Eugenio Bortolini | Università di Bologna (original) (raw)

Papers by Eugenio Bortolini

PLOS ONE

In this study we explore the potential of combining traditional zooarchaeological determination a... more In this study we explore the potential of combining traditional zooarchaeological determination and proteomic identification of morphologically non-diagnostic bone fragments (ZooMS) collected from the Uluzzian levels of three Italian sites: Uluzzo C Rock Shelter, Roccia San Sebastiano cave, and Riparo del Broion. Moreover, we obtained glutamine deamidation ratios for all the contexts analysed during routine ZooMS screening of faunal samples, giving information on collagen preservation. We designed a selection protocol that maximizes the efficiency of the proteomics analyses by excluding particularly compromised fragments (e.g. from taphonomic processes), and that aims to identify new human fragments by favouring bones showing morphological traits more similar to Homo. ZooMS consistently provided taxonomic information in agreement with the faunal spectra outlined by traditional zooarchaeology. Our approach allows us to delineate and appreciate differences between the analysed context...

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

Scientific Reports

Size and shape variation of molar crowns in primates plays an important role in understanding how... more Size and shape variation of molar crowns in primates plays an important role in understanding how species adapted to their environment. Gorillas are commonly considered to be folivorous primates because they possess sharp cusped molars which are adapted to process fibrous leafy foods. However, the proportion of fruit in their diet can vary significantly depending on their habitats. While tooth morphology can tell us what a tooth is capable of processing, tooth wear can help us to understand how teeth have been used during mastication. The objective of this study is to explore if differences in diet at the subspecies level can be detected by the analysis of molar macrowear. We analysed a large sample of second lower molars of Grauer’s, mountain and western lowland gorilla by combining the Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis method with other dental measurements. We found that Grauer’s and western lowland gorillas are characterised by a macrowear pattern indicating a larger intake of fruit ...

$Research paper thumbnail of Processi Evolutivi nell\u2019Arabia Orientale del III Millennio a.C. Un approccio quantitativo per l\u2019analisi dei patterns di trasmissione culturale$

From the end of 4th millennium BC, eastern Arabia knew a period of increasing social complexity a... more From the end of 4th millennium BC, eastern Arabia knew a period of increasing social complexity and growing trade networks, accompanied by highly-specia- lised adaptive strategies developed to cope with environmental instability. Oases and coastal plateaus were surrounded and signalled by hundreds of monumental burials. These massive funerary structures towered over mountain ridges and settlements among date palms. Their spatial distribution and their structure un- derwent a gradual variation during the whole 3rd millennium BC: investigating these processes through time offers a unique and privileged perspective on the coeval changes affecting population structure and local economies. This work represents the first step to analysing Arabian prehistoric environments, material cultu- re and monumental architecture from the perspective of cultural evolutionary theory. A new systematic de- scription of ceramic materials and funerary structures is presented and used to explore the broad ...

Wadi Halfayin is an alluvial corridor located to the south of Jebel Akhdar with its northern boun... more Wadi Halfayin is an alluvial corridor located to the south of Jebel Akhdar with its northern boundary to the south of the town of Izki and its southern boundary to the north-east of the oasis of Adam. The region comprises several contemporary villages such as Zukayt, Habl Al-Hadeed, Sooq Qadeem, Shafa and Al-Akal. The region yielded evidence of 682 monumental funerary structures \u2013 ranging from the end of the 4 th millennium to the first half of the first millennium BC (ca. 3100-600 BC) \u2013 and some diagnostic findings. In terms of later prehistoric cultural phases the valley comprises Hafit (ca. 3100-2700 BC), Umm an-Nar (ca. 2700- 2000 BC), Wadi Suq (ca. 2000-1300 BC), and Iron Age (ca. 1300-600 BC) structures

XXIII Congresso dell'Associazione Antropologica Italiana, 2019

During the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition (50,000 and 40,000 years ago), interaction bet... more During the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition (50,000 and 40,000 years ago), interaction between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens varied across Europe. In southern Italy, the association between Homo sapiens fossils and non-Mousterian material culture, as well as the mode and tempo of Neanderthal demise, are still vividly debated. This work presents two lower deciduous molars uncovered at Roccia San Sebastiano (Mondragone-Caserta, Italy), stratigraphically associated with Mousterian (RSS1) and Uluzzian (RSS2) artefacts. Using virtual morphometric methods and supervised learning algorithms we show that RSS1, whose Mousterian context appears more recent than 44,800-44,230 cal BP, can be attributed to a Neanderthal, while RSS2, found in an Uluzzian context that we dated to 42,640-42,380 cal BP, is attributed to Homo sapiens. This site therefore yields the most recent direct evidence for a Neanderthal presence in southern Italy and confirms a later shift to Early Upper Palaeolithic te...

The attached files allow users to fully replicate the analyses contained in the paper by Bortolin... more The attached files allow users to fully replicate the analyses contained in the paper by Bortolini et al. 2017, Inferring patterns of folktale diffusion using genomic data, PNAS, investigating the mechanisms of folktale diffusion across Eurasia. When using, modifying or sharing any of these codes and datasets for any purpose please always fully quote the paper published in PNAS by Bortolini et al (2017) The file TellTaleGenome_src.R contains all source codes to be used jointly with the file TellTaleGenome_log.R, a log which comprises all the commands executed to perform all the analyses contained in the above mentioned paper, from data import to the generation of all figures. Please refer to TellTaleGenome_src.R for a commented description of each function and to generate individual source codes to be implemented in R. Please note: the log file contains commands referred to the use of SpaceMix (Bradburd GS, Ralph PL, Coop GM, 2013. Disentangling the e...

Citation for published item: Bortolini, Eugenio and Pagani, Luca and Crema, Enrico R. and Sarno, ... more Citation for published item: Bortolini, Eugenio and Pagani, Luca and Crema, Enrico R. and Sarno, Stefania and Barbieri, Chiara and Boattini, Alessio and Sazzini, Marco and da Silva, Sara Gra ca and Martini, Gessica and Metspalu, Mait and Pettener, Davide and Luiselli, Donata and Tehrani, Jamshid J. (2017) 'Inferring patterns of folktale di usion using genomic data.', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America., 114 (34). pp. 9140-9145.

Although the attempt of sociobiology to provide a unied account of human biological and cultural... more Although the attempt of sociobiology to provide a unied account of human biological and cultural evolution foundered on the sheer plasticity of human behaviour, subsequent attempts to rescue the relevance of evolutionary biology for the study of cultural phenomena have proved fruitful. A—perhaps the—major driver of this success has been the development of dual inheritance models (Boyd and Richerson 1985) that explicitly acknowledge the operation of both genetic and nongenetic inheritance in human sociocultural evolution. The development of such models has come about through, on the one hand, a willingness to apply Darwinian “population thinking” to social and cultural phenomena and, on the other, the recognition that biological genetic evolution is but one specic example of a more general ‘algorithm’ applicable to several domain beyond biology (Hull, 1982; Dennett, 1995).

Scientific Reports

We present the results of a multi-disciplinary investigation on a deciduous human tooth (Pradis 1... more We present the results of a multi-disciplinary investigation on a deciduous human tooth (Pradis 1), recently recovered from the Epigravettian layers of the Grotte di Pradis archaeological site (Northeastern Italian Prealps). Pradis 1 is an exfoliated deciduous molar (Rdm2), lost during life by an 11–12-year-old child. A direct radiocarbon date provided an age of 13,088–12,897 cal BP (95% probability, IntCal20). Amelogenin peptides extracted from tooth enamel and analysed through LC–MS/MS indicate that Pradis 1 likely belonged to a male. Time-resolved 87Sr/86Sr analyses by laser ablation mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS), combined with dental histology, were able to resolve his movements during the first year of life (i.e. the enamel mineralization interval). Specifically, the Sr isotope ratio of the tooth enamel differs from the local baseline value, suggesting that the child likely spent his first year of life far from Grotte di Pradis. Sr isotopes are also suggestive of a cyclical/s...

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

The Early Bronze Age of the Oman Peninsula: from chronology to the dialectics of tribe and state ... more The Early Bronze Age of the Oman Peninsula: from chronology to the dialectics of tribe and state formation2 is one of the most exhaustive papers ever written about cultural and social evolution in the Oman Penin- sula. Its thorough analysis significantly hinted at an evolutionary body of theory to explain such complex dynamics, by shifting from crystallised phases and types to more specific processes of variation. The present review aims at emphasizing the theoretical and methodological relevance of a critical chapter of Arabian archaeology. After a brief description of 3rd millennium BC funerary practices of eastern Arabia, a critical evaluation of Serge Cleuziou\u2019s work will introduce the debate about \u2018dichotomy\u2019 and \u2018conti- nuity\u2019 in the archaeological pattern of Oman and the United Arab Emirates. An overview of the relevant literature and recent field researches documenting evidence of gradual change in the empirical record will be followed by a paragraph...

Supplementary Materials for "Backed pieces and their variability in the L... more Supplementary Materials for "Backed pieces and their variability in the Later Stone Age of the Horn of Africa", in press in African Archaeological Review and available to subscribers to the journal via the following doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10437-020-09401-x Authors: Alice Leplongeon; Clément Ménard; Vincent Bonhomme; Eugenio Bortolini

Evidence of human activities during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition is well represent... more Evidence of human activities during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition is well represented from rock-shelters, caves and open-air sites across Italy. Over the past decade, both the revision of taphonomic processes affecting archaeological faunal assemblages and new zooarchaeological studies have allowed archaeologists to better understand subsistence strategies and cultural behaviors attributed to groups of Neandertal and modern humans living in the region. This work presents the preliminary results of a 5-year research programme (ERC n. 724046 – SUCCESS) and offers a state-of-the-art synthesis of archaeological faunal assemblages including mammals and birds uncovered in Italy between 50 and 35 ky ago. The present data were recovered in primary Late Mousterian, Uluzzian, and Protoaurignacian stratigraphic contexts from Northern Italy (Grotta di Fumane, Riparo del Broion, Grotta Maggiore di San Bernardino, Grotta del Rio Secco, Riparo Bombrini), and Southern Italy (Grotta di...

Figure 2. Ternary diagrams. Relation between Villabruna, Tagliente, Mondeval and (a) Modern human... more Figure 2. Ternary diagrams. Relation between Villabruna, Tagliente, Mondeval and (a) Modern human groups composed by Vancouver Island (gray), Inuit (green) and Khoen-San (yellow) and (b) Fossils comparison sample composed by Homo neanderthalensis (blue), Early Homo sapiens (Orange) and Natufians (red). In this work, we investigated different aspects of the cultural and dietary adaptations of three hunter-gatherer male individuals who were buried between Late Pleistocene and the Early Holocene in three sites of northeastern Italy of Riparo Tagliente (Verona), Riparo Villabruna (Belluno) and Mondeval de Sora (Belluno).

$Research paper thumbnail of Dal Kinship al Kinship: Le tombe collettive nell\\u2019Oman del terzo millennio a.C. e la costruzione della civilt\\ue0 di Magan$

From the end of 4th millennium BC Eastern Arabia knew a rapid accretion of social com- plexity co... more From the end of 4th millennium BC Eastern Arabia knew a rapid accretion of social com- plexity connected to the expansion of trade networks, at the outcome of Middle Holocene adaptive strategies. However, contrary to other areas across South West Asia, neither state nor urban centres developed in the region. Water management systems were built and the re- sulting oases and coastal plateaus were closely overlooked by hundreds of monumental col- lective burials. A novel approach is proposed to explain the socio-cultural evolution underlying the formation of Magan by means of an architecture of tribal alliances testified by complex funerary practices

PLOS ONE

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

Scientific Reports

$Research paper thumbnail of Processi Evolutivi nell\u2019Arabia Orientale del III Millennio a.C. Un approccio quantitativo per l\u2019analisi dei patterns di trasmissione culturale$

XXIII Congresso dell'Associazione Antropologica Italiana, 2019

Scientific Reports

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

$Research paper thumbnail of Dal Kinship al Kinship: Le tombe collettive nell\\u2019Oman del terzo millennio a.C. e la costruzione della civilt\\ue0 di Magan$

"Abstract: In the Oman Peninsula, funerary monuments represent one of the most important archaeo... more "Abstract:
In the Oman Peninsula, funerary monuments represent one of the most important archaeological evidence to analyze the evolution of societies from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. From the 5th to the end of 3rd millennium BCE the most critical socials and demographic changes seem to be mirrored by their coeval funerary customs.
A certain level of continuity is apparent in the funerary practices documented on coastal settlements dated to the 5th and 4th millennia BCE in Oman. In this time-span of almost 2000 years, small groups of fisher-herders generally buried their dead in a pit dug not far from the living space, in a crouched position on one side, with a variety of goods (both ornaments and functional items). Faunal remains were often deposited in the graves, and then covered by stones. At RH-5, the probable symbolic role played by the marine turtle in funerary rituals has been enhanced. There is conspicuous evidence of corpse and bone manipulation, attested by secondary depositions, testifying of a strong link between the livings and their deceased.

By the end of 4th millennium eastern Arabia knew a period of increasing social complexity and growing trade networks, accompanied by highly-specialized adaptive strategies developed to cope with environmental instability. Copper exploitation and close relationships with Mesopotamia, Iran and the Indus testify to flourishing commerce. However, ancient eastern Arabia (corresponding to modern Oman and United Arab Emirates) developed neither state nor urban centres: their impressive economic and demographic growth was led by complex, dynamic tribal relations. Both underground and surface water management systems were built to cope with unpredictably varying environmental pressures, creating the premise for the so-called “oasis revolution”(Cleuziou, 1982, 1996). Bronze Age oases and coastal plateaus were surrounded and signaled by hundreds of monumental collective burials. These have been studied and analyzed over the last thirty years according to the traditional chronological typology (Frifelt, 1975a) comprising Hafit-type tombs (3100-2700 BCE) and Umm an-Nar-type tombs (2700-2000 BCE).
The former are truncated-cone shaped towers, formed by 2-3 concentric ringwalls built around a central chamber. Walls were erected using dry local stone-bricks. The entrance consisted of a trapezoidal or groin-shaped breach, sometimes surmounted by a horizontal architrave. Hafit-type tombs could reach 8 meters in height and have an average diameter of 3-4 metres (Frifelt, 1975b; Yule and Weisgerber, 2002; Cleuziou and Tosi, 2007). These cairns contained 1 to 30 individuals, successively deposited, generally on one side in crouched position. Several graves present hundreds of ornamental beads (shell, faience, steatite, radiolarite, rock crystal, carnelian and limestone) produced in standardised forms (Salvatori, 2001). Hafit tombs contained only imported pottery, namely one or two Jemdet Nasr/Early Dynastic I vessels (3100-2800 BCE) from southern Mesopotamia. These monuments, always located on visible points separated from settlements, probably had a function of territorial and resources markers.
Umm an-Nar burials present larger diameter (about 8 to 14m), and lower height, greater structural articulation and different access strategies (Blau 2001). Inner walls were built assembling local stone-slabs, while outer ringwalls were made using perfectly squared and polished limestone blocks, sometimes bearing carved decorations. These tombs contained dozens or - in some cases - even hundreds of individuals, deposited successively during the grave use, in crouched position, on their side, regardless of age and sex. Personal ornaments are abundant (shell, steatite, heated steatite, radiolarite, faience and carnelian beads; pearls, rock crystals, silver, gold and copper implements). Pottery is abundant (sandy, fine, black-on-red locally made pottery and imported vessels from Mesopotamia, Iran and the Indus) and soft stone vessels are also present although less numerous.

Archaeological investigations of these monuments started in the late 1960s and are still going on at present with the contribution of young researchers. These tombs - whose uniqueness remains unaltered in centuries of intense exchange and human interaction - are now offering insights on critical questions such as social complexity, cultural transmission, demographic pressure, local and regional contacts, as well as funerary practices, structural change and the complexity of emergent, kin-based social relations. In this context, the effort of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture in documenting and supporting the investigation of such funerary landscape is fundamental for securing its extraordinary role in present-day Oman, and it is of pivotal importance for the preservation of a unique treasure of World heritage."

"Ra’s al-Hadd et Ra’s al-Jinz sont des villages de pêcheurs, situés sur le cap le plus extrême-or... more "Ra’s al-Hadd et Ra’s al-Jinz sont des villages de pêcheurs, situés sur le cap le plus extrême-oriental de la péninsule arabique, qui ont joué très tôt un rôle dans les échanges internationaux.
Les recherches archéologiques conduites depuis près de 30 ans dans la région, ont permis de répertorier de nombreux sites allant du Ve au IIIe millénaire avant notre ère. On connait plusieurs sites d’habitat, dont l’un des principaux, HD6 est daté de la fin du IVe à la première moitié du IIIe millénaire BC. Ce complexe architectural comprend plusieurs ensembles de maisons en briques crues. Il représente un témoignage majeur de l’interaction entre les oasis de l’Intérieur et la côte océanique, et les relations culturelles et économiques qui prennent place au cours du IIIe millénaire, au sein des routes commerciales de la Mésopotamie et de la Vallée de l’Indus. D’autres occupations, sont plus tardives, comme HD5 et HD99 ou RJ2.
Les prospections et les recherches archéologiques ont également permis de recenser plusieurs nécropoles qui couvrent l’ensemble du IIIe millénaire.
Lorsqu’il s’agit de dater les hommes eux-mêmes, par la méthode du radiocarbone, la prise en compte de la diète des populations de pêcheurs est essentielle, puisqu’elle détermine l’influence de l’effet réservoir marin, et par ce biais, la calibration de la datation.
Les données archéologiques dont nous disposons (pratiques funéraires, typologie du mobilier, typologie des tombes, stratigraphie) permettent de proposer une fourchette chronologique probable dans laquelle peut se ranger l’échantillon osseux daté. En procédant par simulation et en modulant l’apport de nourriture marine, en fonction de cette fourchette attendue, on obtient une information sur la part probable de l’alimentation d’origine marine dans la diète. Les mesures des isotopes du carbone (δ13C) apportent un complément d’information.
Les données archéologiques fournissent ainsi un moyen de développer une stratégie pour connaitre la diète des pêcheurs, et calibrer les dates obtenues."

"In the Oman Peninsula, funerary monuments represent one of the most important archaeological evi... more "In the Oman Peninsula, funerary monuments represent one of the most important archaeological evidence to analyze the evolution of societies from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. From the 5th to the end of 3rd millennium BCE the most critical socials and demographic changes seem to be mirrored by their coeval funerary customs.

A certain level of continuity is apparent in the funerary practices documented on coastal settlements dated to the 5th and 4th millennia BCE in Oman. In this time-span of almost 2000 years, small groups of fisher-herders generally buried their dead in a pit dug not far from the living space, in a crouched position on one side, with a variety of goods (both ornaments and functional items). Faunal remains were often deposited in the graves, and then covered by stones. At RH-5, the probable symbolic role played by the marine turtle in funerary rituals has been enhanced. There is conspicuous evidence of corpse and bone manipulation, attested by secondary depositions, testifying of a strong link between the livings and their deceased.

The former are truncated-cone shaped towers, formed by 2-3 concentric ringwalls built around a central chamber. Walls were erected using dry local stone-bricks. The entrance consisted of a trapezoidal or groin-shaped breach, sometimes surmounted by a horizontal architrave. Hafit-type tombs could reach 8 meters in height and have an average diameter of 3-4 metres. These cairns contained 1 to 30 individuals, successively deposited, generally on one side in crouched position. Several graves present hundreds of ornamental beads (shell, faience, steatite, radiolarite, rock crystal, carnelian and limestone) produced in standardised forms.
Hafit tombs contained only imported pottery, namely one or two Jemdet Nasr/Early Dynastic I vessels (3100-2800 BCE) from southern Mesopotamia. These monuments, always located on visible points separated from settlements, probably had a function of territorial and resources markers.

Umm an-Nar burials present larger diameter (about 8 to 14m), and lower height, greater structural articulation and different access strategies. Inner repartitions were built assembling local stone-slabs, while outer ring walls were made using perfectly squared and polished limestone blocks, sometimes bearing carved decorations. These tombs contained dozens or - in some cases - even hundreds of individuals, deposited successively during the grave use, in crouched position, on their side, regardless of age and sex. Personal ornaments are abundant (shell, steatite, heated steatite, radiolarite, faience and carnelian beads; pearls, rock crystals, silver, gold and copper implements). Pottery is abundant (sandy, fine, black-on-red locally made pottery and imported vessels from Mesopotamia, Iran and the Indus) and soft stone vessels are also present although less numerous.

Lithic projectile points are popular objects of analysis as they reflect both aspects of social i... more Lithic projectile points are popular objects of analysis as they reflect both aspects of social identity as well as adaptation as weapon system and hunting strategies. Their abundance in the Neolithic assemblages of the Arabian Peninsula, together with the paucity of stratified datable sites, always conferred to these lithic implements an important diagnostic value. Given the limited comparability and flexibility of traditional arrowhead typology all the projectile points will be analysed with a new systematic description and the adoption of quantitative analytical methods. A new univocal, systematic description of projectile points is proposed based on the observation of technological and morphological change through time and space. This approach also makes it possible to establish whether similarities between individual arrowheads, or groups of arrowheads, can be explained by the rise of different lineages as opposed to historical continuity and functional convergence.