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Animals have played a basic role within human groups since the origins of humankind, being used as a source of very different elements, such as meat, milk, wool or bone. The aim of this paper is to approach the importance of animals as a source of hard raw material in human technology during the 2nd millennium BC. Our main goal is to spotlight the careful selection of the bones to manufacture specific items, focusing on the ancient beliefs and myths that human groups might have had towards some animal species and how they could have influenced that choice. Thus, an assemblage of 830 items from four archaeological sites located in the southern half of the Iberian Peninsula: Motilla del Azuer (Ciudad Real), Motilla de las Cañas (Ciudad Real), Peñalosa (Jaén) and Cerro de la Encina (Granada). The discussion involves aspects such as the use of especial raw materials, labor investment, use-wear patterns, as well as curation and maintenance. Thus, it can be pointed out the presence of certain manufacturing traditions for some type of objects whose morphology has remained almost unaltered since the Chalcolithic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interpretation of the manufacture and function of Argaric burial potteries has not been subject to a global and systematic study. As such, this paper has reconstructed the sequence of ceramic production of burial potteries of Peñalosa using analytical techniques (stereomicroscopy, X-ray diffraction and optical petrography). Ceramic ware technological features, as well as other indicators of use and repair, indicate that the pottery was used prior to the burial either in domestic contexts or during funerary rituals. This finding contrasts with data obtained at other Argaric sites, where technological and formal features point to pottery production specifically intended for burials.

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The practice of agriculture across the Mediterranean basin has had significant social and economic consequences, including the development of social inequalities. To inform on plant water status and thus on agricultural management techniques and environmental conditions during the first half of the second millennium BCE, we measured stable carbon isotopes in a set of 280 seeds of Hordeum vulgare L. and Pisum sativum from the archaeological site of Peñalosa (Baños de la Encina, southern Iberian Peninsula). The ranges in stable carbon isotope values for archaeological samples were wider than those observed for modern reference samples collected in 2014 and 2015, suggesting that archaeological samples experienced more varied water status conditions. This variability was associated with the location of the seeds within the site and could be a consequence of the cultivation of different plots and/or from temporal variations in local environmental conditions. For absolute comparisons of water status between modern and past samples, we introduced a novel correction to account for temporal changes in the concentration of atmospheric CO2 in addition to the usual adjustment that accounts for the variability in atmospheric CO2 stable carbon isotope values. This comparison showed that past samples had greater water availability than modern references, and thus, irrigation or intentional selection of naturally irrigated soils was practiced at the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueologia is the property of Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueologia 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.)