Paul Goldberg | University of Wollongong (original) (raw)

Books by Paul Goldberg

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The island of Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) contains numerous megalithic structures (e.g., wa... more The island of Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) contains numerous megalithic structures (e.g., watchtowers, sanctuaries) and private buildings (e.g., domestic spaces, storage areas). Until recently, archaeological research has concentrated on architecture (and associated material remains), but research on the raw materials (source, method of quarrying and their social implications) in constructing these monuments has been very sparse. This paper summarizes some initial results of our recent excavations at Torre d'en Galmés, which show that the quarrying of limestone was widespread: within buildings, in open spaces between buildings, and beyond the limits of the main occupation of the site. Inhabitants exploited joints and bedding planes in the Miocene limestone that covers the southern half of the island, ignoring softer marls, which have been quarried for construction only since the Roman conquest. The sizes and shapes of the quarried blocks can be used to reflect on social aspects, since quarrying of small blocks within buildings could have been whereas the extraction, transport, and construction of large standing uprights from outside the limits of the site would have required a greater communal effort. RESUMEN La cultura talayótica se desarrolló en la isla de Menorca en el primer milenio a.C. En ese momento, el paisa-je se transformó con la construcción de enormes estructuras megalíticas tanto públicas como privadas: tala-yots, taulas, salas hipóstilas, espacios domésticos, etc. (Figs. 1 y 2). Estas monumentales edificaciones han sido estudiadas en los últimos años por diferentes equipos de investigación. Sin embargo, aunque todas ellas están construidas con el mismo tipo de piedra caliza, se ha prestado todavía poca atención al aprovisiona-miento y obtención de materias primas, a la localización de canteras y al estudio de los espacios entre estruc-turas. En este artículo se presentan los resultados preliminares de nuestra excavación en el yacimiento de Torre d'en Galmés, Menorca, que ponen de manifiesto la relación entre espacios intraurbanos y aprovisio-namiento de materias primas para la construcción de edificios talayóticos. Palabras clave: caliza, cantera, Edad del Hierro, extracción de piedra, Menorca, Talayótico. VERSIÓN ABREVIADA EN CASTELLANO El yacimiento talayótico de Torre d'en Galmés La cultura talayótica debe su nombre a la palabra " talayot, " proveniente del árabe " atalaya " (Figs. 2 y 3). Estas construcciones y la aparición de grandes asentamientos urbanos marcan el comienzo de la Edad de Hierro en Menorca. Los nuevos núcleos urbanos siguieron un mismo patrón constructivo, con edificios públicos como recintos de taula o talayots y complejos domésticos, áreas de almacenamiento, cisternas, etc. (Pérez

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Formation Processes in Context

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Papers by Paul Goldberg

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The site of Yuchanyan cave (Hunan Province, China) contains evidence for some of the earliest-kno... more The site of Yuchanyan cave (Hunan Province, China) contains evidence for some of the earliest-known (ca. 18,000 cal BP) pottery in the world alongside a typical South China Upper Paleolithic cobble tool (chopper) industry. Here we present the results of a micromorphological study of the deposits with particular attention to site formation processes and recognizable human activities. Our study reveals that the majority of the sediments are anthropogenic and produced by repeated combustion episodes involving the complete expenditure of the fuel and then the refuse being raked out and redistributed across the cave. In relation to the pottery production, clay was also used to line fireplaces. Our results, combined with our Fourier-transform infrared analysis of the clays and bones, and supported by the zooarchaeological data, suggest that fire and pottery were used here to boil bones and render grease. This behavior must be considered in respect to its associated chopper industry, and the presence of early pottery may be related, suggesting differences in behavioral modernity for hunter-gatherers in Upper Paleolithic South China. This study demonstrates the advantages of analyzing sediments as a record of past human actions and the value of using micromorphology for the study of Late Pleistocene sites in China.

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Geoarchaeology, 2019

To understand abandonment processes and secondary uses of public buildings is a key-challenge to ... more To understand abandonment processes and secondary uses of public buildings is a key-challenge to recognize the scope of the urban transformations in Roman cities during Late Antiquity. In this sense, administrative and religious public spaces such as the fora underwent a great variety of transformations resulting in the genesis of a complex stratigraphy of anthropogenic and natural deposits. Baelo Claudia is a well-known Roman city located in the Atlantic coast of southern Spain. Recent excavations in the forum have provided new data that elucidate Late Roman urban transformations. In this study, we use archaeological soil micromorphology, physico-chemical analyses and geochemistry to investigate site formation processes and to document nontraditional forms of occupation not visible in the macroscopic archaeological record. This methodology allowed for the distinction of several anthropogenic activities such as glass recycling, reflooring practices, plundering of ornamental marbles, middening of organic and penning residues, together with the progressive decay of earth-based constructions. The complex superposition of site formation processes seen at Baelo Claudia underlines the role of micromorphology in the identification of behavioral signatures and its relevance in deciphering urban transformation in Late Antiquity.

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Eiszeitalter und Gegenwart, 2003

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Palethnologie, 2010

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Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2018

Geoarchaeology, as a significant discipline within archaeology and the geosciences, operates at m... more Geoarchaeology, as a significant discipline within archaeology and the geosciences, operates at many different scales and encompasses several analytical methods and techniques, including what we highlight here: (archaeological) soil micromorphology. Communication practices of micromorphological researchers have not evolved significantly or, at least, at the same rate as archaeology as a whole, which has recently experienced an explosion of technological applications related to documentation. This paper aims to explore and illustrate a new methodological proposal for thin section digitalization and for the presentation of micromorphological data in scientific articles. We started from a premise: micromorphology should be a discipline based on images, since they provide the essential data of micromorphological observation and inference. The proposal combines existing tools and techniques, as well as those from other disciplines, to increase the standard quality of images used in scientific publications and produce dynamic and contextualized illustrations of research results in mi-cromorphology. The final goal of the workflow is to provide keys and tools that allow researchers, as producers of information, to present their data in a more effective, contextualized and informative way as article enrichments or linked illustrations in their papers. To illustrate the procedure, we use two samples from different archaeological contexts: the Palaeolithic site of Roc de Marsal (France) and the Roman city of Baelo Claudia (Spain). The benefits of this proposal are multiple: a) access and objectivity to raw research data, b) improvement in the interaction among micromorphologists, c) spreading of the informative potential of micromorphology to the research community, and, finally, d) making the reader an active participant in the information. Although there are different eligible ways of image scanning and data sharing, the combination of gigapixel thin sections and article enrichments define a step forward in communicating research results and sharing raw data, an opportunity that should be fostered and not be missed.

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The earliest pottery in East Asia, as is found in several cave sites in southern China, emerges i... more The earliest pottery in East Asia, as is found in several cave sites in southern China, emerges in Upper Paleolithic contexts dating from the Last Glacial Maximum, ~20 Ka cal BP. The making of simple pottery vessels in Late Pleistocene East Asia also has been noted in eastern Siberia and Japan but not yet in the Central Plains of China. This paper summarizes the better-reported evidence for early pottery sites across the vast region of China south of the Yangtze River, providing details on two dating projects conducted in the cave sites of Xianrendong (Jiangxi Province) and Yuchanyan (Hunan Province). The excavated contexts in these two caves and a few others clearly indicate that this early pottery was the creation of hunter-gatherers who hunted available game and foraged a variety of plant foods. The nature of the cave occupations is ephemeral, and where the published animal and plant remains allow, we suggest that there were repeated, seasonal occupations. In sum, there is no basis yet to suggest that the making of early pottery in South China marked sedentary or plant-cultivating communities.

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Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2013

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Formation Processes in Context

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Geoarchaeology, 2019

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Eiszeitalter und Gegenwart, 2003

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Palethnologie, 2010

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Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2018

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Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2013

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PYRENAE, 2018

Menorca contains a wealth of archaeological sites dating to the Talayotic period (1st millennium ... more Menorca contains a wealth of archaeological sites dating to the Talayotic period (1st millennium BC) and occupied throughout the late Middle Ages. These sites have been the object of a number of excavations in the past decades. Most excavations have concentrated on revealing the architecture and traditional aspects of the archaeological record. Many facets of site formation and the stratigraphic record, however, are often not visible, go unnoticed, or are largely under the radar. The main goal of this paper is to show how archaeological soil micromorphology can reveal information about human activities and site use within and between structures at Torre d’en Galmés that are virtually unseen in the field. As such, it more than supplements information derived from the ‘traditional’ archaeological record, which can be deficient in revealing what people were actually doing at the site, but should be viewed as part of the archaeological record.

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Current Anthropology, 2017

We can trace the beginnings of our knowledge of early Upper Paleolithic (Aurignacian) use of fire... more We can trace the beginnings of our knowledge of early Upper Paleolithic (Aurignacian) use of fire to the pioneering 1910-1911 excavations at Abri Blanchard undertaken by Louis Didon and Marcel Castanet. At Blanchard, the excavators recognized and described fire structures that correspond in many ways to features excavated more recently in Western and Central Europe. Here, we address the issue of heat and light management in the early Upper Paleolithic, demonstrating a pattern that builds on these early excavations but that is refined through our recent field operations. Topics to be discussed include (1) recently excavated fire structures that suggest complex fire management and use, (2) the seemingly massive use of bone as fuel in most early Aurignacian sites, and (3) the anchoring of skin structures for purposes of heat retention with fireplaces behind animal-skin walls. Furthermore, new data on activities around fireplaces make it possible to infer social and organizational aspects of fire structures within Au-rignacian living spaces. The vast majority of early Aurignacian occupations, most of them now dated to between 33,000 and 32,000 BP (uncalibrated), occurred on a previously unoccupied bedrock platform into which the occupants dug their fire features.

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Environmental Archaeology, 2017

The term Concotto refers to fragments or patches of hard heated clay that derive from living surf... more The term Concotto refers to fragments or patches of hard heated clay that derive from living surfaces, walls, and ovens. Concotto fragments are found throughout the Italian peninsula and date from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. Current studies express contradictory opinions about whether or not the Concottos on living surfaces represent intentionally constructed surfaces or the secondary products of the contact between hot embers and sediments. This study uses micromorphological analysis to investigate the function and composition of Concotto surfaces from several domestic structures at the Early Bronze Age village of Afragola in southern Italy. Afragola is an exceptionally preserved agricultural village that was covered by almost 1 m of volcanic ash during the Vesuvius eruption in 3945 ± 10 cal. BP. The Concottos at Afragola are hard, red surfaces that are typically associated with burned materials. Micromorphological analysis reveals that the Concottos were intentionally made by laying down patches of clay and then heating them to create a hard, flat surface. This study explores the potential uses of the Concotto as cooking surfaces during the Early Bronze Age of southern Italy.

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Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2017

Although microarchaeological techniques are being increasingly applied to European urban contexts... more Although microarchaeological techniques are being increasingly applied to European urban contexts, its integration in classical archaeology projects is far from systematic. In this sense, the archaeological record of Roman cities— because of their vitality, diversity and continuity of occupa-tion—are excellent arenas to develop the direction of these techniques. Here, we show the results of a geoarchaeological study of the chronostratigraphic sequence of the public thermae of the Roman city of Munigua (Sevilla, Spain). Soil micromorphology, along with physico-chemical and geo-chemical analyses, have revealed dynamics of urban change marked by an initial use of space dedicated to metallurgical production and a later course of urban planning, construction of a thermae complex and the life cycle of this public building. The integrity of the archaeological record has allowed for the use of new descriptive criteria for observing metallurgical by-products of lead and iron melting in thin section and for offering new contextual information about production, technology and site formation processes. X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) enabled the characterization of geochemical anthropogenic inputs related to metallurgical processes. Physico-chemical and chemical analysis have provided significant data about diachronic use of the space that has permitted us to assess abandonment and a later reuse of this public building for metal recycling activities during Late Antiquity. This study reaffirms that the combined use of micromorphology, physico-chemical analyses and geochemistry in Classical Archaeology, are powerful tools in order to decipher urban transformation processes, most of them not visible in the macroscopic record. Understanding the scope of these practises is essential in order to assess the trans- formation in morphology and topography of urban sites, espe- cially during Late Antiquity.

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The term Concotto refers to fragments or patches of hard heated clay that derive from living surf... more The term Concotto refers to fragments or patches of hard heated clay that derive from living surfaces, walls, and ovens.
Concotto fragments are found throughout the Italian peninsula
and date from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. Current studies express contradictory opinions about whether or not the Concottos on living surfaces represent intentionally constructed surfaces or the secondary products of the contact between hot embers and sediments. This
study uses micromorphological analysis to investigate the function and composition of Concotto surfaces from several domestic structures at the Early Bronze Age village of Afragola in southern Italy. Afragola is an exceptionally preserved agricultural village that was covered by almost 1 m of volcanic ash during the Vesuvius eruption in 3945 ± 10 cal. BP. The
Concottos at Afragola are hard, red surfaces that are typically associated with burned materials. Micromorphological analysis reveals that the
Concottos were intentionally made by laying down patches of clay and then heating them to create a hard, flat surface. This study explores the potential uses of the Concotto as cooking surfaces during the Early Bronze Age of southern Italy.

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Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 2014

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Analyses of archaeological material recovered from several Middle Paleolithic sites in southwest ... more Analyses of archaeological material recovered from several Middle Paleolithic sites in southwest France have provided strong corroborating data on Neanderthal use of fire. Both direct and indirect data show that Neanderthals in this region were frequently and/or intensively using fire during warmer periods, but such evidence declines significantly in occupations that took place during colder periods. One possible explanation for this pattern is that it reflects the inability of Western European Neanderthals to make fire, simply because natural sources of fire occur much more frequently during warmer climatic periods. Regardless of the explanation, the long periods of diminished evidence of fire shows that, unlike modern humans, these hominins were not obligate fire users, and this fact in itself raises important questions of how they adapted, physiologically and/or technologically, to the generally harsh glacial conditions of the middle latitude of Europe and to reduced energy returns typical of raw food. As a corollary, it also raises questions regarding their need for and use of fire during the warmer periods.

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Geoarchaeological research at Baaz Rockshelter focuses on reconstructing geogenic and anthropogen... more Geoarchaeological research at Baaz Rockshelter focuses on reconstructing geogenic and anthropogenic formation processes at the site and examining post-depositional alterations of the archaeological record. Baaz is set in a rockshelter at the base of a limestone cliff and its archaeological sequence includes seven layers documenting the repeated use of the site during the Upper Paleolithic and Late Natufian, including a Late Natufian house, as well as several phases of Neolithic occupation. Based on lithic, faunal, and botanical analysis, Upper Paleolithic people used the site sporadically and centered their activities on hunting. During the Late Natufian and Neolithic, occupations were also short term, but more intense. Here, we present results of a geoarchaeological investigation of the deposits and the first systematic micromorphological study of a constructed, Late Natufian floor. Throughout the sequence, the main formation process is the weathering of limestone, in addition to minor but regular ae-olian input of silt-sized quartz grains and mica. Post-depositional processes are rare and include minor secondary gypsum formation in all horizons and bioturbation that is most pronounced in the upper two layers. Anthropo-genic processes vary in type and intensity. The Upper Paleolithic deposits contain mostly geogenic components with rare, microscopic anthropogenic components, supporting the argument for sporadic site use during this time. The Late Natufian deposits contain the remains of a house that exhibits some characteristics typical of structures from this time period, including an artificially lowered surface, a wall, the round shape of the house and a constructed floor. The floor is composed of silty clay and shows microscopic structural alterations resulting from intensive use. The house also shows unconventional features for the Late Natufian, such as a built-in mortar, built-in hearth, and a possible ash dump. The uppermost deposits with Late Natufian and Neolithic occupation have a mixed appearance and contain pits and lenses of herbivore dung.

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In this study we compare different infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signals for dating arc... more In this study we compare different infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signals for dating archaeological deposits. The IRSL and the more recently developed post-IR IRSL (pIR-IR) methods were investigated using polymineral fine grains extracted from the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic western excavation area in the site of La Ferrassie (SW France). The IRSL data measured at 50 °C (IR50) are compared to those obtained with the elevated pIR-IR signals measured for two stimulation temperatures, 225 °C (pIR-IR225) and 290 °C (pIR-IR290). The signals are documented in terms of bleaching and fading rates. In addition, comparisons of the IR50 ages corrected either with the H + L method (Huntley and Lamothe, 2001) or with the dose rate correction method (DRC, Lamothe et al., 2003) are presented. Results show that the polymineral fine grains give a reasonable estimate of the burial age of the samples. The IR50 and pIR-IR225 provide the most reliable ages when they are corrected using the DRC method (because of saturation effects). The polymineral ages are then compared with the previously obtained ages of K-feldspars coarse grains, quartz OSL (Guerin et al., 2015) and radiocarbon ages with the aim of accessing information on the depositional processes. It appears that further comparison of polymineral fine grains to coarse grains is beneficial to evaluate bleaching. Moreover, the polymineral results either confirm or refine the chronology of the La Ferrassie sequence proposed by Guérin et al. (2015), that is, the Mousterian layers range from marine isotope stage (MIS) 5 to the middle of MIS 3. In particular, i) the base of Layer 3 is pushed back to the end of MIS 4 or beginning MIS 3 and ii) the chronological attribution of Layers 4 and 5 is confirmed as MIS 3. Finally, the chronology of the Aurignacian layer (Layer 7) is strengthened by all the feldspars results.

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Journal of Archaeological Science, 2002

The depositional environments of Amud Cave indicate that phytolith assemblages retrieved from the... more The depositional environments of Amud Cave indicate that phytolith assemblages retrieved from the cave's sediments are an integral part of the Middle Palaeolithic sequence. As such, they provide direct evidence for plant use. The Amud Neanderthals emphasized both wood and grass exploitation. Ligneous parts of trees and shrubs were used mainly for fuel. Herbaceous plants were used for bedding, possibly fuel, and for food. There is clear and repetitive evidence for the exploitation of mature grass panicles, inferred to have been collected for their seeds. These findings suggest that, as with the pattern recently discerned for faunal resources, a broad spectrum of plants has been exploited from at least the end of the Middle Palaeolithic. Phytolith analysis now provides a tool for testing models explaining subsistence and mobility patterns during the Levantine Middle Palaeolithic and for better understanding the role of vegetal resources in shaping these patterns.

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WHITE R., MENSAN R., BOURRILLON R., CRETIN C., HIGHAM T., CLARK A., SISK M., TARTAR É., GARDÈRE Ph., GOLDBERG P., PELEGRIN J., VALLADAS H., TISNERAT-LABORDE N., SANOIT (de) J., CHAMBELLAN Ch. & CHIOTTI L. (2012) - Context and dating of Aurignacian vulvar representations from Abri Castanet, France

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We present the results of analyses of the geoarchaeological components of the cave site of Xianre... more We present the results of analyses of the geoarchaeological components of the cave site of Xianrendong in Jiangxi province, South China. This and other caves in South China, such as Yuchanyan in Hunan, show hunter-gatherers producing pottery from 20,000 cal BP onward, some 10,000 years before the first sedentary settlements of agriculturalists, making this the earliest known appearance of pottery in the world. This study reconstructs site formation processes and infers human activities at the site. The deposits from two previously exposed profiles, a western and an eastern one, were studied using archaeological soil micromorphology. The analysis shows sediments to consist of sand, mica, and clay with anthropogenic input of bone, charcoal, and ash. It is clear from the components and their arrangement that the deposits in the Western part of the cave are of alluvial origin, while those of the Eastern Profile contain alluvial sediments in the lower portion of the sequence and anthropogenic deposits in the mid and upper parts of the section. The burned components suggest that most anthropogenic sediments were related to fire episodes; however, their arrangement suggests that the sediments are accumulated refuse composed of cleaned hearth features and other archaeological material. The dumped nature of the sediment and absence of in situ fire features suggests that the cave was not used as a living space and that living spaces were elsewhere. Our results produce a high-resolution context for the material culture recovered at the site, inferring human activities and behavior of Upper Palaeolithic of pottery making hunter gatherers.

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The cave site of Yuchanyan, situated in Daoxian County, Hunan Province is known, alongside Xianre... more The cave site of Yuchanyan, situated in Daoxian County, Hunan Province is known, alongside Xianrendong Cave in Jiangxi, for being one of two systematically dated Chinese sites to reveal remains of the earliest use of pottery – respectively at 18,600 cal BP and 20,000 cal BP - within the framework of a hunter-gatherer subsistence strategy. The caves have been investigated using geoarchaeological and micromorphological techniques to analyze site formation processes and patterns of site use. The study presented here is a preliminary micromorphological analysis of the fire features at Yuchanyan. Using FTIR directly on the clay aggregates and bone fragments in thin section, we extrapolated heating temperatures of the fire features. Analytical results indicate that the inhabitants of Yuchanyan maintained their fire temperatures between 500 and 700 Co for long periods of time. Thoroughly consumed wood fuel at Yuchanyan is one key aspect of the level of pyro-technological knowledge and also relates to a possible preference for boiling as a cooking method. This is the first step to a more comprehensive investigation of production techniques, cooking practices, and human behavior related to the earliest pottery.

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The island of Menorca, Spain, hosted the development of the Talayotic Culture in the first millen... more The island of Menorca, Spain, hosted the development of the Talayotic Culture in the
first millennium BC. During this period, the landscape was transformed by the construction of megalithic structures, both for public buildings – watchtowers and sanctuaries – as well as private buildings – domestic spaces, storage areas. These striking features, all built with a specific local limestone, form large settlements in which we observe open spaces between large constructions. The ‘inter-architectural’ areas have excellent potential for elucidating the complete fabric of the living space and can serve to weld activities within individual dwellings to communal areas. In this poster, we present some initial results of our excavations at Torre d’en Galmés, Menorca, which demonstrate quarrying within and outside of buildings. This evidence provides a greater understanding of the large site complex as a whole, quarrying and building methods specifically, which ultimately can be related to other sites in the Balearic Islands.

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•The site of La Ferrassie (Dordogne, France) is well known for the presence of several (N=7) Nean... more •The site of La Ferrassie (Dordogne, France) is well known for the presence of several (N=7) Neandertal individuals, and here we focus on two adults (LF1 and LF2) discovered by Peyrony and Capitan in the early 20thc [1], and LF8, a child excavated by Delporte in the 1970s [2]. In spite when the LF1 and LF2 discoveries were made, we know that they were found very close to each other and there is some general information on their location within the larger site of La Ferrassie. Nonetheless, the context of these finds is incomplete, with many ambiguities about their archaeological association and exact stratigraphic position. The LF8 skeleton was uncovered about 8-10m further into the cave, in an area that is stratigraphically disconnected from LF1 and 2 near the entrance. Here we present sedimentological, stratigraphic, and chronological data of the deposits from recent excavations (2010-2014) that shed new light on the context of these Neanderthals.

LF1 and LF2 were found close to our western excavation section. Field and micromorphological observations of sediments associated with the Middle Paleolithic revealed a sequence of basal fluvial sands (Layer 1) overlain successively by frost-affected, cryoturbated chalky deposits (Layer 2) and finely bedded silty sand anthropogenic deposits, rich in burned bone and flint (Layers 3, 4, and 5). Macroscopic comparisons of the sediments attached to the LF2 foot show a strong affinity to our Layer 4 and/or Layer 5, showing that the specimen clearly postdates Layer 3 [3]; a similar attempt to assign a layer to loose sediments found near LF1 was inconclusive. Although LF1 and LF2 cannot be positioned stratigraphically with certainty, our microstratigraphic results and comparisons show inconsistencies with Peyrony’s ‘yellow’ and ‘red’ attributions to the deposits associated with them. Radiocarbon and luminescence (14C, OSL, IRSL) ages attribute the Layer 4/5 deposits to MIS 3: Layer 5b was dated to between 44 and 47 ka cal BP based on radiocarbon, while luminescence ages for Layers 4 and 5 range between 40 ± 2 ka and 54 ± 4 ka [3, 4, 5].

Although the LF8 skeleton and much of the associated objects were removed during the 1970s excavation, the deposits in the area where LF8 was found are very different from those of the western section, being much stonier and generally consisting of yellow, brown silty clays with generally platy éboulis. We excavated this area of the site and recognized several layers: Layer A (base) through Layer D (top). Evaluation of Delporte’s records showed that the LF8 child was most probably at the same elevation as our Layer B. The underlying Layer A, along with the base of Layer B, were deformed by the formation of several cryogenic patterned ground hummock formations. Similar features (called “monticules”) were recorded during Peyrony’s excavations [1]. This deformation likely occurred at the same time as the deposition of Layer 2 in the western section. Therefore, from a stratigraphic standpoint, Layer B appears to be the temporal equivalent of Layer 2 in the western area. A preliminary OSL age for sediments from the same altitude as LF8 suggests that it dates to MIS 4 (~66 ka). OSL ages obtained for Layer 2 in the western area [3, 4] are consistent with this preliminary age and support the link between these two Layers. In the remaining deposits, there were no indications for a distinct infill in this area, neither in the profile nor in the artifact plots. Fauna associated with LF8 are currently being radiocarbon dated. There are also clear differences in artifact density in these different loci of the site, with LF8 associated with archaeologically poor Middle Paleolithic sediments as compared with the artifact-rich deposits further toward the western section where LF1 and LF2 were uncovered. Thus, when considered in their totality, all of the data clearly show that LF1 and LF2 are stratigraphically above the sediments that were at the same level as LF8.

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Isla del Rey is a small off shore islet located in the harbor of Mahón on the Balearic Island of ... more Isla del Rey is a small off shore islet located in the harbor of Mahón on the Balearic Island of Menorca (Spain). Nicknamed “Bloody Island” in the 18th century, the island is well known for its British naval hospital, constructed over multiple periods of British occupation. Along with strong ties to British, French, and Spanish history from the 18th to the 20th centuries, the islet is also host to a Paleochristian basilica, roughly dating to the 6th century C.E. In 2013, the Boston University Field School in Archaeology and Heritage Management began investigating the northern third of the island, which had not been previously explored. The goal of the survey was to provide a systematic analysis of this area, completing the archaeological picture of the islet, while educating field school students. Although a degree of both abundant surface remains and diachronic sample representation was expected, the final results were remarkable, potentially closing temporal gaps and expanding our knowledge of human use of Isla del Rey from the prehistoric to the modern era. This paper will present for the first time the results of the survey as well as related test pitting carried out in 2013.

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In: Préhistoire entre Vienne et Charente - Hommes et sociétés du Paléolithique, J. Buisson-Catil & J. Primault (eds), Association des Publications Chauvinoises, Mémoire 38 : 85-117, 2010

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VIII JORNADES D’ARQUEOLOGIA DE LES ILLES BALEARS, 2020

El yacimiento talayótico de Torre d’en Galmés se levanta sobre una colina de unos 100 m sobre el ... more El yacimiento talayótico de Torre d’en Galmés se levanta sobre una colina de unos 100 m sobre el nivel del mar y a unos 3 km de la costa sur de la isla de Menorca. En la parte sur del poblado se conservan los conjuntos domésticos, conocidos como círculos que, con sus variaciones, constituyen un patrón arquitectónico característico del hábitat del periodo talayótico final o postalayótico (500-123ANE). Algunas casas incorporan patios exteriores o delanteros: espacios a cielo abierto, de dimensiones similares o incluso superiores a la casa, y cercados por muros generalmente de aparejo tripartito. Inferir la funcionalidad de cada espacio sólo con el análisis de la arquitectura y de la cultura material recuperada es muy difícil. Generalmente, el abandono de las casas y sus patios se produce después del vaciado de objetos que, dos mil años después, podrían arrojar datos precisos sobre la funcionalidad de cada zona. Este problema se puede solventar con otro tipo de estudios que van más allá de la catalogación y análisis de restos cerámicos, etc. Por este motivo es conveniente utilizar múltiples técnicas para el estudio de todo el registro arqueológico y más concretamente, el análisis de sedimentos recuperados en el transcurso de excavación.

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European Society for the Study of Human Evolution annual meeting, 2019

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