Chert and obsidian procurement of three Corsican sites during the 6th and 5th millenniums BC

Provenance studies of Corsican siliceous raw materials used during, the Neolithic focused mainly on obsidian. They showed an almost systematic use of Monte Arci sources (Sardinia). Chert studies have long been dodged, whereas the multiplicity of potential origins, in Sardinia and in continental areas, may provide complementary spatial information about diffusion patterns and interaction phenomenon in the Middle Tyrrhenian during the Neolithic. We studied obsidian and chert industries of three Corsican sites: Renaghju (Early Neolithic), Monte Revincu and Vasculacciu (both Middle Neolithic). In order to assign a provenance, 2241 chert archaeological samples were characterized by petrographic approaches and 100 obsidian artefacts were submitted to geochemical analyses. Each site provides a specific trend regarding relative abundances of raw materials, provenance and consumption patterns. Considered in the wider perspective of the Neolithic Corsican context, results reveal procurement variations from a chronological as well as a geographical point of view. Those variations may echo economic and social evolutions undergone in Neolithic societies of the Tyrrhenian area.     

A map of the Monte Arci (Sardinia Island, Western Mediterranean) obsidian primary to secondary sources. Implications for Neolithic provenance studies

Four types of obsidians from the Monte Arci volcanic complex (Sardinia) were used by Neolithic men in the North Tyrrhenian area of the western Mediterranean. A map of their occurrences from primary sources (mother rocks) to distant secondary deposits in the surrounding plains is presented. Some 1457 specimens were macroscopically characterized and in addition ~15% of them fingerprinted from their elemental compositions as determined by electron microprobe, neutron activation analysis or ion beam analysis. The results show that secondary sources, up to now largely neglected in provenance studies of ‘archaeological’ obsidians will have from now to be taken into account. To cite this article: C. Lugliè et al., C. R. Palevol 5 (2006).     

Inorganic raw materials economy and provenance of chipped industry in some stone age sites of northern and central Italy

An opportunistic and local choice of raw materials is typically attested in the Lower and Middle Paleolithic industries throughout Italy. The quality of the raw material usually affected the flaking technology and quality of the products. In the Upper Paleolithic and the Mesolithic, raw material procurement strategies were more complex. Flint was exploited both locally, in areas where abundant outcrops of raw materials were available (such as the Lessini mountains), and in distant localities, after which it was transported or exchanged over medium/long distances. Different routes of exchange were thus followed in the various periods; good reconstruction of these routes have been provided by a study of the Garfagnana sites in Northern Tuscany, and the Mesolithic deposit of Mondeval de Sora (Dolomites). An interesting example of a Late Upper Paleolithic flint quarry and workshop were found in Abruzzo, in the San Bartolomeo shelter. The extended trade of obsidian from Lipari, Palmarola and Sardinia to the Italian Peninsula is attested in the Neolithic, with some differences concerning the age and different areas.     

Typologie et provenance de l’obsidienne du site néolithique d’A Guaita (NW Cap Corse,Corse, France)

The provenance of a large fraction of the obsidians from the Neolithic site of A Guaita was determined for its three chronocultural layers, between the second half of the 6th millennium and the beginning of the 4th millennium. The elemental composition of 140 samples was obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM–EDS) and/or ion beam analysis (PIXE). One hundred and thirty-eight obsidians were found to come from Sardinia and the remaining two from Palmarola Island. This result confirms the almost unique presence of Sardinian obsidians in Corsica and extends this observation to the northern end of the island. The three main Sardinian obsidian types, SA, SB2, and SC, are represented at A Guaita, with a predominance of SB2 and SC. The occurrence of two obsidians from Palmarola suggests that occasional contacts with the Italian Peninsula were in effect from the 6th millennium, in agreement with previous data from ceramics.     

Middle Palaeolithic and Neolithic Occupations around Mundafan Palaeolake,Saudi Arabia: Implications for Climate Change and Human Dispersals

The Arabian Peninsula is a key region for understanding climate change and human occupation history in a marginal environment. The Mundafan palaeolake is situated in southern Saudi Arabia, in the Rub’ al-Khali (the ‘Empty Quarter’), the world’s largest sand desert. Here we report the first discoveries of Middle Palaeolithic and Neolithic archaeological sites in association with the palaeolake. We associate the human occupations with new geochronological data, and suggest the archaeological sites date to the wet periods of Marine Isotope Stage 5 and the Early Holocene. The archaeological sites indicate that humans repeatedly penetrated the ameliorated environments of the Rub’ al-Khali. The sites probably represent short-term occupations, with the Neolithic sites focused on hunting, as indicated by points and weaponry. Middle Palaeolithic assemblages at Mundafan support a lacustrine adaptive focus in Arabia. Provenancing of obsidian artifacts indicates that Neolithic groups at Mundafan had a wide wandering range, with transport of artifacts from distant sources.     

原料产地对中国东北和韩国旧石器时代晚期黑曜岩石器工业的影响

本文以原料产地距离衰减效应为视角,根据目前中国东北地区和韩国旧石器时代晚期黑曜岩石制品的发现情况以及黑曜岩产源地研究成果,结合狩猎采集人群社交网络模型、民族学、考古学资料,对以长白山为核心的黑曜岩源产地对中韩两地的辐射影响作出了直接供应区（天池火山口为圆心辐射半径150~200 km）和接触区（距离天池火山口200 km以上）的划分。在此基础上对比研究两地的黑曜岩石制品,发现由于距离源头产地较远,韩国黑曜岩石制品的数量以及类型丰度均低于中国东北地区。而又由于原料的长距离损耗以及对于原料更加经济的开发利用,导致韩国典型遗址中黑曜岩细石核与完整石片的体积更小,原料缩减更甚。     

Provenance d’artefacts en rhyolite corse : évaluation des méthodes d’analyse géochimique

Through the analysis of flint and obsidian artefacts, numerous studies have shown the links that existed between Corsica and Sardinia during Neolithic and Chalcolithic. However, we have almost no information about the movements and exchanges that took place in Corsica itself. Rhyolite, a siliceous volcanic rock, has been exploited in Corsica and disseminated throughout the territory from the early Neolithic. Up to now, only one major study has been conducted in the North of the island, in order to identify, by petrographic analysis, the raw material deposits of these rhyolite artefacts. Petrography is a destructive method; it is thus difficult to apply it to large series of archaeological objects. Our aim was therefore to investigate less invasive analytical methods, based on the geochemistry of rocks, in order to conduct future studies based on these rhyolite remains. We analysed 34 geological samples from four different sources, as well as 31 archaeological samples unearthed at three different archaeological areas. We show that EDXRF is an effective method to discriminate sources but also to characterise artefacts using nondestructive protocol. LA-ICP-MS encounters issues due to heterogeneity of the studied rocks. However, we show that by adjusting our testing protocol this method can complement the EDXRF analysis, which is ineffective on objects that are too thin.     

L’utilisation de l’obsidienne au Paléolithique supérieur dans le nord-ouest de la Roumanie

Obsidian artefacts are numerous in the Upper Paleolithic sites of Northwest Romania. The use of obsidian begins during the Aurignacian and continues during the Gravettian, All the stages of the lithic reduction sequence are present. The obsidian tools are numerous in some sites. Non-destructive chemical analysis by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was performed on 232 obsidian artefacts from five sites: Buşag, Remetea Şomoş I, Călineşti I, Boineşti and Turulung. The results show that Early/Middle Upper Paleolithic people in northwest Romania acquired their obsidian, directly or indirectly, from sources on the western flank of the Carpathians, up to 170 km away.     

Obsidian consumption at Qdeir 1, a Final Pre-Pottery Neolithic site in Syria: An integrated characterisation study

This paper details an integrated characterisation study of a substantial assemblage of obsidian artefacts (n = 519) from the Syrian Neolithic site of Qdeir 1 (El Kowm oasis). The results of the chemical characterisation (using ED-XRF and SEM–EDS) have been coupled with the typo-technological data. Such an approach has allowed us (i) to identify four raw materials in the assemblage, namely Bingöl A and Bingöl B from eastern Anatolia, plus Göllü Da? and Nenezi Da? from central Anatolia, (ii) to specifically source the distinctive green peralkaline obsidian to Bingöl A (rather than ‘Bingöl A and/or Nemrut Da?’), (iii) to observe that these four raw materials were consumed in a nigh-identical manner, probably worked locally by specialist craftspeople to produce fine pressure flaked blades, and (iv) to hypothesise that the people of Qdeir 1 may have played a key redistributive role in the circulation of obsidian tools, likely supplying the neighbouring village of El Kowm.     

Craniofacial morphometric variation and the biological history of the peopling of Sardinia

The aim of this work is to explore the pattern of craniofacial morphometric variation and the relationships among five prehistoric Sardinian groups dated from Late Neolithic to the Nuragic Period (Middle and Late Bronze Age), in order to formulate hypotheses on the peopling history of Sardinia. Biological relationships with coeval populations of central peninsular Italy were also analysed to detect influences from and towards extra-Sardinian sources. Furthermore, comparison with samples of contemporary populations from Sardinia and from continental Italy provided an indication of the trend leading to the final part of the peopling history. Finally, Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic samples were included in the analyses to compare the prehistoric Sardinians with some of their potential continental ancestors. The analysis is based on multivariate techniques including Mahalanobis D² distance, non-parametric multidimensional scaling (MDS) and principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed the tendency to progressive differentiation between Sardinian groups and peninsular Italian groups, with the possible exception of a discontinuity showed by the Bonnànaro (Early Bronze Age) Sardinian sample. Several aspects of the morphological results were found to agree with the current genetic evidence available for the present-day Sardinian population and a Nuragic sample: (1) biological divergence between the Sardinian and peninsular Italian populations; (2) similarity/continuity among Neolithic, Bronze Age and recent Sardinians; (3) biological separation between the Nuragic and Etruscan populations; (4) contribution of a Palaeo-Mesolithic gene pool to the genetic structure of current Sardinians.     

Sourcing obsidian from Tell Aswad and Qdeir 1 (Syria) by SEM-EDS and EDXRF: Methodological implications

While obsidian sourcing has long represented a powerful means of reconstructing past socio-economic interaction, the use of destructive techniques restricted most studies to analysing only a few artefacts per site. Non-destructive methods allow the characterization of much more material, thus providing more robust data upon which to base our archaeological interpretations. Here we report on one such study using EDXRF and SEM-EDS to analyse assemblages from Tell Aswad and Qdeir 1, two Syrian Neolithic sites. The study demonstrates for the first time that SEM-EDS can play an important role in discriminating Bingöl A and Nemrut Dağ sources, while the rapidity of EDXRF permits the analysis of a more statistically valid number of artefacts, providing a better impression of the assemblage. It enabled us to chart diachronic patterns in raw material procurement at Tell Aswad and detailed raw materials not recorded in a previous smaller-scale analysis of obsidian from Qdeir 1.     

Analyse préliminaire des ensembles lithiques de Hakemi Use, site du Néolithique final dans le sud-est de la Turquie

Hakemi Use is a mound in southeastern Anatolia where rescue excavations have recently brought to light cultural remains dated to the late Neolithic from the Hassuna and Samarra periods. The lithic assemblages from this site were produced from flint and obsidian. Although flint is available locally, obsidian was imported but its sources are as yet unknown. Retouched elements are generally rare among the lithic assemblage. Most of the blades and bladelets are represented by the mesial parts of the blanks, and were obtained by unidirectional flaking. Debitage products such as core tablets and crested blades are rare. The study of the groundstone objects is still ongoing. Thus, this paper reports the results of the analysis of the knapped stone products recovered during the first and the second excavation campaigns at Hakemi Use.     

Mégalithes et sociétés préhistoriques : concepts et terminologie

The restitution of the megalith’s technical manufacture, whith their assemblies lines and their sequences, enlarges the coast of the sens incluse in each Corsican monoliths. From the megalithics sites of Poghjaredda of Monte Rotondu (Sotta), Ciutulaghja (Appietu), and Presa (Altaghjè), some specifics activities area (pastoralism for example) or activities structured in the space (villages and tombs of middle Neolithic) interest this study. The contributions of many sciences permit to give an economic and social dimension to the choice of megalithics sites. Then, those choices are an aspect of the Neolithic process in Corsica, making part of sculpture and architecture. This study is conclued by a consideration on the actual worked stones’ terminology.     

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。     

A Comparison of Y-Chromosome Variation in Sardinia and Anatolia Is More Consistent with Cultural Rather than Demic Diffusion of Agriculture

Two alternative models have been proposed to explain the spread of agriculture in Europe during the Neolithic period. The demic diffusion model postulates the spreading of farmers from the Middle East along a Southeast to Northeast axis. Conversely, the cultural diffusion model assumes transmission of agricultural techniques without substantial movements of people. Support for the demic model derives largely from the observation of frequency gradients among some genetic variants, in particular haplogroups defined by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Y-chromosome. A recent network analysis of the R-M269 Y chromosome lineage has purportedly corroborated Neolithic expansion from Anatolia, the site of diffusion of agriculture. However, the data are still controversial and the analyses so far performed are prone to a number of biases. In the present study we show that the addition of a single marker, DYSA7.2, dramatically changes the shape of the R-M269 network into a topology showing a clear Western-Eastern dichotomy not consistent with a radial diffusion of people from the Middle East. We have also assessed other Y-chromosome haplogroups proposed to be markers of the Neolithic diffusion of farmers and compared their intra-lineage variation—defined by short tandem repeats (STRs)—in Anatolia and in Sardinia, the only Western population where these lineages are present at appreciable frequencies and where there is substantial archaeological and genetic evidence of pre-Neolithic human occupation. The data indicate that Sardinia does not contain a subset of the variability present in Anatolia and that the shared variability between these populations is best explained by an earlier, pre-Neolithic dispersal of haplogroups from a common ancestral gene pool. Overall, these results are consistent with the cultural diffusion and do not support the demic model of agriculture diffusion.     

New remarkable records of microfungi from Sardinia (Italy)

In June 2009 we organized a botanical student excursion to the eastern part of Sardinia, Italy. On this occasion we were able to collect and identify over 80 species of microfungi growing on higher plants. The collecting sites were spread over a large area, among them were La Caletta, Capo Comino, Monte Albo, Cala Gonone, Monte Maccione, San Teodoro, Capo Testa. The collected microfungi were parasitic or saprophytic; Basidiomycotina (Uredinales), Ascomycotina and Deuteromycotina (Hyphomycetes, Coelomycetes) were predominant. Examples are Pezicula corticola (J?rg.) NANNF. (new for Sardinia), on Pyrus communis. Puccinia chamaecyparissi TROTT. (new for Sardinia), on Santolina insularis. Sphaceloma oleae CICC. and GRANITI (new for Sardinia) and Phlyctema vagabunda DESM. (new for Sardinia), on Olea europaea and Arbutus unedo. Puccinia pseudosphaeria MONT. (new for Sardinia), on Sonchus oleraceus. Discula umbrinella (BERK. and BR.) SUTTON (new for Sardinia)(D. quercina WEST. and BARK), on Quercus coccifera. Zaghouania phillyreae PAT. (new for Sardinia), on Phillyrea angustifolia. Phymatotrichum omnivorum (DUGGAR) HENNEBERT, new on Verbascum thapsus for Sardinia. Guignardia punctoidea (COOKE) SCHROTER (new for Sardinia), on Quercus ilex. Many of the collected species are rare or unknown for the area of investigation until now. All specimens are located in the Herbarium ESS, Mycotheca Parva collection G.B. Feige and N. Ale-Agha.     

Island Populations, Human Introductions and the Limitations of Genetic Analyses: the Case of the Sardinian Red Deer (Cervus elaphus corsicanus)

The Corsican red deer (Cervus elaphus corsicanus) is endemic to the Tyrrhenian islands of Corsica and Sardinia. It has been regarded as an introduced species and has allegedly been present on the islands since the beginning of the Neolithic culture some 8,000 years ago. In this review, we present the results of relevant genetic analyses and discuss their implications for the origin of C. e. corsicanus. Different genetic studies hypothesize that the most probable ancestral populations for Sardianian red deer were alternatively, the Near East, North Africa, or mainland Italy. These respective scenarios are evaluated and it is concluded that geneticists have not yet been unable to definitively solve the problem. However, a natural colonization of the Tyrrhenian islands from mainland Italy via the Tuscan archipelago is not only in accordance with palaeontological findings but also with at least some of the genetic data.     

Assessing change in diet and biological affinity between the 4th and 3rd millennia cal BCE in the Portuguese Estremadura: A preliminary dental comparison of Feteira II and Bolores

Although the social and political changes accompanying the transition from the Neolithic through Copper Age, between the 4th and 3rd millennia cal BCE, in southwestern Iberia are reasonably well understood, much less is known about whether population movements and dietary changes accompanied these transformations. To address this question, human dental remains from the Middle through Late Neolithic site of Feteira II (3600–2900 cal BCE) and the Late Neolithic site of Bolores (2800–2600 cal BCE) in the Portuguese Estremadura were used to examine diet (microwear) and affinity (dental non-metrics). Microwear features were not found to be significantly different between Feteira II and Bolores, suggesting that the emergence of social complexity during this period did not result in large-scale changes in subsistence practices during the period of use at these sites. Using the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System and supporting statistics, no significant difference between the samples from Feteira II and Bolores was observed, suggesting that no population replacement occurred between the Middle Neolithic and Late Neolithic/Copper Age. However, at Bolores there is some indication that there may have been demographic exchanges between southern Iberian and North African populations during the Late Neolithic/Copper Age.     

Tracing the origin and spread of agriculture in Europe

The origins of early farming and its spread to Europe have been the subject of major interest for some time. The main controversy today is over the nature of the Neolithic transition in Europe: the extent to which the spread was, for the most part, indigenous and animated by imitation (cultural diffusion) or else was driven by an influx of dispersing populations (demic diffusion). We analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics of the transition using radiocarbon dates from 735 early Neolithic sites in Europe, the Near East, and Anatolia. We compute great-circle and shortest-path distances from each site to 35 possible agricultural centers of origin—ten are based on early sites in the Middle East and 25 are hypothetical locations set at 5° latitude/longitude intervals. We perform a linear fit of distance versus age (and vice versa) for each center. For certain centers, high correlation coefficients (R > 0.8) are obtained. This implies that a steady rate or speed is a good overall approximation for this historical development. The average rate of the Neolithic spread over Europe is 0.6–1.3 km/y (95% confidence interval). This is consistent with the prediction of demic diffusion (0.6–1.1 km/y). An interpolative map of correlation coefficients, obtained by using shortest-path distances, shows that the origins of agriculture were most likely to have occurred in the northern Levantine/Mesopotamian area.     

Plant remains from Sardinia,Italy with notes on barley and grape

This paper presents archaeobotanical results from Sardinia, an island in the western Mediterranean. The starting point is the material excavated at Duos Nuraghes near Borore, but remains provided by other sites are taken into account as well. Naked wheat, presumably a tetraploid wheat such as Triticum durum Desf. (macaroni wheat), and Hordeum vulgare L. (barley) are the most common finds from the Neolithic up to the Medieval period. Triticum dicoccum Schübl. (emmer), Lens culinaris Medik. (lentil), Pisum sativum L. (pea) and Vicia faba L. var. minor (horse bean) have been grown as well. A medieval context revealed Beta vulgaris L. (beet). The most common find in the category of fruits is Vitis vinifera L. (grape). The overall picture is one of continuity in agricultural practices. Nevertheless this picture may be false. In the early Bronze Age the cultivation of barley may have shifted from the naked variety towards the hulled variety. The Phoenicians may have introduced new cultivars of grapevine, although the native grapevine was not replaced by these. The weed taxa suggest some change in agriculture from Punic or Roman times onwards. Received August 10, 2001 / Accepted January 15, 2002