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Some nomads have their own websites and are on Facebook, which might be worth exploring. There is no typology of these nomads; some have regularity, some on highly ad hoc (just hitting the road) ventures, and some using websites, Facebook, and Internet gatherings to construct a community. Bruder mentions the I RV Daily Report i , the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, roving GTG (get togethers), FreeCampsites.net, Kampgrounds of America, Amazon's CamperForce, and Craigslist (for job opportunities). [Extracted from the article]

Studies of the Bronze Age in the ancient world traditionally have focused on mainstream populations, together with their social organization, and the economic subsistence strategies implemented by them. As a result, those people who lived on the edges of society, whether defined geographically, socially, demographically, or economically, have received correspondingly less attention. Yet, peoples on the margins of mainstream populations fulfilled roles integral to the primary economic and social systems in Bronze Age cultures in the ancient Near Eastern and North African world. This concept of marginal and/or liminal groups in the ancient world, the importance of examining them, and different methods of addressing them, are presented here, as the introduction to the collected papers on marginality and liminality in the Bronze Age world of the ancient Near East and North Africa in this special issue of the Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors introduce their interesting and thoughtful piece with a personal anecdote that serves as an origin story to the argument within the paper itself and to the issues they have been wrestling with for some time. This work has changed my perception of archaeology in profound ways, and I continue to wrestle with many issues that are raised by the authors in their paper. For example, the authors quote Bhambra and Holmwood ([1]), but they seemingly fail to engage with the key message of this book, which argues that crucial elements of social theoretical thought were themselves fundamentally shaped by the influence of European colonialism. [Extracted from the article]

The paper analyses on the basis of new fielddata the transformations of kinship terminologies in three Even dialects which have come about through cultural and linguistic contacts. We investigate two possible sources of change. First, the adaptation of kinship terminology to the ways of subsistence, such that, e.g., hunting and gathering cultures preferably use one, while herding cultures prefer other types of kinship systems, with the corollary that shifts in subsistence type can lead to shifts in the kinship terminology. Second, linguistic and cultural convergence, whereby in multilingual groups either one group adapts its terminology to the system of the dominant group or, in the situation of symmetrical multilingualism, both groups change their kinship systems to accommodate to each other. We argue that both causes, the cultural and the linguistic ones, are at work in the Even communities investigated in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Population growth has always played a key role in human mobility, even before the age of farming and husbandry. This paper explores population dynamics among early Holocene (∼9500–1700 cal BCE) hunter‐fisher‐gatherers in Southern Norway, focusing in particular on the Mesolithic‐Neolithic transition (4000/3900 cal BCE). Radiocarbon dates are calibrated and turned into summed probability distributions (SPDs). A heuristic linear method is used to calculate annual growth rates from the SPDs. Observed fluctuations in the SPDs are tested for significance by applying a Monte Carlo‐based simulation method. The paper finds evidence of a steady growth rate from the Boreal period until a sudden population trough at ∼4330–4300 cal BCE. The trough coincides with indications from the archaeological record of a dispersal of hunter‐fisher‐gatherers from Southern Scandinavia to Norway. The dispersal was likely an effect of lowered habitat suitability and social stress caused by population pressure among Southern Scandinavian hunter‐fisher‐gatherers. In Southern Norway, the proxy data show that the trough enabled a subsequent 'boom' in population and the emergence of regional technological innovations that define the Mesolithic‐Neolithic transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the understanding of the complexity in intentional and random manipulation with deceased human bodies in the Mid-Upper Paleolithic in Eurasia. A series of single or multiple anatomic modern human burials at open air-sites, in caves or under rock shelters have been documented. Some of them are decorated and covered by extra-large sized mammal bones for protection. Beside these ritually buried individuals, isolated human cranial and postcranial fragments are scattered through the cultural and other depositional layers, many of them being identified during the post-excavation processing of faunal remains (e.g. Dolní Věstonice I, II and Pavlov I sites in the Czech Republic). These bits and pieces often lack direct evidence of predator or human manipulation (except intentionally perforated human teeth), which raises the question of a differential mortuary practice employed by our ancestors and/or the presence of specific depositional and post-depositional taphonomic conditions in the preservation of human remains. The paper addresses ethnoarcheological observations in different types of treatment of deceased human bodies among recent Arctic and sub-Arctic hunter-gatherers and reindeer herders in Eurasia with a special emphasis on the burial rites among the Nenets from northwestern Siberia. The work aims at the author's own social and economic scope, in which inappropriate or partial manipulation with the deceased human body presents a disputable, unethical and even illegal act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I discuss the relationship between so cial organization and offspring-rearing methods, which are starting to be used as a novel indicator in interspecies societal comparisons. Additionally, I clarify the relationship between the intimacy of the mother-offspring relationship and the development of foraging in the offspring. I suggest that the establishment of a base camp in human evolution is important not only to facilitate effective hunting and gathering but also for immature individuals to reduce the cost of accompanying adults and engage in their own foraging activities. I also attempt to deconstruct weaning from the offspring's perspective, which often focuses on the mother's de ci sion to stop breastfeeding. Spe cifically, I focus on the development of the offspring's ability to acquire food independently and the offspring's behavior away from its mother. I suggest that there is no significant difference between humans and African apes in the timing when the offspring significantly reduces its dependence on breast milk. This paper also depicts "early weaning" as a characteristic of the unique life history of humans, in which the mother conceives a second offspring at the same time as or even before the offspring becomes much less dependent on the mother's milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution will provide a critical overview of the other papers within this special issue of Journal of World Prehistory (Elliott and Little 2018), identifying key aspects of the discussion and assessing potentials and problems in the development of Mesolithic archaeology in Britain and Ireland as a whole since 2006 (Conneller and Warren in Mesolithic Britain and Ireland: New approaches, Stroud, Tempus, 2006a). Reflections will include how the contribution of very high-resolution analyses to Mesolithic archaeology has changed since 2006 and the scale of our interpretations. The review will also identify areas which appear to be falling from analytical focus, including the role of analogies in Mesolithic archaeology and the nature of power and social relationships in Mesolithic communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper problematizes the collective dimension of social control in oral societies, focusing mostly on nomadic communities of hunters-gatherers and tribal segments. The author analyzes conditions for effective control considering the functions of existential conditions (economic co-dependence of society members, flexibility of camp groups, forms of residence, the strength of leadership) and social attitudes (communality, control and punishment acceptance). The paper also reconstructs basic instruments of social control: critique, social distancing, and executions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Italian peninsula offers an excellent case study within which to investigate long-term regional demographic trends and their response to climate fluctuations, especially given its diverse landscapes, latitudinal range and varied elevations. In the past two decades, summed probability distributions of calibrated radiocarbon dates have become an important method for inferring population dynamics in prehistory. Recent advances in this approach also allow for statistical assessment of spatio-temporal patterning in demographic trends. In this paper we reconstruct population change for the whole Italian peninsula from the Late Mesolithic to the Early Iron Age (10,000–2800 cal yr BP). How did population patterns vary across time and space? Were fluctuations in human population related to climate change? In order to answer these questions, we have collated a large list of published radiocarbon dates (n = 4010) and use this list firstly to infer the demographic trends for the Italian peninsula as a whole, before addressing each of five sub-regions in turn (northern, central, and southern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia). We also compare population fluctuations with local paleoclimate proxies (cave, lake, marine records). At a pan-regional scale, the results show a general rapid and substantial increase in population in the Early Neolithic with the introduction of farming at around 8000 cal yr BP and further dramatic increases during the Bronze and Iron Age (~ 3800–2800 cal yr BP). However, different regional demographic trajectories exist across different regions of Italy, suggesting a variety of localised human responses to climate shifts. Population and climate appear to have been more closely correlated during the early–mid Holocene (Mesolithic–Neolithic), while later in the Holocene (Bronze–Iron Ages) they decouple. Overall, across the Holocene the population dynamics varied by region and depended on the long-term socio-ecological dynamics prevailing in a given area. Finally, we include a brief response to the paper 'Radiocarbon dated trends and central Mediterranean prehistory' by Parkinson et al. (J Word Prehist 34(3), 2021)—synchronously published by Journal of World Prehistory but wholly independently developed—indicating how our conclusions accord with or differ from one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to present a socio-historical review of Indian cuisine and its evolution. Based on a thorough analysis of a wide range of documents, the investigation focuses on four eras, each having a significant and lasting effect on Indian cuisine. Parallels have been drawn to modern Indian cuisine wherever possible. This study follows the advances in Indian cuisine through the prehistoric era, into the Vedic era, where religious scriptures, especially the Hindu scriptures, affected what was cooked during the time, followed by the invasion of the subcontinent by the Mughals. Finally, the effects of European colonization on Indian cuisine are critically analysed and an attempt is made to examine threads, if any, connecting culinary preferences of people across these phases. The results of the analysis indicate the intriguing impact of intricate connections among several sociocultural factors on the evolution of Indian cuisine. At the end of the paper, a few areas are identified for future exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While interest in land use in the prehistoric periods in Italy has received attention, that cannot be said of the Post-Medieval period. The general view is that all activities and objects from the last 300–500 years or so are so indecipherable from their contemporary counterparts and that there is no need to study them. There is, in fact, very little Post-Medieval archaeological work done in the south of Italy, which is the focus of this paper. The landscape of southern Calabria has changed radically over the centuries. The distribution of dense macchia forests was diminished in the late 18th and 19th centuries for building railroads and ships, and more recently, arson has been used as social or political revenge. The removal of the macchia led to erosional landscapes and the loss of archaeological footprints. This paper explores agricultural practices and forest exploitation in the early 19th and 20th centuries by the citizens of Bova to better understand the social and economic dynamics that continue to influence the lives of people living in the community. It utilizes cadastral records, archival documents from the early 1800–1900s, and spatial analysis to better understand the potential economic and social dynamics in this community. Consideration is also given to how social status and power, represented by Church-owned vs. lay citizen-owned properties, was reflected in local land use. The overall paucity of archaeological materials from this period across the landscape supports and complicates the overall picture while also supporting an interpretation of a very local and insular community poorly integrated into the greater Italian economy of the day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

16.FY80 Economic and Sector Work Program, Country Summary Indonesia, November 30, 1978,SeriesA 1993-012,Indonesia (1974-1987), Folder 3,Box 9, Robert McNamara Papers, WBA. Marshall Green, Indonesia: Crisis and Transformation, 1965-1968 (Washington, DC, 1990), 101-02; Telegram 3294 from Jakarta to State Department, May 27, 1966,RG59, Central Files 1964-1966, POL INDON-US, National Archives, Washington, D.C., (hereafter USNA); Terence H. Hull, ed., People, Population and Policy in Indonesia (Jakarta,2005), 14-15. 9. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Transmigration and the Environment in Indonesia: The Past, Present, and Future (Cambridge, 1987); Fearnside, "Transmigration in Indonesia: Lessons from Its Environmental and Social Impacts", 553-70; Memo from Izzet Zincir to Stanley Please, "Indonesia- Back to office Report", August 29, 1978,Indonesia CR-300 (Pop).1 Supervision Reports, Box 40257B, 1975,R-1993-224,WBA. Martono, who served as Minister of Transmigration for much of the 1980s and was perhaps its leading theoretician, told a private meeting of the Inter-Governmental Group on Indonesia that "By way of transmigration, we will try to integrate all the ethnic groups into one nation, the Indonesian nation. [Extracted from the article]

Recent research challenges the belief that indigenous hunter-gatherers in western Europe gradually adopted agriculture. Instead, evidence suggests that the earliest farmers in Europe were immigrants from Asia Minor who brought a fully functioning agricultural economy. A study in Atlantic France reveals that hunter-gatherers and farmers lived separately, with no signs of adoption or intermarriage. This research questions the assumption that hunter-gatherer societies naturally progress towards agriculture and provides insights into the social organization and settlement patterns of forager societies in coastal Europe. The given text also references a book and an article that discuss the distribution of prehistoric Aboriginal burial grounds in southeastern Australia, making it a valuable resource for research on this topic. [Extracted from the article]

In recent years, sports have been the most rapid social phenomena in the world and Africa has not been side-lined. But as it is the case with many other disciplines, it has turned to a male practise, (controlled and managed). In many African nations, female breakthrough in sports based on performance has not really changed societal perception vis-à-vis female participation in sport. In Cameroon, societal considerations based on tradition and culture has greatly undermined female breakthrough and performances in sports. This paper argues that notwithstanding the arsenal of international and national convention in-which Cameroon has entangled itself, the integration and recognition of female participation in sports is still minimal. Paradoxically the lionesses have many a time enabled Cameroonians to listen to the national anthem and see their beloved green-red-yellow flag fly very high. Based on historical and qualitative data the paper demonstrates that limited attention was given and is still given to female performances in Cameroon. The paper (analyses) considers the administrative, the urbanisation, the socioeconomic and the cultural factors to understand the present trend of Cameroon female sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper describes the demarche of our research trail in Ethnoarchaeology over 20 years through various research projects since 1986, when we begun carrying out research projects in Tierra del Fuego (TdF). Our objective was to test and develop the archaeological methodology to open up the possibility of approaching the social organization of prehistoric hunter-fisher-gatherer (HFG) societies. We follow chronologically and discuss the successive stages of our line of research and how one step led us to the next step, structuring a successive series of research projects. The bulky volume of bibliography produced including all the methodological details, empirical data, concrete results, etc... is cited at each step for readers who want to dig deeper into the details. There is also an open repository with all the documentation and information on the TdF projects. The conclusion of this long lasting ethnoarchaeological experimental trail was that it is indeed possible, through Archeology, to determine the existence and functioning of social organization in prehistoric HFG. Along these years following the same system of ethnoarchaeological contrasting, we analyzed the development of the coastal societies of the Northwest Coast of America with that of TdF, considered examples of the opposite extremes of HFG social organization. We stated the preponderance of social norms that regulate reproduction and their direct relationship with the discrimination of women and the division of labor according to sex. We have proposed as an explanation for this divergent development the alternative options for the management of reproduction. To reinforce these conclusions, we replicate through the use of Agent Simulation the effect of specific social norms on the reproduction of five groups of HFG. The conclusions reinforced that social norms that affect biological and social reproduction are critical for the sustainability of societies that do not directly control the reproduction of their resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of ethnographic and ethnohistoric data to inform reconstructions of past human societies has a long tradition. While simple ethnographic analogies have been used since the beginning of archaeological research, since the 1950s there have been several efforts to rationalize and systematize their use. This led to the development of several new methods, including direct historic analogy, ethnoarchaeology, and comparative ethnology. The latter is now experiencing a resurgence, stimulated by the digitization of large ethnographic databases and the development of new analytical methods. As part of a broader cross-cultural research approach, comparative ethnology explicitly aims to answer questions about the incidence, distribution, and causes of cultural variation. Based on the statistical evaluation of theories and large samples of cultures, this approach not only illustrates variation in cultural practices, but also provides supporting arguments for archaeological hypotheses. Specifically, it can (1) reveal archaeological indicators of human behavior, (2) test causal and non-causal associations between diverse cultural and ecological variables, and (3) reconstruct the evolutionary paths of specific cultural traits. Despite significant development in this field over recent decades, the application of comparative ethnology to the study of the human past is still relatively rare in the archaeological community. Our aim is to (re)introduce this method and demonstrate its potential to address archaeological questions through several recent case studies from two thematic research areas: hunter-gatherers and kinship systems. This paper demonstrates the breadth and variation of topics that can be studied using comparative ethnology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider predators hunting on prey gathered in groups and in such way exhibiting the possibility of reducing the predators pressure. To model this feature, however, we depart from the Holling type II (HTII) response function, in that we assume that a sufficiently large set of prey could respond to individualistic attacks and therefore induce the predator to renounce. The basic idea is described at first in a simple two‐populations predator‐prey system. It is then expanded considering the generalist predators to deal with two prey. In the first case, both are gathered in herds, and in the second one, one of the two instead behaves individualistically. The net outcome is an enhanced survival for the prey with respect to both the herding cases without and with predators feeding satiation (i.e., using the HTII response). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Intersecciones en Antropología is the property of Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Relaciones de la Sociedad Argentina de Antropología is the property of Sociedad Argentina de Antropologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Relaciones de la Sociedad Argentina de Antropología is the property of Sociedad Argentina de Antropologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Relaciones de la Sociedad Argentina de Antropología is the property of Sociedad Argentina de Antropologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Upper Palaeolithic archaeological sites in the Basque Country have been excavated for over a century. They have yielded a rich palaeoenvironmental record with zoological and botanical remains that have been obtained in stratigraphic series dated precisely by radiocarbon. This information reveals cyclical environmental changes from climates similar to today to drier and extremely cold conditions, when species in current boreal biomes and others now extinct but with similar ecological preferences were present in the region. Moreover, the archaeological sites have provided high-resolution information about the resilience mechanisms of the communities of our own human species. This information allows us to increase the corpus of palaeoclimate data regarding the Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 2 and MIS 3 for a critical region within the human population of Eurasia. The aim of this paper is to show how an extraordinary capacity for adaptation to drastic climate changes Upper Palaeolithic hunter–gatherer societies displayed, even though their subsistence depended on biotic resources that alter rapidly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the ritual of Neolithic Malta in its island context drawing on recent research by the FRAGSUS project. Ritualised club houses placed in horticultural enclosures formed the focal point of the prehistoric Maltese landscape in the fourth and third millennia BC, providing a stable exploitation of the islands by the small populations of the period. This was a period when connectivity was more challenging than in the Bronze Age which followed, when Malta became part of the wider ritual patterns of the central Mediterranean and beyond. The paper provides discussion of the leading issues and arguments applied to this rich case study of island ritual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new data on the spatial organization of mound-builder groups in the India Muerta wetlands, Uruguay. This area presents the beginning of land architecture in the region (ca. 4800–5000 years BP), associated with more arid climate. This construction tradition continues and intensifies, mainly from ca 3000 years BP, from the establishment of warmer and damper conditions. New sources of information and geospatial technologies have made it possible to locate mound sites with greater precision, as well as to analyze settlement patterns. Indigenous communities occupied areas of hills, plains and wetlands, showing differences but also regularities in spatial organization in each area. In the whole area, earthen mound complexes form groups of different orders, from regional to domestic units, configured by mounds, negative structures and limited spaces. The location of the mounds is primarily in dry areas, known locally as islands, which are prominent in the landscape during floods in this wetland-dominated environment. Through this analysis of the landscape, this work delves into the underlying logic of the social construction of the territory. The results achieved in this paper are consistent with previous research suggesting planned occupation associated with villages integrated within broader regional systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Meat Technology is the property of Institute of Meat Hygiene & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sea-level rise was a key factor changing environments during the Early Holocene in Northwest Europe. It affected Mesolithic hunter-gatherer communities by inundating large areas in the current North Sea, commonly referred to as Doggerland. In this paper we present novel inundation models for the southern North Sea providing visualisations of lateral inundation driven by sea-level rise and relate it to frequency analysis of radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites. These improve on previous studies that relied on bathymetric data, which includes post-inundation overprints of Holocene sedimentation and erosion, and thus significantly underestimates the timing of inundation in some areas. We constructed a paleoDEM (a composite elevation grid of the top of the Pleistocene) for the eastern part of the southern North Sea; and sea level surfaces that combine relative sea-level curves from glacio-isostatic adjustment models optimised for Britain and southern Scandinavia respectively. We corrected our paleoDEMs for tectonic background basin subsidence, and in the inundation modelling account for pre-compaction elevation of peat in coastal areas. We evaluated the impact of these model components on our results and describe the possible inundation history of Doggerland. We suggest earlier inundation than predicted by previous models, showing significant area loss around 10.5–10 ka cal BP. Palaeogeographic changes are compared with archaeological radiocarbon data using a dates-as-data approach. Composite Kernel Density Estimate and permutation tested Summed Probability Distributions are used as a proxy for the visibility, nature and intensity of human activity. Results indicate key periods of growth and decline recorded in the dataset, as well as regional differences in growth rate, some correlating with inundation phases. Chiefly, we find elevated growth rates around 10.5–10 ka in northwest Germany and the Netherlands, contemporaneous with the abovementioned phase of extensive area loss, and moreover, with changes in culture and practices on Early Mesolithic sites. However, the spatiotemporal distribution of archaeological data is significantly influenced by accessibility and preservation of sediments of a certain age. We discuss the importance of inundation modelling and sediment data in understanding how landscape taphonomy affects archaeological patterning, especially in dates-as-data approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of lnternational Journal of Geography & Geography Education is the property of Marmara University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista del Museo de Antropología is the property of Museo de Antropologia - IDACOR and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper focuses on a reassessment of the emergence of herding in Africa seen from the Tadrart Acacus and neighbouring regions in the Libyan central Sahara. The paper examines whether the presence of wild animals in the Early Holocene 'green' Sahara could have represented a 'disease challenge' to the spread of domestic livestock, as proposed for sub-Saharan Africa. Analysis of the zooarchaeological record and Saharan rock art highlights this potential threat also in North Africa, where it has hitherto been disregarded. Old and new data from the study area in SW Libya, with a focus on Takarkori rock shelter, highlight the presence of herding activity at a very early stage. Direct dating on bones of sheep/goat and cattle secures this chronology, providing evidence of a rapid ingression of small groups of herders who crossed Africa's north-eastern quadrant around ~ 8300 years cal BP. This rapidity defies the 'disease challenge' hypothesis and suggests alternative scenarios. In the central Sahara, the cultural complexity of local Early Holocene hunter-gatherers and their delayed return system of resource exploitation could have facilitated the incorporation of new practices, including the herding of small numbers of domestic animals. The societal implications of the transition from hunting and gathering to herding are archaeologically better visible in the funerary record and in rock art. By contrast, both material culture and the subsistence basis seem to demonstrate continuity with the former foraging groups' phase. Taken together, the Saharan evidence suggests a punctuated process of acculturation for the inception of food production in North Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five decades ago, Usategi Cave (Basque Country) yielded a small Gravettian series that included an Isturitz-type bone point. This paper presents the first 14C dates for the assemblage and new data obtained by the study of the lithic raw materials, a high proportion of which came from north of the Pyrenees. The discussion of this new information leads to the hypothesis that the occupants of the cave were a group that travelled from the continental Basque Country across the Pyrenean mountain passes and the Ebro basin to procure flint from the nearest outcrop at Urbasa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One important aspect affecting variability in core reduction technology is the degree of expertise of knappers. In the present paper, we show that, at the Middle Palaeolithic open-air site of Nesher Ramla, the degree of expertise of ancient knappers played a major role in shaping the composition of the lithic assemblage. Using robust markers of knapping skill, such as the frequency and reiteration of decision mistakes in the knapping process, allowed us to establish that a clear relationship exists between the degree of structuring of core technologies and the degree of expertise of the knapper at Nesher Ramla. Simple core technologies (e.g. pebble and multiple surface cores) can be linked to the work of novices, while more structured technologies (e.g. Levallois) are linked to the work of more experienced individuals. In addition, we apply for the first time a 3D-based procedure for identifying the causes that possibly lead to knapping accidents, specifically potential errors in the evaluation of the reduction surface exterior platform angle and/or its profile. Tying simple core technologies with the work of unexpert knappers allowed us to explore otherwise elusive social-cultural aspects of past hunter-gatherer societies such as age structuring. Specifically, we suggest that during the most intense phases of occupation in Nesher Ramla, children and/or young adults were present at the site alongside adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nenjiang River Basin, located in the northern part of Northeast China, is an important cultural region that has attracted much attention from academic communities. Previous studies demonstrated that hunting and gathering always dominate the subsistence for prehistoric populations in this region. Herein, we further investigate the evolution of dietary and economic strategies in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age occupations at the recently excavated Honghe site of the Nenjiang River Basin by means of a multidisciplinary approach incorporating zooarchaeological and stable isotope analysis. The results of zooarchaeological approaches indicate that the Honghe populations rely extensively on hunting and fishing during the Late Neolithic (4500–4000 cal BP), consistent with the results of previous studies. Interestingly, by the Bronze Age (3100–2400 cal BP), animal husbandry develops as one main economic strategy, corresponding to the probable decline of hunting and fishing, which is different from the previous reports. In addition, based on the results of stable isotopic approaches, C3 plants are always prominent diets for animals and humans from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age, which signifies that crop agriculture does not appear to have been of primary importance during either of these eras, in contrast to the C4 agricultural tradition formed in the Neolithic Age of the southern part of Northeast China. The findings of this paper shed some more light on the evolution of human subsistence strategies in the Nenjiang River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioarchaeological research of bone growth patterns provides information on the health status and disease of past populations. Recent studies have pointed out the potential of metric analysis of nonadult vertebrae as indicators of stress during different stages of ontogeny, highlighting that most vertebral measurements present low sexual dimorphism, a stable and known pattern of growth and give useful information even in incomplete spines. The aims of this paper are first, to construct a vertebral growth profile for nonadults of a skeletal series of Patagonian Late Holocene hunter‐gatherers from Salitroso Lake (SAC); second, to compare it to the ones obtained in other archaeological and modern populations with different stress experiences; and third, building on this, to assess whether individuals with evidence of stress experienced in early development demonstrate different patterns in vertebral growth than those without. Two spinal dimensions are used: vertebral body height (VBH) and transverse diameter of the neural canal (TDNC) in a sample of 23 nonadult skeletons with ages previously estimated from dental and bone indicators. The vertebral dimensions of 20 adults between 18 and 35 years of age were also measured as reference information. Results show that the growth of the VBH is steady over the years and reaches adulthood size by approximately 16 years of age whereas TDNC dimensions do not experience marked fluctuations in size throughout life and adult dimensions are reached at approximately 4 years of age as expected. The vertebral growth pattern observed in SAC is similar to that obtained in other archaeological samples from very different settings but experiencing relatively high nutritional or pathological stress in early stages of life. However, it is markedly different, and systematically smaller, to the 20th century sample pattern, probably responding to a secular trend in the modern population with a more stable access to resources and medical treatment. Finally, SAC individuals with systemic stress markers do not tend to exhibit smaller vertebral dimensions than those without them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper makes three interconnected claims: (i) the “human condition” cannot be captured by evolutionary narratives that reduce it to a recent ‘cognitive modernity’, nor by narratives that eliminates all cognitive dierences between us and out closest extinct relatives, (ii) signals from paleogenomics, especially coming from deserts of introgression but also from signatures of positive selection, point to the importance of mutations that impact neurodevelopment, plausibly leading to temperamental dierences, which may impact cultural evolutionary trajectories in specific ways, and (iii) these trajectories are expected to aect the language phenotypes, modifying what is being learned and how it is put to use. In particular, I hypothesize that these dierent trajectories influence the development of symbolic systems, the flexible ways in which symbols combine, and the size and configurations of the communities in which these systems are put to use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although numerous settlement sites of Corded Ware culture have been discovered in Finland, only a few houses have been identified. This is in stark contrast to the abundant number of pithouses of local hunter-gatherers. This paper takes a closer look at the houses associated with Corded Ware culture, first, by introducing a recently excavated Corded Ware house from southern Finland and other houses connected to Corded Ware culture from Finland and the Karelian Isthmus, Russia, and second, by outlining the various types of Corded Ware houses around the Baltic Sea. After that, the emerging picture suggesting interaction between the regional variants of Corded Ware culture as well as between Corded Ware cultures and local hunter-gatherers will be discussed. Even if the remains of Corded Ware houses are few and often quite ambiguous, it will be concluded that several types of houses have existed in the area north of the Gulf of Finland, and the contacts between cultural traditions affected settlement types and house structures in each party involved in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper presents the results of the analysis of plant macroremains (except wood), primarily seeds and fruits, from Cabo San Pablo 2017 (CSP2017), an archaeological site close to the Atlantic coast of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. CSP2017 has a great diversity of archaeological materials, including faunal, lithic, carpological, and anthracological remains. The data are especially relevant due to the scarcity of information regarding plant use at coastal sites in the region. At CSP2017 eleven taxa were identified. The results obtained provide data on plant use at the site and, at the same time, enable discussion of the management and use of these types of resources on Isla Grande. By placing these results in context with previously studied coastal and hinterland sites, research at CSP2017 contributes to a better understanding of plant use by hunter-gatherers of the southernmost part of South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

During the 4th millennium BC, an intensive artefact circulation system existed among the hunter-gatherer peoples of north-eastern Europe. Along with other goods, ring-shaped ornaments that were mainly made of different kinds of slates or tuffites were commonly distributed. Although commonly referred to as 'slate rings', these ornaments consist mainly of fragments of rings. In this paper, we suggest that the 'slate rings' were never meant to be intact, complete rings, but were instead fragmented on purpose and used as tokens of social relationships relating to the gift-giving system. By refitting artefact fragments together, analysing their geochemical composition, micro details, and use-wear, we were able to prove that these items were not only intentionally fragmented but also likely worn as personal ornaments. Moreover, ED-XRF analysis of 56 of the artefacts showed a correlation between their geochemical characteristics and stylistic detailing, suggesting different production phases or batches. Comparative data analysis confirmed the provenance hypothesis that the majority of the analysed objects, or at least their raw materials, were exported over hundreds of kilometres from the Lake Onega region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversification of standards of living in modern societies is one of the main research topics for economists and sociologists. Usually, economic inequalities are considered to be a natural phenomenon which trigger further progress and, in moderate amounts, are socially acceptable. However, deep inequalities are unjust and destructive and lead to conflicts. The research of contemporary inequalities in living standards mainly focuses on defining their source and their social and economic implications. The issue of social inequalities in pre-industrial societies is researched in a similar way, but requires different methods and data sources. The purpose of this paper is to determine the usefulness of archaeology in the research of diversification of living standards in Central-European cities at the end of Middle Ages and in the Early Modern era. As a case study we discuss the consumption strategies of Late Medieval and Early Modern dress accessories from different burgher plots in Prague (modern Czech Republic) and Wrocław (modern Poland) as an introduction for broader research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most European hunter-gatherers slowly assimilated into farming communities during the Neolithic period. In the north these groups persisted far longer. In this paper, we present evidence from what may be one of the most recent non-agricultural sites in the region, where a marine hunter-gatherer lifestyle may have continued until as late as the 15th–16th centuries AD. The isotope composition of incremental dental analysis suggests a significant, long-term dependence on seals. This indicates that vestiges of this means of subsistence might have been present in Europe for much longer than previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northern Negev—a region both geographically peripheral and environmentally marginal for human habitation—experienced increased settlement and activity in the Intermediate Bronze Age in the southern Levant (ca. 2500–2000/1950 BCE). Most interpretations link this phenomenon with Egyptian demand for copper and the accompanying development of trade networks that transported this valuable resource. However, the function of these networks, the subsistence of the peoples who operated them, and the social and economic systems that supported them remain unclear. This paper examines the means of subsistence and sustenance of the populations of these sites in the northern Negev, together with their role in supporting connections between Egypt and the southern Levant, and suggests that while their location may have been marginal, their identity and role in the social and economic system of the Intermediate Bronze Age southern Levant was not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The destructions caused by the military campaigns of the Neo-Assyrian empire in the southern Levant during the Iron Age IIB and IIC (8th–7th centuries b.c.e.) led to mass deportations of local populations and a forced displacement of refugees. Although several studies in recent years have focused their attention on displacement and refugees in the ancient Near East during the period in question, they often deal with large scale processes, while generally neglecting more localized phenomena. Such phenomena include, among others, post-destruction squatter phases. These frequently overlooked strata reflect the resettlement of a site following its destruction by local individuals who were forced, to some degree, to leave their homes for an unknown period. This paper attempts to define some of these post-destruction squatter phases in the archaeological record during the Iron IIB–C through the analysis of nine case studies, and to examine this phenomenon from a refugee standpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beginning of the Middle Magdalenian is marked by an increase in the density and geographic extension of evidences of human occupation across western Europe. The Early Middle Magdalenian (19,5–17,5 ka cal. BP) thereby extends from Poland to Spain, and the sharing of the flint-knapping concepts and the circulation of raw materials show the existence of networks active over this wide area. In parallel, part of the production of art, ornaments, microliths, bone industry, and the proportions of hunted ungulates vary regionally and allow to identify distinct technical traditions. Departing from a palethnographic approach at a regional scale, this paper aims at participating in renewing our understanding of the mechanisms of regionalisation during the period, and among past societies of hunter-gatherers. The reflection is based on the techno-functional analysis of stone tools from two cave sites of west-central France that are at the heart of the definition of two technical traditions: La Marche (Magdalenian with Lussac-Angles points) and the Blanchard cave (Magdalenian with navettes). Inter-site comparisons of the functioning and management of stone tools, and of subsistence strategies show the sharing of techno-economical norms, expressing the adhesion to a wider community of practice. The long-term occupation of at least part of the caves and the high density of sites in the Vienne, the Creuse, the Gartempe, and the Charente Valleys, indicate the strong regional implantation of human societies. This strong territoriality (effective and symbolic) is likely a major factor to understand the specificity of the EMM expressions in the area, as well as the sharing, in the same economic territory, of technical norms and of part of the system of symbolic representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]