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Skeletal remains of two equid species, Equus caballus (horse) and Equus asinus (donkey), have been found in archaeological contexts throughout Iberia since the Palaeolithic and Chalcolithic periods, respectively. These two species play different economic and cultural roles, and therefore it is important to be able to distinguish between the two species to better understand their relative importance in the past human societies. The most reliable morphological features for distinguishing between the two domesticated equids are based on cranial measure-ments and tooth enamel folds, leading to only a small percentage of archaeological remains that can be identified to species. Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis can be used to reliably distinguish the two equids, but it can be cost prohibitive to apply to large assemblages, and aDNA preservation of non-cranial elements is often low. Collagen peptide mass fingerprinting by matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, also known as zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS), is a minimally destructive and cost-effective alternative to aDNA analysis for taxonomic determination. However, current ZooMS markers lack resolution below the genus level Equus. In this paper, we report a novel ZooMS peptide marker that reliably distinguishes between horses and donkeys using the enzyme chymotrypsin. We apply this peptide marker to taxonomically identify bones from the Iberian Peninsula ranging from the Iron Age to the Late Modern Period. The peptide biomarker has the potential to facilitate the collection of morphological data for zooarchaeological studies of equids in Iberia and throughout Eurasia and Africa. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Strontium isotopes (Sr-87/Sr-86) provide valuable information to help reconstruct past mobility. For the analysis of archaeological tooth enamel to provide a direct assessment of mobility, a comparison to the baseline Sr-87/Sr-86 in a region is required. In this study, a large-scale Sr-87/Sr-86 baseline of Portugal is created based on 151 paired plant and soil leachate samples combined with previously published data (20 additional plant and 33 additional soil leachate sites). Spatial patterns of Sr-87/Sr-86 are evident, following Portugal's geology and terrain, with higher Sr-87/Sr-86 in the granite dominated north and further inland. Influences from sea spray are observed along the coastal regions of the country. The bioavailable strontium range for Portugal is 0.70575-0.73487, and paired plant-soil leachate site measurements show a strong positive relationship. Empirical Bayesian Kriging (EBK) alongside mean Sr-87/Sr-86 per geological unit are used to provide predictive surfaces for bioavailable Sr-87/Sr-86. We find that the addition of archaeological site-specific measurements is required in archaeological mobility studies to ensure local-scale Sr-87/Sr-86 variation is captured, illustrated in this study using the Late Middle Neolithic to Early Bronze Age site of Perdigoes. The bioavailable strontium isoscape for Portugal provides a baseline map for future archaeological and palaeoecological studies in this region and contributes to the global efforts to map strontium isotope variability. ARC Discovery Project DP160100811 Grant agreement number 948913 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Abstract Hacksilber facilitated trade and transactions from the beginning of the second millennium BCE until the late fourth century BCE in the southern Levant. Here we demonstrate the use of new, data-driven statistical approaches to interpret high-precision Pb isotope analysis of silver found in archaeological contexts for provenance determination. We sampled 45 pieces of Hacksilber from five hoards (Megiddo Area H, Eshtemoa, Tel Dor, ʿEn Gedi, and Tel Miqne-Ekron) and combined our data with recent literature data for the same hoards plus five more (Beth Shean, Ashkelon, Tell Keisan, Tel ʿAkko, and ʿEn Ḥofez) thus covering silver from the Late Bronze Age III (c.1200 BCE) to the end of the Iron Age IIC (586 BCE). Samples were taken by applying a new minimally destructive sampling technique. Lead was extracted using anion-exchange chromatography, and Pb isotopic compositions were measured by MC-ICP-MS. Data were treated using a new clustering method to identify statistically distinct groups of data, and a convex hull was applied to identify and constrain ore sources consistent with the isotopic signature of each group. Samples were grouped by minimizing variance within isotopic clusters and maximizing variance between isotopic clusters. We found that exchanges between the Levant and the Aegean world continued at least intermittently from the Late Bronze Age through to the Iron Age III, demonstrated by the prevalence of Lavrion (Attica), Macedonia, Thrace (northern Greece), southern Gaul (southern France), and Sardinia as long-lived major silver sources. Occasional exchanges with other west Mediterranean localities found in the isotopic record demonstrate that even though the Aegean world dominated silver supply during the Iron Age, exchanges between the eastern and the western Mediterranean did not altogether cease. The mixture of silver sources within hoards and relatively low purity of silver intentionally mixed with copper and arsenic suggest long-term hoarding and irregular, limited supply during the Iron Age I.

Abstract The insufficient attention traditionally paid to the complex mortuary biographies of megalithic graves has long obscured a significant amount of synchronic and diachronic information. The Rioja Alavesa region of north-central Iberia holds a number of megalithic graves with large skeletal assemblages that can generally be ordered by internal stratigraphy and/or relatively fine-grained radiocarbon chronologies, providing a rare opportunity to assess the potential of such information. Here, we undertake stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of 125 human and seven animal bone collagen samples from six late prehistoric megalithic graves (La Cascaja, El Sotillo, San Martin, Alto de la Huesera, Chabola de la Hechicera and Longar) which, together with 107 previously published Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic (ca. 3600-2900 BC) bone collagen samples (100 humans and six animals) from the same tombs, are used to explore subsistence trends over time. This approach provides a means to address the socio-economic response of northern Iberian megalithic communities to the cultural and climatic changes occurring in late prehistory. Isotopic data are contextualized using palaeoenvironmental and osteoarchaeological information. The results show a significant shift in diet between the late Middle Neolithic and the Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic that coincides with marked changes in burial practices that are likely related to the transition from mainly pastoral to mixed farming economies. There may also be a change in subsistence between the Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic and the following periods, suggested by differences in δ15N values between the layers of the Alto de la Huesera megalithic grave, as well as in population and funerary dynamics. By contrast, an apparent continuity in subsistence is seen, at least isotopically, from the Middle Chalcolithic to the Bronze Age, despite clear changes in beliefs and socio-economic practices. These findings support the existence of substantial asynchronous changes in lifeways and ideology among Iberian megalithic groups and challenge the traditional idea of a long and uniform stability in late prehistoric northern Iberia.

The funerary Bronze Age culture in the Belgian part of the Meuse valley is poorly understood due to the challenging nature of cremation deposits that dominate the archaeological record. Only a few sites were analysed in that region, limiting the possibilities to reconstruct the development of Bronze Age populations in Belgium. Due to its good preservation and detailed excavation reports, the site of Herstal (Belgium) offers a unique opportunity to finally gain new insights into the life and death of those buried in the Meuse Valley during the Late Bronze Age. A total of 21 graves were analysed using a multi-proxy approach, combining grave typology, osteoarchaeology, strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr), and radiocarbon dating. The 87Sr/86Sr results show that the individuals of Herstal most likely used a variety of local food supplies while having interactions with other populations in and beyond the Meuse Valley, as demonstrated by the bronze artefacts and ceramics displaying clear influences from Germany, Southern Netherlands, and North-West France. The cemetery most likely shows a local burial style with the presence of two (or even three) individuals in several cremation deposits containing a number of privileged individuals who had access to bronze trading networks. info:eu-repo/semantics/published SCOPUS: ar.j

International audience; The transdimensional Bayesian method AH-RJMCMC applied to archeomagnetic intensity data available in the Balkans and the Near East allows us to estimate the variations in intensity of the geomagnetic field in Upper Mesopotamia during the 7 th and 6 th millennia BCE (Late Neolithic), with adequate treatment of the dating and intensity uncertainties. The results for the 6 th millennium BCE appear particularly interesting because there is enough data to trace rapid geomagnetic field intensity variations, with two century-scale peaks around 5800 BCE and 5550 BCE, associated with rates of changes (>0.2 µT/year) higher than the maximum rate observed in the current geomagnetic field. We show that these variations could help decipher the correlations between different archeological sequences or periodizations established from scattered sites in Upper Mesopotamia. So far documented only from the Balkan data, the intensity peak occurring around 5800 BCE may provide accurate chronological constraints for the Early Halaf phase. New insights are also obtained for the Halaf-Ubaid Transitional phase (end of the 6 th millennium BCE), which remains poorly defined from an archeological point of view. The AH-RJMCMC results imply that either the archeointensity data currently available from Upper Mesopotamia document only the beginning of this phase, or that this phase occurred between ~5400 and ~5200 BCE, shorter 2 than often considered. Such preliminary archeological inferences will progress and broaden with the addition of new archeointensity data.

Abstract Spatial representation based on the distribution of artefact, especially pottery, is widely used in archaeology. The questions raised are often related for the construction of economic or cultural areas, based on fabrics, style or types of vessels. The middle Loire Valley with the study of an important corpus of medieval pottery constitutes an essential framework for understanding this mechanisms over long time. The corpus of data collected and studied for over twenty years includes archaeological sites with reliable chrono-stratigraphic sets whose pottery assemblages are sufficiently large to respond to the problem posed. The permanent increase of the corpus of data, especially since the last publication on this subject in 2013 for which the approach was purely empirical, requires the development of statistical tools adapted here to the spatial clustering analysis of the data. This article deals with a divisive hierarchical clustering method with geographical constraints: MapClust. It is based on spatial indicators called spatial patches. This statistical tool allows the archaeologist to visualize and analyse geographical patterns easily. The comparison of the present results with those of 2013 is a way to see the relevance of the method.