The archaeological results of Prehistoric societies obtained in the Archaeological Map of North Morocco Project

This paper presents the results of the “Archaeological Map in Northern Morocco” project, which has been carried out by researchers from the University of Cadiz, University of Abdelmalek Essaadi and INSAP of Rabat. Four seasons of archaeological survey have taken place in the Tetouan region as well as excavations in the Cave El Hafa and the rock-shelter of Marsa. This study includes geomorphological data and a petrographic study to pinpoint of the origins of raw material used by the different human groups that duelled in the area. Lastly, this paper presents settlement patterns of the studied groups, most importantly, this is an updated study of the relevant occupations that correspond to Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer societies, Neolithic tribal societies and also, of human settlements associated to Recent Prehistory stages.     

Pratiques mortuaires en fosse au Néolithique moyen dans le midi de la France : caractérisations et éclairages interprétatifs

The most recent synthesis on the mortuary practices in the Middle Neolithic in Mediterranean France was published more than a decade ago. We propose to characterize those gestures focusing on the funerary nature of some inhumations discovered on domestic settlement. Two types of structures are distinguished. The first is composed of pits which function is exclusively related to funerary body or cremated bones deposit. Their features enable to consider that they are tombs. The domestic pits used as bodies or bones deposition constitute the second type. They are the most frequent in our corpus. Some of them display many features of the regular tombs but the configurations of most of those circular pits are difficult to interpret. Some alternative hypotheses are proposed to explain these particular body depositions.     

Une médecine du fonds des âges : trépanations,amputations et tatouages thérapeutiques au Néolithique

The first shepherds and peasants of the European Neolithic period, between VIth century and IIth millennium BC, had acquired serious medical knowledge. The cranial trepanations and the amputation of members accomplished successfully testify perfectly controlled surgical techniques, which indicate a transmissible knowledge. Tattoos towards a therapeutic end reveal however that the medicine of this time still remained under the influence of rituals and magic.     

吉林汪清新兴遗址第1地点调查与试掘简报

新兴遗址第1地点位于吉林省汪清县嘎呀河支流前河北岸的二级阶地,2018年调查发现,2019年对该地点进行了复查和试掘,试掘面积14 m²。采集和试掘发现标本131件,以石制品为主,包括石核、石片、石叶、细石叶、刮削器、砍砸器、尖状器、手斧和磨制石器,此外还发现有少量夹砂陶片。总体来看该遗址包含旧石器和新石器两期文化遗存,其中旧石器时代遗存以石叶和细石叶为主要技术特征,石制品原料以硅质页岩和黑曜岩为主,根据石制品技术特征和地层堆积情况判断,年代与临近的黑龙江穆棱市康乐遗址年代相近,为距今10000年前后;新石器时代文化遗存属图们江流域金谷文化范畴。     

The significance of the Tyrolean Iceman for the archaeobotany of Central Europe

This paper reviews the archaeobotanical research conducted on the plant material recovered from the Iceman′s body, his garment and equipment, as well as that from the sediments of the gully in which the body was discovered more than 15 years ago. These recent results are discussed against the background of the archaeological findings during the last few years and disclose both conformities and discrepancies of the disciplinary-centred views. In particular the archaeobotanical results concerning the season of death as well as the taphonomic interpretation of the find assemblage give cause for controversial discussions and constitute the future research focus. Furthermore, the singularity of this discovery demands an evaluation of the archaeobotanical findings within a circum-alpine context to reveal the representativeness of this find assemblage for the inner alpine Neolithic. This was the objective of a specific symposium at the 17th International Botanical Congress in Vienna in 2005.     

Early Neolithic agriculture in Ambrona, Provincia Soria, central Spain

The early Neolithic sites of La Lámpara and La Revilla del Campo in the Meseta Norte (Northern Meseta) plateau in central Spain produced evidence for early agriculture from the last third of the 6th millennium B.C. The hulled wheats Triticum monococcum (einkorn) and T. dicoccum (emmer) were identified from carbonised plant remains as well as from imprints in pottery and daub. Single finds of charred remains of Hordeum vulgare (barley), Papaver somniferum/setigerum (poppy) and Linum usitatissimum (linseed) indicated other cultivated crops. The wild plants mainly indicated arable weeds, partly from less fertile soils, and garrigue vegetation from poor pastures. The spectrum of crops from the Ambrona sites was compared to other inner Iberian sites as well as to Mediterranean sites. Sediment samples as well as mineral crusts from graves were analysed from the Neolithic tumulus of La Peña de la Abuela. Its diachronic collective burials had originated from a period of time during the first third of the 4th millennium B.C. Probably no crops, but many green vegetative parts of pine, oak, and juniper had been used as funeral gifts. Oak cupula development indicated early summer activities in the grave-mound. Wickerwork made of willow was used for embedding the dead bodies.