Two Azores shipwrecks and insect biological invasions during the Age of Discovery

UIDB/04666/2021 UIDP/04666/2021Insect faunas from a Spanish and a Dutch shipwreck, Angra D and Angra C, recovered from a bay on Terceira island, Angra do Heroísmo, in the Azores, and dated to c. 1650 CE, provide information about the onboard ecology of seventeenth century shipping vessels and the role of these ships and of contemporary maritime routes in biological invasions. In addition to evidence for foul conditions, there is evidence for similar insect faunas on both these ships. The assemblages include the earliest records of the now cosmopolitan synanthropic scuttle fly Dohrniphora cornuta (Bigot) which was probably introduced through trade from southeast Asia to Europe. The presence of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (L.) from Angra D, in the context of other sixteenth and seventeenth century records from shipwrecks, gives information about its spread to North America and Europe through transatlantic and transpacific trade, hitching a ride with traded commodities. The insect data point to the importance of introduced taxa on traded commodities and ballast, transported from port to port, and the role of ports of call like Angra in the Azores, as hot spots for biological invasions.publishersversionpublishe

A very curious larder – Insects from post-medieval Skálholt, Iceland, and their implications for interpreting activity areas

Fossil insect assemblages from post-medieval Skálholt, the oldest episcopal see in Iceland, provide new information about indoor environments and the specific use of a structure which according to historical information was listed as a larder attached to the episcopal school. The assemblages recovered also provide information on the background fauna which comprises of species related to turves, used for building construction and indicating storage of peat. In addition to the introduced Sitophilus granarius, the granary weevil, a new pest, Callosobruchus maculatus which is a pan-tropical and subtropical field and storage pest of legumes, and a rarely introduced species in Iceland even today, were also recovered from the site. In view of the nature of the assemblages, these were probably accidental introductions into the room, perhaps in faeces. The historical record provides information about the life history and events at Skálholt and data about school supplies including imports of stored products to Iceland during this period. In addition, the high numbers of sheep keds, Melophagus ovinus, combined with high numbers of human lice, Pediculus humanus, point to the washing of wool and clothing in urine to get rid of ectoparasites. Intra-site comparisons and a review of all Icelandic archaeological sites suggest a clear correlation between the presence of ectoparasites and wool preparation and cleaning. The results from Skálholt clearly show that rooms and specific spaces in post-medieval buildings could have multiple functions, not only the one assigned to them in the historical record

Ephemeral Materiality: Biographical Approach to Medieval Wooden Crafts from Hoyo de los Herreros Cave (Cantabria, Spain)

The wooden assemblage recovered from Hoyo de los Herreros cave (Reocín, Cantabria, Spain) in northern Iberia has provided an exceptional opportunity to enlarge our knowledge about perishable material culture from a unique medieval context. This case study enhances the information related to ephemeral material culture associated with the occupation of caves during the Middle Ages in northern Iberia, and the role played by wooden crafts in relation to activities performed within these dark and subterrain areas. All the wooden objects have been systematically studied and dated, combining wood analysis and morpho-technological study with the examination of entomological remains recovered from one of the objects which was in an advanced state of decay. The three bowls and a pointed twig recovered inside the cave were probably related to two different episodes of use, the first dated between 9th to 11th centuries CE, and the second between 11th and 12th centuries CE. It was possible to identify different stages of their chaîne-opératoires and the analysis of different aspects of their lifecycle, in tandem with the study of medieval wood crafting, specifically lathe-turning.MMS was funded by a RETOS call mod. JIN “Born to be wild. Crafting wild plants resources during Iron Age in the North of Iberia (B-WILD)” (PID2019-105302RJ-I00) and a Beatriz Galindo program as Junior Distinguished Researcher (BG20/00076) leading the project “WILDCrafting wild plants resources during Bronze and Iron Age in the North of Iberia”. The radiocarbon dating has been funded in the framework of the project “MATERIAL-Materiality and Material Culture: Wood and Other Plant-based Materials in Archaeological Contexts” of the Post-Doc Grant Plan I2C mod. B (ED481D 2017/16) and by the grant “Ayudas para la aplicaci´on de metodologías y técnicas de las ciencias experimentales/analiticas en arqueo-paleontología” funded by Fundación PALARQ

Is there anybody in there? Entomological evidence from a boat burial at Øksnes in Vesterålen, northern Norway

<div><p>Although there are several well preserved Viking boat burials from Norway, until recently palaeoecological research on their context has often been limited. Research on fossil insect remains in particular can provide valuable forensic information even in the absence of an actual body. Here we present archaeoentomological information from a boat burial at Øksnes in Vesterålen, northeast Norway, an area where Norse and Sami traditions overlap. Excavated in 1934, organic preservation from the burial was limited to parts of the boat and a clump of bird feathers which were preserved in the Tromsø University Museum, and from which fossil insects were recovered. The insect assemblage from Øksnes includes the blowfly, <i>Protophormia terraenovae</i> (Rob.-Des.), which indicates exposure of the body and the probable timing of the burial. The high numbers of the human flea, <i>Pulex irritans</i> L. from among the feathers, suggests that these, probably from a pillow under the corpse, originated from within a domestic context. Deposition of flowers as part of the burial is discussed on the basis of the insect fauna. The absence of a body and any associated post burial decay fauna implies its exhumation and disposal elsewhere and this is discussed in the context of other exhumed medieval burials and Saga and other sources.</p></div

A revision of the British Chronostratigraphy within the Last Glacial-Interglacial Cycle based on new evidence from Arclid, Cheshire UK

Of the 24 Greenland interstadials (GI) in the Last Glacial-interglacial cycle (LGIC) only five are conventionally recognised in Britain. This paper aims to improve understanding of the LGIC in Britain from a site at Arclid, Cheshire. Sediments were characterised and luminescence used to establish a chronology. This found that the Chelford Sand Formation spans 77-47 ka with sand deposited initially by aeolian but later by fluvial transportation. Coleoptera and Diptera from the basal peat lens provided a reconstruction for a heather-rich heathland environment grazed by large herbivores, with summer temperatures between 13-18° C, and winter temperatures between -14 and 1°C. Flies included the earliest records of the blood-sucking horsefly Haematopota pluvialis, and the soldierfly Chloromyia formosa. The overlying Stockport Sand Formation was deposited fluvioglacially between 47-41 ka with the upper Stockport Till formed by the advance of the last British icesheet after ~33 ka. Stenothermic beetle analysis from Arclid indicate similarities with results from other British mid LGIC sites, some of which are at or beyond the limit of radiocarbon dating and may be of a similar age to Arclid. Basal organic sediments found at Arclid along with other reassigned sites are proposed as a new Arclid Interstadial. A revised British LGIC chronostratigraphy has the Wretton, Chelford and Brimpton Interstadials and the previously suggested but not widely recognised Cassington Interstadial. The Arclid Interstadial occurred after these, but prior to the Upton Warren Interstadial complex. This closes the previous gap in interstadials between the Brimpton Interstadial and the Upton Warren Interstadial complex within the British chronostratigraphy

Thule Inuit environmental impacts on Kangeq, southwest Greenland

The Leverhulme Trust is thanked for financial support for the project “Footsteps on the Edge of Thule” (Programme Grant F/00 152/Q), directed by Kevin Edwards (University of Aberdeen), Andy Dugmore, Eva Panagiotakopulu (both University of Edinburgh), and Ian Simpson (Stirling University). We are grateful to Andy McMullen, Kirsty Collinge and Ian Simpson for assistance with fieldwork and advice. Gordon Cook is thanked for the provision of radiocarbon dates. Jamie Bowie kindly assisted with the production of diagrams relating to palynological work. The maps and section were drawn by Anastasios Panagiotakopoulos, whose help is warmly acknowledged. Last but not least we are grateful for the helpful comments by the editor and three anonymous reviewers.Peer reviewedPostprin