Miriam Cubas
I completed my undergraduate at the University of Alcalá de Henares (Spain) and my DEA and PhD at the University of Cantabria (Spain). My PhD dissertation (2010, Extraordinary PhD Award 2012) i involved the mineralogical and chemical analysis of Neolithic pottery in the Cantabrian region (North of Spain). It was focused on the characterization of the different manufacturing processes as an approach to technology transfer mechanisms differentiating between the local and the foreign origin of the vessels allowing the connection of this technology with the subsistence basis.
In 2015, I joined to the BioArCh group and the Department of Archaeology at the University of York as a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Research Fellow. My current research project (CerAM) is focused on the role of pottery in the transition to farming on the Atlantic Coast of Europe. By applying the latest chemical and molecular analysis we aim at reconstructing the use of pottery during this key transition of Atlantic Southern Europe.
Career
2015. Marie Curie Research Fellow. BioArCh-Department of Archaeology. University of York
Project First ceramics of Atlantic Europe: manufacture and function(CerAM)
2013-2015. Postdoctoral Researcher. University of Cantabria
2011-2012. Fellow of the Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria
2010. PhD. University of Cantabria
2009-2010. Predoctoral Researcher. University of Cantabria
2005-2009. Predoctoral Fellow. University of Cantabria
Phone: (+0034) 619 86 76 78
Address: Zorroagagaina, 11
20014 Donostia - San Sebastián
(GIPUZKOA)
In 2015, I joined to the BioArCh group and the Department of Archaeology at the University of York as a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Research Fellow. My current research project (CerAM) is focused on the role of pottery in the transition to farming on the Atlantic Coast of Europe. By applying the latest chemical and molecular analysis we aim at reconstructing the use of pottery during this key transition of Atlantic Southern Europe.
Career
2015. Marie Curie Research Fellow. BioArCh-Department of Archaeology. University of York
Project First ceramics of Atlantic Europe: manufacture and function(CerAM)
2013-2015. Postdoctoral Researcher. University of Cantabria
2011-2012. Fellow of the Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria
2010. PhD. University of Cantabria
2009-2010. Predoctoral Researcher. University of Cantabria
2005-2009. Predoctoral Fellow. University of Cantabria
Phone: (+0034) 619 86 76 78
Address: Zorroagagaina, 11
20014 Donostia - San Sebastián
(GIPUZKOA)
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Nuestros resultados señalan una cierta variabilidad en las estrategias de captación de las materias primas, cuyas mineralogías son coherentes con el entorno geológico cercano. Además, las elecciones tecnológicas y el uso de los desgrasantes son similares a los observados en otros conjuntos cerámicos adscritos al Neolítico y al Calcolítico, con el uso de arcillas sin modificar y otras con la adición de desgrasantes. Esto está en consonancia con otras tradiciones alfareras identificadas en distintas regiones de la Península Ibérica.
and cultural settings. Using molecular and isotopic analysis of lipids from pottery, here we investigate the foods prepared by the earliest farming communities of the European Atlantic seaboard. Surprisingly, we find an absence of aquatic foods, including in ceramics from
coastal sites, except in the Western Baltic where this tradition continued from indigenous ceramic using hunter-gatherer-fishers. The frequency of dairy products in pottery increased as farming was progressively introduced along a northerly latitudinal gradient. This finding
implies that early farming communities needed time to adapt their economic practices before expanding into more northerly areas. Latitudinal differences in the scale of dairy production might also have influenced the evolution of adult lactase persistence across Europe.
study owing to their limited representativeness from both numerical and morpho-decorative points of view. This paper presents an update on the archaeological evidence, chronology and technological characteristics
of the first pottery in the Cantabrian region. It summarizes recent research on this topic focused on technological analysis of some paradigmatic pottery assemblages. It focuses on the importance of the technological study of the first ceramic assemblages in the Cantabrian region (northern Spain) as a way to approach the social significance of this technological innovation. The available information supports the assertion that the appearance of ceramics in the region does not correspond to an exchange of products, but rather to a transfer of technology, and summarizes the nature of this technology and the main activities related to it.
A pesar del apogeo de los estudios cerámicos en la década de 1970, el análisis de la cerámica prehistórica en la región cantábrica no ha sido un objeto de investigación recurrente, aunque no debemos olvidar los distintos intentos por sistematizar los conjuntos cerámicos más representativos. La documentación y registro de importantes secuencias arqueológicas, como la del yacimiento de El Mirón, ha provocado que en los últimos años haya un mayor interés por estos materiales, especialmente aquellos adscritos a las cronologías más antiguas. Este aspecto, junto con la introducción de nuevos enfoques en la investigación, ha supuesto que, en la actualidad, contemos con una información pormenorizada sobre este tipo de productos. En este artículo se presenta la cerámica documentada en la región cantábrica entre el V y el IV milenio cal BC señalando su cronología, los contextos arqueológicos disponibles para su estudio y las principales características de estas manufacturas.
ABSTRACT
Despite the peak in pottery studies during the 1970s, the analysis of prehistoric pottery has not been a recurrent topic in research in the
Cantabrian region, although we must not forget the different attempts at systematizing the most representative pottery assemblages. The recording of important archaeological sequences, as at El Mirón, has provoked more interest in these materials, especially those assigned to the earliest chronologies. This aspect, together with the introduction of new theoretical approaches, allows us to obtain detailed information
about these kinds of products. In this paper, we present the pottery documented in the Cantabrian region in the 5th and 4th millennia cal BC
highlighting its chronology, archaeological context and the main features of these manufactures.
In 2013, in the framework of an archaeological project in El Aspio cave (Ruesga, Cantabria), we carried out a superficial survey in which we recorded, together with different prehistoric remains, a singular Early Medieval strap-end dated between the mid- 9th and the middle of the 10th century.
Prehistoria Reciente. No obstante, la información disponible sobre el yacimiento era limitada, a pesar del potencial mostrado en la excavación realizada en 1973. Desde el año 2009 se está llevando a
cabo un análisis multidisciplinar del yacimiento. En este artículo presentamos dicho proyecto, junto con un resumen de los resultados obtenidos hasta ahora.
a partir de las similitudes morfo-decorativas; sin embargo, la aplicación de métodos de caracterización
permite reconocer diferentes tradiciones tecnológicas con las que se pueden vincular
los distintos conjuntos cerámicos. En este artículo se presenta la descripción macroscópica de los
conjuntos cerámicos procedentes de los yacimientos de la Cueva del Niño (Ayna), Cueva Blanca y
Pico Tienda III (Hellín) con la finalidad de establecer una descripción sistemática en la que basar la
selección de los fragmentos más representativos para el posterior análisis tecnológico.
un nivel de ocupación humana atribuido al Mesolítico geométrico. En este trabajo se presentan
los resultados más significativos de la investigación multidisciplinar que venimos desarrollando en
él desde que en 2008 se llevara a cabo la primera campaña de excavación. Se trata del primer
yacimiento de este periodo en estratigrafía de la zona de Campos de Hellín (Albacete). Así mismo, en
una de sus paredes son visibles representaciones de arte prehistórico, circunstancia que incrementa
la importancia de este enclave.
in 1914, about one hundred thirty sites have been registered solely in Eastern Asturias, and several tens of them have been explored.
However, archaeological information about this Mesolithic complex is tremendously biased. Most of the sites are shell middens in
which only small often calcited sections of the original layers were preserved. One particularly poorly understood aspect is the characterisation
of the dwelling places. Despite the high density of sites (one of the highest in the European Mesolithic), few dwelling floors
features have been described. For this reason, the investigation of this issue was specifically included into the ’COASTTRAN’ research
project, which aimed at studying the Mesolithic and the transition to the Neolithic on the Atlantic coast of Europe. This investigation
started out with the hypothesis that most Asturian dwelling-places would have been located in open air locations near caves containing
shell middens — where waste was accumulated. To test this hypothesis, certain areas that presented the conditions for the preservation
of Holocene sediments and therefore seemed to be appropriate for geophysical surveying were selected. This paper presents the results
obtained at an open air site located near the cave of El Alloru (Llanes, Asturias) characterized by a shell midden deposit. This site was
studied by geophysical surveying and an excavation was carried out in 2013. The paper briefly describes the stratigraphy, discusses the
absolute dates and presents the preliminary results of the study of the lithic assemblage and of the micromorphological, zooarchaeological
(mammals and marine invertebrates) and archaeobotanical analyses (palynology, anthracology and carpology).
El Alloru displays a long sequence with evidence of open air human occupation, which started at a still undetermined time point in the
Upper Palaeolithic, continued during the Mesolithic and finally yielded also Prehistoric remains (at the transition from theLate Bronze
Age to the Early Iron Age). The most significant phase, and the one with the greatest density of evidence of occupation, is dated to the
Late Mesolithic, between 7000 and 5500 cal. BC and can be assigned to the Asturian cultural complex. With regard to this phase, the
excavations made it possible to highlight the existence of an open air activity area, near a cave that contained a shell-midden. This is
shown by the relative variety of the documented archaeological remains, the features identified and the signs of trampling at the basis
of the main occupation level. It still remains unclear whether this was a camp or an area in which specific activities took place, but in
any case, the hypothesis could be confirmed: Asturian settlements existed in the surroundings of caves containing shell middens.
The existence of differences between the archaeological contents of the open-air deposit and the shell-midden should also be noted,
particularly the density of lithic artefacts. This seems to confirm that the caves basically contained accumulations of waste associated
with nearby occupations.
The Mesolithic industry at El Alloru was mostly made from quartzite. The assemblage is outstanding for its important number of Asturian
picks, one the highest known. The archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological records suggest that the groups that occupied El Alloru
in the Mesolithic exploited a wide range of biotopes in the eastern part of the Asturias province. The anthracological study points in
that direction, indicating that wood was collected in the oak forests that at that time covered areas of acidic soils but also in the holm
oak groves on the limestone massifs. The mammal fauna displays the typical traits of the Asturian and the Mesolithic in Northern
Spain in general, with a clear dominance of red deer, complemented by forest species such as roe deer and wild boar. Evidence of the
consumption of hazel nuts, which is also very common in the Mesolithic of Northern Spain, should also be noted. Marine resources
were equally exploited, as shown by the remains of fish and molluscs that have been documented. It is interesting that the sample of the
latter that has been studied to date, while dominated by the characteristic Asturian species (limpets and top shells), displays a peculiarity
already observed at this site and at others, which is that of higher percentages of the top shell (Phorcus lineatus) than is usual in this
archaeological complex.
Nuestros resultados señalan una cierta variabilidad en las estrategias de captación de las materias primas, cuyas mineralogías son coherentes con el entorno geológico cercano. Además, las elecciones tecnológicas y el uso de los desgrasantes son similares a los observados en otros conjuntos cerámicos adscritos al Neolítico y al Calcolítico, con el uso de arcillas sin modificar y otras con la adición de desgrasantes. Esto está en consonancia con otras tradiciones alfareras identificadas en distintas regiones de la Península Ibérica.
and cultural settings. Using molecular and isotopic analysis of lipids from pottery, here we investigate the foods prepared by the earliest farming communities of the European Atlantic seaboard. Surprisingly, we find an absence of aquatic foods, including in ceramics from
coastal sites, except in the Western Baltic where this tradition continued from indigenous ceramic using hunter-gatherer-fishers. The frequency of dairy products in pottery increased as farming was progressively introduced along a northerly latitudinal gradient. This finding
implies that early farming communities needed time to adapt their economic practices before expanding into more northerly areas. Latitudinal differences in the scale of dairy production might also have influenced the evolution of adult lactase persistence across Europe.
study owing to their limited representativeness from both numerical and morpho-decorative points of view. This paper presents an update on the archaeological evidence, chronology and technological characteristics
of the first pottery in the Cantabrian region. It summarizes recent research on this topic focused on technological analysis of some paradigmatic pottery assemblages. It focuses on the importance of the technological study of the first ceramic assemblages in the Cantabrian region (northern Spain) as a way to approach the social significance of this technological innovation. The available information supports the assertion that the appearance of ceramics in the region does not correspond to an exchange of products, but rather to a transfer of technology, and summarizes the nature of this technology and the main activities related to it.
A pesar del apogeo de los estudios cerámicos en la década de 1970, el análisis de la cerámica prehistórica en la región cantábrica no ha sido un objeto de investigación recurrente, aunque no debemos olvidar los distintos intentos por sistematizar los conjuntos cerámicos más representativos. La documentación y registro de importantes secuencias arqueológicas, como la del yacimiento de El Mirón, ha provocado que en los últimos años haya un mayor interés por estos materiales, especialmente aquellos adscritos a las cronologías más antiguas. Este aspecto, junto con la introducción de nuevos enfoques en la investigación, ha supuesto que, en la actualidad, contemos con una información pormenorizada sobre este tipo de productos. En este artículo se presenta la cerámica documentada en la región cantábrica entre el V y el IV milenio cal BC señalando su cronología, los contextos arqueológicos disponibles para su estudio y las principales características de estas manufacturas.
ABSTRACT
Despite the peak in pottery studies during the 1970s, the analysis of prehistoric pottery has not been a recurrent topic in research in the
Cantabrian region, although we must not forget the different attempts at systematizing the most representative pottery assemblages. The recording of important archaeological sequences, as at El Mirón, has provoked more interest in these materials, especially those assigned to the earliest chronologies. This aspect, together with the introduction of new theoretical approaches, allows us to obtain detailed information
about these kinds of products. In this paper, we present the pottery documented in the Cantabrian region in the 5th and 4th millennia cal BC
highlighting its chronology, archaeological context and the main features of these manufactures.
In 2013, in the framework of an archaeological project in El Aspio cave (Ruesga, Cantabria), we carried out a superficial survey in which we recorded, together with different prehistoric remains, a singular Early Medieval strap-end dated between the mid- 9th and the middle of the 10th century.
Prehistoria Reciente. No obstante, la información disponible sobre el yacimiento era limitada, a pesar del potencial mostrado en la excavación realizada en 1973. Desde el año 2009 se está llevando a
cabo un análisis multidisciplinar del yacimiento. En este artículo presentamos dicho proyecto, junto con un resumen de los resultados obtenidos hasta ahora.
a partir de las similitudes morfo-decorativas; sin embargo, la aplicación de métodos de caracterización
permite reconocer diferentes tradiciones tecnológicas con las que se pueden vincular
los distintos conjuntos cerámicos. En este artículo se presenta la descripción macroscópica de los
conjuntos cerámicos procedentes de los yacimientos de la Cueva del Niño (Ayna), Cueva Blanca y
Pico Tienda III (Hellín) con la finalidad de establecer una descripción sistemática en la que basar la
selección de los fragmentos más representativos para el posterior análisis tecnológico.
un nivel de ocupación humana atribuido al Mesolítico geométrico. En este trabajo se presentan
los resultados más significativos de la investigación multidisciplinar que venimos desarrollando en
él desde que en 2008 se llevara a cabo la primera campaña de excavación. Se trata del primer
yacimiento de este periodo en estratigrafía de la zona de Campos de Hellín (Albacete). Así mismo, en
una de sus paredes son visibles representaciones de arte prehistórico, circunstancia que incrementa
la importancia de este enclave.
in 1914, about one hundred thirty sites have been registered solely in Eastern Asturias, and several tens of them have been explored.
However, archaeological information about this Mesolithic complex is tremendously biased. Most of the sites are shell middens in
which only small often calcited sections of the original layers were preserved. One particularly poorly understood aspect is the characterisation
of the dwelling places. Despite the high density of sites (one of the highest in the European Mesolithic), few dwelling floors
features have been described. For this reason, the investigation of this issue was specifically included into the ’COASTTRAN’ research
project, which aimed at studying the Mesolithic and the transition to the Neolithic on the Atlantic coast of Europe. This investigation
started out with the hypothesis that most Asturian dwelling-places would have been located in open air locations near caves containing
shell middens — where waste was accumulated. To test this hypothesis, certain areas that presented the conditions for the preservation
of Holocene sediments and therefore seemed to be appropriate for geophysical surveying were selected. This paper presents the results
obtained at an open air site located near the cave of El Alloru (Llanes, Asturias) characterized by a shell midden deposit. This site was
studied by geophysical surveying and an excavation was carried out in 2013. The paper briefly describes the stratigraphy, discusses the
absolute dates and presents the preliminary results of the study of the lithic assemblage and of the micromorphological, zooarchaeological
(mammals and marine invertebrates) and archaeobotanical analyses (palynology, anthracology and carpology).
El Alloru displays a long sequence with evidence of open air human occupation, which started at a still undetermined time point in the
Upper Palaeolithic, continued during the Mesolithic and finally yielded also Prehistoric remains (at the transition from theLate Bronze
Age to the Early Iron Age). The most significant phase, and the one with the greatest density of evidence of occupation, is dated to the
Late Mesolithic, between 7000 and 5500 cal. BC and can be assigned to the Asturian cultural complex. With regard to this phase, the
excavations made it possible to highlight the existence of an open air activity area, near a cave that contained a shell-midden. This is
shown by the relative variety of the documented archaeological remains, the features identified and the signs of trampling at the basis
of the main occupation level. It still remains unclear whether this was a camp or an area in which specific activities took place, but in
any case, the hypothesis could be confirmed: Asturian settlements existed in the surroundings of caves containing shell middens.
The existence of differences between the archaeological contents of the open-air deposit and the shell-midden should also be noted,
particularly the density of lithic artefacts. This seems to confirm that the caves basically contained accumulations of waste associated
with nearby occupations.
The Mesolithic industry at El Alloru was mostly made from quartzite. The assemblage is outstanding for its important number of Asturian
picks, one the highest known. The archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological records suggest that the groups that occupied El Alloru
in the Mesolithic exploited a wide range of biotopes in the eastern part of the Asturias province. The anthracological study points in
that direction, indicating that wood was collected in the oak forests that at that time covered areas of acidic soils but also in the holm
oak groves on the limestone massifs. The mammal fauna displays the typical traits of the Asturian and the Mesolithic in Northern
Spain in general, with a clear dominance of red deer, complemented by forest species such as roe deer and wild boar. Evidence of the
consumption of hazel nuts, which is also very common in the Mesolithic of Northern Spain, should also be noted. Marine resources
were equally exploited, as shown by the remains of fish and molluscs that have been documented. It is interesting that the sample of the
latter that has been studied to date, while dominated by the characteristic Asturian species (limpets and top shells), displays a peculiarity
already observed at this site and at others, which is that of higher percentages of the top shell (Phorcus lineatus) than is usual in this
archaeological complex.
manufacturing process and to propose new interpretations about the productive organization.
In this study we present the methodology and first results of the analysis of the pottery ensemble from Can Gambús-1 (Sabadell, Cataluña). It is a complex archaeological site
with evidence of different chronologies, among them we have to highlight the necropolis attributed to the Middle Neolithic due to its relevance and to the quality of the archaeological materials recovered. Radiocarbon dates available allows us to propose a chronology focused on the end of the 5th and beginning of the 4th millennium cal BC. This necropolis is composed by different funerary structures for which the construction and the composition of the grave goods may indicate some social differentiation between the individuals buried. The grave goods include different kind of vessels of different morphologies and decoration.
This contribution is focused on the mineralogical analysis through thin section of samples selected by their morphological and decorative characteristics. The petrographic study in thin section has allowed a systematic description of textural and mineralogical aspects of the samples. Based on the petrographic description, we propose different manufacturing groups with similar textural and mineralogical characteristics. The analysis allowed us to propose different areas of raw material procurement based on the geological coherence with geological environment and to stablish different methods of manufacture, suggesting different technological choices in the preparation of clays.
The application of methodologies related to the analysis of raw materials procurement and clay composition offers great opportunities in the development of those technology and provenance studies. A great variety of techniques can be applied in these analyses, focused on the compositional, mineralogical and textural characteristics of these products to explain the different socioeconomic conditions of the pottery production and its role in the prehistoric societies.
The session welcomes papers focusing on raw materials for making pots in relation to work with analysis and contextualization of prehistoric pottery ensembles in different chronologies and geographical areas of the world. The session hope to assemble archaeologists, anthropologists, archaeometrists and ethnographers who are working on raw material procurement and provenance studies of prehistoric pottery.
In this communication we present the pottery technology within the geographical context of the Cantabrian region during the fifth millennium cal BC. This research is focused on the pottery ensembles from Los Canes (Asturias), Los Gitanos (Cantabria) and Kobaederra (Vizcaya). These archaeological sites constitute important deposits for the study of the Neolithisation process(es) in the region. After describing the main characteristics of the pottery assemblages, we propose some hypothesis enabling an approach to how pottery production was organized and the role it played in these processes.
corresponding to Neolithic groups. In northern Spain a traditional criteria based on technology was used to identify the new way of life until the 1990s. Currently, well-established but scant data about farming and stockbreeding is available, and a consensus exists about the importance that should be given to the introduction of artificial techniques in food production. However, this criterion can be difficult to apply and the cultural
attribution (Mesolithic vs. Neolithic) of distinct contexts is complex. After a consideration of these difficulties, this paper presents a model for the transition to the Neolithic based on the statistical treatment of the radiocarbon dataset.
In order to analyse the Neolithisation process from the chronological point of view, published dates for the period of time covering the process have been compiled ca. 9500-2500 cal BC. Bayesian statistical models have been constructed to investigate the transitional process and assess the value of radiocarbon dates in understanding this period.
Using published dates, the chronological models show an overlap between the final Mesolithic and the Early Neolithic archaeological deposits. The final hunter gatherer societies appear to have disappeared after the Neolithic groups were present in the region. This result is in accordance with the complexity displayed by the Early Neolithic in archaeological terms. Results support the hypothesis of a “mosaic” Neolithisation process, with groups of hunters and farmers living together in the region during the first half of the fifth millennium, at least in the eastern part of Cantabrian Spain.
study of the Mesolithic in Cantabrian Spain began within a historiographical context marked by the existence of relationships between local pioneers in Prehistory and a number of foreign archaeologists. These relationships fostered, for example, Obermaier’s collaboration in some of Vega del Sella’s excavations. In this way, the German prehistorian was witness to the start of Mesolithic research, and he also took part in it. However, the available information reveals that relationships between Spanish archaeologists were rather lukewarm, in general. The feedback between Spanish and foreign archaeologists sometimes had a significant impact from the historiographical point of view, such as the early location of
the Asturian culture in its European context. At the same time, the cooler relations among Spanish researchers meant that no debates took place about matters that still remain open, such as the existence of “different Mesolithic facies” in Cantabrian Spain.
one of the most relevant issues that are currently opened to discussion is the location of the main settlement areas corresponding to the Asturian. The hypothesis has been posed that those hunter-gatherers groups might have been mainly established in open-air camps close to the caves where the shell middens have been preserved. However, so far, no systematic attempt has bee made to test it. This paper exposes some preliminary results of a programme of research aiming to solve that problem. In 2013 a systematic geophysical survey of the surrounding of a group of selected Asturian sites was
started, looking for Mesolithic remains in the open air. They were chosen attending to both Geomorphological and Archaeological criteria, attempting to define the places with the highest probabilities of preserving Mesolithic sites. One of the areas that were chosen was close to the cave site of El Alloru, right in the core area of the Asturian, in Llanes (northern Spain). A surface of 1670 m2 was surveyed using magnetic gradiometry
methods. That permitted the location of some anomalies that were judged to be potentially related to prehistoric human activity. Four test pits were opened to validate that hypothesis.
Both geological and archaeological features were found in the test pits, confirming the hypothetical interpretations of the survey. The Mesolithic open air site includes a high density of Holocene marine molluscs and Asturian picks. Unlike the typical Asturian ensembles, evidence of knapping and other kinds of artefacts, such as bone and antler tools, and pendants were recovered. Besides two small pits possibly corresponding to postholes were identified. It appears to be the first Asturian dwelling structure discovered.
The hypothesis that the shell middens could be linked to nearby areas where the greater part of everyday activities were performed has found confirmation through the combined use of geophysical surveying and archaeological excavations.
Bronze Age occupations, and by the construction of a road passing through it and the fortification of both its entrances in the Middle Ages. The aim of the archaeological survey started in 2008 was to identify, describe and evaluate the heritage potential of the cave, because previous fieldwork had only managed to make surface finds in the side galleries, including
a medieval hoard and Bronze Age human remains. The work carried out by the research group at San Adrian includes a series of test pits and the excavation of an area nine square metres in size following stratigraphic criteria. In the current state, we identified at least two contexts corresponding to Late Upper Palaeolithic and Bronze Age occupations in the cave.
Fieldwork included the sieving and flotation of sediment and the collection of samples for different types of analysis: palynology, carpology, sedimentology, and radiocarbon dating. The evidence is being studied by a multidisciplinary team according to expertise requirements for each topic: palaeobotany and environment, archaeozoology, sedimentology, geology, physical anthropology, prehistoric industries (lithics, pottery and bone) and archaeological and historical documentation. Because of its recent discovery, Upper Palaeolithic evidence remains still under study, but first results on Bronze Age layers can be presented. The ongoing archaeobotanical and archaeozoological studies reveal the exploitation of domestic plants and fauna complemented by hunting and foraging of wild species. At the same time, the archaeological artefacts and their production sequences show the exploitation of nearby resources on both sides of the mountain range, while prestige goods are absent. This evidence is also used to estimate the regularity of cave occupations and to propose a model of seasonal exploitation of the mountain environment. The results obtained reveal the exploitation of resources from both the Mediterranean and Atlantic basins, and contribute towards an understanding of the daily activities
of Bronze Age societies. In addition, the evidence shows the exchange and circulation of quotidian products between the Cantabrian region and inland Iberia in other networks than those of prestige goods.
rock art sites such as Minateda but traditionally lacks of evidences of Mesolithic / Early Neolithic settlements that can link to those. Cueva Blanca has come to provide the first piece of a puzzle that in the next years is going to increase. This works collects the results coming from the multidisciplinary investigations conducted on Cueva Blanca and the archeological material registered there. We must remark those concerning paleoenvironment, absolutes dating, lithic industry and fauna. The recent data confirms the attribution of Cueva Blanca to the Late Mesolithic. The last excavation campaign (2013) has allowed us to increase the lithic assemblage and to ratify its consideration within the first facies of Cocina. The archaeobotanical analyses indicates a mediterranean open coniferous forest and steppic conditions around the site. Radiocarbon dates points a contemporaneity of the human occupation with the 8.2 cal yr BP event. On the other hand, fauna analyses states the predominant consumption of lagomorphs and the scarce presence of medium-small size hervivores. The closest geographical region where we can find well known Mesolithic sites is the area of Villena (Alicante).
Examining the data we defend a similar functionality between Cueva Blanca and the archaeological site of Cueva Pequeña de la Huesa Tacaña. Cueva Blanca was occupied during temporary and seasonal periods in the Late Mesolithic according to the different data that we have handled so far. Despite it, we believe this site has an undeniable importance to deepen in the knowledge of the settlement patterns during this period in the hinterland of southeastern Iberia. In the future new sites belonging to the transition Meso-Neolithic will be make known in this area and therefore we could contrast the possibility of a settlement by the same last hunters-gatherers groups throughout the northern Betic valleys and mountains from Villena (Alicante) to Hellín (Albacete).
Junto a los escasos restos metálicos y óseos, el registro material destaca por el aporte cerámico, un conjunto con un alto grado de fragmentación y conservación variable que constituye la primera colección adscrita con certeza a la Primera Edad del Hierro en la región. En este trabajo se lleva a cabo un estudio integral de este conjunto cerámico. Su análisis tecnológico, morfológico y decorativo permitirá abordar desde bases más sólidas futuros estudios de este tipo de materiales en otros yacimientos de la región.
La fase inicial de este yacimiento se corresponde con una necrópolis calcolítica con campaniforme, inscrita en un área ligeramente inferior a los 2.000 m2, compuesta por un conjunto de hasta nueve tumbas, cinco con ajuares campaniformes y cuatro sin presentar ningún tipo de ajuar, a los que habría que sumar lo que hemos interpretado como tres depósitos votivos con distintas piezas cerámicas. A estos materiales, con una alta carga simbólica nos vamos a referir en la presente comunicación.
El conjunto material más representado es el cerámico, con presencia de vasos, cazuelas y cuencos, mayoritariamente con decoración del tipo Ciempozuelos, aunque han sido recuperadas, junto con éstas, algunas piezas lisas.
Otro elemento presente en este registro es el de piezas metálicas de cobre, del que han sido recuperadas dos objetos: una punta de palmela de cuidada factura y un punzón en el que se observan las huellas de su enmangue.
Igualmente nos encontramos ante una pieza singular, un botón de marfil con perforación en “V” de forma piramidal y sección rectangular, que se encontró quebrado longitudinalmente y que presentaba restos de pigmento rojo (cinabrio), que impregnaban tanto éste como el subcuerpo superior del individuo asociado.
Por último, en el nivel inferior de la estructura tumular fue localizada una pieza lítica de sílex, con huellas de alteraciones físico-químicas.
mainly oysters, clams and razor shells. A radiocarbon determination of an oyster shell dates the deposit’s formation in the Early Iron Age.
En la Galería Principal hemos documentado una secuencia de 1,60 m de profundidad con varias unidades estratigráficas que incluyen cerámica, restos de cultivos y fauna doméstica. La datación de un hueso de bóvido de la base del sondeo ha proporcionado una cronología que corresponde a la
Edad del Bronce (Beta 317437: 4240-4010 cal BP / 2290-2060 cal BC) y que es coherente con toda la secuencia con la excepción de las capas superiores que incluyen también algunos materiales modernos.
In Sado shell middens, the relationship between the pottery –practically the only Neolithic element identified- recorded at Poças de Sao Vento, Amoreiras, Vale Romairas, Cabeço do Pez and Várzea da Mó, and the cultural environment of the last hunter-gatherers is not clear.
In this paper, we present and debate the stratigraphic, typological and functional issues associated with the pottery, although information from former excavations is sometimes scarce. Petrographic analysis will contribute to this discussion in order to establish whether these pottery ensembles are local or non local productions.
A partir de una exhaustiva revisión bibliográfica de los contextos arqueológicos y los conjuntos cerámicos documentados, en este póster se presenta una visión diacrónica de las producciones cerámicas en la actual provincia de Cantabria desde su aparición (V milenio cal BC) hasta el momento en el que finaliza lo que tradicionalmente se ha considerado como Prehistoria (siglo I cal BC). Se señalan las características tecnológicas, morfológicas y decorativas, resaltando aquellos rasgos comunes de los conjuntos cerámicos documentados durante este intervalo cronológico. Con ello se pretende asentar las bases para un posterior análisis de los aspectos tecnológicos de estas producciones y su comparación con las áreas limítrofes.
This paper presents the study of the pottery ensemble from Los Gitanos (Castro Urdiales, Cantabria, Spain). This cave is one of the few archaeological sites where Ancient Neolithic has been documented in the Cantabrian Region.
The subject of this paper is an approach to the “production sequence” of the pottery sherds as direct material evidence. We have developed a methodological protocol based on different levels of analysis. The macroscopic analysis is the basis for the systematic sampling and for the subsequent mineralogical studies. We present the description of the mineralogical variability of the pottery ensembles, which is based on petrographic analysis. With this study we aim to describe the different manufacturing groups, based on the different mineralogical and textural characteristics, and to point out the technological features of the Neolithic pottery in the Cantabrian Region, related with the ensembles known in the Iberian Peninsula.
El objetivo de este análisis es realizar una aproximación a su mineralogía -a través del estudio petrográfico en lámina delgada- así como un reconocimiento de las técnicas de elaboración empleadas en las manufacturas cerámicas. Con ello hemos pretendido realizar una acercamiento a la posible determinación de las áreas de aprovisionamiento de las materias primas arcillosas. De la misma manera, se procede a una descripción sistemática de la variabilidad mineralógica del conjunto cerámico.
Entre los aspectos más relevantes de este estudio se encuentra la documentación de la calcita empleada de manera intencional en la manufactura de este material, cuya utilización ha sido ampliamente documentada a lo largo de la Prehistoria en la Península Ibérica. Con este estudio pretendemos contribuir a perfilar los rasgos tecnológicos de las primeras evidencias cerámicas en la Región Cantábrica, en relación con los aspectos conocidos para el resto de ámbitos peninsulares.
The subject of this paper is to disclose the pottery ensemble recorded in the sublevels A4, A3 and A2 of the sequence. The macroscopic analysis of the material allow us to establish a set of technical and morphological features, which characterized the first pottery manufactures recorded in the archaeological site.
As in the case of Palaeolithic studies, the first research on the Mesolithic in the region did not take place in isolation from European Prehistoric studies at the time. For example, the Asturian was believed to be a “Pre-Neolithic” culture, in consonance with Mortillet’s so-called “hiatus theory”. On other occasions, the influence of European prehistorians crystallised through more personal relationships, as occurred during the First World War, when Hugo Obermaier lived for a time in Count Vega del Sella’s mansion at Nueva de Llanes (Asturias). This circumstance propitiated the German prehistorian’s collaboration in some of the Count’s excavations.
This poster presents the pioneers’ work on the Mesolithic in northern Spain (1914-1930), and also the framework of Spanish and international relationships within which their research was undertaken.
This paper summarises the results attained in the different kinds of studies made on the record found in the stratigraphy (archaeozoology, archaeomalacology, archaeobotany, ceramics and lithic assemblage). The palaeo-economic traits of the groups occupying the cave in the fifth-third millennia cal BC are discussed, in the context of the social and economic development characterising the process of the introduction and consolidation of a productive economy in the region.
Este tema de estudio es especialmente interesante en la fachada atlántica europea en la que se observa un cierto carácter retardatario en la adopción de las nuevas prácticas económicas que conlleva el Neolítico y una cierta importancia de los últimos grupos de cazadores-recolectores en el proceso. De esta manera, el análisis del material cerámico contribuye a perfilar cuál es el papel desempeñado por los distintos grupos en la introducción y desarrollo de esta nueva tecnología y cuáles son las características principales de sus producciones. Para ello, se ha aplicado una metodología de análisis basada en distintas técnicas de caracterización, especialmente de identificación mineralógica (petrografía de lámina delgada y difracción de rayos X).
Se realizará un recorrido desde el inicio del Holoceno (en torno al 10.000 antes de Cristo) hasta el momento en el que se produce la aparición del metal en la región. Trataremos aspectos tan representativos como la importancia de la explotación de los recursos marinos, cuya elevada representatividad durante el Mesolítico da lugar a un tipo muy concreto de yacimiento, los concheros. La singularidad de estos yacimientos llevó al Conde de la Vega del Sella a proponer una cultura denominada Asturiense.
Posteriormente, se repasarán las primeras evidencias de la economía de producción en Asturias y su relación con la aparición de las estructuras megalíticas. El importante debate suscitado a finales del siglo XX sobre la relación entre ambos fenómenos puede ser hoy matizado gracias a los últimos avances en la investigación del Neolítico. Será inevitable la mención y presentación de las principales manifestaciones de arte postpaleolítico, como el Dolmen de la Santa Cruz o Peña Tú, que guardan una íntima relación con la aparición de las desigualdades sociales en estas sociedades. Por último, se presentan las primeras evidencias de minería en Asturias y el contexto social y económico en el que se produce su aparición.
Coordina: María Martín-Seijo (GEPN-AAT.USC)
Inscrición previa: [email protected]
El primero de ellos tiene que ver con los análisis de elementos materiales más destacados dentro del registro arqueológico, siendo las cerámicas, los restos óseos y la numismática los principales protagonistas.
El segundo bloque se centra en determinados estudios dentro del campo de la arqueología militar y en concreto en los datos que la epigrafía y los Sistemas de Información Geográfica nos proporcionan para el estudio de la misma.
El último hace referencia a la dimensión social de la Arqueología destacando los últimos métodos para la puesta en valor de un yacimiento arqueológico, así como las diferentes formas de dar a conocer el Patrimonio Arqueológico a la sociedad en su conjunto.
CerAM aims, applying the latest chemical and molecular analysis, to reconstruct the use of pottery during this key transition focusing on the sequence of Atlantic Southern Europe. The application of these techniques will allow to establish a direct link between subsistence strategies and pottery thanks to methodological advancements in lipid residue analysis. The project involves the analysis by gas-chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and isotopic determination using GC-combustion-isotope ratio-MS of individual lipids (GC-c-IRMS) extracted from archaeological pottery. Using these approaches CerAM aims to study the differences in the use of early pottery following the selection of well established archaeological contexts along the Atlantic coast of Europe.
durante las últimas décadas en el ámbito de la Arqueología. Para ello,
el curso contará con tres bloques formativos para el estudio de la
Arqueología de una manera transversal.
El primero de ellos tiene que ver con los análisis de elementos
materiales más destacados dentro del registro arqueológico, siendo
las cerámicas, los restos óseos y la Numismática los principales
protagonistas.
El segundo bloque se centra en determinados estudios dentro del
campo de la arqueología militar y en concreto en los datos que la
epigrafía y los Sistemas de Información Geográfica nos proporcionan
para el estudio de la misma.
El último hace referencia a la dimensión social de la Arqueología
destacando los últimos métodos para la puesta en valor de un
yacimiento arqueológico, así como las diferentes formas de dar a
conocer el Patrimonio Arqueológico a la sociedad en su conjunto.
The Mediterranean is one of the regions where these aspects are particularly apparent. However, exciting new data are arising from other coastal environments. The important novelties on the Atlantic, Baltic or North Sea reflect an increase in the density and quality of the research focused on the transition to the farming and livestock way of life in coast landscapes.
This session is intended as a forum for the critical assessment of the new data and for the discussion of the settlement patterns, the coastal resources and the spread of farming to littoral and inland environments. It aims to be a meeting among researchers who focused their activity on the study of neolithisation processes and Neolithic in coastal areas.
This session aims to encourage debate among researchers who focus their research on new studies and proposals related to the spread of the Neolithic, the tempo of the phenomena and the role of the hunter-gatherers communities in this process. Although this session is focused on the European region, it welcomes proposals from the origin and spread areas, such as the Near East or North of Africa.
types of audiences, the reality is clearly different. Museums, archaeological parks, guided visits to archaeological sites usually have a “captive” or faithful audience, such as children and young people from primary or high schools, and families with resources that usually participate in scientific events, such as Science Week or Museum’s Night. In this sense, other target groups are ignored by these programmes and even they are not considered in their design. Among them are included the elderly people, those who have some physical or intellectual disabilities, people in risk of social exclusion or newly immigrants without economic resources. In this paper, we present our experience with elderly people, some of whom are in a difficult economic situation due to the pension they receive or present physical and mental difficulties. This situation become even more critical when, being interested, they cannot afford the payment of a bus or they have difficulties to move alone. The model and methodology employed in our activities can be a reference for other research groups or educators who work or pretend to begin a scientific dissemination program with elderly people.
[ES] Aunque los programas de divulgación científica relacionados con la arqueología parecen preparados para todo tipo de públicos, la realidad es muy diferente. Los museos, los parques
arqueológicos, las visitas a yacimientos, suelen tener un público “cautivo” o fiel como son los niños y jóvenes de escuelas e institutos, y las familias con ciertos recursos que suelen participar en las Semanas de la Ciencia, la Noche de los Museos, etc. En este sentido, muchos otros colectivos quedan al margen de tales programas y ni siquiera se piensa en ellos a la hora de diseñarlos. Entre ellos estarían, por ejemplo, las personas de la Tercera Edad, las que tienen alguna discapacidad física e intelectual, las que por distintos motivos están en riesgo de exclusión social o los inmigrantes recién llegados que no tienen los mínimos recursos económicos. En el presente artículo queremos detenernos en nuestra experiencia con personas de la Tercera Edad, algunas de las cuales se encuentran en una situación económica complicada por la pensión que reciben o presentan ciertas dificultades físicas y psíquicas. Esta situación, evidentemente, se hace aún más crítica cuando, estando interesados, les es imposible costearse un autobús o tienen dificultades para trasladarse solos. El modelo y metodología empleada en las actividades que organizamos pueden servir de referencia para otros grupos de investigación o educadores que trabajan o pretenden iniciar un programa de divulgación científica con nuestros mayores.