El litoral catalán a mediados del siglo XVI: lectura arqueológica de la Cova del Ramal de la Raconada (Castelldefels)

Castelldefels es una de las poblaciones litorales que refleja mejor el contexto histórico y económico del siglo xvi. Se preservan numerosas torres de defensa edificadas en ese momento que fueron destinadas a la protección y defensa de los habitantes dada la inestabilidad de la costa, teniendo lugar además una de las reformas más destacadas en el castillo, dotándolo de eficaces elementos defensivos (López Mullor, 2000). El siglo xvi vino marcado en el mar Mediterráneo por la ascensión del Imperio Turco en los mares de Oriente, apareciendo en Argel un estado basado en la piratería. La porción de costa que va desde Montjuic a Sitges, que en un sentido amplio podríamos decir que corresponde con la costa del antiguo término de Eramprunyà, sufrió los efectos de la piratería berberisca, siendo víctima entre los años 1500 y 1800, de diversos episodios de ataques piratas (Campmany et al., 2003: 179).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New Middle Pleistocene hominin cranium from Gruta da Aroeira (Portugal)

The Middle Pleistocene is a crucial time period for studying human evolution in Europe, because it marks the appearance of both fossil hominins ancestral to the later Neandertals and the Acheulean technology. Nevertheless, European sites containing well-dated human remains associated with an Acheulean toolkit remain scarce. The earliest European hominin crania associated with Acheulean handaxes are at the sites of Arago, Atapuerca Sima de los Huesos (SH), and Swanscombe, dating to 400-500 ka (Marine Isotope Stage 11-12). The Atapuerca (SH) fossils and the Swanscombe cranium belong to the Neandertal clade, whereas the Arago hominins have been attributed to an incipient stage of Neandertal evolution, to Homo heidelbergensis, or to a subspecies of Homo erectus A recently discovered cranium (Aroeira 3) from the Gruta da Aroeira (Almonda karst system, Portugal) dating to 390-436 ka provides important evidence on the earliest European Acheulean-bearing hominins. This cranium is represented by most of the right half of a calvarium (with the exception of the missing occipital bone) and a fragmentary right maxilla preserving part of the nasal floor and two fragmentary molars. The combination of traits in the Aroeira 3 cranium augments the previously documented diversity in the European Middle Pleistocene fossil record.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Neandertals of northeastern Iberia: New remains from the Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona)

The present study describes a new juvenile hominin mandible and teeth and a new juvenile humerus from level V of the GP2 gallery of Cova del Gegant (Spain). The mandible (Gegant-5) preserves a portion of the right mandibular corpus from the M1 distally to the socket for the dc mesially, and the age at death is estimated as 4.5-5.0 years. Gegant-5 shows a single mental foramen located under the dm1/dm2 interdental septum, a relatively posterior placement compared with recent hominins of a similar developmental age. The mental foramen in Gegant-5 is also placed within the lower half of the mandibular corpus, as in the previously described late adolescent/adult mandible (Gegant-1) from this same Middle Paleolithic site. The Gegant-5 canine shows pronounced marginal ridges, a distal accessory ridge, and a pronounced distolingual tubercle. The P3 shows a lingually-displaced protoconid cusp tip and a distal accessory ridge. The P4 shows a slightly asymmetrical crown outline, a continuous transverse crest, a mesially placed metaconid cusp tip, a slight distal accessory ridge, and an accessory lingual cusp. The M1 shows a Y5 pattern of cusp contact and a well-developed and deep anterior fovea bounded posteriorly by a continuous midtrigonid crest. Gegant-4 is the distal portion of a left humerus from a juvenile estimated to be between 5 and 7 years old at death. The specimen shows thick cortical bone. Although fragmentary, the constellation of morphological and metric features indicates Neandertal affinities for these specimens. Their spatial proximity at the site and similar ages at death suggest these remains may represent a single individual. The addition of these new specimens brings the total number of Neandertal remains from the Cova del Gegant to five, and this site documents the clearest evidence for Neandertal fossils associated with Middle Paleolithic stone tools in this region of the Iberian Peninsula.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cova del Rinoceront (Castelldefels, Barcelona): a terrestrial record for the Last Interglacial period (MIS 5) in the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula

The Cova del Rinoceront, a site in NE Iberia, contains a thick sedimentary fill preserving a faunal archive from the penultimate glacial and the the last interglacial periods. Layers I to III have been dated to between 74 and 147 ka, coinciding with MIS 5a to 5e, a period poorly represented in the Mediterranean terrestrial record. The results from Cova del Rinoceront are of broader interest for the reconstruction of ecological dynamics during warm stages and the understanding of the evolution and geographical variation of several taxa. The palaeoecological evidence suggests a landscape dominated by mixed wooded vegetation with mild climatic conditions, slightly more humid than today. Several vertebrate taxa, including Haploidoceros mediterraneus, Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis and Glis glis, are documented for the first time in the early Upper Pleistocene of Europe, showing that these species persisted across the region for longer than previously thought. In addition, the recovery of a small lithic assemblage indicates human presence in the surroundings of the site. The 11 m-thick stratigraphic section also provides an ideal setting in which to compare several geochronological methods. UeTh dating of the flowstones that cap the deposit, of speleothems formed along the cave walls, and of speleothems buried by the deposit at different elevations provides minimum and maximum ages of 74 and 175 ka, respectively, for the accumulation. The ages obtained by luminescence, electron spin resonance (ESR), amino acid racemisation (AAR), palaeomagnetism and U-series dating of bone are in good agreement with each other and are stratigraphically consistent. This well-dated faunal succession presents a unique opportunity to assess changes in the Pleistocene fauna of the Mediterranean coast over an interval of more than 100 ka

A symbolic Neanderthal accumulation of large herbivore crania

This work examines the possible behaviour of Neanderthal groups at the Cueva Des-Cubierta (central Spain) via the analysis of the latter’s archaeological assemblage. Alongside evidence of Mousterian lithic industry, Level 3 of the cave infill was found to contain an assemblage of mammalian bone remains dominated by the crania of large ungulates, some associated with small hearths. The scarcity of post-cranial elements, teeth, mandibles and maxillae, along with evidence of anthropogenic modification of the crania (cut and percussion marks), indicates that the carcasses of the corresponding animals were initially processed outside the cave, and the crania were later brought inside. A second round of processing then took place, possibly related to the removal of the brain. The continued presence of crania throughout Level 3 indicates that this behaviour was recurrent during this level’s formation. This behaviour seems to have no subsistence-related purpose but to be more symbolic in its intent

Aplicaciones educativas de la psicología positiva

Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónSe realiza un acercamiento a la psicología positiva, desde el estudio de las bases de bienestar psicológico, la felicidad, las fortalezas y virtudes humanas. La psicología positiva promueve el estudio de las características, condiciones y procesos que contribuyen al funcionamiento óptimo de la persona, a su excelencia como individuo y al logro de una vida plena y significativa. Se tratan temas como el trabajo en equipo, la creatividad, el liderazgo, la resolución de problemas, las relaciones interpersonales, el optimismo, etc. Se considera que la aplicación a la escuela de esta corriente dentro de la psicología es necesaria. Por lo tanto, se apuesta por una tarea educativa entendida como recurso cultural de gestión personal de conocimiento para saber y ser feliz en la vida.ValenciaBiblioteca de Educación del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; Calle San Agustín, 5 - 3 planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]

Aplicaciones educativas de la psicología positiva

Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónSe realiza un acercamiento a la psicología positiva, desde el estudio de las bases de bienestar psicológico, la felicidad, las fortalezas y virtudes humanas. La psicología positiva promueve el estudio de las características, condiciones y procesos que contribuyen al funcionamiento óptimo de la persona, a su excelencia como individuo y al logro de una vida plena y significativa. Se tratan temas como el trabajo en equipo, la creatividad, el liderazgo, la resolución de problemas, las relaciones interpersonales, el optimismo, etc. Se considera que la aplicación a la escuela de esta corriente dentro de la psicología es necesaria. Por lo tanto, se apuesta por una tarea educativa entendida como recurso cultural de gestión personal de conocimiento para saber y ser feliz en la vida.ValenciaBiblioteca de Educación del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; Calle San Agustín, 5 - 3 planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]