw materials). It also provides the preliminary results of the archaeological fieldwork in the same part of the cave in 2020, which consisted of surveying the area and cleaning up the sections left by the excavations in the 1970s and 80s, in order to collect different types of samples and acquire a better understanding of the dynamic of the deposit.Este artículo ha sido realizado dentro de dos proyectos. En primer lugar, del proyecto Símbolos subterráneos: una aproximación al pensamiento de los cazadores-recolectores del Tardiglaciar y del Holoceno usando tecnologías informáticas (SimTIC) (HAR2017-82557-P), financiado por el Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad. Gobierno de España; en segundo lugar, Contactos a corta, media y larga distancia entre los grupos humanos del Paleolítico superior en el Golfo de Bizkaia a través de los recursos bióticos y abióticos (PaleontheMove) (PID2020-114462GB-I00), financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Gobierno de España

Death in Place: Rituals in Practice

This paper explores the intricate relations between mortuary ritual practice and the active role of memory in the construction and reconstruction of place by hunter-gatherer groups. The data for this preliminary study are drawn from the Mesolithic shell midden sites located in the Tagus and Sado valleys in Portugal, where ca. 374 human burials have been excavated since the late nineteenth century. The aim of this essay is to rehearse a holistic approach to the study of the Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, by sewing together the spheres of death, memory and place.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Buried side by side : The last hunter-gatherers of the south-western Iberian Peninsula through the lens of their mortuary practices

This paper summarizes the results of my research (Peyroteo-Stjerna 2016a) focusing on burial activities of the last hunter-gatherers of the south-western Iberian Peninsula. Human burials were investigated in terms of time and practice based on the application of three methods: radiocarbon dating and Bayesian analysis to define the chronological framework of the burial activity at each site and valley; stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen aimed at defining the burial populations by the identification of dietary choices; and archaeothanatology to reconstruct and define central practices in the treatment of the dead. This research provides new perspectives on the role and relevance of the shell middens in the Tagus and Sado Valleys. Death rituals played a central role in the life of these hunter-gatherers in developing a sense of community, as well as for maintaining social ties in both life and death

Chronology of the burial activity of the last hunter-gatherers in the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, Portugal

For most of human history, funerary burial has been unusual. Archaeology shows a shift in funerary practices in postglacial hunter-gatherers, in parts of Europe during the Late Mesolithic. This is documented by the burial grounds in the Tagus and Sado valleys in the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, Portugal, where ca. 376 burials were excavated. This study presents a chronology for the burial activity in these sites and contextualizes the start and end activity phases within regional environmental changes and cultural developments. The dataset consists of 76 14C dates on human bone (19 new, 57 published) including new dates from contexts in Portugal outside these valleys. Bayesian chronological models were defined in OxCal, and protein carbon contributions of marine foods were estimated by the Bayesian mixing model FRUITS. The results indicate a broader timeframe for the Late Mesolithic in Portugal, than previously suggested, starting during a period of significant environmental changes, ca. 8500–8300 cal BP, and ending ca. 7000 cal BP. The burial activity decreased during the establishment of Neolithic farmers in southwestern Iberia from ca. 7450 cal BP, however, these burial grounds continued to be used by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, showing that diverse social structures and worldviews coexisted for several generations

96. Buried side by side: The last hunter-gatherers of the south-western Iberian Peninsula through the lens of their mortuary practices

This paper summarizes the results of my research (Peyroteo-Stjerna 2016a) focusing on burial activities of the last hunter-gatherers of the south-western Iberian Peninsula. Human burials were investigated in terms of time and practice based on the application of three methods: radiocarbon dating and Bayesian analysis to define the chronological framework of the burial activity at each site and valley; stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen aimed at defining the burial populations by the identification of dietary choices; and archaeothanatology to reconstruct and define central practices in the treatment of the dead. This research provides new perspectives on the role and relevance of the shell middens in the Tagus and Sado Valleys. Death rituals played a central role in the life of these hunter-gatherers in developing a sense of community, as well as for maintaining social ties in both life and death.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Arqueotanatologia e coleções museológicas : Estratégias e desafios para o estudo das práticas funerárias do passado

Archaeothanatology is a method based on the knowledge of human anatomy and taphonomic theory, developed to analyse archaeological contexts with human remains. The method emerged in the context of field archaeology and its application to museum colections can be problematic. In this paper, I present the principles of archaeothanatology and show its flexibility for the study of archaeological documentation in archive.Through the presentation of a case study I aim to demonstrate the potential of the method for the reconstructionof the chaîne operátoire of funerary gestures, which remains were documented in archaeological excavations several decades ago.Os contextos arqueológicos com ossos humanos apresentam desafios específicos relativos à interpretação dosprocessos culturais associados à sua deposição. É neste contexto que se desenvolve a arqueotanatologia, umametodologia que integra conhecimentos de anatomia humana e teoria tafonómica. Contudo, o método foi desenvolvidopara o contexto de escavação e a sua aplicação a documentação antiga pode ser problemática. Nesteartigo, apresento os fundamentos da arqueotanatologia e a sua versatilidade para o estudo de coleções museológicas.Pretendo demonstrar, através de um caso de estudo, o potencial deste método para a reconstrução dacadeia operatória dos gestos funerários de populações do passado, cujos vestígios foram documentados emescavações arqueológicas há várias décadas atrás

Places of shared narratives : The Mesolithic burial grounds in the Tagus and Sado valleys, Portugal

Places with burial grounds reveal a commitment of the living to the dead, expressed by continued depositional eventsreproduced over a more or less long period of time. Mortuary practices required bodily performances which were centralin processes of remembering. To understand the mortuary practices of the last hunter-gatherers of the south-westernIberian Peninsula through the archaeological material from the shell middens in the Tagus and Sado valleys, I work in theframework of social memory, concepts of place, mortuary practices, and historical processes. !ese theoretical principlesallow me to discuss the central questions of this paper, enquiring about the relevance of the formation and maintenanceof burial grounds, and the signi"cance of mortuary practices and formal places for the dead in the lives of these huntergatherers.In this paper I discuss the long-term history of the cultural production of these places by examining the signi"canceof mortuary practices during the formation, maintenance and development of these shell middens