Middle Holocene

Grasslands and savannas occupy one forth of the total surface of South America continent , and within it , the Pampean plain region, located in the central area of eastern Argentina, covers an area of 1,200,000 km2. The dominant soils are Mollisolls generally deep, developed from welldrained loessic parental material and characterized by a silty-loam texture. Pampean Plains is one of the most fertile regions of the world. Intense agricultural activities are carried out there and this, in turn, has strongly modified the native plant communities, especially grasslands. Depending on the environmental and pedological conditions, silicophytoliths are affected by diverse taphonomical processes, both in natural and anthropic environments. They can be preserved, dissolved or fragmented , and also be transported by different agents (wind, water, animals and people). Other taphonomical aspects also important to evaluate are the methodologies used in silicophytolith studies, from soil sampling...

The African Humid Period (AHP, ~15-5 ka) is the latest in a series of Saharan pluvials studied using carbonates. Evidence from desert paleolakes indicate that water tables rose across the region caused by increased precipitation during these wet periods and that this higher groundwater discharged at the surface creating a wetter environment beyond what increased seasonal precipitation could support alone. Carbonate cemented material and sediments have been noted at key archaeological sites such as Khartoum Hospital, and al-Khiday and at site distributions along Wadi Howar. In the deserts west of the Nile, extensive surface discharge of groundwater is the accepted generator of paleolakes and contributed to wadi flow. In contrast, studies in the Nile Valley have focused on the river itself as the source for any moisture to explain documented effects of a higher water table. Carbonate morphology and oxygen isotope composition of carbonate samples are used to develop a conceptual model demonstrating their accumulation in areas near the Nile River as a result of a regional rise in groundwater driven by greater precipitation. Morphological evidence shows a variety of formative environments at key topographic locations, indicating water availability above modeled contemporary Nile River flood levels. New results presented here from oxygen isotopes show locations dominated by evaporative enrichment at higher elevations, a transition to stable isotopic conditions at lower elevations, and ultimately a return to more enriched values at the lowest elevations that would have undergone intermixing of discharging groundwater and floodwater from the Nile. For areas beyond the river's flood extent or an associated river-fed alluvial aquifer, the only perennial moisture source capable of maintaining an isotopic equilibrium in a monsoonal climate would be groundwater. Results coincide with isotopic patterns and values observed in carbonates from studied paleolakes in the desert. This model provides an explanation for the carbonate accumulation at archaeological siteswhile offering greater understanding of contemporary water availability for vegetation, animals, and human populationsand whether the Nile River functioned as the dominant water source for cultural groups in the valley during the early to mid-Holocene, as it did for the later agricultural populations.

Climate change is thought to have played a significant role in the rise and demise of complex Mesopotamian societies throughout the mid-to late Holocene. However, assessing the links between societal change and climate variability has been historically challenging, in part due to an absence of long-term, well-dated palaeoclimate archives located in close proximity to key archaeological sites. Here, we synthesise proxy data with archaeological information from Mesopotamia to demonstrate that the earliest urban development documented in this region coincides with increasing and potentially peak effective moisture in the mid-Holocene by ∼5500 BP. We posit that increasing moisture availability likely facilitated the expansion and development of the earliest cities, with resource extraction under favourable climatic conditions providing new opportunities for urban centres to expand their resource areas into new domains, and far beyond what is evident in earlier periods. Following ∼5200 BP, these same archives show increasing aridity coincident with the end of the Late Chalcolithic, and abandonment of several key settlements. Taken together, our work contextualises the evolution of critical urban centres in Mesopotamia between 6500 to 5500 yrs BP, and underscores the sensitivity of these centres to climatological variability.

The Posht-e Forudgah Malayer mound, located on the Malayer Plain in the Central
Zagros, represents semi-nomadic communities whose subsistence economy during
the Late Neolithic was based primarily on pastoralism. In this period, the integration
of agricultural and herding practices encouraged the expansion and diversification
of tools crafted from stone and, notably, from animal bone. Bone’s flexibility,
workability, strength, and accessibility made it a crucial raw material in Neolithic
daily life. This study examines a small assemblage of bone tools of varied sizes,
morphologies, and functions recovered from Posht-e Forudgah. A descriptive
analytical and comparative approach was undertaken, juxtaposing these artifacts
with assemblages from other Late Neolithic sites in the Central Zagros. The research
addresses three questions: 1) What morphological and functional characteristics do
the Posht-e Forudgah bone tools exhibit? 2) Based on structural features, what roles
did they have in the lives of nomadic or semi-nomadic communities? 3) Do they
show structural or functional affinities with tools from contemporary, horizon-sharing
sites? The objectives include analyzing morphology, investigating the toolmakers’
technological skills, and assessing probable functions supported by experimental
archaeological studies. The findings indicate predominantly conical-bodied, pointed,
and polished tools, with wear traces revealing repeated use. Such patterns suggest
specialized production, informed by accurate knowledge of bone properties and by
a technological system embedded in the dynamic social structure of Late Neolithic
semi-nomadic pastoralists. By studying these tools, the research contributes to
reconstructing aspects of subsistence, offering insight into social organization, and
deepening understanding of bone implement manufacture and uses—especially awls
and needles—within nomadic Neolithic societies.

A resenha de Sob os tempos do equinócio: Oito mil anos de história na Amazônia Central, de Eduardo Góes Neves, destaca a relevância do livro para a arqueologia brasileira, desafiando concepções eurocêntricas de ocupação humana na Amazônia. Neves argumenta que a floresta não era um ambiente inóspito, mas sim um espaço de intensa interação humana, moldado por sociedades complexas ao longo de milênios. Sua análise abrange as primeiras ocupações indígenas até as transformações ambientais, sociais e culturais ao longo dos séculos, abordando tópicos como a formação da terra preta amazônica, a construção de paisagens culturais e a organização de aldeias amazônicas. O livro ressalta a necessidade de uma arqueologia interdisciplinar que reconheça o papel dos povos indígenas na formação da Amazônia e combata visões distorcidas de seu passado.

O crescente número de pesquisas em arqueobotânica e zooarqueologia tem evidenciado a importância dessas subdisciplinas no contexto das pesquisas sobre a ocupação humana no Brasil, principalmente para o estudo de como as populações utilizaram, manejaram e domesticaram plantas e animais ao longo do tempo. Por outro lado, essa realidade não é acompanhada por publicações sobre a conservação desses vestígios, que requer cuidados específicos em razão de sua natureza orgânica e da ação dos diferentes processos de degradação. Assim, este artigo tem por objetivo apresentar práticas empregadas na conservação de macrovestígios botânicos e faunísticos, incluindo desde sua recuperação em campo até o seu acondicionamento final, que possam ser aplicadas em diferentes contextos arqueológicos.

Climate has changed considerably throughout the Holocene and humans have continuously adapted to environmental change. However, research is not clear on how, to what extent and in relation to which environmental factors populations have adapted. The mid-Holocene period c. 6200–2200 bce in Scandinavia involved the transition from purely forager-based (Mesolithic) economies to the establishment of farming-based (Neolithic) economies. In southern Norway there is evidence of a limited introduction of farming and husbandry in the Oslo fjord region in the early fourth millennium bce, and of foragers experimenting with farming during the Neolithic period. This paper hypothesises that shortterm cold events (or Little Ice Age-like events) had negative impact on human demography in southern Norway also during the mid-Holocene. The current record of Little Ice Age-events is compared to a long-term population trajectory based on archaeological data, showing little or no negative impact on human demography during the mid-Holocene.

Boğaziye Höyüğü lies at the northwestern end of the vast and fertile Upper Khabur Region, which stretches along the southern foothills of the Kašiari Mountains. Material culture remains unearthed at the mound by two seasons of excavations (2023-2024) shows significant similarities to assemblages known from other Upper Khabur sites. Our excavations in Trenches BE18-BE17 and BF18 on the northern slope of the mound focused on revealing the stratigraphic sequence in this area. Architectural remains of Building Levels I and II and finds from these contexts in Trench BE18 are dateable to the mid-3 rd millennium BC. In Trench BE17, Building Level I also revealed finds that can be dated to the 3 rd (especially mid-3 rd) millennium BC, and in Trench BF18, ceramic sherds dateable to the 3 rd millennium BC were found in Building Level III. This article presents new findings from Boğaziye Höyüğü and discusses their significance in comparison with the results of surveys and excavations in the Upper Khabur Region, which have continued increasingly since the mid-1930s. We evaluate the significance of Boğaziye Höyüğü as a regional center within the Upper Khabur basin, and we elucidate its habitation sequence and building levels in the light of our recent excavations. Based on a comparative evaluation of its material culture remains within a regional perspective, we contextualize Boğaziye Höyüğü in relationship to the cultural horizons of the early and mid-3 rd millennium BC in the Upper Khabur Valley.

Chronology (In calibrated Carbon 14 dates, that is including corrections to direct dates to allow for atmospheric carbon fluctuations) Primary phase of Greek Neolithic or First Farmers, the so-called Preceramic, begins ca. 7000 bc Early Neolithic (EN, ceramics in general use) begins ca. 6500 bc Middle Neolithic (MN) begins ca. 5800 bc Early phase of Late Neolithic (LN) begins ca. 5300 bc Later LN begins ca. 4800 bc Final Neolithic (FN) begins ca. 4500 bc Early Bronze Age (EBA) begins ca. 3200 bc Bintliff_c03.indd 46 Bintliff_c03.

From a temporal perspective, we observe the presence and distribution of beveled rim bowls in Iran and Mesopotamia from the mid-fourth millennium BC until the beginning of the Bronze Age. The large production and specific shape of this pottery, alongside its extensive distribution, have prompted many archaeologists to study this subject. Beveled rim bowls is categorized into two types: Uruk and proto Elamite, based on their shape and structure. The geographical conditions in Iran have differentiated the distribution of this pottery compared to Mesopotamia. During this period, the Uruk type gradually changed in structure and transformed into the proto Elamite type. The regions of Khuzestan, Central Zagros, and the Central Plateau have the highest density of sites and pottery in Iran, connecting these centers through intermediary areas. According to the studies conducted, this distribution in Iran has been exported to various other regions by local elites or specific groups of people. Perhaps, this group consisted of local merchants who, through migration, spread the proto Elamite culture in Iran, while the Uruk type of beveled rim bowl was produced and distributed for economic or political purposes in significant sites such as Susa, Chogha Mish, Tepe Yahya, Sefalin, and Godin Tepe.

The acknowledgment of plants as signifiant components in hunter-gatherer diets has provided new
insights into past interactions between these groups and their environments, as well as between
groups with diffrent economies and social structures. The Patagonia region, South American Southern
Cone, has been traditionally perceived as dominated by game hunting. This perception has changed
by recognizing a broader spectrum of diet, where local wild and exotic domesticated plants, would
have been intertwined in these hunter-gatherer lives. However, the nature of the archaeological record
preservation obscures an accurate assessment of their role. Here, we quantifid the contribution
of plants and other resources to hunter-gatherer paleodiets through biomolecular methods and
statistical analysis (multivariate and Bayesian). We analyzed the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition (δ13Ccol, δ15N) of human remains (n = 30) and fauna/flra (n = 52) from Northern Patagonia,
and radiocarbon dated specifi individuals related to exotic domesticated plants (maize). Our results show that one-third of the overall intake was based on the systematic exploitation of local wild plants, while maize appears to have functioned as an imported edible commodity obtained from distant food
producers.

Calcified biological objects are occasionally found at archaeological sites and can be challenging to identify. This paper undertakes the differential diagnosis of what we suggest is an Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cyst from an 8000-year-old mortuary site called Shamanka II in the Lake Baikal region of Siberia. Echinococcus is a parasitic tapeworm that needs two hosts to complete its life cycle: herbivores and humans are intermediate hosts, and carnivores such as dogs, wolves, and foxes are definitive hosts. In the intermediate host the Echinococcus egg hatches in the digestive system, penetrates the intestine, and is carried via the bloodstream to an organ, where it settles and turns into an ovoid calcified structure called a hydatid cyst. For this object, identification was based on macroscopic, radiographic, and stable isotope analysis. High-resolution computed tomography scanning was used to visualize the interior structure of the object, which is morphologically consistent with the E. granulosus species (called cystic Echinococcus). Stable isotope analysis of the extracted mineral and protein components of the object narrowed down the range of species from which it could come. The stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of the object's protein, and stable carbon isotope ratio of the mineral, closely match those of the likely human host. Additionally, the d 13 C protein-to-mineral spacing is very low, which fits expectations for a parasitic organism. To our knowledge this is the first isotopic characterization of a hydatid cyst and this method may be useful for future studies. The hydatid cyst most likely came from a probable female adult. Two additional hydatid cysts were found in a young adult female from a contemporaneous mortuary site in the same region, Lokomotiv. This manuscript ends with a brief discussion the importance of domesticated dogs in the disease's occurrence and the health implication of echinococcal infection for these Early Neolithic hunterefisheregatherers.

espanolEl sitio arqueologico La Olla se encuentra en la zona intermareal baja en la playa de Monte Hermoso (provincia de Buenos Aires), datado hacia finales del Holoceno Temprano. En 2008 se excavaron dos nuevos sectores, La Olla 3 y La Olla 4 (LO3 y LO4). Se recupero una gran variedad de materiales arqueologicos, entre ellos, artefactos liticos, instrumentos de madera y abundantes restos faunisticos. Aqui se presentan los resultados de los analisis faunisticos de un total de 316 especimenes. Los restos organicos se caracterizan por un estado de preservacion excepcional y los resultados permiten proponer que La Olla habria funcionado como un sitio especifico de procesamiento de dos especies de lobos marinos (Arctocephalus australis y Otaria flavescens). Los grupos de cazadores-recolectores ocuparon las marismas mixohalinas en las partes altas de la playa y, contrariamente a lo que sucede en la costa norte bonaerense, La Olla permite proponer un componente prioritario de recursos mar...

Near East and Eastern Mediterranean remain somewhat speculative, the use of resilience and adaptation frameworks allows for a more nuanced treatment of humaneclimate interactions and recognises the diversity and context-specificity of human responses to climatic and environmental change. Our results demonstrate that there is a need for more local environmental data to be collected 'at source' during archaeological excavations.

Resumen El sitio La Marcelina 1 se ubica en el paraje homonimo, localidad de Paso Flores, Prov. de Rio Negro. Parte de sus sedimentos fueron removidos por aficionados, razon por la cual las investigaciones se realizaron en un marco de rescate arqueologico. En este informe se presentan datos sobre los artefactos liticos procedentes de los testigos que fueron excavados, en sucesivas campanas, fuera del area afectada por el pozo preexistente. La muestra analizada presenta artefactos liticos variados, que incluye tanto instrumentos de obtencion como de procesamiento de materiales. Una parte importante de ellos fue confeccionada en vulcanitas procedentes, probablemente, de la cantera de Paso Limay. Las puntas de proyectil no son muy numerosas pero si de muy buena factura, debido en parte a la calidad de las rocas utilizadas (silices y vulcanitas). Hay artefactos de molienda y varios de ellos tienen adherencias de pigmento. Ademas, durante las tareas de limpieza del sedimento removido se ...

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

The history of climatic changes during the interval 8500-3000 cal. yr B.P. has been reconstructed from stratigraphical and chronological studies and the results of Total Organic Carbon ( TOC ), Total Inorganic Carbon ( TIC ), element composition, pollen, and stable isotope analyses of a section along the Hongshui River, in the southern Tengger Desert, NW China. The record suggests that from 8450 (bottom of the studied section) to 7500 yr B.P., the climate was characterized by instability. From 7500 to 5070 yr B.P., the climatic conditions improved and can be divided into two parts: a warm-humid spell between 7290 and 6380 yr B.P., during which the average temperature was 3-4°C higher than that of today, and a warm-dry spell lasting from 5950 to 5720 yr B.P. The climate deteriorated between 6380 and 5950 yr B.P. From 5720 to 5070 yr B.P., the temperature decreased, but humidity increased. An abrupt temperature drop occurred between 5340 and 5290 yr B.P. that indicated the decline of the warmer and humid Mid-Holocene climate. From 5070 yr B.P. onward, the climate oscillated significantly and there were three large temperature decreases coinciding with high mountain glacier advances between 5070-4670 yr B.P., 4300-3740 yr B.P. and 3410-3230 yr B.P. (top of the section), respectively. The climatic fluctuations recorded in the southern Tengger Desert appear in-phase with climatic changes recognized in the Tibetan Plateau, suggesting that the period between 7290 and 6380 yr B.P. was the most warm-humid spell. One extremely dry event occurred at ca. 3000 yr B.P., and subsequently the fluvial-lacustrine depositional process terminated and wind action prevailed in the area; both of these features can be attributed to the rapid strengthening and weakening of the summer monsoon circulation, which are closely connected with global changes.

The article presents the results of a study conducted on an assemblage of archeofaunal remains from the Copaca 1 archeological site, located on the arid coast of Northern Chile. The site corresponds to an extensive shell midden that was used generally as an occupational site and specifically as a funerary one by specialized marine hunteregatherers exclusively during the Archaic period. The analysis of the faunal remains enabled a general description of the use of local fauna throughout the site's cultural sequence, which range from 7866 to 5040 cal. BP. According to the results obtained, marine and terrestrial fauna, including marine and terrestrial mammals, sea birds, pelagic and oceanic fish, mollusks, crustaceans and equinoderms, were used as a source of both food and technological implements during the Middle Holocene. This implies that the human groups that inhabited Copaca 1 accessed most of the ecoanthropic spheres of the Southern Cone of the Southwestern Pacific coast from early times onward, an adaptation dated since 12,000 BP in the south-western coast from southern Peru and northern Chile.

The northeastern coastal plain of Belgium was a well-developed region during the late medieval period when Bruges and a series of smaller harbours became connected to the North Sea via the Zwin tidal channel. Yet, ecological data related to the evolution of the regional environment of the former Zwin region are still lacking. Diatoms, pollen, and macrobotanical remains have been studied for the first time from two cores drilled in the surroundings of the lost harbour of Hoeke. The sediments in both cores were deposited in four successive tidal channel systems spanning the pre-Roman to late medieval periods. Marine tychoplanktonic and planktonic diatoms were dominant and confirmed the presence of open marine tidal channels, while marine epipsammic diatoms were specific to channel deposits (systems 1 and 4) and marine epipelic diatoms characterised channel and accretion deposits (systems 2 and 3). The sediments of the late medieval Zwin main channel and tributary (system 4) are both characterised by marine tychoplanktonic and epipsammic species. The palynomorphs were typical of marine tidal deposits and (reworked) peat, while macroremains pointed to freshwater plants growing in the vicinity. The palynomorphs (system 4) suggest a more open landscape associated with the extensive reclamation and embankment of the Zwin region. Diatoms in the superjacent tidal deposits indicate that the late medieval Zwin silted up rapidly.

The lifeways of mobile human societies are a field investigated by anthropologists and archaeologists. Mobility is considered an effective way of foraging and resource production among human societies (for hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, and farmers, respectively). Various classifications regarding the mobility patterns of human societies have been proposed so far. As of today, the majority of archaeologists use Murdock’s multi-purpose classification which divided mobile human societies into four groups: (1) Nomadic societies, (2) semi-nomadic societies, (3) semi-sedentary societies, and (4) sedentary societies. But some societies have characteristics that do not allow them to be placed in one of these groups. For identification of these unclearly defined societies, the authors will refer to 5 criteria of demographic dimensions: Mobility, number of movements, movement distance, residential criteria, and lifeway. For instance, it was not until 2003 that archaeologists began to recognize the intermediate trajectory of nomadic pastoralism from early village-based herding to the formation of full-fledged pastoralism in the western part of Central Zagros. Extensive study of pastoralist communities, however, can be used for the identification of several intermediate stages of the 5 criteria. Current archaeological evidence in most of the early Neolithic sites in Central Zagros such as Qazanchi, Sheikhi Abad, Sarab, Asiab, and Guran, unlike the Levant region which was settled in the Epipaleolithic (Natufian) period, indicates that these sites are seasonal. So how can we explain the mobility of human societies in the proto-Neolithic period of Zagros? As a result, the authors try to use these criteria to identify the intermediate stages of sedentarism in Zagros, from mobile societies in the Epipaleolithic period to sedentary societies in the late Neolithic period. For this purpose, the authors have studied the mobility patterns and residential criteria of human societies in the cultural landscape of Hawraman. The research was conducted in two seasons, in the summer of2016 and the summer of 2018, respectively. At first glance, the patterns of mobility and lifeways of human societies seemed homogeneous and identical in the cultural landscape of Hawraman. But with a deeper analysis, Four main mobility patterns were identified. The patterns include (1) single-stage agriculturalist residential mobility in Koh-e-Takht, (2) multistage pastoralist residential mobility in Kosalan and Shahu Mountain, (3) logistical mobility (transhumance) in Javeh River, and (4) logistical mobility (based on cultural exchanges) all over the Hawraman. The patterns show that the Zagros societies did not become sedentary in a single stage. Therefore, semi-sedentary societies with residential mobility and semi-sedentary societies with logistical mobility can be placed in the intermediate stages.

The Cabo Monmouth 20 site represents new evidence of Middle and Late Holocene occupations (ca. 5.000 years BP) for the north of Isla Grande, Tierra del Fuego. In this paper we evaluate archaeological evidence from a test pit excavation, synthesize stratigraphic and contextual data, and present a new radiocarbon date (5,520 + 50 years BP) on shell material of anthropic origin. The latter confirms the antiquity of the site, highlighting the presence of archaeological deposits in a co-eval palaeosol.

The Greenland ice core from NorthGRIP (NGRIP) contains a proxy climate record across the Pleistocene–Holocene boundary of unprecedented clarity and resolution. Analysis of an array of physical and chemical parameters within the ice enables the base of the Holocene, as reflected in the first signs of climatic warming at the end of the Younger Dryas/Greenland Stadial 1 cold phase, to be located with a high degree of precision. This climatic event is most clearly reflected in an abrupt shift in deuterium excess values, accompanied by more gradual changes in δ18O, dust concentration, a range of chemical species, and annual layer thickness. A timescale based on multi‐parameter annual layer counting provides an age of 11 700 calendar yr b2 k (before AD 2000) for the base of the Holocene, with a maximum counting error of 99 yr. A proposal that an archived core from this unique sequence should constitute the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Holocene Series/Epoc...

The main role in changing of the environment in the semi-desert and steppe zones of Eastern Europe in the Holocene played the precipitation. The first bearers of Neolithic cultures in this territory appeared in the Early Holocene during a transition from wet to arid climatic conditions. The climatic aridization around 6200 cal BC contributed to local population movements and interactions between communities. These processes led to the emergence of new elements in pottery technology and stone industry. The cultural traditions of the Dzhangar and Kairshak types, appeared during the short-term “critical” episode of climate deterioration in the semi-desert zone, continued to develop in the Orlovka culture, formed in the steppe zone of the Lower Volga region. The formation of the Caspian culture, transitional from Neolithic to Chalcolithic, begins about 5500 cal BC in the Northern Caspian. The appearance of syncretic pottery and cattle breeding characterizes this culture. The short-term episodes of climatic aridization, which were followed by periods of humidification, were registered in this time. Eneolithic communities of the Khvalynsk culture, in whose economy appeared copper production together with animal domestication, begin to spread already at the end of a short-term aridization of the climate around 4700 BC in semi-desert and steppe zones.

Resumen
Se estudia el empleo de manos de conana como yunques y/o percutores en Central Nuclear 2, un sitio de actividades múltiples habitado por grupos cazadores recolectores, en el Valle de Calamuchita (Córdoba). Para este análisis se seleccionaron artefactos formatizados me-diante picado, abrasión y pulido recuperados en el Componente B, fechado en 3409±47 AP MTC-15147, contemporáneo a un enterratorio múltiple y con una gran diversidad de arte-factos tallados, incluida una punta de proyectil de limbo triangular.
Se propone estudiar las manos de conana y otros artefactos mediante un análisis tecno-morfológico y morfológico funcional, para generar información novedosa sobre sus biogra-fías y así indagar sobre los cambios a los que fueron sometidos al ser empleados en las ca-denas operativas de talla de cuarzo.
Palabras clave: Calamuchita; manos de conana; yunques; percutores; talla de extracción.
Abstract
The use of ground stones as anvils and/or hammerstones is studied at Central Nuclear 2, a multiple activity site inhabited by hunter-gatherer groups, in the Calamuchita Valley (Cór-doba). For this analysis, artifacts formatted by pitting, abrasion and polishing recovered in Component B, dated 3409±47 BP MTC-15147, contemporary with a multiple burial and with a great diversity of knapped artifacts, including a triangular-bladed projectile point.
It is proposed to study the ground stones and other artifacts through a techno-morphological and functional morphological analysis, to generate new information about their biographies and thus investigate the changes to which they were subjected when they were used in the operational chains of quartz knapping.
Keywords: Calamuchita; ground stones; anvils; hammerstones; knapping

Tepe Sagzabad (2200 BC to 500 BC), located in the northwestern region of
Iran’s central plateau, lies along a key east-west trade route on the Iranian Plateau.
This site faces numerous challenges, including seasonal floods, and seismic
activity. In 2016, the excavation of Trench 6 unearthed a distinctive vessel
in Context 6006, characterized by a closed head, knob-shaped top, and side
handles. Its unusual form suggests similarities to traditional alembics used in
distillation, sparking debate over its function. Chemical analysis revealed secondary
crystallizations such as gypsum and calcite, likely a result of environmental
weathering, but no dairy lipid residues were found, challenging the theory
of their use in milk production. This study compares Tepe Sagzabad vessels
with similar artifacts, offering insights into the development of early distillation
technology in the region. These findings highlight the complexity of reconstructing
ancient technological systems and emphasize the need for further
research to understand early distillation practices on the Iranian Plateau. This
study serves as a preliminary exploration of distillation-related artefacts in prehistoric
Iran, offering a unique case for future comparative analyses.

Understanding the dynamics between climate change and human adaptive strategies is a longstanding question driving paleoecological and archaeological research in North America's Great Basin. We present multiproxy data from five sediment cores retrieved from Paulina Marsh in the Fort Rock Basin, Oregon, an area renowned for its archaeology but lacking the paleoenvironmental data needed to fully contextualize those records. Radiocarbon, pollen, particle size, elemental, and charcoal analyses of one core, and geochronological data from four additional cores, reveal fluctuating vegetation communities, hydrologic conditions, and fire histories during the Early and Late Holocene that are consistent with models proposed to explain changing settlement-subsistence patterns in the region. There was likely an emergent marsh or meadow and an absence of Juniperus at the core site during the Early Holocene. Middle Holocene deposits are not present due to a geologic unconformity, perhaps because of channel migration and climatic aridity. Late Holocene sediments record a more mesic meandering stream system between ~3900 and 2200 years ago, followed by an increase in xeric-adapted vegetation in the last 2000 years. The lack of Juniperus pollen in the Early Holocene sediments inform ongoing debates about Juniperus spread in the Great Basin. These data represent the first Early Holocene pollen record from the Fort Rock Basin and are one of few lowland vegetation histories of this age in the region. This study contributes to our understanding of past ecology in semi-arid environments, provides new context for archaeological interpretations, and establishes a framework for future work in the region.

By redistributing water and sediment in delta plains, avulsions of river branches have major environmental impacts, notably in changing hydrological and peat-forming conditions in floodbasins. The central part of the Rhine-Meuse delta, with its extensive databases including detailed lithological data and high-resolution age control, offers a unique opportunity to study middle-Holocene avulsion impacts on floodbasin groundwater level and peat formation. Avulsion has caused local accelerations of rising groundwater tables to be superimposed on decelerating base-level rise. This is evident from comparing single-site groundwater rise for multiple floodbasins in the river-dominated part of the delta, with regionally averaged groundwater-rise reconstructions. Floodbasin type (lacustrine versus terrestrial wetland), size and openness, partly through effects on discharge dispersal, affect how strongly the floodbasin groundwater tables respond to avulsion-diverted discharge. Cross-sectional ...

HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires Advances in UAE Archaeology details the results of new excavations conducted across the United Arab Emirates over the last few years. These excavations have revealed a wealth of new data on all periods of UAE archaeology from the Palaeolithic to the recent past. Some of these discoveries have filled in important gaps in our knowledge, while others have fundamentally revised what we thought we knew already. For example, the Marawah Island excavations have added a new facet to our understanding of the Neolithic period by revealing intriguing and hitherto unknown funerary rituals. Excavations in Al Ain in the emirate of Abu Dhabi continue to reveal extraordinary evidence of falaj irrigation, stretching back 3000 years. The ubiquity of this system across this oasis city further validates its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Of particular importance is the discovery of extensive remains from the Late Pre-Islamic period, a significant time in history that has been best revealed in the excavations at Mleiha in the emirate of Sharjah. The research presented here was conducted by specialists from across the world working alongside an ever-growing cadre of Emirati archaeologists who will take the lead in the coming

Este trabajo explora la incorporación de técnicas de muestreo en el análisis de desechos de talla. El objetivo general es la obtención de muestras que representen al conjunto de donde proceden, en este caso, los desechos de talla recuperados de la capa 2 (2°) del sitio Peñas de la Cruz 1.1, localizado en Antofagasta de la Sierra, Catamarca. A fin de lograr lo propuesto se evalúan los alcances y limitaciones de tres tipos de muestreo aplicados en un mismo lote. Con el objeto de dar cuenta de las actividades de talla llevadas a cabo en el sitio, se presentan los resultados del análisis técnico-morfológico llevado a cabo sobre una muestra de desechos de talla (n= 300) extraída de un lote mayor (N= 2377).

Na imaginação popular a Amazônia é um bioma natural, o que nega a existência e agência dos Povos Indígenas que chegaram há pelo menos 13 mil anos. Este ensaio demonstra que a Amazônia é uma teia de interações socioecológicas, como resultado da domesticação de paisagens e de populações de espécies. As práticas envolvidas na domesticação de paisagens são simples, embora baseadas em conhecimento profundo, e respeitam não humanos. Os Povos Indígenas combinam horticultura e domesticação de paisagens, bem como sedentarismo e mobilidade. Os Mebêngôkre (Kayapó) e Baniwa praticam mais horticultura, enquanto os Nukak e Zo’é são mais móveis, e a domesticação de suas paisagens reflete essas diferenças. Florestas domesticadas produzem alimentos tanto quanto roças e capoeiras, todas levam a manutenção ou regeneração da floresta. Essas práticas sugerem que as sociedades nacional e global podem aprender a produzir alimentos com a floresta em pé, o que contribuiria a mitigar os efeitos do Antropoceno.

Landscapes in Southeastern Spain have developed in response to tectonics, climatic fluctuations and, more recently, to human action. In the valleys, fluvial and colluvial sediments are found in the form of river terraces, pediments and slope deposits. We studied these sediments to evaluate landscape dynamics and the processes of sedimentation and erosion in the semi-arid region of the Guadalentín Basin, Murcia Province, SE Spain. The objective of the study is to deduce controls on Late Quaternary and Holocene landscape development. Fieldwork was carried out on the reach of the Upper Guadalentin, upstream of the city of Lorca, and two of its tributaries (Rio Velez and Rambla de Torrealvilla). River terrace levels were mapped using GPS and presence of gravel layers in outcrops. For the Rambla de Torrealvilla, more detailed sediment descriptions show their build-up. Charcoal was found and dated (14C) on ten locations, while 15 samples for Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating were taken to have an age-control on processes of sedimentation and erosion. While the OSL dating measurements and analysis are still in process at this time, some preliminary results are given. Several terrace levels are identified along the Rio Guadalentin and the Rio Velez. These have formed in response to regional and/or global changes in climate. However, local mechanisms have played an important role in the area, overruling regional dynamics. From finely layered sediments, it is deduced that a lake existed during some time in the area, caused by a blockage of the valley. This lake was filled in with sediments and a delta was build at its end, interfering with terrace levels. When the blockage was broken through, lake sediments have been removed and after incision, younger terraces have developed. The Torrealvilla tributary is draining the Lorca Basin, and sediments seem to be younger than those along the Guadalentin and Velez rivers. Infilling of the basin and incomplete removal has shaped this valley. Outcrops in the gully sidewall show stacked layers of large to fine gravels and fine sediments with smaller gravel layers in between. We will present a conceptual model of landscape development since the Late Quaternary based on the age control (14C and OSL) and field observations. This reconstruction is correlated to climatic fluctuations and rates of sedimentation and erosion are approximated on a millennial timescale. Following this approach of longer-term geomorphological investigation of landscape development, we can ultimately put the relative contribution of human actions in the context of natural erosion and sedimentation processes.

El objetivo del presente trabajo es conocer los sistemas de armas y las
técnicas de caza empleados por las sociedades cazadoras-recolectoras
que habitaron el curso inferior del río Colorado (transición Pampeano-
Patagónica oriental) durante el Holoceno tardío. Mediante la aplicación
de la propuesta de Shott (1997) al análisis de una muestra de cabezales
líticos de trece sitios, se propone el uso complementario de dardos y
flechas durante este periodo. Si bien se observan distintas frecuencias
en el empleo de cada sistema de arma a través del tiempo, se reconoció
una notable supremacía del arco y flecha durante el Holoceno tardío
final (ca. 90%). Estos datos fueron evaluados considerando la ubicación
espacial de los sitios y las particularidades micro-ambientales del área
(e.g., disponibilidad de agua, geomorfología y topografía). Como
resultado, se planteó el empleo de posibles técnicas de caza (e.g., acecho, persecución, encuentro) que, si bien habrían estado principalmente relacionadas a presas de gran tamaño (ungulados), también pudieron haber sido utilizadas para la obtención de animales de porte mediano y pequeño (e.g., roedores y aves) en sectores específicos del curso inferior del río Colorado.

Se presentan los resultados de los estudios distribucionales desarrollados en el área circundante al denominado Paredón de los Grabados -extensa barda con petroglifos-, emplazado próximo a las estribaciones de la Sierra Paleimán (provincia de Río Negro, Argentina) y a 48 km lineales de la costa Atlántica, donde confluyen pequeños cursos de agua estacionarios, tributarios del arroyo Salado. En vista a explorar el uso de este espacio interior se planteó una grilla de muestreo de 1 km de lado, dividida en cuadrantes de 100 m, que fue la base para desarrollar un total de 20 transectas. Los análisis distribucionales volcados en imágenes GIS mostraron una alta densidad del registro arqueológico concentrado principalmente en cañadones y cárcavas asociados a la erosión fluvial. Estos resultados sugieren un uso diferencial del espacio, donde los sectores más altos mostraron bajas densidades y un registro más bien disperso, mientras que se detectó una mayor intensidad de uso de los espacios bajos, próximos al Paredón de los Grabados. Se destaca el predominio de artefactos líticos y entre los instrumentos, el de los raspadores. En cuanto a las materias primas se observó amplia diversidad, incluyendo distintos tipos de obsidiana de procedencia no local. Se registraron también escasos tiestos cerámicos y fragmentos malacológicos marinos (algunos formatizados) indicadores de movilidad o contacto entre áreas, y transporte de un recurso costero. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren que el área fue utilizada de manera redundante a lo largo del tiempo, más factiblemente durante el Holoceno tardío-reciente y que estaba integrada dentro de las vías de circulación costa-interior.

El valle del rio Genoa se localiza en la precordillera del centro-oeste de la provincia del Chubut, en un ambiente de estepa. Las investigaciones arqueologicas sistematicas en la zona comenzaron en el 2012, focalizandose en la localidad de Jose de San Martin. Sobre la base de la informacion obtenida en esos primeros trabajos, y la previamente registrada en la vecina localidad de Rio Pico, la expectativa inicial era que la ocupacion humana del valle correspondiera a momentos tardios. No obstante, en este trabajo, presentamos informacion sobre restos oseos humanos provenientes de la localidad arqueologica Fabiana Elizabeth cuya antiguedad se remonta al Holoceno Medio, lo que lleva a extender la profundidad temporal de la presencia humana en el area. Se describen los resultados obtenidos del relevamiento de campo, las circunstancias del hallazgo y el analisis bioarqueologico y tafonomico de los restos oseos humanos y se ponen estos resultados en un contexto regional.

the 50% melt contour would completely penetrate a 3-km-thick layer of ice overlying liquid water at 270 K. Complete melt-through of a Europan ice shell during cratering would preclude central peak formation. The crater Man-annán [Web fig. 2 (24)], which is comparable in diameter to Pwyll (Fig. 2F), does not have a well-defined central peak (23). This could be the result of an impact into thinner or warmer ice that hindered formation or preservation of a central peak, suggesting that local variations in temperature gradient or ice thickness may exist. Because several, widely distributed Europan craters exhibit central peaks, our simulations demonstrate that at the times and locations these craters formed, a cold ice layer could not have been as thin as 3 to 4 km. Although complete melt-through of the ice layer does not occur in the simulations with slightly thicker ice, our transient crater sizes are lower limits. Moreover, impacts disrupt target material well beyond the zone of part...

Seven avian remains from Mid-Holocene strata of the southeastern coast of Potter Peninsula (King George Island: Isla 25 de Mayo, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica) are reported. They were described and assigned to the brown skua Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi (Aves, Laridae), a living species currently breeding in the area. The presence of penguins in the same sequence is in agreement with the current dynamics of the coastal ecosystems of Antarctica. Nowadays, penguins and skuas frequent these same environments.

While the exact technical processes employed in the construction of the pyramids are still a
subject of ongoing debate, it is widely recognized that the Giza Plateau served as a hub where
various trades converged with the common objective of building the necropolis. Of particular
importance was the development of a local and sustainable food supply for the thousands of
laborers involved in this monumental undertaking. Here, we explore the long-term
behavioural mechanisms that led human societies to gradually colonize the Nile swamps at
Giza. They developed herding and farming, paving the way for greater human exploitation of
the area during the Dynastic Egypt. We show that transhumance tribes, originally from the
Eastern Sahara, settled along the Giza Plateau 5200 years ago, primarily engaging in herding
and, more sporadically, agriculture. Giza was transformed into a pastoral landscape, with the
development of large swaths of the floodplain, providing societies with permanent access to
livestock produce (e.g. proteins, milk, meat and wool). Our palaeoecological data reveal that
the initial complex societies at Giza were deeply rooted in transhumance, pastoralism and
animal husbandry. These activities played a fundamental role in establishing the foundations
of a robust and sustainable food system, while also serving as a crucial logistical support for
the subsequent construction of the monumental structures that celebrated the grandeur of
pharaonic Egypt.

The results of a detailed study of nanoplankton and paleomagnetic characteristics of the Ypresian stage section on the Aktolagai plateau (variant name - Aktulagai) are presented. The zonal division of nanoplankton has been clarified. Stratigraphically important levels and changes in nanofossil assemblages have been identified, allowing assessment of paleoecological changes during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO). For the first time, based on the development of the species Discoaster lodoensis, a range of maximum temperatures and, probably, maximum depths that contributed to the accumulation of layers of organically saturated non-carbonate clays (sapropels) has been identified. A correlation was carried out with the reference section of the Ypresian stage along the river Kheu (North Caucasus).